As You Wish - Chapter 12
Daphne sat cross-legged on an emerald velvet poof in front of her vanity, eyes closed and taking the occasional deep breath. After a while, she held up her hands in a prayer motion; an action she had seen one of her fashion designer friends do before runway shows. Something about a Muggle practice called yoga? She didn't really care much for all of the backbends and stretching and sweating, but she did like the concept of mental peace and clarity. Merlin knows she was going to need as much of it as possible tonight.
Astoria was already getting on her last nerve since the whole front page of the society pages with Harry Potter fiasco, so Daphne really needed the win tonight at dinner. Even accounting for her younger sister's bullshit, the elder Greengrass was confident that things would go swimmingly and exactly as planned.
She had already prepped Draco for what to expect from her parents earlier this week and he assured her that while Narcissa knew the truth about their little arrangement, she wasn't about to ruin Daphne's hard work in front of her parents. She was seeing to it that she was displaying enough good will and sense in front of her parents that she would have enough material to one up Astoria for years to come. Draco was truly her crowning achievement and each step towards getting him in the right direction was one step in further establishing her social capital.
Daphne opened her eyes and stood up, walking over to the full body mirror she had in the corner of her room. She took a final look at herself, starting at the top of her head and working her way down. Everything needed to be perfect. Her hair rested beside her face in loose, voluminous waves. Her makeup was simple and fresh to impress Narcissa. Her outfit, however, meant business. An aubergine tuxedo dress, with the actual jacket stopping just above mid thigh and a pleated skirt in a slightly lighter shade of purple stopping above her knees. The jacket itself was sleeveless and a thin black belt cinched her waist, making it look as though the back of the garment was a cape. As Daphne's eyes made their way to the bottom of the mirror, she jutted a hip to the side before bringing her feet together. A pair of black pointed toe stilettos with a strap at the ankle completed the ensemble.
The entire look made her feel powerful. She knew her father was treating this dinner like a business meeting, so why shouldn't she? While she knew that Draco had already spoken to his mother about using their manor for her holiday party, it would do her good to charm and even negotiate with the Malfoy Matriarch, if needed.
She walked back over to her vanity, picked up her favorite perfume and gave herself a couple of quick spritzes. She was ready.
Astoria sat at the Greengrass dining room table, jiggling her left leg. She was bored. Most of the dinner thus far had been spent with her mother trying to gloat about how successful their family had been in recent years, never mind the fact that their raised status only came about after the Malfoys had their some of their assets seized. Her father, on the other hand, kept asking Draco questions about his role in his family's company, which was clearly a way to determine if it was worth buying out.
She sighed, annoyed that she had to be in attendance when she could have been anywhere else, but at this droll dinner party.
"Something the matter, Astoria?"
Shit.
She looked up to see her mother, eyes alight as she waited for a response. Seated next to her was Narcissa, who looked like she was holding in laughter, but settled on a smirk instead.
"Nothing's wrong, Mother. I'm just listening to the conversation is all."
"Anything you wanted to add?" This comment came from Narcissa. Which only served to annoy the hell out of the youngest Greengrass. She knew the Malfoy matriarch wasn't entirely too fond of her for reasons unclear to her. The brunette opened her mouth to speak before being cut off. "We're not boring you, are we?"
Daphne, who had been observing the entire conversation since her mother spoke up, snorted, but was able to cover it by taking a sip of her wine at the same time. She placed her glass down and turned to face her sister, amused and curious to see what total bullshit said sister was going to pull out of her ass as a response.
Normally a huge fan of attention, Astoria suddenly felt small and wanted to shrink back into her seat. But she could at least acknowledge that she had indeed made a social faux pas and she supposed she could respond. Besides, her mother had started staring at her, blinking rapidly, as a way to tell her daughter to hurry the fuck up.
"It's nothing, Mother. I apologize if I had appeared distant or disinterested just now." There. That should be enough to get them off my back.
Jacqueline Greengrass turned to the blonde woman next to her. "I'm terribly sorry about Astoria's behavior, darling. She's been gallivanting around with a new friend and I think she assumed that she would be able to invite her to our dinner since Draco seems to know her."
It was now Narcissa's turn to blink rapidly as she knew exactly who the Greengrass matriarch was talking about. "Oh, is that so? I didn't realize that Draco had a new friend."
Jacqueline turned back to her youngest daughter. "What did you say her name was, Astoria? Crystal Summers?"
