A/N: Sorry for the delay, everyone! To make it up to you, here is the longest chapter yet! I hope it turned out alright.

Word Count: 4694 (4727 including extras)

Chapter 4: Tribulations

After her conversation with Malfoy in the common room, Daphne made her escape from the dungeons and hid in an unused classroom. She felt like a child who was avoiding punishment for doing something wrong. And that bothered Daphne a lot. She hadn't done anything wrong. Stupid, maybe, but not wrong. But that was the problem with it, after all. Daphne herself didn't think of it as wrong, but there were definitely others in Slytherin who wouldn't agree with her. Hell, Malfoy himself was one of them.

Daphne sighed and hit her head against the wall. What on earth had she been thinking, talking to Malfoy in the first place? Manners? She laughed at herself. Of course, all of those lessons as a child to never be rude would result in this. Still, it had been her choice. She only had herself to blame.

Resting on one of the desks in the classroom was the Daily Prophet from that morning. Daphne didn't really want to go back to the Slytherin common room just yet, so she walked over and sat down. The front page was dominated by a single headline;

Ministry Worker and Wife Latest Victims in Vicious Attack.

By Jeremy Scrivener

In He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's boldest attack yet, a Ministry official and his wife were found dead early this morning in their home outside of Ottery St. Catchpole. Arthur Weasley was recently promoted to head the newly created Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects, one of multiple new departments established by the minister at the recommendation of newly promoted Senior Undersecretary Rufus Scrimgeour.

Mr. Weasley's wife, Molly Weasley was also found dead. One official spoke on condition of anonymity, saying that these murders were brutal. For the sake of the reader, I will refrain from sharing the details of what I was told; suffice it to say that the murders were shocking displays of inhumanity.

Should we be concerned about the Ministry's ability to protect us if it cannot protect its own employees? This is not the first high profile murder relating to the Ministry. Readers will remember this past summer when the niece of Amelia Bones went missing. Her mutilated body was discovered a week later, showing signs of sexual abuse and torture.

Daphne almost stopped reading there. She remembered reading about Susan, but never checked up to see what had happened. Now that she knew, she really wished that she didn't. Just imagining what Susan's last few moments must have been like was horrific. Fighting back tears, Daphne read on.

This is just the latest in an ever building stream of attacks. Our population has never been very high, and it was devastated in past decades as we fought off Grindelwald and You-Know-Who. We can't sustain these casualties for much longer; the Death Eaters might win simply because they're the only ones left.

And of course, this latest attack devastates an already devastated family. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley join their deceased son, Percy Weasley as well as Mrs. Weasley's brothers, Gideon and Fabian Prewett (both killed in the first war against You-Know-Who), and are survived by their six other children.

She dropped the paper on the desk and rubbed her eyes. That wasn't the distraction she had been hoping for. If anything, she was more frustrated to be stuck in Hogwarts, while families were being destroyed all around. Education was important, but would it matter in a year? Daphne shook her head and smiled. There was no way she was leaving without taking her N.E.W.T.s. The fighting could come after. Besides, there wasn't much she could do as a Hogwarts dropout to help. And what would Tracey do? Oh, Merlin, Tracey would drop out with her, and Daphne would never hear the end of it.

Daphne sighed. No, she'd have to try and help while she was here. And she wasn't going to be doing much of that if she kept hiding in a random classroom. She stood up and marched towards the Slytherin common room.

…

The next day, as Daphne was getting ready for breakfast, Tracey ran into their dormitory and nearly knocked Daphne off her feet.

"Calm down! Bloody hell, what's gotten into you, Tracey?"

Tracey was grinning, and practically bouncing on her feet. "You'll never guess what I did last night."

"Judging from your expression, I'm guessing you didn't sleep."

"I said you wouldn't guess what I did do, not what I didn't do. Silly."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Fine. I give up. What did you do last night?"

"Well, you know how Blaise is, right?"

Daphne knew exactly how Blaise was, and she definitely did not like where this was going. "Tracey, you didn't!"

"I totally did! C'mon, be happy for me!"

"I'm finding that hard... what were you thinking! He's friends with Malfoy!"

Tracey flicked her hair and smiled. "Yeah, but you know what it's like. If you aren't friends with Malfoy, he'll make your life a living hell. Blaise just doesn't want to be bothered."

Brilliant. The day just started, and Daphne was already getting a headache. "Okay; okay, look. I'm sorry. I'm just a bit on edge. I heard what happened to Susan-"

"You mean you didn't know?"

"Well, I kind of did, but only that she went missing. But anyway... um... well, congratulations, I guess?"

