Standing on the platform, Daphne crossed her arms impatiently. Her parents were wishing precious Astoria good-bye, and still holding her envelope of money. Despite the hostility between Daphne and her parents, they couldn't keep the money that was under her name; the envelope that her mother held in her talon-like grasp was cursed so it could only be opened by Daphne, or risk having the life shocked out of them. It was the only decent thing that her now-deceased Grandmother did for her.
Daphne tapped her foot while she waited for her family to get over with their hugs and kisses (none of which were coming in her direction)."Now, I want you to study extra hard this year, Astoria." Her mother mused, tucking one of her daughter's blonde ringlets behind her ear.
"And don't get into any trouble, darling." Lennox smiled, handing Astoria her envelope of money; she instantly tore it opened and smiled widely in surprise. Apparently, she'd gotten more than before.
Daphne rolled her eyes and took 5 steps forward and ripped her envelope out of her mother's hand. She didn't bother to open it, she just shoved it into her pocket and started for the train.
"Daphne!" her mother hissed angrily. "Do not grab things like you're a child!" Daphne rolled her eyes and stopped and turned back to face her family.
"Should have thought about that before you started treating me like one," she smiled snarkily. Lennox and Medea exchanged looks before they both stepped forward so they were standing directly in front of her.
"I really hope that you're attitude is going to change this year." Her father warned, his mouth barely moving from the snarl be was holding back.
"Yes, and if it doesn't, your days are numbered!" Medea added, her voice low and calm, but her eyes telling the exact opposite. The last thing either of her parents was to make a scene in public.
If Daphne wouldn't also feel embarrassed by such a thing, she would have been screaming and shouting right now just to make them angry. But that's something Astoria would do... being the spoiled child she is. Daphne reminded herself.
"Love you, too." She replied in a low, emotionless tone. Then she turned around to get on the train but was blocked by a wall of black.
"Seeing off your children, Lennox?" the voice of Lucius Malfoy, "I thought you would have been tied up with all the work I gave you last week."
"Nope, I got it all done straight away!" Lennox said cheerfully. Daphne made a face at her father's sudden change in personality.
"Excellent," Lucius said in a light, airy voice. Daphne stood awkwardly between the men, unable to get around Lucius with her trunk, but not wanting to turn around and face her father again.
"Ah, Narcissa!" Medea exclaimed happily, stepping forward to give her a kiss on the check. Narcissa, surprisingly, also looked pleased to see her.
"Medea, how are you?" she said in a tone that she had never heard before; could it possibly be a genuine conversation and not a forced remark?!
"Oh, I'm just fine," Medea replied, flipping her long red hair over her shoulder and nearly hitting Daphne in the face. Her mother said her out of the corner of her eye and smirked a little. "I never got to thank you for telling me where my daughter was last month," she said, turning her head with a vicious smile on her lips and looking back at Daphne "She was worried about all the trouble you could have gotten into too."
So that's how they found out. Daphne smiled sarcastically. Narcissa Malfoy, I will never look at you the same... even if you are part Veela in looks.
"I'm going on the train now," Daphne announced lightly, indirectly hinting to Lucius that he was in her way. He looked down at her for a moment, and she felt a chill flow over her body; he could be quite terrifying when he wanted to be.
"It was nice seeing you again, Daphne," he said civilly; clearly he really didn't care. And why should he? She wasn't important to him. "Draco was made a prefect this year." He announced. Daphne smiled a little at this thought; with Draco as a prefect, her housemates could get away with so much more.
"Good-bye," She said, forcing her voice to sound cheerful, and slipped past Lucius and Narcissa, who were chatting about something that she didn't care about; her sister.
She pushed her way onto the train and dumped her trunk into the first empty compartment she could find. And she sat and waited. 20 minutes passed before anyone appeared that she wanted to talk to. And even that was a stretch.
"Well, here you are," Blaise replied quietly as he pulled his trunk into the car and shoved it underneath the seat. "Glad to see you're alive. I was beginning to wonder since you didn't reply to my letter." He remarked, his tone sounding a little angry.
"Sorry, I couldn't think of something friendly to reply that wouldn't hint to our six-month relationship like you did," she quipped, flashing a quick smile. Blaise frowned a little and turned his attention to someone passing in the halls. He stood up and called to them; a moment later, Theodore and Tracey appeared.
