Fall From Grace

Fall from Grace

Chapter 1

A sleek black limousine pulled up at the entrance to King's Cross Station. The driver got out and quickly walked over to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door and stood at attention while the first occupant languidly emerged from the car. Rather than a dignified imperious figure, this passenger was young and slight. Her long black hair shimmered in the sunlight and her piercing blue eyes examined her surroundings.

"Get my things, Edward," the girl said to the driver. Her tone was not rude or strident, but it was authoritative.

Edward nodded and began removing a large trunk from the boot of the car. "Miss Daphne," he said as he did so. "Shall I take this down to the platform for you?"

Edward's voice was so soft that Daphne Greengrass barely heard his question but she accepted his offer by nodding. Turning back to the car Daphne resisted the urge to grimace. A woman dressed in a fancy silk dress robe was regally emerging, smiling at no one in particular as though she were holding court in the train station. Of course, Daphne thought. Aunt Matilda never wore robes in public since she much preferred expensive Muggle fashion designs. However, the older woman seemed to feel she needed to make a statement of some kind here at King's Cross. Daphne supposed it was to compensate for the fact that Matilda never attended a wizarding school although she was offered the opportunity.

Clearing her mind of such pointless musings, Daphne waited for her aunt to finish smoothing out her robes and fluffing her hair. "We need to get going, Matilda," she told the other woman. "I don't want to be late." Daphne's tone was serious and firm, sounding like an adult speaking to a child. This was ironic since Matilda was actually Daphne's legal guardian.

Matilda glared heatedly at her niece, bright spots of color forming on her cheeks. "Don't speak to me in that tone, young lady," she snapped loudly, drawing the attention of several passersby. "You think you're the Queen of England herself, don't you?" She sniffed in what she thought was a dignified manner.

Daphne closed her eyes and refrained from telling the woman off, instead grabbing Matilda's arm and pushing her ahead. Maintaining a good distance behind the flamboyant woman, Daphne tried to ignore her aunt's coquettish behavior and rather obvious flirting.

After they passed through the barrier to Platform 9-3/4, Daphne watched in horror as Matilda fluttered her eyelashes and smiled seductively at Theodore Nott's coldly handsome father. The older woman did not seem to notice the look of disdain the senior Nott wore as he regarded Daphne's aunt. Daphne was relieved when the man waved her off and swiftly disappeared into the crowds. She sincerely hopped Mr. Nott did not share this tale with his son.

Daphne and Matilda came up behind Edward as he finished loading the trunk onto the train. "Goodbye, Miss Daphne," he said turning and smiling at her. "Have a good and safe school year. You will be --"

"Wait for me in the car!" Matilda snapped, interrupting her driver in mid-sentence. "I did not give you permission to speak to my niece." She waved Edward away in a pseudo-imperious manner.

Daphne cringed; mortified at the attention her aunt was bringing to them. She watched morosely as Edward nodded curtly to Matilda and turned to make his way back to the car. She smiled slightly when he waved at her from a distance while her aunt wasn't watching.

Daphne turned to Matilda, deciding against giving her the token kiss and hug. "I'm going," she said abruptly. "Try not to trip over your ego on the way back to the car." Before her aunt could respond, Daphne moved swiftly to board the train without a backward glance.

*******

Once on board, Daphne found an empty compartment near the back of the Hogwarts Express. She preferred to sit alone as she made the mental transition from long-suffering niece to sixth year Slytherin. She was looking forward to resuming her classes and she was also eager to be back under the protective wing of Severus Snape, the Slytherin Head of House. Though cutting and nasty to most students from other houses, he was like a father figure to many of his own charges.

After waving away the kindly snack cart woman, Daphne sat and stared at the outside world through the window, contemplating her plans for when she arrived back at Hogwarts. She was startled when her gaze was met by a pair of deep brown eyes which were studying her intently. She felt her heart hammering in her chest and she sat frozen in a trance, inexplicably drawn in by those eyes staring at and through her. The train jerked suddenly and Daphne blinked as the trance was broken. She frantically peered outside the window but the watcher was gone.

Daphne sat back willing her heart to return to its normal rhythm. The stranger seemed familiar to her somehow but she couldn't place him. He wore a hooded cloak and most of his face had been concealed behind a scarf. She could only remember those eyes.

She closed her own eyes, wondering why the stranger had been watching her through her window and how he could affect her so with just a gaze. Daphne pondered this for the rest of the journey to Hogwarts.

*******

Daphne's solitude unfortunately ended as she was forced to share a carriage with Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode. The horseless carriages would be taking them the rest of the way to Hogwarts.

Pansy and Millicent sat across from her with Pansy giggling and tittering about how nicely some of the Slytherin boys had filled out. Daphne smirked, preferring to stare outside the window rather than at her carriage companions.

"How were your summer hols, Daphne?" Pansy queried. The pug-nosed girl was busily fixing her robe.

Despite the fact that she didn't like Pansy much at all, Daphne knew she couldn't ignore the other girl for long. Pansy did not manage well being ignored. "Fine," Daphne answered shortly.

