The next morning, Daphne stirred in her sleep; she was uncomfortable and cold. As she pulled herself out of unconsciousness, she squinted her eyes at the bright sunlight. When she moved, she felt something solid against her arm.
Where am I? she thought as she blinked through the blinding light again as she sat up slowly. To her left was a bucket, filled with vomit, and leaning against her thigh was a still sleeping Theodore. How did I get here?
She remembered a moment later. Blaise. That bastard! She was going to kill him! He thought he could blackmail her into sleeping with him! And worse, he thought it was funny to jump on her like he was going to attack her!?
Maybe he was going to attack me...
Feeling suddenly ill herself, she moved again to head towards the bathroom when she accidentally nudged Theodore. He instantly sat up with a start, breathing heavily and shoving her hard like a reflex.
"Whoa, Theodore!" Daphne breathed, holding out her hands as she ducked down to avoid his balled his fists. "It's just me! Daphne, remember?!"
"Oh..." he blinked slowly and then pressed his palms against his forehead. "Hey, Daphne," he managed, now relaxing and laying back down on the floor. His voice sounded strained and hoarse, and she was sure he was going to be sick again. "How are you feeling this morning? I bet a lot better than I am..." he muttered, looking in the direction of the bucket and gagged a little
"I'll bet... why did you drink so much last night?" Daphne asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Long story," he said before he rolled over and pushed the bucket away from him. He then turned and crawled over to the wall 2 feet behind him, leaning against that for support now.
Once he was standing, he turned back and looked at Daphne, who was struggling to untangle herself from the blanket she had made into her bed last night. "What happened to you?" he asked in a concerned tone.
She waited until she was free from the covers and standing before she answered him. "What are you talking about?"
"Your wrists," Theodore mumbled as he stumbled forward, looking at the floor as he walked. "They're all black and blue, and-" he stopped short and then snapped up his head so he could look at her. "Daphne, how did you get those!" Theodore demanded, suddenly realizing the few ways she could get an injury like that.
"Sit down Theodore; you'll hurt yourself," Daphne whispered quietly, turning to avoid his gaze. Last night, she was angry, but now she just felt embarrassed. Had she really given the impression to Blaise that she was that easy! And why had she panicked like that!? They used to fool around like that when they dated...
Maybe I overreacted... he was drunk.
"Daphne, I want to know who did this to you," Theodore said, stepping in front of her and trying to take her arms into his hands so he could examine them. However, she pulled them away and tucked them under her armpits before he could.
You can't tell him. He'll want to know why he blackmailed you, and that will just ruin everything! Even if I can trust Theodore to keep this secret to himself, I know he'll never look at me the same way...
"Oh, Blaise was just drunk last night," Daphne muttered, staring at the floor. Now she wasn't sure what was more embarrassing; having to explain what caused these bruises, or why Blaise was there in the first place. "He was fooling around with me, and then he got a little too rough, I guess."
"Blaise?" Theodore repeated. "Why was he being so rough with you? Wait," he paused and with one hand, gently lifted her head to see his face. His expression was stern and set up like an investigator, but his eyes showed so much concern and care for her that it almost brought a tear to her own eye.
I will never know why he cares for me so much...
"Did he try anything with you?" Theodore continued. Daphne stared at him for a few moments, then tried to play it off by rolling her eyes and smiling.
"Oh, he was so drunk, I don't think he had any idea what he was doing, Theo..."
"That doesn't matter, Daphne!" Theodore insisted, taking his hands and putting them on her shoulders. He then sucked in a quick breath, realized that that may not have been the best idea, and dropped them back to his side instantly. "I swear, I'm going to cut off his-"
"No!" Daphne pleaded. Theodore stared at her in shock at the interruption but waited for an explanation. "No, please. I don't want anyone to think that Blaise is some sort of... of-" she struggled to say the word.
"Rapist?" Theodore said, incredulously. "But that's what he is if he did try to force you to do anything!"
