A/N: A bit of a longer chapter here, some more character development occurs
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does
"Text" – Thoughts
"Text" – Spellcast
Chapter 3 – The Bonds that Bind
Date: Monday, August 22nd 1994
Location: Greengrass Manor
"Quick! Daph! Tracey! We're going to be late!"
Daphne and Tracey collectively groaned as the far too energetic Astoria rudely awoke them before bounding out of the room. Tracey grabbed her wand off the floor and was about to cast a charm before remembering that they weren't at Hogwarts and thus not allowed to use magic. However, the short interval of clarity made the brunette realize exactly why Astoria was so excited and let out a cheer of her own, causing Daphne to moan once more.
"Daphne! It's the day of the Quidditch World Cup Final! Wake up, wake up wake up!"
"It is way too early in the morning Tracey!" Daphne cried as she agonized over her sleep's disruption. Daphne slowly got off the bed to get dressed, all to spite the impatient Tracey who was already impatiently waiting at the door. As petty as it was, Daphne was happy to at least win this small victory this morning
By the time Daphne got down to the dining room, Tracey and Astoria were already done with their meal and had left to pack their belongings. On the far side of the table Lord and Lady Greengrass. The other two seats were left vacant, signifying that the Davis' had already left for Dartmoor.
"Morning father, mother" Daphne sleepily called, yawning as she spoke. Her father gave her an affronted glance while her mother smiled at her. Genevieve 'Eve' Greengrass née Lancaster was a tall willowy woman. Her long, golden blonde hair hung till her waist, framing her heart shaped face. Like her elder daughter, Lady Greengrass had a regal look to her, sporting warm chocolate brown eyes and an aquiline nose.
Daphne quietly sat down at the table and began to eat. Her father looked at her critically at one point but focused primarily on his own meal. When the Daphne finished, she stood and began to excuse herself to pack. As she began to leave, her father called.
"Wait"
Daphne swivelled around and looked at her father. Lord Greengrass looked up at his daughter as he spoke. "Make sure you keep an eye out for your sister. Your mother and I hope to join you three but as you know, some meetings can run for a long time." He paused before he continued. "Also remember your task."
Daphne kept her façade up as she nodded at her father's words "Understood, father" Daphne said firmly as she left the room.
Genevieve looked towards her husband as her daughter left. Sensing her displeasure, Cyril spoke. "What?" When his wife didn't speak, Cyril pressed on. "Honey, we have been over this". Eve simply huffed and glared at him. The Greengrass Patriarch winced as he recalled what had happened on the night that he had given Daphne her task.
It hadn't taken long for his wife to find out about what he done, though the crafty woman had decided to wait until a more opportune time before lashing out against him. In this case, Cyril had been having a very pleasant day and was getting ready for bedtime activities when he found his irate wife holding him at wandpoint. That commenced a very fierce and emotional conversation about his supposed 'objectification' of their daughter, an accusation that Cyril had fervently denied. However, Eve was adamant in teaching him a lesson and had thus left to 'visit' her friend Kirsten for two whole weeks.
When Eve came back, Cyril had attempted to reason with his wife, only to receive a very cold glare. Apparently, just because other pure-blood lords wouldn't hesitate to do far worse did not mean that Cyril had the right to do what he had, or at least that was what Eve had said when she had final broken her silence a few weeks ago.
Cyril sighed as his wife continued to give him a cold shoulder. He looked towards the door that his daughter had just left from and grimaced. All he had done was for the continued survival and prestige of the Noble and Ancient House of Greengrass. "Nos Metere quod non Seruerimus" he thought to himself.
Daphne had finally finished packing as the first few rays of the rising sun peeked through her window. She casually walked downstairs, smirking as her best friend and sister glared at her from their lawn outside. Daphne calmly sauntered out and was greeted by her sister.
"What took you so long!" exclaimed an annoyed Astoria, who had been bouncing up and down in excitement since she had gotten down. While no less enthused, Tracey was able to keep her composure, only letting her eyes gleam in excitement.
Smirking, Daphne called her house elf Tizzy, who teleported her bags to her mistress before popping away again.
"Calm down Tori," Tracey said as she picked up the old can that was their portkey "The portkey won't activate until it's time anyways. Daphne still has five minutes"
"Remind me again, why are we going to watch the stupid event?" Daphne asked in a disinterested tone, her words causing the room's other two inhabitants to glare at her.
Astoria immediately cried "It's not stu–" before Tracey clamped a hand over the writhing girl.
Teasingly Tracey retorted "Well, Tori is going because she loves Quidditch" causing the aforementioned girl to pump her fist and gave a muffled shout of "Go Ireland!". Smirking, Tracey continued "I'm going to check out all the hotties there." she winked before her tone turned sing-song "And you're going so that you can see your boy-friend" Tracey finished teasingly, causing Daphne shoot Tracey a dirty look.