Pansy smiled in a syrupy sweet way which was belied by the hard stare she directed at Daphne. She cleared her throat and looked expectantly at Daphne, obviously wanting to be asked about her own summer holiday. Daphne didn't feel like playing her games.

Realizing that Pansy was beginning to pout, Millicent quickly interceded. "So what did you do this summer, Pansy?" she asked, sounding truly curious and eager.

Plebian, Daphne thought, both annoyed and relieved at Millicent's fawning interest in Pansy.

Pansy brightened considerably at Millicent, launching into a rather boring recitation of her holiday in Italy and all the handsome Italian boys who all, supposedly, flocked to Pansy's side. Daphne was fairly certain she knew just which side of Pansy the hormonal boys were all interested in.

Just when Daphne had successfully blocked out the sound of Pansy's simpering voice, Millicent spoke to her instead. "So did you meet anyone during the hols, Daph?" the burly Slytherin girl asked her.

Trying not to glower, Daphne gazed evenly at the other girl. "Daphne," she corrected. "My name is Daphne. And no, I did not." She felt no need to elaborate further.

Naturally, Pansy could not let an opportunity to gloat pass. "Of course you didn't," she said smiling smugly. "No one likes a frigid snob." She shrugged. "I guess that means you'll still be the Saint of Slytherin," she added in a phony sympathetic voice.

Refusing to enter into a cat fight with her house and dorm mate, Daphne merely regarded the girl with a raised eyebrow. "I have better things to do than obsess over sex-crazed boys. I'm neither frigid nor the Saint of Slytherin although I imagine that's better than being a whore, wouldn't you say, Pansy?"

Pansy looked outraged at the insinuation, but only for a moment. Her seething glare was quickly replaced by her trademark evil grin. "Daphne," she said simply, "you are a bitch."

Unruffled, Daphne stared at Pansy, but said nothing. Resorting to petty insults was boring and childish, both of which described Pansy perfectly. Tense moments later, the carriage came to a complete halt in front of the entrance to Hogwarts and Daphne was the first one outside, leaving Pansy glaring daggers at her and Millicent cowering wordlessly behind her.

*******

Daphne entered the Great Hall alone and made her way to her usual seat at the Slytherin table. She realized she had yet to see her best friend, Blaise Zabini, that day. His owl from a few days before had assured her he would see her at the opening feast.

As she sat down and began to half-listen to the drone of Headmaster Dumbledore's annual rambling speech, Daphne felt a stare burning into her back. The sensation did nothing to improve her already foul mood. Usually given to ignoring such signs of interest from people, Daphne turned and searched for the source of her current state of discomfort. To her surprise, her gaze fell on Seamus Finnigan who was now grinning at her from the Gryffindor table. Momentarily thrown off by the Irish sixth year's attention, she could only stare back at him, fighting the urge to grin stupidly back. Seamus, she realized, had an enormously contagious smile. Unable to ignore that grin, Daphne shot him a half smile before turning back in her seat.

To quell disquieting thoughts of a certain Gryffindor, Daphne focused her attention on pondering what she was going to do to Blaise when she saw him. She didn't like the rather odd things that were happening to her and was quite content to blame it all on her best friend's absence.

*******

The fire was still burning in the fireplace of the Slytherin common room when Daphne arrived there after leaving the Great Hall. Settling down on one of the many chairs, she drew out a notebook and began aimlessly scribbling words on the fine parchment. Poetry came easily to Daphne and she often turned to this medium of expressing feelings she dared not share with anyone. So engrossed in her writing, she yelped suddenly when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind. Blaise chuckled triumphantly at her reaction.

"Holy fuck!" Daphne raged, both annoyed and happy at the sight of her friend. "What are you? A bloody cat?" She pushed his arms off of her disdainfully and tried to glare venomously at him. Judging by his wide grin, she had failed. "Where the hell were you?" Daphne demanded. "I ended up sharing a carriage ride with Pansy! You know that bitch makes me want to hit something."

"I'm sorry, sweets," Blaise cooed, smiling unrepentantly. "I'll make it up to you somehow. Forgive me?" He gazed at her with wide innocent eyes.

"I shouldn't," Daphne muttered ungraciously.

"But you will," Blaise chirped smugly.

Daphne sighed. "Boys!" she snorted. "So where were you really?" she queried as Blaise settled down on a chair opposite hers. "I didn't see you at all on the train and you completely missed dinner." She noticed that he was freshly showered and ready for bed.

Blaise smirked. "I was," he said pausing, "preoccupied with someone."

"Oh, fine," Daphne scoffed. "You can't even wait for the fucking school year to start before you drop your trousers for someone?"

"What do you expect?" Blaise countered, shrugging. "I'm sixteen and my hormones are raging." He yawned. "I hear Finnigan was making eyes at you in the Great Hall tonight," he drawled. "And that you were making eyes back. Are you interested in consorting with Gryffindors this year, darling?"

"No," Daphne snapped, deciding she wasn't ready to discuss Seamus or anyone else for that matter. She got up and began walking toward the Slytherin girls' dormitory. "Good night."

Blaise stood up quickly and caught her arm. "Don't," he said in a conciliatory tone.

"Don't what?" she asked tersely, trying to shake his hand off her.

