"Quit with the inane civilities, Daphne. I'm going to be late for dinner."
"Very well, then, if that's how you want to play it. First of all, may I remind you that we are in a public place, so you'd be wise to restrain yourself from causing a scene. Now, to get to the point: Hermione Granger is being imprisoned in Greengrass Manor, and I will release her on the condition that you marry me. In a lavish and public Bonding. Here is the picture to prove I'm not bluffing."
Draco stared at the photograph of Hermione encaged in a gilded mirror and looked daggers at Daphne.
"She actually believed me when I sent the owl to tell her I was interested in donating to her pet charity. So gullible. Don't know why people thought she was the smartest witch in school. Ah-ah, Draco. Kill me and it's Azkaban for you. No Hermione either. I'm in a generous mood, so you have three days to consider my offer." With that, Daphne disappeared from view.
The calming breaths Draco took only increased his agitation. He Apparated home and went in search of his mother. He paced the room as he gave her the facts.
"Oh, my silly Dragonet, why are you in such a frenzy? Have you forgotten that Hermione led the team that re-built the wards at Hogwarts and re-cast the spells to make it unplottable? I'm sure she'll find no difficulty getting out of the Greengrass residence. Just give her time. Meanwhile, you should get in touch with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley and come up with a plan that can be executed in three days' time, should Hermione fail to return unscathed."
Daphne was startled awake by a loud crash. Staring around her room in confusion, she realized that her chandelier was on the floor. "Mudblood!" But when she went to confront the witch in the magical mirror, she saw Hermione leaning against the frame, pale and trembling. "Tried to break through the wards, did you, foolish Mudblood? Serves you right. I wouldn't test my magic against an entire house if I were you." She smugly went to freshen up.
When she went down for breakfast, Daphne was shocked to see the dining table in ruins and the house-elves scrambling to clean the mess. Apparently, the chandelier in her room wasn't the only one that was dislodged. One of the house-elves informed her that breakfast was being served in the Conservatory, and she nonchalantly joined her baffled family. Mrs. Greengrass informed them that there were a few extra guests to be expected that night for the party, so she needed to go out to buy a few more gifts; would the girls be interested in accompanying her? Daphne and Astoria quickly went to prepare for a day's shopping. Daphne warned Hermione to behave herself and closed the small curtain that hid the mirror from prying eyes.
Upon their return, Daphne smirkingly noted that nothing seemed out of place. But as she climbed the stairs, they creaked and groaned. Her doorknob was sticky to the touch, and she needed three Alohomoras to open the door. She grumbled about incompetent house-elves and put her purchases away.
The guests had assembled by seven and were making their way to the refurbished dining room when the lights flickered and then went out. Wands were illuminated, but before the master of the house could take charge, a loud explosion was heard, followed by the reek of smoke. Panic ensued as everyone made a dash for the front door. A tearful house-elf appeared on the lawn to inform the incensed host and hostess that the kitchen had caught fire and their dinner burnt to a crisp. Several guests offered to aid the Greengrasses in checking the manor for the source of the mishap; all came up empty-handed and confused. Nothing suggested any intrusion or dark magic. A very embarrassed and apologetic master and mistress bade an unexpectedly early farewell to their guests and promised to entertain on another night. Daphne quietly went to confront the likely culprit, but she could neither get a confession out of the saucy witch nor punish her for ruining the evening. She strengthened the magic that bound Hermione, though.
"I underestimated your powers, Mudblood, but I'd like to see you get out of this!"
Daphne awoke the following morning to screams from her outraged mother. Her cabinet of crystals and a priceless Ming vase had shattered as soon as she had entered the sitting room. When asked if the wards had been disturbed, Mrs. Greengrass distractedly said she did not sense anything untoward, although prior to the incident, the floors had seemed to heave, but she must have imagined it, for stone surely did not buckle in such a way. Daphne refused to believe that Hermione could have been responsible, but she checked the mirror to be sure. She was satisfied to find the witch with a sickly palor, wiping cold sweat from her forehead.
