Year 2
Daphne stood on the far side of the platform, absently waving the train smoke out of her face. Tracey had told her that she would meet her here at 10:30, but now she was officially 15 minutes late. It wasn't difficult for Daphne to get her parents to dump her off (this time out front of Kings Cross; not even on the platform) on time, but Tracey she knew may have more problems... what with her mother and all that.
If she was going to be this late I would have offered for her to spend the night at my place... it would have saved me all this trouble... she thought as she scanned up and down the platform for the 20th time.
About 20 feet down, she could see the Patil twins climbing aboard the train, without so much as a second glance in her direction. Who would have thought that a year ago today, they were talking to her like she was their lifelong friend? She could also see Granger, pacing frantically up and down, watching the entrance intently, no doubt waiting for her partners in crime.
God, could her hair be any bigger? Or does she just brush it to look like that? Daphne quipped in her head, but said nothing out loud; she only turned up her nose when she glanced her way and looked the other way.
Hundreds of students rushed passed her as if she didn't exist. Daphne was used to this sensation; she had dealt with it all summer when her grandparents were visiting. As predicted, they spent their entire vacation spoiling Astoria rotten and giving Daphne only the occasionally kind, encouraging word, like 'Perhaps if you wore your hair like Astoria you may look a little prettier', as he Grandmother has so kindly put only last night. It wasn't that it bothered Daphne to be ignored or patronized by her grandparents; she really couldn't expect much more from a couple who had a daughter as beautiful as Medea to look twice at her less-than-equal daughter. It was the fact that Astoria relished in their attention, and took every opportunity to milk it for all that it was worth.
Ungrateful, selfish creature... she'll have quite a shock when she gets to Hogwarts and finds that not everything is handed to you on a silver platter...
"So just for the record," a familiar, clearly panting voice said beside her "My mother is the biggest moron to ever wave a wand." Tracey breathed, putting her head between her knees and struggling to catch her breath.
"What happened? You're 15 minutes late!" Daphne flustered, confused as to why her friend was very nearly giving herself an asthma attack.
"My mother can't tell time, apparently. She and my dad were having a little tryst in a hotel room down in Piccadilly, and she forgot to check the clock." She managed between breaths
"Your mom and dad are still together?" Daphne read between the lines.
"Oh yes, very much so. He's worn the paint off the fence from climbing over it every night. But she still denies knowing who my father is... she's a horrible liar." She took a deep breath and stood up straight again. "Needless to say, running around on the underground, dragging a trunk behind you isn't as easy as it looks."
"I never thought it was." Daphne laughed as she picked up her own trunk. "Well, now we're guaranteed to get a horrible car, but lets at least get on the train." She suggested, glancing at the clock; it was now 5 minutes to 11, and Hermione was now looking even more desperate as she paced. "Looks 2/3's of the Potter Trio are still missing." She nudged her head in Hermione's direction. Tracey smirked smartly as she gave the girl a mischievous glance.
"Now she'll worry even more. The seeds of suspicion grow twice as fast on their own, especially in a head like hers!" Tracey laughed, pushing a first year out of her way as she found the last empty car. Daphne gave the same first year a dark glare before she closed the door behind them, leaving Daphne and Tracey alone to chat at last.
Their peace, however, was short-lived; within a matter of seconds of the door closing, two more familiar figures joined them."First Years... they're like a plague! Everywhere you look, there's more!" Blaise grumbled as he pushed one out of the doorway, inviting himself in and taking a seat beside Tracey.
Theodore followed shortly after, dragging his trunk over the same first year that Blaise had pushed, who was now lying on the floor. "Were we this bad last year?" he asked smartly. Daphne only shook her head to Tracey, who was giggling at the boys' entrance.
"So your summer was eventful, Theodore?" Tracey piped up once he took a seat beside Daphne. He gave her a sour expression and slouched down in his seat.
"Well, I knew someone would be the first to bring it up, but I never expected it from you..." he grumbled, closing the door beside him and crossing his arms lazily "Yes, my father had yet another trial with the Ministry, and yes, he was accused of killing my mother, and yes, once again there was a lack of evidence, and the case was thrown out... again."
"Sounds like fun..." Daphne mumbled, glancing out the window. At the last second, she saw Hermione jump onto the train.
