Tracey giggled beside her as Daphne flashed a satisfied smirk at the trio. Then, without waiting for a reply, Daphne turned gracefully on her heel, her long blonde hair cascading over her shoulders as she strutted confidently after Harry, Tracey practically skipping at her side.
Rias clenched her fists tightly, fingernails biting into her palms, her anger flaring at the blatant taunt.
Every fiber of her being screamed at her to chase after the smug pair, to stop them from taking advantage of Harry's confusion.
But before she could move, Sona's hand shot out swiftly, catching Rias's wrist in a firm, restraining grip.
"Don't," Sona murmured quietly but insistently, her expression tense and regretful. "We need to give Harry some space right now. He needs to process this on his own."
Rias glared for a moment, her gaze locking sharply onto Sona's, frustration evident in her eyes. But seeing the genuine remorse etched onto the other girl's usually composed face made her hesitation waver. Sona's grip slowly relaxed, her fingers falling away with an almost defeated slump of her shoulders.
"I really fucked up," Sona admitted softly.
Rias glanced at Sona sympathetically. "It's not entirely your fault, Sona. Why didn't his mother-Serafall-tell him herself?"
Sona let out an exasperated sigh. "Honestly, trying to understand why my big sister does anything these days is beyond me," she grumbled, a touch of annoyance evident in her voice. She hesitated briefly, biting her lower lip thoughtfully before continuing more quietly. "Although, knowing Serafall, she probably didn't tell him because she cares about Harry too deeply. She likely didn't want to be the one delivering such big news and hoped I would do the dirty work instead." Sona stomped her foot lightly in frustration, her expression forming into an adorable pout that briefly eased Rias's own anxiety. "It's not fair!" Sona huffed. "Now I'm the one who looks bad."
"And who are those two mistresses that Greengrass bitch was talking about? Were you really openly gossiping about me with them yesterday? In public? Why didn't either of them say anything to him?" Rias asked.
"I wouldn't call it gossip. I just wanted to get to know them better since odds are they will be in his peerage." Sona's cheeks flushed a faint pink, and she quickly looked away, crossing her arms defensively. "But, that's a good point," she admitted reluctantly. "At least I'm not the only one to blame here..."
Rias sighed, running a frustrated hand through her silky red hair as she glanced toward the castle where Harry had disappeared. "What do we even do now?" she wondered out loud.
Sona adjusted her glasses with a tired sigh, glancing toward Hagrid and the ridiculous ugly creatures scuttling awkwardly around his feet. "For now, I suggest we finish our first class and at least pretend to be productive," she advised quietly. "Maybe figuring out what to feed these... things... will give us some time to let Harry cool down."
Akeno let out a gentle, melodic giggle, placing a comforting hand lightly on Rias's shoulder. "Ara ara, don't look so glum, Rias. Harry is a very healthy-looking young man, and the three of us are incredibly beautiful, sexy devils," she purred with a wicked little grin. "There's simply no way he can stay mad at us for long."
Rias felt her cheeks grow warm at Akeno's confidently sensual declaration, even as she rolled her eyes at her queen's boldness.
Before she could retort, Akeno's smile grew even more teasing, a knowing glint in her purple eyes. "Besides," she continued lightly, "he wasn't even mad at me in the first place."
Rias huffed in exaggerated annoyance, puffing out her cheeks adorably as she crossed her arms beneath her ample chest. "That's hardly helpful, Akeno," she protested halfheartedly, but couldn't help the tiny smile tugging at the corners of her lips at Akeno's playful teasing.
"It's helpful to me!" Akeno just laughed softly.
— Harry —
I was halfway back to the castle when I heard rapid footsteps behind me. Tonks caught up quickly, breathing heavily from running. I glanced sideways at her, noticing her modest chest rising and falling beneath her tight shirt as she tried to catch her breath. A stray strand of her vibrant pink hair fell across her flushed face, and she impatiently pushed it behind her ear.
"Try not to make it a habit of running off and leaving your protection behind," she said teasingly, her voice still breathless. She gently elbowed my side, giving me a playful, mock-scolding look. "You completely forgot about me back there, Harry."
I sighed deeply, rubbing the back of my neck as guilt and frustration gnawed at me. "Sorry, Tonks. All that stuff back there-it completely threw me for a loop. I didn't mean to ditch you like that."
She waved off my apology with a casual gesture, falling into stride beside me. "Eh, no real harm done. But you looked pretty pissed off. Wanna talk about it?"
