Relaxing Poolside

Dave sighed. "Oh that's nice..."

Melfina smiled massaging his shoulders. "Am I doing it right?"

Harley grinned. "Oh yeah! Dave carries his tension in his neck through his shoulders when he's stressed. He doesn't grind his teeth thankfuly but he clenchs his jaw like an aligator or crocodile! He gets all tight!"

They were outside down by the pool. Tink put her smoke up to his lips. "Here. A puff of Old Toby will help you relax."

"Just a little," he said taking a drag of the hobbit leaf. He slowly let it out. "Can't believe it took us this long to get out here and enjoy the pool. It's beautiful out here." He smiled enjoying the view. The ladies were certainly looking good too!

Tink giggled looking down. "Well we were very busy... still are. And yesterday's weather didn't help. You had a busy day. Time to relax and nothing says relax like laying by the pool... besides you're obviously enjoying the view!"

Harley laughed and posed in her red and black Harley Quinn themed bikini looking at his erection. "Hell yeah he is!"

Dave sighed and placed his towel on his lap. "Sorry... just too many beautiful ladies, nice atmosphere and being touched nicely too... I can't help it. But you ladies do look wonderful! Beautiful women in bikinis by the pool? Paradise."

Hilda smiled and blushed in her purple bikini. "Thank you. We're glad you like them!" She was so hesitant to wear the daring swimwear and try them on the other day but Tink was right! She helped them pick out suits that Dave was definitely appreciative of! And she was right that he appreciated them. They could have come out wearing sackcloths and he'd have been happy to see them. Having nice suits that accentuated their beauty was just decorative. She and Melfina both thought about the other thing Harley and Tink had mentioned. How would it be to be naked on this moment?

Dave was also having fun watching Dorothy swim around in her lighter body. It was hard to tell but it seemed like she was enjoying herself as she had swum back and forth. Now he watched her get out of the pool in her black bikini. Water cascading of her petite but womanly body-

Dorothy looked met his gaze and looked directly into his eyes. "You really are a louse David Stark."

Dave smiled. "Maybe so, R. Dorothy Wayneright. Maybe so." He relaxed under Melfina's gentle touch closing his eyes. "If this is a louse's lot in life I certainly can't and won't complain much-"

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Dave opened his eye's. "What is the matter, Daphne?"

"Daphne," Dorothy said straightfaced. "You're not wearing the swimsuit that was provided by us?"

Hilda nodded. "You should wear proper pool attire when at the pool I have learned," she tried sharing helpfully thinking maybe she did not know.

"Oh no," Melfina said. "Did it not fit?"

Harley laughed and Tink giggled but Dave could see she was seriously upset. "Now now. She doesn't actually-"

"Fine!" Daphne said. "I'll play your little game! I'll be right back!" She threw her literature down and stormed back inside.

"Geez," Tink said. "What got into her?"

Harley though looked at the pamphlets and booklets. "Something about being a character she read must've ticked her off but what?"

Dave blinked then slowly slapped his forehead. "I forgot to explain it... being a "Character" to her!"

"Whoopsy!" Tink said. "Well... that's that then."

Harley nodded and tossed the pamphlet back down. "She'll get over it. Want "Dr Quinzel" to handle it?"

Dave sighed. "You don't mind? It's my mistake."

Harley smiled. "Not at all! You've had a tough day that's why it slipped your mind. And you didn't do anything wrong. This literature and stuff is designed exactly for these situations. She's just going through the stages. Looks like were on "denial" or "anger". You let me handle this, 'kay? It's one of my area's of expertise!"

"Us," Melfina said and smiled when the others looked at her. "Right?"

Hilda smiled too. She was still coming to full acceptance herself in someways but she was nearly there she felt. This might be good fir her as well. She nodded. "Yes, leave this to "Us", Dave."

Dave smiled at her using Dave instead of David. "Hildy..."

Tink smiled and put her hands on her hips nodding. "Yep. You heard 'em! You just keep relaxing. We got this!"

Lady Fingers came out of her box and set him down a fresh drink. "Thank you, Lady Fingers... well if you all insist... I'll do just that!" He sipped his beverage and layback.

Dave dozed. He really was tired... but he kept waking up for snippets of the ladies conversation. It was interesting. And this Daphne filled out her green bikini nicely! He knew she'd had the usual standard RealDreams beauty enhancement level 1 they gave almost all characters... but she most have been quite the little smokeshow before. Probably made all the boys wands "hard wood".

