2000
After her parents received the letter of acceptance from Daphne, they were also surprised that she volunteered to come with her sister and pick out the dresses. That afternoon, as Daphne gathered her belongings and fed Eris, she was plotting all the horrible things she could do to her sister today.
"I could sabotage the order... change the sizing or even the colour!" she mumbled to herself as she poured the kibble into Eris's dish on the counter; the now 6-year-old Siamese meowed in gratitude and began to eat. "I'm glad someone appreciates me." She sighed as she smoothed her cat's fur.
The clock above her mantel chimed 1, which meant that her mother and sister were no doubt stirring anxiously as they waited for her in Diagon Alley. "Best not keep them waiting, hmm Eris?" she smirked as she crossed the kitchen and walked into the living room. She picked up her purse, stepped into the fireplace, and sighed as threw down the ash and commanded her destination
The date for the wedding was in 2 months, and as every day passed bringing them closer to July, Daphne felt as if her soul was fading away. She wasn't sure how well she was going to hold up against her sister and her bragging for the next two months, but she reassured herself every day that suffering now was worth it if she made her sister suffer later.
And if I'm really lucky, maybe the wedding will be called off. My family will hunt me down and try to kill me, but I'm smart enough, not to mention talented enough, to make sure they never find me, she told herself with a small smile as she exited the fireplace of Twilfitt and Tatting's and dusted the soot off her robes.
"Daphne?!" her sister breathed in shock, her expression telling her that it was not a good shock either.
"Oh my Daphne, you've really let yourself go..." Medea said, clicking her tongue and shaking her head slowly in disappointment. It's not that Daphne was surprised by their reaction; everyone who had seen her had remarked that she was looking thinner, paler, and much more sallow of late.
I guess that happens when you're living off alcohol, she thought as she gave them a sour smile.
"It only means I'll fit into dresses easier," Daphne remarked smartly as she walked passed her sister (who despite her best efforts, Daphne had to admit, was looking much prettier than before, having grown up a little), absently running her fingers along the fabrics of all the rich clothing.
"Don't touch those with your dirty hands!" Medea hissed under her breath. "Come over here and get fitted."
There was a man who looked like a stretched out house elf, with big ears, big eyes, and a large nose, who was waiting beside the small circular platform that Daphne was expected the stand on. Sighing in disdain, she climbed up and held her arms out lazily away from her sides.
"So what style of wedding party dress were we looking for today?" the man asked absently as he flicked his wand, which set off a measuring tape that moved like a snake in a frenzy around her, snapping and tightening around various parts of her body and making small dinging noises.
"Well, it's up to Astoria; it's her big day after all." Medea smiled proudly. Daphne rolled her eyes and almost felt herself gag had it not been for the measuring tap that almost strangled her at that exact moment.
"Well, I want something modern!" Astoria exclaimed excitedly, stepping in front of her mother as soon as the power was handed over to her. "I don't like these old fashioned ideals of having skirts to the ankle and puffy sleeves!" she said flippantly as the tailor jotted down her order. "I want thin straps, made of pure silk, floor length but form-fitting."
"Astoria, remember that the Malfoy's are a very traditional family," Medea started gently. Daphne cringed a little at the mention of that last name, and the thought that her sister would soon share it. "And I don't think that they-"
"Oh, shush mother!" Astoria said lightly, waving away her concerns absently. "Draco will convince his parents to like whatever I tell him to."
Daphne gritted her teeth together at that thought as well. Of course, her sister would have Draco and his parents wrapped right around her finger; it only made sense that someone as good an actress as her would win them over so easily.
"Engaged to the young Master Malfoy, I take it?" the man said as she finished writing down her requests.
"Oh yes, she is! It's such an honour to our family that he would pick one of our own to be his wife!" Medea said vainly. Daphne narrowed her eyes at her family, who were, of course, ignoring her; apparently, she had blocked the part where Daphne had Draco first completely out of her mind.
"He's the most charming man I've ever met," the tailor smiled a wide grin, showing off his freakishly white teeth. Daphne wondered if maybe she could charm this magical measuring tape to strangle her; it would be a lot more comfortable than listening to this conversation! "You are a lucky girl," he added to Astoria over her shoulder, who giggled on cue out of 'modesty'.
"Well, how did we do?" the man asked as he came over and looked at the measuring tape. "Her figure is strange." He remarked with his brows furrowed as he put on his glasses, taking another look at the numbers. "She has an hourglass figure, but it seems like it's been drained away."