I hesitated briefly, then decided there was no point hiding it from her. "Narcissa and I were literally just talking last night about why Rias Gremory came here. Hell, we were theorizing about all sorts of political angles-but even she didn't outright mention the fact that Rias might be here because she's my fiancee." My voice sharpened slightly, irritation slipping through as I continued. "Or maybe she hinted at it, and I just wasn't paying close enough attention."
My head was laying on those amazing thighs after all.
I continued. "Honestly, I'm annoyed nobody thought to fucking warn me. I'm mad at Mum, at Sona, and even at Fleur and Gabrielle. It's like they all knew something, but none of them bothered saying a word about it to me."
Tonks's expression softened a bit, and she placed a comforting hand lightly on my shoulder as we kept walking. Her voice was quieter, gentler. "Look, Harry, I get it. Believe me. My own mum ran away from the Noble House of Black precisely because she hated all this arranged marriage shite. I'm not exactly the best person to offer an unbiased opinion about fiances and family politics." She shrugged, clearly trying to lighten the mood a bit. "So don't expect me to judge you for being angry about it."
I chuckled softly despite myself, feeling some of my tension fade under her casual reassurance. "Thanks, Tonks. I appreciate that."
She nodded, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze before dropping her hand back to her side. A few seconds of comfortable silence passed between us before I heard her mutter something under her breath. "Still," she grumbled quietly to herself, just barely audible, "doesn't mean some random, stunning redhead should just get to appear out of nowhere and try snatching up such a handsome guy..."
My steps faltered, warmth immediately creeping up into my cheeks. I cleared my throat awkwardly, trying to cover the fact that I'd overheard.
Tonks's hair shifted rapidly through several shades of pink and purple, her embarrassment evident as she realized I'd caught her whispered remark. She coughed nervously, avoiding my gaze. "Anyway, let's just... get back inside before I embarrass myself any further," she said quickly.
I grinned slightly, feeling a little better despite everything. "Sure thing, Tonks," I said gently, pretending not to have heard her clearly.
We continued walking side by side toward the castle entrance, the earlier awkwardness slowly fading into comfortable silence between us.
That silence was soon interrupted though as we heard more heavy footsteps behind us.
If Tonks had looked pink from running after me, these two girls were outright crimson-faced, doubled over with their hands braced against their knees, gasping for air.
Daphne's blonde hair had come partially loose from its elegant braid, stray strands sticking to her flushed cheeks. Tracy looked even worse off, her dark hair tangled messily around her sweaty face, her chest rising and falling heavily as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Oh my god," Tracy groaned dramatically, pressing one hand to her stomach with a queasy grimace. "I seriously feel like I'm gonna puke."
"I hate-" Daphne paused to suck in a deep breath, her voice sharp with irritation, "-having to run like some bloody muggle woman." Her elegant features twisted in distaste as she straightened slowly, wiping a hand delicately across her forehead.
It was obvious they'd been chasing after me, though for the life of me I couldn't figure out why these two particular Slytherins cared enough to do so. They stood there panting for another moment before glancing upward. Both of them visibly stiffened, clearly embarrassed now that they'd caught up and realized Tonks and I had witnessed their less-than-dignified arrival.
Tracy straightened first, plastering an overly casual grin onto her flushed face. She waved weakly, still panting slightly. "Oh, hey there, Sitri!" she called out with forced cheerfulness. "Fancy... uh... fancy seeing you here!"
Daphne shot her an annoyed glare, nudging Tracy sharply with her elbow. "Yes," Daphne drawled dryly, giving her friend another sharp, reprimanding glance. "What a complete and utter coincidence..."
I felt Tonks shift protectively next to me, stepping forward a little so she partially blocked me from their view. Her bright pink hair flashed with streaks of darker purple, signaling her suspicion as she eyed the two girls warily. "Alright, what do you two Slytherins want with my charge?"
Daphne straightened further, regaining a measure of her usual poise and dignity, though her cheeks remained flushed. Her pale blue eyes narrowed slightly, meeting Tonks's stern gaze evenly. "We only wanted to make sure our Gryffindor friend here was okay," she replied coolly, voice smooth despite the lingering breathlessness. Her eyes flicked pointedly to me as she added, "Given recent... revelations, we thought he might need some support."
We were friends? I thought we were more like acquaintances at best. Although, it hadn't been for lack of trying from either of these two girls since I'd come to Hogwarts.