Soon, the time reached 6:30 and the Portkey began to glow. All three girls made sure as to be in physical contact with the can as it vibrated violently. "I really hate this part," thought Daphne, as she braced herself for what came next. With a loud pop, Daphne felt a hook on her navel dragging her towards the singularity that the portkey had made, which subsequently hurtled her and her companions through space. Gone from sight was the carefully trimmed lawn of Greengrass Manor as their vision was replaced with a swirling vortex of pale blue streaks.
With another great roar, the vortex reopened, sending the girls and their belongings strewn about an unfamiliar hill in Dartmoor. Daphne had found herself in a heap, a few feet away from Astoria who had landed on her back. For some reason, Tracey had been able to land with both feet on the ground and was thus smirking at the Greengrass sisters as though she had won some kind of prize. With an unladylike groan, Daphne sat up and looked around. A few meters away, a man shouted as he wrote down "Six-Thirty Greengrass Manor!"
It didn't take long for the trio to find Tracey's mother, whom had arrived earlier to the campsite alongside her husband. Kirsten Griselda Davis née Marchbanks was setting up the table inside her tent when the children arrived. The 35-year old mother was tall, with raven colored locks that was usually hung deftly on her shoulders. Her eyes were a piercing blue, her lips often pursed together into a frown. All in all, her overall composure resembled that of her namesake aunt's.
Ms Davis looked up as her and her best friend's children entered the tent with a coordinated "Hello" before Astoria ran up and glomped her 'Aunt Kirsty'. Sighing lightly, the woman waved her wand at the unpitched tent that sat inside her own. "Have fun you three, figure out how to pitch the tent yourself. Without magic" she said, her lips turning upwards at the collective groans of the three. "Tracey's dad is working now so you're on your own for this" Their shoulders drooping, the Slytherin girls walked out to the patch of land next to the grown ups' tent.
"Maybe we could get a couple of boys to pitch a tent for us?" commented Tracey, laughing as Daphne turned red as she attempted to swat at her friend while Astoria remained confused.
"Tracey!" Daphne squeaked, scandalized by her friend's lewdness.
"Hey! I was serious about that, why don't we get some boys to help us out. Or do you want to do it yourself, your Majesty?" retorted Tracey, who had to once again dodge a half-hearted swipe from Daphne.
"You're lucky we aren't at a place we can use magic or I'd have hexed you by now" Daphne huffed "You have a point though, let's go look around to see if we know anyone. Maybe we could get someone to help us with getting supplies as well" she added
Astoria nodded in agreement as Tracey smiled glibly as she said "Ah, you know you love me too much to do that", a point which Daphne pointedly ignored as the trio began to look for some people they knew to help them with their tent.
However, Astoria's apparent curiosity overwhelmed her as she innocently asked "Tracey? What did you mean by getting some boys to pitch a tent for us?"
Tracey's grin grew tenfold as she opened her mouth to explain exactly what she meant. Daphne knew what was about to happen and decided to clamp her hand in front of Tracey's jaw, shouting "TRACEY!"
On the other side of the campsite, Harry, Hermione and Clan Weasley had just finished setting up their tents. Arthur had excused himself to meet with work friends to chat before lunch while the twins had set up shop inside one of the tents. When Hermione asked what they were up to, their exact words were:
"Hermy-kins wants to join our glorious art of pranking?" exclaimed Fred, or was it George?
"Imagine the mayhem we would wreak, brother of mine!" replied the other twin, nodding his head vigorously
"But dear twin of mine, think of the horror –" twin one gasped, in mock horror
"– the terror –"
The twins looked at each other as they shouted "the SCANDAL?!" With this, a blushing Hermione simply left the two to their devices. After all, what could two boys without any magic or any magical equipment do … right?
In order to get away from the twins, Harry, Ron and Hermione, decided to tour the rest of the campsite they were in. The campsite was primarily reserved for middle to upper class British wizardfolk, so the trio were able to meet many of their year-mates, including the Irish Seamus Finnegan, who had been painting himself in his country's colors as the trio walked past. Seeing Seamus's rather imposing folks, the trio found the need to reassure him that they were indeed supporting Ireland in the finals They also met Wayne Hopkins, who gave them a small wave as well as Terry Boot, Morag MacDougal and Roger Davies, all of whom had apparently come together.
After a while, the three had made it most of the way around the campsite, looking around and greeting people that they knew or at least recognized. By the time they had made it to the other side of the field, Harry heard a loud shout.
He perked up slightly as he recognized the voice coming from Daphne Greengrass. Hermione too recognized the voice and was about suggest returning to the Weasleys when Harry spoke up.
"Hey, let's go see what's there." Ron didn't mind and followed his best friend along. A few moments later, a slightly dejected Hermione followed them as well. In a few moments, Harry's entourage had made it to 'Ground Zero', where they saw a red-faced Daphne struggling against a laughing Tracey. Unnoticed by all, the youngest witch present grinned at the arrival of the famed Golden Trio.
