Yes, of course I don't own Harry Potter.
Everyone falls in love differently but they always have the more or less similar lines, such as, "I didn't know it was him/her for a long time and when it hit me, I've never felt so stupid. It was so obvious!" or "I knew it was going to be him/her all along." It is pretty clear which one of these have to endure more pain and suffering.
She was his childhood best friend, Theodore Nott's, cousin and she met him at age five. At that point, he hadn't known she was coming and was surprised enough to somehow accidentally tipped his bowl of mushroom soup all over her. And as we all know, mushroom soup is thick, wet, sticky, goo-ey and doesn't just flow down to the bottom but get stuck all over your body.
Draco, being Draco, had laughed of course and Theo couldn't help but break into a grin at the thought of what her mother would say. Daphne didn't look very please and Draco knew that at any moment then she was going to scream her heads off at him for committing such an evil deed and disrespecting a woman. That was what Pansy yelled at him when he knocked a bottle of sweets over her. And those were just sweets!
Slowly, however, she began to smile. Not in the evil way, or the forced way. But more like the embarrassed but I-know-you-didn't-mean-it-so-I-am-going-to-forgive -you sweet way. And that twisted something inside the five years old Draco because nobody he knew forgave anyone that easily and especially not Slytherin.
That didn't mean she wasn't Slytherin. She had a strong ambition. Someday, she wanted to set up a free school for poor wizards who couldn't afford to go to school. She would always protect her friends. She just wasn't prejudiced like others and she was a good listener and extremely sweet. That was the best part about her. She would always smile like nothing is wrong, comfort anyone when they feel upset. As they grew up and entered Hogwarts, Daphne became a sort of a counselor in the Slytherin House. Whenever anyone had a secret or needed someone to confide in, she was top option.
Slowly, Draco fell into that tradition too because after all, she was also one of his best friend's cousin and to add on, she was pretty good to look at.
Since she was nine, if anyone had even bothered to ask Daphne who she was crushing on, her answer would always be the same. She would undoubtedly blush and look away and tell you it isn't your business but all the same, she had fallen in love with him as she got to know him. It was simple really. She liked the way he could come up with witty remarks so fast, he could prank so well and nobody even noticed, except herself because she observed more than she spoke and he had confessed it to her to have a laugh before.
Time only made her fall in love more, knowing full well that he'd never love her because he told her everything. And boy, it hurt.
In year one, he had came over and told her he kind of liked Pansy because she gave him a lot of attention that sometimes, his parents neglected and he did like that a lot, even if her attention were a little superficial and not to mention annoying. He didn't seem to notice that Daphne was sitting quietly, listening to every word he said and paying the most attention anyone paid him with the usual sweet smile feeling happy that Pansy got such a lovely admirer.
In year three, he told her that he decided he preferred Tracey Davis more because it be damned it she was a half-blood and she wasn't that pretty, she was way smarter and much funner to have a conversation with. He seemed to have forgotten all the ridiculous conversation he had with Daphne that sent him laughing so hard he sometimes rolled on the floor. Once again, she had that usual sweet smile, this time for Tracey and for him smartening up and choosing a better option.
He had talked to her in fourth year again, telling her how he had wanted to ask Tracey for the Yule Ball and walked in on Blaise asking her with a big display of flowers and stuff. Nobody had seen Tracey look that happy before. He had settled for Pansy instead, and didn't seem to realise who he was complaining to. Daphne, who went with Theodore since both their crushes already had dates (and no, she wasn't going to reveal Theo's crush), merely smiled again, this time a little sympathetic and pulled him into a gentle hug.
Fifth year was honestly the worst because of all people he could have fallen for this time, he picked Astoria Greengrass, her little sister. He had stumbled in looking very dazed and declared his love for Tori. It wasn't the usual "crush" or "maybe" but this time, he said it out loud.
"I am in love with Astoria Greengrass."
And it stung. That was an understatement. He might as well has used the knife that he had used to slice and stab into her heart and now twisted it inside her and she felt like screaming out that she didn't want to hear his problems. She needed someone to hear how her parents always preferred Astoria and people were always telling Astoria how pretty she was with no one telling her that she was just as beautiful. She had problems too.
