"Even if I decide not to let him marry you, I want you to be the person he trusts and cherishes most. You will do this, Daphne, or you will be reeducated."
Daphne did not know if the shiver that passed through her was in fear or rage. It may have even been both.
There was no denying that her father was a sick man. The punishment he had given Astoria for coming with her when he had called for Daphne only was proof of his depravity. Even still, she could not help but think this was an all time low for the man who she shared blood with.
She sighed. There wasn't much she could do about any of this. As much as she wished it were otherwise, Daphne was powerless to do anything against her father.
The compartment door slid open. Daphne and the others turned their heads to see Draco Malfoy, his two goons Crabbe and Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson walk in.
"Well, well, well," Malfoy drawled as he looked at the four of them, his sneer of superiority turning into one of disgust when he laid his eyes on Hermione. "Look who we have here; the Greengrass heiress, the dirty little half-blood, some nerdy Ravenclaw and the disgusting mudblood."
Hermione gasped at Malfoy's use of the most derogatory term you could call a muggleborn. Meanwhile, Tracey flinched at the mentioning of her blood status and Lisa bristled at being stereotyped. Daphne kept her cold eyes locked on Malfoy, not showing a single hint of emotion.
It was amusing to see the boy direct his gaze away from her stare. Malfoy was such a coward. It was the reason her father refused to allow a marriage contract between them, which was the only thing Daphne had ever been grateful to her father for.
"I think it might be best if you leave," Lisa stated boldly as she wrapped an arm around a teary faced Hermione's shoulder.
"No," Malfoy smirked, "I don't think we will." He turned to Daphne again, his bravado back in place. "How can you stand to spend any time with these... inferior breeds?"
Daphne said nothing. There was no point in responding to the taunts of a fool like Malfoy. And besides, not saying anything would annoy the boy far more than if she actually said something.
"Look at how far the House of Greengrass has fallen," Pansy said in her shrill, annoying voice. Daphne had never liked Pansy, the sycophantic girl who looked like she had been cross bred with a pug. "Hanging around with mudbloods and half-bloods. You sure have fallen far, Daphne."
Daphne did not bother responding to the girl's taunt. Pansy was not worth her time.
She did, however, finger the wand now hidden in her left sleeve.
"I think you might be looking in a mirror," Tracey chimed in, having finally gotten over her discomfort. Daphne's friend had always been disheartened by her blood status, not because she disliked it, but because what it had meant for her in regards to society.
Had Tracey been a pureblood, her father would have let the girl visit them, since she was not, he had refused to let Daphne to see her and the only way they had been able to talk was through letters.
"How dare you mock me!" Pansy screeched. "Filthy little mudblood lover! I think you need to be taught a lesson in manners!"
"Couldn't agree more," Malfoy leered. "Crabbe, Goyle, why don't you help show these girl's why pureblood's are superior to mudbloods and blood traitors."
Daphne narrowed her eyes at the insult as Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles and walked forward. She waited until the two were close enough that there was no way she could miss before acting.
Standing up quicker than anyone else had likely expected, Daphne whipped her wand from her sleeve and pointed it at the one closest to her. Goyle.
"Maldemer!"
A bright light shot from the tip of Daphne's wand and struck Goyle directly in the chest. The gorilla looking pureblood stared at her stupidly for nearly a second before the spell took effect, sending the boy to his knees as he began vomiting all over the floor.
"Goyle!"
The boy's equally stupid partner looked over at his friend in shock with the others. He then turned to Daphne who had just pointed her wand at him.
"You!"
As he surged forward, Daphne's eyes widened in panic. The boy moved much faster than she thought he would have been capable of, given how large he was. Still, she opened her mouth to launch a curse at him. The blistering curse. She had thought about using the castration hex, but Daphne was not cruel enough to do that to anyone unless they truly deserved it.
Before the words could get out of her mouth, Crabbe was already swinging one of his meaty fists at her.
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