Posted 10/20/2022
.
This is a work of fiction, based on the book series by J.K. Rowling. Neither do I claim ownership nor do I intend to.
Chapter Eighty-Four - Reunions
.
Daphne had met his gaze. Every part of her body had screamed at her to run away as far as she could but she had met the gaze of Lord Voldemort. His words had shaken her quite a bit, she couldn't lie. A year ago she might have faltered but she wasn't that person any more. A fool, yes, but less than she'd been when she had kept her head down.
She had been too dumb-founded by the explosion to understand at once what had happened. Then she had been too horrified to act – Millicent, Tracey, the teachers and students, even Astoria were in mortal danger!
And then Hermione had turned to run, and then the Weasley twins had followed, and then Susan and Hannah had broken rank, and then Daphne had caught on to what was truly happening – their parts were over, the game was up. Follow Hermione's lead Harry had told them – easy enough orders but next to impossible to obey. Leave Harry on his own? Turn her back on him to help others?
And yet she whirled around and started running. Every step hurt as she dreaded the shouts of triumph behind her telling her she'd be a widow. She felt she'd not seen nearly enough of Harry. Not nearly enough to –
A scream of pain behind her felt like a punch to the gut – her legs lost their strength and she stumbled. Squelching, more alarmed shouts. Yes! Harry wasn't done yet! Then the unmistakable cracks of spells. So Harry had lost the element of surprise.
Daphne continued running. Don't look back, she reminded herself. Don't turn around. And as she ran the faces of Millicent and Tracey drifted into her mind. They needed her. Hogwarts needed her.
Hermione had a head start. Neither the twins nor Susan and Hannah were slow by any stretch of the word. Ronald had started with Daphne but had left her far behind. It almost looked like he was flying – his feet barely touched the ground.
"The broom!", Daphne shouted after him hoping he'd remember he had one with him and hating that they'd forgotten to take one for everyone. Ronald didn't seem to hear her but it might not have mattered. His dash had him catch up to Hermione in no time, then overtaking her as if the spawns from the abyss were chasing him.
Flashes of spellfire could be seen through the windows. The fight inside had to be fierce, and Daphne dreaded what she would find.
The large front doors opened just as Ronald was at the foot of their stairs. A boy of maybe fifteen dodged out through the crack as a spell hit the wood above his head. The boy fell down the stairs helter-skelter as a masked Death Eater stepped into sight, wand at the ready just as Ronald had reached the top of the stairs.
Without slowing down, the youngest Weasley son delivered a single punch to the Death Eater's head that Daphne thought she could hear bones breaking even across the courtyard. The masked figure crashed against the wooden doors and fell to the ground, motionless.
Ronald dashed inside and out of view. The others followed, Hermione firing a spell into the downed Death Eater.
By the time Daphne had reached the entrance a puddle of blood had formed around the Death Eaters head. Daphne didn't want to think about where it came from and ducked inside.
It was a sight to see for sure – bodies lay on the ground, students were locked in combat with no way of telling who was friend or foe. Parts of the staircase had been blown apart by something more nefarious than anything a student had any right to know, and a partially molten suit of armour was toppled over. Crackling purple arcs from some spell were tearing a painting apart or creating cracks in the stone wall whenever the spell hit it. Susan and Hannah were shouting one floor up as they joined the fray. Daphne thought she saw the Weasley twins in the corridor leading to the Slytherin dungeons dragging someone out of the line of fire.
Death Eaters and students alike lay strewn across the corridor to the left. That had to have been Hermione and Ronald. Under Harry's tutelage they'd become a force of nature themselves – what chance did unsuspecting Death Eaters have against them?
A group of masked men came charging out of an adjacent room just as Daphne was about to climb the stairs. She whirled around, cursing her bad luck. Stairs in her back, enemies in front. The moment a spell flew in her direction instinct kicked in. She dodged the first, blocked the second attack and, deflecting the third spell, retaliated with enough force behind her bludgeoning spell that the enemy was thrown almost entirely across the hall. One down, three to go.