"Oh yes, like a good Quidditch Game..." Theodore grumbled, kicking his trunk open at his feet and pulling out some cookies "Anyone wants some homemade pumpkin cookies?"
"I'll take some." Daphne offered, remembering that she hadn't eaten since last night; her parents didn't have time to make her breakfast this morning.
"Before you ask, my grandmother made them." He told her as he handed her 2 giant cookies and taking a bite of his own.
"Well, we didn't think your father made them." Blaise laughed. Theodore narrowed his eyes at him and continued to eat. Blaise smiled smartly, then turned to the girls. "How was your summer, Daphne?"
"Horrid. You?" she replied shortly once she finished chewing.
"Same. Mother's new fiancée is awful; reminds me of Snape the way he talks..."
"Gross. Your mother is sleeping with Snape." Tracey teased.
"I wouldn't put it past her..." Blaise mumbled. "I don't suppose your summer was eventful either?"
"Nah, nothing special. Just wandering about London with nothing to do." She yawned "I'm tired after all that running about London." The boys asked her what she meant, and she re-told the story, this time with the detail that she had left her mother at the hotel, and had traveled all the way to the station on her own.
"You poor devil; wish my mother would let me travel 10 feet without her being there fretting over me..." Blaise laughed.
"I wonder where the others are," Theodore said, at last, looking out the glass into the hallway.
"Since when do you care about where Draco is?" Daphne teased, nudging him in the side. He rolled his eyes and glanced at Blaise before he spoke.
"I would just like to get our grief out of the way now, rather than later..." he stated, referring to their problems with their parents.
"Well, I'm sure we'll hear all about it at dinner tonight. And it's not like we don't already know what he's going to say; 'Has your mother married another sod again?' or 'Father in Azkaban yet?'" Blaise shrugged.
"And it's not like it's anything new..." Theodore added, now looking at Daphne "Did you see him at all in the summer?"
"Uh, no... I never see him outside of school. From what my father says, he's never allowed out of his house unless he's with his mother... she's really overprotective, I guess." Daphne shrugged.
"I would feel sorry for him if only I knew he didn't adore it," Blaise smirked. They all giggled quietly as if worried that he may have overheard them.
Dinner that night was nowhere near as exciting as it had been the year before. While the new crop of first years was being sorted into their new houses, the 2nd year Slytherins were already settling back into their old routines.
"Of course, I'm trying out next week for the seeker position... I think I have a fair chance of getting it." Draco bragged to Pansy and Blaise (the latter of whom was not amused).
"What makes you so sure you'll get it?" Blaise asked casually, but his dark face showed another emotion; contempt and jealousy.
"Oh, I've had a few conversations with the Captain over the summer... he seems to think that I have a good shot." Draco looked down the table at Marcus Flint, who nodded his head to him. Draco how turned back to Blaise with a smug smile "Why were you going to try out?"
"No, I don't think so," Blaise said gruffly as he turned back to his food. He leaned in closer to Theodore, who was sitting beside him. "No point now if he's bought his position with Flint."
Daphne, who was sitting on the other side of Theodore, overheard this."Wonder how he did that..." she said in a low voice. Blaise shrugged and then turned back to Draco to discuss something else. "Were you going to try out?" Daphne now turned asked Theodore.
"Not likely. I don't have the speed or coordination to fly around on a broom, chasing a little ball." He scoffed.
"Sounds like you don't like Quidditch," Daphne remarked, pouring herself more pumpkin juice. Theodore sniffed a small laugh.
"Not when it's run by Flint." He responded, "Now there's a bloke with rocks for brains."
Daphne laughed and took a sip of her drink, then turned her head towards the sorting ceremony at the front of the hall. They were now on one of the last names; a girl with red hair was now walking up to the stool and the hat was plopped on her head. A moment later, the hat yelled out 'Gryffindor', much to Draco's lack of surprise.
"My father had a little fight with that girls father a few days ago." He was retelling Pansy, who as usual seemed completely hypnotized by him "Told him what everyone already knows, but of course, the lunatic blew up and starting attacking my father! Of course, he put him back in his place again."
"Who is that anyway?" Tracey asked, now finished chatting with Millicent.
"She's a Weasley." He sneered in the direction of the Gryffindor table "Jenny or something. Not that it matters anyways... they're all disgraceful."
