" What are you hiding from me?"
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Hermione waited in line at the grocer's. It was a Saturday, another bloody weekend. She had not seen Draco for more than two weeks, not after the unpleasant incident at his house. She never wanted to see him again. Not because she hated him, but because of the sheer humiliation she had experienced. He wanted her to stay away, so she knew she should keep it that way and never see him again. It hurt…the abruptness of it all hurt. Just because of that? All that pureblood-mudblood crap? She couldn't believe she had been that trusting, she couldn't believe he had been that shallow!
" I can't love you. I don't want to…"
" Potter's dead! I only hold his heart! But I'm not Potter now, am I? I thought I could love you! Maybe it was just because I have his heart! So just get out of my life! "
" I don't feel the same way."
Well, did it have to be that way! No matter how much she tried to deny the hurt, it wouldn't die! She wanted it to die! Die! Like…Harry?
" Ma'am, will this be in cash or card? " the lady cashier asked, breaking her 'hurting moments'.
Hermione blinked and reached for her credit card. The cashier smiled a well practiced smile at her as she swiped the card and typed in some keys.
" Here you are ma'am, " she said. " Thank you for shopping at Green Grocer's. Do come again. "
Hermione nodded and gave a small smile as she picked up two bags worth of groceries. She stepped out of the mini-mart and stopped in her tracks. It was raining, or rather, it was drizzling. She sighed and decided to take a little 'shower'. So she walked to her car, holding two bags of heavy groceries and stopped to fumble for her keys. She successfully opened the door to her Volkswagen after a few minutes of gritting her teeth and complicated balancing. With a grateful groan, she placed the two bags on the passenger seat and slipped behind the wheel. She sighed and sat in silence for a few seconds, wondering why in the hell it all had to happen. She held the steering wheel and banged her head against it softly.
" Come on Hermione! Get a grip! " she screamed to herself as she tightened her hold on the steering wheel. There came a tap on her window. She looked up. It was a young security guard, probably her age or a bit older. His face had a look of concern.
" Ma'am, " his muffled voice said. " Are you alright? "
She nodded and rolled the window down. " Yes, I'm alright. I'm just having a headache. It's been a bad week…" her voice trailed off as she massaged her temple.
" We all get that, " he gave a grin. " Have a nice day. "
She nodded and gave a smile to reciprocate for his concern. She gave a little wave and turned on the ignition.
" Merlin, I can't believe I'm wasting my brain energy on thinking about this! " She muttered as she drove on the highway back to her flat. " I'm going to come out like some complete nutcase! "
And suddenly she thought of the best thing she could do next. Get a transfer. Transfer to America. Request for it. Transfer to the Vogue head office in America, transfer to the American Aurors Association too. Get a start. A fresh start…Run away from the hurt like a coward, hoping it would die down quickly if she moved away. She nodded once, encouraging herself it wouldn't be so bad to have no family or friends there.
" It won't be so bad…" she told herself. " I'll be away from all the bad memories…but I know they won't go away- who am I kidding? Bad decision or good decision…at least I'll be away from the places that remind me of them….of Harry….of- Draco…"
Did it have to be that way? She had been asking herself this more than a hundred times already, and that was just for today. What about the rest of the days before? The rest of the days to come? She unexpectedly violently wished she had died along with Harry, or died instead of him. And she suddenly missed him terribly, the sound of his voice, his embraces, his kisses, his temper, his glasses, the scar that had made him infamous or famous, the little romantic things he used to do just to see her smile, his hands, his touch- everything about him! But he was gone! But she wanted him alive! Now! Alive now! And Draco's face came into her mind…and she knew she missed him too- she missed his satirical wit, she missed the side she never knew during their Hogwarts years- missed his kisses- she was missing them both!
She knew she was still torn, torn between Harry's memory and Harry's love, comparing them guiltily with Draco's own actions for her, Draco's own love- well was it love with him? She had been played with! And something in her still refused to accept that she had been a meager interruption to Draco, a plaything, a companion to his lonesome days, to his uninteresting days…the letter, the burned up letter, there was that indication, that object she kept close to her heart…the pressure caved in on her.
