14

Chapter XIV: A Cursed Necklace

(Astoria P.O.V)

Astoria felt her body jitter nervously as she stood at the Gryffindor Tunnel's entrance, watching as Angelina pacing rapidly back and forth. "Alright team," The Gryffindor Captain said, "Hope everyone got a good night's sleep and a strong breakfast, because when we go out there tonight, I want us to approach the match with a win or die trying attitude is that clear!"

Astoria gulped, she'd never seen Angelina this fired up, though the placement of Harry's hand atop her head had helped her remain calm. "Hufflepuff is a good team, though last year, as painful as it is to say, we know that they lost their star player." Angelina's eyes dropped to the ground, "Cedric was a tough competitor, never backing down from any challenge, that is why, it is our duty to honor his memory by doing everything we can to win, we all know he'd want no less than fierce determination from both sides."

"He was never one to be pitied, so let's not disgrace his memory by starting now," The team nodded in agreement at Angelina's words before Astoria watched the team captain's eyes fall to Harry. "Whoever they put on you is going to be a mismatch, Potter," Angelina continued calmly, "We'll play through you. Obviously keep your eyes on the snitch, but don't get surprised if you're thrown a quaffle, you're a wild card, or at least, one of them. The other, is you."

Astoria swallowed as Angelina gazed through her entirely, "You're a newcomer to this team which provides us an advantage we can only use once. There's no scouting report on you which means I need you to play hard and fast, don't give them even the slightest chance to recover. We keep the pressure on for as long as it takes and win this thing. Everyone clear!"

"Yes Ma'am!" The team roared out in unison.

"One more time let me hear you roar!" Angelina shouted and Astoria watched in amusement as the team released their best lion imitation, "That's what I like to hear, now let's go out there and win!" At their captain's battle cry, everyone climbed atop their broom, waiting for the second the tunnel opened before, with a whoosh, Angelina zipped out of the tunnel leading the charge.

For years, Astoria had been watching the game from the stands, marveling at the brooms that flew above her, now she was one of those players, and her heart was racing. In the front of the Gryffindor Stands, her eyes had fallen upon Daphne, who Harry had seemed to lay eyes on as well. Her sister had seemed to finally submit to the temptation and Astoria couldn't help but laugh as she saw Daphne cheer by the side of the other Gryffindor students, Harry's last name emblazoned on the back of the jersey she wore.

"Introducing the Gryffindor Players!" Lee Jordan shouted from the mic, "Starting with the stunning captain, Ms. Angelina Johnson! Next, playing the role of our second chaser, let's give it up for the Beautiful Katie Bell! Love you, babe!"

"Jordan!" McGonagall shouted.

"Sorry about that Professor," Jordan said with a chuckle before continuing on, "Next up we've got a new face to the team, she may be small but that doesn't mean she's a pushover, welcome to the pitch, Astoria Greengrass!" Astoria marveled at the amount of applause that followed her name, it had felt like the first time she'd ever been recognized by such a large crowd, and she had to admit, she was starting to feel a bit intimidated.

"Don't let it get to you," Harry whispered hovering beside her, "It's just another game, play the way you usually do, and you'll do great."

Astoria nodded, though the roar that filled the air after Fred and George's name had been called felt like it nearly shattered her eardrums, followed by a surprisingly loud cheer for Ron. But if she thought the applause for the twins was loud, she was nowhere close to prepared for what was coming next, "Finally, let me hear you all roar for the man, the myth, the legend, our star seeker, Harry Potter!"

Astoria's eye's widened in shock as she watched the way Harry soared around the pitch on his broom, pulling himself up into a handstand which drove the crowd wild before stopping just in front of the Gryffindor Pitch before Daphne, the wind carrying his voice, "So Princess, Kiss for Good Luck."

"I only date winners," Daphne replied teasingly, "Catch that snitch and come try again."

"That's all the motivation I need," Harry said with a chuckle before rejoining his group in formation.

