Chapter 17

Daphne caught her sister's arm.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you!" Astoria jerked free.

"I know," Daphne nodded quickly. "But I just…I wanted to say that if you ever need someplace to go, you can come to us."

"Why?" Astoria shook her head. "You're a disgrace!"

"In whose eyes?" Daphne countered. "Pansy's? Aunt Dahlia's? Draco's?"

"You ruined your life!" snapped Astoria.

But her sister shook her head. "No…I saved it."

Astoria choked back a sob as she scurried towards the dungeons.

How could Daphne pretend that she didn't care about being cast out of the Greengrass family? But Astoria had seen her at the Gryffindor table, laughing with the lions, and much as she tried to tell herself her sister was simply putting a decent face on it, she couldn't quite accept that.

Daphne looked…happy? But how …?

"I told you before, Pansy. We're through!"

Astoria checked, just before she turned the final corner to Slytherin common room.

Draco…and Pansy? Pansy was weeping, trying to cling to Draco's arm while he glared angrily.

"I did what you said!" Pansy insisted. "I tried…I did my best!"

"Your best wasn't good enough! Potter was supposed to fall for you and you were to bring him to me to deliver to the dark lord. You couldn't even do that!"

"I did! I confounded the Gryffindor to give the cake to the Weaslelette and she would feed it to Potter!"

"Too many involved. Why not give it directly to Potter?"

Pansy's head jerked up. "Right, Draco! As if he'd accept anything from me! I knew the Weaselette would want him to try it, and then it wouldn't be traced back to us. I did everything right!"

"Like I said, it wasn't good enough…and now he's been warned. No one will get close enough to try again! Now I have to fix this by completing the mission the dark lord gave me, because if I fail, I'm dead! All because you couldn't be trusted to do your part!"

Draco flung off Pansy's arm, and rushed away.

Astoria hesitated. Where was Draco going? She hesitated, then set out to follow him into the upper reaches of the castle.

He climbed up to the seventh floor and she darted after him. She rounded the corner just to witness a door form in a blank wall.

Draco entered, and she dived after him just as the door disappeared behind them.

"What are you doing here? Draco scowled at her.

Astoria's heart beat faster but she stood her ground. "What are you?" She glanced around at the towering piles of junk.

"This is that room where Potter trained that army of his, isn't it?"

"Yes! I tracked him here, with …"

"Umbridge." Astoria nodded. "So, now what?"

Draco gave her a look of despair. "I have a task…if I don't do it, my family will die! But I can't do it, I've tried and tried!"

"Show me," she commanded.

He led her to the broken cabinet.

"I can help! I've always been good at runes. Not as good as Daphne, but…"

"Don't mention the blood traitor to me! She's a disgrace."

"I know," Astoria said hastily. "I don't even speak to her now. Here, let's start repairing this thing."

He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. "You'll really help me?"

"Of course." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Draco…I would do anything for you!"

He jerked up his sleeve. "Look!"

They locked eyes. Then, Astoria bent and pressed her lips against the dark mark.

Neville lurked outside the Great Hall, waiting for Harry and Daphne.

"What's going on?" Harry inquired.

"Uh, would you mind sitting at a different table? Maybe Hufflepuff?" Neville's face was bright red.

"Sure, Nev," Harry agreed readily. "But, why?"

"It's Ginny Weasley!" Neville burst out. "Lately she is so…"

"Clingy?" Daphne smiled knowingly.

"Yes! I don't know why, she never bothered with me before."

"You're not interested?" asked Harry.

"No! I'm with Hannah now. I miss her but she's going to come back to school soon and I don't want her to hear any gossip about me and anybody else." Neville's voice was determined.

They quickly found seats beside Susan and Terry at the Hufflepuff table.

Susan eyed Neville accusingly. "On your own tonight?"

"Yes!" Neville met her eyes defiantly. "That's how it will stay until Hannah returns."

Her expression softened to one of approval. "Good for you."

"Susan?" Harry was baffled. "What are you talking about?"

"Simple. Ginny missed her chance with you, so she is searching for a good prospect. Like Neville."

Harry stared at her. "Huh?"

"Harry," Susan explained patiently. "People are beginning to pair up. And Neville is extremely eligible. Ginny missed her chance with you, so Neville looks like a tempting alternative. Get it?"

It was clear that Harry didn't.

"It isn't easy to find a powerful pureblood wizard who's not in thrall to You-Know-Who."

"I'm not a pureblood," Harry pointed out.

"That doesn't matter. You are famous, and hold two lordships along with seats on the Wizengamot; you could have anyone you fancy." Terry looked at him with a touch of envy.

Harry was taken aback. Was that the reason for Ginny's childish crush on him?

Daphne placed a hand on his arm. "It's true, Harry. You gained nothing by marrying a disgraced blood traitor. I…I didn't think about it at the time, but our marriage was against your best interests."

He smiled at that, and gave her a quick kiss. "I don't believe it."

Nymphadora Tonks sat in the bar at the Leaky Cauldron and cursed under her breath.

Nothing had worked out for her! The potion in Potter's cup had failed due to someone else having the same scheme, and now he was scanning everything he ate or drank.

Not that it mattered, since he was wed to that Slytherin girl already. A love potion wasn't apt to change that.

Even if Tonks managed to kill him, she wouldn't benefit in the slightest.

Unless…

Killing Potter would serve no purpose now. But….just suppose she were to kill the girl?

Potter would be back on the market, a grieving widower in need of consolation, and Tonks could start all over.