Tracey grinned. "I suppose that's as good as I'm gonna get. Thanks! Now lets go get food. I'm starved!"

"But what about sleep-?"

Tracey held up a bottle of Invigoration Draught. Daphne just sighed. "Fine. Let's go."

On the way down, she accidentally bumped into Hermione, who was talking quietly to Ron. Daphne muttered an apology and sped up. She felt a bit bad for Weasley; hearing that your parents just died had to be brutal. At least, it probably was for Weasley. It might not be so bad for her. She'd miss her mother dearly, but her father...

Daphne nearly slapped herself to stop that line of thinking. No matter how horrible her father was, she wouldn't wish him dead. Maybe if she said that enough, she'd convince herself.

Breakfast was a very quick affair. Both Daphne and Tracey had no desire to hang around and wait for Malfoy to show up, so they ate as fast as they could and rushed down to the potions classroom to wait for the beginning of class.

Tracey leaned up against the door and looked at Daphne, grinning. "Bet you we're getting off easy today. First class of the year and all."

"Tracey, do you remember our first potions lesson last year?"

Tracey's nose scrunched up as she thought for a moment. Daphne waited patiently, fighting back a smile.

"No. Should I?"

"No, but then again, you did manage to knock half of the class unconscious with a horribly botched potion that Slughorn had us try on the first day. If anything, he'll probably be harder on us this year, since he's had a year to get familiar with the students."

"Oh yeah! I remember now! Well, I remember waking up in the hospital wing a few days later. Not the best way to start off the school year. But I did get out of my classes."

"Except you still had to make all of the work up."

"Who assigns three essays on the first day! I mean, seriously!"

Daphne sighed. "Snape did."

"Merlin, doesn't that man have a life- … No, wait, nevermind. Stupid question. I can't honestly say I'm all that upset that he left after last year."

The door opened, and Daphne laughed at Tracey's shocked expression as she fell to the ground.

"Dear Merlin, Miss Davis! You gave me quite the scare! Are you alright?" Professor Slughorn stood in the entrance, looking down at Tracey.

Tracey bounced back to her feet. "Quite alright, Professor!"

Slughorn chuckled. "Perhaps you might choose a more wise place to lean in the future, then?"

"You bet, sir!"

"Very good! Now go on, the both of you. Miss Greengrass, I'm sure that you will love today's lesson!"

Daphne smiled at the professor. "I look forward to getting started, sir."

The two girls took a seat near the front of the classroom and waited for the rest of the students to arrive from breakfast.

Tracey rubbed her shoulder tenderly. "You know, that door wasn't even that comfortable."

"Was it the door, or was it hitting the floor that hurt?"

Tracey laughed. "Yes."

"Wait, do you mean-"

Before she could finish, Slughorn walked to the front of the room and began the class. "Welcome back, everyone! It looks like everyone is here; we have quite the small class this year, so let's get started!"

Daphne immediately closed her mouth and focused on the front of the room. She caught Hermione doing the same out of the corner of her eye. Tracey appeared to notice it too and nudged her, grinning and flicking her eyes back and forth. Daphne just rolled her eyes and ignored her friend.

"Today, we will be attempting to brew the Wiggenweld Potion. This potion isn't too difficult, but takes more time than we have. However, I expect each of you will be able to make an excellent start. You may work in pairs. Please consider the effects of each ingredient you add and how their attributes contribute to the desired effect of the completed potion. If you have any questions, please ask."

Daphne pulled out her potions book and flicked to the correct page. She scanned the list of ingredients and instructions, and ran off to grab everything she needed. Tracey followed her as usual; Tracey let Daphne pick out what they needed, and she just stood nearby so that Daphne could dump things into her arms.

When they returned to their table, Daphne looked up to notice that Hermione had already begun her potion, while Ron sat nearby, delicately slicing ingredients. She looked over and noticed Tracey grinning at her again.

"What? So I'm a bit competitive. Let's just get started."

"Hey, I didn't say anything."

"But you wanted to."

Tracey shrugged. "Only a little bit." Then her smile reappeared. "But we'd better get started. We're falling behind!"

Daphne lightly shoved her in response and pointed at the ingredients laying on the table. She lit the fire beneath the cauldron and began the first steps. It soon became clear why Slughorn had picked this particular potion; the preparation was ridiculously easy. Of course, she'd never tell Tracey that the girl was right. No need to inflate her friend's ego more than absolutely necessary.

About an hour into the class, Daphne got up to gather an ingredient she had forgotten while waiting for the potion to reach the right shade of green. As soon as she was on her feet, the potion exploded. Smoke filled the classroom. Daphne herself flew back a few feet and landed on her backside. She winced and tried to stand.