The others didn't say much in response; only murmured responses that sounded like yes. Draco seemed to be the only one who cared about the Weasleys in the school, aside from Potter and Granger. Theodore rolled his eyes when he looked at Daphne.
"It's like we never left..." he added before draining the last of his juice, just in time for Dumbledore to make yet another speech...
Nothing excited seemed to happen for the first few days of school. Draco had, as expected, received the position of seeker, and as Daphne, Theodore, and Tracey sat around the common room, he was at his first practice.
"I'm not sure why you had to get us up at the crack of dawn, Tracey... it's not like there's going to be a test on the second day of potions..." Theodore yawned.
"Shut it. I asked you two to help me because I almost failed last year, and I can't have a repeat!" she complained, dropping her notebooks on the table and opening them to the first blank page.
"Well, I can understand why you would ask him," Daphne nodded her head to Theodore "But I almost failed potions as well. There really is no reason why you dragged me up this early."
"I figured you could benefit from Theodore's expertise as well as I could." She smirked, taking her quill out and writing something down. Daphne narrowed her eyes a little and then leaned her head onto the table.
"Thanks for your concern, but I think I'll just listen..." she yawned, setting her head on the table and closing her eyes. Tracey hit her on the head with her quill.
"No! You have to pay attention! You're going to have to help me too!"
"Do you want me to teach you both?" Theodore asked, rubbing his temple slowly "Look, I'm not Snape or anything, but that potion yesterday really wasn't that difficult."
"Easy for you to say! Your father's really good at potions!" Tracey quipped.
Theodore raised one of his eyebrows quizzically. "Yes, because after all, if you're accused of poisoning your wife, you must be pretty good at making potions, right?"
An awkward silence fell between them all. Daphne looked at Tracey with a 'see-what-you-did' look on her face and then turned to Theodore. "That's not at all what she was saying..." She apologized to her, nudging her friend with her knee under the table.
"No, not at all!" She said quickly. "My mother tells me that-"
"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Theodore said dismissively and then picked up his quill. He paused for a moment and then let out a small laugh. "I wonder how Draco is doing at his first practice."
"You really don't like him, do you." Tracey giggled, apparently feeling a little more comfortable with this conversation than the last one.
"And you say that every time he brings up Draco," Daphne pointed out. "But, to be honest, the way you talk about him does give that impression," she told Theodore. He only shrugged and started to write something on the top of his parchment.
"And I tell her the same thing every time; think what you want." He smirked without looked up from his writing. Daphne and Tracey exchanged glances before they too started to copy what they could read off of his page.
About 20 minutes later, a crowd of people wearing matching emerald green robes entered the common room, laughing amongst themselves."...can't imagine what that must taste like..." Flint was overheard over the others. Theodore rolled his eyes and sat up from writing. "Well, how was it Draco?"
"Amazing! I mean, before we even got near the pitch, I already had the best day this year." He said, setting his broom down beside Daphne "Weasley got all in a tiff because I called Granger a mudblood and tried to cast some slug curse on me, but it backfired!" he let out a laugh again at his memory "He was puking up slugs like crazy! Potter and Granger carted him off somewhere, still puking slugs!"
"Probably a gourmet meal compared to what he normally eats at home." Tracey smiled, laughing at the thought as well. Daphne laughed even harder at Tracey's comment, and Theodore gave an amused smile and small laugh under his breath.
"Good one, Tracey," Draco remarked, taking off his gloves and throwing them onto the table, landing on top of Theodore's notebook. He silently moved them off the pages. "And, of course, the practice was fun too," Draco continued. "I didn't get to do much this time because they were running through all the plays for me."
"Sounds like fun," Theodore said rather unenthusiastically, picking up his quill again and writing on his parchment one more. Draco either didn't hear it, or he ignored him. Instead, he focused his attention on the pages that lay on the table in front of him.
"What are you guys doing?" he asked, picking up Daphne's parchment.
"Tracey wanted some help with potions," Daphne explained, much to Tracey's dismay.
"What can I say; apparently I've got the intelligence of a toadstool when it comes to potions." She grumbled.
"You've spelled aconite wrong," Draco pointed out in a flat tone to Daphne as he dropped her page back on the table.