Ron caught his breath as he saw the sight before him, pausing as he processed the scene with surprise. A moment later, he subtly gestured to the other man in the vicinity.
"Mate?"
"Yeah?" Harry replied
"Should we, you know –"
"Nah"
"Good, I was thinking the same"
The boys gave a synchronized nod as Hermione watched on helplessly as her male friends refused to intervene. Without magic, Hermione was at a loss as to how to separate the two girls in front of her, if only just to help Tracey. Luckily for Hermione, Astoria decided to pipe up at this moment.
"Daphne! Stop wrestling with Tracey, your boyfriend is here!" she commented innocently.
The Slytherin best friends froze mid struggle as they heard Astoria's words. Their gaze turned to the newly arrived Gryffindors and took in their facial expressions. Ron and Harry's faces were highly amused by the display of "muggle duelling" that the pureblood heiress and her best friend had given. On the other hand, Hermione looked furious, her thoughts raging like maelstrom in the ocean. "BOYFRIEND?!" was the only coherent thought that she could form.
Tracey recovered quickly and calmly wiped the dirt off herself before she grinned at the boys. "Liked what you saw?" she asked teasingly, causing both of them to blush and splutter.
The girl giggled at the boys' expressions as Hermione looked on disapprovingly. Hermione shot a glance at her Slytherin rival and began to grin. The girl in question began to feel her face redden as she looked at the boys, whom started chuckling at her embarrassment causing the blonde Slytherin's blush to further deepen. Her face scarlet, Daphne shook as she dipped her hands into her pockets and held out two galleons to the boys.
"I will pay you to keep silent about this" she pleaded to the two boys. Ron looked like he was about to agree before Harry decided to be noble and held his hand out vertically.
"It's alright Greengrass, we won't tell a soul. Gryffindor's Honor" he declared. Daphne smiled, genuinely thankful for his words and decided to push back her doubts on how valid 'Gryffindor's Honor' really was.
Astoria had other plans however and gleefully asked "I'll take your offer Daph! Pay up or I'll tell everyone about it." She held up her hand towards her sister. Daphne sighed as she walked over to Astoria and crouched to her level.
"Tori"
"Yeah?"
"M.C. Hero" Daphne simply said. Astoria flushed a deep red and put her hand away.
She looked to the ground and muttered "No fair!". Daphne smirked and patted her sister on the head."
That's what you get for trying to extort money out of your elder sister, dear" she said teasingly. Discomfited, Astoria mumbled about having to meet someone and rushed off, leaving the five rising fourth-year students alone in the clearing.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Harry decided to speak. "So… what are you girls doing here?"
Tracey stood silent at the question, prompting Daphne to answer. "Tracey and I were about to look for some people to help us out with our tent and gathering supplies." A lightbulb seemed to light up in her head. "Speaking of which, would you three mind lending us a hand?" Daphne asked, looking at Ron.
Caught off guard by the question, Ron quickly deferred to Hermione. The bushy haired girl's brow narrowed. While Hermione found Tracey to be an amicable person, Hermione's relationship with Daphne could be defined as more or less outright hostility. It was truly a testament to their mutual brilliance that their relationship was not as well publicized as many other Hogwarts rivalries. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, and would have declined the request if it was not for Harry answering for her.
"Sure, we would be glad to help."
Hermione's eyes widened. Gesturing wildly, she mouthed a "NO" towards Harry. Daphne couldn't help herself and immediately picked up on the opportunity to challenge her rival.
"What's wrong Granger? Can't us Slytherins get some help from you Gryffindors? Or are you all too high and mighty to help us? What an ego you must have, seeing as it is only matched by your hair!" she mocked pettily, gaining her a glare from the incensed Hermione. Harry's eyes narrowed as Ron obliviously looked onwards at the rising tension. Hermione looked enraged before she spoke "I have no problem helping anyone! Unless they are over-pampered princesses who think themselves too good for anyone else!"
The two girls glowered at one another for what seemed like hours before Tracey decided to cut in before the situation worsened. "Girls play nice!" said the girl in an uncharacteristically serious and firm voice. The other two witches stopped in their tracks, their anger momentarily forgotten as the gave the brunette a surprised stare. "Alright, since Daphne asked Ron, why don't you give your final thought?" she added, turning to the redheaded boy.
To say Ron was surprised would be like saying Harry was just a little famous. Or that Hermione was just above average academically. For the first time in his life, someone had picked him to choose, not just because he was simply there. Usually best friends, Harry 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' Potter, or Hermione 'Princess Bookworm' Granger or one of his five older brothers would get their way on any issue, leaving the youngest Weasley boy with a long list of hand-me-downs. When it came to being chosen for a task, it was always the heroic Harry or infinitely smart Hermione who would take charge and lead. Ron didn't mind much but he always felt second-string. Now, a girl whose name he couldn't even recall was asking him to make a choice. Yes, it wasn't anything at all world-changing (or was it), but Ron was extremely happy at his situation. His eyes looked at the smiling brunette in front of him and clearly declared his position on the matter.