As usual she smiled, whispering about how lucky Astoria was and thinking the same but this time, her smile was a little forced.
Sixth grade was just as horrible. He wouldn't tell her what he was doing and he always looked so tired so in the end, to at least make him feel better, she would massage his shoulders or back and whisper meaningless comforting words to make him feel better until he fell asleep and then tuck him under his bed and sneak into her own room. And he seemed to get worse daily and finally on exactly February fourteenth, he had shoved her out of the room, yelled at her to leave him alone and slammed the door right into her face. She cried. She didn't even ask what he was doing or pressurise him in anyway. It didn't make sense. He didn't make sense.
But that didn't change her love for him because after all, she was human and they always pick what is worst for them.
After the war, Hogwarts decided to offer the students to come back and take their NEWT. That was the first time they properly saw each other since that horrible night when he had slammed the door in her face. Draco stood there on the platform uncertainly as he scanned through the crowd. When his eyes landed on her, she had given him one of her smiles and his eyes had widened in surprise. Everyone was either sneering at him or glaring, both Slytherin and non-Slytherin's alike. Even parents were glaring at him.
She had walked over to him, her eyes clearly screaming, "You're forgiven." like the first time they had met. Draco hugged her, feeling relief that at least someone didn't hate him. Throughout the year, more and more people figured out that he had indeed change. Even Potter and Granger gave him an occasional smile (not that Weasley ever did). Half way through the year, Astoria finally accepted his invitation to Hogsmeade. He had practically skipped into the room with a grin so wide his face might have split into two.
Daphne's smile was much more forced than usual as she congratulated him and wished him best of luck. She had even help him decide on a best outfit according to Tori's preference and he said it didn't suit his style but wore it anyway. She had helped him pick the best gift because after all, Astoria was her sister and an observant girl would know everything there was to know about her sister.
Of course Astoria was beyond pleased and they got engaged in 14 February 2000. Their marriage was arranged to be on 25 December 2002. Everything was turning out perfectly. Except Daphne could no longer deceive herself that everything was alright each night before going to bed. She tended to cry herself to sleep more often than not.
It was the day of Draco's marriage that he began to doubt if he could do this. Did he really want to get married to her? After all, he was not exactly on excellent terms with Theo ever since after the war due to being on different sides of the war and all. Plus, he and Astoria had almost nothing in common. Could he really marry her? Why was he having so much doubt? Wasn't marriage supposed to be the best day of your life? Why was he being so uncertain? People always said they never felt so sure than on their wedding day but he had never felt so unsure!
But if he broke of the engagement now, Theo would have even more reason to hate him and what about Daphne? She would hate him too! He paused, wondering how what Daphne think of him is a reason not to tell Tori that they couldn't do this. Deep down inside of course he knew why it mattered and counted as a reason. He'd be blind and deaf and possibly dead if he hadn't figured it out.
He was in love with Daphne Greengrass. Which just made this whole thing even more of a nightmare because he would be her brother-in-law. He was stuck. How did normal people go about this? Because he couldn't think, he doubt he could breathe properly, everything was blurry and the only thing he felt was panic.
He had to say, one thing that he admired Astoria a lot for was courage. At least she had much more of that than he did because it was Tori who first burst into the room saying, "We can't do this!" Because it turns out that both of them were thinking the same thing and Tori turned out to be in love with Blaise Zabini, his best friend (yes, it was kind of weird having your girlfriend/fiance loving your best friend and you not getting angry).
"I love your sister!" It was probably not the best time to blurt that out. She was still in her wedding dress and he was in his best suit and they both realise that they didn't really care.
That didn't stop Astoria from laughing. "You, my boy, are in a far worse and much more awkward situation than I am." And Draco tried to scowl but it didn't really work. They ended up half laughing, half crying over how messed up their lives and their heads (probably) were. That was how Daphne and Blaise, bridesmaid and best man, found them.
A year later, Draco and Astoria got married...
To Daphne and Blaise respectively. And honestly, Draco wouldn't have it any other way (although Daphne would have preferred if Draco didn't put her through so much anguish first).