The next week passed quickly for Daphne as she threw herself into developing Tuuso Patronum. Flitwick's encouragement of her theory and emphasis on the emotion had propelled her forward by leaps and bounds. She had spent all her free time either on her own schoolwork or in researching anything and everything she could find on the impacts of emotion on spellcasting. It had been a tenet of the Expecto Patronum study but now it was her laser focus.

The only contact with Harry had been through short updates back and forth using their coins. He apparently had a lead on a horcrux and between his classwork, Quidditch and his horcrux quest he was equally as busy. He had made himself so scarce that Hermione had actually tracked her down several times in the library in hopes of finding him. Daphne was grateful that Tracey wasn't quite so persistent.

Daphne instinctively made a habit of seeking Harry out visually at meals in the Great Hall and noticed that Ginny had begun sitting with Harry and his friends instead of with Thomas. Despite her best intentions this annoyed Daphne greatly.

As productive as the week had been it was difficult not spending time with Harry. She had grown so close to him in such a short period of time...closer than she ever would have imagined. Since they had started working together she had done her best to not think about how it felt like so much more than simple friendship and until recently had been relatively successful. When she had told her mother any thoughts of romance could wait she meant it.

But this past week...having her feelings of a future with Harry literally create her Patronus made it impossible to ignore. Flitwick had been right...it was overwhelming. Whatever she was feeling was overwhelming...and now that it was out it couldn't simply be put back in it's box...and she wouldn't do it even if she could.

This was no longer about helping end Voldemort...it was only about Harry. About saving Harry. She wasn't afraid of being the 'power he knows not' any more. If anything she was afraid the prophecy didn't refer to her. Because if it didn't it meant they could be wrong. And if they were wrong Harry might die. He couldn't die.

Another Patronus lesson was scheduled for the evening and Daphne and Harry had planned on meeting afterward. To Daphne's surprise she was the first to arrive...her eagerness to see Harry unconsciously driving her to get there a full fifteen minutes early. She felt bad for not waiting on Tracey but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to see him.

"Well if it isn't Madam Butterfly," Astoria said smugly as she entered the room.

"I'm sorry Astoria, could you repeat that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of me learning the spell first," she shot back immediately, matching Astoria's smug expression.

Astoria glared.

"Who is Madam Butterfly anyway?" Daphne asked.

"I think it's a muggle singer," Astoria said with a shrug. "I remembered mum and dad saying they were going to see her."

"So is that my new nickname then?" Daphne asked bemusedly.

"No. It would just remind me you managed it first and that's maddening," Astoria answered with a tone of disgust. "So let's see it then," she finally commanded, folding her arms in anticipation.

Daphne had practiced the spell multiple times over the last week, partially so she could better understand the feelings behind the spell and partially because she knew Astoria would make her do it to prove she had really succeeded. If she failed now she would never live it down.

She once again thought of her imagined future and muttered the incantation. The silvery butterfly flowed out of her wand and immediately scanned the room before disappearing through the open doorway.

"Where is it going?" Astoria asked.

"No clue," Daphne answered honestly. "When I did it the first night it stuck around but ever since then it does that."

"Can butterflies look intense because that butterfly looked intense," Astoria commented. "Maybe it's out looking for a threat?" she theorized.

Daphne shrugged.

Inexplicably the Patronus elegantly floated back into the room, closely trailed by Harry. "Showing off Daphne? Sending it to find me because I'm a few minutes late?" He joked.

"I was just proving to the skeptic here that I could actually do it." Daphne answered.

"What happened when it saw you Harry?" Astoria asked knowingly as the butterfly dissipated.

"It seemed to be looking around until it saw me...then it floated over and sort of escorted me the rest of the way," he answered.

"Oh my Daphne...it looks like you have some competition," Astoria said, her smug expression returning in full force.

"What are you on about?" she asked.

"I think your Patronus fancies Harry and she's rather brazen about it," Astoria said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Shut up Astoria," Daphne spit back, realizing Astoria was most likely not far off the mark. She could not bring herself to look at Harry to see his reaction.

"Thanks so much for waiting on me Daphne," Tracey suddenly interrupted irritably as she walked into the room before noticing Daphne's angry expression. "What's going on?"

