Year 7

Unlike the past summers of Daphne's life, the summer in which she turned 17 was by far the most eventful. Every day, there was some new development happening in the world; most were good for her family, but some were setbacks.

The good was when there was a mass breakout at Azkaban, and Lucius Malfoy was now walking free. And despite the doubt that Daphne secretly harvested in her mind, he instantly called on Lennox Greengrass to fill him in on all that had happened since he was imprisoned. He was shocked, yet proud, of his son's accomplishments, but stated that he was wary of the Dark Lord's treatment of his family.

"Remember Lennox, you are loyal to me first. Your family owes me everything, not the Dark Lord. Therefore, you will do what I say, fight who I fight, and serve who I serve." Daphne overheard Lucius telling her father one evening at the beginning of July. He had only been out of prison for a mere 3 nights, and already the world was starting to turn back into what it used to be.

"Lucius, you know you have my eternal loyalty. My entire family lives to serve you." Lennox told his boss. Lucius said nothing, but she could tell by the change of subject shortly after that Malfoy was evidently pleased by his servant's response. Daphne, however, felt a chill rush through her; what did he mean by 'my entire family lives you serve you'?

It's not possible that he could know! Nobody knows about what I did, Daphne thought nervously. Afraid to be caught eavesdropping, she covered her mouth to prevent her frantic breathing from being overheard from the other side of the door she was listening through, she accidentally hit the doorknob with her elbow.

"Who is it?" Lennox barked with his low, rumbling voice. Daphne knew that if she didn't show herself, he would tear the whole house apart looking for whoever could have been there.

"It's only me, father. May I come in?" she asked in a rushed voice. Why did I ask THAT!? NOW what am I going to say!? She cursed herself silently.

There was a brief moment of silence, then she could hear the two voices exchanging quiet, muffled words. "Alright, come in Daphne." Lennox agreed reluctantly.

Daphne swallowed her fear and slowly turned the knob, her mind grinding away as she tried to think of something to say. She saw Lucius first, sitting in one of the wing-backed leather chairs of her father's office. She smiled gently and felt the need to speak.

"Good evening, Mr. Malfoy." She said gently, her voice barely audible.

"What do you want, Daphne?" Lennox asked in a calm voice; despite his attempt to cover it up, she could tell he was annoyed by her interruption.

"I-I-I wanted to ask you something." She started, trailing off at the end as she tried to think of something, and fast.

"Well? What is it?" Lennox asked impatiently after a moment of waiting.

"Uh..." Daphne started "I was wondering... uh-"

"Daphne, we're very busy; can you please speed this up?" Lennox sighed. Lucius said nothing but watched on intently.

"May I go visit Theodore?" she blurted out at last.

Theodore!? Why did I say THEODORE!? Why not Tracey, or Draco! Damn it, now I'll need to explain it!

"Didn't you see him all year?" Lennox inquired, a very suspicious look on his face. "And last time you were with your friends, you ran off to London without our permission."

"I won't do it again, I promise!" she said quickly. "It's just that, uh..." she trailed off and looked at Lucius for a moment, then looked away hastily "Since Mr. Malfoy escaped from Azkaban, I'm assuming that Tobias also did... and I know how much Theodore missed his father over the past year, and I want to go congratulate him." She trailed off and looked at her shoes for a moment as she internally braced herself for whatever lecture or barked order was to come next.

"Why not write him a letter?" Lennox sniffed.

"Letters are not as effective as seeing someone in person," She replied without looking up from staring at her shoes. "And with the mail being checked so often, it wouldn't be safe to reveal where Tobias Nott is hiding out."

"She's very bright, Lennox. Draco has told me so on several occasions," Lucius remarked lightly from his chair. Daphne smiled very slightly at herself, but still did not look up. "Miss Greengrass, you will have the opportunity to see all of your friends soon." He continued.

Now Daphne lifted her head and looked at Lucius. He looked so similar to how Daphne imaged Draco would look in 20 or 30 years, it was disturbing. Lucius held eye contact with her for a moment and then turned to her father.

"The Dark Lord is using my house as headquarters now, and he is planning on gathering all the families for a meeting as soon as they capture whoever he is looking for," Lucius said in a sour tone; Daphne remarked in her head that he didn't sound too happy about the arrangement.