"Yes, she appears to have lost a lot of weight since we last saw her," Medea remarked in a flat, disinterested voice. "We always hoped she would shape up her figure a little, but this wasn't what we had in mind." She added, looking her daughter over like she was a specimen. "Best add a size or two to the dress; we'll have to pump her full of food so she doesn't resemble a Thestral on the wedding day."
Well, at least I'll be getting free food than from now until the wedding, Daphne thought lightly, although she was not amused by how closely she was being examined.
"Can we fit my dress now?" Astoria asked, her voice sounding more like a command. Medea agreed and motioned sharply for Daphne to climb down off the platform.
"And what do you want for your wedding dress, Miss. Greengrass?"
"It's Mrs. Malfoy." She corrected sharply, giving Daphne a sideways glance "That is Miss Greengrass." She said haughtily.
"My apologies, Mrs. Malfoy." The man said with a small smile. "What did you have in mind for your dress?"
Astoria's demands faded away from Daphne's consciousness as she saw her mother approaching her, the look on her face clearly not one of motherly love.
"I hope you know that this wedding is a very big deal for our family, and we will not tolerate any of your antics messing it up." She whispered sharply.
"Have no fear mother; I wouldn't dream of messing up Princess Astoria's big day," Daphne replied with her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I mean it, Daphne!" she hissed angrily. "I've heard rumors of what you've been doing these past 2 years."
"Oh really? Well, do tell mother; I'm eager to hear what magical stories my sister has been feeding you of late." Daphne replied smartly.
"I understand that at one time, you seeing about 5 men at once," She said, her voice wavering as though she might faint from even speaking such a thing.
"Lies," Daphne waved her hand absently "I was only dating three," She lied with a light tone of voice, smirking a little to herself as she watched her mother's expression turn even more disturbed. She had dated several men over the years, but none of them became anything of consequence. Mostly because none of them were Draco. But sometimes because they couldn't deal with her drinking...
"I understand that you've also taken to drinking." She replied in a much harsher tone. Daphne didn't reply to this fact; it wasn't something she was particularly proud of either. "These are the antics I'm talking about; if you so much as touch one glass of wine, I will make sure that you find yourself locked in a room for the rest of the celebration." She threatened quietly so that no one else in the store could hear.
"But without wine, how am I supposed to wish my sister all the best in life and marriage at the dinner?" Daphne replied, her tone like a knife, almost revealing her true intent in being part of this wedding party.
"You will be drinking grape juice." Her mother snapped sharply.
"Mother! Tell me what you think of this colour!" Astoria called to Medea, who instantly turned away from Daphne and swooped in to aid her daughter. From over their shoulders, Daphne could see a sample of minty pink fabric that made her stomach turn.
If she tries to make me wear that colour, I will drink myself to death before the wedding even starts!
As the wedding drew closer and closer, Daphne had once again distanced herself from her family. She told them that she would arrive at sunset on June 30th for the dinner gala hosted by the happy couple, and stay at the Malfoy Manor for the ceremony the next day, July 1st.
However, the day before she was to show up at the Malfoy's home, she paid a visit to an old friend and fellow wedding-party member to whom she thought would be useful in her quest for total destruction...
The doorbell rang a shrill ping as Daphne twisted the brass wind-up, causing a dog to howl and bark from inside the townhouse.
"...shut up you little shit!" the voice called angrily from the other side of the door. She could hear footsteps approaching, and she cleared her throat in an attempt to compose herself a little more. She felt awkward enough coming here, but this entire situation could end up extremely awkward.
"Well well well!" the voice laughed from the other side of the door, evidently spying on her through the peephole. The wood door that was painted green swung open in one swooping motion and Blaise smirked deviously from the threshold. "And what can I do for you, Daphne?"
"Can I come in? I want to talk to you about something." She asked politely, a faint smile attempting to keep her spirits up.
"Of course you can. Just let me put this tea cozy in his cage." Blaise remarked with a smile, pulling his wand discretely from his pocket flicking his hand over his shoulder; the barking that had continued since Daphne first rang the doorbell suddenly ceased with a yelp. "Alright, c'mon in; Voldermort won't hurt you."
"You named your dog Voldemort!?" Daphne laughed as she stepped into the house and saw the little King Charles spaniel growling from the wire cage in the corner of the foyer, his eyes narrowed like a snake. "Nevermind, I can see why..." She remarked under her breath.
