DPASW: The Foundation of Power

Manor Beginnings and The Winter Festival

It was the twenty-third of December. Harry's walking feet made crunching sounds on Greengrass Manor's frosty grass lawn. The morning sun sat low in the sky, pushing a weak light that barely cut through the Cumbrian mist. Birds tweeted in the trees. Everything was still.

Harry pulled his cloak closer, let out a long breath, and watched it swirl away in front of him. Soon, the stillness would be gone, replaced by the shouts and banging of dozens of wizards, feverishly preparing the grounds for hundreds more.

Today was the Winter Festival.

But first, he had business with the girls.

He trekked up to the front door, knocked, and was shown in by one of the Greengrass house elves.

"Miss Daphne is just getting up nows, Lord Slytherin, Sir."

Harry nodded, thanked the elf, and showed himself up to the residential part of the manor.

A sleepy Daphne in a loose hanging nightdress walked out of a door several metres up the corridor before him, wiped her eyes, turned, saw him, squeaked, and darted back in the room she'd just left, slamming the door behind her.

Harry let out a quiet chuckle. Daphne had always been modest, but that reaction was certainly more pronounced than it would have been even one year ago. He had to remind himself that time was marching on, and that neither he nor they would be pre-teens forever.

Despite plotting and working 'Project Harem' for over three years now, it didn't change the fact that, right now, when he looked at a beautiful woman, lust didn't sweep through him like a hurricane. He was still biologically too young, didn't have the correct hormones flooding his system, even when looking at adult females, and the girls were not adults. When he looked at the girls, he felt many things — fondness, friendship, pride, extreme protectiveness — but not lust.

However...

Harry leaned on the wall and watched the closed door.

However, Daphne and Hermione were older than him, weren't they? And girls matured faster than boys, didn't they?

A slight smirk played around his lips. That would suck for them, but no one ever said growing up was easy.

The door opened and Daphne emerged wearing a casual robe, slippers, and a slight blush. "C'mon, then. Breakfast will be served soon." She walked past him, not meeting his gaze, and led the way to the family dinning room.

— DP & SW: TFoP —

Harry was just polishing off his breakfast of two sausages, a round of bacon, a small pile of shredded potato, a bowl of broccoli, a slice of toast, and a glass of milk, when the door opened and Hermione bounded in.

"Morning, Harry! Daphne." The brown haired witch pulled out a chair next to him and sat down.

Daphne nodded a greeting through a mouthful of omelette.

"So, what's on the agenda then? I mean, it's very interesting to see the Winter Festival after all this time, and to even get to participate, but it's still very early, and my parents were all set to show me some of the things they've been working on while we've been at school—"

Daphne swallowed her mouthful.

Harry grinned.

"—it's amazing what can be done even when you don't have magic, and I'm sure you'll find it useful, and—"

"—Hermione!" Daphne interrupted.

Hermione hesitated.

"...Let your lord speak?"