"He didn't!" Daphne replied weakly. "I mean, not really. He was just being really... forward about wanting to... well, you know."
Theodore stared at her and then nodded his head at her hand, which was hidden under her armpit still. "And I suppose gripping onto your wrists so tight that they leave marks like that is his way of saying 'please?'"
"Theodore," Daphne breathed, then stepped around him as she walked toward his bathroom. "Look, I appreciate your concern, but I am fine. I promise." She turned and smiled at him, although she knew it wasn't very convincing to him (or her). "Blaise just got... carried away is all. And he passed out cold before he could really make an ass of himself, so please, don't worry!"
"Oh, I won't worry," Theodore growled. "I'll just kick his fucking ass!"
"Please, you can't!" Daphne cried, running forward to him and grabbing his hands with hers. He looked down at the bruises on her wrists once more, then looked at her with disbelief. "He was drunk! Don't punish him for getting carried away!"
"Daphne, what are you hiding?" Theodore said suddenly. She was so struck by the question that she dropped his hands and took a step back. "I know you're hiding something. I haven't said anything because you didn't seem to be in any danger from it, but now I'm worried. Are you willing to just let this attack slide? Do nothing about it?" He paused and stepped closer to her, and despite how tense her body was, reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "I've never thought of you to be afraid of anyone. But now, I can see you're afraid of something."
Daphne stared at him for what felt like a minute. How could he know so much, and yet not see what was really going on? Maybe he did know, but just wasn't saying anything?
No, he would have just come right out with it if he knew...
She knew that she had to give him some sort of answer, but the subject had to be dropped. So, she sighed and placed her hand gently over his. "Theodore, you are one of my dearest friends. So, please understand that this is not something I need your help with." She paused and gently lifted his hand from her shoulder, and held it loosely at her side. "Blaise did not hurt me, and he did not attack me. So I don't want you to take out any sort of revenge on him for it. He did nothing."
Theodore looked at her, pain in his eyes for a reason that Daphne did not understand, and then he sighed and looked at the floor. "I can't stand the thought of someone hurting you..." he admitted quietly. "I can't just let him get away with this."
"You must," Daphne said softly. "You'll only hurt me more if you try to avenge me."
"Hurt you more?"
Daphne mentally cursed herself for her poor choice of words. "I just mean... look, please, just let's keep this between you and me, alright?" she insisted. Theodore inhaled a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then, as he exhaled, nodded his head slowly. "Thank you, Theodore," Daphne sighed in relief. She was so thankful that he was willing to move on that she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
Thankfully for Daphne, the giant gathering of Voldermort supporters disbanded 2 days later without any more dramatic events. Voldemort had grown bored of his followers and wanted time alone with his closest servants to plot their next move. So, this meant that all the children and some of the parents were sent home. It also meant that Draco was left alone once more, left to the mercy and amusement of the Dark Lord again.
"Are we leaving now?" Medea remarked sourly as she picked at her nails. The excitement of seeing all the pureblood families all at once had worn off her within the first 24 hours, and she was desperate to return to the fashionable retreat she called home, where the world could revolve around her life only.
Daphne dragged her trunk over beside the fire and dropped it down with a bang. Her father glared at her. "Well, if someone had helped me, it wouldn't have taken so long..." Daphne muttered under her breath.
"Yes, after we say goodbye to Lucius." Lennox snapped quietly to his wife, the turned around and waved over his patron.
As Lucius and Narcissa walked towards them, Draco joined them from the staircase, looking like he'd barely slept over the past week. Together, all three Malfoy's were walking over to see off their employees. "
Thank you for showing us such a lovely time while you opened your home to the cause." Lennox smiled generously. Lucius said nothing; he only gave a weak smile and shook his hand.
"Goodbye, Narcissa," Medea smiled tightly. "It was lovely to speak to someone who has the same view of the world as me at last."
"Anytime, Medea. And it was lovely to see your daughters again." She remarked coolly. She looked first at Astoria and smiled that same adoration smile that everyone gave her. "What a lovely young lady you're becoming Astoria; so beautiful and charming."
