Harry watched Daphne effortlessly tuck the shrunken bundle of clothes into her pocket and shook his head.
“I completely forgot we could do that.”
Daphne raised an eyebrow.
“Forgot what?”
“That knowing a spell and being allowed to learn a spell aren’t the same thing.”
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Just because fourth-years aren’t supposed to know certain charms doesn’t mean we suddenly forget how to cast them.”
“Exactly.”
Daphne pointed at him approvingly.
“Now you’re starting to think properly.”
Hermione rolled her eyes.
“Properly?”
“Like a Slytherin.”
Daphne smirked.
“Both of you.”
Harry laughed.
Hermione folded her arms.
“I’m not sure whether that was meant as a compliment.”
“It absolutely was.”
The Slytherin witch leaned back in her seat.
“From now on, we need to become experts at pretending.”
Her expression grew more serious.
“We can’t openly demonstrate knowledge we’re not supposed to possess.”
“Agreed,” said Harry.
“But that doesn’t mean we stop using it in private.”
“Exactly.”
Daphne nodded.
“When we receive our apartment, the first thing I’m doing is warding the entire place.”
Hermione immediately brightened.
“We can help with that.”
Daphne looked interested.
“You know advanced warding?”
Harry and Hermione exchanged a brief look.
A great many unpleasant memories passed silently between them.
“We learned.”
Harry’s voice was quiet.
“While we were hunting Horcruxes.”
Hermione nodded.
“We spent months protecting campsites.”
A faint smile appeared.
“By the end, we were actually pretty good.”
Daphne considered that before smiling.
“Then we’ll make sure nobody spies on us.”
As the Hogwarts Express began slowing for Hogsmeade Station, the three quietly removed the various wards protecting their compartment.
Outside, darkness had fallen completely.
Rain continued to drum against the windows.
Harry stretched slightly.
“You know what’s strange?”
Hermione glanced up.
“What?”
“Malfoy never showed up.”
Daphne laughed softly.
“Of course he didn’t.”
Harry blinked.
“What do you mean?”
“The Notice-Me-Not wards.”
Realization immediately dawned.
“Oh.”
“He walked past several times,” Hermione added.
“I noticed him looking into compartments.”
Harry snorted.
“He was probably hunting for someone to annoy.”
“Which brings us to another point.”
Daphne fixed him with a pointed look.
Harry immediately became suspicious.
“What?”
“Your temper.”
He groaned.
“My temper?”
“Yes, Potter. Your temper.”
Harry blinked.
“Back to surnames already?”
A faint blush appeared on Daphne’s cheeks.
“Sorry.”
She looked momentarily embarrassed.
“That’s going to take some getting used to.”
Harry waved it away.
“It’s fine.”
Then his expression turned thoughtful.
“Once those owls arrive, nobody will care about surnames anymore.”
That earned curious looks from both girls.
Harry merely smiled mysteriously.
The train finally rolled into Hogsmeade Station.
Steam billowed past the windows.
Brakes squealed.
The journey was over.
She slid open the door.
“Trace?”
The brunette looked up.
“Yeah?”
“We’ve got guests.”
Tracey raised an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
Daphne glanced over her shoulder.
“I’ll explain later.”
The tone of her voice clearly indicated that questions would have to wait.
Only then did Tracey finally look past her.
The moment she spotted Harry and Hermione standing in the doorway, her eyes widened.
To her credit, she recovered almost immediately.
Still, the surprise was obvious.
Daphne knelt and pulled her trunk out from beneath the seat.
Opening it, she deposited the shrunken bundle of clothes belonging to all three of them.
After a brief hesitation, she retrieved a small pouch of owl treats and slipped it into her pocket.
Then she shut the trunk.
Tracey’s gaze shifted between Harry and Hermione.
Then back to Daphne.
Then back again.
Harry could practically see the questions piling up.
Daphne noticed too.
“Yes.”
Tracey looked at her.
“Yes what?”
“Yes, that’s Harry Potter.”
Tracey’s eyes moved to Harry.
“And Hermione Granger.”
The brunette stared.
Harry gave her a cheerful little wave.
Unfortunately, Hermione noticed.
A second later, an elbow found his ribs.
“Oof!”
“Behave.”
Harry rubbed his side.
“I was being friendly.”
“You were being Harry.”
“Same thing.”
Tracey laughed.
For some reason, that earned Harry another glare from Hermione.
The train had already stopped, so no one bothered sitting down again.
Daphne carefully lifted Midnight from where the white cat had been sleeping.
The feline immediately protested.
“I’m sorry.”
Daphne scratched behind her ears.
