Daphne awoke the next morning along with the rest of the Slytherin sixth year girls. Daphne noted that Pansy looked as if she'd barely slept. She guessed that after Pansy finished her makeup, no one would be able to guess that she was tired, or even suffering a broken heart.
Daphne was the first into the showers, anxious to get her day started. She had lain in bed until quite late herself, thinking of how she wanted to begin the year. She was back with Harry, and that thought alone made her smile as the hot water washed away the shampoo from her hair. She and Harry now had a real chance for a proper relationship. She was happy that they were together, and that they had decided to take things slow. Ease into it, as it were. Harry still had trust issues, and she had to prove beyond a doubt that she was loyal to him. Though she'd given a magical oath, she had to earn his trust by her actions. She had every intention of doing that. The fact that she would be getting a bit of revenge was just an added bonus.
Daphne finished her shower grabbed her towel and stepped out. She heard Tracey humming away in her shower, while Millicent was already dressing. Daphne quickly dried off, and dressed in her uniform. Tights, skirt, Shirt and tie, sweater and finally shoes. She went back into the bathroom to dry and brush her hair. Tracey had finally finished and Daphne told her best friend to hurry up. Tracey rolled her eyes as she passed Daphne to get dressed as well.
"If she makes me late for breakfast, I'm going to put an engorgement charm on her butt." Daphne thought as she applied her own makeup. She'd never used much, just a bit on her eyes and some gloss on her lips. With a final approving look at herself, Daphne returned to the dorm to put on her robes, just as Tracey finished dressing.
"You're moving really slow this morning." Daphne noted.
"Or maybe you're moving really fast." Tracey remarked. "A bit anxious to get to the Great Hall? Missing your boyfriend that much?"
Daphne rolled her eyes and Tracey grinned as she returned to the bathroom to finish getting ready for the day. Daphne had little choice but to wait, though she contemplated leaving without her best friend. As anxious as she was to see Harry, there was one other person she really needed to speak to. Thankfully Tracey was ready to go a few minutes later. As they started to head out, Daphne noted Pansy taking a very long time to put on her clothes. She looked so pathetic, that Daphne wondered if all that she had learned last night was true. It was definitely something she was going to have look into further. Having Pansy as an ally would be most beneficial.
Daphne thought that she would have to wait to speak to the one person she desperately wanted to see until later, but as she and Tracey left the Slytherin Common room, she saw the little prick just ahead.
"I need you to do me a favor.' Daphne said quietly to Tracey who looked up with curiosity. "I need a private word with Malfoy, and I'll need you to keep his little goons away from us."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Tracey asked, looking very concerned.
"You're more than capable to take on both Crabbe and Goyle on your own. But, if you think they'll be a problem, just… flash them." Daphne said pointedly.
"That's a good idea. Those two clowns have probably never seen such a beautiful set." Tracey smirked.
Daphne sped up and grabbed Draco by the arm, shoving him hard into a nearby corridor, slipping her hand into his robe where she knew he kept his wand, and snatching it before he could even think to pull it on her. She then shoved him hard against the wall her left forearm pressed hard against his throat, the wand she stolen from him, pointed at his temple.
"Good morning Draco." She smiled sinisterly at him. "I thought you and I might have a bit of a conversation, just so we're on the same page before things get… problematic."
"Do you have any idea how dead you are?" Draco gasped.
"Your threats aren't going to work this time." Daphne snapped icily. "I know you're working for Voldemort."
Draco winced at the name and Daphne pressed her arm a bit harder into his throat.
"I know that you're hoping to take your father's place in his circle, so I just wanted to let you know that as of right now, I am making it my personal mission to see you in prison. If I even think you're doing anything to hurt anyone in this school, I swear I will kill you the same way I killed your auntie."
Draco's eyes bulged and his face colored a deep crimson that had nothing to do with the arm pressing against his windpipe.
"He's going to come, Greengrass. He's going to come and he's going to make you hurt in the worst ways imaginable. And when he does, I'm going to be right there, laughing at you."
"We'll see." Daphne replied. She released him then and took a step back from him. "He couldn't kill Harry, so what can he really do to me?"
Daphne turned and left, tossing Draco's wand to the floor. Tracey smirked as her best friend emerged and linked her arm with Daphne's.
"Put it on a bit thick there, didn't you?" Tracey asked. Daphne made a face and shook her head.