"I thought it was a comical name, considering all that happened..." Blaise said absently as he opened the door and told her to put her shoes in there. "I'm a bit of a neat freak in my own house." He added with a smile.
"As am I..." Daphne muttered as she took off her flats. "This is quite the place you've got." She remarked as she looked up at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, which was open up to the second floor. Ahead of them was a large, spiral staircase made of mahogany, covered in pure white carpets, and all along the walls of the stairwell were portraits of various men. "Step-fathers, I'm assuming?"
"How on earth did you guess?" Blaise chuckled, looking at the 14 men that lined the walls, all of them talking amongst themselves or staring down at her. "This was her private home that none of them knew about. It would have been pretty awkward to explain the lot of them if they did. And now that she's gone, I have the ugly things to look at all day."
"I'm sorry, by the way, about your mother. I was going to come to the funeral, but I got... tied up with work." Daphne said quietly.
"You don't need to lie, Daphne," Blaise remarked matter-of-factly.
"No, I really meant to go! I just-"
"I'm talking about your excuse." He said, a knowing smile catching her eye "I know all about your recent addictions, and I have to say I can't blame you."
"What are you talking about?" Daphne breathed, barely audible.
"You drink like a sailor. You've dated several men all at once," He listed smartly. "Once again, I can't blame you! If my sister got engaged to the love of my life, I would probably do the same thing too."
Daphne stared at him in disbelief, momentarily forgetting that he knew about her and Draco, then looked away from him at the growling dog in the cage. When she finally calmed herself down a few seconds later, preventing another sobbing fit from taking over her body, she sighed and looked Blaise dead in the eye.
"That's why I'm here." When she said this, Blaise's expression turned to one of extreme intrigue. "I have a plan to get her back, and I need your help."
After she explained her plan, Blaise sat in enwrapped silence, only interrupting twice to clarify a couple of points as she went on.
"Do you think you can help me?" Daphne asked in a low, flat voice after she added the last detail.
Blaise stared back at her for a moment, then leaned back in his comfortable black leather chair and started to crack his knuckles absently as he thought about it. They had moved their conversation into his living room at the back of the house, with huge glass windows that looked out over the Thames River as the sun set low in the sky.
The house, which had a theme of green, black, and white (Blaise still had a lot of Slytherin pride, evidently) had been one of the first houses she charmed as a personal favour. It was made to look like a house filled with wild, screaming children to anyone who was peering into the windows, and hopefully scare away anyone from knocking on the door.
Blaise, like the other Slytherins, appeared to have done very well for himself. Not only was he a member of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and made a considerable amount of money working there, but upon his mother's death, he inherited all the gold that her husband's had left her. In the plainest words, as Daphne described it to Tracey, he was rolling in gold, and probably didn't need to work a day in his life.
"I'll help you on one condition," Blaise said smoothly.
What a surprise; Blaise always has some sort of price for his services. Daphne thought bitterly in her head.
"I want to know what I'm going to get out of this bargain." He said with a smirk.
"How about the proof that you can, in fact, be a decent human being?" Daphne replied with a sigh.
"That doesn't do anything but boost my morals." He chuckled "And as you know, I could care less about what my morals are."
"Clearly. Not many people demand payment from their friends," She quipped back smartly.
"Yes, but even fewer people try to ruin their own sister's wedding," Blaise replied with a patronizing tone. Daphne opened her mouth to fire back another insult, but closed it when she realized that there was no defense that could counteract that statement.
"You have a point," She sighed and slumped down deeper into the soft leather couch.
"Not to mention you're asking me to help destroy the same wedding that I'm best man for!" Blaise chuckled. "You certainly planned this out well though, but I'm not sure I want to risk losing one of my oldest friends because you're miffed at who he's marrying... that is unless I receive proper payment."
"And I know exactly what you want," Daphne mused, standing now and walking towards the window. "I know that you have more gold than you know what to do with, but I think there's one thing you'd rather have than gold..."
"Enlighten me," Blaise mused from his chair.
Daphne turned and leaned against the window, arms folded behind her back. She stared at him, and then let a mischievous smile creep across her face.
"Me," she said lightly.
Blaise stared at her, and then chuckled at what he was sure was a joke. "You're serious?" Daphne nodded her head slowly, her devious smirk growing wider when she saw that he was still interested. "You almost killed me the last time we- I mean, I- tried to have sex with you. What's changed your mind?"