"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," Astoria smiled brightly, putting on her best innocent act for the adoring audience. Daphne only rolled her eyes.
"And of course, who could forget your other daughter." Narcissa smiled like it was some secret joke.
Clearly, you, since my name is not 'other daughter'...
"I hear you are quite the witch from my son," she said, putting her hand gently on Draco's shoulder, who made a small face at her babying him. "I'm sure you'll go places with your talent."
Oh, if only you knew what talents your son was referring to...
Daphne let a small smirk creeping across her face at that thought. Then, like he heard her thoughts, Draco caught her eye and smirked as well.
"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy. I'm flattered that Draco speaks so highly of me," she paused as she caught his eye again. "But I can assure you that he has skills that far outreach mine."
"Oh, we know all about Draco's skills," Lucius interjected. "He proved himself last year..." He then paused for a moment and added "More or less" under his breath.
Draco still heard it and turned his head like his father had shouted it to him, his face showing just how appalled he was.
"Well, we'll be off then. See you at work, Lucius," Lennox chuckled before he snapped his fingers and made a house-elf take the trunks to their home.
Daphne tried to tune out all that was suddenly happening in that moment. Between her father barking orders at the elf, Lucius and Draco hissing words at each other, and Narcissa raving to Medea about how gorgeous Astoria was, Daphne felt it was better to just stand in silence.
"I don't feel well." She breathed. "I'll see you at home." She added a little louder. And then, she closed her eyes firmly, heard the loud pop, and then a second later landed with a thud in the living room of her home. But then, from over her father's shoulder, she could see Blaise, carrying his trunk behind him, heading towards them. He obviously was on his way home, too.
C'mon, let's wrap this up! she thought anxiously. Even though she had convinced Theodore nothing had happened, Daphne still didn't feel comfortable around Blaise anymore. After all, he did try and attack her, even if it was 'just a joke' as he claimed the next day. She'd been avoiding him the rest of the visit, and she really didn't want to break the streak right now.
"Father, I'm going to go," she said weakly. When he didn't even turn his head, she thought maybe she should tell her mother. But she was still basking in the compliments about her favourite daughter. So, sighing to herself, she turned in silence, stepped into the fireplace, and vanished in the flash of green flames.
Once safely back in her home, she sighed with relief as brushed the ashes off her shoulders. It was eerily quiet without anyone in the house, but she preferred it compared to the constant buzzing that went on at the Malfoy's.
"I don't think I've ever been so happy to come back to this place..." she mumbled aloud as she crossed the room and opened the shutters. Even though it was raining, the little bit of light that came from the grey skies made a bit of an improvement to the dark room.
"What on earth is the matter with you?"
Her mother had now appeared in the fireplace, stepping out and brushing herself off in the same way Daphne did.
"I feel sick," Daphne grumbled as she continued to open the windows. "I said I was leaving, but I guess no one heard me..."
Or bothered to listen.
"Well, if we didn't respond, then we obviously didn't hear you!" Boomed her father, who now crouched under the mantle and stepped out onto the rug. "Daphne, that was extremely rude! The Malfoy's are one of the most powerful families in England, and you just left without saying a word!"
"Well, they were one of the most powerful family..." her mother muttered to herself, a small smirk on her face as she said it.
"Not now, Medea!" Lennox growled. "Daphne, you will never do something like that again! You cannot just walk out like you've got something better to do!"
"But I did have something better to do," Daphne shrugged. "I have chores that you gave me, I have to pack my trunk..." she paused after she opened the last window, and turned back to look at her parents. "Since I wasn't contributing to the conversation, I supposed it would be best if I made myself scarce."
"Well, now you have more chores!" Medea sneered. "Don't think for one moment I buy that excuse, young lady! You were jealous that your sister was receiving attention from Mrs. Malfoy, as you always are!"
Daphne rolled her eyes and turned to leave the room. But, before she could get far, her father stopped her with a quick hex.