"I wasn't playing around." Daphne said. Tracey nodded.
"I know. You're pissed. I get that. If our roles were reversed, I'd be sticking my wand up his arse and firing every curse I knew. But that's not what I meant. That stuff about Voldemort…"
"I saw it with my own eyes." Daphne said quickly.
"Just because he can't kill Harry doesn't mean he cant hurt you." Tracey said with a slightly worried expression.
"I'm done being afraid of him." Daphne said looking hard at Tracey. "His days are numbered. Harry's going to end him, so there's no point being afraid anymore. Harry's going to fight, and I'm going to be right next to him through it all."
The two girls emerged into the entrance hall just as their Gryffindor friends were coming down the stairs. Daphne smiled brightly as Harry approached her and kissed her gently.
"Good morning." She said.
"What's with him?" Harry asked as at that moment, Draco Malfoy passed them, looking murderous at the two of them.
"I think he got some bad news." Daphne smirked. "I'm hungry."
Harry chuckled as Daphne took his hand and began leading him into the Great Hall, followed by their friends, who were all smiling at the reunited couple.
Conversation was light through breakfast until the teachers began handing out schedules. Daphne was quite happy that her grades were good enough to continue her chosen subjects. She did not have a clear idea of a career, so had taken classes that would allow her to pursue at least three different career paths. Harry was quite surprised that he was going be allowed to continue with potions, keeping his dream of becoming an Auror alive. However, after his summer of training, some of the shine of his dream was gone.
"You're still taking Care of Magical creatures?" Ron asked after he read over Harry's schedule. Harry nodded, and both Ron and Hermione looked slightly ashamed.
"Neither of you two signed up, did you?" Harry asked, and both of them shook their heads. Harry then looked at the rest of his sixth year friends, who all looked a little ashamed.
"Well, I guess it'll be an interesting class with only me in it.' Harry shook his head."
"Harry, can you honestly tell me that you've enjoyed Hagrid's class?" Hermione asked.
"I won't say it's my favorite, but he's had some really good lessons. The Nifflers were pretty fun, and you have to admit, he's really knowledgeable on dark creatures. I figure that there's a chance I might face some of these things, so I'd better learn about them from someone who probably understands them better than anyone." Harry shrugged.
"I never thought of it like that." Hermione looked embarrassed.
"I think he'll understand that you guys didn't really need his class for your career paths." Harry said, and the rest of them looked a bit relieved.
"Well, I've got Runes this morning, and I see that your first class period is empty.' Daphne smiled, looking at Harry's schedule. "So, would you walk with me to class?"
"It'd be my pleasure.' Harry said as he got to his feet, helping Daphne as well.
"It's so nice to see him happy." Hermione said as she and Tracey rose from the table. "it's such a rare sight to see Harry smiling like that."
"Her too." Tracey remarked. "So who won the pool?"
Hermione's grin widened as she patted her pocket. Tracey threw her head back with laughter as the two headed for Ancient Runes.
"So you're thinking it's another set up." Hermione said as she Tracey and Daphne all left their Ancient Runes class. Daphne and Tracey had told Hermione all about what they had learned from Millicent the previous night. Hermione was just as cautious in believing Pansy's story as Daphne, but couldn't deny how useful she could be.
"It's pretty convenient" Daphne said. "The things is, I don't think she's lying. I think he really did break up with her."
"Maybe we could talk to her." Tracey suggested. "Just the three of us. Ask her some questions, and se if she's telling the truth."
"That's not a bad idea." Hermione nodded.
"If it is true, then I wonder what he meant that he was trading up?" Daphne wondered aloud.
"You mean who does he have the hots for that he thinks being in Voldemort's inner circle will impress them enough to overlook his many shortcomings?" Tracey asked holding up her thumb and forefinger an inch apart.
"You don't have to be gross." Hermione said, wrinkling her nose. Daphne also looked rather disgusted.
"You both need to loosen up." Tracey smiled as she shoved Hermione into Daphne playfully. "Maybe if you experienced the wonders of the male anatomy, you might not be so uptight all the time."
"And you know all about the male anatomy?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
"I know my way around a boy's wand." Tracey admitted. "I was with Blaise for four months last year. You really don't think all we did was snog, do you?"
"Oh my gods!" Daphne hissed, her voice falling to an accusatory whisper. "Why is this the first I'm hearing this?"