These weren't slouches. They knew how to fight and how to work together, and Daphne struggled to find any openings now they took her seriously. If she didn't know it any better she'd think some of Harry's bad luck had rubbed off on her. As if to confirm a spell from above barely missed her head. A fourth enemy had joined the fight, hidden partially behind the stone handrail of the fourth floor.
Daphne was forced on the defence, retreating slowly up the stairs. Most of the students had either fled the hall or were locked in fights of their own – no help there.
Just as she deflected one of the spells from above towards the group advancing on her did her luck change – the wizard from above was knocked over the railing. But he wasn't the only one falling – a tall, severe-looking witch was flung towards the wall opposite the stairs. She didn't scream like the Death Eater. Minerva McGonagall drew everyone's eye as she twisted mid-air and just like that transformed mid-air into a cat, bounced off the wall and to the ground of the Entrance Hall at the foot of the great staircase. In one fluid motion the Transfiguration professor changed back shape and began her barrage of spells.
In a daze Daphne downed one of the remaining wizards while her former professor dealt with the other two. It was only then that Professor McGonagall turned gaze and wand on Daphne.
"I'm a friend!" the young woman shouted hastily, throwing her hands up. "Greengrass! Daphne Greengrass!"
McGonagall blinked in shock before rushing up the steps. "Miss Greengrass!"
Daphne couldn't get a word in before the older woman had reached her.
"We thought –" Without a pause the Transfiguration professor grabbed Daphne's arm and dragged her further up. "Where have you been? The school is overrun with dark wizards, Death Eaters are swarming the grounds –"
"I know," Daphne replied just as they set foot on the first floor. "We've come to help. Hermione and –"
Professor McGonagall stopped in her stride. "Miss Granger is here?"
"Yes, she's –" Daphne dodged before thinking, and a spell whizzed past her face just as she swished her wand in the general direction of the attack. A fine mist blocked the view momentarily down to about the height of her hip – enough space to still see the opponent's feet and enough to send a stunning spell their way.
"She's downstairs I believe, headed towards the Hufflepuffs," Daphne continued, waiting for the mist to vanish. As it did it revealed a group of Hogwarts students tying up a burly young woman. "Ronald might be with her but I'm not sure. Harry's –" She swallowed a lump. Where was he now? She felt a sharp sting at the thought of him hurt or worse.
As she looked back at her old teacher she could tell McGonagall was trying to digest everything she had heard. To Daphne, it had become her life, but for the professor, it was a lot to take in at once. "You're – you're working with Mr. Potter," she concluded.
"Yeah, I –"
A blinding light flashed outside, followed by the castle shaking. "That's him, I guess," Daphne replied, choosing to take it as a sign that Harry was still fighting.
"Miss Greengrass, I –"
A plumpy witch stumbled out of a tapestry a few feet away, and instinct had Daphne train her wand on the newest arrival. But there was no mistaking Professor Sprout.
"They've breached the defences on the fourth – Dear me! Miss Greengrass?"
"Mrs. Greengrass, yes," Daphne replied, relaxing at the sight of her former teacher. "Has anyone seen Millicent or Tracey?"
If the professors were surprised by her inquiry they did a good job of hiding it.
"Miss Bulstrode was headed towards the third floor. I don't know where Miss Davis is," Professor Sprout replied, still looking confused at the sight of the student who had gone missing. "How did you know Miss Bulstrode and –"
"We've been in contact," Daphne replied, cutting off the Herbology professor. "In short, Hermione, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Fred, George, Ronald Weasley, and I are here to help with the fight inside the castle. Reinforcements should be on the way. Harry is fighting – well, you know who he's fighting on the front lawn," Daphne told the professors. Not giving them a chance to speak, Daphne continued, "Does either of you know where my sister is? Or Draco Malfoy?"
The professors exchanged a look.
"Mr. Malfoy might be upstairs in the Office of his Commitee," Professor McGonagall replied, looking unsure. "If not he probably wouldn't be too far from there and use it as a command post."
Professor Sprout pursed her lips. "I believe I saw your sister head upstairs to the fourth or fifth floor. She might want to – to find her allies. Miss Greengrass –"
"Her allies, not ours, yes," Daphne interrupted. "If you'll excuse me – I have family business to attend to."
