"How's your drink?" Draco asked her, eyeing the yellow liquid in her glass warily.
"It's wonderful," Astoria replied sarcastically. She was feeling adventurous earlier and decided to order a soft drink that had recently appeared on the menu at Three Broomsticks. It was made from some sweet fruit she'd never heard of. After taking a sip, she suspected the fruit juice was thickened during the refinement process, making it even sweeter. And then, there was probably some sugar added because for some reason, the manufacturer still felt it wasn't sweet enough for the average consumer.
Instead of finishing the glass, she tapped it with her wand, vanishing the offensive liquid. This sent Draco into a fit of laughter. "Told you..." her future husband gasped between the laughs.
"Oh, shut up," Astoria replied as she punched his shoulder and then started giggling herself.
Afterwards, they waved at the waitress, signaling her to bring another butter beer for her. She was done with experiments for today.
Other than the mishap with her choice of drinks, the day has been perfect so far. She met Draco in the village after he arrived from the castle and at first they just walked around and talked. Draco had been very much concerned with her emotional state ever since her father died and was happy to hear she was better now. Astoria was likewise relieved the stupid dark lord didn't assign any dangerous and totally secret missions to Draco this year.
Afterwards, they visited few shops while talking about what's been happening in their respective lives and making Astoria feel guilty about not being able to tell him everything. After all, it's not like she could admit she's been hanging out with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
For one thing, Draco would probably misinterpret that without knowing the context. But more importantly, she couldn't tell him anything because it would put them all in danger. Something her sister had stressed to her about a hundred times, which was so annoying! To make matters even worse, as Daphne didn't wish to force magical oaths on her, she wouldn't even allow her on this date until Astoria demonstrated the ability to shrug off cursory legilimency probes someone might covertly throw in her direction.
Astoria knew her sister had very good reasons for all this caution. But it still grated on her nerves which were further jangled by the situation she'd left behind back at the manor. Namely, the very real possibility she would soon be attending Hermione Granger's funeral. Especially should the muggleborn girl say the wrong thing to her sister... which was pretty much guaranteed given Granger's chronic and seemingly incurable diarrhea of the mouth.
And then there was Ron Weasley who was first beside himself with worry over Granger... only to suddenly switch towards worrying about her going to Hogsmead instead. The red headed boy actually suggested he should come with her for protection! After that, Astoria was forced to explain to him that no, he absolutely can't be seen in public acting as her bodyguard.
Even if that was possible, Astoria didn't think it was a good idea given Draco and Ron practically hated each other in school. Ron's feelings about Draco certainly haven't changed since then, seeing as he looked like somebody kicked his puppy after learning with whom Astoria was meeting.
Still, despite all the drama in her life right now, Astoria had made a personal vow not to let anything ruin her long-awaited day with Draco... and so far, she was succeeding.
"I am so glad you and my mom saw eye to eye," Draco eventually said after her butter beer arrived.
Astoria smiled as she squeezed his hand on the table. "Were you afraid she wouldn't like me?" she asked teasingly.
"You know what I was worried about, Tori," he told her with concern and she nodded and smiled in understanding. "I know... and thank you."
Astoria knew well just how disappointed Draco's parents were after he'd finally gathered the courage and told them he just wasn't as adamant about pureblood supremacy as they were.
She was glad that unlike Draco, she'd never even tried pretending to hate the muggleborns and was fully out of the closet before she even started the school. Her family was quite supportive, which actually surprised Astoria. She strongly suspected her parents at first assumed she was merely experimenting, hoping it was just a phase and that Astoria would eventually come to view mudbloods with disdain.
But even after realizing she was serious, the fact Daphne was a picture-perfect pureblood heiress who eagerly embraced the family ideology, probably calmed their minds a lot. Because of that, and seeing as she was a second-born daughter, Astoria had a lot of leeway and was allowed to pursue an alternate lifestyle that her parents personally disagreed with.
Sadly, being an heir meant her poor Draco never had such freedom and had been groomed to be Lucius' younger twin ever since he could talk. Over the years, Astoria had seen him posturing and acting mean towards many different people, all because he desperately wanted to be like his father, both in opinions and personality. Astoria made her disapproval clear but never held it against him, knowing it wasn't really who Draco was. And likewise, Draco never criticized her own believes when they were together, despite being forced to publically disagree with her.
"I don't think there'll be any more problems between me and Cissi," she said and they both smiled at the fact she was now on a nickname basis with the intimidating woman. Astoria's mom always said it was a good thing to get along with your mother-in-law, or at least far better than not. It was too bad she couldn't tell Draco how the two of them ultimately bonded over Narcissa having witnessed Granger's forced servitude and humiliation. But one day, she knew it would become a nice family story.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Draco suddenly mentioned and proceeded to pull a stack of letters tied with a twine out of his bag. "You might want to give these to your sister," he said as he placed the stack on the table in front of her.