"Here... see?," Harley said. "This was a famous Harry Potter incident that made the news but it happened like twenty something years ago! Got hulked up and went on a rampage. He's from a totally different world from yours! Same Hogwarts, Same Potter. Different reality instance. You're Daphne Greengrass 0007713. He's probably Potter I dunno... 0100342 or something."

"I don't believe it!" Daphne said stunned.

Tink saying, "Ah found you! Ok see... this here's Dave and some of his siblings and cousins in a Harry Potter instance where they could "attend school". First year. That's Dave right there at the Slytherin table after having it out with Malfoy, Potter and Weasley the little shits and Snape separating them all. Snape sat him with you girls and had him help Tracy Davis with her assignments aaand there... Daphne Greengrass passing the pumpkin juice to Tracy Davis, Millicent Blustrode and Pansy Parkinson!"

"But... I don't remember that," she said and then squinting. "Wait that's not me! Same color hair but this one has blue eyes and the build is all wrong and my... figure hadn't developed that much. And that's Milly and Pansy but definitely not Tracy! Looks nothing like her... and she's so pretty!"

"It was a different Hogwarts and a different Daphne Greengrass. It was a "Hogwarts Experience" school world," Tink said. "They prettied you all up as much as they could. You can't see from this angle cause it's the back of her head but they really tried to pretty up Millicent. Poor thing... all the fat had to go somewhere so they just- baboom!" Tink held her hands out infront of chest and then her hips. "Still had a bit of a butter face though and the looks made her super self conscious. I think she was sweet on Dave from what I remember. She still had her mean moments but then softer moments away from the others. Not like that harpy Pansy! She was such a nasty little- well you know. Especially once Dave and Draco didn't get along. She was on Draco from day one. Funny that in all those years of dating they'd drift apart in the end."

Melfina looking at her phone. "Got it! Thanks Pepper. It says here that while you get a couple background mentions in the original work Tracy Davis gets almost none. So other than her name and being a half-blood girl who was sorted into Slytherin aside her actual self as a completely background character is completely random. Tall, short, skinny, fat, good student, bad student, favorite food, friends or no friends. She almost doesn't exist as far as the story matters. That's... kind of sad." Melfina said feeling sorry for her.

Hilda looking over her shoulder nodded. "It's like she didn't matter at all... to the story or the author. I wonder who the author thought of when they wrote down just three lines of information? Tracy Davis. Half-blood witch. Slytherin... did they picture anyone at all or were they a blank space even to the author?"

"That... don't say that," Daphne said. "That can't be! They mattered! And what do you mean by Dave and Draco didn't get along? And why would he fight with Potter?"

Tink blinked. "Oh boy... you should read the books. They're almost completely from Potter's perspective and he's no Saint. None of them are. And Potter hated all Slytherins. Dave never liked bullys... well not completely true... he liked fighting them! And then Dave had the misfortune of being Draco's Roommate. That wasn't at all fun I can assure you! Between Malfoy and Potter and Ron they really bothered and irritated the hell out of Dave! Snape wouldn't tolerate Slytherin infighting. At least not publicly. How did he put it... "

Daphne closed her eyes. She could see Snape before her so clearly. "Slytherin house has won the House cup for six years in a row. This year will be our seventh. The majority of this school will be working against you. Testing you. Watching you. Hoping to see you fail... and fall. You are outnumbered, surrounded and will be under constant scrutiny and suspicion... and I wouldn't have it any other way. The flames of their jealousy will be the crucible in which you shall become refined. Let that motivate you! Drive you! That is why it is important that you present a united front. No matter how... fractious you are with one another you will appear to be as one. One house. One body. One whole... like the serpent! Slytherins. I expect excellence. Do not... disappoint me." She swallowed. "He was quite disappointed indeed. We all thought we'd had it but it was like he was so upset by it he firgot to punish us... then next term started. He hadn't forgotten at all. He pushed us even harder."

Tink nodded. "Yeah that was almost exactly what he said. The Slytherins were expected to be hard on themselves and each other but to the school as a whole they had to seem united no matter how much they disliked one another. So Dave couldn't publicly fight Draco and vice-versa... but in private they didn't get along much. Dave tried. Even helped Draco with his studies, helped all the Slytherins actually organising group study sessions... but they were like oil and water. Didn't mix well at all. Draco never liked how Dave didn't just bow down to him and even challenged him and Dave got so irritated by Draco's constant self absored attitude and importance... or how fake he was being. Draco was obviously a sad little boy in his own way trying to act big. Trying hard to become something that he really kind of wasn't... and Dave was the same. He was trying to "toughen up". I think he sensed it and really wanted to try to be Draco's friend but their personalities were so different from one another. Draco was never going to willingly follow Dave's lead... and Dave certainly wasn't going to "follow and obey" like Draco wanted."