"Well my dear Ice Queen," Tracey snickered. "You had your own life to deal with, didn't you?"
"So…" Hermione began, looking really nervous and curious at the same time. "Did you and Blaise…"
"Have sex?" Tracey asked with a smirk. "Yes. And I don't regret it."
Hermione could only stare with awe at the Slytherin. Daphne also looked impressed, and a little sad.
"I always thought that when I … Had sex for the first time," Hermione began after several long moments of silence. "I'd be in love, and probably married."
"Nothing wrong with that." Tracey said matter-of-factly. "If that's what you want, then do that, but you don't have to remain completely pure, if you catch my meaning."
"Ok, I think that you've corrupted poor Hermione enough for one morning. Come on, we have Charms." Daphne scowled, taking Tracey's arm. "We'll catch you at lunch, alright Hermione?"
The bushy haired girl nodded, though her eyes were distant, clearly still analyzing what Tracey had just said.
"You're going to break her." Daphne said with a scowl.
"Hardly. That girl needs a release more than anyone in this school. The problem is her standards are so damn high that almost no one would ever be good enough for her. Especially considering you are dating her ideal boy."
"Hermione likes Harry?" Daphne looked shocked.
"I don't know if she likes him in that way, but he is the wizard by which all other men will be compared in her mind." Tracey remarked.
"How do you know this?" Daphne asked.
"I pay attention. You know, like you used to do." Tracey grinned. "Come on, I don't want to be late."
The two Slytherins arrived at their next class and took their usual seats in the middle of the class. Pansy and Millicent were already seated in the row in front of them. As soon as they sat down, Pansy turned and looked right at Daphne, before she quickly slipped her classmate a folded bit of parchment. Daphne unfolded it cautiously, eyeing Pansy who had turned around in her seat again.
I need to speak to Potter tonight. URGENT!
Daphne passed the note to Tracey, whose brow wrinkled in confusion. Unfortunately, they were unable to speak about it as Professor Flitwick began the lesson. Daphne kept glancing at Pansy, but the her roommate was acting perfectly normal. And when class was over, Pansy was out the door in the blink of an eye.
"What the hell do you think that's all about?" Tracey asked.
"I have no idea, but there is no way I'm letting Harry talk to her alone." Daphne vowed.
"Come on, let's go to lunch. We'll tell Harry about this and see what he says."
Pansy took a deep breath as she opened the door to the classroom on the sixth floor and entered to find herself faced with not only Harry Potter looking defiant and more confident than Pansy could ever remember, but his girlfriend as well, whom Pansy had expected to be there.
What she wasn't prepared to see was Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, though in hindsight, Pansy knew she should have seen that coming. The Muggleborn and the Weasel were never far from the Golden Boy. Tracey Davis was there as well, perched on the corner of the teacher's desk, legs crossed and eyes hard. Neville Longbottom was also there, leaning against the blackboard, with Ginny Weasley at his side. Lavender Brown was there as well, sitting at a desk, filing her nails.
"I didn't realize there was going to be a party." Pansy remarked coldly as she stared at Daphne.
"No one seemed to trust you to be alone with me." Harry said politely, motioning for Pansy to enter the rest of the way. She nodded and made sure the door was securely shut behind her.
"Someone may want to make sure no one can enter." Pansy said, pulling her wand out and handing it to Harry who looked at her with questioning eyes. "I know that you don't trust me, and you have every reason not to. Consider this a show of good faith."
Harry nodded, and set the girls wand on the desk in front of him as Pansy took a seat and demurely crossed her legs.
"I expect by now you've heard that Draco and I… That he dumped me." She began.
"Actually I hadn't." Harry said, looking to Daphne who shook her head.
"Sorry, but I didn't think you really needed to know something so trivial." Daphne said. Harry shrugged and turned back to Pansy who was actually smiling gratefully.
"He dumped me on the train Yesterday. At least he had the nerve to do it face to face." She sighed. "Maybe I should start a little further back, so you understand me better. My family is poor. We're actually much worse off than you Weasleys."
"How is that possible?" Ginny asked. "You always have the best clothes, and your jewelry…"
"The Parkinson name is still worth something, though it's value is getting less and less each day. From the time I was ten years old, my parents began drilling into me that I needed to save my family. I had to marry the richest most powerful wizard they knew. Draco Malfoy."