"What? Why? What are they?" she asked in confusion as she fingered the pile.
Draco sighed. "Letters from various Slytherin graduates, asking me to facilitate introductions to your sister and to put in a good word for them," he recited tiredly.
Astoria face palmed at that. "So essentially, they're backhanded marriage proposals," she summarized and when Draco nodded, she rolled her eyes. "These people are unbelievable. They circle around my family like vultures!"
"No argument there," Draco agreed. "Anyway, I figured Daphne could use them, if only to know which people to avoid."
"That's true, I guess. Thanks! I'm sure Daphne will appreciate this," Astoria answered, already thinking whether to burn the letters herself or let Daphne do the honor. Or perhaps Harry Potter would take some joy in seeing them burn?
"Yeah, right, I'm sure she will," Draco snorted in response.
"Heeey, it's fine," she said and touched his arm gently. "My sister doesn't hate you... she's always been neutral about you," she told him in what was meant as a comfort. Then they simultaneously realized how that sounded and both exploded with laughter.
"I – I think," Draco gasped before he cleared his throat and said, "Honestly, I think Daphne was always able to tell my heart wasn't in it whenever we talked about pureblood stuff. Maybe that's why we were never friends."
Astoria opened her mouth to deny that claim but then started wondering whether Draco was actually on to something. In the past, some foolish muggleborns had tried to trick her family by only pretending to submit and House Greengrass punished them harshly for it. Draco was a pureblood and couldn't be punished but Astoria suspected her sister would hate his pretense nonetheless.
"I wish we could both stay here," Astoria said wistfully after a while, knowing their day together was slowly coming to an end. The other students who were sitting in the pub with them were gradually leaving. She snuggled up closer to him on their bench, not willing to let him go just yet.
"You have no idea how much I'd like that," Draco said, holding her tighter. He checked their privacy spells were still applied before saying, "I'd get out of the school right now if I could," he told her while gently stroking her back. "At first, I thought it would be great without all the mudbloods and muggle-lovers around."
"But it's not," she suggested and felt proud of her future husband for having finally realized that.
"It's not," Draco agreed. "I'm not saying it was perfect before, with all the riff-raff walking around and not knowing their place. But... it was way better than what we have now," he admitted before shaking his head. "Hell, I'm even starting to miss that annoying know-it-all and her obsessive handraising," he said and laughed bitterly. Finally, he finished with, "You sure you're not coming back?"
Astoria tensed in his arms as he asked that. The truth was she felt ready to come back to school and had the circumstances been different, she'd have been back already. Especially since this was her OWL year. But Daphne would never allow that and for once Astoria agreed with her sister. The dark lord could learn what Daphne and Harry were doing at any moment and Astoria couldn't risk being taken hostage... or worse. "I can't... I'm not ready," she said tensely before adding. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Draco at first replied with the tell-tale annoyance he was so famous for. But then he leaned towards her ear, "I will wait for you forever if I have to," he whispered to her gently and Astoria had never loved him more.
"You... are not a witch, Granger... you are nothing. And I'm going to end this."
Hermione looked up into the cruel, icy blue eyes of her executioner as she spoke out her sentence.
"You're going to kill me," she stated and speaking it out loud made it very real for her for the first time. Like for many young people, death had so far been a largely abstract concept – something she rationally knew was coming for her eventually but was so far away for now she didn't need to worry about it.
Even the increasingly dangerous nature of their lives over the last few years did not make her dwell on her own mortality, certainly not in the way Daphne Greengrass holding her wand against her throat did. Hermione worked hard to control her breathing as fear threatened to overwhelm her and every part of her being screamed the same thing – she didn't want to die!
Intellectually though, she knew there was absolutely nothing she could do. She was tied up, had no wand and nobody was coming to save her. Even begging Daphne for mercy would do her no good, given the way the evil blonde felt about her. She was doomed and the best she could hope for was that Daphne would make it quick.
Daphne opened her mouth and Hermione could see the words of the killing curse coming out. But instead, the pureblood girl sighed heavily. She let go of her brown hair and removed her wand from her throat. Daphne then took a step back and sat down on the edge of her office table in front of Hermione.
"How did we even come here, Granger?" Daphne asked her but it was more a rhetorical question as she immediately answered herself, "Earlier, you asked me what reaction I expected from you? You really want to know?!" she asked crossly and when Hermione nodded, wishing to prolong her life if nothing else, Daphne told her.
"I expected you'd be angry… perhaps even furious. But I also thought you'd be rational about this, especially when our intentions were good. All we did was try to help you," Daphne insisted. "Had you at least a little bit of faith in us, it could have been a true turning point for you."
"What you did to me… what did you expect it would lead to?" Hermione wondered. Her earlier bite was gone from her voice and she was now honestly curious about the answer.