"Daphne, don't you ever walk away when we are speaking to you!" he boomed. "Besides, your mother and I need to speak to you about something."
With a flick of his wand, all the doors closed in the room, giving them whatever privacy they needed. Then, without even the option to do it herself, she felt herself floating over to the couch, where she was plopped down roughly. Her mother and father then sat across from her, stern looks on both their faces.
"What is it?" Daphne asked, feeling more anxious by the second as they sat and stared at her in silence. "You said you needed to talk to me about something... What is it?"
"Hold out your hands," Lennox said at last. Daphne felt her throat tighten, and her heart race.
Oh, Merlin, he saw the marks! But I was so careful to keep my arms covered...
When she didn't oblige her father in a time he felt was appropriate, he rolled his eyes and flicked his wand, causing her arms to shoot out in front of her, and her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Medea tutted her tongue and rolled her eyes, but Lennox just stared at the bruises on her wrists.
"Daphne, where did you get these? And don't lie."
Daphne could barely breathe. If she told them who gave them to her, then they would surely try to have him arrested or at least punished. And then, he would reveal his secret to anyone who would listen to him. Blaise was not the kind of person to go down without a fight...
"I... I don't know," Daphne stammered. "The night of the ball, someone attacked me... but I don't know who."
Lennox stood from his seat and began to pace in front of the fireplace. Her mother just crossed her arms and stared at her daughter.
"Attacked? Or were you just having a little too much fun with your friends?" she jibed.
"What are you saying!" Daphne exclaimed angrily. "I'm not Astoria, mother!"
"What do you mean you 'don't know' who attacked you?" Lennox interrupted his wife and daughter from tearing each other's face off. "You knew every single person who was there. Surely there must have been something you recognized."
Daphne looked down at her hands, which were still outstretched and held by her father's spell. "Since when do you care..."
Lennox stomped forward to her and grabbed her chin, pulling her face up so she could see him. His face was red with anger, but he managed to keep his voice lower than she expected. "I care about the reputation of our family! I don't want people to think that we're weak, or that we can be taken advantage of!"
"Well, next time someone tries to force themselves on me, I'll be sure to remind them of my family name..." Daphne replied sarcastically. Lennox huffed and pushed her face out of his grip, then stormed back over to the fireplace.
"Don't be smart, Daphne!" Medea hissed. "You could ruin your chances of a good match, too! God knows you're not exactly the most popular girl in the house,"
"Nope, that would be Astoria..." Daphne muttered under her breath.
"So, you have to make sure that there is no gossip associated with your name!" her mother added. "You seem to forget that a bad word against you is a bad word against us."
Daphne shook her head and sniffed an incredulous laugh. "So, I'm attacked, and you're telling me to be more careful!?"
"We expect you to be smarter! You have to defend yourself, show them that you're strong!" Lennox barked from his place by the fire. "Now, this is your last chance! Tell me who it was, or I will have to give you Veritas."
Daphne felt a cold sweat building on the back of her neck. She wouldn't put it past her father to give her truth serum to get the answer he wanted. But, she couldn't tell him... not when there was so much at stake!
I'd rather be forced to tell him... and hope he will at least understand why I didn't tell him.
"Father, I swear to you that I don't know who it was!" she pleaded. "If I knew, do you think that I would hide it from you? You think that I like being abused like this?" she asked, nodding her head at her hands.
Lennox and Medea looked at each other for a few moments. Daphne wondered if they were communicating telepathically because their expressions changed as they stared at each other. But, finally, after a few seconds, Lennox sighed and released the charm on her hands, causing them to fall back to her sides like dead weight.
"You are to act more cautiously from now on," he commanded in a monotone voice. "If someone attacked you once, there is nothing to stop them from doing it again. So, you must be vigilant, and always on your guard! You have to protect your... your," he paused and looked at his wife for help, but she just turned away like she didn't notice the plea. Then, with a sigh, he spat out what he had been trying to say. "Your virtue."
