Hello! Thanks for the reviews for the prologue. I just wanted to specify to those who asked and will ask me about Daphne being a muggle born because 'isn't she pureblood?' that I don't know if she is or not, I made that bit up seeing as there's so little information about her and I wanted to give her character a little more depth. All I know is that the books never specifies that she is a pure blood, I think they only mention her name once, or something in the whole series! The only places where I am told that she is a pure blood is in fanfics so…for mine I decided to make her a muggle born because being a Slytherin and muggle born is a great storyline!

Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davies had been best friends for a very long time. Tracey, herself wouldn't really use the term 'best friends'….more long time allies, while Daphne (who wouldn't use 'best friends' either) would use allies too, just with 'united against the tyranny of airheads and bimbos and superficial sheep who run this organisation of life' attached to it.

Tracey, if she ever heard that, would either sniff (her way of laughing) or leave the room, depending on her mood.

They first met on the Slytherin Table in their first Welcoming feast, both staying very quiet for most of the evening, Daphne, because she realised quickly enough that coming from a muggle background was bad news in Slytherin and had enough sense to keep her trap shut until she knew more about the wizarding world to fit in. Trailing around Pansy was a good idea, seeing that girl never stopped talking. Tracey on the other hand, just didn't like anyone enough to speak to them.

They first spoke to each other two weeks later. Strangely enough, it was the antisocial Tracey who initiated the conversation. She had been studying Daphne ever since the feast, and found to her surprise that she couldn't figure her out at all. Everyone else in Slytherin, Tracey had them figured them out within the first hour, Draco was a snobbish brat, Blaise was a haughty bastard, Pansy was an airheaded idiot and so on. Daphne however just kept on changing. One moment she was just one of Pansy's gossipy stupid minions, chatting about boys and hair and make up, and the next she was in the library, alone, surrounded by a wall of heavy books, looking for all the world like the prettied up version of Hermione Granger. Daphne Greengrass was just not understandable.

So Tracey decided to put a bit more effort in.

"Daphne Greengrass"

Daphne's eyes barely flickered towards her before they returned to the heavy book she was reading. Tracey narrowed her eyes in annoyance. Perhaps Daphne had not understood that she was being spoken to.

"Greengrass, I am speaking to you."

Not even a flicker this time, not one slightest hint of acknowledgement. Tracey raised her eyebrows.

That cow was ignoring her!

Slamming her hand down hard onto the book, so hard it fell from Daphne's grasp, she increased her 'presence' gauge to its maximum. No one ignored her unless she wanted them to (which was most of the time).

This time Daphne did reply, though she replied in such a way which was smug and annoyingly righteous that infuriated Tracey even more.

"Yes, Daphne Greengrass is my name," Daphne drawled, "Can I help you? No? Then kindly release my book."

"Actually," Tracey shot back icily, her face still, as dead as stone, "I have some business I have to deal with you."

"Oh? And that is?"

"Who are you?"

Tracey was always the sort of person who got straight to the point. She didn't like talking much and beating about the bush wasted her precious time. Daphne, it seemed, was the exact opposite.

"Who?" she asked in a sickening innocent voice which was more like dripping honey than any sound Tracey had ever heard, "Me? I'm just one of your classmates, you know, in Slytherin? We share lessons and dorms and stuff, I think, don't we?"

"Yes we do," Tracey said lowly, clenching the book beneath her hand, "but you know that's not what I mean."

"I do?"

"Yes. You do. I know-,"

Tracey stopped dead as her eyes skimmed over the words 'From There to Now; The Recent History of the Wizarding World' which lay embossed on the leather cover under her fingertips. Then everything clicked.

"You're parents," she murmured, slowly raising her eyes up to meet Daphne's again, "what do they do? Because," she added sharply before the other girl could tell her to mind her own business, "People like us have to keep ourselves informed on each other's matters, especially where we are in society, don't we?"

Daphne closed her mouth. Tracey wondered vaguely whether Daphne was going to fall into her trap and confirm her suspicion or whether she was going to tell her to bugger off, the Davis family wasn't anywhere high enough to be sprouting words like that. Tracey waited.

"Well…," Daphne faltered, before finding her voice again, "My parents work outside Britain, they own a chain of restaurants in Italy. Quite well-known actually, if only to the locals."

"I see, that's nice," Tracey said absently, fingering the thick pages of the book and seeing Daphne look of relief from the corner of her eye, "Quite impressive, Greengrass, for a lie made up in two seconds, hardly any flaws, it would have convinced a Hufflepuff or a Gryffindor, though we know that's not saying much."

"What?" Daphne smiled confusedly, though her smile was a little too strained and her voice a little too loud, "What are you saying?"

Tracey smiled back evilly. It was a smile which said 'I got you.'

"It was very good, Greengrass, I'm admitting that. Too good maybe, for the likes of a little Davis, such as myself. Very different from what I thought you would have said. Probably because it was the truth. Your parents do own a chain of restaurants, don't they? You just failed to mention that they're muggles."

Daphne went pale. Her eyes eyed her wand and then the door. Fight or flee. Tracey wasn't going to let her do either.

"If you want to keep undercover, you're going to have to do better than that," Tracey commented airily, flicking through some other book, "Keep the Italy bit, that'll explain why no-one's heard of your family. The restaurants thingy is a bit iffy, so I'll change that to Ministry work if I was you. For books I re-."

"Wait!" cried Daphne, shocked, "Why are you helping me? Aren't you going to turn me in? I thought Slytherins hated mudbloods!"