As the family sat down to their noontime meal, they heard the ancestral portraits screaming that they felt a horrible itching. Examination of the portraits found no trace of tampering, and Silencing Charms had to be cast on all of them to keep them quiet. A harrassed family hurriedly finished their lunch and went in search of repose. They were to find none. Mrs. Greengrass discovered that her prized plants had all wilted. Mr. Greengrass found himself locked out of his library and the source of his Ogden's; when he finally blasted the door open, he was attacked by his own books. Astoria locked herself into her room when she discovered the piano playing Verdi's Requiem in loud, haunting tones. Daphne found herself surviving several near-death experiences as she just-avoided pieces of the plastered ceiling from knocking her unconscious while making her way to the mirror. She rants to the witch that she needed look so smug. "We'll see by tomorrow who wins the battle of wills! You may have somehow managed to created disturbances around the house, Mudblood, but the fact that you're still bound to it means that the manor's magic is still stronger that yours!"
The family wanted very much to leave the house for a quiet evening meal but were afraid of what disaster would greet them upon their return. With trepidation, they sat down for dinner. They managed to get through part of the entree when several crashes once again echoed through the house. Separate investigations found two priceless oil paintings on the floor, frames broken and colours oozing down to stain the carpets below. Several of the ancestral portraits were also found on the floor, frames bent out of shape and their silenced owner even more so. Daphne and Astoria found themselves the subjects of interrogation, but as one party was innocent and the other was adamantly claiming innocence, their helpless and bewildered parents could do nothing but order the house-elves to see to reparations. Sleeping Draughts were prepared for the dismayed elder Greengrasses: if they could not prevent the mishaps, at least they would get a decent night's sleep.
The dawn of the third day. The typical dreary fog.
The family were rudely startled awake by Daphne's screaming. They found her clutching handfuls of her beautiful blond hair, which had been hacked off in haphazard fashion and the remaining strands on her head dyed lime green. Astoria lent her distraught sister one the wigs she had worn for a costume party; when their parents were out of earshot, she demanded the truth from Daphne but had no success. Astoria angrily told her sister that if she was reluctant to accept help in solving a problem for which she was most certainly the cause, then so be it. She would escort their parents for an outing and return by dinnertime. Hopefully, Daphne would have settled the matter by then.
Daphne confined herself to her room and found, to her relief, that she was not disturbed. Unbeknownst to her, Hermione had noticed Crookshanks by the gates and had let her pet into the house. The half-Kneazle proceeded to scratch up the furniture and completely ruin the upholstery. He then shredded the curtains and tapestries. Having vented his frustration for three days of neglect, he found his pet grinning down at him from the mirror, the curtains having extended downward to scratch his ears. He condescended to have his tummy rubbed and acquiesced to his pet's request for some parchment and ink. While Hermione wrote a short note to Draco, Crookshanks decided to hunt for house-elves. The squealing finally flushed Daphne out of hiding. She had only reached the bottom of the stairs when she was knocked down by a blur of orange fur, which proceeded to shred the bodice of her dress to bits. She was helpless to defend herself as she could not stop sneezing. As she felt her face swell, she managed to push the offending creature off of her and race upstairs for her potion.
Daphne's family were furious upon discovering the wreckage wrought in their absence. They managed to repair the damage, only to discover an overwhelming stench of urine emanating from every textured surface. They would need to completely refurnish the house. Astoria claimed that this was Daphne's fault, and the three barged into Daphne's room to demand the truth. The puffy-eyed, purple pustule-faced Daphne grudgingly admitted what she had done. A horrified Mr. Greengrass immediately released Hermione, apologizing profusely. He proceeded to write a letter that would give Hermione permission to draw a huge sum from his Gringott's vault, for her charity. He then asked what Daphne could do for Hermione in atonement. Daphne screamed,
"Haven't I been punished enough? She tampered with my allergy potion, I know it! Just look at what she's done to my beautiful skin!"
With a glint in her eye, Hermione politely mentioned that she noticed on her rounds that St. Mungo's was always in need of volunteers to help care for its permanent residents. Perhaps four weeks under the strict supervision of one of the Healers would teach Daphne to be less selfish?
Hermione returned to her apartment and into the arms of a relieved Draco. In between kisses, she explained that she could have left the manor at any time, but she wanted to force Daphne to release her and apologize. She also whispered in his ear about the baby.