And suddenly, Hermione swerved to the side of the road and turned off her engine and wept.
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The Greengrass manor was a 300 year old manor in the periphery of a moor near Scotland. The Greengrass patriarch had first built a stone dwelling over the hundreds of acres of land that served as the family gathering place. The Greengrasses were previously well known in the wizarding community for being among the first Scots to venture into the dark arts, along with some lesser known pureblooded families. Proud of being the first Scots to do so, they wasted no time in establishing ties with the Briton dark arts enthusiasts and the Irish ones as well. Soon, they had formed a formidable dark arts group in Scotland, much to the unease of the other harmony loving wizards in Scotland. A scuffle broke out, in the process killing the Greengrass patriarch, a known Slytherin supporter who enjoyed torturing muggles in his now improved dwelling. They had made dungeons for the purpose of doing so.
But there was always a bad egg in every family as the adage goes, and unfortunately, they weren't spared. A son of the Greengrass patriarch had had enough of seeing his family kill off muggles for pleasure, even long after their father had died. He reported this to the Wizarding Authorities, prompting a violent trial. His family had him killed, but their name in the Wizarding pureblooded world had also become unpleasant. And now, four hundred years later, Daphne's father had died and still never got to redeem the family name, and she knew pureblooded extremist families still spoke of their disgrace in hushed tones. Her parents had done it all, to no avail. Her mother was off with her new lover, somewhere 'warm', or so she had heard of in her last owl. She was alone.
Daphne Greengrass was in the drawing room of her manor house, reading a book when her house elf appeared at the door. She looked up cantankerously, her mouth drawn into a thin line of displeasure. " Didn't I tell you not to disturb me at this time? "
" Madam- he insists, he did. He is wanting to see you, he is! " the elf murmured nervously as his back remained in a stooped position.
And the man who had so insisted to see her stood at the door. She looked up and saw him, her face even more annoyed now. " What do you want? What are you doing here? "
" That's two questions at a single time. Take it easy. "
" I hate being disturbed during my moments of solitude, " she snapped placing her book down. " What do you want? "
" Just a little chit-chat, if you don't mind- "
" I mind, " she said irately. " If this is about that meeting we'll be having again, can't it wait? We've done too much discussion along with the rest of them. In addition, your face is annoying me. I wanted to take a break from seeing your face and everyone else's. "
" You've always been so charming Daphne. "
" Thank you. Now get out. "
" You'll love to hear this. "
" Fine. Spit it. Spit it quick. "
" I don't spit, sweetheart. I talk, " he said. " This is about Draco. "
She motioned for a chair. " What about him? "
" You hate him, right? " he asked, raising an eyebrow with a sardonic smile playing at his mouth. " Hate him enough to kill him? To want him dead? "
" Yes, " she replied slowly. " I hate him like that. Yes…why? "
" Well, Draco Malfoy may either die or live. "
" I don't get it. I thought he'd die. If the Master's made him the horcrux, then he should die. It's a death sentence to be a living horcrux, of course he'll die! "
" No, he may not. I've read it. From Snape's journal. Something you haven't read yet, because you haven't killed anyone innocent yet, and you hadn't spilled your own blood- "
" Because you wouldn't let me! If you had allowed me, I would have done that the moment we held that meeting with Draco and the rest of the Deatheaters! "
" Patience, Daphne. Patience. All for the master, " Blaise said.
" What difference would it make if I got to read it? You and Nott hiding something from us now? Did Snape write anything concerned with Draco? Why won't you just let me kill, damn it! "
" All for the master, " Blaise stubbornly repeated. " Listen to me, will you? Stop interrupting. "
" Why does Draco Malfoy have a chance to live? " she asked, calmer this time, but Blaise thought he could see a vein ticking on her neck.