Daphne laughed and shrugged. "Maybe the realization that the one person I wanted to be with didn't want to be with me. So, I guess it's time to broaden my horizons..."
Blaise stared at her for a long while, perhaps trying to figure out if it was a trap, or perhaps trying to find a flaw with her body to discourage him. He looked over her entire body several times, smiling to himself as he did.
"So, do we have a deal?" Daphne asked with a sultry tone to her voice. Blaise chuckled and stood from his seat on the couch.
"Obviously," he replied smoothly. "Like I'm going to turn down the chance to be with you..." He inched closer to her, but then stopped just out of her arms reach. "But, before we get started then, I want you to practice your plan on me."
"Seriously?" Daphne chuckled, feeling a little shy about what he was referring to.
"It will get me started if you know what I mean. And I also want to make sure that it's going to work," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Daphne smirked at his comment, then took a step back until she was leaning against the cold glass. She pulled out her wand and hissed the incantation, then watch with mild entertainment as Blaise closed his eyes and smiled as he enjoyed the show. Daphne had to admit, it was quite empowering, watching Blaise react to her magic like that, but didn't feel entirely comfortable about it in general. Projecting her own fantasies and memories into someone else's mind was invasive to both her and her target. But, watching Blaise get visually turned on by it all made her feel amazingly confident.
After a couple of minutes, where Blaise spent most of his time biting his lip and smiling like the sex-driven male that he was, Daphne stopped the incantation and waited. It had worked. And if worked on Blaise, she knew that her real target would enjoy it too.
Blaise opened his eyes slowly. He now looked as dark and driven as ever. "And where did you practice that little trick?"
"On Tracey," Daphne smirked.
"And she's still straight? I'm surprised." He chuckled, once again eyeing Daphne obviously.
"Not everyone is as turned on by me as you are," She replied in her own sultry tone. "Did it work?"
"Oh, it worked alright," He chuckled, then moved forward, closing the gap between them, and almost pushed her through the glass as he passionately kissed her, and instigated their bargain.
Somewhere off in the distance in Daphne's dream, she could hear someone calling her name. As she turned, she could see a figure, standing in a fog, with two smaller figures near him, one clearly a child, and one a woman. The fog briefly cleared, and Daphne's mind caught a glimpse of the blue, laughing eyes of Astoria, her arm around not only Draco but the child.
"Too bad you'll be alone forever..." Draco called to her, just as the fog began to fill in around his happy little family once more.
Daphne startled herself awake, sitting straight up and breathing irregularly in a panic. The dream had frightened her to her very core, but also made her unspeakably angry.
"Oh, now you get up." Blaise laughed from across the room, looking through his dresser for something.
"What are you talking about?" Daphne sighed, taking in deep breaths to calm herself.
Blaise chuckled and turned away from whatever he was looking for. "I've been calling you for about half an hour, but you were out like a light," he told her, then smirked and turned back to his dresser "I guess I wore you right out," He added smartly.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that you're the one who couldn't keep up with me, Blaise," Daphne remarked, rolling her eyes and climbing out of the bed. She wasn't even sure how they got here in the first place, but she hoped that her clothes were in the room.
"I don't know many guys that could deal with that many rounds in one night, let alone with you," Blaise said lightly, still smirking as he opened the last drawer in his dresser. "Oh, there it is!" he exclaimed as he talked to himself.
"What are you doing over there?" she sighed "And where are my clothes!?" she asked, holding one of the silk blankets around her as a temporary solution.
"I don't know. Try the hallway." He chuckled as he pulled out a white tie from the drawer.
Shaking her head slowly at her clearly absent mind last night, she shuffled past him and into the hallway where she indeed found a trail of clothes that led down the stairs and back into the living room where this whole fiasco started. As she picked up her shirt, the last piece of clothing that was on the leather couch of Blaise's living room, she caught a glimpse of the bright, shining sun of a June afternoon.
"Shit." She muttered under her breath. "Blaise! What time is it?!" she called up the stairs as she started to dress in the living room.
"12:30." He called back. "That's why I was trying to wake you up."
"Damn it!" she swore. "I have to go home and get ready!" she called, pulling on her pants and starting to re-button her shirt as she ran into the foyer, where Voldermort the dog growled at her feet rushing past his cage.