"Headquarters? What happened to Avery's place?" Lennox inquired, apparently not expecting this news.

"He's messed up one too many times, and both the Ministry and the Order are starting to suspect that it is indeed our base of operations." Lucius waved his hands lightly as he spoke, then chuckled a little before he continued "As if my house is any better."

"When did this happen?" Lennox asked, taking a seat in the other wing-backed chair.

"Almost as soon as we were all broken out of prison. He's moved right in and declared my house to be the new headquarters..." There was a long silence as they all looked at each other, with Daphne feeling more intrusive than ever. "Of course, I'm very pleased to offer my home... I just wish he'd asked first," Lucius added, then stood from the chair.

Like good, obedient servants, Daphne and Lennox both instantly stood to be more attentive. Lucius sighed, then check his pocket watch at the time. "Well, that's what I came to tell you, I suppose. Expect a message from me soon, and bring the entire family; the Dark Lord wants to see all his supporters," He told them as he strolled towards the fireplace and picked up some Floo powder. He paused at the edge of the grate and turned back to Lennox. "And, remember what we agreed on, Lennox." He reminded him, then stepped into the grate, and with one swift motion, threw down the ashes and disappeared.

Lennox told Daphne to go back upstairs to bed a moment later, and she did willingly.

They didn't hear anything about a gathering of supporters for another week. In fact, Daphne was just about ready to settle back into her typically boring summer routine when a message finally came from the Malfoy Manor.

"Girls, you need to go upstairs and get dressed in something nice," Lennox announced, rushing into the living room where Astoria was clunking on the piano and Daphne was playing with Eris on the floor by the fire.

"What does nice entail?" Daphne asked, standing immediately and brushing the cat hair off her sweater.

"Put it this way," Lennox started smartly, staring at the black sweater that was sprinkled with little white cat hairs, "Don't wear that."

"Helpful," Daphne grumbled sarcastically before she walked past him and trudged upstairs. She could hear footsteps running after her, and she had a brief temptation to turn and push her stalker down the stairs.

"Want me to help dress you? Lord knows anything you pick out won't be decent enough!" Astoria teased as she ran past her on the staircase.

"Don't forget to pack your matching bra and knickers! There might be a single 26-year-old you can snatch up, after all," Daphne called loudly. Astoria hissed like a cat and lunged after her, but Daphne was quicker and slammed her bedroom door in her face before she could attack. From the other side, she could hear kicking and swearing, and then heavy, stomping footsteps down the hallway. Daphne chuckled to herself, then turned from the door to pack.

She knew that she had to select her clothes carefully, and as she pulled a navy blue skirt, navy blue stockings, and a dark green sweater out of her closet, she thought this would be a nice outfit to wear to the Malfoy Manner.

Classy and reserved, she remarked silently after she got dressed. Unlike her sister, she knew where they were going, and what was lying before them. Which reminds me... she thought, opening her sock drawer and pulling out her own scandalous lingerie, made of black lace that barely accounted for any coverage. At least I have the sense to hide mine away so mother and father would never find it... Astoria just leaves it lying on her floor!

"Ready to go girls?" Medea called up the stairs a couple hours later. Daphne grabbed her bag off her desk chair that had her wand and some books (just in case), and waltzed out her door, making sure to lock it behind her. She wasn't surprised to see that her sister still hadn't emerged from her room.

"You'll come with me first, Daphne. We're going to apparate." Lennox said, nodding his head towards his wife "Make sure Astoria doesn't take all night," He grumbled to his wife before turning to his daughter.

Daphne had passed her Apparation test while she was still at Hogwarts last year, but she hadn't gotten a lot of practice since. In fact, she didn't really enjoy it; she hated the sensation of being stretched and pulled between two places at once. But she swallowed back her fear and stood beside her father, who told her to Apparate onto the front lawn of the Malfoy Manor; then he disappeared with a loud pop.

Daphne sighed and closed her eyes as she tried very hard to concentrate on an exact spot to aim for. Once she thought of one, she concentrated harder, and with a loud pop, she instantly felt the cool breeze of the English night. She opened her eyes and found that she was standing exactly where she and Draco had once wrestled in 4th year.

"Come on, Daphne!" her father called from across the lawn. "We're late already," he said, starting to walk towards the house.