Blaise smiled. Good. She was listening now. Nothing was more horrifying than hearing a woman seethe or nag, and Daphne was exceptionally superior at both. " The reason why I'm here is because of Draco Malfoy. No matter what he's done, the rest of the Deatheaters still look up to him- they still idolize him, but they'd rather die before admitting that. I'm here because I know how passionate you are about wanting him dead. "
Daphne huffed. " You dreamer. He'll die. I sense that he will. "
" It's you who feels it. But does Lord Voldemort feel the same way? Draco will die an excruciating death in the progression of Lord Voldemort regaining his true form, his corporeal form- unless he chooses not to kill Draco- Lord Voldemort may want him breathing, installed as his right-hand- "
" Enough! I don't want to hear any of that anymore! " she shrieked. She was livid. Draco Malfoy as his right hand! Never! Not until she was dead herself!
" But you will never hear the end of it if we don't plan Draco's demise ahead! " Blaise said heatedly. " Draco has to die! Or I won't hear the end of it either! If Draco's this truly obsessive on regaining the Master's favor, then we'll never hear the end of how great he was, how loyal he was to bring him back to life by hosting a splinter of Lord Voldemort's soul! "
Daphne looked at him with her eyes glowering. Then she resignedly nodded. " Yes, you are...you are correct, " she said through gritted teeth.
Blaise felt a sense of achievement by Daphne's measly admission that he was correct. " I'm glad you now agree with me. It was something we never got to do when we were still in Hogwarts. "
" Please, " Daphne said. But something in her eyes changed. Her composure changed and Blaise sensed it. " Just- just go on with what you were saying. "
" Right…" Blaise looked at an alabaster head of Daphne's intimidating looking father. Her father had died when she was still a little girl, and had been solely reared by her dark arts infatuated mother ever since. Her mother was a distant relative of the Blacks, but Daphne didn't consider them blood relatives. She was embarrassed; well that was how it looked like, embarrassed to be vaguely related to them one way or another. Daphne had inherited her fanatical disposition of pleasing the Dark Lord from her mother, Blaise saw that. Anything for the Dark Lord…She was like a teenager, eager to please, eager to get noticed by her idolized celebrity…
Blaise stroked his chin; he felt the stubble of hair and decided he would let it grow. It added to the villainous appeal, anyway. " Now where was I? Ah yes, Now how to kill Draco Malfoy without him knowing or anyone else. "
" Nott doesn't know? "
" Hell no. I wouldn't want him to know we had a little chitchat. Nott is- how do I put this? I don't trust him like Draco does. You've seen how Draco regards that Nott, right? "
" If you didn't trust him that much, why'd you allow him to join in the first place? His company annoys me, aggravates me one way or another. "
" Because we need him. You haven't seen how Nott performs. He may have been silent but he was smart, and I hate to acknowledge it, but he's smarter than we are. "
" Him? Smarter? "
" He figured out how to get us nearer to the master, Daphne, " his voice said unenthusiastically, and almost with a faint annoyance. " I'd have to give him some recognition too, you know. You may hate that idea, but you have to learn who's to turn to. Nott's finding a way to redeem their name, for his father and for himself. He's in for the glory of this, the fun and the glory. He knows he's smart and he's putting it to good use. He's a bastard and I want him dead too, but he's still smart, and I won't see him dead until I've seen the master before my very eyes. "
" But he's Theodore Nott, " she protested halfheartedly. " If the master knows he's been the key to his resurrection because he's solving things for us, then we'll never see him six feet below, that, along with Draco Malfoy. We still end up losing. "
" Not if we play our cards right. "
" I hate cards, " Daphne said through gritted teeth. " Go hassle someone else, Zabini. "
" I have no one else! Everyone else is a pawn, but you're not, and you know you're far more superior than they are. If we can have enemies outside of our circle, then we can have enemies in it. Nott is one. Draco is one. "
" I know that! " she said. " But still- I've been inclined to loyalty, and even if I hate them both, I still don't want them betrayed by me! By us! We've built trust in this circle, this new circle of Deatheaters, it's all about trust! Trust together and work together and bring the master back to life! "
" Daphne, Daphne, " Blaise said with a sigh. " Always so passionate. I do love it when you do that. Brings out the blush to your cheeks- are you hiding something from me? " his voice became lower. His eyes became dangerous. With one stride he was holding her arm savagely and breathing so close to her face, she could almost feel his anger bubble on her skin.