“I’ll see you later.”
Midnight responded with a distinctly unimpressed meow.
Harry couldn’t blame her.
A moment later, the cat was safely returned to her carrier.
Avoiding the Weasleys proved considerably more difficult than expected.
The station platform was crowded with students, trunks, owls, cats, and complete chaos.
More than once Harry spotted Ron and Ginny scanning the crowd.
Looking for them.
The three immediately changed direction.
Eventually they managed to slip away and join Daphne, Tracey, Blaise Zabini, and Horace Urquhart in one of the horseless carriages heading toward the castle.
Rain poured relentlessly overhead.
Harry casually raised his wand.
“Repello Imber.”
The rain diverted harmlessly around the group.
Tracey blinked.
“Useful.”
Harry shrugged.
“Very.”
Only then did he realize he recognized the faces around him but couldn’t immediately place all the names.
Daphne noticed his confusion.
“Harry, Hermione.”
She gestured around the carriage.
“Tracey Davis.”
Tracey nodded.
“Blaise Zabini.”
The dark-skinned Slytherin inclined his head.
“And Horace Urquhart.”
The older student offered a polite smile.
Harry returned the greeting.
To his surprise, none of them seemed bothered by his presence.
If anything, they appeared amused.
Tracey was the first to speak.
“So.”
She tilted her head.
“Not worried about spending time with a bunch of filthy snakes, Potter?”
Harry snorted.
“First, my surname isn’t Weasley.”
“Second, I don’t dislike Slytherins.”
Tracey looked genuinely surprised.
“No?”
“No.”
Harry shrugged.
“The only ones I actively dislike are Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinson.”
He thought for a moment.
“Possibly a few others.”
Then his expression hardened slightly.
“As long as someone isn’t a blood purist, doesn’t want to wear a Death Eater mask, and isn’t planning on taking the Dark Mark…”
He shrugged again.
“I honestly couldn’t care less what House they’re in.”
Blaise looked suspiciously entertained.
“And yet you still associate with Ronald Weasley.”
Harry sighed dramatically.
“Not for much longer.”
That caught everyone’s attention.
“You’ll understand soon enough.”
Daphne hid a smile.
“Blaise, trust me.”
She glanced at Harry.
“He’s completely serious.”
Tracey’s head snapped toward her.
“Harry?”
The way she said it made it very clear she had noticed the use of his first name.
Daphne immediately realized her mistake.
“Yes, Tracey.”
Tracey narrowed her eyes.
The look promised future interrogation.
A very thorough interrogation.
Harry suddenly felt grateful it wasn’t directed at him.
The carriage finally rolled to a stop before Hogwarts Castle.
The towering silhouette rose above them, illuminated by countless windows glowing warmly against the night.
For a brief moment, Harry simply stared.
Home.
Again.
He climbed down first.
Then turned and offered his hand to the girls.
Hermione accepted automatically.
Daphne followed.
Tracey hesitated for a second before allowing him to help her as well.
She looked mildly surprised by the gesture.
Harry smiled.
“My aunt would’ve murdered me if I didn’t have decent manners.”
That earned a laugh.
As they approached the castle doors, Harry glanced at Hermione and Daphne.
“Ready?”
Hermione drew a steady breath.
“Yes.”
Daphne’s eyes glittered.
“More than ready.”
Together they entered Hogwarts.
The Great Hall buzzed with conversation as returning students filled the House tables.
At the entrance, the group separated.
Harry escorted Hermione toward Gryffindor.
Immediately, he noticed Ron waving frantically.
Both he and Hermione ignored him.
Instead, they deliberately selected seats farther down the table.
Not only that, they made certain several students sat between them and any available spaces.
Neither Ron nor Ginny would be joining them tonight.
Hermione leaned closer.
“Well.”
“What?”
“At least that eliminates any chance of being dosed this evening.”
Harry frowned.
“Wouldn’t it be a bit soon after this morning?”
Hermione paused.
“Fair point.”
She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
“I need to research exactly how often those potions would need to be administered.”
Harry nodded.
“Good idea.”
“The library first thing tomorrow.”
Harry smirked.
“Of course.”
Hermione returned the smirk.
“Did you expect anything else?”
Before Harry could answer, movement near the enchanted ceiling caught his attention.
Several nearby students suddenly looked upward.
A flock of owls had entered through the high windows.
Harry followed their gaze.
Then smiled.
Right on schedule.
Six owls were already descending directly toward the Gryffindor table.
Across the Hall, two more were flying toward Slytherin.
Hermione noticed them at the same moment.
And judging by the growing curiosity spreading through the room, they weren’t the only ones.