rolling in the deep

i.

The day Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass fall asleep early, Astoria Greengrass courts war and the rest of the world scrambles to get out of her warpath without even knowing why.

"My sister is a spy for Dumbledore's army," Daphne confesses when they're lying on Tracey's four-poster bed that night, curtains drawn and wards so strong they sizzle with warnings of sheer magic.

Tracey sighs, rolling around to be face-to-face with Daphne. "I've known since the beginning. "I've been waiting all day for you to tell me. What took you so long, Daph? You know I wouldn't judge you."

Daphne scoffs. "I'm not worried about your judgment, for Merlin's sake, Tracey. What I am worried if your idealism. You're not too different from Astoria, and I don't want you following in her footsteps too. My sister may be unstoppable, but I couldn't afford to lose you too."

With one look at Daphne's face, Tracey understands. "You're worried for her, aren't you?"

"Obviously! She doesn't know what she's doing. What's she going to do when the Dark Lord wins and makes a spectacle of her death? This makes her a blood traitor, siding with those impure of blood and unworthy of magic."

Tracey studies her best friend's face, frowning. "You're lying. You don't believe in blood, just power. So why care now?"

"My family needs an heir." Daphne carefully scowls at her manicure. "One of us needs to stay alive and clearly my sister doesn't get that. I promised my parents I'd keep her out of trouble and I may be failing, but I refuse to add myself to a body count."

Tracey sighs, and grabs Daphne's shoulder, pulling her close. "You don't have to pretend to be careless around me. We're going to keep her safe, you and I. The world doesn't get to break us."

Leaning on her shoulder, Daphne nods once. Tracey whispers a spell and the lights go out. Outside her bed, there is a war going on and they are alone in a house full of enemies, but tonight, there is only her and the Slytherin's ice-cold queen breaking down into tears.

...

ii.

The next night, Tracey and Daphne pull on their black robes and follow Astoria down to the dungeons where people who speak out against the Carrows are being held. Tracey winces at the way Daphne walks, head held hig, like she is ready to destroy the world for it's insolence.

"There she is," Daphne whispers when they see Astoria sneaking in and releasing a young Hufflepuff girl. Astoria's form is camouflaged by a concealing spell, making everyone around her forget her face, but Tracey listens as Daphne casts more spells on her younger sister.

Astoria frees the entire room, and slips a piece of paper into the hands of a Gryffindor fifth-year. "Give this to Neville or Ginny," she orders and the boy nods, throwing his arms around her.

"Thank you," he says in a rush, wringing his arms. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Whoever you are, you are an angel. But you need to go, the Carrows will find you."

Astoria nods and slips out the door as the kids she freed begin to rush back to where all of Dumbledore's Army has been hiding. Daphne watches them go.

"She wouldn't stop this even if I got down on my knees," Daphne says mildly, but Tracey can see the way it rackles her. Daphne would do anything for her sister, even raze the world in a display of the kind a love only a Slytherin could have: all-consuming, selfless, attoning for all sins committed.

"Maybe not," Tracey tells her best friend, grabbing her hand. "But you would never get down on your knees. There's a bit of a revolutionary in you too, Greengrass. It's why you're here, isn't it?"

Daphne turns to her, looking at her upside down with her bottomless, unreadable, blue eyes. "Maybe. But you have no excuses. Why risk your life for this, Tracey?"

Tracey resists the urge to roll her eyes. Daphne is ruthless to a fault, the kind of girl who topples empires in a day, but she fails to understand when it comes to love, a foreign concept from her absent parents. "I'm here because you needed me, of course."

At that, Daphne stiffens. "Let's go back to the dorm. I'm tired and I want to go to bed."

Perplexed, Tracey follows her from the dungeons to the Slytherin dorms into her bed. That night, Daphne tosses and turns in her dreams. When Tracey wakes up, she is gone and Daphne's bed is empty. When she sees her at breakfast, Tracey doesn't asks and Daphne doesn't explain.

…

iii.