"Just another game, huh?" Astoria said with a smirk.

"I like to show off a bit," Harry said with a chuckle, watching as from the tunnel, the team clad in yellow and black shot out with blinding speeds. They're fast, Astoria thought to herself before Harry smiled, "You're much faster than you think, Short Stack, just concentrate on flying."

The team had looked familiar though as Angelina had said, they were missing a key figure, and in Cedric's place was a thin, sleek boy by the name of Edward Summerby. Jordan had done the best of trying to keep the introduction of the Hufflepuff players light-hearted, though it was clear that the black cloud of Cedric's death hung over everyone like a guillotine. "And there we have it!" Jordan called out, "All our players are in position, Madam Hooch has brought out the balls. She's unlocked the chest! The snitch is now in the air!"

"Ready!" Astoria heard Madam Hooch call out, the red ball held tight in her hand, "Begin!"

Angelina nodded to her, and Astoria dove instantly, catching the quaffle in her hands just seconds before Smith had gotten his hands on it, a sentiment she saw had earned her the slightest smirk from her teammates before, with a smile of her own, she bolted towards the hoops, the players scattering in all directions. For so long, Astoria had essentially just been watching Harry from the stands, but this was different, she wasn't just a spectator this time. Now, her eyes were constantly peeled, watching for passing lanes, reading defenses, and following the bludgers, one of which had no sooner swept by her face before being rocketed near the Hufflepuff goals by a hard swing from Fred.

She caught the twin's eye, following his signal as she powered towards the rings, Fred using his own body to shield her from a hard ram engineered by Cadwallader. Feint, Feint, Astoria muttered to herself watching as the eyes of Herbert Fleet followed her intensely, Drop right, hit left with the back of her broom. Astoria took a quick breath, calming herself before faking right with lightning speeds, just barely allowing the ball to fall from her palm, before like a whip, she swung the tail of her broom like a bat, smacking the quaffle into the left hoop.

"What a fake!" Lee Jordan said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, it's hard to believe but our newcomer, Astoria Greengrass has just scored the first point in a simply masterful display. If Hufflepuff thought they were going to have an easy time abusing the rookie, it seems they are in for a rude awakening."

"That's what I'm talking about Short-Stack!" She heard Harry call out, her older brother grinning above her, "Don't let up, we have this thing in the bag!"

Astoria nodded, bolting off as she chased after Cadwallader who'd secured the toss in. Astoria may not have had the strength to stop the man, but she could sure as hell make it more difficult as her broom easily pushed her ahead of the boy, continuously cutting off his rush. Where is he passing, Astoria muttered to herself watching as the man scanned rapidly, Left, no right, come on Astoria, predict, now!" She watched as Cadwallader chucked the Quaffle forward, hoping to leap over her, but an unapologetic grin grew across Astoria's face as she completed her correct prediction, slapping the quaffle down only for the red ball to be recovered by Angelina who punched it back through the Hufflepuff hoop.

"Merlin! I can hardly believe what I'm seeing!" Jordan shouted on, "Gryffindor is up 20-0 and Astoria Greengrass has managed to not only block a shot but secure an interception! My only question is why she didn't make her talent known sooner! And let's not forget the masterful off the rim punch in by our very captain!"

Astoria smiled as Angelina hovered beside her giving her a high-five, "Keep it up, just like that."

"Right," Astoria said with a nod as the two chasers broke away.

"It's Smith, now Cadwallader, back to Smith, my word how did he complete that pass!" Jordan called out the young man's voice full of excitement. "Ah Bell just a touch short on the interception as the Preece takes it to the hoop, it's all on Ron and-," Astoria turned, watching as the Quaffle zipped from the Hufflepuff's chaser's hand only to hit the top of Ron's helmet as he spun just in time to block the hit. "Amazing!" Jordan called out, "Absolutely incredible! What a block! I bet if Wood could be watching this right now, he'd be beaming with pride!"

