Wow, this is the longest scene I've written for this story so far. There was another part for this chapter but when this scene grew, I took it out because it didn't fit this chapter anymore.
It would be a surprise to most people but she and Tracey only became friends in their second year. It was rather unfortunate but her Slytherin year mates had made their alliances years before they had stepped foot into Hogwarts.
Daphne herself had been no exception. Her original circle of friends had included Lilith Moon, a fellow first year, Willow Appleby, a third year and Aaron Hawke, a stern-looking fourth year. She had been grateful for Lilith because Pansy and Millicent Bulstrode, who were their fellow Slytherin first years and second cousins, and had taken an us-against-them stance against the rest of the first year Slytherins, leaving Daphne, Lilith and Tracey stranded.
It must have been a very lonely year for Tracey. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were suspicious of them and Ravenclaws tended to keep their distance except in the neutral ground of the library. The hierarchy in Slytherin meant that Tracey, as a half-blood with little fortune or fame to speak of, was a little better than a muggleborn in terms of rank.
That being said, Daphne's first year at Hogwarts was not any better. The relationship she had with Lilith was cordial at best. Other than Lilith's birth date and her study, dietary and sleep habits, there was very little else she knew about the other Slytherin girl. At the end of her first year, Daphne had watched rather enviously as other students swapped Floo addresses and made holiday plans before spending her entire summer in near isolation at Greengrass manor.
It was only when Lilith had fallen ill with Dragonpox during Yule of their second year and during the fourteen weeks that she had been absent from school that Daphne had taken to sitting with Tracey in class. Their tentative friendship grew as they continued to pair up for lessons and sat together during meals until one night Tracey had presented Daphne with a hand-made friendship band.
Given that Daphne's experiences or lack thereof, she had been wary about accepting the gift. Instead of feeling offended, the then twelve year old blonde had revealed a matching bracelet on her own wrist and had shyly expressed her happiness in making a gift for her new friend.
Surprised but touched at the gift, Daphne had slowly opened up to the blonde and by the time Lilith was due to return, they had been inseparable. It was rather mean of Daphne but she had been relieved when Lilith's parents had chosen to withdraw their daughter from Hogwarts (rather than bear the shame of their child having to repeat second year if Lilith did return) as it allowed Daphne to devote her time to her one true friend.
It was probably with that in mind, Daphne had approached Hermione Granger one evening. The Potter library, only known to favoured courtiers and friends of the family and warded against the general population, was usually empty on weekends. Daphne had quickly noticed, during her weekly visits to the library, that Granger had practically taken up residence there when she realized that Harry was unusually busy and seldom had time to entertain his old friend.
The young woman was hurtling towards some sort of mental breakdown as she went out of her way to lecture about 'barbaric behaviour' and 'degrading acts of humanity' while stepping on plenty of toes, friends and strangers alike. In Granger's mad effort to explain her way of thought, she had pushed everyone away, leaving her a social pariah in a young but growing kingdom.
"Granger," Daphne greeted neutrally.
The brunette eyed her with thinly-veiled suspicion but made no comment as Daphne took a seat opposite her. Another woman might have felt disgruntled by the lack of civility and mistrusting looks but Daphne had opted to skim through the Warding book she was reading from, deliberately ignoring Granger's level gaze.
"What do you want?" While Granger's face was borderline hostile, it did not hide the curiosity in her eyes.
"I just wanted to let you know how incredibly stupid you are being and that you should stop your tirades and insolence before you lose what few friendships you have."
Granger reared back, as though Daphne had physically slapped her. Indignation practically leaked out of her as soon as she recovered from Daphne's comment.
"You can't be serious," Hermione stared at her incredulously, "The way you people behave is primitive and immoral. Britain already has a royal family but Harry is parading around like he's the King of England. Furthermore his people have abolished the Ministry of Magic – who's going to maintain the Statute of Secrecy and other governmental policies? Why should we throw all authority and power to him just because he defeated V-Voldemort."
"Granger," she interrupted the other girl, "If you just stop harping about what you believe is wrong and look at what the problems and solutions actually are, you would be able to understand what Harry and his council are doing."
The other girl looked extremely vexed but Daphne held up a hand to hold off whatever Granger intended to say.
"Since the magical world split from the muggle world, our ancestors have never sworn sovereignty to whatever royal family that presides over muggle Britain. Harry does not presume to be the King of England but he is practically the sovereign lord of Britain and Scotland's wizarding people."
A little part of Daphne would be lying if she had felt remorseful when she had to use a Silencing charm to stop Granger from trying to cut in. Daphne could feel the sizzle of Granger's magic trying to undo her spell but she pushed more power into her own magic, unable to stop a triumphant smirk as the Silencing spell held. Unable to remove the Silencing charm, Granger huffed silently before crossing her arms and waited for Daphne to continue.