"I-" Daphne began before stopping, seemingly lost for words. "I was hoping… we could become friends," she finally admitted. At first Hermione thought it was a jest but Daphne looked completely honest as she said that.
"You're serious?!" Hermione asked in astonishment and watched as the blonde closed her eyes for a moment and nodded solemnly. "How… why? Why would you ever want to be friends with someone you see as inferior filth?" she asked with irony.
"Yes… there is that," Daphne acknowledged with obvious distaste. "But other than that, there are things I admire about you, Granger," she told her and before Hermione could ask what those things were, she elaborated. "Up until now, you've been a loyal friend to Harry, for that alone I'm grateful to you. I'm also impressed by your dedication to doing what you think is right," Daphne said and Hermione looked at her in disbelief.
"Well… you can see where it got me," she said, pulling on her bonds to emphasize.
Daphne giggled at that before saying. "Oh, don't misunderstand me, mudblood. You are completely wrong about everything you believe in, so much so that you are a danger to the society. A danger I'm glad to have stopped," she stressed before adding, "But your drive… the way you push forward with ferocity of a werewolf… I can sympathize with that, at least," Daphne confessed. "It makes me sad to imagine all the things you could have accomplished if only you were a bit more accepting of your place," she finished wistfully.
Hermione studied the girl for a moment before saying, "Honestly… I had a similar thought about you, Daphne. About all the good someone like you could've accomplished had you not fallen victim to this pureblood supremacy doctrine you worship."
"There is a big difference," Daphne pointed out. "I know I am right."
Hermione smiled. "And I know I am right."
Daphne nodded in acceptance. "And that's why you will lose everything… because of your pride and your hubris," she declared. The sympathetic look she had in the last few minutes disappeared completely and she was once again looking down on Hermione with haughty superiority. "A pity… I really hoped I'd be able to return this to you today," she said before picking up and opening a box lying on her desk. She took out a long wooden object from it.
"That's- that's my wand!" Hermione gasped in shock at seeing yet another faithful companion of hers in the hands of Daphne Greengrass.
"Wrong, mudblood. It's my wand now," the blonde informed her callously while examining the vinewood and twirling it between her fingers. "You lost it to me, along with everything else," Daphne informed her cruelly and before Hermione could mount a protest, she added. "I was resigned to the idea of returning this to you. Even if you still refused to acknowledge my supremacy. A simple oath not to interfere with our affairs and you could have had your wand back… be a free witch again."
"Why are you telling me this?" Hermione asked in annoyance.
"Because I still can't imagine what madness had possessed you to do what you did. You had your way out but you drove away your biggest ally and placed yourself at my mercy instead," Daphne said and tsked before adding, "Every time, Granger… every time I think I understand your motivations, you do or say something that makes me question everything," she admitted and when Hermione did not react aside from staring at her angrily, she started mumbling absentmindedly.
"Is it possible that on some level you finally accept what you are... is that it?" she spoke her thoughts out loud, still ignoring the looks being thrown at her. "Do you want me to give you your rightful punishment, mudblood? Is that what you desire? If yes, there is no shame in it. All mudbloods instinctively desire understanding from their superiors."
"Daphne?" Hermione finally said, interrupting the blonde's insane monologue. When the girl focused her attention on her, she added, "Do me a favor... don't try to understand me."
The pureblood girl stared open-mouthed at the perceived insolence before she nodded. "Very well, mudblood. But you know what this means."
"Yes, I know. Just... just finish this," Hermione looked Daphne straight in the eyes, finally able to find her Gryffindor courage. "I know you're going to kill me... so just do it already. I'm tired of listening to your voice."
Daphne jumped down from her table and Hermione really thought she would do it. But then Daphne just folded her arms across her chest and declared, "Oh, I bet you'd just love that... you manipulative little bitch!" she said as she met Hermione's gaze. "Well, you can forget it!"
"Excuse me? You think I want to die?!" Hermione indignantly protested.
"I think – I think what you want the most is to demonstrate to Harry just how evil I am," Daphne sarcastically answered after a while. "Even if it costs you your life."
"I don't care what Harry thinks!" she snapped right back but Daphne grinned, knowing it was a lie.
"Well, as I said, I am not going to kill you, mudblood. In fact, my plans rest on you being very much alive," Daphne informed her with ominous tone.
"W- what are you saying?" Hermione said, getting worried now. She was resigned to dying a moment ago and she even overcame her fear of it. But now it seemed Daphne Greengrass had something worse in mind!
Daphne smiled and said, "I have nothing planned for you in the immediate future. After the war is over though, you will get registered with the Muggleborn registration commission."
"I will not!"
Daphne raised an eyebrow. "You will get registered," she repeated with force. "Whether you go in willingly or kicking and screaming, I care not."
"Why?" Hermione asked, desperately trying to understand why Daphne would want to do that to her. "You don't want to kill me yourself so you'll let the Ministry do it?" she guessed.