When they entered the Malfoy Manor through the front door, it was unmistakable that the atmosphere of the house had changed. The tension was so thick that it filled the air; everyone was walking on eggshells with the Dark Lord present in the house. The owners were nowhere to be seen, as expected, and there were all sorts of strangers rushing past them in the halls.

"A lot of company, as I expected," Lennox muttered under his breath. There appeared to be a large crowd gathered in the dining room up ahead. Lennox and Daphne were about to enter the open door when a flash of green blinded them momentarily.

The entire house seemed to freeze momentarily, and then Lennox peaked into the room, Daphne close behind. There was a dead body on the table, and several Death Eaters standing from their chairs in surprise.

"Dinner, Nagini." The Dark Lord said in a soft voice from the opposite end of the room, sitting at the head of the table. Daphne had never seen the Dark Lord in the flesh, and she instantly felt her whole body run cold like icy water had replaced her blood. He looked like the snake that he kept as a pet, and his eyes were the most frightful things she had ever witnessed.

No wonder he has hundreds at his command. Who would want to argue with someone who looked like that?! Daphne thought as she and her father waited at the threshold to be noticed.

The Death Eaters all began to settle down again, taking their respective chairs, and from off the floor clambered Draco, who apparently fell out of his chair.

"Ah, Lennox Greengrass." The Dark Lord said lightly as he let his pet snake devour the body on the table. Daphne couldn't see who it was, but she was sure that it wasn't someone well-liked amongst the Dark Lord's followers. "Glad to see you came to join us so hastily." He nodded and then looked over at Lucius, who certainly did not have the same air that he did almost a week ago. "Why is it that your employee is more loyal to me than you are, Lucius?" he quipped.

"My Lord, perhaps it is because I have trained him better than I trained myself." He said quietly, his voice faltering at one point.

Trained? Like my father is a dog or something? Daphne thought bitterly for a moment. Lord Voldemort had a valid point; her father had refused to divulge any information about what happened at the Ministry of Magic over a year ago, and yet he went unrewarded for his stamina.

"And who is this, Greengrass?" Voldermort remarked, a curious smile on his face. Daphne didn't need to make eye contact to know who he was referring to...

"This is my eldest daughter, my Lord; Daphne Greengrass," Lennox said stiffly like he was reading off a script. The Dark Lord looked at Daphne for a few moments, but she refused to make eye contact with him all the while.

"Eldest? Where is the other one you never speak of?" he remarked casually as he pushed a piece of the now half-eaten body away from him and onto the floor.

"This is the other one," Lennox muttered. Daphne, however, read through the lines in his statement; clearly, her father liked to talk about Astoria, and not her.

"Ah, the other Greengrass girl..." he remarked, still watching her intently like he was waiting for her to scream and run (which she was considering). "In Slytherin, I presume? Am I correct, Severus?"

Daphne hadn't even noticed that her Head of House standing only a few feet away from her beside another Death Eater.

"She doesn't have much of a gift for Potions, but I understand that she is quite good at Charms." He replied with his typical icy tone. Daphne felt her cheeks go hot with embarrassment at everyone discussing her like she wasn't even standing in the room. She didn't hear what Voldermort's response to Snape's statement was; she was distracted by the cold and very frightened grey eyes that caught hers at last. Draco stared at her like he was pleading for help, but did not move or say anything.

"Clear this pile of rubbish away from me." Voldemort demanded like a king "And bring me something else to entertain me."

As the others around them all scrambled to do the Dark Lord's bidding, Draco sprung up from the table and made a b-line over towards Daphne. Instead of speaking to her, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the dining room and across the house.

"Draco, you can let go now; I will follow you," Daphne remarked quietly. He listened and dropped her arm, but continued at the same pace. She followed him upstairs and into his room, which as soon as she was inside, he slammed the door behind him and leaned against it like he was trying to barricade it. "Are you alright, Draco?"

"Does it look like I'm alright?" he said flatly. Daphne said nothing because she knew there was no point; he would tell her in a few moments anyways "Despite everything I did for him, he still treats me and my family like dirt," he said, pushing off the door, shuffling over to his bed, and collapsed on it.

"What's been happening? Who was that being eaten by the snake?" Daphne asked frantically as she climbed up and sat at the foot of the bed.