Slughorn rushed over and helped her to her feet. "Miss Davis! Please take Miss Greengrass to the hospital wing. I'll clean up here."

Daphne was horrified. "But what about the potion, professor?"

"Not to worry, my dear, you'll get full participation marks for the day and I'll have this cleaned up in a jiff."

"But-"

"Off with you! You need to have that looked at before it gets worse!"

Tracey grabbed her arm and pulled her from the classroom.

Daphne felt her face throbbing. "What's wrong with my face?"

Tracey didn't look back. "Swelling. Now c'mon."

"But-"

"Not now, Daphne! Just come on!"

Daphne was shocked by the change in Tracey's attitude. At the start of class, Tracey had been joking around and teasing, just like she usually did. But something must have seriously upset her. For some reason, Daphne doubted it was only getting participation marks for the day.

They reached the hospital wing, and Tracey nearly flung Daphne onto a bed as she ran into Madame Pomfrey's office. The matron rushed out and began to examine Daphne.

"Minor swelling... nothing too bad, thankfully. I'm a bit surprised to see you in here, Miss Greengrass. You have always been very careful in potions."

Tracey growled, "It wasn't her fault."

Pomfrey appeared not to hear though, and continued her examination. "Here, drink this. You'll be right as rain in a few hours."

Daphne took the potion and drank quickly; it tasted like burning gym socks.

"Good. Now rest here, and I'll check up on you shortly."

When Pomfrey had returned to her office, Tracey came over and sat on Daphne's bed.

"It was Malfoy."

"What?"

"I saw him flick something into the cauldron right as you got up. The ponce must have wanted to get you back for what you said before."

Despite Tracey's insistence, Daphne wasn't so sure she was the target. Maybe it was just a coincidence that it happened right as she was leaving to do something, but there were plenty of other opportunities where Malfoy could have done that. Besides, Malfoy seemed almost determined to convince Daphne that she was wrong. Maybe Astoria put him up to it. Tracey on the other hand... Malfoy certainly didn't like Tracey.

But Daphne was not going to tell that to Tracey. It wouldn't help her friend to feel any better. "Yeah, that's probably it..."

…

That evening, after Daphne had been released, she managed to convince Tracey to go to the library. Daphne was worried about Slughorn's comments on the effects of the ingredients of the Wiggenweld Potion, and wanted to look them up.

As soon as Tracey sat down at their usual table, she hopped up again, clutching her bum. "Owww!"

"What?"

"Ah, nothing. It just felt like I sat down on a tack."

"Check the seat before you sit back down."

Tracey stuck her tongue out, but carefully brushed the seat a few times before sitting down again. "So what's first?"

"Well, we should probably start with the effects that we are least familiar with-..."

"Great! I'll go look up dragons."

"But, Tracey, we don't need-"

Too late. Tracey had already walked off. Daphne sighed. That girl had the shortest attention span... that or a very strong aversion to any form of studying. She got up and went to find the first book she had in mind.

As she searched the shelves, she heard a whisper behind her, and an instant later found herself immobilized. She recognized the spell, of course; the full body bind was simple, but that didn't help her feel any better about her situation.

There was laughter all around her, but she couldn't see any of her attackers with her narrow field of vision. A shiver of fear worked its way down her body as she wondered what she was about to face next. Fortunately... at least, as fortunate as she could have hoped to be in this situation, the laughter faded and she heard footsteps walking away.

Of course, now she was laying on the floor deep within the Hogwarts library, completely immobilized, and with no idea of when the spell would wear off. Daphne knew Tracey was going to freak out when she got back.

Tracey! Oh, bloody hell. What if they got her too? They probably wouldn't have been as restrained with her... Daphne struggled harder against the magic binding her, but to no avail. She didn't expect it to work, but she had to know that her friend was okay.

Her strange luck continued moments later as her body was suddenly freed. She immediately sprang to her feet and collided with the person who freed her.

"You may want this, G-... Daphne."

Malfoy held her wand in his hand. Daphne froze. "Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you free me?"

Malfoy sighed. "You're my fi-... girlfriend's sister. Sort of like family now. I'm trying to look out for you, but you're not making it easy. I told you before that I wouldn't be able to keep others from hurting you. They aren't happy with you at all."

"Who are you talking about?"

His eyes flicked to the left. "I can't say. I'd be in more trouble than I care to admit if I revealed that. Not just with my father," he added when Daphne attempted to interrupt him.

Daphne grabbed her wand and started to walk away. "Fine then. Thanks for the help."

Malfoy ran and caught up to her. "Do keep my warning in mind. You'll want to distance yourself from that... from Davis."