She let out a small, frustrated sigh."Well, perhaps if someone didn't get me up at the crack of dawn, my head might be working properly..." she mumbled as she crossed her original spelling with her quill. She paused for a minute, staring at the page as she tried to remember how to actually spell the word.
"It's 'nite', not 'night'" Draco added as he bent down to pick up his broom. Daphne turned to thank him, but was struck by something different first; she had yet to properly take in what Draco was wearing.
He looks quite good in green... she thought hazily. She shook her head slightly to clear her brain of the strange feeling that was washing over her.
"Right! Of course! How stupid of me." She rambled. Draco gave her an odd look before he continued on his way, picking up his gloves off the table and waving his hand goodbye lazily as he passed them.
Tracey looked over at Daphne with a smirk of knowing, which Daphne ignored by making the correction Draco had pointed out. What was that? He wears green practically every day! What's the difference today? She scolded herself Unless it was those pants... she physically shook her head at this thought and continued to copy off Theodore, who had also returned to work. Tracey only lets out a small giggle at her friend's antics.
A few weeks later, the Halloween feast was well underway. Daphne and Blaise were levitating bits of pumpkin with the mashed up innards hidden inside, and dropping them on unsuspecting Ravenclaw heads.
"I'm glad I have some use for pumpkin now; I've always hated the stuff!" Daphne giggled under her breath as she and Blaise pretended to be ignorant of the piece that had just landed on Penelope Clearwater's head.
"You would think that the school would attempt to feed us something that is actually edible, not a squash that ought to be left as a centre piece," Blaise responded as he waved his wave under the table, levitating another piece of pumpkin over towards the table.
Now the students were becoming warier of it and were watching it carefully as it floated. Blaise dropped a piece on Terry Boot's fork right as he was scooping a piece of pie into his mouth. He made a sour face as soon as it touched his tongue, and began to cough and sputter in horror. Daphne and Blaise had trouble controlling themselves, trying to hide behind the large pile of candy corn.
"Too bad you couldn't get it to float all the way to the Gryffindors." Draco mused lightly, pouring himself another glass of pumpkin juice.
"It's not that we can't," Daphne pointed out "It's that it would be nearly impossible to get it that far and unnoticed."
"And the last thing we would want is to get in trouble... not to mention spoil our form on entertainment, right Daphne?" Blaise added, poking her lightly in the side with his wand. Draco only shook his head patronizingly.
"Well, I think we should be heading back." Tracey announced to Daphne, rolling her eyes as Pansy howled with laughter "I've had enough of her endless chatter for one night..." she said under her breath to her. Daphne laughed and agreed, standing from the table.
"Looks like everyone has your idea, Tracey." Blaise chimed in, motioning to the entire Great Hall that was now standing and preparing to leave.
"Damn. I wanted to beat the rush and get the first crack at the washroom." Tracey grumbled as she swung her feet over the bench.
"Why don't you wait until midnight?" Daphne suggested, taking her friends arm and walking with her down the aisle. "That's when I go; no one's ever there, and you can spend as much time as you want."
"And what on earth would you need to be in the washroom for 'as long as you want'?" Theodore teased, possibly the first word he'd said all night.
"Oh, well we obviously gossip about all of you," Tracey said dramatically.
"Really? I had no idea we were all so interesting." He replied smartly, smirking at the two girls.
"Well, maybe not you" Daphne smiled knowingly, glancing in Pansy's direction "But there are others who have more than enough dirt on them to keep us in a bathroom until dawn!" Tracey squealed with laughter at this comment and rushed ahead with Daphne and Theodore just as Pansy turned to ask what they were laughing about.
As the Slytherin house followed the Ravenclaws down the corridor, there was a large crowd gathering in front of a wall. An ominous buzz of whispers soon accompanied it.
"What's going on?" Pansy asked from behind them. Neither Tracey nor Daphne answered her. They were now in sight of what everyone was looking at. Ahead, written in what looked like blood, was a cryptic message that had all the students stopped dead in their tracks.
"'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware?'" Draco read aloud. Then he made gave a quick, cold glance at the other students "You'll be next, mudbloods!"
Theodore groaned a little at his antics but remained completely enwrapped in what was on the wall (not to mention the cat hanging beside it, which made Daphne shiver)
"Who do you suppose did this?" he whispered to Daphne and Tracey. Tracey only shrugged, but after a moment, Daphne responded.