"Don't be silly, mudblood. They're not going to kill you... nobody's killing you!" Daphne assured her before adding mockingly, "In fact, your courage for coming forward and getting registered will be highly praised and widely publicized. It will demonstrate to all the mudbloods it is safe for them to come forward too," she finished.
"Y- you plan to use me for pureblood propaganda!" Hermione gasped, unable to believe that even Daphne would be so cruel as to make her a pawn in her vile plans for the future.
Meanwhile, Daphne Greengrass grinned in victory. "I gave you the chance to serve me willingly. In exchange, I could've helped you to become the most powerful and famous muggleborn in history. But you refused my generous offer!" Daphne cried while shaking her head sadly. "So now, you will still serve the pureblood cause. And all you'll get as a reward will be a kick in the ass. Instead of being my friend, you will be my pet... and I will use you to put your kind in place."
"I won't do it. I'll never cooperate!" Hermione cried out.
"I don't give a shit about your cooperation!" Daphne Greengrass told her with annoyance. "Willing or not, you will stand in front of the commission. You will explain that half-blood terrorist Voldemort and his organization is the reason why you did not do so before. Finally, you will express your absolute support for the ministry's policies regarding your kind," Daphne stressed before she finished with a wide smile, "There will be a heartrending picture of you shaking hands and hugging with Dolores Umbridge in every newspaper."
"Nothing short of imperius will ever make me do this," Hermione said with certainty. She actually felt her stomach turn at what Daphne was suggesting.
"You think I need an imperius for you? That I don't have any other method to make you compliant?" Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow. When Hermione solemnly nodded, the blonde went on to laugh for what felt like minutes. When she was finished, she started to slowly walk back and forth in front of Hermione, playfully swishing Hermione's stolen wand through the air.
"Well, let's see," Daphne finally spoke as she stopped and looked at Hermione. "I could send someone to collect your parents in Australia. I bet you would be a lot more agreeable at the prospect of them being tortured in front of you… and that's just from the top of my head."
"Y- you wouldn't dare!" Hermione gasped in disbelief before she noticed the serious look on Daphne's face. "You'd really do something like that?!"
Daphne shrugged. "Honestly, no," she admitted before pinning Hermione down with her eyes. "But make no mistake, mudblood. There are many, many ways how I could break you. There is the imperius, loyalty potions, love potions… I could even cut off the parts of your brain which make you this stubborn," she told her, much to Hermione's horror. "Point is, if I really wanted to, you'd be on your knees in minutes… you'd be begging to be my slave! Never forget that!"
Hermione believed her… and she would never forget. She cast her eyes down in defeat. Daphne stared at her for a moment before she threw Hermione's wand down on the table and then snapped her fingers.
A guard stepped forward, handing her yet another vial. "Anyway, I've just told you my long term plan for you. In the short term though, I'm afraid I have no use for you. In fact, all you could do is get in the way and cause trouble, so…" Daphne said as she unscrewed the vial.
"Is that the-" Hermione asked fearfully until her voice failed her as she recognized the tones of lilac one could see in the clear potion when put against the light.
"Yes… draught of the living death," Daphne confirmed. "I'm putting you to sleep until the war is over," she declared and it was the last straw for Hermione. She knew that should that potion pass her lips, it would be the end for her. Despite her words, Daphne would never wake her up! She knew she wouldn't! It would be worse than death! A timeless oblivion!
"No, please! You can't!" she begged even as she struggled with her bonds like a mad woman.
"Hold her down!" Daphne ordered and Hermione felt strong arms enveloping her from behind and holding her still. "Open her mouth," Daphne commanded again and the guard grabbed her jaw, forcing it open.
"NOOOOOOO! DON'T!"
After Harry told her what horrible things Granger had said to him, Daphne wanted to kill the mudblood. But sadly, she knew this was not the way.
Harry might have said he was done with Granger but he was angry and as much as it pained her, Daphne knew he still cared for the girl. Also, there was the fact Hermione Granger had helped to save Sirius Black's life years ago when she and Harry went back in time. She was an inferior mudblood but she had risked her life to save a pureblood of the noblest descent! Seeing as Daphne was going to be the lady of House Black in the future, she could hardly kill the person responsible for saving the previous lord's life.
So, Daphne stayed her hand once more and actually made one last-ditch attempt to convince the mudblood of the truth and to make her submit. Her ancestors would have probably cursed her for coddling the stupid bitch to this degree, but Daphne felt it was something she had to do. By using a scientific method to demonstrate the existence of physical magic, Daphne felt she had succeeded in convincing Granger of the truth.
But the damnable cretin still refused to accept her place! Worse, she actually expressed desire to be the same dirty mudblood as before. She wished to wallow in the muggle filth she'd been born into, rejecting not only Daphne's guidance but magic in general!
And that was something Daphne could not forgive.