" Let go of me! You're hurting me, you bastard! " she screamed.
He shook her roughly, holding both of her shoulders, staring into her dark eyes. " What are you hiding from me! Don't you lie to me, Daphne! Don't you fucking lie to me! "
" You're hurting me! Nothing! What is wrong with you! Let go of me! Let go or I'll kill you! You son-of-a-! " She was thrown against a thick velvety couch and she could feel herself shaking slightly, still unable to swallow in what Blaise had done to her. Her eyes glared in rage. " You sick bastard! Get out of my house! Get out! Now! "
He leaned closer to her and she tried to stop her hands from trembling. He saw her hands shaking and how she was trying to control them with all she had. She was afraid of him! He loved every minute of that short display of male supremacy. Now she knew who the superior one was in the group! He held one of her hands close to his face and with a manic glint in his eye, caressed it slowly over his smooth and cold cheek. He wanted to feel her body…was she as cold as he was inside? Did she display the same passion in bed?
She shuddered and gasped. " You sick bastard! " she shrieked, withdrawing her hand from his grasp. Her lips were trembling and she had gone a shade whiter than before. She slapped as hard as she could in defiance, her eyes looked like they could murder.
He laughed a hollow laugh that filled the cavernous room. " You bitch! I know you're hiding things from me, secrets you wish to tell no one else! " his voice suddenly growled. " And you will tell me what they are! You will tell them now! "
" And what? Be under your strings! You can't move without us you bastard! If I leave the group, that'll be less of manpower for you, another pawn gone! You think you're superior to us all! Well you're not! Draco is far better than you! Far more superior! Nott is smarter than you! I have more money than you despite the bad history my family's had and I will still find a way to- "
She fell on the floor from his slap to her face. She could feel the sting as she touched her cheek. No one had ever hit her before! No one! The fucking lowlife! He was going to see his own entrails-
" Yes, darling. Be livid all you want, you know you're still no better than I am, " he said with a sinful leer. " We could make arrangements you know. To avoid the death of that dream of yours to establish your family's legacy once more…you could keep my bed warm for me- "
" You disgust me! Never with you! " she said with her chin raised up.
" Still a bitch, eh? I thought that slap would bring some sense into you. You're the first girl to have rejected my subtle ways; all of them didn't even have to say their approval. They just gave themselves to me, readily stripped off their clothes- "
" Because they were thick! " she shouted, standing up now, holding on to the edge of a table for support. " They didn't see how sickening you were- and you still are! "
Blaise smiled at her as he stroked his chin again. " Who do you want, Daphne? " he asked, smirking. " Who do you want in bed? "
She grabbed her wand from the table but Blaise was still smiling. She frowned and she was shocked at his smile. She was as good in hexing as he was, even better! He was enjoying this; she knew it, saw it in his eyes.
" You don't have the nerve to hurt me, " he whispered slowly, taunting her.
She took a step forward, the tip of her wand glowing.
" That's right…" he stepped forward and she stepped away from him as he did. " You can't kill me, Daphne. You can't hurt me. And you know why? Because you know I want you. I knew you'd see it my way Daphne. I'll talk with you again soon, and this time we'll get serious. We'll play with the cards. " And he stepped away from her and apparated.