"Why not? It's not like we have anything better to do anyways"
Tracey's smile grew slightly wider as continued. "Alright, since we have two jobs, we should split ourselves up. Daphne, Potter, you two go find wood for our fire. Hermione, please go get us some water from the river. Ron and I will figure out how to set up the tent." Being unanimously outvoted, Hermione gave a long sigh. reluctantly acquiesced to the plan and walked off to the river to get water. Daphne victoriously smirked at the fleeting brunette as Harry led the blonde off into the woods, leaving Ron and Tracey in the clearing alone.
Harry snaked through the forest, easily stepping over the various branches and undergrowth that littered the underbrush. Behind him, Daphne had some trouble navigating the path that had been walked by the Gryffindor boy.
"Potter! Slow down. You walk too fast!" she shouted, already panting as she tried to keep up with her temporary companion. Harry abruptly paused in his footsteps, causing the blonde witch to collide into his back. "POTTER!" she yelled, her frustrations at the boy in front of him increasing.
Harry looked back at the Slytherin behind him, who simply glared at him. Harry raised a brow at her before he turned around and began walking again. The messy haired Gryffindor was rather confused by the girl behind him. After he declined her dinner invitation, she had not spoken a word to him, through a letter or otherwise. And now he had somehow split up with his best friends and ended up with her in the forest looking for wood for a fire? Harry was introverted and meek but not stupid by any sense of the word. His suspicions had flared when he saw how hostile Hermione and Daphne had acted towards one another earlier. Harry tried to reconcile the curt if high-strung Slytherin he had begun to know and the snarky, arrogant girl that had just insulted his best friend. The raven headed boy shot another glance at the Slytherin witch trailing behind him, trying to understand what had happened between the two girls.
Daphne noticed Harry shooting her badly concealed looks at her. She knew he was suspicious of her, that much was obvious to the perceptive young blonde. She sighed inwardly, "This is so not going towards plan" she mentally grumbled. Daphne had somewhat picked up on Tracey's ad hoc idea to get Daphne and Harry to spend time together to get Harry to know Daphne better. However, instead of revealing the "Daphne who would be there for a friend no matter what" as Tracey had put it, she had instead inadvertently let her rivalry with Granger overwhelm her. "He probably thinks I'm a total slime-ball by now" she thought grimly. "Alright, now that Potter hates me, how am I supposed to get through that stupid task?" she mentally added, berating herself for her self-discipline's mess up. Sighing, she decided she had no other options other than to simply press on. Swallowing her pride, she walked faster to catch up to Harry.
"Potter, wait" she called at him. Harry once again stopped abruptly, though Daphne was wise enough to stop just as quickly to prevent another collision.
"What do you want" he asked sharply. "I already agreed to help you and Davis, what more could you need from me?" His tone bit at Daphne, who groaned slightly before she spoke.
"Look, we've gotten off to a bad start today. You should have noticed that I am not exactly friendly with Granger" she said. As the words left her mouth, Daphne picked up on her condescending choice of words. Biting lip, she tried to rectify what had been said. "What I meant was, I have some bad history with Granger but I shouldn't have insulted her like that." With some quick thinking, she hastily continued "If you were wondering, I don't hate her for being a muggle-born or anything like that. I hope we can move from this situation?" she finished, her tone turning hopeful.
Harry was surprised at how Slytherin's Frost Queen had so straightforwardly apologised to him. However, his suspicious nature returned to him as he gave the girl a frown. "Hermione isn't a person who cares much about her own appearance. That said, she is very insecure about two things, which I suppose you probably know by know what I am talking about" the boy said tersely. "I guess you might not have known about it beforehand but please, don't talk about Hermione's hair, it hurts her more than you realize." He finished.
Obviously, Daphne had known about the bookworm's insecurities about her hair and front teeth, though she chose to hide her knowledge from Harry. "I will agree to that I guess. I will not insult Granger's hair in her presence or otherwise. Would you prefer if I made a magical vow?" She asked. Harry was even more surprised at her words again but quickly shook his head negatively.
"What is your plan Greengrass? Why would you go to such lengths to make me trust you?" Harry asked wearily.
"Why do you assume I have an ulterior motive? I could simply want to become friendly with you, Potter" she replied, smiling on the inside at how truthful that line was.
