Harry Potter The Vampire Lord

Chapter 20

Three sets of eyes snapped open almost simultaneously, as each felt a great wave of magic wash through them. Daphne had been sleeping somewhat contentedly after dinner, and was jolted awake at the feeling of powerful magic permeating the air. Correctly deducing the source of the magic, she got out of bed and after making sure that she was presentable and armed, crept downstairs towards Harry's bedroom. He might not be as good a friend as Hermione, but he was getting closer every day.

As she got closer, she saw that the door to Harry's room was flung open, with a soft blackish glow permeating the room. Increasing her pace, she went closer, and peeked into the room, making sure that there was no immediate threat. She didn't trust her family to not do anything after all. Breathing a silent sigh of relief, as she recognized the form of Hermione and Hedwig, crouched around the sitting form of Harry. Magic was practically pouring out of him at a steady rate. Daphne couldn't help but be amazed that the usually silent but quite smart boy, was so powerful, and despite being that was quite humble about it. But she could see that that was something relatively new for him, she had deciphered that from the subtle changes in Hermione's reaction when she talked about him. Daphne was well aware of the crush that Hermione had on him, but lately whenever they were lounging together, the way she talked about Harry had . . .changed. she couldn't put her finger on what, but knew that something was different about their relationship now. She was brought out of her thoughts as she heard Hedwig's calming tones.

She still remembered the first time that she had seen Hedwig. Needless to say, she had been shocked silent, and only recovered at the smirking faces of Harry and Hermione. She would never admit it, but she had been regularly seeking Hedwig out after Harry and Hermione left for their morning 'run'. Hedwig's presence had helped her out immensely, and although she didn't feel that she needed some comfort, she still spent some time with the beautiful Phoenix. It might be selfish of her to think that Hedwig was not proficient enough as a Phoenix, in order to use their method of travel, but she was well aware that she couldn't write to Astoria by a normal owl. She knew it in her mind, but she still wished to contact her little sister.

"What's wrong with him?" Daphne asked. Not getting an immediate response, she slowly put her hands on Hermione's shoulder, making sure not to startle her. "Hermione . . .?"

Despite her best efforts, Hermione whipped her head around as if startled. Seeing the almost desperate and scared look in her eyes, increased Daphne's concern about her potential new friend.

"Focus, Hermione. Do you know what's wrong with him?" Daphne repeated.

"No. I just felt Harry's magic, and came here as fast as I could. I have no idea what's wrong with him." Hermione replied, her tone laced with worry for Harry. Hedwig trilled a happy song, surprising the two worried teens.

"Hedwig, do you know anything about this?" Hermione questioned. Hedwig just bobbed her head in response, and then alighted on Harry's shoulders, singing a song, which immediately allayed their fears.

With nothing else better to do than wait, trusting Hedwig, the two teens lapsed into silence.

(Break)

Harry was surprised, his words dying in his mouth as he saw another Harry walk towards his father. The expression on his face mirroring his own. Startled by this development, it didn't take Harry long to theorize that this was his memory, a memory that he didn't remember having or experiencing, whatsoever.