"I will, father," Daphne managed quietly. "I will be more cautious now, I promise."
Damn, right I will! I don't want anything to do with Zabini ever again!
"Fine," Medea said dismissively, waving her hand towards the door. "Go do your chores."
"So, he'd thrown up all over the room?" Tracey asked as they pushed their way through the crowded halls of the train to get a car.
"Not all over... just in a bucket... and that little house elf had so much trouble carrying it without spilling..." Daphne sighed, kicking open a door to a car, scaring out the 3rd years that were sitting there first. She slid her trunk under her seat and flopped back into the seat and sighed.
Outside the train, the atmosphere of platform 9 ¾ had changed dramatically since this time last year. Since Dumbledore had fallen, many families had refused to let their children go back to Hogwarts. Others, like the Slytherin pureblood families, rejoiced in the thought of a purified school run by Snape and were more than happy to send their little darlings back to Hogwarts. For some, like Daphne and Tracey, who were finally in their last year, it was a chance to show off their strengths; and in a school where the rules no longer applied to them, it meant that there was nothing stopping them.
"Sounds like he had a great time at the ball," Tracey mused, looking out the window at the platform as well. "How was it for you though?"
Daphne said nothing for a moment as she tried to figure out how to explain what had happened. Tracey didn't know her deep dark secret... and if she told her about Blaise, then he might find out and tell everyone.
Despite the fact that he wanted to blackmail me, he has actually, in turn, ended up blackmailing me...and himself.
"It was alright. But I left early; I was tired," Daphne said casually, hoping that the lack of details and excitement would get her to change the subject. But something else caught her eye before she could even wait for her response. There, on the platform, coming through the portal, only the one Weasley was there, and she was unaccompanied by the Potter Trio. "Strange..."
"What is?" Tracey asked, craning her neck to try and see what she saw outside the window.
"Only the Weasley girl is here. I wonder where the others are..." Daphne pondered aloud.
"Maybe they're already on the train? Surely Granger out of all of them wouldn't miss a year of school!" Tracey said as she settled back into her seat. "Did you know that Blaise had a thing for Ginny at one time?"
"Is that her name?" Daphne muttered, irritating at the mention of his name. She was still enraged, even though it had been over a month since they last saw each other, and would be content if she never had to see or hear anything about him again.
"Yeah. I guess he has a thing for redheads," She smirked at Daphne, who glared back at her best friend in response. "What's the wrong Daph? You look pissed!"
"Nothing. I'm just not in the mood to talk about the love lives of others at the moment..." Daphne lied, then turned to stare back out the window.
"Astoria keeping you up with her new boyfriend?" Tracey teased "I've always pictured her as a loud person in bed-"
"Please Tracey, do not put that visual in my head!" Daphne pleaded, shaking her head rapidly like she was trying to rattle out the mental image.
Tracey, of course, only laughed, and slouched down in her seat. She sighed and checked her watch with slight irritation. "Theodore is late, as usual..." she muttered, taking her wand and winding a lock of her dirty blond hair.
"You know people burn their hair off doing things like that," Daphne smirked at her best friend. Tracey only made a small face and made a point of turning her hair even faster around her wand.
Theodore didn't show up in their car until the train was out of London. When Tracey asked where he was, he initially ignored the question and took a seat beside her, ruffling his own hair and sighing like he had just completed a dreadful task.
"I was trying to convince Blaise to come here, but he's acting all weird." He said before he rammed his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small bag of sweets.
"I wonder what brought about the change..." Tracey pondered.
He'd better stay away... even if he has information he can use against me, it might not stop me from killing him for what he did...
"Whatever, we don't need him, do we Daphne?" Tracey added haughtily. Daphne just nodded slowly and ignored the looks of concern that Theodore and Tracey gave each other.