She set off at a brisk pace further up the stairs. Third floor Millicent, fourth floor Death Eaters attacking defences. Astoria somewhere upstairs. If she was lucky she might get to take care of two concerns at once.
On the third floor, she glanced down the corridors but could not see any signs of combat. Maybe the third floor was relatively safe, Daphne told herself as she continued on her way. Millicent would have to make do without Daphne's help. Maybe the Death Eaters were trying to secure the fourth floor and fight their way down in an attempt to chase any defenders towards the Death Eater forces on the ground floor. That might be it, she reasoned though she wasn't sure how the Death Eaters planned to cover all staircases to prevent anyone from escaping.
On the fourth floor, Daphne didn't have to look for long to find the fight still going on. Debris was strewn across the floor, and down one corridor she could see the flashes of spellfire around a corner. After a moment of indecision, Daphne had an idea. Casting a quick Point Me towards Astoria's wand, a unique possession her sister would have on her, Daphne's wand spun and pointed towards the ongoing fight. She made up her mind – Astoria first, Draco next.
As she strode down that hallway, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. This was the floor Professor McGonagall had fallen down from and one where the tides had recently turned against the defenders of Hogwarts.
A deserted corridor with no backup ahead of you, she could hear in Harry's voice, and a combat around the corner. Either you walk up behind the defenders – how do you convince them to not attack you? – or you come up behind the attackers, the Harry in her mind pointed out.
Professor Moody would have shouted Constant Vigilance, and Daphne agreed. She was walking down a seemingly deserted corridor towards an ongoing fight. Only a fool would expect no lookouts.
With her senses on high alert and months of training with Harry, Daphne just barely dodged a sickly yellow spell sent her way. Falling to her knees and then forward, she sent a Banishing spell back and jumped forward as she slashed the air with her wand, causing a burst of fire to momentarily light up the corridor. No one liked fire flung their way, so she hoped any other ambushers might be too busy hiding to stop her advance.
No further spells were sent her way, and Daphne quickly reached the spot where the attack had come from.
A student she didn't recognize lay on the ground trying to clear his head. From the looks of it, he was probably in his fifth or sixth year. It seemed her spell had knocked him against the wall but left him uninjured. No Death Eater mask, Daphne realized with a sigh of relief.
Constant vigilance!, echoed in the back of Daphne's mind. Surely there were students fighting for Voldemort? It had been one year under Voldemort's control, enough time to recruit new followers. Or barring that, enough time to scare students to fall into line.
Just then, Daphne had an idea. "Don't attack your reinforcements, fool," she spat.
The boy looked up at her in confusion, and Daphne pursed her lips as if in annoyance.
"What's the situation then? Are we winning?" she asked, hoping the student wouldn't see through her deception.
He scrambled to his feet, looking apologetic. "Sorry. Yeah, it's a breeze really," he told her, accepting her authority without question. "As long as McGonagall doesn't come back –"
He was struck down and tied up before he could finish the sentence. As an afterthought, Daphne levitated some debris on top of him. Someone could go pick him up later, she figured, and continued on her way, keeping an eye out for sudden movements. As long as McGonagall doesn't come back, so the rear guard was indeed for the Death Eaters.
She met no further resistance on her way down the corridor. The noise of combat was unmistakable, and Daphne prepared for her entrance. One quick glance around the corner confirmed her suspicions – she would come up in the back of the attacking forces. At least four were clear targets from her position with two others dipping in and out of cover. None looked particularly old, and their spellwork was sloppy, so Daphne guessed some were students. A set of armour had fallen out of its alcove in their back, and ahead someone was trying to defend the position.
Set a reasonable goal, Daphne thought, and plan around that. Go for three with the element of surprise, jump into the now empty alcove for cover. Conjure the mist, advance and hope whoever was still standing from the defenders knew an opportunity when they saw one.