"Professor Burbage." He breathed "I pretended like I had no idea who she was, but of course I knew."

"He killed her?" Daphne asked incredulously.

"Of course he did!" Draco replied, clearly less shocked by the reasoning as the method "She taught Muggle Studies, and it is, after all, a useless subject." There was a pause between them for a minute "I just can't believe what he's doing to my family... After all, we've done for him, he mocks us and insults us practically every minute..." He said quietly like he was whispering it to himself.

Daphne couldn't think of anything comforting to say. She couldn't reassure him that it wasn't true because it evidently was, but she couldn't offer an explanation behind it either. The only thing she could think of was to show her sympathy without words, so she gently put her hand on his leg. The moment they touched, there was an instant tightening in the room of anticipation; they caught each other's eyes a second later, and just waited for the other to make the next move.

"I missed you," Daphne whispered softly, still staring into his grey eyes.

"Me too," He whispered back in the same tone.

As they leaned in for their first kiss in weeks, they were interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. Draco rolled his eyes and climbed off the bed, crossing the room and yanking the door open. "What?" He asked impatiently.

"Mister Draco has requested that you and Miss Greengrass come down to the drawing room," Minnie the house-elf squeaked nervously at the door.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's Master!" Draco growled. The house elf squeaked in fear, but did not reply "Just because the Dark Lord demands to be called master by all decrepit creatures like you does not mean you treat your real masters any different!"

"Ye-yes mister- MASTER Draco!" the house squeaked so high that it made Daphne cringe. Then, in a puff of smoke, the tiny creature disappeared.

"Well Draco, I can see someone needs to relax," Daphne remarked lightly as she stood from the bed and fixed her skirt.

Draco turned around with a very wicked smile and watched her walk towards him and the door. "Hence why we're going to continue this later," He whispered to her as she passed him.

Daphne externally smiled, but on the inside, a little red flag went up; that conversation could have sounded less like he felt like she was obliged to, and more like he really, really wanted her.

The first thing Daphne saw when they entered the Malfoy's gorgeous drawing room was Pansy's glare of death (which she rolled her eyes and then ignored). The next thing she saw was Theodore, sitting on the couch and looking in much better spirits then he did all last year. She caught his eye, and he nodded at the seat he had left open for her on the dark green couch between him and Blaise. She crossed the room and sat between them, giving Theodore a hug as soon as she was seated.

"Everything better now?" she whispered in his ear.

"As best as it can be. I'll tell you later," he mumbled back. Daphne nodded and released him from her hug, then turned and saw that the Dark Lord was now entering the room; she felt all the blood drain from her face when she saw his gigantic snake slithering behind him.

Oh God, get it away! She thought, gripping her skirt as tight as she could with her fists. Theodore and Blaise both felt her tense between them and looked at her curiously.

"Daphne, are you alright?" Theodore breathed quietly in her direction. She didn't dare reply because Voldemort was now speaking.

She couldn't concentrate on what he was saying to each person as he walked past them, taking a moment to remark something about their qualities and how he would value their support. Daphne could hear Voldemort telling Pansy that she was a very determined woman, and Millicent had a mind for plotting (Since when?, Daphne thought), Crabbe and Goyle were both loyal servants to whom they thought deserved it, and that Blaise had one of the most wicked and cunning minds he'd ever encountered.

Now it was Daphne's turn. She found that she was stiffer than ever, since the snake had now followed its master, and was slithering in circles around her feet.

It's just a snake... it's just a giant snake... she repeated over and over in her mind.

"Miss Greengrass," The Dark Lord said in a curious tone like he had just found a new toy. Daphne lifted her pale white face from the snake slithering around her to the snake that stood before her. The air in her lungs was knocked out of her, and she felt her whole body give an involuntary but invisible shudder.

She had never seen the Dark Lord; only heard about what he looked like from Draco or the papers. His skin was so white, she could see blue veins beneath the surface on his neck. He had no hair, but he looked almost natural without it. Like he was a rare human-reptile hybrid that had the smooth skin of a snake, but the body of a man. It was disturbing, and yet not so far-fetched after all Daphne had heard over the years.