Dumbledore's Army throws Hogwarts into chaos the next few weeks. Neville and Ginny Weasley are spotted by at least a hundred people, but not a single soul can report their location when interrogated by the Carrows.

Peeves follows their cause, throwing dungbombs and cackling madly. Tracey takes to following him around, fascinated by the way a malevolent spirit of energy hates authority. Daphne doesn't get the appeal but Tracey is reminded of the days of Umbridge. It seems like it was so long ago.

Unlike Umbridge, however, the Carrows begin to start hanging children in the great hall.

"Astoria won't let this happen," Daphne says in horror, throwing her hands in the air. "My foolish sister is going to try and free them, isn't she?"

Tracey looks up from her empty plate as Padma Patil, Lavender Brown, and Seamus Finnigan hang from the ceiling, blood dripping down from their wounds. Amycus had called it a warning, for future troublemakers, but Tracey can feel it in her bones: this is a rally call.

At the Gryffindor table, Ginny looks murderous and Neville blinks back tears. At the Slytherin table, however, most look amused. Astoria Greengrass is the exception, seething quietly.

Tracey makes up her mind then and there. "No, she isn't. We are."

Daphne looks at her like she's mad, but she listens anyways. That night, Amycus and Alecto are distracted by the story of Daphne Greengrass about a break-in in her dorm, while the Great Hall catches on fire and the captured rebels magically disappear. Nobody dares suspect the Greengrass heir, for the diversion but Astoria watches her sister with shadowed eyes, tracing her movements across the room.

…

iv.

"My parents have sent me a letter," Daphne tells her as they sit on the ledge of the Astronomy tower. "They have arranged a betrothal for me, to Abraxas Flint. We shall wed in the fall following my graduation."

Tracey almost falls off the tower. "He's ancient! Isn't he like ten years older than you? Why would your parents arrange that when there are so many better options… after all, that usually happens they need to get a child out of the public's eye. You've done nothing wrong!"

Daphne does not meet her gaze. "I will do what is necessary to allow my sister to avoid a loveless marriage."

It hits Tracey at once: Astoria is the one their parents want to hide away, and Daphne has given her a way out of a miserable marriage by choosing to bear a loveless burden. It is so profoundly Daphne that Tracey cannot breath. She feels like breaking down, and it is odd, how every part of her brain wants to plead with Daphne to take it back and she doesn't even know why.

Still, Daphne does not need her protests now, just her support. Tracey pushes away her thoughts, and leans over until she's so close to Daphne that she can feel her best friend's uneven breathing.

"You're going to be just fine," Tracey tells her, forcing a smile.

Daphne does not respond, but she grips Tracey's hand with a vice like grip.

…

v.

The night the battle breaks out, Daphne and Tracey watch as Pansy Parkinson tries to sell Harry Potter out to the Dark Lord for thousands of lives and watch as the school turns on her for a perfectly reasonable desire.

"Lunatic, them all." Daphne glares at the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw tables in turn, huffing out her furious disapproval. Not a single person dares meet her murderous glance, for good reason.

McGonagall clears out the Slytherin table following Pansy's request. Tracey feels a wand poke her in the back to try and get her to leave. Before she does, however, Daphne pulls herself up to her full height and turns around to grab the perpetrators wand in a vice grip.

"How dare you touch us like this! I am not leaving and you have no command over me. If you do not remove yourself from mine and Ms. Davis's presence, I promise you that I will destroy you."

Following her threat, the perpetrator runs off, arms in front of his face as if to protect himself from bodily harm.

"What are you doing?" Tracey hisses, grabbing Daphne's arm. "We need to grab Astoria and leave, not draw attention to ourselves right now. The last thing we need is people noticing our disappearance. "

Daphne crosses her arms, a hint of a smirk dancing on her lips. "Actually, about that: change of plans, darling. Tonight, we fight."

"What?!" A voice behind them exclaims and Tracey turns around to see Astoria standing beside them, hair up in a bun and wand in a holster at her waist. "You're going to fight tonight? Since when?"