"It couldn't be any of us," she said, referring to their group of second years "We were all at dinner, and this had to have been done while everyone was in eating."
At that moment, Argus Filch came hobbling forward and began to scream and shout at Harry about killing his cat. Up until then, Daphne hadn't even seen him at the front of the crowd, accompanied by his usual partners in crime. Before she could move closer to hear what was going on, they were rushed off by the prefects.
"Did you see that? Potter killed Filch's cat!" Blaise said in a slightly amazed tone.
"I never thought he had it in him," Millicent added, looking cautiously behind them at the rest of the house that followed. "Wonder what they'll do to him now?"
"He has to be expelled this time. How can you kill a cat and not be expelled?!" Draco sniffed. "And even if he isn't, I'll be sure to write to my father about all of this tonight. The Chamber of Secrets... I've never heard of it."
"Then why did you say that back there?" Tracey asked defiantly. He shot her a sour look but kept the same pace as he walked with the other students.
"Because I felt like it." He sneered.
Daphne looked sideways at Theodore, who was rolling his eyes. "Of course you would..." he muttered under his breath.
That night, as they were all getting ready for bed, Snape had called the entire house down to the common room to discuss 'the importance of this matter, and how it was not to be joked about'. He told them that if he found out that anyone in his house had done this as a prank, they would be expelled immediately, no matter who they were. He didn't mention what would happen if someone in the house had actually done in it cold blood.
"Who do you think it is?" Pansy asked the girls as they climbed into their beds after the meeting.
"It still can't be any of us; we were all at dinner." Daphne pointed out for the second time.
"Do you think it actually was Potter?" Millicent asked, fixing the covers on her bed.
"I doubt it; Saint Potter would have to convince Granger and Weasley to go in on it too. Weasley I can see agreeing, but Granger? She'd die before she broke a rule!" Pansy said spitefully.
"Well, according to Draco, she may be dead soon." Daphne said as she pulled her covers over her shoulders "He said that the mudbloods are next, and I can't think of another mudblood to start with but her."
"You have a good point..." Pansy said lightly "Well, goodnight everyone." She announced as she turned out all the lights in the room. Daphne sank down lower into her bed, and into another long night of listening to Millicent snore...
The next few weeks flashed by in a blur of rumours and school activities. Slytherin had lost their first Quidditch, despite all of Draco's bragging about how good he was doing in practice (which pleased Theodore beyond belief to see him proved wrong). There was also a dueling club starting, which Theodore had insisted that Daphne and Tracey sign up for. He told them that his father has always told him that 'magic is no use if you don't know how to use it against a threat.'
"Yes, but it's not like we're going to battling a burglar or anyone soon." Tracey pointed out as she scrawled her name bellow Daphne's on the list "But it can't hurt to know how to hex someone if I ever get bored."
"All those men coming to visit your mother?" Pansy said smartly as she pushed past Tracey to sign her own name on the list. "Surely we wouldn't want a repeat of what happened before. The last thing we would want is for you to have a sibling." And then she turned and walked back over to Millicent, who was waiting for her on the couch.
"What was that about?" Daphne asked, watching as Pansy walked away.
"Oh, I may have told her that her perfume smelled like the contents of a sewer system on a hot summer day," Tracey smirked, apparently un-phased by what her housemate had just said about her mother.
"Ouch. Remind me to never get on your bad side," Daphne giggled.
The night of the Duel Club had all the students with such high energy that they all paced and fidgeting anxiously all through their final lessons. The Slytherins had all walked down together as a house to the Great Hall, where they were met with many glares and sneers from other houses. Draco only handed it right back to them and had Crabbe and Goyle shove the odd person out of the way for no reason. As Lockhart was jabbering on about dueling and safety, Daphne was looking at Draco. He was standing proudly beside Snape, evidently trying to impress him with either the height of his posture. When Lockhart announced that Snape was his assistant, he grudgingly took his place on the stage. They then took their places at opposite ends and began to demonstrate dueling. Theodore watched with amazement and curiosity that he hardly heard Pansy push between him and Daphne.
"He is quite attractive, isn't he?" she said dreamily.
"I'm assuming you mean Lockhart?" she said with one raised eyebrow. Pansy giggled lightly and blushed lightly.