As their conversation went on, her hatred for Hermione Granger kept growing. She used to feel genuine remorse over how she'd treated the girl in their third year, knowing now that Granger really only tried to be her friend at the time. By shutting her down so harshly, Daphne might have unwittingly sent her down on this self-destructive path and she regretted that deeply.
But Daphne also felt that at this point, she more than made up for it by showing Granger her rightful place. No longer able to claim ignorance of her true nature, the mudblood had now absolutely no excuse not to submit to her betters. Had she done so willingly, Daphne would have done everything to make her great and successful in the future, perhaps even allowed her to achieve some small parts of her dreams to make the mudbloods better off.
Instead, Granger chose to reject everything!
So now she would still be made to serve the purebloods while receiving nothing but scorn in return. The smidgens of pity Daphne used to feel for the girl were being erased with every word the mudblood spoke. At the end, she deeply enjoyed Granger's terrified expression at the idea she would be made to serve the pureblood cause whether she liked it or not. And serve, she would… Daphne would make certain of that!
But while Granger's horror at the vision of her post-war future was palpable, it didn't compare to her reaction upon learning what would be happening to her in the meantime. "Just face this with some dignity, mudblood," Daphne told her while bringing the vial closer to her mouth.
"NOOOO! Please, I'll do anything! Just don't do this! PLEASE!"
Daphne paused at that despite wanting nothing more than to shove the potion down Granger's throat just so she wouldn't have to listen to her grating voice. She looked into the girl's eyes and saw true existential horror there. It wasn't there before. Not even when the mudblood thought she was about to die. This was also the first time Granger truly begged…
Daphne took a step back as she considered the situation carefully. Unfortunately, the brunette's incessant pleas and begging made thinking difficult. Finally, she drew out her wand and used it to conjure a rag out of thin air. With the assistance of her guards, she then stuffed it into Granger's open mouth. This finally muffled her screams, allowing Daphne to enjoy some peace and quite. Also, as strange as it sounded, gagging actually served to calm the mudblood down. She was briefly puzzled why before realizing it was because she was now unable to administer the Draught, something the girl seemed to fear above all else…
Daphne needed to understand why that was. Why the hell was the idea of being put temporarily to sleep seemingly more terrifying to this useless cretin than being tortured or even killed? And how far would Granger go to avoid this fate?
Finally, she looked up at her guards and said, "Remove her restraints." At their questioning look, she added. "Watch her very carefully but do as I say!"
She watched as the guards reluctantly obeyed while the mudblood looked at Daphne with obvious confusion. Once released, Granger rubbed her previously tied hands before she lifted them to her mouth, no doubt about to pull the rag out.
"Leave that in or lose the hand!" Daphne hissed and the mudblood immediately stopped, both because of her threat as well as upon seeing Daphne still hold the vial with the draught in her hand.
"Get down on your knees," Daphne Greengrass then ordered and the brunette girl looked resigned as she slipped out of the chair and straight to her knees as ordered. She had her eyes downcast and looked completely beaten but Daphne felt it wasn't enough. Not after this dirty bitch hurt Harry, insulted her family yet another time, and finally dared to reject magic.
"Bow down all the way to the floor…" Daphne commanded her. "… just like a muggle filth should."
Granger looked up at her with teary eyes, a shred of defiance still reflected there. Daphne responded by bringing the vial up menacingly. "Do it," she hissed before sneering. "Or this will be poured down your throat right this instant!"
The mudblood was openly weeping now and her lips trembled around the rag stuffed in her mouth. She looked absolutely pitiful. Daphne was not sure whether she was actually going to do it but then watched as Granger slowly bowed down, pressing the palms of her hands and her forehead against the floor.
Daphne Greengrass raised her head proudly as illustrious Miss Granger finally kowtowed at her feet like she should have done years ago. Now, it was way too late and no amount of subservience would help her escape her fate. But it was still a deeply satisfying sight.
"Look at me, mudblood," she ordered after about a minute and watched as Granger slowly rose back to her knees. Her eyes went wide and she screamed something through her gag as she found herself with Daphne's wand pointing between her eyes.
"Legilimens!" Daphne cried out as once more delved into the mudblood's thoughts, emotions, and memories. Unlike before, she felt active resistance from the girl's mind and smiled at that. Whether she liked it or not, Granger was already benefitting from finally having some magic in her body as any sort of mind defense was impossible otherwise. Her shields were still feeble and untrained though and Daphne just bulldozed through them as she pushed forward… she pushed and pushed. And then she saw and finally understood.
For the first time, Hermione Granger made sense to her!
She withdrew from her mind and watched as the muggleborn girl dry heaved and leaned against the floor using her hands. Daphne ignored her and walked around her table to sit down in her chair. She waited patiently until Granger regained enough of her faculties and looked up at her, still on her knees.