Astoria nodded towards Ron, who looked a bit dazed but returned with a nod of his own before she dove back into the fray. Ten minutes, now twenty, the game had been extending, and even with a few great shots from her, Hufflepuff had truly been beginning to wear down Ron, the lead now shrinking as each team stood with a 90-70 scoreboard. "Come on, Potter," She heard Bell whisper, "Finish this now."

Astoria's eyes scanned the sky above her, watching for even the quickest glimpse of Harry, though her view was completely obstructed by the clouds. That quickly changed, however, as in the sunlight, a faint glimmer of god caught her eye, and then, like a falling meteorite, Harry barreled down towards the ground, his eyes never losing sight of the snitch as poor Summerby could do nothing but watch Harry's rapid descent. "Look at Potter go! If he keeps moving like this, he'll catch fire!"

Come on Harry, Come on! Astoria muttered watching as her brother bolted towards the earth. "Are we going to see it, are we going to it so soon!" Jordan called out, "Well if that snitch keeps falling there's no way around it! Here it comes!" Astoria watched as the snitch seemed to scrape the ground, only to see Harry now flying just inches above it. She held her breath, gazing on as with tremendous speed, Harry rolled over, his legs crossed, acting as the anchor to his broom, as in an amazing move, Harry snatched the snitch. "And there it is! Ladies and Gentlemen, Harry Potter has grabbed the snitch! That's the game! Gryffindor Wins!"

Astoria quickly ascended to the neatly formed lines hovering behind Katie as Harry quickly ascended behind her, their arms extended as they flew by each other giving high-fives and saying their congratulatory good games. It wasn't until the line was cleared before Harry took to Astoria's side, "Good flying out their Short-Stack, told you it would be fine. How do you feel?"

"Like my heart is going to jump out of my chest," Astoria said through panted breath.

"Good, that means you gave it all you had," Harry said with a smile as the two began to move towards the stand where Daphne rested, a smirk forming along her brother's lips, "Now then, Princess… About that kiss-"

Astoria rolled her eyes as Daphne leaned forward pecking Harry gently before sticking her tongue out at him, "That's all you get, Flyboy."

"Better than nothing," Harry said with a smile before turning to Astoria, "Come on, let's shower up, there's going to be a huge party in the Gryffindor Common Room, first season games are always so stressful, let's go have some fun!"

Astoria nodded racing Harry to the bottom before hopping off their broom, "That was fun," Astoria said with a grin.

"It only gets better from here," Harry replied as the two entered the tunnel side by side, to the sound of their teams' celebratory cheers.

(Harry P.O.V)

Draco, Voldemort, Slughorn's Memories, His list of concerns piled on him like a ton of bricks as his muscles screamed from his hundredth push up in the gravity chamber, he'd forced the Room of Requirement to mimic. Harry broke his form, rolling over onto his back as his panted for breath, his whole body feeling exhausted. It was far from just his body though, Harry had felt that now, more than ever, his mind was in constant flux. Never before had he had such a permanently packed agenda, and his desire and craving to not be alone, had somehow shifted to the point that he treasured his moments alone like gold, the only thing more valuable being his time with Daphne.

What is in that bathroom that Draco is so interested in, and what the hell did Dumbledore mean by calling Snape an ally? Harry sighed as he looked up at the sky, Moody, He wondered thinking of his one-eyed mentor, What would you do? Harry vowed to write not just to Sirius but to the elderly auror as well, trusting Dumbledore never seemed like a good option, but the old man had certainly made a point, Draco was a student, and whether Harry wanted to admit it or not, that did provide the boy some shield of protection.

Harry sat up, his abs screaming as the gravity pressure released on his command, his body now feeling completely weightless as he closed his eyes, Calm down, He whispered to himself, Focus on the here and now, there's nothing else to be done. Harry had felt his mind flash to white, reentering his familiar mindscape where the red-headed woman waited for him eagerly. "That was quite a performance on the broomstick young man, very exhilarating."

"You could see that?" Harry asked in surprise.