For the first time in 5 years, the sorting ceremony actually held some interest to the Slytherin's. For starters, having their former head-of-house as the new Head Master, there were several new rules instigated immediately for all students. First, the students all had to sit in sections based on their years, and in ascending or descending order towards the staff table. The eldest Gryffindors were seated practically under the staff table, while Daphne and her Slytherin classmates were seated far at the back of the Great Hall.
"Apparently he doesn't see us as much of a threat," Theodore remarked as he settled in the newly assigned order.
All the other tables, who had significantly smaller numbers this year, were muttering and cursing things under their breath as they too rearranged themselves. In particular, the eldest Gryffindors were making rude comments and bitter faces as they sat right under Snape's nose at the front of the hall.
The second rule was that all students were to be in their dormitories by 9 pm or 'face the consequences of the new punishment regime'.
"Wonder what that means? Think they're going to start hanging people by their thumbs again?" Tracey laughed.
"Or maybe they'll use Crucio on some of those naughty Gryffindors... But surely these rules don't apply to us," Pansy said lightly as she picked a piece of lint of Draco's shirt.
"Hopefully not," Draco remarked coolly as she poured himself another glass of pumpkin juice. He caught Daphne's eye for a moment, and they both were apparently thinking the same thing; sneaking around was either going to get easier... or harder.
God knows we don't need anyone else catching us in the act...
"The third rule is that all students will submit to random searches of mail and belongings for security purposes of the school," Snape announced like he was teaching a lesson. Neville shouted something, which was met with a glare from Snape and Gryffindor's house points already in the red.
It did seem a bit strange that all students would have to submit to these searches, but Theodore remarked that it was because they were searching for information on where Potter and his buddies were. Now that he had mentioned it, Daphne realized that Harry, Ron, and Hermione weren't here after all.
Wow... they really did skip out on the year! I never thought she'd let them!
"Aside from those rules, all other school rules still apply. After the feast is finished, you will all leave the Great Hall in an orderly fashion, following your head of house." He added before waved his hand lazily, dismissing them from the room.
"Well, this year ought to be interesting, right Daphne?" Blaise called over the commotion from a few seats away.
Without thinking, she turned and gave him the darkest, most hateful glare that she could muster. Then, without even acknowledging his question, she stood from the bench and started to leave the hall.
"I daresay it will be quite a different school with Potter around, won't it?" Tracey said to her housemates as she caught up with Daphne, taking her arm in hers. Malfoy smirked and said something that Daphne couldn't hear, but it made Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy howl with laughter.
"I see your girlfriend, the Weasley girl is still here though," Pansy called to Blaise, who narrowed his eyes and gave her the finger.
"You twist my words, Pansy. I never said I wanted her, I just said she looked good... better than the rest of that house." He paused and turned to Draco "I'm sure Malfoy would agree." Draco made a face like he had just be insulted (which he had) "Admit it; if she wasn't a Weasley, and if she wasn't in Gryffindor, you would fancy her too." He edged, his dark eyes focused on Draco's.
"I doubt it." He remarked shortly.
Blaise chuckled and turned his head back to his food. "That's not what you said three weeks ago..." He said smartly. Draco instantly gave him a firm punch in the arm to shut him up, but of course, the damage was done.
"Draco, you can't be serious!?" Pansy cried indignantly, her eyes angry and watery all at once.
"Oh, come on Pansy! It was only a game we were playing!" he sighed in frustration. Daphne now noticed Theodore trying very hard not to laugh at the sight, along with Tracey who was made a face to Daphne resembling Pansy's pained expression. "I don't find her attractive in the least! She may look good, but she's still a Weasley and is still in Gryffindor. She might as well look like Hagrid for all I care; it would have the same effect on me."
The Slytherins all laughed heartily, including Pansy, who smirked a wide smile and kissed Draco for his good response. Daphne turned away from the sight and caught Tracey's eyes, who were watching her friend knowingly; as far as she knew, Daphne was still trying to get Draco's attention.
"Apparently red hair is the new blonde," Tracey remarked quietly, still smirking knowingly at her best friend. Daphne sniffed a quick laugh but said nothing.