"Leaving so soon?" Blaise mused in a sing-song voice from the floor above, looking down at her from the landing of the staircase.
"I have to prepare my plan." She smirked up at him as she pulled her shoes out of the cupboard. "You're sure that I don't need to learn the-"
"If you're as good at dancing as I remember you, then you won't have a problem keeping up," he reassured her.
"I'm trusting you here, Blaise. Don't let me down!" she said sternly.
"You have my word, Daph. Your plan is going to go off without a hitch so long as I'm helping," He smirked. Daphne looked up at him like she wasn't sure if she could trust him, but she nodded her head slowly and turned towards the door. "Uh, Daphne!" he called lightly. She turned back and looked at him with a 'what-the-hell-do-you-want-now' expression. "You might you want to fix your shirt." He chuckled.
Daphne looked down at her shirt, still half buttoned and hanging half open. "Right." She muttered quietly. "See you tonight," she called half-heartedly, then finished doing up her shirt, and walked out the door.
The rain had started to come down at about 6 o'clock that evening, clouding the sky with dark storm clouds. The reception was being held indoors anyways, but it made all the guest arrive earlier... except a black cloak worn around her to keep warm, she stood at the edge of the forest, watching the party through the French windows of the ballroom like a hunter watches its prey. It took her a few minutes to locate Draco, but when she did, a small, satisfied smile crept across her lips.
"And now, we begin..." she mumbled to herself, pulling her wand out of her pocket and pointing it towards her target 200 metres away. "Legilimens!" she whispered quietly.
Instantly, she focused on projecting every memory she had of her and Draco, starting from their first kiss to their rendezvous in the very forest she stood before, and even a few little scenes that she threw in just for fun. With her eyes intently focused on Draco, she watched him turned his head, searching for the source. He excused himself politely, and Daphne was finding it harder and harder to hold the connection. She watched with strained, narrowed eyes as she concentrated on keeping the connection a little longer, continuing to project the same scenes that she had put into the mind of Blaise the night before. She could tell by the expression on his face and the thoughts he was thinking that he knew it was her, but he couldn't find her. He opened the door to the rear balcony, and then, like he had a radar set out for her, he briefly caught sight of her, their eyes locking for only a second. In that second, Daphne smiled a wicked smile, then vanished from his sight.
At that exact moment, she apparated out of sight. A moment later, she opened the front door of the Malfoy Manor, exiting the pouring rain and shaking the water off her hood like she'd just arrived. From down the hall, she could see her sister and the rest of the guests, all staring at the commotion.
"Sorry, I'm late!" She called down to them, smiling as she strode calmly down the hallways.
"I'm glad to see you understand the definition of sunset, Daphne," Astoria remarked, un-amused from her seat at the head table.
"Yes, well, the rain detained me," Daphne remarked sweetly. Draco had now just returned from the balcony and gave her a knowing look, to which she simply smiled. "What did I miss?"
"You're just in time for our dance," Blaise said smoothly, crossing the now vacant dance floor wearing his ivory white suit, holding out his hand for her soaked cloak. "I'll take that." He smirked and gave her a knowing wink. She smiled at the gesture and undid the clasp around her neck. In one swift motion, like she was shedding a layer of skin, she dropped the cloak from her shoulders and revealed the next part of her plan...
The theme for the gala was black and white attire, an instruction that Daphne intentionally ignored. When she took off the cloak, a round of gasps and whispers filtered through the room as everyone caught a glimpse of her gorgeous, cherry red dress. With a halter neckline, form-fitting cut down to just above her knees, where the dress had a mermaid flair, Daphne was well aware that she not only looked smoking hot, but she was now the target for her family's rage, too. Astoria glared at her sister, grinding her teeth together in fury as she caught her sister's smirk of defiance.
"You look lovely," Blaise said loud enough for others to hear. "But you didn't tell me your dress was going to draw that much attention." He muttered under his breath as he picked up the cloak and tossed it to one of the servants in the house.
"What? Did I miss something?" Daphne said to her sister, looking around and feigning confusion. Then, after a quick dramatic pause, she put one hand on her chest and opened her mouth in a shocked 'o'. "Oh my God, I forgot the theme was black and white!" she played. Then with a small smirk, she turned away from the head table and held her right arm to Blaise. "I think we're supposed to dance, aren't we?"
