Chapter 3
DAPHNE GREENGRASS
The wizarding world was filled with strange and eccentric phenomena, ranging from unique spells to one-in-a-kind creatures, from ghosts to ghouls, and so forth. Amongst these very strange and eccentric occurrences was also the boy who had just left their table.
Cassius Malfoy, the younger twin of Draco Malfoy.
He had been strange ever since he was a kid, and she could say that given that she had known him for that long. The Malfoy name had a certain reputation in the wizarding world, one of rather substantial being wealthy and being believers of pure blood supremacy.
The dogma which was rather prevalent in the old Wizarding families ran deep, and despite its slow erasure from the rest of Europe and the world, in Britain many still ascribed to it including the Malfoys.
Except for Cassius Malfoy, that was.
"What was that?" her friend Tracey asked from the side as she saw Cassius leave the library alongside a person the rest of his family would deign not to look at a second time.
But he was not like that. He never had been.
"Nothing," she answered softly, even as her lips turned up, for this was one thing where her own knowledge surpassed her friend Tracey, who was in many ways the biggest gossip in their entire year.
"No. No. I refuse to believe this," Tracey whispered as she closed her book and pulled closer to herself.
"Why is Cassius Malfoy walking out of the library with Granger, of all people? And why the hell would she even approach him?" Tracey asked, and though Daphne did not know the answer to her second question.
She knew plenty well about her first one.
"I am not saying anything," she repeated as Tracey's eyes widened.
"So you do know something," the brunette pulled her shoulders, making her look at herself.
"Speak now, or forver lose this friendship," she threatened imperiously making Daphne raise a brow as she simply turned back, her eyes falling back to the chapter of her Charms book.
"Goodbye, and good luck finding a new friend then," Tracey's shoulders sagged. She, along with that nosey Gryffindor girl, was perhaps the biggest gossip in all of Hogwarts, and if she were to know all that, she would know about Cassius and Granger.
She could barely imagine the storm it would bring.
"Are you really going to do this to your dear friend?" she pleaded, and Daphne was not impressed by her acting.
"I am," and just as they were talking, Cassius returned to the library, alone but with a smile that was a little wider, as he plopped down on his seat as Tracey simply looked on at their Ravenclaw friend with a gaze filled with questions.
And it was just one more thing that was surprising and enigmatic about her childhood friend. For unlike his brother and even most of his family and friends, Cassius Malfoy was not a Slytherin.
The boy was a hat-stall, his sorting taking even more time than Harry Potter's until the Sorting Hat had uttered the name of 'Ravenclaw' in a rather reluctant tone.
She had lost a bet then, for she knew no one more suited to being a Slytherin than himself. However, as he would himself say, what was more Slytherin than getting yourself sorted in another house?
As he busied himself in his homework again, Tracey could not let go of her curiosity.
"What was that?" her friend asked as Cassius finally looked up, his eyes filled with mischief as always.
"What?" he asked, and she could tell that he was playing with her friend.
"Granger just came and talked to you. Granger, the know-it-all..."
"Don't call her that," he warned, and she saw Tracey's eyes widen for a second. Cassius had just made a mistake, for he maybe sharp, but Tracey was the gossip queen for a reason.
"But why was she here talking to you? You are Draco's brother?" and Cassius shrugged.
"And?" he continued, messing with her friend.
"And she hates your brother, and he hates her. They have been at odds with one another since the first year, and yet she just walks in and talks to you so casually," Tracey asked, and Cassius rolled his eyes.
"Draco does not hate her, and neither does she hate him. One can say that my brother is simply envious of her, specially because of her friendship with Harry Potter," and that was somewhat true.
"But he called her a mud-blo..." and Tracey knew better than to say that slur infront of him as Cassius's smile thinned.
"And I made him apologize for it. And even then, she is a classmate. She just came here to ask for a little bit of help," and that was so smooth of him as she scoffed and added quietly.
"And I guess that made you quite happy," and she saw his ears turn red at her words as he gave her a quick glare.
But to both their dismay it was the only thing that Tracey needed, as her friend's eyes widened before her head snapped towards her.
"NO!" Tracey gasped, both in joy and surprise at getting her hands on this piece of information.
"You cannot mean," and Daphne shrugged.
"Cassius Malfoy and Granger," Cassius rolled his eyes as he replied nonchalantly.
"It's nothing," again, she scoffed and shook her head as Tracey chuckled.
"This. This is pure gold. I cannot believe that I missed this. I am your best friend, and yet I missed th..."
"You missed nothing," Cassius cut in, trying to defend himself. But Tracey was far too gone as the brunette shut her book and ran away as Cassius cursed.
"Tracey! Tra..."
"No talking in the library!" Madam Pince, the librarian's cold voice rang out as Tracey ran out of the library and plopped back down. She began to chuckle while watching his dismay.
"Did you really have to do that?" he asked.