Risking a second quick glance around the corner, Daphne memorized as much of the scene as she could. A bald shorty in his early twenties in the middle would be her first target. A burly giant to his left seemed like their leader – competent casting, decent dodges. If Daphne wanted to disrupt the attackers' advance she needed to land some decisive hits. Lastly, she chose a slouching, unkempt man with the aura of a dim-witted drunkard to the right as her third target. He seemed young but looked like he was used to dirty fighting.
Go.
Daphne jumped around the corner. Her Bone-Breaker hit the bald man in the back before anyone had even noticed her appearance. He'd live, but from the way he crumbled to the ground, she'd broken his back. Her second spell just barely grazed the big guy she'd settled on – for a man of his size, he was surprisingly limber. But it didn't matter – as her magic did its part causing severe burns all over his body. It was one of those spells that was tricky to undo but didn't require precise aim.
Out of the corner of her eye, Daphne caught sight of Astoria some way further down the corridor. A shiver of thrilled excitement ran through the older sister – maybe today's luck would hold.
Daphne just barely managed to send a flash of bluish lightning at the third target she had dubbed Slouch when a hail of spells crashed around her. Only a desperate jump into the alcove saved her from the onslaught. The unkempt man collapsed wordlessly. That's three, Daphne thought as she listened to the burly man screeching. Not the voice she would have expected, but she focused on the next step of her plan.
"Now!" a voice from down the corridor shouted, and a vicious fight broke out further ahead. It seemed the defenders had been waiting for such an opportunity to strike back.
Daphne conjured her mist and flung herself on the ground in the middle of the corridor.
Three pairs of feet were ahead. One set was was fairly small, and Daphne sent a spell at where she suspected a girl's body to be in the mist. Three bodies hit the floor, and Daphne hoped it had been her spell that had taken down the girl she believed – hoped? – to be Astoria.
As the mist dispersed, Daphne rose to her feet, raising her hands into the air. Friendly fire was the last they needed right now. She just hoped the burly man and the shorty stopped screaming.
"Hold your fire," Daphne heard someone shout from further down the corridor. A girl, Daphne realized. The voice sounded young but unfamiliar.
When the mist was gone, a group of daring students ventured into the open, checking the downed enemies in wonderment. They glanced at her, and after a tense moment, they seemed to deem her an ally.
Daphne lowered her hands and glanced to the girl she had downed. There was no mistaking it, Astoria looked almost like Daphne remembered. Covered in grime and shaking off what was probably a severe headache, Astoria nevertheless checked her surroundings preparing to fight.
Daphne wasn't so easily fooled by Astoria's seeming weakness, she knew better than to underestimate her foes; she flicked a quick disarming spell at her sister, and the wand flew towards Daphne. She didn't have the Seeker reflexes to snatch it out of the air but let it bounce off her chest and into her waiting hand. A second spell tied Astoria up in silvery ropes just as the younger girl was about to get back on her feet. A quick stunning spell into both the bald shorty and the burly man ended the annoying screams.
"D-Daphne?" Astoria glanced up with wide eyes, lips quivering and hitched breath. "W – why are you – ? Th – they wanted to – ! It – it wasn't my fault, they – "
Daphne snorted. If she didn't know Astoria, she might have bought the act. Astoria didn't look like a threat at the moment and knew how to play people.
Daphne shook her head. "You're looking good considering. Found yourself some friends?"
"I – I don't – If they find out you're alive – " Astoria tried, but Daphne cut her off.
"What, Father will pay for it?"
"D – Draco, he knows you're alive!" Astoria tried. "He'll hurt Father! Th – they put him in Azkaban."
A more foolish Daphne might have believed it. No, Daphne corrected in her mind, a more foolish Daphne would have wanted to believe her sister, to have something to convince herself that Astoria was merely misguided. But as she looked down on her sister, knowing what she did, Daphne realized she had come to accept the truth – her little sister was rotten and might never change.
"Is that all you have to say?" Daphne asked, and to her surprise, she thought she heard pity in her own voice. "Am I supposed to flee and hope that will keep Father safe? That your new friends won't hurt Father until they find me?"
"I-I didn't want to –" Astoria began, but Daphne shook her head.
