Harry Potter: Another Chance

Chapter 367: Date Night

Disclaimer: 

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 367: Date Night

Harry stood near the exit of the Slytherin dungeons, using his invisibility ability. He preferred not to be seen by any random students wandering around, especially not here as it would rise questions.

Soon enough, he spotted Daphne coming out, accompanied by Tracey and some boy who seemed to be Tracey's date.

Daphne turned to them and spoke.

"I'll be fine. My date will be here soon," She assured them.

"Are you sure?" Tracey asked, looking around. She knew exactly who Daphne was waiting for but could not see him.

"Yes."

Tracey shrugged. "Fine then... I wish you'd come with me though. You still haven't told me what you're planning to do…"

Daphne smiled. "Sorry, can't talk about it. I'm sure it's against the rules…"

"Right," Tracey chuckled. "Our old Ice Queen is becoming a rule-breaker now. Should I be proud or worried?"

"Just go. Don't make me curse you…"

Once she was left alone, Daphne walked a bit further and stopped at the next corner. "Well? What do you think?" she asked.

"You knew I was here already?" Harry revealed himself, removing his invisibility charm and walking up to her.

Daphne smirked. "An educated guess. I figured you wouldn't leave me alone in this dark dungeon, and..." She gestured to herself. "You still haven't answered my question."

Harry took a moment to admire her. Daphne looked stunning with her long blonde hair flowing freely and her elegant black dress. A silver pendant with an emerald hung from her neck, completing the look.

"You look... okay," Harry taunted her.

Daphne chuckled. "Why, thank you. I just threw this old thing on. So… where are you taking me?"

The students didn't yet know they were together, and they both wanted to keep it that way for now. Plus, Harry didn't want to stir up any more drama with Ginny by showing up at the ball with someone else, so they'd made different plans for the evening.

"It's a surprise." Harry offered his arm, which Daphne happily took.

With a soft crack, they disappeared from the castle corridor.

They reappeared in a dark alley that led to a bustling, brightly lit street. The sounds of a large crowd filled the air.

"Come on, let's not stay here," Harry said, taking her hand and leading her out of the alley.

Tall buildings surrounded them, and the streets were alive with lights and sounds from shops, cars, and people walking by.

"Where is this?" Daphne asked, looking around at the busy scene. She couldn't recall ever seeing a place like this.

"This is the center of London, not too far from the Tower of London," Harry explained. "I made reservations at a nearby restaurant."

"This is the Muggle area? Wow… I think I vaguely remember seeing a bit of it when I was little, but my parents never liked coming here," Daphne remarked.

"I'm sure you'll love the place I'm taking you to. Ready?" He offered his arm again.

"Absolutely!" Daphne replied with excitement. "This is beautiful at night."

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"Severus!"

Snape was startled by the sudden call as he inspected the exterior of the Hogwarts dance hall, making sure no students were sneaking around the garden before the main event started.

He recognized the voice immediately. Despite the darkness, he spotted someone moving near the large bushes.

"Karkaroff? What are you doing out here? You should be inside the hall already," Snape said, his irritation barely concealed.

"No… no… I can't! You have to listen to me. Someone is following me!" Karkaroff exclaimed, his voice trembling with fear.

Snape had never seen the man so scared before. "Calm down. Who's following you?"

"It's HIM! HIM!" Karkaroff's eyes widened in terror before he lowered his voice to a frightened whisper. "It's the Dark Lord… he's coming for me…"

Snape's alarm spiked. Only he knew about the two necromantic puppets that Voldemort had stationed within the castle. So far, they'd only been used for surveillance, never taking any direct action.

Could one of them be after Karkaroff? It didn't make sense. Karkaroff wasn't a threat to Voldemort, so why target him now?.

"Did you see who it was? What did they look like?" Snape asked, half-expecting a description that could match Rookwood or Umbridge.

"I didn't… I couldn't see… but I can feel him…" Karkaroff clutched his right arm, where the Dark Mark had once burned bright.

"Alright…" Snape realized he had to take the situation seriously. "Come with me to the Headmaster's office. We'll call Dumbledore and figure this out."

"No!" Karkaroff took a step back, pressing himself against the bushes. "No… I need to leave. Now."

"Wait!" Snape called after him, but Karkaroff had already dashed into the shrubbery, disappearing into the night.

Snape stood still for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. The first thing he needed to do was inform Dumbledore about this.

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

After having dinner at a fancy restaurant, Harry and Daphne moved to a different area of the building, which housed a bar and a dance floor. They had fun, dancing for a while, until Daphne noticed Harry making a strange expression.

"Harry? What's wrong?" Daphne leaned in, whispering in his ear.

Harry frowned. "Dark magic has been used inside the castle…"

Daphne's eyes widened. "Was someone attacked?"

Harry considered it for a moment. "My sister and yours are under strict protection. It's not them, but I need to go back and check."

Daphne nodded. "Of course, but we can't Apparate from here. We're surrounded by Muggles."

Harry took her hand. "Come with me. I know a place we can use."

He guided her out of the dance area toward the bathrooms.

A staff member, keeping an eye on the guests, noticed Harry and Daphne heading into the bathrooms together. It wasn't too unusual, but when she saw them enter the men's room, she gasped in shock at their audacity.

She looked around...the place was too crowded to cause a scene, so she hurried toward the bathroom. After ensuring no one else was using it, she stepped inside.

"Excuse me?" she called, raising her voice. "We do not allow indecent acts in this establishment. I will have to ask you to lea—"

She was cut off by a loud noise, and the last private stall shook violently.

"What the…" She couldn't believe how brazen these people were. But she had a job to do. She approached the stall, steeling herself before grabbing the door and lifting herself up to peer inside.

"Hey, you two! You can't… huh?" The stall was empty.

"Where are they?" She looked around the bathroom and, just in case, opened the rest of the stalls. They were all empty.

"What the hell?" the confused Muggle exclaimed.

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