Living Dangerously

Chapter 1: The Ice Queen

Important Disclaimer: This story begins approximately half way through the Order of the Phoenix, albeit with some slight changes in continuity. Harry and Ginny have began dating a year early, something which you will see explained in the context of the story. If an event happened in the film that is not covered in this continuity but is still referenced, presume it still played out identically. This is a romance story between Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass, not a retcon to the entire universe.

And now, presenting...

~ Living Dangerously ~

Daphne Greengrass took no pleasure out of making others dislike her, but it just so happened that she was very good at it.

The Slytherin House had a motto it often defined itself by: Proud. Ambitious. Cunning. These three words were the traits that she made a point to strive towards. While some of her housemates just obnoxiously spewed house pride where ever they could, she put the effort in to earn it.

Although everyone in Hogwarts was aware of her birth name, Daphne was also known by a second, far more wide-used name: the Ice Queen. It was a cliche, overdone and rather inaccurate representation of her, but trying to stop it had eventually ended up doing more bad than good. She never deliberately intended for her attitude to come across the way it did -she just knew the importance of putting her education before her personal life- and if her others interpreted that as her being antisocial, then frankly, they were not her problem. It may have been her housemates decision to give her that name, but it had been hers to roll with it.

All that being said however; Daphne currently found herself struggling to maintain the Ice Queen persona she'd become well-known for, as her temper flared with a burning passion. Today had been a long and arduous day for her, made all the worst by the fact that she had somehow found herself in an argument with her Head of House, Professor Snape. Her priority now was remaining calm, she worked hard for a good reputation among the professors and wasn't about to run the risk of souring it.

"I won't hear another word of it from either of you! You'll both serve after school detentions with me for the rest of the week."

She'd been paired with the Gryffindor Golden Boy, Harry Potter, in today's lesson. Which fair enough, that alone she could handle. She didn't particularly like the boy, but outside from his famed messiah complex, he kept good grades and for the most part, seemed to keep mostly to himself. Unlike most wizards and witches in her house, Daphne considered it beneath an up-and-coming prodigy such as herself to partake in the silly territorial rivalry that Slytherin and Gryffindor shared.

But saying that, then she actually spoken to him, and any suspicions she had towards him were then fulfilled.

"Yes, Professor," she mumbled scornfully. "Sorry, Professor."

She'd attend these extra lessons under silent protest, but would get them over with. It would interfere with her nightly workout and totally throw her whole diet off balance, but she digressed.

Now the Potions classroom had emptied and she and Potter stood alone before their teacher.

When their potion had gone up in flames it had released thick fumes into the air, most of which still lingered. Humidity was at a peak, forcing sweat from her brow and several other places. That was another thing that contributed to the surrender of her argument; she was absolutely boiling and couldn't afford the added stress.

Daphne sniffed loudly.

As another hot wave flushed over her, she rapidly regretted her wardrobe choice today. Her skirt ended just before her knee-length socks began, only allowing heat to escape through a peep-hole view of her thighs, which was the source of a lot of her over-heating. She normally took a tremendous amount of pride in herself physically, as well as academically, but now her blonde hair had long since frizzed out and trailed down her back, disregarding the usual rules that long hair was to be tied in a bun during lesson. She looked about as much of a mess as she felt.