Not bloody likely. As soon as he was out of sight, Daphne ran back to her table and let out a very loud sigh of relief when she saw Tracey sitting there, reading a book. She didn't even think to be surprised by that before she noticed the title. Quidditch Through the Ages.

"Haven't you read that book enough times?"

Tracey looked up. "It's a classic! You know, like those ones that you always read a million times."

"I think there is a slight difference... Anyway, did you have any trouble finding a book on dragons?"

"Why would I look for a book on dragons?"

"But you said... nevermind."

Daphne sat down and reached for her bag. She realized that in the confusion, she had forgotten to grab the book she went looking for. She sighed and looked over at Tracey. "Hey... do you just want to go to bed? I'm pretty tired."

"Daphne, voluntarily leaving the library? You must be sick! Do you feel feverish?"

"Oh, shut up."

Tracey laughed and threw her book on the table. "Race you there!"

…

Daphne's week continued much the same as it had. She was being bullied by a select group of students that she never managed to catch. It was something she wasn't familiar with it, and she wasn't handling it well. Avoiding the great hall wasn't something she ever imagined she would want to do, but she could hardly take five steps into the place without being jinxed or hexed, despite there often being multiple professors eating as well.

As she struggled in their first Transfiguration class of the year, she tried to keep her mind focused on the task at hand. Her best efforts were unsuccessful as her thoughts kept drifting towards the bullying. It was much worse for Tracey, she knew that. But not how much. Tracey wasn't telling her anything. Daphne was starting to seriously doubt the wisdom of convincing Tracey to return for another year. The girl in question was focused intently on her work, and didn't notice Daphne's distraction. Or, she could just be trying to distract herself from their classmates.

An errant spell snapped the chandelier free from the chain that held it up. It plummeted to the floor, nearly crushing Professor McGonagall in the process. "Miss Greengrass! Please be careful! I would like my classroom to remain intact for my next lecture. I would also like to be alive to give it."

Daphne flushed deeply and looked down at her desk. "Sorry, Professor. It won't happen again."

"Hmm." The professor checked the time. "Class dismissed. Everyone, please practice those lists of spells for next lecture. They should cover the basics enough to remind you of what you have learned. And Miss Greengrass, please wait a moment."

After the class filed out of the room, Daphne waited for McGonagall to speak.

"I must say, that was the worst spellwork I have ever seen you perform, Miss Greengrass. Is everything alright?"

Daphne blushed again. Her nerves must really be getting to her. "Yes, professor. I'm fine. Just a bit nervous for my last year."

Professor McGonagall smiled. "I'm sure you will do fine. Just please be more careful. I would like to live to see you graduate, and I am certain that accidental manslaughter of a professor will not look good on any résumé."

Daphne laughed nervously. What a way to have a professor admit that they enjoyed having you as a student.

"Please stop by if you have any questions, Miss Greengrass." The professor looked down at her desk in what was a clear dismissal. Daphne retreated out the door and let out a heavy sigh. That did not go well at all. She was just going to have to toughen up and deal with the bullies. Her schoolwork was too important to let them affect it.

She jumped when Tracey spoke. "What was that about?"

"Oh, you know... just a bit distracted and all. McGonagall just wanted to make sure everything was okay.

"Is everything okay?"

Tracey's question threw her off guard. Was it? Clearly not. But saying that wasn't going to help Tracey feel better. Especially not since it was their friendship that was causing most of the problems.

"It's fine. Come on, let's go."

But such was her luck that she had barely taken another step before she was ambushed by her mother's personal owl. She grabbed the letter that it was carrying, wondering why her mother would risk contacting her after she had effectively been disowned. After glancing down at the address, Daphne wasn't sure whether or not to feel relieved or not when she recognized that it was definitely her mother's handwriting. She unfolded the letter and read a very brief message.

Daphne,

Please end your friendship with the mudblood immediately. Your father received a letter from Draco and is greatly displeased. Please do this for me.

It was pretty clear that she had written this very quickly. The writing was shaky, and there was no signature. She also called Tracey a mudblood... which wasn't very likely to convince Daphne to listen to her. Seriously, why did they not get this? Insulting her friend wasn't going to make her magically come around to their point of view. If anything, it further alienated her.

The content itself was what disturbed her most, though. It almost sounded like her father was hurting her mum.

Tracey curiously peered over her shoulder. "What's it say?"

"It's from my mum. I-... well, I'm not sure what it means."

"Let me read it."

"No, I don't think-"

Too late. Tracey had grabbed it from her hands. The color drained from her face. "What happened over summer break, Daphne?"

"My father sort of disowned me unless I break off our friendship."