Before Astoria could reply, she was interrupted by the sound of someone coughing loudly; the noise echoing in their dining room. The group turned to the source to find Draco pounding a fist against his chest in an effort to stop his body's attempts to make him hack up a lung.
"Are you alright, dear?" Mrs. Greengrass asked, preparing to rise from her seat in an attempt to help him.
Draco waved a hand towards Jacquline in an attempt to stop her. He took a sip from the water in front of him. "I'm fine," he croaked out. "I think something just got caught in my throat is all." He drank some more water, trying to calm down and prepare a possible response should he be asked about Crystal. He cleared his throat once more. "There. See? Perfectly fine."
Narcissa looked at her son, eyes now wide, but still blinking rapidly. "Draco, darling, Jacquline was just asking about your new friend, Crystal."
"Oh, yes!" The Greengrass matriarch clapped her hands together. "I was so fascinated because Astoria rarely seems to be this excited about one of her little girlfriends, so when I heard that she might have some kind of relation to you, I wanted to know more about her."
"Well, you see," Draco paused. He had to be careful about how he talked about Ginny as Crystal. He was already nervous about letting Daphne engage with her because of the winter gala. He didn't need their lies getting any more convoluted than they already were. "Crystal is actually an old friend of Blaise's. She's originally from here, but her parents moved to America when she was very young, which is why we didn't see her around a lot as kids. She's staying with me right now since I have an extra room in my flat, but she just comes as goes as she pleases."
"We'll simply have to meet her at some point, darling. Do tell her she's welcome to stop by at anytime to visit with Astoria."
"Of course, Mrs. Greengrass." Phew. That was a little too close for comfort.
"Oh, sweeting, you and your pretty manners. You know I've told you back during your Hogwarts days that you can call me Jacqueline." She laughed and waved Draco off.
"My apologies, Jacqueline. It has been so long since I've spoken with both you and Reginald. I didn't want to seem improper."
"Draco, dear, you're dating our daughter. I think we can forgive you for your cautiousness."
At that, Jacqueline turned back to Narcissa and continued chatting away, while Draco continued his previous conversation with Reginald. Astoria looked down at her plate and poked at the food with her fork before taking another sip from her wine. It looked like she would just have to be bored out of her mind until this dinner was over.
Daphne, however, was too lost in thought. Throughout that entire interlude she simply sat back and observed. And to her luck, she learned quite a bit. Narcissa's reaction to her mother bringing up her sister's new friend was something she wasn't expecting. The attempts at feigned ignorance never really suited any of the Malfoys since they always prided themselves on seemingly being one step ahead of everyone else in wizarding high society. So Narcissa definitely knew more about Crystal than she was letting on. And the whole Draco suddenly coughing at the sound of Crystal's name? Daphne wasn't buying his excuse for a minute. He knows exactly who Crystal Summers is and so does Narcissa.
The elder Greengrass sister picked up her glass of wine, looking at its contents swirl around as she twirled her wrist. She squinted as she took a sip. If Crystal isn't necessarily who Draco says she is and Narcissa knows about her, then who could she be?
As she placed her glass back down, it hit Daphne and she had to stifle a laugh at how much she was overcomplicating things. She needed to find a way to get Draco on his own during this little dinner party. It was time for a chat.
"Daddy, do you mind if I steal Draco for a moment? I just want to take a little walk around the garden with him. It shouldn't take too long." Daphne linked one of her arms with her "boyfriend" as she spoke.
The dinner party was moving into the sitting room for tea and dessert, so it was the one chance Daphne would get at confronting him before he left for the evening.
"Of course, sweetheart. We'll be in the sitting room when you're done." Reginald gave a knowing look to the couple, as though he were anticipating disheveled clothes upon their return. Draco had the dignity to look mildly embarrassed as the top of his ears turned pink. Little did the Greengrass parents know that the couple had relations as teenagers and their daughter was very much not interested in retreading that path.
Daphne smiled and began to steer Draco towards the French doors on the other side of the dining room. Once outside, she waited until they were clearly out of earshot before beginning her attack.
"I know who Crystal is."
It was stated calmly and factually, for it was true. Daphne deduced that the mystical genie that had entered Draco's life was so obviously Crystal.
