Harry Potter and the Ties that Bind

Chapter 18

Daphne woke up early on Monday morning, the first day of classes. She didn't have any classes that morning, but she did have a second period class. Today and Wednesday would be her fullest days.

After taking a shower and getting dressed, she, Tracey, and Blaise went to breakfast, where they met up with all of their friends.

"Good morning, Daphne, Tracey," Susan greeted them as they sat down at the Hufflepuff table. A glance around the great hall revealed that they were not the only ones who'd mixed tables. Ever since Harry first decided to change which table they sat at, the idea of befriending people from other houses had caught on.

Harry...

None of them had been able to see Harry Potter in the hospital wing. When they'd tried to see him, Harry had disappeared. According to Madam Pomfrey, Harry had been in good health and was let out of the hospital. None of them had been pleased, but they figured it just meant that they would see him later on.

Not so. Harry had disappeared. None of them knew where he'd gone, not even Neville and Astoria, who shared the Gryffindor dorms with him. For all intents and purposes, Harry Potter was gone, even though he was still somewhere in Hogwarts.

"Daphne!" Astoria called out as she ran into the Great Hall. Neville was trailing behind her.

"Stori," Daphne greeted her sister with a hug. "Did you sleep well?"

"Hm!" Astoria nodded with a big smile on her face. "It's really comfortable here, and all of the girls are nice enough, though they like to ask a lot of questions."

"What kind of questions?" Daphne asked, looking at Neville, who shrugged.

"They kept asking me about Harry Potter," Astoria said as she put food on her plate.

"What did you tell them?"

"That I don't know anything about Harry Potter." Astoria shoved a spoonful of hot oatmeal into her mouth, moaning as she savored the flavor. "This is so good!"

"Our first class is care of magical creatures, isn't it?" Lisa said to Hannah.

"Yep." Hannah munched on some toast. "I wonder how that's going to turn out. You're not taking Care of Magical Creatures, are you, Daphne?"

Daphne shook her head. "I didn't think there'd be much point in me taking that class, since it's not something that could help me in the future."

"I'm excited for Care of Magical Creatures," Neville admitted.

"I didn't know you liked animals," Tracey said. "I thought you were a plant nerd."

"Thanks, Tracey," Neville said somewhat dryly.

"You have a real way with words," Blaize added.

"Urk! I-I'm sorry!" Tracey apologized. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Smooth, Trace," Daphne said. "Real smooth."

"Aww! Shut up!"

As the Great Hall became filled with more students, Professor McGonagall walked over to them. "Excuse me, but have any of you seen Mr. Potter? I have been searching for him ever since he snuck out of hospital wing, but have had not had any luck."

So, even the teachers can't find him..

"I'm sorry, Professor," Neville started. "We haven't we haven't seen or heard from him since the end of last year."

"I see." Professor McGonagall sighed. "Well, if you see him, please tell him that I have his schedule and the device that he needs to attend them all."