Pansy lowered her head for a moment, and took several breaths. "I was to use any and all methods except love potions. The Malfoy's have ways to detect and negate them. So, I became what I thought Draco wanted. I turned myself into a bigoted, arrogant bitch all so Draco would fall in love with me, and it worked, for a while. Then in third year, he began to notice the older girls, and more specifically, their… assets."
"Boobs." Tracey said flatly. Pansy nodded, and Daphne saw the first tear forming in Pansy's dark eyes.
"I didn't have any of my own yet, so I had to get his attention back on me some other way. So, I asked a few older girls for some tips. By the end of the year, my boobs were beginning, and I had Draco eating out of the palm of my hand. It didn't really last. The more I did for Draco, the more he wanted. I'm startled the more I think about how long I was able to hold out, but the night of the Yule Ball, I gave myself to him."
Hermione gasped, but everyone else merely kept watching Pansy bare her soul. Daphne kept wondering if this speech had been rehearsed or if she was actually seeing the real Pansy Parkinson.
"I convinced myself that I had secured my future, but… It wasn't enough for him. Draco wanted more. Everything he ever asked of me, no matter how disgusting or degrading, I did it. I did it because I couldn't think of anything worse than being poor. No offense." Pansy said looking to Ginny and Ron. Both redheads looked at each other and then back to Pansy, each with different looks of disgust and sympathy.
"The point is," Pansy continued. "Everything I did was to guarantee my future with Draco. But that's gone now. The thing about all of this is, I'm not so sure that I'm upset by it. I mean, I feel relief in many ways. I've been wondering for over a year now what our marriage would actually be. Would I be his wife, or a just a whore he would use when he was bored. Like his father uses his mother."
Harry's eye brows shot up into his hairline at this. Pansy smirked and shook her head.
"See, the thing is, all the time I was with him, I heard things. I saw things. And now that we're not together, I'm finding that I am disgusted with myself." Pansy turned to Daphne now and stared deep into the blue eyes of the former Ice Queen.
"I envied you last year." She said, making Daphne's mouth to open in surprise. "I noticed… everyone noticed how the Ice Queen melted because of Potter. I watched as you changed, and I was jealous that you felt confident enough to be who you wanted to be and damn the consequences. I knew what Draco was doing to you. I knew he was playing messenger to The Dark Lord. He was bragging about it. He laughed when he told us about how he fooled you into believing he was marked and then washed it off before he got dragged into Dumbledore's office. He's becoming more twisted than his father could have ever hoped to be, and I think that he's going to… No, I know he's going to kill someone this year, and I think it's going to be soon."
"How do you know this?" Neville asked, sounding dangerous, shocking Pansy with his tone.
"Because he took the Mark over the summer. I saw it myself. He showed us on the train, and it's not ink, or a glamour. It's the real mark." PAnsy said, looking at every one of them in turn. Daphne rolled her eyes, and stood up.
"I fell for this once." She began, but Pansy cut her off.
"My father has the mark." She said quickly. "I've been familiar with it my entire life."
"Your father is a Death Eater?" Harry asked suddenly.
"Former." Pansy replied. "He's been in hiding ever since the Dark Lord returned. I don't know why he doesn't want to return to the Dark Lord, but I'm happy that he's trying to stay away. The point is, I know the Mark on Draco's arm is real."
"And how is that?" Tracey asked.
"It moves, like it's alive. A parasite or something." Pansy explained. "Sometimes it's so subtle that you'll miss it, but other times it's hard not to notice. Draco has the mark, and I know he's not the only one. Draco said ten people took the mark in a ceremony. He doesn't know who they are, but he knows they all are in the school. He said the reason they don't know the other identities is so if one of them is caught, they won't give up the others."
"That makes sense." Ron said, looking at Pansy. "If one of your spies is caught, you still have the others. They can work together, without even knowing it. All You-Know-Who has to do is give each one a specific job to do."
"Which means there are at least ten Death Eaters here at Hogwarts." Harry scowled.
"We could assume they're Slytherins." Ginny said, but Hermione shook her head.
"That's a dangerous assumption to make." She remarked.
"And not a little rude." Tracey said, glaring at Ginny, who looked apologetic.
"I didn't mean it like that." She said quickly. "It's only that the majority of his followers were Slytherins when they were in school. It's a good bet that these new Death Eaters are kids of his followers."
