A/n: I want to say thanks to everyone who has faved and followed. I'm really impressed that so many people think this story has potential that fast. I was like 'Wow!' at the response to this. :)

Special thanks, to everyone who took the time to review. It was awesome to hear from you guys, so this update is for you! Think of it as a gift, because I'm going to try to update once a week, most likely on Tuesday or Wednesdays.

Prompt: Conceding (#165)

Chapter 2

At dinner that evening, Hermione pointed the trio of Slytherins to Harry discreetly.

Tracey Davis was a petite, very pretty witch. That was the first thing he noticed about the girl whose hair was dark, but had a red gleam to it. Her skin was pale, blemish-free, and looked like it'd be soft as rose petals.

She sat beside Daphne Greengrass, who was a good head taller than Tracey. The two girls seemed amused by something as Tracey leaned against the taller girl, a hand covering her mouth, her eyes crinkled shut in laughter while Daphne stared down at her friend with the corners of her lips turned up which Harry thought was amazing.

And here he'd always thought of Daphne Greengrass' face like a mask of porcelain crafted into a lifeless expression.

However, no matter how much Harry stared, he couldn't think of any positive reasons for three Slytherins joining their Defense group. It was simply too suspicious.

"I'll ask around, see if I can find who invited them, and see what else I can learn about them," Hermione promised, looking every bit as worried as Harry.

On Monday morning, Harry and Ron thought their fears were proven right.

"Those sneaky, bloody snakes! They must've told," Ron groused. However, both boys jumped in surprise when Hermione piped up from behind them.

"They couldn't have," Hermione said with a frown, now staring at the notice disbanding all clubs and student organizations.

"Don't be so naive!" Ron snapped, causing Hermione to roll her eyes and explain about the jinx she'd placed on the parchment everyone signed as they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

It became clear very quickly, that the notices had gone up in the other House common rooms as well. The entire hall was buzzing, and Harry, Ron and Hermione were soon accosted by people asking whether or not the group was still on.

For his part, Harry was distracted, looking at the Slytherin table where he quickly spotted the three Slytherins. However, none of them seemed to have their visages marked. Though, he couldn't really see Daphne Greengrass as she was sitting with her back to him. Opposite of her sat Blaise Zabini and Tracey Davis, who was braiding her hair into a plait as she listened with a slight smile to whatever her friends were saying.

"Doesn't look like they're jinxed," Harry observed aloud as Hermione managed to gesture to the Hufflepuff's not to approach them then and there in view of all the teachers. "They don't seem to even be disturbed in the least about the notice. Do you think they don't know?"

"They probably do, but they're Slytherins, they're sneaky like that," Ron replied with a glare at the Slytherins, earning himself an exasperated look from Hermione.

"Honestly Ronald, even if they are just acting normal, that's not something to scorn at. Not presently, when we might be watched by Umbridge. I wish those other idiots would show a bit more discretion, I mean... it's supposed to be secret, for Merlin's sake," Hermione huffed causing Ron to sulk and Harry to look at her with his brows raised. "Even if we don't know what they're up to, we should try to keep an open-mind."

Ron huffed at this in disagreement, but didn't say anything more. For his part, Harry was torn between Hermione's logic, and his own beliefs about Slytherins based on the last four years of school and dealing with Draco Malfoy and his lot.

xXx

"Have you ever seen Longbottom like that?" Blaise asked in low tones, brows raised, but his face otherwise neutral on Monday as they took their seats in their, double-potions class.

"I wonder what got into him... although, that was an awful thing of Draco to make fun of, the state of those people in St. Mungo's spell damage ward is not something to laugh about," Daphne replied, her features contorting into a frown of serious disapproval, her tone taking a sad note as she spoke of those people whose minds were severely affected by spells.

Tracey didn't reply, unsure whether she should share the sensitive information she was privy to about Longbottom. If it were her, she was sure she wouldn't want anyone to know. Especially not with people like Malfoy around.

"Is it really surprising though?" Tracey asked drily in quiet tones from where she sat between her to friends, near the back of the Slytherin side of the class. "Draco always makes jokes in poor taste... or that are just stupid."

The three Slytherins shut up as Millicent took the last seat at their table and Snape slammed the dungeons door shut. They listened silently as he gave them their instructions, after briefly pointing out that Umbridge was monitoring their class.

"Oh no, it's the toad," Daphne breathed.

"Or Umbitch," Millicent piped from where she sat, her lips barely moving as her lips quirked into a smirk.

Tracey looked around Daphne and to where Millicent was seated at the far right.

"That's clever Millie, I love it!" Tracey stated, offering a smile towards the large, unattractive girl, who had a sweeter side than anyone would believe. Millicent looked over at Tracey with a proud smile, before they all set to work on their potion.

As class went on, Tracey, Blaise and Daphne discreetly took turns listening in on the questions Umbitch asked of Snape. Each exchanging amused smirks at Professor Snape's short, clipped answers.

"That's our beloved Head!" Tracey whispered to her two best friends, earning amused looks.

xXx

"So is this Defense group really going to happen, even with Umbridge's notice?" Daphne asked later in the day as the three Slytherins sat in their private nook in the library. Ironically enough, it was on the second level, located by the old and abandoned, Muggle Literature section which they took up at some point in first year when they realized that no one EVER came back here.

"Anthony and Terry both say that the club isn't canceled," Tracey replied, leaning back on the two back legs of her chair, ignoring her Defense book before her.

"Where did you see your precious Ravens?" Blaise asked, his brow furrowing, though he did not look up from the book he was perusing. Tracey and Daphne, both looked at the boy with enviable, milk-chocolate skin. Out of the three, Blaise had the prettiest skin. It was smooth, and completely blemish free. No spots, no marks, no blemishes.