Daphne sighed and nodded. "That certainly sounds like Draco alright. In the beginning all he wanted was to be the recognition of being the leader. Lording his importance over all of us. Now I wonder how his homelife was?"

Tink shrugged. "As much trouble as Dave caused I think Dumbledore liked the way he broke up the power balances and tutored others. He certainly awarded him a fair few points. More than made up for what he lost. The other professors too once Dave started offering tutoring awarded him points as well... not that it mattered. Dumbledore would always award the last minute points the way he did and make "adjustments" to fit because that's how the story goes. I think Dumbledore wanted to see him get more involved... but ultimately Dave just wanted to learn and grow... and challege the best because that's what drove him. I think he might have wanted Malfoy and Potter to get along too but that was never going to happen so he ended up the outsider as usual. Harry and Ron were kinda mean to Dave. Let's see it was Dave, most of the Slytherin girls with the exception of Pansy, Neville who Dave got along with quite well, and who were the others he tutored and became somewhat close too?"

"Luna Lovegood, Hannah Abbott and a few others but not as well..." he chuckled, "and my cousins of course! Most were too excited about adventures and the opposite sex to pay attention in classes. Poor Snape and Filtch! Students were always "out of bed"! Made it easier for me to get into the restricted sections though," Dave sighed turning over letting them know he was awake for a bit. "Oh, and Crabbe and Goyle. Turning them against Malfoy just a bit was funny. Well not against him. They just wouldn't have his back against me once I started tutoring them. Pretty sure I'm the only reason they got as far as they did... except in history. They both liked history and did extremely well. Who killed who at the battle of wherever. Who was tortured and who was executed. Who got **** on whom. They loved that kind of stuff. I actually learned a few things from them in those classes. But yeah they shared about one brain and four stomachs between the two of them. We weren't close but they respected me because I didn't give up on them... and they wouldn't bully other kids when I was around after we'd had it out once. Hannah was another one I tutored in a couple subjects and she was a sweet but timid person. Once she stopped being afraid of me as troublemaking Slytherin we got on well enough. I'm glad she and Neville got together... Nevile and I got on quite well right from the start. I tutored him and tried to distract the other Slytherins away from him. He was a big help in my herbology studies... and Luna was..."

Dave smiled and Tink laughed. "Luna was a delight!" Tink laughed. "We three, and then four when Harley joined us, had such good times together. Luna just saw the world differently! Which worked because we didn't quite fit in either but then... well..."

Dave shook his head. "I honestly thought I'd made friends with her and Nevile but... she, Neville and I stayed on good terms but drifted apart a bit as they sided more and more with Harry. With the exception of Ronald I quite liked the Weasleys too. Ginny was another delight and nobody with a sense of humor didn't like George and Fred. What I remember of Percy he was decent enough at least to me. Maybe because I was always studying? I don't think I ever met Bill or the one with the dragons who's name escapes me at the moment. Mr and Mrs Weasley though were both delightful! We weren't close but I quite enjoyed them the few times we met. And I got on well with all the Proffesors one way or another until Umbridge. Ghastly woman. McGonagall gave me a hard time until I started tutoring Neville and some of the others. Then her whole demeanor changed and we got along quite well. Same with Sprout and Flitwick though we got along from the start. I was one of the few Slytherins who loved Haggrids class so he was pleased but since Harry and I didn't get along it strained that relationship too. Sad. I would have liked to spent more time with him but I stayed away because of the trio. Resitting that final year was weird that way. I spent so much time with the others without Potter and Ron and Draco mucking things up. Even with the school in tough shape it felt so fresh and new again. I almost didn't go back but I was quite glad when I did."

"And then there was Hermione!" Tink giggled.

Dave chuckled. "Oh man... I enjoyed Hermione quite a lot and I rather think she quite disliked me a lot!"

Melfina blinked. "Oh? Why was that?"

