My family has always been rather withdrawn from pureblood society, but we were still as prominent as other pureblood families. However, due to our reclusive nature, I did not know of the Malfoy family until my first year at Hogwarts.
Draco Malfoy quickly established himself a high place in Slytherin house. I gathered what I could from rumors of his family and learned that he was not someone to cross. Draco quickly assembled a small, yet dominating, group of friends within our house. I was among them.
I was not friends with Draco, personally, just part of his image. He needed to be feared, and in order to do so, he needed the most powerful families. Not only was I a Greengrass, but Pansy Parkinson is a distant cousin of mine, and it was well-known that he favored her.
And so, indirectly, I became popular easily and gained respect among my peers. It didn't bother me that I didn't really know Draco; in fact, I thought him to be a bit of a brat up until this year.
There were rumors circulating through Slytherin about Draco's mission for the Dark Lord. Most scoffed at such an idea, believing it impossible, as Draco was loathe to tell anyone—even those within our tightly-knit group—of what it entailed.
If I had been paying more attention, perhaps I would've noticed that there was a bit less respect directed towards Draco and those associated with him. His position in our house, which had become stronger with each year, was slowly deteriorating and we were all ignoring it.
In Slytherin, in order to gain power, you must take down—not the ruler—but those close to him. So Draco's slow descent endangered others as well, myself included. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this until it was almost too late.
I was studying in the library later than I intended, trying to finish a rather difficult essay for Transfiguration. Time escaped me, and when I finally did get a glance at the clock, I rushed out of the library, hoping not to be caught out after curfew.
I had reached the lower levels of Hogwarts, a place hardly explored by most students, namely prefects. The place is rather foreboding, especially at night. However, the Slytherin common room is located down there, so I hurried down the dark corridors, hardly bothered by the ominous setting.
I was rounding the corner of the hall on which the common room was located when someone grabbed me from behind, pushing me into a corridor hidden behind a tapestry. My things fell into a jumbled heap, and I managed to give a muffled scream before the person that had grabbed me cast a Silencing Charm.
He—I assumed—had pushed me against the wall and was leering over me. I was in such a position that there was no way I could reach my wand. His hands were pinning my arms down, and I have never been a particularly strong person.
I kicked as violently as I could against him, but it seemed to have no effect.
"It's dangerous for a pretty thing like you to be out this late," he said silkily. I felt myself freeze, recognizing the voice. It was Jamison, a Slytherin seventh-year that had been pursuing me for months. I had resisted, not only with the knowledge that he is a half-blood, but because he has a reputation for being a womanizer.
He gave a cruel little laugh at my sudden stiffness before running his wand down my cheek in a sickening gesture. "We'll have lots of fun tonight, Miss Greengrass."
This seemed to jolt me back to my senses. It seems rather stupid now, but the wand was rather close to my mouth and my arms were useless at the moment. I grabbed it with my teeth, biting down hard, trying to break it.
Jamison must have been shocked by my stupidity because it took him a moment to retaliate. He had pulled me away from the wall, and slammed me down again, trying to break my hold on the wand. I stubbornly kept my teeth in the wand, even though sparks were starting to fly.
"Little bitch, let go!" he yelled, slamming me down once again.
This one knocked the wind out of me, and I had no choice but to relinquish the wand. Miraculously, at that same moment, someone pulled back the tapestry and discovered us. It was Draco Malfoy.
All it took was a second. Draco had Jamison against the wall, his wand thrust into Jamison's neck, and I fell to the floor awkwardly, along with Jamison's wand. I scrambled back, not wanting to be caught in whatever Draco was about to do.
"How cowardly Jamison," said Draco icily. "I would have expected better from you." If possible, he stuck his wand even further in Jamison's throat.
"If you want to challenge me, then fight me, not my friends. If I ever, ever, hear or see you attacking Daphne or any of my friends again, I will kill you. Do you understand?"
Jamison looked for a moment as if he wanted to protest, but realized that he was not in the best of positions to be arguing. He nodded dumbly before Draco threw him on the ground.
Jamison quickly scrambled for his wand. He picked it up clumsily, threw a sneer in my direction as if promising that this wasn't over, before running down the hall.
During this entire exchange, I sat on the stone floor, completely incapable of moving. Draco, who had been glaring after Jamison's retreating form, turned his attention to me with a sigh, his domineering presence vanishing to be replaced with a tired-looking teen.
He extended his hand to me and I accepted it shakily.
"I seemed to arrive in time," he said brusquely. "Did he hurt you?"
I shook my head. I opened my mouth to respond, but no sound came out. He looked at me oddly before realizing that I must have a Silencing Charm on me. He muttered the countercurse and I said, "Thanks. I'm fine, just a little shaken," I added, as he gave me a dubious look.
As I gathered my things—which were ruined by the way—I asked, "How did you find me?" It was a little weird that Draco happened to be around here at this time of night.
Draco shrugged. "I was just passing by." I thought it was questionable at the time, but decided not to say anything.
There was another awkward silence before he spoke again. "I'm really sorry about all this Daphne."
I was never aware until that moment that Draco knew my name, as we had never spoken. Not until that night did I realize that Draco counted me among his friends.
There was something so dejected in the way he apologized, that I tried to appear nonchalant about it.
"It's fine…Draco."
Those were the only words we ever exchanged to each other. It was soon after this that Draco fled from the school, probably never to return.
I wish I had known what Draco was getting into, but what would I have done? Nothing, I wouldn't have been able to. But I would've liked to repay him for what he did that night; he was my friend after all.
Next time: What was Blaise Zabini's relationship with the blond Slytherin?