"Well, I certainly didn't mean Snape!" she said quietly "But I was also thinking Draco." She said, changing the direction of the conversation. Pansy now looked at Daphne like she was appraising her. "Don't you think he's quite good looking?"
"Oh, well yes." Daphne flustered a little, but managed to pass it off with a small giggle "I'm not sure how anyone could say that he isn't attractive."
"I know exactly what you mean." She purred like a cat. "Do you think we'd make a good match?"
Daphne wasn't sure how to respond. She was thankfully saved by Draco and Potter being partnered across the room. Snape made his way around, matching students up with whomever he chose. Pansy had been paired up with Crabbed, and Tracey with Goyle. Daphne had someone lucked out and had been partnered with Blaise. They had missed all the commotion between Draco and Harry, as well as Millicent and Hermione because they were too preoccupied with whatever spell Blaise had hit Daphne with.
"Why did you cast this spell!?" she demanded, unable to move because her legs were locked together. She teetered dangerously, gripping Tracey's shoulder as she started to fall. Blaise was laughing, trying to counteract the jinx, but he couldn't concentrate. Lockhart eventually came over and unlocked Daphne's legs. "Just you wait, Zabini," she threatened emptily.
Now there was something else going on; a snake was slithering towards Harry. Then, above all the whispers and gasps of the other students, came a loud hissing noise. When Daphne looked for the source, she saw that it was Potter himself!"Are you seeing this?" she asked Pansy, who was staring at him as well. She only nodded her head in a daze, amazed by what the snake was doing; was Potter actually commanding it?
"Weird. I didn't know people could talk to snakes..." Pansy said quietly after Snape had gotten rid of the reptile that Draco had created. Now some Hufflepuff was shouting something and storming out of the hall, and Ron was dragging Harry out by his robes.
"What was that?" Daphne asked.
"Interesting, that's what," Pansy said a little louder
By the next night, the rumours that the same Hufflepuff boy had been found petrified had given Pansy more glee than any other piece of gossip had the entire year. All the next day, she made sure that everyone that passed heard her as she talked about Harry.
"He uses snakes to control muggles all the time... I heard that he was kicked out of three villages already because of it!"
Pretty soon, Daphne and Tracey were taking part as well, making sure that everyone heard their tales about Harry's collection of snakes under his bed, or how he was secretly building up an army of reptiles that could only be rivaled by You-Know-Who's.
"We should feel horrible about all this crap we've been saying," Tracey smirked as she finished packing her trunk a few days later. Daphne sighed lightly as she jumped onto her own bed and watched her pack.
"What do you care? You get to go away from it all for 2 weeks! I'm stuck here to rot with no one but Millicent and her snoring!" she whined.
"But you still have Theodore, Crabbe, and Goyle... and more importantly, Draco." Tracey turned and smiled mischievously at her friend.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked, propping her face on her knuckles. Tracey smiled like a cat and sat on her bed across from her.
"You mean to tell me that your gawking and staring at him all this year hasn't been because you fancy him?" she teased. Daphne opened her mouth to protest but found that only a laugh escaped.
Me? Like Draco? That's not what it is... Sure, I've caught myself staring at him too in class or at dinner, but it's not like I'm in love with him! She reassured herself.
"You think you can fool me?" Tracey added, tossing her pillow at her "Theodore sees it too!"
"How is it that you all see it when I have no idea what you're talking about?" She protested but still felt her cheeks blushing an unmistakable shade of scarlet.
"Millicent and Blaise agree too. Everyone see's it except you... and Draco and Pansy, thankfully; the last thing you want it to have her on your case about it!"
"I still have no idea what you're talking about. I don't fancy Draco... I just think he's attractive!" she defended, turning away from her.
"Sure. We'll see if you feel the same way after Christmas holidays," She concluded smartly, now crossing the room to bid her good-bye. "I hope you have fun! Surely your parents will bring you back a nice gift from France."
"I doubt it. My Grandmother is sick; it's not really a holiday for anyone, except perhaps Astoria." Daphne reminded her. Tracey only nodded, and then said her good-bye's again, before she headed out of the dorm to join the other students that were lucky enough to be going home...
Never had Daphne been so bored in all her life; there was nothing to do day after day except sit around and chat with the same people... over and over.