"Lies," she interrupted, aware that they were drawing attention.
The defenders looked significantly more alert, furtively glancing towards a dark-haired girl further down the corridor who had her arm in a sling in hopes of guidance. She didn't look that impressive but seemed to be the one in charge.
"Daphne Greengrass, wife of Harry Potter," Daphne introduced herself. "I'm Professor McGonagall's ally. I brought some reinforcements with me, though they'll be elsewhere in the castle. She," Daphne said with a nod towards Astoria, "is my sister. Different sides in this fight, obviously."
The dark-haired girl nodded. "I know who you are. Romilda Vane. You're here to help?"
Daphne bit her lip. The hope in Vane's voice was unmistakable. "In the fight, yes. I have something to do in the castle and can't really stay here. You're in charge here?"
Vane swallowed hard with a glance towards a door. Daphne didn't have the heart to ask. "For now. Do you – do you want to take your sister with you? Is that why you're here?"
Daphne thought about it. If she had one of those useful bags Hermione had made she could have stuffed Astoria into it and take her along. Or she could charm her sister's body to hover and follow her around. Either way, Astoria would be inn danger. There was also the possibility that someone would free her, returning a potential threat to the fight.
"I suppose we could keep her here," Vane offered, looking unsure. "But I don't know how long. We could really need the help. Any wand is needed."
"Daphne," Astoria whimpered, "you can't leave me here! Take me with you, I'll behave, I promise!"
"A promise? From you?" Daphne shot back. With a smirk, she continued, "I'm not that much of fool, Astoria. You're already in trouble as it is; if you behave I might put in a good word once the Death Eaters have been dealt with. You may not have realized it but yours is the losing side in this war."
Turning to Vane in clear dismissal, she added, "Please keep her safe. And tied up or stunned. Wand or not, she is not one to be trusted. Once my business is concluded I'll try to come back and collect her."
Vane nodded to some of the other students who grabbed a struggling Astoria and brought her into a classroom to the side. The rest of the students began checking on the downed enemies, but Vane kept her distance.
Daphne walked over to the girl. Up close, she looked quite lost. "How long have you held this corridor? How many are you?" she asked the Hogwarts student in a low voice.
Vane glanced around. "A while, and ten."
Daphne smiled encouragingly. "It'll be over soon," she promised. "Help is on the way. I've met Professors McGonagall and Sprout two floors down, they know what's going on. I'll see if I can send someone to help out here."
Vane looked relieved. "Please do."
With a nod, Daphne flicked her wand and conjured some walls as cover. Vane stared at the spellwork, but before she could say something, Daphne repeated, "It'll be over soon, I promise."
Leaving a grateful, overwhelmed Vane, Daphne hurried further down the corridor. Using Point Me spells targeting Draco's wand, she managed to find the way surprisingly well, and she met relatively little resistance. A handful of scared fourth-years scattered when they saw her approach, and she blasted a tall Ravenclaw into a wall, knocking the other girl unconscious.
Draco had done well for himself, it seemed. As Daphne strode into the room, wordlessly stunning one surprised student with a spell in the back, she couldn't help but notice tat her fellow Slytherin had transformed the former classroom into something almost resembling a throne room complete with elaborate seats on a small platform for him and his trusted advisors.
"Daphne," he greeted her with a sneer. "I knew you'd come. I knew you were alive, and I knew you'd come to me. Revenge, is it?"
"Justice," Daphne replied. Standing up straight, she added, "You've lost control of the castle and the students. This is your last chance to surrender."
"Surrender?" he laughed. "No. I've waited for this moment for months."
Without waiting for her reply, he immediately went on the offence. If she hadn't trained over the last months, Daphne would have lost then and there. Her shield sprang up just in time to block the first, and Daphne dodging out of the way saved her from the second spell.
Daphne had to admit Draco had become a formidable fighter. He moved much like Hermione would have, dodging around Daphne's spells, but lacked the accuracy of the muggleborn. As a bone-breaker sizzled out against her shield, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was playing with her.
It was Draco stopping his assault after maybe half-a-minute that changed the atmosphere. As if by silent agreement, both started sidestepping, circling the centre of the room.