Tink laughed. "Because he was almost as smart or smarter even then Hermione. Star pupil for Slytherin when he wasn't in trouble. Like he just said he Tutored quite a few kids from other houses not just Slytherins. That's another reason he wasn't kicked out and got away with stuff. And unlike miss Granger he didn't just keep his knowledge to himself and his "friends" but shared it with everyone so the professors let him get away with so much."

Dave shrugged. "Hermione was competitive scholasticly, or at least ours was, where as I just wanted to learn... everyone to learn and excel... it was a school. I really wanted to be friends with her and tried to help her out on occasion but I do believe I annoyed her instead."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Dorothy said returning with a bunch of Harry Potter books. "Here are all the books from the library."

Tink added. "It's because you kept getting Time Turners from Dumbledore where she only got one the one time... plus sharing the top spot irritated her."

Dave shrugged. "She was still the brightest witch in our class. I just started school with more theoretical magical knowledge and since I didn't get along with either Draco or Harry the Library was a natural place to hangout and avoid them as well as meet my own ambitions. The hardest part was pretending to be rubbish at quiditch. I'd actually would have liked to have played but it would have interferred too much with my own goals. Pity. I did extremely well on the broom. Better than the others... so I purposely tanked the tryouts. Snape wasn't pleased and that earned me Flynts derision the rest of the time there. Which suited me fine. I didn't like him either."

Daphne shook her head looking at the books. "Everything you've said really has been true hasn't it? You speak about them like you really knew them."

Dave shrugged. "I knew versions of them. Out of who knows how many countless numbers of them. Just like you." He shrugged. "Infact since some of them are popular Characters I've met far more of them than I have 'Daphne Greengrass' which in a way makes you quite special indeed."

Daphne blinked. "I... hadn't thought about things quite like that yet."

Dave yawned. "Food for thought then..."

Daphne smiled. "Did he just...?"

Hilda checked and giggled. "Yes... he's asleep again."

Harley nodded. "Using the Neural technology like that can be exhausting. He made two big dives. Funny. The girls won't feel it or know it but he's working hard for them."

Daphnee shook her head and looked at a picture of Draco, Harry, Ron and a young Dave all beat up looking. "He and Draco against Harry and Ron?"

Tink shook her head. "Oh no... he took all three of them on. Every chance he could get. He was the outsider. The Lone Wolf. If those three were having a spat or about to make a go of it he'd jump in." She shook her head. "He'd always been a bit like that but more... sweetly innocent as a kid. He just wanted to stop the fighting to become friends. But as the chip on his shoulder grew worse and my condition changed and he blamed himself it turned darker. Once he'd fully changed by 3rd year even Snape didn't cow him anymore. I don't think Severus knew what to do with Dave by that point... and it turned out he was having his own problems and worries and Dave was certainly good for Slytherin getting points so maybe he just cut his losses. Dave was **** to "get stronger" for awhile. Discover how far he could go. He'd happily take on villains and heroes. Preferably at the same time. All comers. He wasn't a bully... but he was a studious delinquent. Such an odd ball! Studying in the library alone after sneaking out of the infirmary covered in bandages from fights and misadventures. He really irritated Pomfrey that way. She was constantly threatening to chain him to the bed. But by that point he and Harry getting along was a lost cause and they were the twi most often in the infirmary fir one reason or another." She laughed. "Usually be challenging whoever while his cousins stole their girlfriends and boyfriends! Then they'd go off on misadventures!"

"But still this looks brutal. What spells was this?" Daphne asked looking at the photo.

Tink blinked then laughed. "Oh no! They blamed it on a rogue bludger and the whomping willow of course but that was just Dave. Dave received what you would call "real defense against the dark arts" training from several specialists as well as his father at a young age before ever attending Hogwarts. So he would cast spells closing in on his opponents and then punch them in the face. He broke Draco's, Ron's and Harry's noses... and this was one of the "lets be friends" fights early on, mind you! Dave's trying to get them to be friends at least with each other if not him... totally backfired though. Malfoy would make him miserable, Harry wouldn't trust him and Ron openly hated Dave."

Daphne had started laughing hysterically. "Magic punch of friendship!" She gasped inbetween.

Tink grinned. "Pretty much... but he was also taught that was how to fight in a "real" wizard duel. As you saw he likes to use a staff rather than a wand usually. More power at the expense of finese. Like showing up to a fancy duel with a two-handed sword when your opponents got a rapier. He'd close with a wizard and then physically throttle them... if he doesn't just shoot them in the head first. His two primary teachers taught him that. It's hard to be a magical bad ass and concentrate on casting spells with a bullet through the cranium. 3S SOP on how to fight a wizard. Shoot them with a high-caliber round. Preferably when they never see it coming."