"Support, Daphne?" I questioned bluntly, not bothering to hide my doubts.
Daphne's face hardened, something raw flickering briefly across her usually guarded expression. When she spoke again, her voice held a sharp bitterness, surprising me with its intensity. "Yes, support," she snapped irritably, blue eyes flashing dangerously. "Because I know a thing or two about parents deciding to marry you off without bothering to even tell you about it first."
The venom in her words took me aback. For just a second, I caught a glimpse of something vulnerable beneath Daphne's cold, confident mask. Beside her, Tracy's playful smile faded into something softer, more sympathetic, as she reached out gently to squeeze her friend's hand.
An awkward silence stretched between the four of us, broken finally when Tonks let out a resigned sigh, stepping slightly aside to give me space. "Fine," she muttered, giving me a pointed look. "You two can walk and talk with him. But I'm still staying close. It's my job."
...We slowed down noticeably, taking a much more leisurely pace toward the castle. It wasn't entirely for comfort, though-it was mostly so Daphne and Tracy could recover from their sprint. Daphne, in particular, looked thoroughly irritated, repeatedly brushing loose blonde strands of hair back behind her ears and tugging at her disheveled robes.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Daphne cleared her throat delicately, glancing sideways at me. "So," she began hesitantly, voice carrying an edge of embarrassment, "have you finally gotten over your prejudice against us poor, misunderstood Slytherins yet, Sitri?"
I raised an eyebrow at her, unable to stop the amused smirk spreading across my lips. "My prejudice?" I repeated skeptically.
She huffed slightly, her pale cheeks darkening a bit. "No doubt you've been thoroughly corrupted by Ginny Weasley by now," she muttered sourly, eyes flicking downward as if suddenly finding the grass under her shoes very interesting.
I chuckled softly, shoving my hands into my robe pockets. "Well, you're not entirely wrong about that," I admitted easily. "Ginny has certainly influenced me-but if we're being honest, my prejudice against Slytherins in general probably has more to do with Malfoy than anything else. Hell, I'm not even sure it's prejudice against your whole house. It might just be pure dislike of Draco himself and the idiots around him who tried messing with Sona."
Daphne's lips twitched upward, fighting off an amused smile. "To be fair," she murmured dryly, "even most Slytherins can't stand Draco Malfoy. Believe me, none of us shed a tear when he got what he deserved."
Tracy let out an amused snort, nudging Daphne playfully with her elbow. "That's putting it lightly," she teased, eyes glittering mischievously. "If anything, half our house wanted to send Sona a thank-you card for neutering the arrogant little prick!"
I chuckled again, feeling myself relax despite the awkwardness that had led me out here. After another brief silence, Daphne spoke up again quietly, a faint tremor of bitterness creeping back into her voice.
"You know, I wasn't lying earlier," she said carefully, her elegant features hardening slightly as we walked side-by-side. "About understanding what it feels like to be engaged without consent. My bastard of a father has been trying to sell me off for years. Like I'm nothing more than some bloody trophy for his allies to claim, rather than the heiress of our house." She glanced away sharply, fists clenching tightly by her sides.
Tracy must've noticed too, because she quickly slid her arm through Daphne's, squeezing gently as if to comfort her friend.
Then, with a teasing grin, Tracy tried to lighten the mood. "Of course, unlike you, Harry, poor Daphne isn't lucky enough to be engaged to a super-hot, stacked, red-headed bombshell like Rias Gremory."
I blinked, heat rising to my cheeks even as Daphne rolled her eyes dramatically at Tracy's blunt words. Still, the joke made me smile slightly, grateful for the break in tension.
Curiosity got the better of me then, and I glanced sideways at Daphne, genuinely intrigued. "Who were you supposed to marry, anyway?"
She grimaced instantly, looking utterly disgusted. "It WAS supposed to be Draco Malfoy," she spat, practically shuddering at the thought. "Father thought that would secure us more power. But even worse-Malfoy wasn't planning to stop at just one wife. I was set to be his second-or even his third-wife, as if I were some kind of disposable accessory." Her blue eyes flashed furiously, clearly outraged at the indignity of it all. Then her anger shifted into a dark sort of satisfaction as she added, "But, of course, now that Sona made him a eunuch, he's no longer considered an option. Now my dear father is scrambling to find other suitors." She paused, a shadow falling over her face as she stared bleakly down at the grass. Her voice softened, a bitter edge creeping in. "And every last one of them is some wrinkled old wizard three times my age!"