"She's right." Daphne nodded. "The question is, what do we do about it?"
"How do we know that you're not giving us a load of tosh?" Harry asked Pansy, who held out her hand for her wand. When Harry handed it to her, she grasped his hand and stared him right in the eyes.
"I swear on my life and Magic that all I have said this night is the truth. So mote it be."
There was a flash, similar to the one that had happened when Daphne had sworn her own oath to Harry at the end of last term. Harry nodded and turned to the rest of the group.
"We know Draco is a Death eater now, but we also know that he can be… clever at hiding what he doesn't want people to know. We also know that Dumbledore won't do anything without real proof. So, we have to expose him some how." He said.
"I don't think having the Mark will be enough." Tracey said. "Given how much he's gotten away with in the past, I think we're actually going to have to catch him in the act."
"He mentioned something about being given a job. Something very important, but he wouldn't say much else." Pansy reported.
"Then that's what we have to do. Find out what he's up to, and catch him in the act." Ron said, folding his arms.
"We have to be subtle." Hermione commented. "If the ferret even thinks we're on to him, he'll make it that much harder for us."
"I might be able to get information from Nott, Crabbe and Goyle." Pansy offered. "But I'll have to be careful. If he thinks they're giving away stuff, he won't tell them anything."
"Ok." Harry said, getting to his feet again. "So, we work on figuring out who the other Death Eaters are, and we get Dumbledore to act."
"How do we do that?" Tracey asked.
No one had an answer, and Harry felt his heart fall a bit. It all seemed rather impossible at the moment, but as he looked around to his friends, Harry knew that if they worked together, they would find a solution.
Daphne held Harry back after they finished talking to Pansy. They're friends gave knowing looks to the couple as they left, and Daphne charmed the door with the most powerful locking charm she could think of before slipping into Harry's arms.
"I just really wanted a bit of time alone with you." She smiled after he asked what was happening.
"Any specific reason?" He asked. Daphne shook her head.
"Nope."
She reached up and kissed him softly, feeling elation wash over her as he held her a bit tighter.
"Am I correct in assuming you don't trust Pansy either?" Harry asked when he broke the kiss. Daphne sighed, and pulled away a bit.
"It's not really polite to talk about another girl when you're with your girlfriend, Harry."
Harry looked sheepish and apologized.
"No, I don't." Daphne said as she perched herself on the teacher's desk. "I want to believe her, but I know how she can be. She all but said it herself. She's a chameleon. She can be whatever she thinks people want her to be. I know some of the stuff she said to be true. Her… activities in the boy's dorms isn't a real big secret in Slytherin. But… at the same time, there's something that makes me think she's actually being honest here."
Harry nodded thoughtfully as he sat next to Daphne, staring at her legs which she had crossed and was kicking against the desk lightly.
"Given everything, I can't really ignore her here." Harry said. "But, I can't help being cautious."
"I'd worry if you weren't.' Daphne said. They fell into a comfortable silence for a minute. Daphne noticed Harry staring and grinned.
"See something you fancy?"
Harry's face pinkened a bit, but he nodded all the same.
"Your legs." He smirked.
"And here I thought you were a boob man." Daphne remarked. Harry's eyebrows rose a bit.
"Can't I be both?" He smiled, looking into her eyes.
"I suppose so. Harry, I know we said we were going to take it slow an all, but… This is really embarrassing… just how slow are we going to take this?"
"What do you mean?" He looked puzzled.
"Well, it's just that…" Daphne paused, feeling her face heat up. Harry's smile was making things easier either.
"I'm going to kill Tracey for this." She said.
"For what?" Harry wondered.
"Look, we're both teenagers, and we have urges, right?" She asked. Harry began chuckling, and Daphne hit his arm.
"Ow! Ok, I think I get what you're trying to say here." Harry laughed. "I suppose we could move certain things along. But I meant what I said on the train. I, no, we need to get reacquainted with each other. I mean, we know each other pretty well, but things got muddled.
"I know. But I also know that we have a good base on which to rebuild this thing between us. I don't know what the future holds, but I don't want to look back at this and have any regrets." Daphne explained .
Harry thought about it for a few minutes before he took her hand in his own.
"That's kind of why I wanted to try this again." He smiled softly. Daphne smiled as well and threw her legs over Harry's and grabbed the front of his shirt.
"Then snog me until I can't se straight." Daphne said firmly.