"I'm glad you're having fun, Daphne," Theodore remarked sarcastically as he was talking to Draco. Daphne hadn't noticed that she had completely turned her attention away from the conversation, and was now staring longingly at the Christmas tree set up in the corner.
"Sorry..." she said quietly, turning back to the conversation slowly. It was Christmas day, and she was surprised that she was missing her home and family so much. Normally, her father would have a giant family gift ready and wait for them to open by this time. Last year, it had been a new radio, which Astoria adored to no end.
No doubt this year's gift was taking her to France and leaving me here... save my parents the hassle of trying to keep us calm.
"We were just saying that the girls in our house seem to have their heads on the right way. No drama? No fights?" Draco inquired lazily, clearly distracted by the time.
"Uh, yeah... nothing big. I mean, Tracey and Pansy seem to exchange sharp words now and then, but that's because they're just opposite people." She explained, but Draco wasn't listening. "What are you looking for?"
"Crabbe and Goyle have been gone for at least half an hour!" he said with an annoyed tone of voice "It doesn't take this long to get to the Great Hall and back." He tapped his fingers impatiently on the leather armchair.
"I thought they were grabbing more food?" Daphne asked
"Again..." Theodore mumbled.
"They are, but they've been gone far too long." Draco now stood from his chair "I'd better go see what they're up to. The last thing I need is them getting a detention and leaving me to do all my work on my own."
Theodore watched and waited until Draco had left the common room before he shook his head slowly "Merlin knows that he would surely perish if he didn't have Crabbe and Goyle around..." he now looked over at Daphne "Well, I have to say that this break has been quite boring, hasn't it?"
"Yes, beyond belief! I wish there was something exciting to do..." she sighed. They spent the next few minutes discussing what they could do for entertainment; hex some Gryffindors, put a potion in someone's drink at dinner, have a snowball fight out on the grounds. Daphne laughed with Theodore at every one of his suggestions. Despite what everyone said, he wasn't nearly as sour as they claimed he was.
"Well, we could-" Theodore started, but was interrupted by Draco re-entering the common room with a very confused looking Crabbe and Goyle "Wonder if they've made themselves sick with all the sugar... they look thicker than ever!" Theodore whispered. Daphne only shrugged and tried to listen carefully from across the room, trying to hear what they were saying. When she had no luck, she turned back to Theodore.
"Why aren't you home again?" she asked curiously.
"Father's too busy with the trial... again. And I think the last thing he wants if for them to call me up as a witness." He yawned "Apparently he thinks I'll betray him or something."
"He couldn't think that!" Daphne said" Maybe he's just worried that they'll pressure you into saying things that aren't true. My parents knew someone who was responsible for putting their uncle in Azkaban after the council tricked him into saying that-"
"Well, either way, I'm back here again for Christmas." He waved his hand to stop her from talking. She furrowed her eyebrows at his gesture, then glanced over towards Draco again. She still couldn't make out what they were saying, but she could tell that Crabbe and Goyle were acting very strange. Normally, they would lounge all over the couches and have their feet up on the table; now, they were sitting neatly and politely.
"They look like two old ladies now." Daphne nodded lightly at them. Theodore only flashed a small smile.
"I'm off to bed. See you tomorrow." He said suddenly before he left the common room, which was now deserted of everyone except her, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle.
For the next few minutes, she tried very hard to listen to what Draco was saying. Whatever it was, he looked about as annoyed with him as he was only minutes before. Finally, after another 10 minutes of mindless chatter (which Daphne was secretly trying to listen to), Crabbe and Goyle suddenly jumped up and ran out of the Slytherin Common room. Draco had stood to go after them, but changed his mind a moment later. He now turned around to see who else was here, and his eyes instantly fell on Daphne.
"Well, that was weird." Daphne flustered, embarrassed that she had been caught eavesdropping.
"Yeah, they were acting really odd, weren't they... Crabbe said something about a stomach ache, but I've never seen a stomach ache that makes you jump at the strangest things, like the mention of Weasley..." he said, walking over and taking a seat in the chair opposite of her that had been occupied by Theodore "Where did he go?" he asked, tapping the arm of the chair.
"He said he was tired and went to bed." She explained "So, what were you talking about over there?" she asked suddenly before she could stop herself. Draco looked at her oddly too for a moment.
