Chapter 26: Daphne Greengrass
Daphne Greengrass had always been considered popular.
She was popular in her nursery school when she cut off a girls braid, never even getting in trouble for it. She'd simply batted her eyelashes cutely, the first taste of Greengrass charm she'd shown. She was popular at family functions, always being asked who she was wearing or what lipstick she'd picked for the day. She'd always been popular with boys, too. In fact, she received half a dozen love letters every February in hopes she'd pick one of her suitors for valentines day.
But, truthfully, she didn't care too much about all that.
Sure, she did care. How could she not? She loved being loved. But since coming to Hogwarts, everything had been… Well, she started to see things differently.
It had all started when she got sorted into Slytherin. It was predictable, really. She was cunning, ambitious, and had a strong sense of self than many couldn't ever dream of achieving in their lifetime. She knew her worth and stood by it.
And then, she met Theo. Reserved, but not shy. Studious, but not obscenely so. A fellow Slytherin who offered to share the last fruit tart with her at their first feast, as if a dozen more hadn't just appeared a foot further down the table.
They'd been inseparable ever since.
Of course, the friendship made both their families delighted. The two would spend every moment together, writing each other letters throughout the summer months. Most assumed the two were madly in love and too blind to see it, but they weren't Theo and Daphne. They had an unbreakable friendship, and nothing more.
Of course, Daphne was also popular with her housemates. The girls would listen intently to her tales of rich men and beautiful dresses. Even Pansy Parkinson had warmed up to her by the end of the first year, all hopes of a friendship quickly dashed away when Draco Malfoy had paired with Daphne in Charms in second year, and not Pansy.
Further down the line, in came Madeline.
As much as Daphne loved having Theo as her best friend, she missed having a girl friend. Someone she could talk to about fashion and boys without being deemed shallow. Someone who would understand the life she had, of high luxuries and riches.
And Madeline was perfect.
Daphne hadn't ever considered that her and Theo would need a third until Madeline came along, slotting herself into their lives perfectly. Truthfully, it was odd thinking back to a time without the French girl. She was fierce and fiery, yet held herself with the utmost poise that could only come from years of aristocracy. The three fit together like puzzle pieces from day one.
And Daphne loved having another friend. The three bounced off each other easily. No one could compare, not even the Golden Trio. And here they were in their fifth year, OWL exams approaching and a world waiting for them on the other side of Hogwarts, seeming closer than ever.
But something was off. Something was itching under Daphne's skin. Like a nagging voice at the back of her head, but she wasn't sure what it was.
That Wednesday afternoon, Daphne Greengrass strode through the Hogwarts grounds with determination, gloves on and a scarf around her neck. She'd left her favourite headband in Herbology earlier that day, and she most definitely didn't want Crabbe's grubby little hands throwing it in the trash, let alone touch it.
She carefully stuck to the path as she made her way to the greenhouses, staying as far away from the muddy edges as possible. She had a little while before her study session with her friends in the Library to get their homework done, anyway. It wasn't like she was in a rush.
In fact, Daphne Greengrass rushed for no one.
She pushed the door to the greenhouse open, finding it deserted, as she expected. She walked to the large metal table, her headband left strewn in the middle of it. As she leant over to pick it up, however, her eyes caught sight of a foot poking out of the other end.
She shrieked, backing up from the table clutching the headband. At the same time, a loud thud and a groan echoed from under the table.
"Ouch…" a feminine voice groaned quietly. Daphne's eyes stayed fixed on the foot, watching intently as the figure pulled herself to standing, rubbing her head cutely.
"Loon- Lovegood," Daphne breathed, hand at her heart, "You frightened me-"
"Shhh," Luna immediately shushed her, a finger poised at her lips and eyes wide as she whispered, "You'll wake them up."
Daphne frowned, "Wake who up?"
Luna pointed at the row of twigs on the greenhouse bench, eyebrow raised, "The Bowtruckles, of course."
Daphne raised her perfectly sculpted eyebrow, looking the blonde girl up and down slowly. Sure, her hair was a birds nest and her accessories were rather eccentric, but nothing pointed to true madness. Except for, of course, the nickname the school gave her. (Or rather, the nickname Daphne had helped Pansy come up with in their second year).
"Right," Daphne nodded, now whispering, "I'm just gonna go-"
"Would you like to help me feed them?" Luna asked kindly, eyes blinking curiously, "Not right now of course, they're still sleeping. We can set some woodlice out for them?"
Daphne grimaced. Why on earth would she, out of all people, want to handle woodlice? Luna clearly had some nerve, or just simply didn't know who the hell she was talking to-
That's it.
Daphne stared at Luna once more, but now, it was like something had clicked in her head. Luna didn't care about what others thought of her, nor did she seem to care about status and wealth and all the stuff Daphne had grown up believing in. It was like a breath of fresh air had suddenly waltzed through the greenhouse door and slapped her face, scratching that itch that had been living under her skin, because right in front of here, was an opportunity. An opportunity with wide blue eyes and smooth skin as pale as snow.
And Daphne Greengrass didn't waste opportunities.
"Took your time," Theo mused as Daphne finally met her friends in the library, hands throughly washed yet a slight pink tinge still visible on her cheeks.