As the Slytherins expected, the school had completely changed. The new teachers (all of whom Daphne recognized from the Malfoy Manor in July) out-right favoured the Slytherin house, and as a result, they were destroying all the other houses in the race for the house cup. The teachers that remained on staff from last year, however, tried to even the score and bring Slytherins points down as much as possible, finding any and every excuse to get them in trouble.
Surprisingly, having Slughorn as their head of house last year had been much stricter than any of them expected. This year, it was even worse. They had hoped he would also show them favour, but instead, he was just as bad as McGonagall or any of the other original teachers.
He once caught Tracey sneaking out of the common room at 10:30 so that she could steal some bandages from the hospital wing to tie up Harper (who had been running his mouth about her family). She was served with 2 weeks of detention with Slughorn, helping him clean out cauldrons.
One night in October, despite the strict orders from Snape that all students were to be in bed by 11 pm, Daphne was up at 1 am, attempting to master the Geminio charm. She had decided after Flitwick had raved about her skills on the first day back that she would attempt to pursue a career in the charms field, and therefore had to practice whenever she got the chance.
"Stupid necklace..." she muttered as she tried to duplicate the necklace that her father gave her at the Malfoy Manor. Despite how much she hated her family sometimes, she wore this necklace with pride, as it was a symbol of not only her pureblood status but that her family held no shame about their place in society.
"Come on! Geminio!" she hissed again, pointing her wand at the silver pendant. It shuddered a little, glowed a light shade of red, then stopped moving. Daphne sighed in frustration and leaned her head against her fist in frustration.
Something moved across the common room, and Daphne felt herself unconsciously pointing her wand in the direction of the noise.
"Hello!?" she breathed quietly, forgetting for a moment that she could get in trouble for being up this late. Just as she was about to stand for a better look, the movement was suddenly right beside her. She let out a quick scream and then fell backward over her chair, landing with a dull thud onto her back. She coughed a little and tried to catch her breath, rolling over onto her stomach and pushing herself up onto her knees defensively.
"Daphne," a low and smooth voice said in the darkness.
Blaise... Oh, God, no!
Daphne instantly began to scramble away from him, and desperately groped the floor for her wand (which fell out of her hand when she fell). But before she could defend herself, Blaise stepped forward and grabbed her arm, picking her off the floor and dragging her into the corner of the room. Daphne screamed for help, but he covered her mouth.
"Don't scream! I'm not going to hurt you!" He hissed frantically in her ear.
Daphne didn't listen though. She felt like she was in hysterics, kicking and poking her elbows in every direction she could, desperate to be free of his grasp. All the while, her father's warnings were ringing in the back of her mind.
Then there was a noise from the portrait hole, and Blaise covered not only her mouth but her nose as well. Now not only could she not speak, but she couldn't breathe either. She began to panic more, kicking the wall and anything that she could reach to try and get free.
"Daphne, shut up! Do you want to get detention for being out here." He hissed in her ear, but she still flailed. Finally, in frustration with her lack of co-operation, he pulled his wand from his pocket and pointed it at her throat. "Shut the fuck up!" he hissed again.
This time, Daphne listened and she stopped attempting to shout. And, once she stopped struggling, he released her nose and allowed her to breathe again. To her surprise, Blaise wasn't hurting her... in fact, he was hiding her. He had pushed her against the darkest corner of the room, and he stood before her, blocking her with his black robes and dark skin.
Over her shoulder, she saw Slughorn enter the common room in complete silence, scanning the room in search for troublesome students like Daphne. For a moment, she felt like screaming or trying to get his attention somehow; it would certainly be the end of Blaise, especially if Slughorn saw him holding her like this. But she knew that it would also lead to Blaise spilling the beans about what he knew about her Slytherin's Head Boy...
Slug horn wandered around the room slowly, examining a few things in the common room, including the necklace that Daphne had left on the table. He picked up the locket, looked it over for a few moments, then set it down on the table and continued to scan the room. Meanwhile, Daphne and Blaise held their breaths, praying that he didn't hear them.