Daphne eyed him warily. She had assumed he'd have improved but it was obvious he had been trained by a highly skilled duellist, and Daphne wasn't sure how much he had been holding back. The old Draco would have probably tried just about every dark spell he knew, growing more and more frustrated with each blocked spell until his anger would have created an opening. The one in front of Daphne was different – more calculating, more mature. How would he react to a counter-attack?
There was one obvious suspect for a teacher – Bellatrix Lestrange. So how would Daphne duel the lethal right hand of Voldemort? From what Daphhne knew, Lestrange was both fast and powerful. Most would probably struggle against such a force but Daphne had been trained by someone just like that – Harry. So her best bet was to treat Draco as if he were on Harry's level, but ruthless.
Draco sniffed. "Very interesting. This is the most entertaining duel I've had in a while," he told her, giving her a thin smile. "This day is even more rewarding than I had hoped."
"You've gotten better," Daphne conceded. "Lestrange taught you well but even she cannot change who and what you are at your core – a weakling hiding behind others."
Draco laughed at her taunt. "So who taught you then? Not your father, obviously, he's a disgrace to pureblood society. And I know he didn't introduce you to anyone, he cannot keep a secret."
He narrowed her eyes. "It was one of Potter's bunch, wasn't it? Of course you were with him, otherwise you wouldn't have shown up on the day they make their move. So who was it? Who taught you? Alastor Moody? That halfbreed Flitwick, he didn't leave Hogwarts."
Daphne kept quiet and continued circling the middle of the room.
Draco took her silence as confirmation. "Your friends, Bulstrode and Davis, they joined Potter's side. Did you know? Oh, they'll pay for their betrayal, I'll see to it."
"If you can get to them," Daphne replied, watching him carefully. "You refused to surrender so I'll have to deal with you another way."
Draco merely laughed at her, not taking his eyes off her. "You can try but do you really think you stand a chance? But I'm not heartless. Drop your wand and their deaths will be quick."
Daphne was still watching for an opening when two students burst through the door to her left leading to the corridor. She barely avoided their spells and had to block Draco's. It was a very close call, and she cursed her bad luck – she had waited too long, and now it was three against one.
"She's mine," Draco called out with a glance at the new arrivals. They kept their wands trained on her but waited for further instructions.
As Draco went to join them in front of the door, Daphne caught a better look at the students. One was a sixth year Slytherin. Emery? Something like that. The other was a pug-nosed, pointy-faced girl wearing a Ravenclaw tie. Daphne didn't know her but didn't like the look in the other girl's eyes.
"It seems we have an audience," Draco said with a mocking smirk. "All the better, I think. You see," he told the two students, "Daphne here came to settle a score with me. She joined Potter's little rebel group –"
"They've retaken the ground floor," the girl interrupted. "It's Granger and –"
She fell quiet when Draco glared at her.
"She joined Potter's little rebel group," he repeated. "Others were convinced she had died when she fled from me the last time, but I knew better."
He sent a spell her way, his casting so fast only her training with Harry allowed her to deflect it in time. Her counter-attack was off the mark and easily dodged.
Draco showed a hint of surprise. "Very well, Daphne. I wouldn't have expected you to have grown so much." To the students as much as her, he added, "I knew she was still alive. Yes, Daphne, I knew, and I wasn't alone. Your father, he was searching for you, telling everyone who listened that you were still alive. A shame, really, to see someone of noble blood be consumed by foolishness."
Draco sent another spell her way, and she dodged the attack. Again her counter-attack failed – the first three spells sizzled out against shields, the fourth was dodged – as Daphne made an effort to not do her best. If she could trick Draco –
"In the end, we had to take him into custody," Draco told her. "But you probably already heard that, didn't you? Of course Potter's little rebels heard about that, and they wouldn't have kept it a secret from you. Not when it meant turning your hatred into a weapon against me. Isn't that always how these people work? Having others fight for them?"
"Just like you, then?" Daphne asked, bracing herself.
As expected, Draco sent a spell her way, and she just barely deflected it with a worried look on her face.
