September 1st, 1994.
Hogwarts - Great Hall.
At the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, Asterion was chatting with his group, a calm and serene expression on his face. He lifted his coffee cup to his lips, showing a satisfied look.
"I'm excited for the new students," Tracey said next to Theodore, her words echoed by several people at the table.
"Astoria is finally joining Slytherin," Daphne added with a smile rarely seen by others. The thought of attending Hogwarts with her adorable sister was finally becoming a reality.
Then, Daphne's gaze fell on Draco, like a queen looking at her subject—sharp and powerful. "If I hear that you did anything to Astoria, believe me when I say you might not have descendants in the future, Heir Malfoy."
Faced with that look and those harsh words, Draco swallowed hard and gave a rather nervous smile. He clenched his legs tightly together while nodding repeatedly. Theodore and Blaise couldn't help but shrink back at the cruel words of the teenager and looked at Draco with pity.
Dorea, who was beside Daphne, didn't even glance at her brother. Asterion noticed this but said nothing. Anyone could see that the twins were fighting.
Suddenly, Daphne felt eyes on her. Turning her face, she saw a pair of incredibly blue eyes staring at her intensely.
Rose Potter.
Daphne's lips curved into a smile. Although she couldn't beat the girl, she could make her feel something much more painful than the bitter taste of defeat. Under the surprised eyes of everyone at the table, the Slytherin queen sat in her special seat, which was her boyfriend's lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Then, with the wide eyes of the Slytherin table watching, Daphne lifted Asterion's chin and claimed the lips that were rightfully hers while looking at Rose with a sarcastic gaze.
She knew Rose liked Asterion, so even if she couldn't win against Rose in a fight, the emotional damage she caused the girl by doing this was far greater than any physical harm.
*Crack!*
The fork and knife in Rose's hands snapped as if someone had broken a thin tree branch. Gritting her teeth, Rose had never held back so much from casting a Red at someone as she did at that moment.
Especially seeing that victorious, sarcastic look, as if to say, "Take a good look, because it's the only thing you'll ever get to do."
"Rose?" Hermione, sitting next to her friend, looked at Rose in confusion and glanced at the broken cutlery with a bit of pity. Seeing Rose not responding, Hermione followed her gaze and saw Daphne and Asterion kissing publicly in the Great Hall.
Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock. "Don't they know it's forbidden to do that in public!?" she said incredulously, watching the intense kiss unfold. Her cheeks turned a rosy shade of embarrassment.
Hermione had to take a sip of her juice to calm down after witnessing scenes she had only read about in her period romances, but Rose's next words made the young brunette spit out everything she was drinking.
"Pff!"
"I've decided. I'm going to separate Asterion from that snake he calls a girlfriend. As his cousin, I have a responsibility to think about his well-being." Rose spoke each word through clenched teeth, the scene before her making her feel as if her heart was being bitten by several snakes at once, a sensation of anxiety and breathlessness she had never experienced before.
Hermione wiped her mouth and looked incredulously at her friend, unable to believe how innocent Rose was in not recognizing her own jealousy.
"Don't get involved, Rose. You'll only start a war you don't want to fight." Hermione tried to reason with Rose, but seeing the determined look in her best friend's eyes, she could only give up for now.
"War? That's fine. Then let's go to war." Rose murmured, looking defiantly at Daphne still sitting on Asterion's lap, who returned her gaze with the same arrogant look.
The two young women exchanged glances and smiled amicably at each other, as if nothing had happened between them.
"What was that?" With Daphne still on his lap, Asterion asked, confused, holding his fiancée's waist.
"Nothing, I just felt like kissing you." Daphne looked at him innocently and responded in a sweet tone. Her glance shifted to the Gryffindor table, where Rose's furious face made her feel like she was floating on cloud nine. She had never been more satisfied in her life than she was today.
Dorea and Tracey looked bitterly at the couple, their expressions tinged with resentment. The worst pain for a friend is to see their friend dating while they remain alone in a corner, watching everything with envy. That was the situation the two young women were currently in.
"Professor McGonagall is looking at our table with a glare that could kill someone," Theodore said, pointing to the teachers' table, where the Transfiguration professor was glaring at the Slytherin table with a sharp and very severe look.
Daphne just smiled gently at the professor and acted as if nothing had happened. She sat back down on the bench next to Asterion, intertwining her arms with his.
Although still dissatisfied with the situation, Professor McGonagall decided to address it later. She left the teachers' table and walked toward the exit of the Great Hall, ready to fetch the new students for this year.
"She's definitely going to punish us with a lot of homework," Tracey murmured with a disheartened look on her face. The memory of the amount of homework she had last year sent a chill down her spine.
"Don't be dramatic. She would have done that even without any punishment," Dorea responded with a very cold attitude, almost like Narcissa. After the attack on Hogwarts last year, all the teachers had doubled the amount of exercises and lessons, and everyone was exhausted from such a grueling routine.
Many newcomers were dissatisfied with these changes, especially the Gryffindor members, but many also didn't complain, feeling that they were getting stronger with each week of classes since last year.
Suddenly, the doors of the Great Hall opened, and Professor McGonagall, dressed in her classic emerald robes, entered the hall, followed by a long line of new students.
Daphne soon spotted her sister, Astoria, among the descendants of other noble houses, mainly talking to another teenager with long black hair and red eyes...
Red eyes…?
Red eyes!!!
Daphne's eyes widened as she saw the familiar red eyes on the girl next to her sister.
"By Morgana's saggy bosom, what is happening?" Daphne murmured, looking incredulously at the pale-skinned girl with long black hair and red eyes.
The girl's eyes also caught the attention of many people, both at the students' tables and the teachers' table. Dumbledore looked at Asterion and then at the girl with a puzzled expression. Both bore striking similarities, almost as if they were twins.
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Author's Thoughts: I doubt you can guess who the mystery girl is!
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Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 113 – New Students (2), Chapter 114 – Ophelia (1), Chapter 115 – Ophelia (2), Chapter 116 – Doubts (1), Chapter 117 – Humbug (1), Chapter 118 - Ophelia's Mother (1), Chapter 119 - I Decided to Seduce Daphne (1), Chapter 120 - Arrival of the Twelve Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry (1), Chapter 121 - Arrival of the Twelve Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry (2), Chapter 122 - Arrival of the Twelve Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry (3), Chapter 123 - Arrival of the Twelve Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry (4), Chapter 124 - Conspiracy In Progress (1), Chapter 125 - Conspiracy In Progress (2), Chapter 126 - Ophelia, Narcissa And Andromeda (1), Chapter 127 - Ophelia, Narcissa And Andromeda (2), Chapter 128 - The Four Representatives of Hogwarts (1), Chapter 129 - The Four Representatives of Hogwarts (2), Chapter 130 - The Four Hogwarts Representatives (3), Chapter 131 - The First Trial (1).