At one point, he looked directly towards the corner they were hiding in. Blaise froze and tighten his grip on Daphne's arms. Daphne pressed herself against the wall even harder, as if she felt she would move through the wall and out of the room. Slughorn seemed to notice something in their direction, but he apparently dismissed whatever he saw. After one last look around the room, he then turned and left the common room.
Daphne and Blaise remained frozen for a few moments after he left. But, once he felt they were safe, Blaise let out a sigh of relief that made her jump. At that moment, she shoved him backward and pushed her way out of the corner. But once she was free, she didn't stop. She kept shoving him, over and over, until he stumbled back onto the floor in front of the fireplace.
"Daphne, stop it!" Blaise snapped as she started to kick him in the shins. "I came to apologize!"
"Apology not accepted!" she hissed at him, and then kicked him again. "I don't even want to see your face again after what you did!"
"Daphne, please! I know- OW!" he cried in pain. He was angry now, so he caught her leg before the next kick, and yanked her onto the ground beside him. But, instead of rolling onto her or trying to hold her down, he just jumped up onto his feet and stood by the fire. "I'm sorry, Daphne! I know what I did was... so wrong!"
"That's an understatement! You tried to rape me!"
"I did not! I... I was just fooling around!" Blaise "It was a drunken mistake, ok? I took the joke to far..."
Daphne started to laugh at his logic while she pulled herself to her feet. "Your 'drunken mistake', as you call it, was no mistake at all, Blaise. You wanted to have sex with me, and when I said no, you were just going to do it anyways! That's not a joke!"
"I know, I took it too far... I just... I don't know!" Blaise pressed his hands against his forehead as he tried to form his thoughts. "I was so drunk, and I guess I was jealous of Draco, and... look, I don't know what else to say! But, please, believe me, I'm sorry!"
"Sorry doesn't take back what you did, Blaise!" Daphne hissed. She was now beside the table, and frantically shoving her things into her bag to leave the room. "Theodore saw the bruises on my wrists, thanks to you! I had to steer him away from the truth just to ensure you wouldn't be murdered," she looked up angrily at Blaise, who was barely visible in the light of the dying fire. "And then my parents noticed! They almost used veritas on me to find out who had the nerve to put marks like that on me!"
"You didn't tell them, did you?" Blaise breathed, fearful for a moment.
"Of course not! You would have been arrested if I had. Or dead." Daphne picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder. "The only reason I didn't is that I knew you'd tell on me!"
Blaise sighed with relief, and then took a step closer to her. "Daphne, I don't know how I can make you see how sorry I am..." he pleaded. "I honestly don't know what got into me-"
"I think the word is alcohol, ass!"
"-but please, please at least believe me when I saw that I will never, ever do it again! I won't ever touch you again, I swear it!"
He sounded sincere. And afraid. For the first time in months, Daphne felt like she was in power. She had the power to send Blaise to Azkaban if she wanted. And he knew it. She stared down at him and examined him closely, looking for any tells to show he was lying. When she found none, she suddenly felt pity for him. Maybe he had just been drunk... Daphne sighed and realized that there was no way he would ever try that again, and she couldn't afford to keep him on her hit list.
"Alright, listen," she stated firmly, dropping her bag on the chair and crossing her arms haughtily. "If I decide to forgive you, I sure as hell will not forget it! So if you try anything like that again, I swear I will out you for the sexual deviant that you are!"
Blaise sighed and steepled his hands in front of him in thanks. "Merlin, thank you, Daphne! It's all I wanted to hear! I honestly haven't been able to sleep properly since that night; I've been just so... disgusted with what I did!"
Daphne eyed him suspiciously. "Don't oversell it. If I find out you're lying to me, or you try anything again, I swear I will end you."
And with that, she picked up her bag, swung it over her shoulders, and stomped up the stairs towards her dorm, not even giving him the chance to have the last word.