"So she did live!" Tracey exclaimed, nudging Theodore in the ribs before she ran forward and gave Daphne a hug.
"Barely." She remarked in a low tone. "How about you two?"
"Oh, Theodore got the lecture. I got grounded for 2 weeks." Tracey said, taking a seat beside Daphne and crossing her legs on the seat.
"Ah, well I got screamed at and socially exiled for the rest of the month," Daphne said cheerfully. Theodore and Tracey looked at each other but said nothing. There was a noise from the bottom of her seat, and Daphne was reminded that Eris needed to eat. She opened the cage and took out her Siamese cat, setting it in her lap.
"So Draco's a prefect now. So is Pansy,"Blaise stated, leaning his head back against the wall. "Well, the advantage is we won't have to see them snogging each other constantly."
"No, instead they'll be doing it in dark hallways at night," Theodore smirked. "Better for us though."
Tracey caught Daphne's eye and nodded her head towards the door. "Did you want to come with me to the washroom?"
"You can't possibly mean that you have to go already?" Blaise chuckled.
"We're not going to the bathroom; we're going to gossip!" Tracey announced cheerfully. Daphne chuckled lightly at this.
"You're not supposed to tell them that," she giggled.
"And we really didn't need to know..." Theodore sighed, flopping into the seat beside Blaise.
"Try not to let it weigh on your mind. And here, hold Eris!" Daphne smiled sweetly before plopping her cat in his lap. Theodore raised his hands in the air as if the cat was poisonous. He turned and gave them a very dark glare.
"Don't be long please." He said, still holding his hands high above his lap, where Eris now kneaded his leg.
Daphne and Tracey retreated into the single stall of the washrooms; the only place on the train where they might have a private conversation. They crammed into the 4-by-4 space and closed the door behind them. Daphne was standing with one leg on either side of the toilet, her hands pressed up against the walls to try and keep her balance. Tracey leaned against the door for balance, holding onto a bar that was bolted to the wall.
"OK! Now that we have a moment," she started, lowering her voice "What are we going to do about Pansy?"
"I don't know! That was your mission! I've been trying to avoid my parents all month!" Daphne whispered quickly. Tracey rolled her eyes and sighed.
"You never told me that..." She mumbled to herself. "Well, we're here now! What are we going to do?"
"I have no idea! And I don't think that talking in the bathroom is going to make me come up with ideas any faster."
"Well, think of something!" Tracey hissed, leaning her head against the door with impatience.
"I don't even know! I can't say I've ever brought someone down before-"
"Tick tock tick tock! That's time wasting away!" Tracey said, waving her finger in front of her like a metronome. "Every second you waste is another second she gets closer to him!"
"I'll think of something, ok!" Daphne hissed, putting her face in one of her hands.
At that moment, the train started to move. The sudden jerk made Daphne lose her balance, and she slipped on the floor, landing hard right on top of the toilet seat. "OWW!" she shouted, trying to get back up. Tracey was laughing so hard that she could barely stand. "Stop laughing and help me up!" Daphne hissed, pushing her out of the way and snatching the bar she had been holding on to. She pulled herself up off the toilet, checking to make sure she didn't get wet or dirty.
"Alright, I think we're done," Daphne grumbled, reaching around her doubled-over-with-laughter friend and opening the door. Tracey, who had been leaning on the door, tumbled into the hallway backward; she landed on her back and laughed even harder. There were several 4th years standing around them, looking at them with very confused expressions. "C'mon Tracey, get up." She shook her head, smiling a little at the hilarity of the situation. When she pulled her up and set her walking, she shoved a few of the onlookers out of the way and trudged back to the car with Tracey.
The remainder of the train ride was very dull. Theodore and Blaise were arguing over what Quidditch Team had the better players, and despite Tracey's frequent attempts to change the subject, nothing worked.
"Like children," Daphne mumbled, shaking her head a little as they started arguing again.
"Or an old married couple," Tracey added. "So if Draco's a prefect, doesn't that mean he should be making rounds eventually?"
"In theory. He's probably tied up somewhere..." Daphne said, inwardly sighing and staring out the window. The scenery of Northern England flew by in a blur as the train traveled across the plains and hills. The trees were still green, but the sky was starting to reflect the grey of the incoming winter.
Another year... another 10 months away from my parents. She smiled a little to herself at that thought.
