Enter for the Quidditch League Competition - Round 5 - Puddlemere United - Chaser 2
Prompt: Jealousy
Optional prompts used: 7. (dialogue) "I wouldn't blame you if you hated me."; 9. (pairing) Pansy/Daphne; 13. (genre) friendship
Word count: 1,367
Afraid to lose you
Daphne didn't like it when things didn't go the way that she wanted, and right now, she wasn't happy with Pansy. Pansy was her best friend, so why they were going to Malfoy Manor to "play" with Draco was beyond her.
"Mama, I don't want to go, and I don't think Pansy wants to go either." Even at the age five, Daphne already had a strong personality, and she could be very stubborn when she wanted.
"Daph, I want to go," Pansy said in a small voice, not wanting to upset her best friend. "Drake said that his friends would be there, and I could bring my best friend with me."
A pang of something Daphne couldn't name ran through her body when Pansy called him by a nickname, and her delicate features contorted like she had eaten something sour.
"Don't worry, Pans, I already talked to Narcissa about you two going there to spend the afternoon, and since it's a casual outing, you don't need to dress up," Aurora Greengrass said with a smile, which made Daphne pout.
"I don't understand why you're so reluctant to go to Draco's house, Daph." Pansy said, and Daphne saw that she was trying to placate her. "I just want to play with other kids too."
If it was possible, Daphne's lower lip jutted out even more at what Pansy had said. She couldn't understand why her friend wanted to be with other kids when they had been friends ever since they were babies. Daphne couldn't understand what was happening to her friend.
"I don't want to go, and I don't want to meet these boys." Daphne stomped her little feet and stormed out of the room, missing the hurt look on Pansy's face.
Daphne didn't hear what her mother said to Pansy; she didn't want to hear anything. She decided to go to her sanctuary in her house, a place where she knew that she would have time to herself.
Daphne ran towards the garden, thinking about why Pansy was intent on going. Pansy had never wanted to play with other kids before, so Daphne didn't understand why Pansy suddenly wanted to play with Draco Malfoy and his friends. Daphne's feelings were a mess, and she couldn't make heads nor tails of it. She plopped down on the bench behind the roses.
"Chérie? Where are you?" her mother's voice called after her, and Daphne didn't make any sound, thinking that if her mother couldn't find her, they would miss the playdate — which was perfect, in her opinion.
"There you are!"
Daphne glared at her mother, angry that she had found her so easily, but at the same time, glad that her mother had found her — she didn't want to be alone.
"Do you want to tell me why you are being mean to Pansy just because she made a new friend?" Aurora asked, sitting next to Daphne on the bench. "You never had problems with going to play with Tracy before."
Daphne didn't reply; she just stared at the garden in front of them. The garden was her favourite part of the house; it had all her favourite flowers — lilies, roses, daisies, orchids — and Daphne always felt at ease when she was there, even when she was feeling confused like she was now. She liked to stare at the flowers bunched together, which looked like something straight out of a portrait. The sight helped her focus her thoughts and not to say something that she didn't want to and regret later.
Her arms were crossed, and her lips jutted out in a pout. Her mother didn't pry and simply waited for Daphne to say what was on her mind; Daphne knew that her mother always let her think about her feelings before saying anything.
"Tracy didn't try to steal my best friend from me," Daphne murmured, her voice so soft that she thought that her mother hadn't heard her. Her mother wouldn't understand what she was thinking or feeling, and Daphne couldn't stop the tears from welling up. Her mother didn't say anything, and the first tears ran down Daphne's face.
"Oh, baby," Aurora said, hugging Daphne and bringing her closer to her chest. The lump in Daphne's throat grew, and her tears streamed down her face. "No one is trying to steal Pansy from you. Why would you think that?"
Daphne told her mother between her gasps for air. "Then why would she want to go to Draco's house? I'm her best friend." Daphne looked at her mother with big, fat tears still rolling down her face.
"And that is never going to change, cherie," Aurora said, kissing Daphne's forehead and hugging her tighter. "I know you feel like Pansy is abandoning you, but she just wants to make more friends. You don't need to be jealous."
"I'm not jealous!" Daphne glared at her mother, who only raised an eyebrow at her.
"Have you ever heard of the little green monster, Daph?" Aurora asked, and Daphne shook her head. "The little green monster is what we call jealousy, and if you aren't careful, it could grow until it consumes you. You don't want that to happen, do you?"
"No, mama, I just like it when it's just me and her," Daphne muttered after hearing her mother's story.
"And I know that Pansy loves it when it's just the two of you too, but sometimes, it is good to have other friends that you can play with." Daphne started to think about what her mother was saying to her, even if some things didn't seem to make sense. "Why don't you give Draco and his friends a chance? If Pansy likes him, he can't be that bad, can he?"
"I suppose," Daphne said, not wanting to say anything more. She was curious to see why Pansy wanted to be Draco's friend. She also worried that Pansy would prefer Draco over her.
"Now, you're going to go inside, say sorry to Pansy for being jealous of her, and we'll go to Malfoy Manor." Aurora hugged Daphne once more and stood up, giving her hand for her, to which Daphne accepted while they walked back inside.
"Pans! You're here!" Draco Malfoy said as soon as they left the fireplace, grabbing Pansy in a fierce hug. Daphne tried not to let the 'little green monster' — as her mother had called it earlier — take over her, but it was terribly hard to stop herself from punching Draco's little face. "And Daph came too!"
Daphne wasn't expecting the hug — nor the nickname — that Draco gave her, but it was good to not feel left out. She even smiled while hugging him back, missing the look that their mothers shared.
"Okay, children, why don't you go play in the garden while Aurora and I talk a little?" Narcissa said to the three children, receiving smiles in answer. "I'll send Dobby to call you when it's time for tea."
Draco took that as a cue to run towards the garden, where his friends were probably waiting from him, but Daphne grabbed Pansy's hand before she could walk away.
"I'm sorry for how I behaved at my house, I wouldn't blame you if you hate me," Daphne said. She didn't know how to say sorry to Pansy since she had never done this before. "I think I was jealous that Draco was your new best friend."
"Daph, I could never hate you! No one will ever be my best friend when I have you." Pansy beamed at her, pulling her into a tight hug, which made Daphne exhale in relief. "I love you, Daph."
"I love you, Pans," Daphne said, hugging her best friend tighter until they heard a voice.
"C'mon, you two! We're waiting!" Draco practically yelled, making the girls pull away and smile at him.
"Sometimes, I feel like he's jealous of us," Pansy whispered in her ear while she dragged Daphne with her. This made Daphne stop and realise that while she was feeling jealous of Draco, he was jealous of her. She smiled at this and decided to be more gentle towards Draco after this.