Harry Potter and the Ties that Bind

Chapter 47

The group left Slytherin's manor after that. Headmaster Dumbledore ended up performing a mass apparation once they reached the village of Elabidea. The magic required to apparate so many people drained even the headmaster, forcing him to retreat to Hogwarts after they had arrived.

Harry Potter was dropped off at Saint Mungos along with the aurors. While Madam Bones and the others were allowed to leave a day after being received, Harry was asked to stay for an extra week. Daphne had not seen Harry since he was admitted to Saint Mungos. This also meant she hadn't been able to talk to him about her kiss, which had been so rudely interrupted by Sirius.

The Daily Prophet had apparently gotten wind that Harry had been rescued, and they were currently heaping praises on the auror department, Madam Bones, and Headmaster Dumbledore. Daphne had already read several articles that stated how quick they were to respond. It seemed like whatever plan Lucius had been concocting had backfired. That said, Daphne still didn't know what Lucius had been planning, or if he'd even had a plan.

Daphne and the others had been left out of the spotlight. No one knew that they had gone to rescue Harry, and it seemed as though Madam Bones wished to keep it that way. Personally speaking, Daphne was grateful. She had no desire to be in the spotlight.

Because Defense Against the Dark Arts was without a professor, Headmaster Dumbledore had temporarily taken the position. He was... an amazing teacher. The headmaster spoke in a way that was easy to understand and put everyone at ease. He not only answered any questions asked, but he would show them practical examples—provided such examples could be given. In some ways, his instructions reminded Daphne a lot of Harry. They had similar teaching methods.

While the school had returned to a semblance of normality, Daphne and the others still chose to use the Chamber of Secrets as their meeting place, more often than not.

Daphne was sitting on the couch. There was a sheet of parchment and a quill in front of her, but she didn't touch it. All of her homework was done anyway, so all she'd be doing was revisions, and she really didn't feel like doing that at the moment.

"Daph, would you mind reading my report to make sure everything is correct?" Astoria asked.

Withholding a sigh for her sister's sake, she offered the girl a smile. "Sure."

Astoria grinned as she handed the report over. "Sorry about this. I normally get Harry to look over it, but he's not here right now."

"Don't remind me."

Daphne let her eyes scan over the report, which was on the many uses of flobberworm mucus in potions. It looked like Astoria's information was accurate enough. However, there was a lot of information that was missing.

"Flobberworms aren't just used in the Wiggenweld Potion," Daphne said after she finished reading it. "Because it's used as a thickener, they can be added to any potion that requires a thicker viscosity."

"What are they?" asked Astoria.

"That is something you should find out on your own."

The pout on Astoria's face was adorable. The words she said were: "Harry would have told me what they are."

"Harry isn't here," Daphne replied. "You're also lying. Harry prefers leading you to the answer instead of just giving it to you. Nice try, though."

"Tch!"

Astoria clicked her tongue as she stood up, snatched her papers, and waltzed over to the table where everyone else was sitting. Daphne leaned back in her seat. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her eyelids, which felt sore because she'd stayed up way too late last night. She blamed Tracey for wanting to spend all night gossiping.