"Daphne? Are you listening?" Tracey broke her trance, taking her by the shoulder and shaking her a little.
"What!? What's happening?" Daphne spluttered. She hadn't realized that she had dozed off while staring out the window.
"I said Draco's here." Tracey smiled. Daphne felt her face turn a light shade of pink as she looked passed her best friend, and towards the most gorgeous man alive.
"Having a little nap?" he teased, smiling a little. Daphne smiled as well and shrugged her shoulders. Movement behind Draco caught her attention; Pansy.
"Ah, Pansy!" Daphne exclaimed excitedly. In a split second, she decided that trying to be her friend again would be an excellent way for her to get the dirt she needed to break them up. "How was your summer? Draco told me about having to go to Germany."
"Ok, I guess. My aunt's dead." She said lightly "But I got to spend a month in Berlin! It was gorgeous!" Pansy said, slipping in her hand into Draco's. "But I missed Draco every minute."
"We've both been made prefect." Draco said proudly.
"So your father told me," Daphne then remembered something else "By the way; thanks for nearly getting me killed this summer! How could you let your mother tell my parents about me being in London!?" she pouted.
"I didn't know until after that she had." Draco shrugged. "And I thought your parents knew; it was pretty stupid to go all the way to London from your house without telling them."
Daphne crossed her arms and leaned back against the chair; everyone was against her.
"Well, we'd better keep going," Draco announced, looking at Pansy and smiling. "See you all at dinner." They all said a quick good-bye, and then Tracey turned to Daphne, a smirk of devious planning on her face.
"I have an idea, Daphne. I'll tell you later." She said quietly.
"Excellent." Daphne also smirked, and then turned to look out the window again.
Dinner that night was particularly boring. If it weren't for Astoria having a clearly heated argument with one of her friends across the table from her (one that the entire Great Hall could no doubt hear), Daphne would have surely fallen asleep.
"Does she ever stop?" Theodore asked, looking down in the same direction as Daphne was staring.
"Stop what, exactly?" she sighed, turning away and picking at her food.
"Acting like she's the most important thing in the world?"
"Oh, that..." Daphne chuckled a little, shaking her head slowly "Nope, my parents have reinforced that idea for so long that she actually believes it now."
"I'm not sure how; she really is an awful person," Theodore remarked as he too turned away from the scene and continued to eat.
"She's terrified of you still, you know," Daphne smiled lightly. "She still believes you're going to murder her in her sleep."
"Would you like me to?" he joked, laughing quietly as he cut up his fish.
"I would love you forever if you did!" Daphne laughed. At this point, Tracey looked up from her meal across from them and looked directly at Theodore.
"Not a bad bargain, is it Theo?" she smiled deviously.
"Please don't call me that," Theodore mumbled before he continued to eat.
Down the table, she could hear the argument getting louder, and now there were several groups of students watching. Whatever the two girls were fighting over, it was no doubt something serious to have them shouting at each other. Daphne tried to hear, but Blaise was talking so loudly about his mother's new fiancé that she couldn't understand them. "Blaise, shut up for a moment!" Daphne hissed, putting her hand on his arm to stop him from talking. Blaise, Draco, and Pansy all turned in the direction Daphne was looking to watch the show.
"...haven't even got a chance with him!" Astoria shouted at the girl, who Daphne thought was one of her closest friends.
"Why? Just because you've dated him doesn't make him off limits!" The brunette fumed, her eyes clearly filled with hatred and envy. This was one friendship that Daphne didn't think was going to last after tonight.
"No, the fact that he wouldn't touch you, even if you did have a chance, is why!" Astoria spat, her blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail, allowing Daphne to see her sister's expression. It was one of determination and cruelty; typical of her sister.
"Well, he and I have been seeing each other since May, so you're wrong!" the girl smirked. Astoria's expression was clearly shocked and insulted. Daphne was starting to put together that this was one of her sister's recent ex-boyfriends; probably the one she dumped in June before dating the Bulgarian from Drumstrang.
Astoria was furious, and stood up in an instant, shaking the bench she was sitting on. Then she picked up her glass of pumpkin juice and threw it in the girls face. The whole Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables had stopped what they were doing and turned to watch. "Fine! You can have him, you whore!" she shouted before she climbed over the bench and stormed off. Two of the other 3rd year Slytherin girls ran after her, while two more stayed behind with the now juice-soaked opponent. They too left shortly after.