"Right you are, Daphne," Blaise said, catching Draco's eye for a moment and smiling at him. "It is, of course, tradition." He turned towards the band that was sitting in the corner of the room and nodded his head at them. They started to prepare themselves, and Blaise turned his attention back to Daphne. "Remember what I told you?" he said under his breath
"Keep loose, go with the flow, and look seductive." She smirked.
"You do realize that you've officially made yourself the number one most hated person in this room right now," Blaise chuckled, taking a quick look around at the 200 people that sat along the long tables that created a perimeter of tables around the dance floor.
"Does it look like I care?" she asked lightly.
There was a long chord that played from the band, and on cue, Daphne and Blaise turned to face the future bride and groom, lowering into deep bows. Then, as she had been instructed the night before, Daphne stood with her weight shifted onto her left leg and her right hand stuck straight out. Within seconds of the music starting, Blaise took her hand in his and kissed it very lightly, catching her eye as he did it and winking at her. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was being twirled and spun across the floor by him, all the while trying to remain as loose as possible.
Thank God he didn't try to teach me this dance! Daphne thought as he finished twirling her and dropped her into a dip so low that she almost hit the floor. It would have taken me hours, if not days, to look as good as him while doing this!
Lucky for her, Blaise was a natural at leading in dance, which came in handy when orchestrating a plan like this. And needless to say, although the price for his cooperation was high, he was certainly impressive. This dance, he told her the night before, was from Spain, where he had been stationed for over a year after graduation. It was meant to represent (if not mimic) the 'art of love'. But what Daphne and the entire audience learned very quickly was that it wasn't a subtle metaphor either. Between the low dips, the constant eye-lock that they held, and subtle grabs at her butt as he pulled her leg up so it was level with his waist, Daphne felt that this entire dance was a replay of the night before... And despite how badly she wanted to get her sister and Draco back, she couldn't bring herself to look at them as she danced. Somehow, she knew that making eye-contact with Draco again would reveal everything...
Finally, about 2 minutes later, after more sexual moves that most dignified dancers would refuse to dance in public, the music began to slow. Blaise caught her eye and nodded slowly at her as he turned her once more, then dropped her down into one last low dip, making the blood rush to her head. Through the pressure on her skull as Blaise held her there for a few seconds while he waited for applause (which did come, but very awkwardly at first), Daphne made the mistake of catching Draco's stare, which set her mind into a momentary frenzy. In front of her mind's eye, she could see Draco and her dancing the same dance... but not as reserved. She stared back at Draco, who as soon as he broke eye contact with him, the image disappeared.
"Well," Blaise said to her through the applause, pulling her up from the dip so fast that she almost fell over, "I think that went rather well." He chuckled.
"You failed to mention to me that the dance-"
"It got the job done, didn't it?" Blaise smirked. Daphne sighed and shook her head slowly. "What? Did I fail to impress your sister's friends and family?" he added in a low tone.
"No, I think you did... and I need a drink," She said flatly, still trying to get the image of her and Draco out of her mind. She knew that he had put it there; she had almost forgotten that he was a Legilimen as well. But she never expected him to torture or lead her on in such a way when he was sitting right beside his fiancé and her sister!
"Let's go find you a glass of water then," Blaise said with a smile as he nodded graciously at the people who were watching, then with one hand gently guiding her off the dance floor, led her towards the bar.
By the time 9 o'clock hit, Daphne had already finished off a whole bottle of red wine to herself. Blaise had deliberately ignored the warnings from the person serving drinks that 'the mother of the bride would be very angry if she saw the maid of honour drinking', and gave her glass after glass. Daphne, of course, didn't mind, and in fact, took it upon herself to make sure that everyone saw her drinking.
"I'm not going to hide who I am just so Princess Astoria can keep up some fanciful reputation that she's an angel!" she told Blaise as she stumbled into him (literally) at the edge of the room. The dance floor was now filled with couples, dancing to the music that the band was playing. But Daphne and Blaise stood on the outskirts, watching and waiting for the right moment...
"I'm telling you, this music is so old! It's the type of thing our grandparents danced to!" Blaise muttered as he lifted his glass of wine to his lips and sipped at it.
"So as soon as a modern song come on, do you want to go out there and show them how it's really done?" Daphne giggled. "Remember, I can't dance!"
"That's my plan. And you dance well enough... At least you can keep a beat." Blaise remarked absently as he stared across the dance floor at the head table. "Draco is trying to read my mind."
"Trying?" Daphne remarked with a quick laugh.