Daphne swallowed. That meant earlier she'd been in who knows how many crosshairs when he'd told those people to stand down. It was true. Even the fastest wizard or witches spells couldn't likely cast faster then a bullet breaking the sound barrier. "They taught that mantra to a child?"

Tink nodded. "Yep... and Dave tried teaching his classmates something like that. Dave knew Harry needed to learn to protect himself. So he was trying to teach Harry what he knew... it would be hard for a dark wizard to cast spells with a busted jaw or nose, gouged eyes, concussion or if they were holding their testicles in pain. Same principle only minus the gun. It's stupid to stand there and just sling spells at each other all day back and forth. He was playing nicely with you earlier. Dave's had teachers that make Aurors from your world flinch... and they're the good guys! Like his father says your worlds settings "cute and got some fun stuff" but "it's generally for babies." And he's not wrong. The books are intended for children."

Daphne blinked. "Seriously?!" She saw Tink and Harley nod. "Childrens books... "Cute" and "baby" magic... who the hell does that man think he is that he can say such things?"

Harley shrugged. "He's wizard and man enough to eat your worlds big bad darklords 'killing spell' intentionally on purpose for laughs cause he "wanted to try it". Legend goes he laughed at that Voldemort, told him "not enough gun" then busted his wand up and **** him to eat it for picking on kids. Some say he's still locked up somewhere."

Harley shrugged. "Knowing Walt as well as we do? Yeah I can see him doing something like that. But I doubt he kept the guy. He'd probably consider him trash to be taken out and just do it. But I bet the making him eat his wand thingy is true! A-blahblah whatevah! Then after taking the hit Walt probably spit and said something cool, kicked Moldybutt in the huevos, busted up his wand and got rid of him. Git'rdone. Probably rode off into the sunset an' everything then kicked back with a beer afterwards. He's like that. Nice guy too. But Dave had a chip about always being in his dads shadow and "measuring up". It still bothers him a little but it's more like he's embaressed now that he felt that way in the first place. Silly really. The only person judging Dave was Dave all along." Harley grinned. "But it did make him a sexy little bad ass in his own way!"

Tink sighed but nodded. "He was such a sweet kid... and he's still sweet in his way but yeah sometimes I miss that innocent little kid always smiling or crying... then the crybaby just decided he was gonna be a bad-ass and he did it. Then he realized how far ahead his old man was. That he could spend his whole life in just "catching up" and how silly that was and changed tack a bit. He finally started to try just being himself and walking his own path."

Daphne was quiet. She was thinking about how hard that was... how ambitious... and if anything she learned from all that gave her any leverage she could use.

Probably not. If he was that strong, and his family even stronger, upsetting them was risky. It sounded like they were like Dave himself had said to her. Ambitious, cunning, resourceful, intelligent, knowledgeable, planning, witty, hard working, patient, loyal, fair, courageous, bravery, helpful and chivalrous. His ambition was to be like that. All the best Hogwarts traits.

Still she'd learned a couple things. He had his weaknesses. Not those he cared about. They were a source of strength for him. But his insecurities... true they drove him. They fueled his ambitions. But was there away she could use that?

And some tiny part of her wondered was that best? Wouldn't having him as an ally be more beneficial? What strange new magics could she learn? How much stronger and more powerful could she become? Was there a way to align their ambitions together? She smiled. She was a Greengrass. There was always a way. She like her sister didn't belive in blood supremacy anymore. Certainly not after the war. But she still valued her family's ideals. Slytherin ideals tempered by neutrality and going a different way. He was someone who liked going his own way too.

It also didn't hurt that this crazy mix of odd women seemed to all be genuinely happy... but time would tell. She had to be sure.

But did she want that? What would it cost her? She still wasn't sure what she could offer in exchange for her wand and her powers return. Without them she felt weak and ****. She might be the weakest one here currently. She didn't like that idea or the feeling that came with it... but if it was true it was best to know it. Ignorance was a weakness she could ill afford including- "So these "rights as property". Can you explain a little more about how that stuff and some of these other things work?"

[David Stark Pepper Tinker Bell Harley Quinn Melfina VSD02C Princess Hilda R. Dorothy Wayneright Lady Fingers and Daphne Greengrass

Will Return In

Getting A Little Dirty & Then Clean

Coming Soon]