"You're a Slytherin, that's kind of what you do isn't it?" Harry asked dryly. "Ron spouts a lot about how slimy and cunning you Slytherins are, I know what I am dealing with" he declared
"Fine, I'll tell you" Daphne simply said with a sigh. She began to smile coquettishly as she crept closer towards Harry "I have just been in love with you for so long, Harry" As Daphne advanced, Harry began to step backwards in shock. Daphne continued "Since first-year, I've admired you from afar but now I just can't wait! I want you now!" she gushed, stopping inches away from Harry. The Gryffindor was blushing scarlet at the blonde's words, his mind disbelieving what was happening. His heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the girl in front of him for what felt like hours, admiring how beautiful she looked …
Moments later, Daphne smirked and jumped backwards. With a twirl of her hair, she gave a cheeky glance at Harry "Of course not Potter! I don't fancy you and never have!" she said, laughing at the redness of Harry's face. After momentarily lapsing into confusion, Harry's eyes dawned in recognition as he glared at the simpering blonde in front of him. "Very funny, Greengrass." Harry sighed, glad that Daphne was just messing with him. His gaze turned sharp as he looked back at her "Now tell me your motive, or I won't have a reason to trust you."
Daphne smiled at the fading blush on Harry's face. "Potter is really fun to tease, I see why Tracey likes doing this so much" she thought "This might make my task a bit easier". Shifting her gaze towards Harry she spoke "I was being honest when I said I just wanted to be friends with you Potter, is that so hard to believe?"
Harry was puzzled at the blonde's bluntness. He knew that most Slytherins would have tried to find a way to trick him out of an answer by now, unlike what Daphne had just done. Frowning slightly, he simply asked "Why me?"
Daphne had easily anticipated his question and answered "To tick off Malfoy, to gain allies in other houses, to get to know the Boy-Who-Lived. There are many reasons why anyone would want to become friends with you Potter" Her casual tone when answering seemed to pacify Harry somewhat as he sighed.
"Alright fine. We can be friends under one condition. All you have to do is tolerate Hermione.. I'm not asking you to be friends with her, I'm not even going to ask you to explain why you two hate each other so much. Hermione won't tell me and I'm sure you won't either." Daphne simply nodded, having expected him to say this.
Harry smiled and extended his hand out for a handshake. "To a new friendship." Daphne took his hand. "Are you usually this formal with other people?" she asked, an inquisitive tone filtering through "Or is it just because you don't trust me yet?" Harry twitched, which Daphne took note of and filed into the back of her memory.
"Well then, let's get back to getting you and Davis some wood, yeah?" Harry said. Daphne blushed at the unintended double meaning, which Harry didn't notice. The duo continued to walk for a bit before Harry spoke up again.
"You are a really good actress Greengrass; I'm surprised at how easily to tricked me," he muttered, glancing back at the Slytherin witch.
Daphne simply gave him a small smile and said "Tracey gave me some tips on how to be friendlier to people. I simply emulated what she would usually do and went from there," she explained casually.
Harry said nothing for a while as they continued walking. Daphne followed him in silence as he deftly navigated the forest path. The two walked until they reached a clearing where some fallen branches were. Quietly, they gathered some wood and placed in an automatic-shrinking bag. Their task complete, they silently walked back to the campsite, each thinking about what had just happened.
Moments after Harry, Hermione and Daphne left
Ron shifted nervously as he looked at the giant plastic sheets that were in front of him. Across from the sheet, he saw a pile of plastic sticks with metal ends together along with an assortment of clean metal hooks. Tracey noticed his confusion and walked over to him.
"You've never pitched a tent before have you?" Tracey asked, staring at the young Weasley. The brunette witch grinned wolfishly at her innuendo, glancing at the Gryffindor boy for a scandalized reaction. However, Ron just looked cluelessly at her, wondering why she was smiling in that manner.
"Pitch a tent! Get it? Ron?" Tracey asked the confused redhead before giving up "Never mind…" Ron simply shrugged and walked over to the pile of sticks and picked one up. To his surprise, the sticks seemed to be connected together with some sort of stretchy string. Ron held up the sticks and looked towards Tracey questioningly.
"Those are tent poles" she explained "You stick them together and they hold up the tent" Ron slowly nodded and went to assemble them while Tracey watched. After Ron had gotten one of the poles assembled, he looked to Tracey for further instructions. Tracey grinned again as she simply relayed off what they had to do next. As Ron got back into working, his mind was back at work. "Alright Ron how did you get yourself into this?" He glanced over to the other person in the vicinity, hard at work. "Oh yeah. YOU GOT TRICKED BY A SNAKE INTO IT!" Ron's thoughts turned angry as he stared at Tracey, who noticed his glare.
Nervously, Tracey asked "Uhh Ron? Why are you glaring at me?" Ron continued to stare at Tracey before he replied. "You tricked me into separating me and my friends, you slimy snake!" Ron accused, his voice risen in anger.
Tracey almost wilted under the pressure of Ron's glare. Her lips wobbled as she shivered slightly. However, Ron was unyielding, simply intensifying his glare at the girl in front of him. His tone matched the iciness of his glare as he simply asked "Why?" Of course, Ron did not expect any actual answer from the brunette. He was almost confident that the girl would just try to wave him off with some bollocks plea or some outlandish excuse that would create more questions than answer. Or perhaps a combination of the two. Yes. That was most possible.