"Don't get melodramatic."

"I am not being melodramatic!"

"Don't yell then."

Daphne glared at her friend. "I'm not yelling!" she said loudly.

Blaise shot her his wide-eyed innocent look again. "Forgive me, love?" he cajoled.

"No," Daphne retorted. "I've been through enough today. Ask me tomorrow."

"Daphne!" Blaise whined, still clinging to her arm.

"Don't whine," she rebuked sardonically. "It doesn't suit you." She picked up her notebook and turned to leave.

Blaise moved swiftly and picked her up in his arms.

Daphne screamed. "Put me down, you prat!" she demanded. "It's late!"

Undeterred, Blaise carried her to a sofa. "That's never stopped us from our nightly talks before," he said placidly.

Daphne punched his arm which caused him to drop her onto the sofa. Landing in an off-balanced position, she promptly fell off of it. "Ow!" she yelped. "My ass!"

"And a very nice one if I do say so myself," a low voice suddenly drawled.

Daphne and Blaise looked up at the intruder. Blaise straightened both his posture and his clothes so that he looked calm and cool. "Hey, Theo," he said in greeting.

Daphne got up and dusted herself off with her hands. "A compliment, Teddy," Daphne murmured as she got up, dusting herself off with her hands. "How very uncharacteristically chivalrous of you." She watched Theodore Nott emerge from the shadows and snickered at his noticeable flinch.

"Don't call me Teddy," he growled. "You know I hate that!"

Daphne shrugged. "Alright, Teddy," she said sweetly. She enjoyed annoying the resident loner of Slytherin House. It was one of the few of life's pleasures she afforded herself.

Theodore scowled at Daphne, but turned his attention to Blaise. "What are you two doing?" he asked the other boy. "I could hear you yelling all the way in the boys' dorm!"

Blaise snickered. "I'm trying to persuade Daphne to forgive me for abandoning her today," he told Theodore. "You see she gets cranky when we don't have our nightly shag on the sofa." He grinned at her livid expression and just barely missed having his privates smashed by a strong swift kick.

Theodore snorted. "You," he said to Blaise, "are into blokes so obviously Daphne's the wrong type for you." He smirked at the glowering girl. "And you are still the Saint of Slytherin so obviously Zabini is as wrong for you as the rest of the male population."

Outraged, Daphne threw her arms up in frustration. "Why," she demanded, "didn't I know that I was being called the Saint of Slytherin?"

"Because no one ever told you," Blaise chortled helpfully.

"I still haven't forgiven you," Daphne told Blaise hotly. Her friend just grinned and stuck his tongue out at her.

Theodore observed the exchange between the two and shook his head. "You know," he said dryly, "if Zabini weren't such a queer and you weren't so virginal, I would almost believe the whole shagging on the sofa bit."

Blaise sniggered while Daphne glared at Theodore. "I can't be the only bloody virgin in the whole of Slytherin," she said contemptuously.

The two boys stared at Daphne for an instant than glanced at each other before laughing uproariously. Daphne crossed her arms and scowled at them.

Still chuckling, Theodore shrugged. "You're the only 6^th year I know of who still hasn't done the deed." He gestured with his hands to show her what he meant.

Daphne looked disgusted and amused at the same time. "Is that what you call it?" she snorted. "Why not just say it outright. 'Daphne Greengrass has never had sex.'" She stared defiantly at them. "I may still be a virgin but I don't have virgin ears."

"I didn't know people could have slutty ears," Blaise quipped. Theodore snickered.

"You're both idiots," Daphne declared, "and I'm going to bed." She turned on her heel and headed toward her dorm.

"I stand by what I said," Theodore called after her as she left. "You have a very nice ass."

Daphne was glad her face was turned away from the boy because she found herself blushing at his comment which was very un-Slytherin of her. Once she was safe in the shadows and sure that her face was hidden she turned back to face them. "You," she informed Theodore loftily, "like anything with two legs so I don't take that as a genuine compliment."

"Ouch," Theodore said dramatically, laying his hand over his heart in a gesture of being wounded.

Daphne snorted. "I really am off to bed," she said frostily. "You two can get each other off for all I care." She left without another word.

Theodore watched her through the shadows she was hiding in until she was completely out of his sight. "What's her problem?" he queried.

Blaise shrugged. "She's mad because I won't tell her where I've been today."

Theodore gave the other boy a shrewd look. "Who were you with then?"

"Seamus Finnigan."

"The Irish boy from Gryffindor?" Theodore whistled softly. "My, my," he smirked. "You have lowered your standards, eh?"

"He's cute and well-endowed," Blaise said with a wicked smile.

"Obviously," Theodore said smirking. "What happened to you during dinner? I thought I saw Finnigan in the Great Hall."

"He went to eat," Blaise replied. "I went to shower. I had a lot to scrub off." He grinned.

"Horny bastards, both of you," Theodore scoffed.

Blaise smacked the other boy on the head. "Fuck you," he told Theodore lightly.

Theodore cackled nastily as he turned back toward the Slytherin boys' dorm. "No thanks," he said grinning. "I prefer being the main course. Not the dessert." He saluted Blaise and left the common room.