"That necklace you wear gives me access to your mind, I can see everything you're doing so long as you wear it," Morgana said with a smile, "Which is why I must say, this S.P.I.R.E group that you are teaching. Certainly, a fascinating experiment, but not something I would waste my time on. The weak die and the strong survive, such is the way of life, it's pointless trying to prevent nature."

"Some of them are my friends," Harry said calmly, "I'd prefer it if they weren't dead."

"Ah yes, you are quite particular about the idea of friendship," Morgana said off-handedly, "I suppose it is one thing we'll never agree on, no use in harping on it though. I suppose we should get back to work with the foreign core siphoning, yes?" Harry nodded as Morgana smiled, "Excellent, with your growth, I'd wager you can maybe make another seven percent of so, anything over ten would no doubt kill you. Irritating, I know, but better to go slow and steady than die trying to rush."

Once more Harry nodded as he and the Dark Witch toured his mind to the tied-up fragment of Voldemort's core that resided in the center island of the outside lake. Harry paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself as he walked across the water towards the chained up, baby-like form of Voldemort. "Lady Morgana, those discussions I had with you about anchors, is it possible that this is one?"

"Possible, of course, though foolish if true," Morgana said with a sigh, "If you are trying to become immortal, why leave a fragment of yourself within a mortal body." Harry could find no argument with Morgana's assessment before the witch continued, "Regardless of whatever this is, it certainly does not belong inside of you like a foreign infection, so let's get to work."

"Business as usual," Harry said with a grim smile turning to face the fetal form of Voldemort before taking a seat, placing his knuckles against each other, the magic draining chains forming from his body.

"Now this should, in theory, be less painful than last time as you are taking in a lesser portion with a stronger body, but that doesn't mean you should lose focus, am I clear?" Morgana stated firmly earning Harry's agreement, "Very well," The witch whispered placing her hand atop his shoulder, "Whenever you're ready."

Harry took one last glance at the disgruntled figure before him before closing his tired eyes forcing the magic draining chains to rise, the metallic hooks digging into his skin. He hissed from the pain as the hooks wrapped around the foreign core, before like fire through his veins, the foreign magic began to flow. It was as Morgana said, the pain was certainly less, though nowhere near moderate enough for Harry to forget it was there. Sure, it wasn't a blood-curdling scream, but it was at the level of a painful growl, the power forcing his body to glow.

"You're almost there, Harry," Morgana whispered, "Don't lose focus, you're body has already assimilated five percent." Harry grit his teeth in anguish the pain making everything else fade out. "Six percent! Seven Percent! I'm going to sever the-"

"Keep going!" Harry shouted, "I can handle it!"

Morgana nodded and Harry felt the woman's eyes narrow, focusing on him intently, "Eight percent, now nine! Wait for it!" Harry shouted, as with two fingers Morgana severed the magic draining chains, Harry falling back onto the grass. "Ten percent," Morgana whispered, "You barely cleared it, but you did." Harry nodded, "Almost a quarter of the core has been drained, twenty-three percent, you're certainly making good time, but it'll be a while before you can siphon again, you're going to feel quite numb when you return to the 'real world.'"

Harry gasped, the sweat flowing from his body like a river, "Don't worry, not exactly in a rush to put myself through that again, but I guess that means my magic's going to be unstable for a little bit too, huh?"

"Couple of days," Morgana said with a nod, "You're body has already done this before so it should recover quicker. That being said, I'd try to avoid combat for a while, your magic may not perform the way you want it to. Worst case scenario, if you aren't careful you could end up hurting your friends with your own magic." Harry shuttered at the thought, as Morgana drifted off, "Looks like you're fading away, you'll feel better when you awake from your little nap. Keep moving little crow, you are growing quite strong."