Tracey noticed that her 'scared' act didn't faze Ron at all and decided to do something almost no other Slytherin would do. "Fine. The reason why I did it was to get Potter and Daphne some alone time. You remember Daphne's dinner invitation to him about two months ago? It's about that." Ron was taken aback by how easily the Slytherin witch had answered him.
"What are you playing at …" Ron paused. He tried to recall the name of the girl in front of him but couldn't remember it at all. "Ok, what's your name? No-one ever told me" He said bluntly
Tracey smiled bemusedly. With an air of friendliness, she extended her hand "I'm Tracey! Nice to meet you"
Tracey's exuberant greeting startled Ron. He waited a few moments before he responded "Err… your last name?" he asked "You haven't said it yet"
"That was the point, I'm not telling you, so it looks like you're going to have to call me Tracey instead of my last name!" she finished, smirking at the redhead.
"But… but… you're a Slytherin? Don't all you pure-blooded gits need us 'lowly blood traitors' to grovel at your feet and call you like that?" He said, gesturing frantically
Tracey couldn't help but giggle a bit at Ron's words. "Ok, a few things. First of all, I'm half-blood. Dad's a muggle-born and Mom's a pureblood. Second of all, remember what Daph said to you on the train? Most of us don't like being addressed like we are strangers with one another. It's been three years that we've been in school together Ron, lighten up!" she said, finishing with a small laugh and smile.
Ron's confusion increased tenfold. You see, Ron was a simple person with a very stark outlook on the world. Gryffindor? Good! Slytherin? Bad! Chudley Cannons? Totally awesome! Any other Quidditch team? Rubbish! And the list goes on and on. In Ron's outlook, all Slytherins had a few basic qualities. First of all, they were all gits. Naturally, that came from their elitist pure-blooded ideology which obviously stemmed from their long line of inbred family lines. Secondly, they were always scheming. After all, cunning is one of their core attributes right? Just as all Gryffindors are brave, all Ravenclaws are smart, all Hufflepuffs are loyal, all Slytherins are sneaky, slimy schemers who cannot be trusted. Lastly, all Slytherins are all scowling, surly dark magic practitioners who liked to gang up on and terrorize unsuspecting lions wherever they went.
However, the girl in front of him completely defied all his preconceptions. Her blood status was a glaring enough difference, as was her cheerful and bubbly personality. Ron saw that she seemed to radiate joy, in stark contrast to Malfoy, whom the Gryffindor viewed as the typical Slytherin. In addition, Tracey's overall composure and attitude was so different from the blond ponce that Ron was having trouble even imagining Tracey as a slimy schemer. Idly, part of him thought "It's probably all an act to get me unfocused so that she can stab me in the back". However, his developing logical side remembered back to the incident on the train, at how scared the young Greengrass had been when he glared at him. He also thought back to the conversation he had with Harry and how he realized that Slytherins are as human as everyone else.
Ron had been silently contemplating for a few moments by now. Tracey tilted her head in confusion as she asked "Ron? You still there?".
The boy in question broke out of his thoughts as he looked around confused before he gazed at Tracey, who gave him a cheeky smile. Ron collated his thoughts before he spoke "Alright fine. If you don't tell me your last name, I guess I'll just call you Slytherin then. Or snake I guess" he declared, hoping to see a rise out of the brunette in front of him.
Tracey pouted at his words. "You still don't trust me at all, huh? Anything I can do to change that?" she asked, cocking her head back and forth.
Ron thought for a moment. "You could start with telling me your last name Slytherin, that wou–"
"Done. My full name is Tracey Davis" interrupted the brunette, smirking at Ron's surprised look. "I still prefer you call me by my first name though" she said after a while. "Anything else?"
"Your birthday?" Ron asked, more certain that she wouldn't tell him
"September 30th, planning on getting me a gift?" she replied, smiling. Ron frowned as he thought for a bit longer. He suddenly grinned as he asked for his next piece of knowledge.
"Where you live." Ron asked, thinking that he had finally gotten Tracey to give up. The girl in question smiled coquettishly and spoke in a playful tone. "Are you hitting on me Weasley? My birthday and where I live? Trying to surprise me or something?" Ron's face turned red at her questions, causing her to start laughing. After a few moments, she answered his question. "I live on number 12, Hartley Road in Sunbury" she said. "And yes, I do know that I technically broke pure-blood code by telling you that."
Ron tried to mask his astonishment but failed miserably. For a pure-blooded witch or wizard to reveal their actual location of residence was considered a formal invitation of friendship. In the old days before the Ministry of Magic was formally established, there were many large scale blood feuds which had forced major houses to adopt wards and charms to secure their households, a time when the Fidelius charm was first experimented with. If two heads of house decided to form a formal alliance, they would meet at a neutral location rather than each other's houses. Only under a formal friendship would the members of each house be allowed on the premise of another's property.
Tracey watched intently at Ron's expression. She continued to smile as Ron's perplexed face continued to stare in shock. A few more moments passed before Ron could get himself to speak.
