Daphne and Harry had eventually exited the hospital wing, the two were walking and talking as they made their way to the common room. There was still most of this period left so they figured that they would relax for a bit, and they would use the excuse of Pomfrey kicking them out if anyone asked why they had not stayed in the hospital wing.
"Thank you" Daphne said "for saving Tracy"
"Don't worry about it" Harry waved a hand "it was nothing"
"Only you could say saving a girl from falling to her death was nothing"
"In all honesty I'm a bit disappointed in myself for letting Tracy get hurt" Harry replied "but at least she's alive"
"True, you know the Hogwarts rumour mill is going to be buzzing now?" Daphne responded "Everyone is going to be talking about how the brilliant Harry Potter saved a damsel in distress from falling to her death"
"Tracy? A damsel in distress?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow "I'm sure she'd love to know you called her that"
"Is that a threat?" Daphne asked with a slightly higher raised eyebrow
"No, it was an educated guess based off what I know about Tracy." Harry answered with a straight face "Me telling Malfoy I would gut him and hang him from the great hall ceiling is a threat, slight difference there but I'm sure you'll learn to tell the difference with time"
"Careful Potter" Daphne warned "just because I like having you around, doesn't mean I won't hurt you"
"You wouldn't hurt me" Harry said confidently
"Oh yeah? And why's that?"
"Well I think the fact that I saved your best friend might factor into it but also because without me, you'd be stuck dealing with Malfoy on your own"
"Hmm, true" Daphne admitted "just don't run out of usefulness Potter"
"Sure thing Daph" Harry chuckled
"Don't call me Daph"
"Ok, I'm sorry...Daph"
"I'm warning you Potter"
"Understood Greengrass"
"That's better"
"By the way"
"What?"
"I know you like it when I call you Daph" Before 'Daph' could respond, Harry kissed her on the cheek and bolted down the hallway, narrowly avoiding a stinging hex as he turned a corner.
"Potter!" Daphne screamed
"Love you too Daph" Harry's voice called from behind the corner, it was followed by the sound of running. Daphne got to the corner and saw that Harry had vanished.
"Incorrigible idiot" Daphne sighed, she wouldn't admit but she did really like it when Harry called her 'Daph'. 'Merlin, what' wrong with me?' She thought 'I told myself that I'd never fall in love with a boy and the first thing I do is blush every time that bloody idiot comes near me'.
As much as Daphne hated to admit it, she was starting to enjoy his company. He was funny and kind and got along with Tracy, he also ruined her ice queen look. With anyone else she could act the emotionless person, but whenever Harry came into the room he ruined it and she didn't know what to think about that.
....
Later, Harry had arrived in the common room after talking with Madam Hooch and Professor Snape. He sat down next to Daphne who looked up from her transfiguration homework.
"Alright Daph?" He asked
"Fine" She said, deciding not to care about the fact that Potter had decided to call her Daph "where were you?"
"Talking to Snape and Hooch about the flying lesson" Harry answered "he gave me fifty points for saving a student's life and..." Harry leaned closer and whispered the next part in her ear "he gave me a tryout for the quidditch team"
He pulled his head back and Daphne gasped, Harry grinned at her shocked expression. In all honesty Daphne didn't care, first years never made the house teams and if Harry's flying was anything to go by, he would.
"Oi" A recurring annoyance approached them "what do you think you're doing?"
"Having a lovely conversation" Harry shrugged his shoulders
"I wasn't talking to you Potter" Malfoy spat "I was talking to Daphne, what do you think you're doing letting another boy be in such close proximity to you?"
"Letting him whisper something in my ear" Daphne answered "what's your problem?"
"My 'problem' is that you're supposed to be my betrothed and shouldn't be so close to another boy, especially Potter"
"Aw, is wickle baby Malfoy jealous?" Harry cooed in a baby voice
"Don't disrespect me like that Potter!"
"How would you like me to disrespect you? I take requests" Harry replied with a straight face
"Listen Malfoy" Daphne interrupted before Draco could respond "I am not marrying you, and who I get close to is my business and not yours"
"Get real Greengrass! My father is negotiating the contract as we speak"
"Good Merlin, you are pathetic" Harry shook his head
"What did you say?"
"What kind of boy tries to court a girl by relying on his father's name?" Harry replied "I could have courted nearly any girl I wanted by saying I was the brother to the boy-who-lived, but I didn't. When I chose to court a girl it would be using my intelligence, looks and personality, however seeing as you lack those qualities it makes sense that you need to rely on your father"
"That's it" Malfoy pulled out his wand "I've had it with you Potter, I challenge you to a wizarding duel, tonight at..."
"No" Harry stood up "right now"
"What?"
"I said right now" Harry stood right in front of Malfoy and flicked his own wand out of its holster "if you want a duel, then it will be right now, not later when you can run off"
"F...fine" Malfoy growled, he was hoping to trick Potter into getting in trouble with Filch later "let's duel, if I win then you'll have to stay away from Daphne" Harry didn't answer, instead he looked at Daphne. "Scared Potter?" Malfoy sneered
"No you blonde idiot, I'm requesting permission"
"Permission for what?"
"If Daphne is involved in the stakes then I request her permission to involve her in the stakes, Daphne, may I make stakes for my duel that can involve you?"
"Hmm, fine, at least you asked. Unlike a certain blonde idiot" Daphne would gladly admit that she liked the way that Malfoys face had reddened, she was also glad that Harry had thought to ask her permission before just involving her in his little spat like any other man would have.
"Very well" Harry nodded before turning back to Malfoy "if I win, I get to punch you in the face and Daphne gets to hex you and you don't get to complain to anyone, apart from Madam Pomfrey but that's only if you need medical help and you won't tell her that we're the ones who hurt you. Do you accept or would you like to ask your father first?"
"I accept Potter" Malfoy growled, the two made their way into the centre of the common room and everyone else watched on.
Malfoy went first and tried an extremely weak cutting cure, which Harry blocked, not that he needed to as the cure wouldn't have done much more that slightly ruin his clothes. Harry quickly responded with three spells, the first being a tickling spell, which was followed by a disarming spell which led to a body bind curse. The result was a laughing Malfoy, on the floor while not being able to move his body and his wand in Harry's hand.
"I think it's safe to say that I've won" Harry said to the common room, before he unleashed Malfoy "now Malfoy, I've won so any last words before I knock out a few of your teeth"
"That's not possible! There's no way I could've lost to a half-blood!"
"Wow, nice words to say to the guy who gets to punch you in your face" Daphne said with an unimpressed look on her face, internally she was trying to decide what hex to use and was gleeful at the idea of Harry punching Malfoy.
"Now Malfoy" Harry said with an evil smile "you accepted the terms of the duel, you can't back out now. After all, how would it look if the Malfoys back out of deals that they make. It'd look bad for your father, now you have a choice, you can uphold your end of the bargain or you could cause problems for your dad because people begin to doubt the trustworthiness of the Malfoys."
Many Slytherin's including Daphne smirked, that was truly a tactic that Salazar Slytherin would approve of. If Malfoy backed out now then it'd make his family look untrustworthy, and this could cause problems in any future dealings, if not with the elder Malfoy then they would definitely occur when Draco was older.