"I was trained Occlumency at work; keeps the locations of all the equipment secret so it can't be jinxed." He smirked, still keeping locked eye contact with Draco. "He probably wants to know what we're planning next."
"I'm surprised my sister hasn't pulled out a hatchet yet and tried to hack my head off." Daphne giggled as she swayed a little where she stood. "If we don't dance soon, I'm going to fall asleep!" she said a little louder.
At that exact moment, there was a brief pause in the music, and the tempo and mood changed from decrepit and old to young and bouncy.
"About time!" Blaise exclaimed with a laugh, the reached over and grabbed Daphne's hand and pulled her behind him as he took over the now emptying floor. Only a few of the couples remained from before (since a dance with fast could potentially break a hip for some of these people), and many of the other younger couples joined them as well.
"Oh, I think drinking before dancing was a bad idea!" Daphne laughed as she almost tripped on the hem of her dress, grabbing Blaise's arm for support.
"You only live once, Daphne." Blaise smiled "And like you said, you may very well be killed tonight."
Daphne laughed and glanced over her shoulder at her parents and sister, who were talking in the corner amongst themselves. "Well if that's the case!" she laughed as she reached over to the table beside them and grabbed another glass of red wine and downed it. "I'd best make the most of these last few drinks."
The dance was more like the music they played at the Yule Ball almost 6 years ago, and therefore most of the younger guest of the party knew the moves. Thankfully, Blaise took the lead again, making sure that the intoxicated Daphne didn't make a face plant onto the floor. But despite how drunk she was, she was actually enjoying herself and seemed quite coherent.
"I like this dance!" she laughed as she spun in a circle, nearly falling over as she did. Blaise caught her (and the now empty wine glass) at the last second, preventing her from hitting the floor.
"Clearly. Just try not to kill anyone." Blaise chuckled as he let her turn again.
The world around her seemed to spin by in slow motion, with every sound and image blurring together. She felt her eyelids getting heavier and her balance getting more and more out of whack. Just as she felt like she was about to pass out, someone stopped her from falling backward.
"C'mon Blaise, let me dance!" she laughed, her heavy-lidded eyes taking only a moment to focus.
"It's not me," Blaise said flatly, standing in front of her and looking with dark eyes at whoever was holding her.
"Blaise, you need to take her upstairs," Draco told him in a flat, emotionless tone.
"Shouldn't you be dancing with your fiancé?" Daphne muttered, but both men overheard her.
"Why should I?" Blaise asked, ignoring Daphne. He looked almost annoyed at Draco's interruption.
"Because her parents are furious and the last thing I want is for my house to be the centre of a murder investigation," Draco hissed at him. Daphne couldn't be sure, but from the direction of the voice and the way he was holding her, he must have been standing right behind her, holding her steady with his hands on her shoulders.
"Don't worry; they won't kill me until after the wedding," Daphne laughed. From her now unfocused eyes, she could see dancers still dancing around them, twirling past in swirls of black and white.
"That doesn't tell me why I should have to deal with her. And since when do you care what happens to her?" Blaise asked, a small smirk on his face as he crossed his arms in defiance.
Draco sighed angrily and tightened his grip on Daphne's shoulders. "Blaise, I don't know what your involvement with this scheme tonight, but if you do this now, then I'll forget it ever happened," He offered in a sharp tone. Blaise stared at him for a few moments, as if he were trying to see the real reasoning behind his demands. Then, with a sigh, he motioned for Draco to give Daphne to him.
"C'mon Daph, I think you've had enough fun for the night," He said in an unenthusiastic voice.
"Giving up so easily, are you?" she asked Blaise before she stumbled forward and fell into his arms. "I'm just a little dizzy, and I'm not finished-"
"Didn't you hear what Draco said? I think he got the message..." He said in a patronizing tone. Then Blaise helped Daphne stand up straight and turned her towards the door. "Ok, walk forward!"
"I would just like to point out that notice I did not receive a similar offer from him." She slurred to Blaise as he started to walk her towards the doorway, holding her up all the way.
"I don't think Draco is the one you should be concerned with..." Blaise mumbled. As he said that, Daphne lifted her head and focused on the three figures standing beside the door.
As they got closer, she recognized them as her parents and her sister, all giving identical glares of hatred and contempt. At the sight, she sniffed a quick laugh and shook off Blaise's grip. Then, standing still, she took in a few deep breaths, then walked forward perfectly composed and almost appearing sober. She walked past them as if they weren't there, but once she was through the door, she tripped on her dress (again), and Blaise caught her from falling. At this point, Daphne burst out in hysterical laughter.