For her part, Daphne had to use rigorous potions to keep her acne from popping up. And used concealment charms for the singular pimple that now and then, somehow managed to survive the strong potions. It was a secret that no one but Tracey and Blaise knew, that Slytherin's Beauty Queen actually had oily skin.

"Seriously Blaise, you're such a spoiled brat," Tracey stated teasingly, though she smiled fondly at the boy who was slouched somehow regally in his chair, his legs propped up and crossed on the table.

Blaise briefly looked up, an offended expression on his face as he stopped paging through the book in his hands.

"How am I a brat?"

"The question should really be, how aren't you," Tracey snorted. "You're so jealous that I have friends in Ravenclaw. You don't have to worry poppet, that doesn't mean I can't make time for you."

"I do not get jealous!" Blaise snapped, losing his cool, his usually disdainful but detached expression contorting with vexation and embarrassment.

"No, she's right," Daphne stated matter-of-factly. "Tracey is like your favorite toy, and you're not the type for sharing. You can't stand it when anyone else plays with her. You barely wanted to share with me when we were first years, and I talked to her first!"

"Okay, that sounded grossly sexual," Tracey said with her nose wrinkled. "But I concede, it's an accurate metaphor."

"Like I'd ever see you sexually," Blaise sneered. "Not that you're not a total looker, Trace, but you're like a little sister to me. You too, Daffs, although you're more like my lesbian cousin."

"I am not a lesbian!" Daphne hissed, affronted, leaning into the table, her blonde hair dragging across the table-top and her hazel eyes sharp like daggers.

"Really? Then why have you never dated or even mention liking a boy?" Blaise asked, arching a brow at Daphne, clearly finding amusement that the tables had turned.

"Maybe because I'm private!" Daphne snapped, though mindful to keep her tone quiet as a) they were in the library and b) anyone could be lurking nearby, even if they cast a light silencing spell around them.

"You can't use that excuse, Daph, ALL Slytherins are private... or discreet... duplicitous-"

"We get your point, Blaise," Tracey stated dryly with a roll of her light green eyes.

"Well I have standards!" Daphne stated icily, crossing her arms over her abundant chest.

"Which are? Wealth, status and looks don't seem to factor... since you turned down Draco. Though, I suppose that's just good taste as he is a complete prat."

"All right children... that's enough," Tracey stated, thinking it was time to intervene before her friends started to row in earnest and knowing how sensitive and private Daphne was about her romantic life. Or anything that related to it, or rather the lack of it. "What are you reading, anyway, Blaise?"

Blaise looked briefly at the small, leather-bound book.

"Macbeth. Muggles have a funny view of magic... but the language is elegant. You have to hand it to the muggles, their literature is far more artful than ours," Blaise stated, though his tones were quiet and in spite of the praise clear in the words themselves, he said it with an air of condescension.

Tracey rolled her eyes at her snobbish friend.

"Blaise, you should be glad your so good-looking and not as stupid as most boys, otherwise you have no hopes of ever finding real love," Tracey stated dryly, earning herself a parchment ball to the face.

"Unlike both of you old maids, I'm not lacking in attention from the opposite sex, and have actually been on more than one date," Blaise retorted.

"But there is never a second date, with the same girl," Daphne pointed out with a look.

"And that's by my choice," Blaise replied darkly, now turning his full attention to his book.

Daphne opened her mouth to say something before being stepped on by Tracey. Daphne bit into her plump, bottom lip to keep from making a noise of pain, and turned to look at Tracey questioningly. However, one look from the red-haired girl told her that she was to stop badgering Blaise now on his dating habits.

Like Daphne, Blaise was also touchy where his romantic life was involved. And Tracey couldn't really blame the boy. It wasn't really his fault that he was so spoiled and pampered by his mother, the very same woman who was the reason for his deep-seeded distrust and contempt of most females. So much so, that Tracey doubted Blaise would ever be capable of a serious, long-term relationship of the romantic persuasion with a woman.

Thankfully, Daphne had consideration for people's feelings, unlike Blaise, so she chose to shut up.

"We should head to dinner," Tracey said with a sigh as she noted how late it was.

The other two nodded their heads and proceeded to pack up their things.

"Did you even get any work done?" Blaise asked as he slung his bag over his shoulder, looking at the short girl questioningly. Tracey shook her head in response, to which Blaise shook his head. "You're hopeless."

"I'm brilliant," Tracey bantered easily, threading one of her arms through Daphne's.

"You're arrogant," Daphne teased, poking Tracey in the rib, making the girl jolt momentarily and flash a glare.

"You're jealous," Tracey sing-songed.

"You're delusional," Daphne replied succinctly.

"You're both bloody annoying," Blaise gritted out, looking up as if asking the heavens why he'd been cursed with the two twits beside him.

Tracey and Daphne giggled.

"Okay troops, game faces on," Tracey whispered, before smoothing her face into a bored expression as they started to descend the stairs to the lower level. She didn't have to look at either of her friends to know that they'd both smoothed their masks into unfathomable expressions, Blaise's more brooding than either of the girls he walked besides.

Life was complicated, confusing... but they were Slytherins. They found ways to not only survive, but thrive. And so Tracey tried not to worry too much about her friends respective emotional states, and whether or not they'd ever be able to allow themselves to trust anyone else enough to get out of their shells.

But the protective streak in her, couldn't help it. And the devious and scheming part of her, couldn't help running through candidates that might be able to get her friends out of their shells, and not hurt them.

TBC...

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