Harry had felt the word glow white before he felt his eyes flash open, his back glued to the floor by his dried sweat. He felt groggy and dizzy, but he also felt like electricity was running through his veins. Damn, Harry said rubbing his head, How long was I out? Harry turned to face the clock in the Room of Requirement, his eyes widening at the fact that hours had passed. Shit! Harry cursed jumping to his feet before his body screamed at him for the sudden movement. Ouch, he hissed rising to his feet, Man, Daphne is going to be pissed, hope nobody sent out a search party.

A lightbulb had seemed to rise from his head as Harry whispered out, "Dobby?" Instantly the elf appeared before him bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Mr. Harry Potter sir," Dobby said eagerly, "How can Dobby help Mr. Harry Potter."

"Uh, no need for all the formality," Harry said with a smile, "But if you could do me a favor, could you let Daphne know my training ran a bit long but I'm okay, and that I'll be down in time for dinner."

"Of course, Dobby will help! Dobby will go right now," Harry hadn't even a moment to thank the elf before he vanished a Harry let out a soft sigh, "He's certainly a jumpy one." A sad smile donned Harry's face as he looked up aimlessly passed the stone roof to the sky above, "Wherever you are, if there even is something after this, I hope you're well… Kreacher."

Harry had no sooner left the Room of Requirement before yet another suspicious activity caught his eye. From the window, Harry managed to spot through the glass-dome roof, a figure tinkering around in the Greenhouse near the entrance hall. Though, the figure looked far too old to be a student and somehow more suspiciously, the figure looked nothing like the herbology professor Harry had grown to know quite well.

He shoved that thought aside, or at least he would have, if not for one name that read clearly on the map before him, Horace Slughorn. Harry shoved the map back in his pocket, a devilish smile creeping onto his face. Well, I do hope my favorite Professor wouldn't mind a social visit. The Room of Requirement's door quickly shut behind him as Harry exited, each step making his body burn, yet his mind continued on with determination. It wasn't long, mostly due to his in-depth knowledge of the castle's secret passageways before Harry had found himself face to face with the humid scent of the Greenhouse.

The foggy windows had certainly obscured his view, but the vision was far from unclear as Harry watched curiously as Slughorn plucked the leaves off a Venomous Tentacula plant. Harry smirked at the sight, got him, Harry thought to himself entering the Greenhouse, "You know, Professor, I read in an herbology book that Venomous Tentacula plants hate getting their leaves plucked. My friend, Neville Longbottom, he said it's almost like plucking the feathers off of chickens."

"Ah, Harry," Slughorn said jumping at his voice, "I'm sorry, I must not have heard you come in, you startled me quite a bit." Harry contained his composure as Slughorn adjusted his coat, "You see, I was just collecting some samples for a potion I'm brewing, nothing nefarious I assure you, it's just, well you see," Harry forced his smiled down as Slughorn continued to ramble, "Well, each Tentacula leaf can run about ten galleons from a greedy buyer you see. I figure, there is no reason for me to go through the trouble of incurring such an expense, when there is such a ready supply available right in our backyard, so to speak. After all, I'm not sure if you are aware, but the salary here is quite, well modest to say it politely."

"I see," Harry said with a forced smile, "Well that's quite kind of Professor Sprout to be so generous with her supply. Normally she tends to be quite protective of her plants."

"Well, yes," Slughorn said, "About that, I would appreciate if you didn't share me being here with anybody, you see, I didn't exactly get expressed permission to take samples, but what Professor Sprout doesn't know won't hurt her now, right?"

"Of course not, Professor," Harry said with a gentle nod, "Your secret is safe with me."

"Perfect, you see, this is why you are one of my absolute favorites," Slughorn said with a wide smile, "Ah yes, which reminds me, I wrote to my friend regarding the Bimetal Alchemical Thread, and Dehoff was delighted to hear that somebody had taken an interest in furthering his work. Of course, he did want to make it perfectly clear of his ownership regarding the material but certainly is encouraging further study. He's sending me a sample in the post, once I receive it, I'll be sure to tell you."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said with a smile, "I'm certain Michael will appreciate the opportunity greatly. I myself am quite anxiously looking forward to your Christmas Party, with all the great witches and wizards you've taught, I'm certain it will be quite an event."