The statement forced him to stop walking. He wasn't sure if he should be upset that Daphne figured it out, or relived since he was planning on introducing the two once planning for the winter gala was underway. The part of him that was upset was slightly more irrational. This part was running under the assumption that Daphne had figured out everything, including the fact that Crystal was Ginny. And his genie was to be protected until Draco could figure out their whole situation. Plus, it seemed like Ginny was still trying to actively avoid running into remnants of her past, if her reaction to seeing Harry indicated anything. But the side of him that was relieved was, luckily, more rational about the whole thing and felt like a weight had been lifted from him.
"You would've been introduced to her eventually."
"I knew it!" Daphne shouted. She placed a hand over her mouth immediately after and looked around, hoping that no one was trying spy on them or listen in. According to Jacqueline, shouting was very unbecoming. "So is all the nonsense about her being raised in America all bullshit?" Since her mother wasn't around, might as well throw propriety out the window since she shouted. Mrs. Greengrass didn't need to know that Daphne and Astoria's vocabulary and actions were not always to the standards she had set for her daughters.
"Kind of. If anything, we stretched the truth. She told me that some of her previous masters were American, so we figured it would make sense if we used that as part of her backstory to explain any Americanisms that might pop up if she sounded weird from time to time."
"So she never knew Blaise as a child?"
"Nope, first time Blaise ever met her was when he gave me the bottle that allowed me to become her new master." Another truth stretch.
Daphne sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose. "And you do realize that Astoria knows that you have a genie, right?"
"Yes, I remember the pair of you mentioning that during one of our excursions. If your concern is Astoria causing trouble with Crystal, I wouldn't worry. My mother intends to be around since it is her house, after all, and Crystal can make it seem like her job is a party planner. Your sister never actually bothered to ask what she does for a living."
The brunette laughed. "Of course she didn't ask." She sighed again. "Well, this does give me more peace of mind." Daphne linked her arm with Draco's and the pair began walking once more. "The good thing is that I don't have to officially meet Crystal right away. The winter gala isn't for a couple of months, but I would like to meet with her well before then to kind of get an idea of what to expect."
"Naturally. If it works for you, I could have you come over to my place for dinner one night. It might make Crystal more comfortable to discuss things with you at a place that doesn't cause her to be out in public for too long."
Daphne stopped walking for a moment. She looked down at the ground, mentally going through her social calendar to see if she had any availability in the coming weeks. "How does Saturday two weeks from now sound?"
"That should be plenty of time."
The couple continued walking, with Daphne subtly leading Draco back to her home. "Perfect. I'll stop by your place around six and we'll have a chat and something to nosh on."
Before they stepped back inside, he had a thought. "Daph, Crystal's had some Muggle masters, so there's some things in my flat now that she uses because she's gotten used to engaging with them. Certain items tend to garner a lot of questions."
"Like what?"
Draco chuckled before opening the door, "You'll see." He stepped inside, leaving Daphne at the door. He assumed that she would continue inside and didn't think to turn and check.
If he did, he would have seen her standing outside, arms crossed and hip cocked, scrutinizing him as he walked away. It was only a couple of phrases, but Draco's comment about Crystal having Muggle items in his home spoke volumes more than he may have intended it to.
Every story Daphne had heard about genies were just whispers and rumors from fellow wizarding folk who treated genies like house elves; or like creatures that had no humanity and only gained their pleasure from irrevocably changing the lives of their masters for sport. But Crystal was clearly her own person. Someone that Draco trusted enough to live like any other witch or wizard. And what's more, he also clearly enjoyed her company enough to indulge her whims. Because the Draco that she knew wouldn't be caught dead having any kind of Muggle item in her home. Lucius's ideology was still so ingrained in some ways and his son was one of the few wizarding folk that didn't feel the need to actively seek out Muggle items the way some of his peers did after the war. In fact, Daphne and Astoria were the ones to introduce more Muggle fashion into British wizarding high society after they saw where their French cousins liked to shop in Paris and London.
Keeping those thoughts in mind, she didn't know whether she had to be cautious around Crystal or if she had to have contingencies in place to prevent Draco from doing something stupid while his genie was around.
Daphne pursed her lips and walked inside. It wouldn't do to dwell on a situation that hasn't happened yet. However, that didn't stop her from making a mental note that it might behoove her to create a statement for the Prophet when the news eventually dropped that Draco broke up with her for his genie.
A/N - Thank you as always to everyone who takes the time to read this story! Please review, if you're so inclined. I love hearing what y'all think and I appreciate it when y'all take the time to give me feedback.