"Stand up," she instructed and once again waited until the brunette did so. Afterwards, she said, "From this moment on, you're free to move around manor and a guest room will be assigned to you," she said, ignoring Granger's shocked look. "You can take walks outside the manor but are not allowed to leave the grounds. If you attempt to do so, you will be stopped… and punished," Daphne warned, glancing at the vial containing the draught of the living death she previously screwed shut and placed on her table.
"Same thing will happen if you try to hurt somebody or purposefully damage my property," she continued to explain. "Once the war is over, you will be free to go. After that, I never want to hear about you again… is that understood, mudblood?" she asked and watched with satisfaction as the girl nodded, a pathetic expression of relief obvious on her face. Seeing that, Daphne could not help but add, "This is not mercy. This is me giving up on you, Granger."
The truth was that after today, she didn't want to have anything to do with this girl. She might not be able to kill her but will definitely make sure Hermione Granger is no longer in hers or Harry's life. "Do you have any questions?" she finally asked at the end and when the brown haired girl gestured at the rag in her mouth, Daphne smirked and nodded, "You may remove your gag now."
Hermione immediately pulled the offensive item from her mouth and let it fall down on the floor. Then she looked up at Daphne and asked. "W- what about what you said before? T- the registration commission? The Ministry?"
"I'll find someone else for all that," Daphne hissed. "Honestly, I don't want you anywhere near me and my family… as long as you don't make waves, we'll be good."
"What kind of waves?" Granger asked with narrowed eyes, her confidence bouncing back way too fast for Daphne's liking.
"Let's just say there are certain activities you will want to avoid after the war if you know what's good for you… but we'll discuss the specifics later," Daphne said, waving the question away for now. "Anything else?"
Put on the spot, Granger's face twitched and her eyes flicked erratically as she seemed to furiously think of something else to ask. Finally, she blurted out. "Why do you dress like this?"
Her eyes then went wide as she realized what she just asked. Daphne honestly laughed that out of everything, this would be Granger's question. "Yes, I almost forgot… you think that I and other pureblood witches dress like sluts," she said with a frown. There were so many prejudices in the mudblood's mind and Daphne knew this was one of them.
Being a mudblood was bad enough and for that alone Hermione Granger had to be punished, but could be forgiven as it wasn't her fault. But to actually be an utterly arrogant and prejudiced mudblood? That was truly unforgivable! And to think the bitch had the nerve to call her pureblood superiors bigoted. What a hypocrite…
"Tell me, my brilliant mudblood," she tittered. "Do you happen to know what was the first spell invented?" she asked and when the brown haired girl shook her head, she answered. "Depending on latitude, it's actually a tie between water producing spell and body heating spell," she said after which Granger looked at her in confusion.
"What does it have to do with your clothes?" Granger asked curiously.
"The fact I don't actually need to wear any clothes," Daphne stressed. "I have magic to keep warm and to protect myself from elements. Excepting the polar regions, wizards and witches can be perfectly comfortable walking around naked and some of them opt to do so," she told her. "The only reason most of us choose to dress is modesty, practicality, and a fashion statement," she finished before smiling and pointing to her dress.
"I can imagine a muggle woman would be terribly uncomfortable wearing a dress like this. But with magic, there is no chafing, no difficulties in moving or bending over. I can simply wear what I choose to at any time and be perfectly comfortable. So why should I settle for anything but what I like the most and what looks best on me?" she asked.
Granger seemed to have no answer to that and even if she did, Daphne wasn't interested in anything she had to say. Granger was a bug and there was no point in listening to bug's opinions. She ordered the girl to leave.
Upon her dismissal, Granger's eyes briefly flicked towards her confiscated wand which was now lying on Daphne's table like a trophy. Daphne chuckled at her wistful look. She brushed the wand with her fingers before saying, "In your dreams, filth," and enjoying the look of despair and disappointment on the mudblood's face.
Daphne then gestured at the discarded gag lying on the floor. "Oh and Granger… this isn't some muggle hovel you grew up in. So kindly pick that up and then get the fuck out!"
Once the mudblood was finally gone, Daphne poured herself a glass of whiskey. She seriously wondered how Harry had managed not to become alcoholic after having to deal with that annoying bitch for so long. Speaking of her boyfriend… Daphne smiled as she automatically poured a second glass.
"Did you enjoy the show, Harry?" she asked the seemingly empty room and then waited.
Few seconds passed before she heard the tell-tale rustling of Harry's invisibility cloak being removed. "How did you know?" he asked even as he joined her at the liquor cabinet.
"I didn't know… I suspected," Daphne replied tersely, turning to face him and handing him his drink.
"Are you mad at me?" the boy wondered as he took the offered glass from her hand.