The room was quiet once more, and her breathing was troubled, heavy. She felt nauseated. She collapsed on the floor and tried not to let the tears come, but slowly, painfully, they did. And she became wracked with sobs, wondering why she didn't kill Blaise. Was she truly afraid? Nonsense, her father's voice came to her. A Greengrass was never afraid. But suddenly, she felt she had failed that part. Her house elf appeared and timidly offered her a tissue. She looked up and saw the elf's eyes in sadness. She sniffed and forced herself to stop.
" Get out, " she said in an unsteady voice. The house elf scurried away. She stood up and sat on a couch and made herself calm. " I am a Greengrass, " she murmured again and again. " I am Daphne Greengrass. "
But her hands refused to stop trembling.
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" Daphne Greengrass, " Ron said in a thoughtful voice as he looked over their Hogwarts yearbook. He was thumbing through the Slytherin section; carefully choosing which ones he could assume was a present fanatic of the Black Arts. The image of a green clad Daphne showed her rolling her eyes and lifting her chin up in the air as she did. There was a short description below her image:
Daphne Greengrass will live up to her name once she leaves Hogwarts and work for either the ministry in the control of dangerous and rare plants or open up a successful greenery.
Affiliation: Herbology Club
Ron looked up at the ceiling as he sat alone in his room in muggle London. Yes, he had recalled the dark haired beauty as a genius in Herbology, and although Hermione still bested her, she was a risk taker when it came to poisonous plants and the like. He read through another name, this time it was Draco Malfoy.
Blonde and dangerous is what best describes Draco Malfoy. He will create a legacy far greater than those of his ancestors. A captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team and a potions expert, we'll be hearing more great things from the Slytherin bad boy in the future.
Affiliations: Slytherin Quidditch Team (Captain), Advanced Potion Making League, Duelists Club
Ron sniggered. Blonde and dangerous? Good Merlin! Who wrote this crap! He hadn't opened his yearbook in years, and had never skimmed through the Slytherin section, but now he was, to find clues, to figure out connections to things that were happening now. His eyes skimmed at Draco's image. His face was calm, but his eyes had a strange glimmer in them and a thin smile was played on his lips. Next was Theodore Nott. Ron hadn't given him much thought, since he was uncommonly quiet and a loner as a Slytherin. Nott's face looked sour; he was painfully skinny in the picture.
Theodore Nott, quiet and smart. And although he didn't socialize that much; Nott has shown to be brilliant in a foray unusual for a Slytherin, he was brilliant in Muggle Studies… Perhaps he may one day be an ambassador to the muggle world? A first for the Slytherins?
Affiliation: Arithmancy Guild
Why yes, that was strange for someone in Slytherin to have taken up that subject. He must've been a classmate of Hermione's, since only seven students in the graduating class took that subject… Next was Pansy Parkinson, who was twirling a lock of her hair in the picture whilst rolling her eyes…she was after all, married to another pureblood…perhaps…?
Pansy Parkinson, a beauty in Slytherin and a well known enthusiast of Defense against the Dark Arts, this dark haired witch will go a long way whichever path she chooses.
Affiliation: Divination Club
The last was Blaise Zabini, whose heavy set face gave a scowl every now and then. Ron hated Blaise for many trifling reasons. One was that he had heard that Blaise fancied Ginny, but wasted no time in lambasting their family name, every chance he got.
Blaise Zabini. Tall, dark and handsome. What more could you ask for? Aside from a hefty bank account, Blaise is a certified ladies' man, something male Slytherins purportedly take pride in.
Affiliation: Advanced Potions Making League
And that was that. He sighed and stared at the faces that he had thought of as suspects. There should be more….right? He had his suspects, and he wondered if Lupin thought the same as to who should be kept on watch for…Marko Sarovic was number one on their list, along with Pansy. He still regarded their defense as pathetic, and he was itching to get to the bottom of the Sarovic's little game. What the hell were they up to?
And without thinking, Ron's fingers found the Gryffindor pages. He looked at the different and many faces displayed. He saw Hermione's face. Her eyes showed happiness, as the many award pins on her Hogwarts graduation robes (colored red and gold) glimmered as she moved.
