Wow! I'm like, SO smiling right now!!
Seems like you like my story so far. Sweet!
Now, I'd like to thank:
elenamindollin (of course) : weeeell, let's say that mistakes happen…yes, Draco knows :) grins evilly
Rachel: wow. Thank you, really.
Ruatha's girl: there you go, your daily "Laurel" dose…hope it helps!
And thank you to dragonfangjade, Pwincessmj and celightd for adding!
Now, here's the new chapter. Enjoy, and let me know!
12. ENTERTAIN ME
The young man made himself more comfortable.
"Yes, Daphne, great news" Draco seemed satisfied with what he knew, and with how the negotiation was going on. "Well, news, basically" he muttered on second thought. She might not find the news 'great'.
Daphne was rather sceptical about anything coming out from Draco Malfoy's mouth. "News. Nice. And?"
The boy put on his trademark smirk, his arrogant-to-the-bone smirk, the one that was annoying even for Slytherins. "How much are you willing to give, to have access to very, very confidential information?"
"Listen you Shylock, I am not that interested in anything having to do with the Huffle-stuff…cos it's him we're talking about, right?" Daphne was bothered. AND, her nausea and all was increasing. Not a good sign. Did that slimy green thing that Madame Pomfrey had forced her to drink make the opposite effect?
Draco snorted. "Fine. You're not interested. I'll just wait and see how Diggory's plotting evolve…" the boy was heading to the door of the infirmary. Fingers clenched torturing the white sheets of the hospital bed, the Slytherin girl was biting her lips.
Diggory's plotting! What the hell!
"Wait!" she exclaimed, loud enough to let Draco hear, and loud enough to get a bad look from every other patient in the room. Not that she cared. She gave them a worse look in return.
Extremely satisfied, the boy smiled a victorious smile. He made his way back to her bed with long yet slow paces, foretasting her surrender. Honestly, he hadn't done much for this to happen.
"See, Daphne?" he said softly, sitting on her bedside. "I knew it. And now tell me, what are you willing to give me, Miss Greengrass?"
It rarely happened, but at the moment Daphne Greengrass was at loss for words. All she wanted to give him, at the moment, was a punch on the nose, and then to shake him till he spat out the truth.
Very coldly, and very professionally, just like her father was when talking about business, she did her best not to make him notice her indecision.
"That's not the point, Mister Malfoy" she paused, studying his reaction. She perfectly knew that he couldn't stand anybody calling him that; he had hexed Blaise more than once, hissing things like 'That's my father's name' and 'Don't you dare saying it again'. She found it rather amusing.
"Oh, that's not the point? It sure as hell is the point, Daphne. You give me something unsatisfactory, I leave without any further word. So what you're willing to give me is the point. What are you willing to give, again and for the last time, Daphne?" he was a mere few inches away from her face. Maybe this kind of behaviour would have someone who wasn't in Slytherin intimidated…but between snakes, teasing and threatening was untroubled normality.
She put a finger on his nose. He growled and moved away. Never touch Slytherins, if you're not allowed, it drives them mad.
"That's not the point, Draco, again and for the last time" she then said, not breaking eye contact with him. "The point is: what do you want from me, Draco?"
He smiled. Thanks Merlin in Slytherin not everyone was like Goyle and Crabbe and Pansy. "Precisely" he said "what do I want from you, Daphne?"
The girl was beginning to lose her patience. Actually, she had already lost it. She was no Hufflepuff. But Slytherins were able to keep a façade of calm, just for appearance's sake. That was the essence of the snake's House: appearance, ostentation, falsity, pretence. Daphne liked it. It could be extremely fun, or an incredible burden, to act all the time, to plan actions and reactions and being more cunning than Ravenclaws, more patient than Hufflepuffs…more daring than Gryffindor. And way, way, way smarter than all of them; danger was something that Slytherins disliked with a passion. And Dorian Greengrass had taught his two children well.
"I'm all ears, Draco" she said, sighing.
Again, Draco's lips graced his features with a smile. He wasn't that bad looking, she thought; but she would never think of him in any touchable-like way. The only thought sent cold shivers down her spine. Or maybe it was another side effect of the medicine.
The light outside was fading; most part of the day had gone, and she had wasted it on the goddamned hospital bed.
"Hm." he began "To know that I got someone in debt with me, someone who owes me something." he saw Daphne nodding "And apart from that, my dear Daphne, I want you to do something worthy of your evil deeds' fame. I expect you to do something about what I'm going to tell you, IF you accept and IF I'm going to tell you."
"Oh. Fine." she replied, knowing that she could break the promise and withdraw any moment she wanted. And Draco hadn't been smart enough to make her undergo any magical oath, and not even to have someone with them. She smirked, thinking that the boy still had a lot to learn. Spoiled little brat.
"Hufflepuffs are on a bet." he stated.
Hm. Interesting.
And how exactly was this supposed to bother her? Let silly baby Hufflepuffs play their childish games.
The Malfoy boy noticed that she didn't seem impressed, so he decided to drop the little mental speech he had prepared, and hit her with the juicy news.
"Cedric Diggory is supposed to win a girl's heart. A Slytherin girl's heart. Miss Greengrass' heart." He announced, and he made himself comfortable, enjoying the soon-to-come berserk reaction of the girl.
Daphne closed her eyes. She breathed deeply, in and out. She clenched her fists, strong enough to make her fingers crack. She opened her eyes, filled with anger, and smiled.
"How sweet of him."
"I thought the very same thing." Draco agreed.
"How did you know?"
"First-years are SO easily scared."
"Now, that's amusing."
"Thought so."
"Who else knows?"
"Me, Zab and Nott"
"Nott."
"Him."
"We must shut Blaise's mouth."
"He won't talk; he's as much interested as I am."
"And what exactly did you mean by 'do something about it'?"
Draco paused, and poked her on the forehead, half smiling. "Entertain me."
"Con piacere" she replied.
Cedric Diggory. The golden rule of 'how to deal with Slytherins' would soon be a lesson he would never forget. Never play with snakes.