"Since this term, when my foolish sister decided she wanted to become a martyr and a name on a tombstone instead of a sister, a future wife, and a living, breathing witch. I refuse to let you take on this suicide mission alone."

Astoria looks touched, and for a minute, it seems the war cannot catch up to the three of them, but then Daphne speaks again.

"Let's go."

Stretching her arms, Tracey nods grimly. Hogwarts has been her home for seven years, Astoria has been like a sister to her for seven years, and Daphne has been nothing short of her soulmate for just as long. Tonight, she fights for them all.

Lifting up her wand, Tracey joins the war.

…

vi.

After the dead have been collected and the injured healed, Tracey sits against the wall of Hogwarts with Daphne in her lap. Beside them, Astoria stares into space, tears dripping from her cheeks in comenstiration of those fallen.

"Thank you for being with me tonight," Daphne says formally, kissing her cheek. "I would not have been able to survive this year without you by my side."

Tracey frowns at the words. They are filled with something deeper, darker, and Tracey cannot shake the feeling that they sound like a goodbye instead of a true thank you statement.

"No!" Astoria bursts out and Daphne and Tracey both startle, turning to look at her. "No, Daphne. I know what you're doing. I know what both of you have been doing this year: don't think I don't know about you two following me around and protecting me, or about the betrothal. How long did you think you could hide that from me? You two saved my life and I can't let you throw away yours."

At that, Daphne pales. "Astoria, no. Don't do this."

Astoria shakes her head. "I refuse to let you have regrets, sis. It's my turn to intervene." She turns to Tracey then, offering a small, sad smile. "My sister has been in love with you for years, and now, you can be together. There's no more war and my parents… I doubt they can avoid Azkaban a second time around. The betrothal will be dissolved hopefully, but if not, it will be my burden to bear."

With that, Astoria turns on her heel and walks away, leaving as if she has not set off a catalyst.

"When were you going to tell me, Daph?" Tracey says quietly, facing her. "Were you just going to hide it from me?

"I thought it was obvious." Daphne ducks her head uncharacteristically. "I have slept in your bed and shared your clothing and seen you fully and I thought if you knew, you would never forgive me."

Tracey blows out her breath. "For such a sharp-minded person, you do miss the warmer details."

Daphne frowns, ready to protest in confusion, but Tracey cuts her off with a kiss. Daphne tastes like celebratory butterbeer and her lips are warm and Tracey feels tingles everywhere. It feels like a reunion, like seven years in the making.

"Oh," Daphne says when they finally pull away. "Oh."

"Always," Tracey whispers and leans in again. "Oh, yeah."

…

Written for:

Character Appreciation: 14. [Event] Saving someone's life

Disney Challenge: C3 - Bagheera - Write about a stern character.

Trope Of The Month: 4. Dialogue: "I've been waiting all day. What took you so long?"

Dark Lady's Diabolic Lair: Pureblood Traditions

Book Club: The Faun: (plot point) following someone, (emotion) worried, (word) intervene,

Showtime: Down Once More / Track Down the Murderer - (setting) Dungeon

Amber's Attic: 8. "I bet if we dusted her heart for fingerprints, we'd only find yours." (5 point bonus)

Count Your Buttons: S4, C5, W3

Lyric Alley: First you get close, then you get worried

Ami's Audio Admirations: 3. Campus Security — Alt. (trait) brave

Sophie's Shelf: Tracey/Daphne

Em's Emporium: Flitwick: write about someone who defies stereotypes

Angel's Arcade: Vector the Crocodile: (color) green, (house) Slytherin, (trait) confident

Lo's Lowdown: C8. Azula - write about siblings who fight.

Bex's Basement: The Witches - Write about a dark witch.

Film Festival: Trope: Bossy Sibling, Plot: Siblings fighting

Sewing 101: Great Hall, Kissing, No one over 18

Pinata: Femslash

Feline Fair: Alt: Write about siblings

Supernatural Day: -Valkyrie- Write about a powerful woman.