"Daphne's Patronus is in love with Harry and Daphne's jealous," Astoria volunteered. She seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Daphne has nothing to be jealous about," Harry interjected before raising his wand and calmly incanting Expecto Patronum.

Daphne watched as Harry's Patronus burst forth and immediately trotted to her side, ducking it's head affectionately toward her. She unconsciously reached out her hand and immediately felt that now familiar warmth return...reminding her of when they performed the blood oath and when she cast her own Patronus. It was so familiar but somehow different. She closed her eyes and let it fill her up.

"I really need to get a boyfriend," she heard Tracey mutter in disgust, causing Daphne to laugh. The warmth disappeared and she knew the Patronus had vanished. She immediately missed it.

Harry quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her down into a nearby seat. "Since you are an expert on Expecto Patronum let's see what you've got Astoria," he instructed.

He began tracing circles on her hand with his thumb and she instantly relaxed again...a version of the warmth returning. She slid her chair slightly closer, resisting the urge to rest her head on his shoulder and settling for leaning into his side. It was enough. It was brilliant.

Ninety minutes later the session was over and Harry and Daphne were slowly walking together, still holding hands. Despite it being a ruse Harry's advice to Astoria apparently had done the trick. Refreshed and re-energized, Astoria was able to successfully conjure her own corporeal patronus (a gazelle) after a mere thirty minutes and quickly declared that a gazelle made for a much better Patronus than a butterfly. Tracey still had not made the final step but with the insight and encouragement of the other three she was very close at sessions end.

"So where are we going?" Daphne finally asked. As much as she wanted to spend a little pointless time with Harry she knew that they needed to talk about their progress.

Harry quickly pulled her into a side room and cast Muffliato.

"Remember the room I mentioned from last year? Where we held the DA meetings? I wanted to check the room for a Horcrux. I meant to go last night but Hermione wouldn't let me out of her sight," he said irritably.

Daphne instantly became excited. From the moment Harry had told her about the Room of Requirement she desperately wanted to see it but Harry had purposely avoided telling it's location or how to enter. Some nonsense about needing to be careful and avoid raising suspicion. Apparently that was over.

"Doesn't the room change though?" she asked. "Are you just going to ask for the room with the Horcrux? It can't be that easy can it?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Dobby said the elves have a room to store all the lost items they've come across over the years. All I need to do is think of that and it should change into that," he answered. "I have no clue if there will be anything there but it's worth a shot."

"Is that what you've been doing this past week? Searching different rooms?"

"Yeah, that and talking to the ghosts which has been thoroughly depressing let me tell you," he replied morosely, shaking his head.

"Ghosts?"

"I thought they might be able to help with places to look and what the founders could have created-"

"Like Gryfiindor's sword," she interjected.

"Exactly, " he confirmed. "I'm pretty sure about Hufflepuff's cup and Slytherin's locket from that memory Dumbledore showed me but I thought there might be something else. I got an idea for Ravenclaw from the Gray Lady."

"Makes sense," Daphne agreed. "If anyone knows it would be her daughter."

"You knew that?" Harry asked incredulously. "How did you know that?"

"Because the Bloody Baron never shuts up about her. Everyone thinks he's sinister and menacing but he's just pouting because she still won't give him the time of day. They also mention it in a book about Hogwarts. It's called 'Hogwarts-'"

"'A History,' Harry interrupted. "Yeah, I know that one."

"So anyway," he continued, "I guess Lady Ravenclaw had a diadem that provided wisdom to the wearer. Turns out the Gray Lady told Tom Riddle where it was when he was a student here so there is a good chance it's one of the Horcruxes. I think. I don't know," he said as he shook his head. He looked tired.

"I've looked everywhere else I can think of in the castle and this Room of Hidden Things is the last on my list."

"Room of Hidden Things?"

"That's what Dobby called it. I mean 'hidden' is in the title...it seemed like a logical place to look, right?"

"Solid reasoning. Let's go, " she said with a smirk, pulling him up and out of the room.

They walked in silence for several minutes before Daphne spoke. She had promised herself she wouldn't mention it but failed miserably at sticking to her promise.

"So, I noticed Ginny seems to be hanging around with you more often," she said as nonchalantly as possible, pretending she was just making idle conversation.