Hermione Granger is without a doubt, the smartest witch to have come out from Hogwarts in fifty years. Her dedication to the subjects are never ending (well except for Divination, most likely) and so is her passion for reading. Hermione Granger holds the record for probably being the only one in her batch to have read all the books in the library….
Affiliations: Muggle Studies Club (President), Advanced Potions Making (President), Defense against the Dark Arts League, Duelists Club, Transfiguration Club (President), Runes Club (President), Arithmancy Guild, Astronomy Society (Vice-President), Charms Guild (President)
Ron laughed. That was Hermione all right. She lived up to her reputation. He saw Harry's face. And suddenly he felt upset. Harry was smiling in the picture, a small grin that won the hearts of many girls, as he tried to arrange his ever messy hair.
Harry James Potter. Holds the record as the youngest Quidditch seeker to play in a hundred years and also has lived up to his family name as a brilliant Quidditch player. An aficionado for adventure, Harry Potter has sheer luck and wits right up his sleeve.
Affiliations: Gryffindor Quidditch Team (Captain), Advanced Potions Making, Defense against the Dark Arts League, Duelists Club (Vice-President)
He found his own face. He was holding his nape unconsciously, while he was giving off a cheeky grin every now and then. He read his own description.
Ronald Billius Weasley has always been considered as the whiz kid in Wizard's Chess in his batch. Tall and a proficient Quidditch player, Ronald has shown great courage despite unfavorable circumstances.
Affiliations: Gryffindor Quidditch Team (Beater), Wizard's Chess Club (President), Defense against the Dark Arts League, Duelists Club
" I'm good, " he thought with pride. So what if he hadn't been that much of an achiever in academics? He had left a legacy in Hogwarts any Weasley would be proud to admit.
His fingers thumbed to the Graduation Ball pictures and he felt nostalgic once more. There was a nice picture of the three of them holding goblets filled with punch, toasting while laughing. He saw a picture of Draco Malfoy with a stoic face as he was surrounded by his cohorts, with Pansy lingering by his side, looking up to him with her eyes glittering because of the make-up and her extreme admiration for him. Another picture had Susan Bones smiling happily with a few classmates. He also saw Peeves cackling riotously after spilling some punch on Ernie MacMillan's head along with an irritated Hannah Abbot. He grinned. Ah, the good old days. He missed them suddenly, terribly. Even the bad memories at Hogwarts seemed good now, and he suddenly wanted to pick a fight with Harry if he was still alive, as long as he stayed alive. He frowned and sighed again, wondering how Hermione was.
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A/N:
cemicool (of course i'll continue this story!), ilovefireyredheads (a hopeless romantic? how romantic! hehe), hopie79 (wow! such patience! thank you!), angelraine (you make my day), Lunatic lover (i like your active imagination! .), xoApplejuice (thank you for reading it! keep reading?) ebbe04 (i hope you liked this chappie!)
So, i've been to my doctor again, cause my medications give me migraines. They're still trying to balance out the meds to fits my physical state. I'm like a guinea pig, hehe. i said before that my parents pulled me out of school, right? I'm now enrolled as a fine arts student (my first love, before i took up a medical course), i've been happy about this of course. Its' weird cause only now that i'm sick am i allowed to take up the course i love the most. The ironies of life...sigh.
You have just witnessed another Slytherin, Daphne Greengrass. I made up her life and stuff, but i leave what you think of my 'made up' character to you. I've said i have a soft spot for Slytherins, so i'm being fair. I mean if Gryffindors can look good, can't Slytherins too? They're still human and i like to practice what skills i have to make great characters out of what the great J.K Rowling hasn't been paying much attention to.
so...please don't forget to review? I mean, it's not that much, right? asking a little comment/critique/suggestion or two? i love reading reviews. who doesn't? hehe. i'm thankful that i've reached more than 400 reviews. honestly, i've never had that much and have never gone this long and far! you guys always make my day!