Daphne sighed and put her face in her hands, shaking her head very slowly. "I'm changing my name..." She announced, her face still in her hands.
"To what?" Draco asked, chuckling a little after watching everything that had happened.
"Anything but Greengrass. I'm willing to take Potter if I have to!" she sighed, putting her hands down on the table and smiling very ironically "Do you see what I have to deal with on a daily basis?"
"You should get hazard pay," Tracey remarked casually before she started to pick at the newly arrived desert tray. Daphne sighed and also started to dig for some sweets; something sugary was just what she needed after witnessing someone so sour.
One thing that none of the Slytherin's had been counting on this year back was the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Umbridge was the sort of woman that made Daphne's flesh crawl, with the manor and determination of someone like her mother. Their classes were all inspected by this stout woman, who made every other teacher in the school groan and grumble with distrust. But Umbridge held the ministry high above their heads and tried to make anyone who spoke out against her order a traitor to the Minister of Magic himself.
"She's a real piece of work, isn't she?" Tracey whispered as they passed by the first Educational Decree that she had nailed onto the wall outside the Great Hall.
"Reminds me of my mother..." Daphne grumbled. They walked in silence for a moment before they passed a couple that was holding each other in a very tight hug. Daphne's memory was suddenly triggered. "What was this brilliant plan you had on the train that you've yet to tell me about?" she asked curiously.
"I was wondering when you would remember." Tracey smiled brightly "And before you ask, no it will not kill her or maim her in any way. But it will make her seem quite awful in Draco's eyes."
"And that is?" Daphne urged. Tracey said nothing, only gestured for her to follow.
She led Daphne outside and to the shores of the Black Lake, which was looking calmer and more serene than ever. Tracey took a seat on the trunk of an old, fallen tree, and motioned for Daphne to sit beside her. "Well? Out with it!" Daphne demanded, her impatience weighing heavy on her mind.
"We're going to convince her to break up with him," Tracey said slowly.
"You mean him with her, right?" Daphne corrected.
"No!" Tracey groaned dramatically "Don't you see? If you make him break up with her, there you're sure putting your own neck on the line! She'll guess in two seconds that it was you who convinced him!"
"But if we tell her to break up with him, won't it be the same?" Daphne said, running her hand through her ginger curls. "She can still guess that it was me that put all the ideas into her head."
"Ideas? Oh no, I'm talking about visuals." Tracey said slowly again. Daphne turned and looked at her friend, who was nodding her head very slowly.
"And who would we offer up as the bait?" Daphne inquired, turning in her seat to face Tracey more head-on.
"Whoever we choose. We just need an opportunity," Tracey smirked.
"And what are you going to tell her? That we saw them sneak away into a broom closet?"
"Well, that's the thing! We have to be extra observant! We have to find a situation to bring to Pansy's attention, twist the truth a little, and then blame someone else for leading us astray. We cover all the evidence up!" she said, her smile growing wider as she waited for Daphne to think the plan over.
It could work...
"That's a pretty simple plan," Daphne smiled to herself, staring back out over the lake again.
"There's one more thing, though," Tracey added. Daphne turned back and looked at her friend, who frowned a little and sighed "We have to become closer to Pansy." She said, looking like she wanted to curse at the name "Otherwise, she won't believe us when we tell her. We have to become closer to Pansy then Millicent is!"
"Now you're asking too much!" Daphne groaned and stood from the log. "I can't stand seeing her with Draco as it is! You expect me to stand around and smile while he kisses her instead of me!?"
"Things like this build character," Tracey remarked coolly.
"Character can kiss my ass! I don't give a damn how much stronger I'll be after; I want him to myself!" Daphne raved, turning and walking towards the shore. She stood on the edge and glared down at the dark waters. "Ever since I had to get rid of Blaise, I've had this... urge. I want someone... I need someone. And there is only one someone who will fix the problem!" she looked up and across the lake again "I'm not going to push myself aside for my family anymore. I don't care what they say anymore."
"So then why not ask Blaise out again?" Tracey asked, still sitting on the log. Daphne turned on her heal and looked back in shock.
"Didn't I just say I only want Draco?! Blaise is old news to me."Daphne sighed "And you want me to become best buds with Pansy..."