Daphne raised an eyebrow. "You mean because you still don't trust me with Granger? Even after I made a promise I wouldn't do anything permanent to her?" she asked before shrugging, "A little," she admitted before smirking and saluting him with the drink. "But I also like you being this sneaky… embracing your inner Slytherin, are we?" she asked and winked at him teasingly. Harry laughed at that and they clinked their glasses. She swallowed the drink before saying, "About the things I said and did with Granger…"
Daphne was worried about how Harry would react after having witnessed their confrontation. The truth was she'd coddled Hermione Granger far too long as it was. Enough was enough. It was high time the mudblood got a dose of reality and started getting used to the idea of her personal rights being permanently curtailed after the war.
But what about Harry? Would he think her a cruel… well, crueler bitch for doing this? She was quite worried about this but Harry's answer both surprised and calmed her.
"I admire you restraint," Harry said through gritted teeth but with a completely honest voice. "And I thank you for it." Before Daphne had a chance to ask for more, Harry shook his head angrily and said, "I just can't believe the horrible things she said to you… about us. She had no right to talk to you this way!"
"No… no, she didn't," Daphne couldn't agree more and she reacted by pulling Harry in for a hug followed by a quick but passionate kiss.
Once they separated, the anger was mostly gone from Harry's voice and he sounded rather sad now. "Was I completely blind to what a hateful person she is deep down?" Harry wondered, shaking his head before saying quietly. "W- was she even ever really my friend?!" He then looked into her eyes. "Daphne, I-" Harry began but she immediately stopped him by raising and pressing fingers to his lips.
"If you are about to apologize on Granger's behalf… don't," she told him decisively. "You are not responsible for her."
If anything, Daphne felt like she was the one who should be apologizing to him. She was a pureblood and it was her sacred duty to bring mudbloods like Granger to heel. She should have had the bitch broken at the first sign of resistance! Instead, Daphne had shown her patience and mercy like a true sentimental fool, thinking she could change her. And this was the result – the mudblood getting out of hand and hurting the person she loved. The only positive was that by doing so, Granger had completely driven Harry away.
Although she'd never pushed for such development, Daphne had to admit that Harry finally rejecting the mudblood filth like this made her all tingly. And the beauty of it was that Granger had done all the work for her! No matter what the mudblood accused her of, Daphne had never tried manipulating Harry this way. Granted, she'd made him aware of some of Granger's bigger personality flaws but that was it. Everything else, the stupid bitch had done by herself. She'd dug her own grave and then jumped into it all on her own volition.
Because of this, she wondered whether she should even mention to Harry what she saw in the girl's mind today. Did it even matter anymore? Daphne didn't think so. Still, she wouldn't keep this from him. If nothing else, Harry deserved a closure.
"She wants to matter," she finally said and Harry looked at her in confusion.
"Excuse me?" Harry asked.
"That's what I saw in her mind today," she clarified. "Granger desperately wants to matter… wants there to be consequences to her actions and existence. Being irrelevant and meaningless is her deepest fear," Daphne continued to explain. "I think that's why the Draught was a more terrifying prospect to her than being executed. She was ready to be martyrized for her believes. But simply being put to sleep and possibly forgotten forever… that triggered her absolutely worst nightmare."
Harry was stunned. "I- I had no idea," he said eventually.
"Yes… neither did I," Daphne admitted. She suspected Granger didn't know either until a moment ago. Not until Daphne had pushed her to the brink. "As strange as it sounds, she doesn't actually care about muggleborn rights per se," Daphne theorized. "In her mind, it's the best way to give her existence the biggest impact possible. So she's devoted herself to it like a mindless fanatic… but it's just a means to an end for her."
"Wait a minute… is that why've you changed your mind on using her for that public spectacle after the war?" he then asked, looking at her incredulously.
"Exactly," Daphne confirmed. "Doing so would be basically giving her what she wants, only from the other side," she said and paused before adding quietly. "I could've broken her today, you know. I saw it in her mind… she was ready to be my slave in exchange for not being fed the Draught," she admitted and Harry gulped uncomfortably. Daphne smiled weakly. "But honestly, I don't want an unwilling servant. At this point, I think cutting ties with her is the best option… for everybody," she told him and looked into his enchanting green eyes. "Are you- are you ok with that?" she asked hesitantly.
Harry didn't take as long to reply as she had feared. "If she can't accept you being in my life, then yes… I think it's for the best. I'll just try and remember the good times I had with my friend," he said and swallowed, his eyes misty. "And not think about what she's become," he said with disgust.
Daphne hugged him tightly after that.
After being kicked out of Daphne's office, the guards escorted Hermione to her new room and left her alone. Her new accommodation wasn't as nice as the one they've been brought to on their first day here but compared to her old prison cell, it felt like heaven.
Hermione was so emotionally perturbed and exhausted by everything she just fell down on the bed. She would spend the rest of the day staring at the ceiling and crying intermittently. She couldn't find the will to leave the room, not even to get something for dinner.