"What?" she asked, and he sighed.
"You should be thanking me if I told her everything between you and Granger. It could cause you too much trouble," and he was quick to answer.
"I can handle trouble, though I cannot say the same for her," and she did not need to guess who 'her' was.
"She is part of the Golden Trio. She can handle a bit of trouble," and he raised a brow.
"You think the Slytherin girls will sit quietly if they get wind of this," and as she thought about it, she realised that he was right.
Granger already had quite a few enemies because of her grades and her friendship with Harry Potter. The girl was rather isolated even in her own House, with only Potter and Weasley being her friends.
And if her connection with Cassius got out, however quaint it was, it would bring a storm. Especially from the girls in the Slytherin House, who would hate her even more because of this would be the third time they had lost to her.
"I will never understand why you like her?" she answered and the girl was good, but Cassius could do so much better. He was a Malfoy, and though he was not the heir, he would never want for anything.
And unlike his brother, who was a bit loose-mouthed and ill-mannered, Cassius was the golden child. Studious, hard-working, and, most importantly for her, free-minded. For unlike the rest of his family, Cassius did not believe in blood supremacy.
Her friend had a slew of girls pining after him. The sheer volume of chocolates he received every Valentine's Day was a disaster. And even then, last year, when Professor Lockhart had arranged those dwarfs for Valentine's Day.
Well, the less said about that day the better.
"I do not like her," he retorted, and she raised a brow. Both of them knew it to be a lie. And when she continued to stare at him, he finally buckled.
"I do not. In our three years together, we have barely even talked." That was true, but it could all change rather quickly.
"But you did get her out of trouble in the First and Second year," she added, and he shrugged.
"It was nothing," and she scoffed at that.
"She broke into your Common Room, after using Polyjuice Potion. Which I might add she brewed using ingredients stolen from Professor Snape's stores," it was a miracle that she had not been caught.
Or better yet, that Cassius had not snitched on her when the girl's plans had unravelled.
He had gone so far as to reimburse their Potions' Professor secretly, just to cover her tracks. She knew all that because the ingredients he had needed had come from her family's shop and also because she knew all about him.
Just as he knew all about her. For that was the nature of their friendship.
"She is smart."
"So am I," she retorted. But Granger was smart. Her grades were a testament to that. A bit rigid in her learning, maybe, but she was a muggle-born, and beating students who had grown up all their lives surrounded by magic was not easy.
"Then shall I confess my love for you, oh dear Daphne?" he asked animatedly, as she scrunched up her face in disgust.
"if you want to be killed," she answered daring him to continue as she took out her wand, as he simply raised his arms in surrender and shrugged.
"What do you want me to say?" he asked, and she shook her head.
"Nothing," she answered because that was true. Who he liked and what he did was his choice.
"What will it take to stop Tracey from spreading this all around the school?" he asked, and he knew that the only person who could somewhat control Tracey was her.
And despite being his childhood friend, she would never do him a favor for free. It just was not the Slytherin way.
And she thought about it, knowing very well that it was an opportunity to get whatever she wanted out of him. And such opportunities came rarely.
"What do you have to offer?" she asked, and he leaned back as his mind raced.
"A fully funded trip to Honey Duke's," and she shook her head.
"I can get that myself," she answered. There were seniors willing to bring her anything, or they were in their Third Year now and were allowed to visit Hogsmeade themselves.
Plus, she was not that fond of sweets. However, there was one thing.
"Cinema," she proposed, and saw him frown.
"That movie that you took me to. I have heard that they are showing it again in London," and his eyes widened.
"Star Wars," he asked, and that was the name. He had taken her to that muggle place when they were kids, and she had found herself rather impressed by it all, the muggles and their technologies.
"But you have already seen it," he asked, and she had.
"I have, but with you," and at those words, his lips thinned as he realized his intentions.
"Astoria," he guessed correctly, and she nodded.
"Do you have any idea how much it will cost me to arrange two tickets and everything associated with it..."
"Three she cut in," as she smiled warmly.
"For me, Astoria and Tracey. You can join us as well if you want. Or you can roll the dice, and by tomorrow morning, all of Hogwarts will know your dirty little secret," she threatened.
"Merlin, save me from you, Slytherins!" he prayed as she laughed.
"Don't behave as if you are anything different," and to this day she wondered how the had he managed ot convince the hat to sort him intio Ravenclaw, for she knew no one more suited for Slytherin than him. In the end, he nodded.
"I will see what I can do. I will try and arrange the tickets," and that was all she nodded.
"Then I will handle Tracey," she assured him.
"And how will you do that?" he asked as he picked up his book once again.
"I have my ways," and he shook his head at her answer as they both began to work on their assignments until she remembered something.
"What did Granger want from you, though?" she asked him as they left the library, and he raised a brow.
"A favor,"
"What for?"
"To deal with my precious brother...."
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