"You mean you weren't listening?" he asked, his eyebrows raised questioningly. She shook her head, feeling her face turn a light scarlet again. "They were just asking me about that Chamber again... I told them yesterday, so I don't know why they would ask again. I hate repeating myself..."
"Yeah... weird..." she said quietly. Once again, she caught herself staring at him; the fire had lit his white blonde hair up to make it glow like a halo.
"I wish father would tell me more on the Chamber and this heir to Slytherin junk." He said, examining something from inside his pocket "He expects me to watch the school and report back anything that the Board of Governors would see has wrong, but he won't tell me what I'm looking for!" he sighed in frustration. "Did you get anything for Christmas?" he asked suddenly.
"Oh, uh, I got a new necklace." She smiled lightly as she pulled it out of her shirt for him to see "Silver with a nice snake charm at the bottom." She added. Draco leaned forward in his chair to see and actually took it from her hand to see it in the light.
"Nice quality too. And very Slytherin." He added, nodding his head in approval. "Father sent me a family ring," he said, holding out his hand for her to see, "He tells me that it was my Great Grandfathers and that it's been in our family for generations." He explained proudly. Daphne now leaned forward to catch the ring in the light of the fire. There was a family crescent carved in silver, inlaid in what was most likely emerald.
"Our parents were apparently thinking the same thing this year," Daphne remarked. Draco said nothing, apparently distracted by the time again.
"Well, I'm going to bed. If there's nothing to do around here, then I may as well sleep through the rest of the holiday." He announced and got up and left the room. Daphne nodded in agreement as he passed her, but she stayed a moment longer to watch the fire. After sitting in silence with no one else in the room but her, she too decided to go to bed.
As she was crossing the room, the portrait door opened, and in stumbled Crabbe and Goyle, looking very confused, and appeared to have messed up their clothes. Daphne looked at them with the strangest expression she could muster. They caught her looking and scurried off towards the boys' dorms without saying another word.
Interesting... wonder what they were up to...
The rest of the year was filled with gossip, drama, and one near-closer threat after another. In June, the Weasley girl was taken into the chamber by a giant snake, which turned out to be under the control of Voldemort, who's been dead for 11 years...
"I know, it didn't make any sense to me either when I heard it." Theodore pointed out as he was explaining it to Daphne as they walked down to the Hogsmeade train platform.
"So Voldemort came back to life? Or was he possessing the snake? I'm so confused." She said, shaking her hair loose of her hair tie. "What a glorious day it is! It almost makes me want to go home; I can lay around in the sun all day long, without having to worry about Potions or Transfiguration!"
"Oh, please don't mention potions!" Tracey whined beside her "I can't believe I failed that exam, and you all thought it was so easy!"
"I offered to help you cheat, but Theodore told us that we were sure to get caught." Daphne shrugged.
"And you would have." He pointed out "You saw Snape stalking up and down the rows like an angry Banshee! He would have caught whatever juvenile attempt you had to cheat in an instant."
"Well, it doesn't matter now! I've barely passed Potions, and my mother is sure to be furious with me!" Tracey complained again. Daphne and Theodore only exchanged expressions of annoyance and decided it was best to leave that topic alone.
As they pushed their way onto the train, Daphne noticed something strange. "Is it just me, or is Pansy attached to Draco's hip lately?"
"Where have you been!" Tracey laughed. "She's fancied him for ages! Now she's convinced that she can get him... Fat chance, I say! Even if he does take the bait, I doubt his father will agree."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Tracey." Theodore pointed out quietly "Lucius just got kicked off the Board of Governors at Hogwarts, I hear. But Pansy's father is still an active member. What better way to get your opinions and schemes still pulled off than through Parkinson?"
"Good point." Daphne nodded slowly. Up ahead was the open door where their housemates were sitting. In the distance, Draco could be heard complaining again.
"...Father has to go out and find another house elf! Until then, he says that I have to clean my room myself! Have you ever heard of such a thing!?"
"Why does this all seem so familiar?" Theodore chuckled. Tracey smirked and skipped into the car with the others. Theodore waited a moment and held the door open for Daphne, who smiled sweetly at the gesture as she too joined her housemates for yet another train ride back, signifying the end to yet another year.