"Wouldn't want them to think I deliberately disobeyed them, would I?" she laughed, grabbing onto Blaise's arm as he helped her up the stairs to the guest rooms.
Daphne wasn't surprised to see that the Malfoy's had given her the same room as before, but this time it wasn't across the hall from Draco.
"Figures..." she muttered to herself as she stumbled into the room, kicking off her silver shoes and pulling off her diamond bracelets.
"You want me to stay with you for a while?" Blaise asked as he closed the door and locked it. "I don't want your parents coming up to slaughter you."
"Why do you care?" she grumbled as she leaned on one of the posts of the four-poster bed. She paused for a moment, then chuckled a little to herself. "Why should you care?" she shook her head slowly as she stared straight ahead, looking out the window into the dark, clouded sky. "Why would anyone care about ugly, stupid, useless," she paused as she took a few steps closer to the window, "Disobedient, plain, pathetic, old Daphne?" she now was so close that she leaned her face against the cold glass. "I'm forever destined to be the other Greengrass girl... forever following in my sister's footsteps."
"Daphne, how many times do I have to tell you that you're nothing like your sister? I would know; I dated you both!" Blaise sighed, taking a seat on the edge of her bed and watching her.
"Yes, but you also told me I was a bad person for trying to destroy my own sister's wedding..." She pointed out, not turning to face him; she just stared out the window, her intoxicated eyes going in and out of focus.
"That may be true." He said in a smooth voice "But how many girls would steal their sister's boyfriends out of spite?" he asked. Daphne spun around and face him so fast that she nearly fell over. "How many guys would leave a girl who threw herself at him for 4 years for her sister?" he added, standing from the bed and walking towards her. "And how many guys would accept sex as a payment to embarrass one of his oldest friends?"
"I think it's more a question of how many guys wouldn't accept that... Or better yet, what kind of girl would make such an offer in the first place." Daphne muttered, now staring at the floor as he got closer to her.
"I can tell you exactly." He said matter-of-factly. She looked up in confusion but found that she could barely focus on Blaise as he reached out and helped her stand again. "Slytherins." He said simply. "It's just how we are. I started to notice it after my mother died, and I found her old journals of plans and methods of killing every one of her ex-husbands, including my father. As a Slytherin, we're determined to get what we want; to be victorious no matter the sacrifice or disgrace it brings us." He paused and turned her face gently to face him. "You're no different than me, or Draco, or even your sister; we're all just far too ambitious for our own good."
"My, you're in an uplifting mood tonight, aren't you?" Daphne muttered as she shook off his support again, walked towards the bed, and collapsed head first onto it. "All I want to do is just make tomorrow go away. I just pray that my parents come in the night and smother me so I don't have to endure it tomorrow!"
"Get some sleep, Daphne." Blaise chuckled. "And you might want to take that dress off too."
"If you're trying to see me naked again, you'll have to be a little more creative than that." She sighed as she rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Blaise laughed and patted her head before he started to leave the room.
"I'll check on you later." He told her. And then, she heard the click of the door closing tightly behind him.
Hopefully, I'll be dead when he comes back. She thought bitterly.
She continued to stare up at the ceiling, vaguely aware of the tears building up behind her eyes. But before she could focus on stopping herself from crying again, she felt herself pass out.
She slept like the dead for most of the night, except for once disturbance at about 3 in the morning. In her dream, she heard a door open and close, and it took her a few moments to realize that this was real, and she started herself awake, falling off the bed as she did it.
"Blaise?!" she hissed in the darkness. No one answered. "Seriously Blaise, this isn't funny! Come out of the dark!" she demanded quietly. There was still no response. After a minute of silence, she gave up, convinced that she really had dreamt it, and she climbed back up into her bed, still wearing the red dress, but this time pulling the sheets over her. Just as she started to drift off to sleep again, she swore that she heard something moving in the room, but she no longer felt the urge or motivation to care.
If it's my sister coming to kill me, then good. Same with my parents. If it's Blaise coming back for round 2, then fine; I wouldn't notice now anyways. She thought bitterly as she pulled the covers tighter around her. The only thing I know for sure is that it's not is Draco... the only person I want to come, and the only person that won't...
And once again, she felt her eyes water, and then slowly close.