Gritting her teeth, she added, "Or Voldemort?"
Draco's anger bubbled up and he thrust out his wand. "Crucio!"
Daphne's shield failed, and only a desperate jump to the side saved her.
"You dare –" Draco began before catching himself.
He took a deep breath. "I see. Potter has gotten to you." He pursed his lips. "I knew you were alive, and it was your father who provided me with proof."
"He'd never help you," Daphne hissed, feeling her anger rising as her heart sped up.
Draco smiled thinly, reaching into his pocket. "He carried the proof wherever he went," he told her with malice shining in his eyes. He pulled something about the size of his fist from his pocket. "It really is an impressive bit of magic, don't you think?"
Daphne glanced at it, more to play along at first, but found herself thunderstruck. On Draco's hand lay an imitation of a heart. It beat in tune with hers, and she immediately recognized it – the Weasley twins' wedding present.
"Just imagine – your father didn't want to let go of it," Draco said with a laugh. "What a sentimental fool!"
Daphne wasn't listening any more. Blood thundered in her ears; she shook as anger unlike any she had ever felt rose in her. She could see it in her mind – her father beside himself with worry finding the still beating heart. Overcome with relief, he would have pocketed it, keeping it on him at all times as a constant reminder that his eldest was still alive. And then he was arrested, and the heart, his reason for hope, was taken from him while he was thrown into the horrid prison Azkaban.
"– tried to fight me," Draco said with a shake of his head. "I put it to better use, don't you think?"
The Ravenclaw snickered, casting a curious glance at the trinket on Draco's hand.
Daphne's field of vision narrowed, and an all-consuming fury burned inside her. She could feel each heartbeat pulsing through her. She could feel the rage building up, a pressure seeking an outlet. Any moment she would break and lash out.
And then, something changed. Her heart calmed down. The fiery fury spread out and warmed her to the tips of her fingers. A soothing calm came over Daphne, and her vision cleared. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could feel a vicious beast waiting to be unleashed, and Daphne's body didn't feel quite like her own. There was a clarity, a simplicity to what she would do that Daphne breathed more freely than she had in a long time. She would take down Draco and anyone who stood in her way, no doubts about that remained.
He had to have noticed the change in her and flung a spell her way. A nuisance to Daphne, she deflected it and went on the offence.
To his credit, Draco immediately fought back, shielding, deflecting, dodging, and sending a stream of increasingly dangerous spells Daphne's way.
She stood her ground. She stopped dodging opting to shield. And with every spell, fighting Draco felt more natural. With every spell, she had to think less and less, and with every spell she picked up speed. She weaved attacks in between shields when she could, and slowly but surely, she pushed back against Draco's assault.
She could see it in his eyes – the tides were turning against him but he couldn't understand why. He couldn't fathom a world in which he was outmatched, where his training still wasn't enough.
Draco's two allies glanced at each other and joined the fight.
Three-on-one. But Harry could do it; Daphne had seen him do it, had been part of the three attacking, and had spent more time than she wanted to admit trying to come up with a way to win against her husband.
Draco was emboldened by the help, likely ignoring his pride in favour of results, and switched back to offence.
Side-stepping a spell Daphne didn't know that prickled on her arm as it passed, she could feel cuts open on her skin. Definitely dangerous, but Daphne barely felt a twinge of concern. Instead, she took a step forward, deflecting a bone-breaker from the Ravenclaw with ease. If she wanted to resolve this fight, Daphne would have to gain control of the situation.
Shielding against an unknown spell, Daphne unleashed a blasting spell at the Slytherin she thought was called Emery. He barely managed to shield against it, but was flung backwards against the wall by a second one. Dodging Draco's Entrails-Expelling curse, Daphne used a trick she had seen with Hermione – a deflecting shield immediately in front of the Ravenclaw. Whatever the girl had tried, instead of flying towards Daphne, the Ravenclaw's neon-green spell crashed into the ground between them, knocking up some dust. The shield collapsed, and Daphne's follow-up hit the Ravenclaw in the stomach. She bent over, pressing a hand to her face and started retching uncontrollably.