"What a real arse. Honestly! It's not like I can help who my parents are. Besides, I wouldn't want pureblood parents anyway, if that's how they all act... Er, no offense."

"None taken."

"At least you turned out alright though. Bloody hell, could you imagine if you ended up like Malfoy? I think I'd rather die."

A new voice cut in. "I believe I would feel the same were I in your position, Davis."

Tracey's face paled even further and she whipped around to find Malfoy's wand in her face.

"I have tolerated your presence for over six years at this school. That's more than you deserve. And now I catch you spewing out your mudblood crap to my future sister in law. You had best watch yourself, Davis..."

Daphne stepped up before Tracey could reply. "Come on, Tracey. Let's get out of here."

They quickly made their way to the library, and Daphne was silently thanking the fates that Malfoy hadn't followed. After they sat down, Tracey looked over at her. Daphne was surprised to see a small smile on her face. "Sorry to hear the news, by the way."

"What news?"

"Your future brother in law. He's a real arse."

Daphne stared at Tracey for a moment, then started to laugh. Tracey joined in, and Daphne felt some of the tension release from her body.

"How do you do it, Tracey?"

"What do you mean?"

"Stay happy. I mean, this week has been dreadful, but you're still cracking jokes and smiling all the time."

Tracey's smile grew. "I'm still me. They can do whatever they want to me, but they can't take away what makes me who I am. And they want me to be upset. I mean, I still react when they bully me, but if I can't go back to being me, then they've already won. There's no way I'm letting them win."

"That's... that's sort of inspiring, Tracey."

"Thanks."

Silence fell between the two as they began to work on their homework. Daphne poured over her transfiguration notes, determined not to have a repeat of earlier. They stayed in the library through lunch and the entire afternoon, right up until dinner when Astoria showed up at their table. Her eyes were red, and she was trembling.

"D-Daphne. I got a letter from f-father a moment ago. C-can we talk?"

Daphne looked at Tracey, who nodded. "Okay."

Astoria left the library then, and Daphne followed just behind her. As soon as they reached an empty room, Astoria threw herself at Daphne, sobbing.

Awkwardly, Daphne embraced her sister. She muttered, "Shhh... it's okay..." After Astoria had calmed down, Daphne asked, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"M-mum died!"

Daphne froze. "What?"

"I g-got a letter from father just before I came to see y-you. He told me that mother had f-fallen ill recently, and s-she p-passed away this afternoon."

That was definitely odd timing... "I got a letter from mother just this morning, after transfiguration... Astoria, do you think that father would have anything to do with this?"

"What are you s-saying, Daphne?"

"Nothing. Nevermind. I'm just... just being paranoid, I guess. Will you be alright? I should probably get back to Tracey." Maybe not the best thing to say when her sister was very distraught, but in all honesty, no one was going to touch Astoria; especially not while her sister was with Malfoy. The same could not be said for Tracey.

Astoria's face darkened for a brief moment. "I'll be fine. I'll talk with Draco tonight when I see him."

Though it pained Daphne to do it, she kept her reply positive. "Good. Now off with you. He's probably in the common room waiting for you."

As soon as Astoria was out of sight, Daphne took off running back to the library. She was only a minute away, but this couldn't wait. Had her father murdered her mother? She hadn't heard anything about a sickness, and that letter... her mother was clearly not in her right state of mind... it did seem to implicate that something was wrong. It could be that she was sick, or... well, Daphne didn't want to think about that.

She ran back to the table where she left Tracey only to find it empty. Tracey's bag was still there, and her books were scattered about the floor. The chair had been knocked backward. All thoughts of her parents immediately flew from her mind.

Malfoy.

Daphne sprinted out of the library again and started to search every room nearby. She found nothing until she reached the staircase and nearly bowled into Malfoy and Astoria. Malfoy was holding Astoria closely and rubbing her back. He looked up at her, and the intensity of his glare startled her. Daphne didn't have time to bother figuring out what the look meant though, and she ran up the stairs. It did make her wonder, however, that if Malfoy wasn't behind it... who was?

She was panicking at this point. The bloody castle was huge; how was she supposed to find anything? There were no clues as to where Tracey was taken. Frantically, she started to blast doors open with her wand as she ran, only stopping to take a quick peak in each. Her frustration grew with each room she passed.

There was a piercing scream in the distance, and Daphne immediately stopped in mid cast and ran towards the sound. She saw someone emerge from a room at the end of the hall and vanish. Although she desperately wanted to chase, she had to find Tracey first.

Daphne ran inside of the room and nearly tripped over a chair just inside the door. The chair was covered in blood... and it didn't take long to find the source. Resting in the center of the room was Tracey's body, completely still.