"Well, I'm suffering through this torture with you, remember? I'm not happy about being all buddy-buddy with Pansy either!" Tracey pointed out lightly "And I'm not even getting a boyfriend out of it!"
"Then what are you getting out of it?" Daphne asked curiously, her eyebrows raised as she waited.
"The thrill of watching that bitch go down," Tracey said darkly. "After all the times she's made cracks about my mother and me being half-Muggle, I'm so ready to take her down a few notches!"
"Spoken like a true Slytherin," Daphne smirked. "Shall we get to class? Otherwise, we may have to face the wrath of the evil toad." She said, puffing up her up her cheeks to look like Umbridge. Tracey shrieked with laughter and linked arms with her as they walked back up the hills towards the school.
Classes whisked by quickly, with nothing but constant rule changes and crackdowns from Umbridge on a daily basis. All of Daphne's classes had become the victim of the Ministries new regulations, which made going to class unbearable."They must think we're children with this rubbish!" Blaise hissed across the aisle to Tracey and Daphne, who stared down at their Defence Against the Dark Arts textbooks like they were contaminated remains.
"I've been casting spells like this since I was 5!" Theodore grumbled, slamming the book closed and pushing it away from him. Umbridge didn't seem to notice their disgust and continued to teach. "I can't imagine any of us are going to be able to defend ourselves against a pixie if we follow this book!"
"Well, what would you suggest we do? I mean, sure we have to read the book, but we don't have to follow it." Daphne whispered quietly, pretending to reach past Theodore and dip her quill in his inkwell.
"What do you have in mind, Daphne., Theodore smirked, turning his head a little so he could see her expression.
"Practise makes perfect, Theodore." She said lightly "We just need to find some people to practice on..."
So, for the next few weeks (until Umbridge gave Blaise and Theodore detentions for hexing a 6th year Hufflepuff), the Slytherin's would secretly cast various spells and jinx's on any student who was unfortunate enough to be walking by without a teacher in sight. When Umbridge questioned Theodore and Blaise about their reasoning, Blaise replied back 'If we had some challenging material in class, we wouldn't be so bored outside of class!' This got him another week's worth of detention.
"Well, you had a valid point," Daphne said as they all sat around in the common room that night. "Class is about 100 times more boring now that we're learning first-year stuff all over again."
"Yeah, but that hag is riding around on her high horse, with permission from the ministry to change and modify anything she chooses." Theodore slouched in his chair, ruffling his shaggy brown hair.
"Can't your father do anything, Draco?" Daphne asked, turning to Draco and Pansy, who were sharing a single chair.
"What? I wasn't listening..." He said a few seconds later. He had been whispering something in Pansy's ear that made her blush and giggle ferverously. Daphne repeated her question and he sighed dramatically. "I wish! He says that having this woman is supposed to be an improvement over Dumbledore!"
"Well, she is in a way. But does she have to treat us all like we're children?" Blaise grumbled, loosening his neck tie thoughtlessly.
"Don't look at me! I'm not about to question the ministry like you did." He paused and looked at Pansy, who smiled lovingly at him "I like having a social life, thank you."
Daphne looked at Tracey who made a small face like she was ready to vomit.
"Well, at least we have Quidditch to look forward to," Blaise sighed, leaning his head back against the couch.
"Which reminds me!" Draco said, pulling a parchment from his pocket. "I have some new cheers for the Slytherin team," He said, tossing the paper onto the table and returning his attention to Pansy, still sitting in his lap. Theodore picked up the page, read it quickly, sniffed a quick laugh and handed it over to Blaise. He cocked his eyebrow curiously and looked up from reading.
"'Weasley is our King?'" Blaise chuckled lightly. "Well, at least the game will be entertaining..."
"You have to learn it before the game." Pansy said excitedly "And I'm going to make sure every Slytherin sings along." She said reassuringly, snuggling closer to Draco. Daphne felt her insides churn with nausea and jealous.
"I think I'm going to go do some homework." She announced lightly, and stood from the couches and walked up to her dorm, her fists balled so tight together that her nails dug into her palms. Trying to be civil around Pansy was getting more and more difficult, and yet Tracey insisted that they had to keep trying.
At this rate, with Draco and Pansy never leaving each other's sides, we're never going to be able to frame him.
Slamming the door behind her, she jumped onto her bed and pulled the pillow over her face, attempting to sleep away a few weeks of her life...