"Did you know Merlin was regarded as the lord of his kinsmen? He was just a bastard child who would live and died an unremarkable person except for his ability to harness and use magic with great results. Harry's case is no different. He would have been recorded as another Lord Potter in history except that he defeated a Dark lord twice and freed us from a corrupted, oppressive government, the people look unto him like how the Celts looked for guidance from Merlin."
Absentmindedly twirling her wand, Daphne smiled in amusement. "The purebloods are willing to accept Harry as their undisputed ruler, simply because Harry is the wizard with the most power while the half-bloods and muggleborn are willing to rebuild a new world with a man who is not only talented in the ways of magic but is still humble and able to connect with the common folk.
"It's a bit hypocritical that when it suited the Light side, it was acceptable for Harry to be paraded around as a Champion for the Light but when he was capable of running his own show, Dumbledore and his lot were the first to decry his actions as Dark or acts of damnation," Daphne shook her head as she tried to get back on topic.
"The wizarding world's foundation was shaky at best when Harry took on the Ministry. Do you know what would happen to muggleborns like you if purebloods like the Malfoys or the Averys took over? You'll be branded like slaves, sold to pureblood men as playthings or taken from your parents to be raised as servants or shop assistants. Hogwarts would function as a breeding ground for building contacts and family alliances, grooming young men and women for the political stage of adulthood. The means that Harry and Lord Black undertook to save us from such a future may not be palatable to Dumbledore and his people but it certainly was more than Dumbledore doing nothing and hoping that men like Malfoy would somehow be enlightened and abandon the horrors of the cruelty they embrace.
"The council and the Wizengamot are not a fully functioning government but certainly you can admit that Harry will do what is right and good for the people and not what would be most beneficial to him or his ilk. Despite how well-liked Harry is, he is not a god but only a man. It is well-known that there is no way to appease everyone."
Gryffindors seem to never hide their emotions, Daphne thought to herself. She could practically see shame, disgust and understanding warring for dominance on Granger's face before it settled on a determined frown. Daphne could see how much the other girl wanted to say something so she willingly flicked off the Silencing spell. Granger gave her a reproachful look but she ignored it.
"Even if that were true, it doesn't give Harry any excuse to practice," at this point Granger's eyes swivelled to glance at Daphne's large bump, "this obscene pretence of having multiple wives. The poor children will have to bear the burden of illegitimacy for the rest of their lives. As a pureblood, you would know that offspring from unwed parents cannot inherit any wealth or property in the wizarding world."
Slightly impressed that Granger had done some research in pureblood traditions, Daphne was a little more confident in being able to deliver her intended message to the brunette.
"How much do you know about the old practices and traditions?"
"Enough to know that it is extremely antiquated," was Granger's glib reply.
"Impertinence would get you nowhere," Daphne chided the bookworm before considering her next sentence. Granger had proven that despite the Hippogriff-sized load of knowledge that Daphne had elucidated, if it did not suit her argument, Granger was bound to tune it out.
"Britain suffered from many magical wars in the 1200s to 1500s with many young men perishing in pursuit of victory. When muggles started their Witch hunts, many more magical children were seized and executed due to their inability to control their growing magic. The Ministry of that time then permitted multiple marriages, allowing families with a single heir to marry more than one wife to secure the continuance of their lines. However the allowance for multiple marriages was perverted as it became a luxury for nobility and the wealthy because not many families could afford to pay for multiple dowries or maintain their growing Houses. This allowance fell out of use nearly two centuries ago when many families started adding clauses in the marriage agreements to prohibit multiple marriages.
"When Harry took all nine of us to be his wives, it wasn't just for a play of power or wealth or something he took up on a whim. The Potter family was once considered one of the greatest wizarding families in Britain. As the last Potter remaining, Harry must have felt the pressure to ensure his ancestors' legacy did not die with him or the next generation.
"Before you argue about women's rights," the two words sounded foreign to Daphne but Tracey had insisted she use it on Granger so she pushed on, "The Potter legacy is more than a thousand years old. It is a patriarchal inheritance founded during a conservative time period. Harry would be powerless to prevent the extinction of the Potter line if he only had daughters. He is simply fulfilling his role as the sole surviving Potter. As Harry's friend, you of all people should know that Harry is not the sort of person who would condemn another for such petty reasons nor would he resort to such measures if he did not have to."
If she wasn't feeling sorry for the bookworm, Daphne might have been amused at the way Granger practically wilted at her comment. Placing a few books on the table for Granger's perusal, Daphne stood up and walked towards the library exit.
She was almost at the doorway when a small voice broke the silence. "Why did you even come over?"
Granger still looked defensive so Daphne decided that honesty would probably work best. "You looked lonely," Daphne told the muggleborn witch before she ducked out of the library.
As always please review! :)
PS - I'm not bashing Hermione. This AU is one where the Golden Trio eventually went separate ways with Harry and Hermione having grown apart for the last few years, leading her to develop or amplify some undesirable qualities.