"Alright fine. I still don't trust you but I guess we can be acquaintances so –"
"Friends. Not just acquaintances, or just allies or just comrades but friends." Tracey said firmly.
Ron sighed. The girl in front of him was truly and enigma. If Ron was to be honest with himself, she intrigued him. She acted so completely differently from what he thought that a Slytherin would. With a neutral tone, he simply asked once again.
"Why?"
Tracey had been anticipating the question for quite some time. With a small smile, she said "Because you are interesting, Ron. Plus, I like to be friends with everyone. Most people in Slytherin are so uptight and stiff, they don't know how to smile or laugh much. You on the other hand are kinda like the opposite of them, at least how you act."
"But why me? Why not Harry, the chosen one. Or Hermione? She is hell of a lot smarter than me isn't she? Wouldn't you be better off with being friends with them?" Ron asked. Tracey easily picked up on his insecurities. With a small smile, she looked up and stared into the redhead's eyes, which looked perplexed and almost … afraid? Tracey decided to word her next words carefully.
"Ron, you aren't just somebody that stands around next to Potter or Hermione. You've got some good traits yourself, I know it" she said, giving him a knowing smile. "Don't think yourself as Harry's lackey. He needs you as much as you need him" She said. Inwardly, she thought "I really should listen to my own advice shouldn't I?".
Ron couldn't stop himself from gaping. "That was… that …" he stammered, unable to speak properly. "That was … the nicest thing anyone has said to me. Ever." he said. With an afterthought, he added "Thanks for that … Tracey".
The brunette Slytherin beamed as she heard her name uttered. With a content sigh, she decided "Alright, we've used enough time, let's get back to work before the others get back. Ron nodded and went to follow her lead.
"Say, which side are you supporting tonight?" he asked
"Ireland. You?" she replied
"Same. Support any clubs?" he asked again, beginning to smile
Tracey smiled a bit before she answered. "Cannons, I don't care what anyone else says."
Ron unconsciously began to beam "Yeah! They're awesome!"
The two laughed a for a bit as they continued to chatter while they pitched finished pitching the tent up, waiting for their friends to return.
Later...
The golden Trio had left not long later with the tent set up and plenty of firewood and water for the night's use. Many people had arrived by now, populating the campsites around far more than it had ever been in recent times. Luckily for the Daphne and her companions, the campsite was only reserved for higher-class British wizardfolk which meant that there were not as many people there when compared to the surrounding areas.
Astoria had wandered back to the site sometime ago and gotten admonished by her mother for going off on her own. Daphne had also thusly received a reprimand for allowing her sister to wander off. Luckily, Astoria had gotten back safely, thanks to the help of Arnim Burke and his companions. Now, the three girls were sitting around their tent as they had been told to stay there before their families would enter the stadium to watch the finals.
"Can't we do anything?" moaned Astoria. Daphne shot her younger sister a glance.
"We probably could have if you didn't wander off on your own," the blonde muttered. Astoria replied with a cheeky grin which aroused Tracey's concern.
"You really shouldn't wander off on your own, what if we can't find you next time?" Tracey asked worriedly. Astoria however seemed unfazed.
"I wasn't that far away," she pointed out. "Plus, Burke found me not too long later anyway." It was Daphne's turn to frown.
"Arnim Burke is not a good man," she said. From her 'research', she knew that Arnim Burke had been one of the convicted Death Eaters who had pleaded innocent under the 'Imperius Defence', as it had been nicknamed by the general magical populace. Like many of the others, Burke had thus been released without penalty, much to the chagrin of those who knew he had been in the wrong.
"Yeah, yeah I know he was a Death Eater at one point," Astoria said, waving her hand as though she were talking about the weather or something equally mundane. Daphne and Tracey looked surprised.
"You know that and you're still fine with him?" Tracey said disbelievingly. The brunette had done a fair bit of investigating into the Death Eater organization along with her best friend, though that was partly because of her parents' jobs drawing her curiosity. Arnim Burke's name was not especially high on the list of dangerous individuals, but the havoc that even the lowest ranking of Death Eaters had wreaked was nothing to sneeze at.
"So what? It's not like he would target us for any reason," Astoria said dismissively. Daphne and Tracey shared a look and decided not to push the topic further. As intelligent as Astoria was, she was still only twelve. Learning about how the worst of society thought was something that she didn't need to know so soon.
"Besides," Astoria continued. "We share most of our classes with the kids of death eaters anyway and they aren't so bad. Or are you going to tell me that you actually hate Theodore Nott?" Daphne and Tracey could not argue against that particular point.
"Theodore is a special case. Most of them, like say Parkinson or Malfoy are just as bad as their parents were," Daphne said with conviction. Tracey backed up her friend's claim by nodding vigorously. However, Astoria still didn't seem convinced.
"If I recall correctly, wasn't it a non-death eater's kid who caused that little incident which almost broke you're two's friendship this year?"