Eventually, and much to her surprise, Kreacher the house elf brought her some food. He just put down the plate on her nightstand without saying a word. The perpetual scowl he used to give her was back now. Hermione wasn't sure whether Daphne had brainwashed him back into his old ways or if Kreacher simply shared his master's opinion of her. Ultimately, she supposed it did not make a difference and the elf's friendship was just one more thing she'd lost to Daphne Greengrass.
She ate a little and then finally found the strength to go to the bathroom attached to her room and do her evening hygiene. Afterwards, she went back to her bed and wondered how to turn off the magical lights without her wand. Finally she resigned herself to sleeping with the lights on only for them to go out automatically as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Hermione tried her best to fall asleep.
But of course, after the day she had, sleep was eluding her. So many different thoughts kept flying through her head that it was utterly impossible to relax, let alone to sleep. Finally, after almost an hour, she threw the covers off and got up. The lights in the room went back on but not as brightly as before. Almost like the magic in them was able to anticipate her current needs. Hermione sat on the bed's edge for a while, swinging her legs as she thought about all that'd happened to her. About what she'd said and had been said to her in return.
Finally, she jumped off the bed but instead of standing up she went down to sit on the floor. She assumed the meditative pose she'd learned a long time ago during her tries to learn the so called magic sight. Back then she'd failed utterly and concluded no such ability actually existed. But she still remembered every word of the text she'd read.
Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She then blocked out all sound except that of her breath and heart. It was easy as apart from her there was a total silence in the room. As the book instructed, she then imagined her magic pooling in her heart before being pushed throughout her body along with her blood.
That part of the description was what originally made her suspect the exercise to unlock the magic sight was nothing but pureblood supremacist hokum. After all, the fact she couldn't make it work proved her blood was dirty, right? For a long time, she'd thought that was it and that she was done with the nonsense… only for both Daphne Greengrass and Harry Potter throwing it into her face years later.
Hermione thought of the magic circulating in her body before willing it to slowly concentrate around her eyes. After perhaps half an hour, she finally opened them, letting all that pent up magic fly…
Hermione gasped in shock as she was no longer in her new bedroom. Instead, she was in what looked like its perfect copy made out of nothing but beautiful wisps of light. She supposed there were colors to it but it wasn't any color she'd know how to name. And she knew them all!
Everything about the room was strong and beautiful and it made her light and happy despite all that'd happened. Somehow, everything felt right…
There was only one thing that disturbed her feeling of serenity. She noticed it as she swiveled her head around in wonder. Namely, there were two odd stubs on each side of her body that looked noticeably less bright than the rest of the room. For some reason, looking at them made her feel angry and repulsed. Like something so strange and unseemly had no place being here, surrounded by so much beauty and grace. Only after a moment did she realize she was looking at her own hands…
A second later Hermione blinked and the wisps of magical light were gone, sending her back into her own darkened and dreary room. Afterwards, her eyes flicked between her surroundings and her hands, her mouth opened in pure shock as the implications of what she saw took root in her mind.
And then the first sob came… followed by second. And then Hermione Granger stopped counting as she collapsed to the floor in a fetal position and simply cried her heart out.
'Daphne is right… she's really right! I'm a mudblood! A dirty disgusting filth! I should have surrendered to her from the beginning!' she thought as utter despair claimed her. For the first time of her life, Hermione Granger was truly broken and her spirit crushed… but only for a moment.
With a guttural scream, Hermione clenched her fist until it hurt, imagining she was crushing the treacherous voice inside her that would make her give up on her future, accept this vile lie and surrender to the purebloods. Fortunately, she knew kissing Daphne's feet might as well be kissing all her dreams goodbye and she refused to do it! As long as there was breath left in her body, Daphne Greengrass would never beat her!
Hermione looked up towards the heavens, calling out to all the higher beings that might exist to be her witness as she made her vow.
'No matter what, I am going to escape this place. I am going to stop this evil! Lord Voldemort, Daphne Greengrass… and Harry Potter. I'm going to stop them all if I have to!'
At the same time, Harry and Daphne were holding hands as they walked together into the deepest part of Wistman's wood. Nobody except the Greengrasses ever ventured there and Harry had no trouble understanding why, seeing as the air was so thick with magic one could cut it with a knife. Had he not been holding Daphne's hand, he knew he would have been overwhelmed by it already.
"We're here," Daphne said as they came to an ancient clearing where the earth's magic was pooling and bursting towards the sky in a bright column of light. With the full moon shining high up in the sky, the ambiance was truly breathtaking.
"The ritual circle…" Harry said and his love nodded solemnly.
"Are you ready for this Harry?" Daphne Greengrass asked him and he turned to face her.
"I am… I want this. More than I've ever wanted anything. I want to be yours," he said, cupping her cheek gently with his hand and kissing her deeply.
"We'll be each others," she declared afterwards and Harry nodded eagerly. "Let's do this now, Harry Potter…" she said, stepping forward and pulling him along.
Harry did not resist as he followed the beautiful blonde into the confines of the ritual circle.