"Don't use 'mudblood' it's rude. Use it only around Malfoy and them lot."

"But, but.."

Tracey slammed the book shut. "I'm bored with this conversation. Come on, we're going to get something to eat."

And off she went and Daphne had no other choice but to follow her till this day…

….which is around five years later, in the Slytherin sixth year dormitory. It was raining, a usual occurrence in October, not that you could tell down in the dungeons. On the lavish emerald green bed, Daphne lounged on her belly, flicking through some magazine while commenting on almost every model that graced the pages to Tracey, who sat on another bed.

"God, wizard fashion is sooo boring. I mean, robes and cloaks everywhere. No variation whatsoever!"

Tracey raised her eyebrows but didn't comment. Daphne, it seemed, had come back from the summer holidays fresh with muggle ideals…about fashion mostly and the lack of electrical items such as the computer. This happened after every summer, Daphne would complain about almost everyone and everything for the first month, especially about the wizarding world. Of course, not to the public (unless it was about the food or the draft) but the amount she moaned to Tracey it might as well be.

"Stupid really. I mean, if magical folk are supposed be sooo much better than muggles then why don't they an inkling of a good sense of the evolution of clothes. The stuff you guys wear are, like, centuries old. And the fastest way of communicating is sticking your head in the fire. Ridiculous! Invent some sort of magic mobile phone will you! Swallow your pride and LET US USE THE INTERNET!!!!"

(Here, it would be beneficial to point out that Daphne is speaking to no one in particular and that she rants about the uselessness of muggles in the first month home too.)

"Another holiday romance lost because of no access to the internet?" Tracey asked dryly, "or a phone?"

"…yes. And it's not fair! I could've had him buy me that cute dress if I had two more days! But noooo. I can't even get him to send it to my house now!"

"I bet his name was Leo or something like that."

"Yep. Leon actually," Daphne smirked slyly, "he had a cute baby face. Head as empty as the sky though, I could have sworn I heard birdsong coming out of his ears."

Tracey sniffed as she rolled onto her stomach, mirroring Daphne's position, rolling her eyes as the other girl started to recount the long and overdramatic tale of her summer holidays.

Tracey curled her lip in distain. "God, I hope you didn't do anything unseemly."

"Oh, don't be such a prude, Trace!" sniggered Daphne, "and no, we didn't have sex, Miss Touch-me-and-DIE, though he did give a surprisingly good-mmph!" she spluttered as a pillow caught her square on the face, "Bitch! What?"

Frowning with annoyance, Tracey pointed a long finger at the door from which Pansy suddenly just came through, her pug-like face peeved.

"Have you two seen Draco?" she demanded angrily, her dark eyes flashing to one girl to the other.

Tracey raised her lidded eyes lazily to meet Pansy's, her blank face having a hint of killer intent. "No."

"No, sorry Pans," replied Daphne in a much friendlier (if faker) tone than her friend, "We've been down here for most of the evening. Why?"

Looking more than slightly offended, Pansy huffed haughtily, "Well, that's what people who are going out do. Be with each other. Not that you'll know."

"Oooh, ouch," Daphne sneered sarcastically, "that would have had more effect if I hadn't had a boyfriend in the last six months, which, wait let me see, I have."

"You and Draco are going out?" asked Tracey to the infuriated Pansy, genuinely looking surprised. Pansy stared at her, shocked as Tracey usually never said anything more than a couple of words to her, until she regained her smugness.

"Yes we are, for a long time now. What? Didn't you know?"

Tracey shook her head and remarked, "No, I didn't think you two were like that."

"Quite unobservant, aren't you?" Pansy giggled shrilly. Tracey shrugged.

"I've always thought he was just using you."

The door slammed as Pansy stomped out the dorm.

…

"Well, now you've done it."

"Done what?" enquired Tracey boredly. Sitting up and stretching her arms, Daphne gave her a pointed look.

"You know what she's like. She'll probably find Draco, whine to him and he'll be pissed off and shout at Pansy and everything will end in tears…for her."

The shorter girl sighed wearily.

"And you know that'll mean no sleep for us because it's impossible for Pansy to sob. She has to wail… all night."

Tracey yawned discreetly. "Pansy's an idiot and Draco's an arsehole. They deserve each other wholly and unconditionally."

"I disagree," claimed Daphne, "I mean I agree with you in this situation but its the principle of a guy using a girl I just can't stand."

Raising her eyebrows, Tracey pointed out that didn't Daphne herself use the other sex far more than once.

"Yeah, but that's different. Oh call me a hypocrite if you want but I personally think that a girl using a guy is different to a guy using a girl," Daphne shrugged absently, "I think I might think of some punishments for Draco."

"You do that," said Tracey as she pulled out a hefty looking book from her trunk, along with scrolls upon scrolls of notes, "while I shall refresh my memory on Astronomy."

Abruptly, Daphne scrabbled to sit up, her eyes widened in shock.

"We have Astronomy tomorrow? When?"

"At midnight as usual," sniffed Tracey irritably, "And its tonight."

Daphne swore angrily making the other girl tut before mentioning offhandly,

"And its you Daphne, who has Astronomy tomorrow, not me."

There was a pause where Daphne gave her an incredulous look before staring at her numerous notes.

"Then why are you looking through those?!"

Smirking callously, Tracey stated, "Because I like knowing the fact that you're going to have to come to me for help."

….

"Bitch."

"Why thank you."