Two down, Daphne started advancing towards Draco, focusing her spells on him. By now, it was no fight as he could barely keep up with her and was forced to focus on defence. Step by step she pushed him back, spell by spell she asserted her dominance.
Draco threw up a smokescreen much like Daphne had used earlier. She should have known he'd know that trick as well, and for the first time since the fight had restarted, Daphne dodged. No spell came her way, but she could hear Draco's footsteps. Flinging spells blindly, she felt a grim satisfaction at hearing him scream in pain. Although he managed to retreat, Daphne could hear him hobbling away. She wouldn't let him escape.
She left the room, easily dodging a spell Draco sent her way, and strode towards him. He backed away, becoming more and more erratic in his spellcasting. Like a cornered animal, he lashed out with increased ferocity, but Daphne couldn't find it in herself to worry.
As she pushed him back, Daphne realized the fighting had picked up again on this floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a group of younger students trying to hold their position behind a makeshift barricade while two men in dark robes were attacking. One of them tried to assist Draco but Daphne had finally hit her stride. With an almost lazy flick she sent a trashed desk into the man, knocking him off his feet. Without slowing down, she knocked both suspected Death Eaters unconscious.
Her temporary assist almost cost Daphne her life – Draco resorted to what he likely thought his trump card -
"Avada Kedavra!"
The Killing Curse flew towards Daphne. One flick from her wand and a hawk sprang into existence in front of her, taking the curse intended for her. Daphne stepped over the conjured bird without so much as a glance.
The floor seemed to have fallen into Death Eater hands – as she strode down the corridors, pushing Draco further and further back, masked people ran towards them, two, sometimes three at a time. To Daphne, they were obstacles on her way towards Draco. Obstacles she was quite willing to remove, and as Death Eater after Death Eater fell at her hands, Draco's desperation grew more and more.
Finally they had reached the grand staircase, and with a quick flick of her wrist, she blasted the hand of Draco's last remaining defender, a woman in her forties, apart in a shower of blood and bones. The woman fell with a screech at the feet of a new combatant – a girl wearing Hufflepuff robes sporting a nasty gash across her face who trained a wand at the fallen Death Eater.
Daphne blinked. She hadn't noticed they had drawn a crowd. Hogwarts defenders were staring at her in awe, and a Death Eater were succumbing to a barrage of spells from three students Daphne didn't recognize.
Draco roared, throwing out his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!" he screamed, and the spell flew towards the Hufflepuff. The girl jerked her wand up, and the female Death Eater at her feet was pulled up and into the Killing Curse's path just in time to take the hit.
Daphne retaliated against Draco. Her first four spells were blocked, but her fifth hit him in the shoulder. He spun around from the force of the impact, crumbling in a heap on the ground. Daphne quickly collected the wand that had fallen from his hand.
"You've lost," Daphne told him, earning her thunderous cheers. "You should have sur –"
Draco threw himself to the side, and Daphne reacted at once, sending the first spell that came to her mind at him. It hit, and his eyes bulged as he recognized the spell.
"It's a Black one, yes," Daphne told him. A Black spell she had found. Nasty but both effective and easy to cast.
He pressed a hand to his face. Blood bubbled from his nose and mouth. His eyes became bloodshot, and he sent her a pleading look. Daphne raised her wand, ready to cast the countercurse, but froze as more and more blood poured out of Malfoy's orifices.
No more Malfoys, a voice in the back of her mind said. This is your chance. This is right. You don't have to do anything. Just let it happen. It's the right thing to do. No more Malfoys. The justice you deserve, isn't it?
At her feet, Draco fell on his face in the steadily growing puddle of his own blood. The magic had progressed enough that the once proud pureblood was bleeding from his eyes and ears as well.
No more Malfoys.
But not like this, Daphne decided. She was no killer. It was the one thing she didn't want to be. Whatever might come, she wouldn't let someone die if she could help it. It wasn't her place to decide Malfoy's fate.
As she cast the countercurse to save Malfoy's life, she smiled, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders she had been burdened with for years.