"Yes, I dare say it will," Slughorn said with a hearty chuckle, "But I'm afraid I have no time to chat any longer. Thank you once again for keeping my secret, I'll be off now."

"Have a good night, Professor," Harry said with a wave, his arm throbbing from even the slightest motion. It wasn't until Slughorn had left the greenhouse did Harry release a pent-up sigh of exhaustion. One step closer Harry, just keep feeding his ego, then, go for the kill.

(Daphne P.O.V)

A trip into Hogsmeade on Halloween, it hardly seemed like something they should have been doing, though it wasn't because it was taboo in any way, the reason it had sadly felt so odd is because, unlike most things in Daphne's life recently, it felt, well, normal. The streets glowed with yellow and orange, as jack-o-lanterns soared overhead, and dancing fireworks lit up the night sky. It was a festival, and surprisingly, it had been one ordered by the ministry.

Harry had been the one to come up with the most likely theory, given it was none other than Mr. Weasley who had suggest the event, Harry had believed it was an effort of raising morale. As while Harry's detective eyes, or rather sensing abilities managed to pinpoint every auror in the crowd, the purpose of the event was to remind people, whether it was true or not, that everything was perfectly normal. Yet, the truth of the matter was, Daphne didn't need a hoard of aurors to feel safe, she knew that Harry was going to always protect her, and she was always going to have his back, come hell or high water, they'd protect each other until the end.

Music from the Weird Sisters blasted through speaker systems that lined every light post in the town, and Daphne couldn't help but smile as elves popped in and out of the sight, holding drinks with the Three Broomsticks label of the cups. Daphne smiled as she took a cup of pumpkin juice from the serving tray, doing a quick cheers with Harry before the two knocked back the drinks. Everyone had decided they desperately needed to spend time with just their partner which Daphne agreed with completely, as she and Harry caught the quickest glimpse of Neville and Hermione taking a break within Scrivenshaft's Quill shop, and she couldn't try as she might keep Harry from laughing upon seeing Michael and Claire sitting across from each other at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.

Daphne wasn't quite sure where exactly Astoria had run off too, yet if she knew her sister, she was certain it was either Zonko's or Honeydukes. Normally, she'd have been considerably worried, but the lack of concern Harry seemed to have had provided her with some security. "She's strong," Harry had told her, "Give her a longer leash, she's not a baby anymore."

"Hey," Harry whispered, touching her cheek, "Look alive, Princess, no spacing out today. We actually have a moment together, let's not waste it away worrying about other people." Daphne smiled nodding as Harry took her hand, "Now come on, let's dance!" Daphne laughed as Harry took her hand leading her deeper into the crowd where the heart of the party was taking place, each movement of her boyfriend intentionally looking more ridiculous than the last in an attempt to get her to let loose. And for as much as she hated to admit it, it was working like a charm.

Daphne couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed this much, this date hadn't been as quite and personal as their observatory visit that had seemed so long ago, but it was certainly more energetic, and in a way, it felt almost exactly like what she needed. She grinned as Harry danced up against her, the world feeling like it was fading away, as Harry playfully spun her, before kissing her softly. The two had only taken the smallest break as they stared at each other, butterflies erupting in Daphne's stomach as Harry whispered, "You are so beautiful."

"Stop it," Daphne said bashfully only earning herself a lopsided grin that made her heart secretly go aflutter, the two now standing forehead to forehead, "I hate that you always make me look so bad at these flirting games."

"I can give you some tips if you want," Harry said with a chuckle, "You can't start by saying you can't help but get lost in my eyes, and how your toes curl every time you touch my abs, or how my Sunkissed skin makes me look like a Greek god, or Adonis himself."

Daphne snorted, her laughter becoming uncontrollable, "Alright, Adonis, let's not get carried away. Here I've been thinking I was making progress with your ego, and then you say things like that."