"I got distracted," Daphne shrugged, sliding into her seat next to Madeline, who was busy messily scribbling onto parchment, "So, how's Umbridge's essay going?"
"I want to throw that woman out of a sixth-floor window," Madeline muttered quietly, eyes glued onto her essay, "This is a load of rubbish."
"Agreed," Theo nodded, "But it's an easy pass. She's making us do first-year level essay."
"Which will definitely help us in O. ," Madeline rolled her eyes, dropping her quill in defiance, "That's it. I can't take anymore."
But Daphne was distracted. Daphne was never distracted, and yet, her mind kept reeling back to the last hour in the greenhouse with none other than Loony- no, Luna. With her easy laugh bright blue eyes and the way she was so in her element. It was mortifying to say the least, to be so preoccupied with something so mundane, so normal, so-
Oh.
She'd forgotten her headband after all.
Daphne woke up as the sun rose the next morning, her dreams filled with intertwining vines and the smell of fresh dewdrops landing on grass. She sat in silence, listening to the distant dripping somewhere deep in the dungeons and wondered why she felt so disconnected, as if she'd stepped into another world for a few moments and couldn't quite land back in hers correctly.
It was a Saturday, the start of term still fresh in everyones mouths. Daphne didn't miss home like she usually did, not really. Strangely, she missed the smell of fresh soil. She shook herself off, running a hand through her hair and getting up for the day, deciding that no one could keep Daphne Greengrass from being, well, Daphne Greengrass.
She brushed her teeth and hair, dressed for the day in a luxuriously soft sweater and elegantly tailored trousers, and set off for breakfast just as her housemates awoke. She wasn't the greatest fan of coffee, but a nice cup of the dark brew seemed perfect right about now. Yes, something to wake her up and bring her back to-
Crap.
"You're up early," Daphne blurted out as she strode through the castle, eyes landing on none other than Luna Lovegood, still dressed in a pair of dark blue silky striped pyjamas. Yet, despite the early hours, Luna looked alive and awake as ever.
"I lost my shoes," she explained dreamily, looking around curiously, "It seems I may have sleepwalked, or the Nargles misplaced them. Pesky things."
"Right," Daphne nodded in confusion, wiping the palms of her hands, "Nargles. Right."
"Do let me know if you see them," Luna smiled softly, rubbing her eyes, "It would be a shame to lose another pair."
"How many shoes have you lost exactly?"
Luna shrugged, and that was enough of an answer for the two of them. They stood in silence in the deserted corridor, the echoing sound of laughter travelling from a distant wing. Hogwarts was waking up, and yet it felt so far away.
Daphne eventually shook herself, "Well, good luck. I'll let you know if I see anything, yeah?"
Luna was good at hiding the disappointment in her eyes as Daphne turned and walked away, but Daphne did have a conscience. Or at least, she thought she did. She did feel bad as she took those first few steps, but then again, no one was around. No one would see her helping Luna, would they?
With a resigned, and almost angry sigh, Daphne spun around.
"Wait!" she called to Luna, "I'll help you for a bit, alright?"
"Half of the people in Hogwarts think Harry Potter mad," Terence boasted loudly on the other side of the Slytherin table, "What I think? I think they're right."
Daphne rolled her eyes, fork stabbing into her eggs as she looked at Madeline sympathetically, "Ignore him. He's an idiot trying to get a reaction out of his mates."
Theo nodded, gesturing to the set of Slytherins laughing along with him, including his brand-new girlfriend, who was glued to his side proudly, "Honestly Greengrass, I don't get what you saw in that guy."
Daphne shrugged, "He's charismatic."
"A whole relationship built on charismatic," Theo rolled his eyes playfully, "That must've been so much fun for you."
"The time of my life," Daphne replied sarcastically, pinching Theo's cheek, "Look at you, suddenly concerned about my love life."
"Lack thereof," Theo corrected.
"Rude."
"He talks a load of rubbish," Madeline glared at the older Slytherins, taking a long swig of coffee, "I heard them talking about the Weasleys not long ago. Sure, Ron isn't my favourite person in the world, but my boyfriend is pretty high up there."
"She used the word boyfriend," Daphne teased, earning herself a sharp kick from Madeline.
"Didn't know you guys were so serious," Theo continued, also earning himself a kick.
"Enough, the both of you," Madeline rolled her eyes, hardly able to hide the grin on her face.
But something else caught Daphne's eyes. Across the hall, entering for the first time that morning with both feet now in her shoes, was Luna. Luna, with her hair neatly brushed (but still wild) and her eccentric jewellery, ignoring everyones whispers and stares as she walked to the Ravenclaw table, her eyes meeting Daphne's for the briskest second with a warm smile, a thank you.
Daphne felt her heart skip a beat, which suddenly sent her in a frenzy of confusion. What? Why did she just- oh god, she was blushing, blushing from a smile for crying out loud! She hadn't done anything like this before, not even when her and Terence were together, and never for-
And then it hit her.
She wasn't being nice to Luna because she was a nice person. She was being nice to Luna because-
Holy mother of Merlin.
A/N: Hello! Long time no updates!
I've finally rediscovered my joy for writing, so I've got a little special chapter I've been WAITING to write for ages. I hope you enjoy! We finally get to see some of the characters flesh out a little more ;)