"How were your holidays?"
The question took her a bit off-guard. It wasn't as if they hadn't traded friendly conversation before, but after her week off it felt a bit strange, unfamiliar. Then again it had been similar her first year as well, coming back from a week with her family to classmates who weren't so uptight.
Daphne nodded in the usual fashion, "Well enough, and yours?"
Her tutor frowned a bit and she attempted to adjust herself. Her parents, grandparents, aunts, practically her entire family, had expectations for just about everything. Not meeting them would mean scolding or worse. She was an heiress, as her mother frequently reminded her, and as such she was expected to remain courteous and civilized.
Flirting with her Slytherin classmate, in an unused classroom… alone, wouldn't be either of those two things.
Even if it was so very tempting.
"Fine, I guess. Lots of family stuff and such."
Harry was so casual, so easy to get along with, so easy to allow past one's guard. The fact he was gorgeous only gave aid to this gift. "Family is important," she responded, managing to keep her voice distant and aloof, as had been enforced in her home.
His frown was evident after her reply, "Is something wrong?"
"Of course not. My mother was very pleased with my performance, I am glad you agreed to continue lessons. I will of course ensure you are paid for…"
"Did something happen on break?" he interrupted, and she just stopped from wincing. Obviously, he could tell she was different, just like Tracey could.
Still, she shook her head because no nothing specific had occurred, just the normal grinding down of her accomplishments by those so old they probably couldn't even remember school. "No, why do you ask?"
Shit, wrong thing to say, she shouldn't have left the door open like that, she knew better. "Because you are acting… different, like something is wrong."
He was concerned, it was so obvious he was concerned, and her heart did some odd flips and trembles in her chest. She couldn't let him in, especially not like this. She wasn't allowed to court him, no matter how much she might want to.
"Just adjustments between home and school."
Her answer was clearly unsatisfying, but he didn't press any further, and instead the lessons began anew.
****
"Harry..." Hermione mumbled at her friend's confusion and concerns. "It's because of the attacks. If we figured it out others have too, your Head of House is the most likely suspect."
The boy scowled, though he wasn't quite sure why. For some reason the fact that everyone was so convinced it was Riddle bothered him. Hadn't he done the same thing just a year prior? Hadn't he been so sure of her guilt? "I know what it looks like, trust me I do, but… I don't know, I can't really explain it, I just know it isn't her."
Despite their talk previously, Hermione didn't look completely convinced, but she opted not to voice her opinion.
"It doesn't help that Snape is spreading the rumors too." Ginny muttered, earning his attention for the first time since she sat down.
"Wait, Snape is?"
"Professor Snape," Hermione easily corrected, before continuing, "but yes, even I've overheard her talking to other students about being careful around Riddle and all the 'evidence'."
Harry let out a huff of exasperation, "There is no evidence, just a lot of circumstantial crap and rumors spread by those who don't like her."
The girls all shared a look, "Harry, I know we talked about this, and I know you believe in her innocence, but it does look awfully suspicious." Harriet softly replied, clearly trying her best not to start an argument.
His irritation quickly faded, "Yeah, yeah, I know it does, but I've been there before. I've been accused of things that made me look just as guilty. I've had almost the entire school turned against me before based on being 'awfully suspicious'. It sucks, a lot, watching people you thought you could trust distance themselves, those who called themselves your friends glare at you in mistrust, having to eat by yourself, work by yourself, not having anyone who seemed to care."
Trailing off, he realized a moment later that the others sitting at the table with him were staring at him, not in disgust or anger but in sympathy mixed with outrage on his behalf.
"Harry…" his dark-haired twin almost growled, "if I ever do anything like that, I give you permission to slap me so hard I forget the previous year of school." Amy quickly nodded in agreement.
The others had similar expressions and responses, all save one, all save Hermione.
"Did I… she…"
It was a complicated question, and it had been a complicated time. "No, not really, I mean she was busy with other things at the time, I didn't expect her to drop everything and just…"
"She bloody well should have!" The response had him almost reeling backwards, shocked from how much anger there had been in the bookworm. The boy-who-lived had been startled enough to miss her choice in language. "Her best friend needed help and she was busy!? Was she saving the world? Curing cancer? Fixing poverty? What was so damn important that she couldn't stand by you?"
Ginny looked back and forth, the only one of their group not completely understanding the situation and what it all meant in context.
"It wasn't like that. She didn't do it out of anger or spite. She was… she found others who needed help, who needed saving. I was proud of her, am proud of her, for what she was fighting for. It just came at a bad time is all."
Although his own acceptance seemed to dim her rage, there was still more than a little annoyance in the bushy-haired witch's eyes and she continued muttering to herself for a bit longer, though what was being said he couldn't quite catch.
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