Now, the red eyes of Voldemort narrowed at her for a brief moment, and right before her mind's eye, she saw a flash of various memories fly past her. It took Daphne a moment to understand what was happening, but this it occurred to her that it was Voldemort himself that was pulling these memories out of the darkest corners of her brain.

"My my," he remarked after he finished looking over a memory of Draco and her being together "Determined to get what you want, no matter the stakes? And yet your methods are quite noble... but still self-centered." He hissed a quick laugh.

Daphne jumped a little at the surprise that the Dark Lord was apparently laughing at the fact that he had just witnessed a clear affair, driven by what anyone could describe jealousy. She swallowed nervously; what would he do with this information now that he had it? She shifted in her seat nervously, which caused the snake made a hissing noise and make her jump once more.

"Don't tell me that a Slytherin is afraid of snakes?" Voldemort smirked before he whispered something in a language she couldn't understand, and then the snake began to wrap itself around her legs, climbing up into her lap. Daphne could feel her whole body tremble with fear, staring down at the mammoth snake with her knuckles gripped so tight on her skirt that she thought she might tear holes into it.

"I think she wants you to pet her," Voldemort remarked, his tone clearly laughing at her. She looked up in horror, then back to the snake, which sat there in her lap with its head glaring at her like she was its prey. With a very shaky hand, she slowly released her skirt with one hand and reached out to touch the reptile. As soon as her skin touched the scales, the snake let out a loud hiss that made her try to jump out of her seat. But, the snake tightening its grip around her legs stopped her. Daphne could no longer contain her fear, and she began to pant in fear as she tried to push herself as far into the back of the couch in an attempt to escape Nagini.

"My Lord, you must forgive my daughter's for her pathetic weakness," Lennox remarked lightly from across the room. It was only now that Daphne noticed all the parents watching their children go through this ordeal. "She was traumatized at a young age by another creature as magical and rare as yours."

"I can see that Lennox," Voldemort replied smartly, tapping his temple knowingly. He'd obviously seen that memory when he read her mind. Her father nodded his head in reverence and resumed standing in silence with the others. But, unlike the rest of the followers in the room, Lennox held his breath as he watched his daughter interact with his leader. Daphne knew he was afraid she would make a fool of him but should couldn't stop herself from the anxiety she was feeling.

I would think it's a perfectly normal reaction to having a giant, bloodthirsty snake crawling around on you!

Nagini started to uncoil herself from Daphne's legs, and slithered across her lap to that of Theodore, who also stiffed, but did not show anywhere near the amount of fear that Daphne did. Once the snake was off her, she sighed in relief; she couldn't believe that had just happened. Not only had the Dark Lord seen everything that she had wanted to keep secret, but he then tortured her with his knowledge of what she feared.

I shouldn't be surprising, she remarked in her head as she tried to calm herself back down. Now he knows everything! And worse yet, he knows that no one else knows! Daphne couldn't help but worry that he would use that little fact against her (or Draco) in the future. And to be honest, she wasn't sure who she was more afraid of; Voldermort, Pansy, or her parents!

Daphne missed what Voldermort said to Theodore, along with all the other Slytherin children that he spoke to directly. He taunted another child with his snake, but she didn't dare look to see who it was. Once the Dark Lord was satisfied with what he saw in the 'Heirs to the Perfect Wizarding World', he left the room, taking his servants and many of their parents with him.

Her housemates instantly began whispering amongst themselves about what had just happened. Theodore instantly put his hand on her arm and inquired if she was alright.

"I'm fine... I guess." She said quietly, looking at her fists that were still in tight balls. She slowly opened her fingers again, cracking the tight muscles and bones as she did. "Theodore, did he... search your mind?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, he did." Theodore muttered "Didn't you hear what he said? 'You're reliable like your father, but I see you still need to be convinced. I assume that won't take much, will it?'"

"Why did he read our minds?" she asked, staring off at the floor with unfocused eyes as she tried to remember everything he looked at in her head.

"To scare us? To see if any of us are traitors? I'm sure he has a dozen reasons why, but I wouldn't suggest asking him yourself." Theodore sniffed a quick laugh when he finished.

Daphne couldn't find anything words to reply with. Her first encounter with the Dark Lord had been a memorable one, but she had no intentions to repeat it. She vowed at that moment to avoid him (and that damn snake) as much as possible!