Astoria's words had an immediate effect on both Daphne and Tracey. The former for a minute before erecting a far icier version of her usual façade. However, the mask did not block the rage that she showed through her eyes. Tracey on the other hand visibly wilted and shuddered as though a torrent of bad memories had rushed through her mind all at once. Seeing the expressions on her sister and friend's face, Astoria quickly put a hand to her mouth.
"Sorry, that was uncalled for..." she apologised quickly. However, the damage was already done. An awkward silence reigned upon the three as Daphne worked to suppress her anger while Astoria attempted to unsuccessfully console Tracey. A while later, Genevieve Greengrass popped her head into the tent."
"Girls! We're going to the stadium now!" Daphne and Tracey swallowed quickly in an effort to calm themselves. Astoria had a slightly worried look on her face. Hopefully, nothing worse would happen.
Date: Tuesday, August 23rd 1994
Location: Dartmoor Camping Grounds
"I can't believe Krum caught the snitch but still lost!" Ron cried
"I can't believe Fred and George won their bet. I mean really, the odds of that happening must be phenomenal" Hermione replied with a note of surprise in her voice.
"Hey, it was a great game regardless of what happened. I can't wait to try out some of those moves when we get back to school!" responded Harry.
The golden trio were busy discussing the results of the 1994 Quidditch World Cup Final, where the Irish had beaten their Bulgarian rivals 170-160. The game was very intense, though the Irish had lead for the entire game due to having a far superior keeper and equally potent chasers. On the other hand, the Bulgarians only had the legendary Viktor Krum, who had been touted as being the greatest seeker on the planet. Though the results seemed to be skewed, it was nevertheless a spectacular match which left no doubt to any that it was an epic game.
The last vestiges of conversation dying off, the three separated to go to bed, exhausted from watching the six-hour final. Harry felt his eyes feeling very heavy as he nodded off and began dreaming of doing all the crazy stunts that made Krum such a renowned Quidditch player.
All was quiet in the campsites surrounding the Quidditch arena.
But not for long.
Suddenly, a loud bang was heard from the edge of the campsite. In a flash, twenty tents began to burn, as shadowy silhouettes fled the scene that they had wrought. In a panic, Harry and Ron leapt out of their tent and ran outside. They were quickly joined by Hermione and the rest of Clan Weasley, all looking wide awake despite how late it was.
"Charlie, you lead the kids to safety in the forest. Bill you're with me, we have to stop the fire from spreading. Percy, you go find us some backup as quickly as possible. MOVE" yelled Arthur Weasley, his face grim and his tone firm. Years of experience dealing with mishaps like this allowed him to think tactically in any situation, and this one was no exception.
The elder Weasleys nodded at their father's plan and quickly went to work. "Well you heard dad, let's move!" With this, the dragonzoologist Charlie rushed towards the forest, with the twins and Ginny quick on his heels. The Golden trio were about to move when an ear-piercing shriek sounded from the far side of the forest. Ron froze. He recognized the voice. Quickly, he began running towards the scream.
"Ron!" shouted Hermione "You're going the wrong way!" But Ron didn't listen, his mind fully trained on the voice he had heard. Harry noticed that Ron couldn't hear Hermione and decided to cut in. "Mione, we can't leave him alone, we have to follow him!" he said as he took off after his best friend. The bushy haired Gryffindor groaned and muttered something about "impulsive boys" before she too started chasing her friends to the far side of the field.
At the edge of the forest, two young witches were running from a group of masked people. The smoke and the darkness disabled most of their sight and smell. All they could feel was the rushing wind howling throughout the night. A blazing inferno had erupted amongst the trees to the south of them, deterring the duo from running in that direction.
"AHH" one of the cried as she tripped over a root, falling to the forest floor. Behind her, her friend stopped her running and gazed back at the group of masked men, standing stalwart in front of her fallen friend.
"Get away from the mudblood, girly and you get to walk away scot free." taunted one of the men. His companions laughed in a jeering manner.
"Over my dead body" the standing girl seethed, drawing her wand. A multitude of hexes, jinxes and curses flew through her mind but her thoughts were interrupted by the man in front.
"You heard her" another masked man said, stepping forward. He pointed his wand straight at the girl as he silently incanted "BOMBARDA MAXIMA",shooting an explosion towards his target.
The girl's eyes widened and only had time to reflexively cast a silvery barrier, which only blocked the spell's direct damage. However, the masked man's spell knocked her back a great distance. With a sickening crunch, the girl slammed into a tree, unconscious but alive.
The fallen girl wept at her friend's sacrifice and watched as the men in front of her advanced. Desperately, she did the only thing she could think of, yelling a single word out towards the forest edge, hoping that someone would be able to hear her message.
"HELP!"
Spells Used:
Tempus – Time Revealing Charm
Bombarda Maxima – Large Explosion Curse
Protego – Shield Charm
