Our two enemy worlds - A Harry Potter Romance

Chapter Fourteen : Daphne's greatest fear - (Harry's pov)

On the first day of December, the castle was decorated overnight with garlands of holly, luminous fir trees and designs of various shapes that traced themselves on the mist of the windows before disappearing and re-appearing later on. Small flakes fell from the ceiling of the Great Hall, without ever reaching the ground. It seemed as if the whole atmosphere of Hogwarts was warmer. A feeling that was reinforced by the fact that one felt safe within the walls as the winter wind whistled against the window frames. The way the castle had been transformed overnight seemed simply magical.

And ever since Stacey Lockley had told Hermione that she had seen house elves placing ornaments on the trees one night after waking up from a sleepwalking attack two years ago, the mystery had been dispelled. The founder and president of the S.P.E.W., the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, had of course been outraged once again at the discovery. For Hermione, it had been yet another proof of the enslavement of these creatures to the interests of the wizards. To have to decorate the entire castle in one night, as well as to have to prepare a mountain of festive food for hundreds of people, was, in her opinion, an inordinate burden. Decoration and good food that they would of course not enjoy as they were relegated to being invisible in the kitchens.

Harry and Ron had simply nodded without adding anything to Hermione's plea. It was best not to get into another debate with her.

At the banquet, Harry couldn't help but glance at the Slytherin table several times. Where a certain blonde-haired witch was chatting with her best friend, Adalinda Erin.

-Harry ? Harry, are you listening to me ?

-He's probably still daydreaming about pretty Daphne Greengrass. I guess your classes with her went pretty well," Ron said jokingly with a piece of sausage still in his teeth.

-I don't know what you're talking about," Harry replied. Daphne's just a friend," he added hastily, although his flushed face gave him away.

-I still don't trust her. She's a Slytherin, she belongs to Pansy and Draco's gang, and above all she's a pureblood," said Hermione.

-Well, it's not like you to judge someone by their birth, Hermione, and not all Slytherins are evil, Harry protested.

-Maybe, but she's proud to be a member of this house I'm sure. I'm not judging her solely on her status, but it does indicate that she has less to fear from the times ahead than we do. She's not the one the Death Eaters are going to come and attack in her sleep. And I'll have you know that she chose the people she's with. And yes, whoever decides to associate with Pansy Parkinson is worthy of my contempt," Hermione said with a raised eyebrow.

-But I've already explained to you that she got into their gang in her first year, more because she wanted to make friends than because she found her particularly likeable. And now she's not really in a situation where it's enough to simply terminate her friendship with her as if it were a subscription to Witch Weekly. Pansy and her friends would make her pay hard.

-In any case, she is far from being a mere innocent.

-Are you by any chance jealous, Hermione ?" teased Ron.

-Not at all !" she exclaimed. Only I'm not blinded by her pretty smile. I'd be careful if I were you, Harry. Don't give her any important information about the Order.

-Daphne has a lot more to her than just being pretty ! She's generous, she's funny, she's clever... And she's friends with Hagrid and she did him a favour at the beginning of the year. This when she already had other responsibilities besides homework and O.W.L. to prepare," he argued fervently.

-Well, Harry, I can see that you must be very fond of her to defend her with such conviction...

-I...uh...yes, as I said, she's a good friend," Harry stammered.