"The truth's never hurt anyone," Harry said with a chuckle of his own before a pregnant pause filled their small space, "Hey Daphne, I'm not quite sure how to say this but, I think I lo-"

"Hey, all you witches and wizards!" The weird sister leading the band called out, "Are you having a good time!" The students roared out in excitement as the girl called out, "Great! But I hope some of you in the crowd brought along a plus one, because if you did, this one is for you! Grab a date while you can because we're about to slow it down for this one."

Daphne turned towards Harry a red tinge glowing on his face for the first time, Was he going to say it? Daphne wondered, pressing forward, "Harry, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, just, let's not worry about it," Harry said as Daphne watched the boy dismiss the tension, "Right now I'm trying to find a date to dance with," He jumped back in his teasing tone, "Perhaps you could assist me?"

"I suppose it can't be helped," Daphne said as she rolled her eyes playfully, "Lead the way, oh handsome one."

"Say no more, Princess, say no more," Harry said, taking her by her waist, as he placed his hand in hers, the strings of their waltz playing softly in the background. Daphne stepped towards Harry as he led, their motions feeling so comfortable and familiar. There was a war happening just outside their little world, and yet, when she felt Harry's heartbeat through his chest, for some reason she was certain everything was going to be okay. "It's strange isn't it," Harry said softly, spinning her so her ear was right by his lips, "The last time we danced like this, things were so much different."

"In a way," Daphne whispered as Harry reversed the turn, "But in another way, a lot of things remained the same. Our mission is the same, our friendships are the same, the way I feel about you is the same. The world is changing, but this world, the world that just exists between you and me, it has only grown stronger."

"You know Ms. Greengrass," Harry said with a smile, "I like the way you think."

The slow music had softly begun to fade as they broke apart, "It's a bit too crowded here," Harry said, "Come on, let's get some space." Daphne nodded, taking Harry's hand as they weaved through the crowd the party music regaining speed as they climbed the hill at the back end of Hogsmeade, leading towards the cliff that overlooked the shrieking shack.

Daphne hadn't taken long to get cozy leaning into Harry's chest, the night sky hanging over their heads. It was rare that students were allowed to be at Hogsmeade so late, but given this was a Ministry sponsored event, the school had made some accommodations, "That's Orion's Belt," Harry had whispered pointing to the three lined-up stars, "And I think that's the big dipper."

"Little dipper, but you tried," Daphne said with a smile turning to face Harry. "Hey, Flyboy, when this is over, all over, what do you think you'll do with your life."

"I don't know," Harry said softly, "But I do know, that whatever it is I do, I want you there with me."

Daphne's smile only widened as she nodded, "I think that can be arranged," she said, before suddenly all the music that filled the air came to a screeching halt as from even as far as she and Harry where they saw a figure lift into the air, the figure's head tilted back, her body contorting far more than humanely possible, before the figure let out a horrendous scream that froze her blood in place.

The scream seemed to last for nearly a minute before, with a ghastly thud, the body hit the ground. What the hell was-, Daphne hadn't even a moment to finish her thoughts before Harry pushed her up, her boyfriend now barreling down towards the center of town, "Harry!" Daphne cursed beneath her breath, "For the love of Merlin wait for me!" She shouted, as she too began her race down the hill towards the crowd. One normal date this year, Daphne hissed in her mind, just one freaking date.

Although as Daphne weaved through the crowd, her anger had turned to horror as she watched Harry standing over the body, her boyfriend's fist clenched and trembling. "Harry, who is-," That's when she saw the girl, Daphne's breath tightening in her chest, "Katie?" Do something, Daphne's mind yelled at her setting her body into motion as she fell to her knees brandishing her wand.

"Don't touch her," She heard Harry whisper grabbing her shoulder tightly.

"I might be able to-,"

"She's not hurt," Harry muttered beneath his breath, "The magic surrounding her is so foul, there's only one thing that can do that, Katie… she's been cursed."