Then proven his ability and placement was fair in front of the whole school by winning two games for Ravenclaw. You couldn't argue with results. Harry, even as a Ravenclaw, acted a hundred times more like a Prince of Slytherin should, unlike Malfoy, and he made it look easy.
Now everything had changed.
...
Slytherin was not a kind, supporting house where everyone played nice and held each others' hands like Hufflepuff was known to do. Everyone here was out for themselves and ultimately their families, where friendships were instead viewed as temporary personal alliances, at best, with only a few exceptions. Slytherin was the house where the game of rank and status was played every second of every minute of every day, and Draco had failed at that game miserably. Some of it was, of course, out of his hands, but the boy had done just about everything he could to sabotage his chances of weathering this storm long before his father was arrested.
She knew why Pansy was approaching her group rather than Nott's little group, which consisted of the thuggish Crabbe and Goyle.
Harry Potter.
It was now well known amongst Slytherin that it had been the Ravenclaw seeker that had brought down the Malfoy family over the course of this year, which was something more and more Slytherins were taking notice of due to the newspaper articles.
Then there was the impressive fact that he had somehow managed to successfully become an animagus at 12, and the whispered rumour going around the school she had leaked that Harry had neutralised Professor Snape by manipulating the Professor so masterfully that the man had signed a binding magical contract without even reading it! Another whispered rumour going around the school, was that Harry had been the one responsible for resealing the Chamber of Secrets, but that one hadn't been started by her, which meant that it had probably been started by Harry himself.
Harry had also killed an adult mountain troll in his first year, and that was known to be no rumour, another impressive feat that was well known around the school and thus everyone's parents. All this suggested prodigious magical power, which was attractive for any true Slytherin, not to mention his status as the dual heir to the Potter and Black fortunes, the first by blood and the second by selection, making him a very attractive ally despite his young age and the years until he reached his majority and became an adult wizard. Once he turned 17 and took up his Lordship he would have full access to his family's fortune and Wizengamot seat.
Then there was the rather amusing fact that Pansy was obviously quite smitten with Harry due to their dance at the New Years ball. It was a well known secret that Pansy had cut out the photo of her and Harry dancing together at the New Year's Eve ball and that it now decorated the mirror in her dorm room. She intended, in time, to allow Pansy to join their little group, along with Pansy's own little follower Millicent in the foreseeable future, but only as 'lackeys,' since it would increase her own standing and influence in Slytherin to have another pair of followers, and would promote her group over Notts as the most powerful.
But not for a while, Pansy would have to earn her own way in. Plus she needed to talk to Blaise and Tracy about it first, since Tracy personally loathed Pansy with a passion. Naturally, she would have to establish herself as the 'leader' of the group and enforce that position ruthlessly until Pansy accepted her place in the new order of things, which should be rather easy.
Thinking of Nott, she concluded that Theo and Blaise would quickly be coming into conflict now, with Draco's removal from the 'throne' and the power vacuum it had created. 'I'll have to talk to Blaise about it,' she mentally noted.
"What are you thinking about Daphne?" Blaise asked from her side, as he sat down besides her, causing her to look over to meet his eyes, her intended giving her a light peck on her cheek, an act appropriate for their stage of betrothal.
"Just thinking about how fast one's status can rise and fall," she answered back thoughtfully, as Blaise nodded in thoughtful agreement. She privately hoped that she never ended up like Draco, but nothing was ever certain in life. She would need to make plans should the worst ever happen.
"Have you seen the photos of Lord Malfoy in the hospital looking like a drooling idiot?" he asked in a low tone to prevent his voice from being overheard.
"No, I haven't," she replied, whilst wondering what photos Blaise was referring to.
"Some Gryffindors are handing them out; I don't know how they got a hold of them, probably the Weasley twins' doing," he answered back thoughtfully. "I wonder if Draco has seen them yet."
"If he had, he would have already gone crying to Snape about it, or would be raging about it trying to attract some attention, or pity," she answered in a bored tone, quickly losing interest in the subject, but having a feeling as to who might be truly behind those photos. It had just the right mix of vindictive practicality to it.
"True, Draco is a bit of a cry baby these days," Blaise agreed with a smirk. "I just wished he did it quietly and discreetly."
"Did he start crying and ranting again last night?" she asked, her opinion of Draco dropping even lower.
"Yes, cursing and threatening everyone like a miniature dark lord, rather funny really, but seriously annoying when you're trying to get some sleep. I had to stun him so I could get to sleep," he replied in an annoyed tone as a small smile slipped onto her lips. "When is Harry going to be back anyways?"
She raised a delicate eyebrow in a questioning manner, whilst hiding her shock at Blaise's unexpected question about Harry behind an icy mask of indifference. Blaise rarely showed any interest in Harry, and had expressed on several occasions his strong dislike for the Potter family heir. "You know, you're the fourth person to ask me that today alone."
"Really? Who else asked?" her intended probed.
"Your older sister for one, I don't suppose you're going to tell me why she was suddenly interested in a second year?" she asked, wanting to know what was really going on.
Blaise's cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment at her question, as the Italian boy was obviously taking a moment to weigh his response before replying. "Probably my mother's doing," he answered with indifference, as he gave an uncaring shrug, before being forced to explain further upon realizing that the answer wasn't going to be good enough for her. "I received a letter this morning from my mother, urging me to 'develop my friendship' with him, due to new business opportunities with him and his godfather, Lord Black. I assume that my sister has received similar instructions and is acting on them in her own unique way."
Thinking over his reply for a moment, it made perfect sense that Lady Zabini would want to align herself and her family closer to Lord Black and Harry, due to both the Greengrass and Zabini families having common business interests. After all, her own parents had given her similar instructions last year to befriend Harry, but why was Blaise's older sister being given such orders when Blaise was in the same year as Harry and thus much better placed to carry them out? "That hardly explains your sister's sudden involvement," she noted aloud, her tone making it clear that it was a question rather than a casual remark. 'Unless he had already failed in the task, then it would easily explain why his sister was getting involved,' she mentally added.
"I may have mentioned that he was already close friends with several other older female students," Blaise added with his own casual shrug, his answer automatically reminding her of both Penny and Tonks. "So when will Harry be back?"
"The start of next week, but it depends on what security arrangements are made, otherwise he may be home studying for a while," she answered, providing both an answer as well as a reasonable excuse in case her information was incorrect or changed suddenly, to which Blaise nodded. It was a fair payment in information, considering he had shared information on what his mother had instructed him and his sister.
"That's good," Blaise noted aloud.
"What do you make of Professor Snape being the new DADA professor?" she enquired, deciding it was time to change the subject before Blaise started fishing for more information on Harry. If she didn't want to part with some facts, it could drive a wedge between her and her betrothed.
"Far better than Lockhart, and we get a legitimate excuse to curse Gryffindors," Blaise added with a smirk. "However the homework is terrible! Two essays a week! One is hard enough as it is."
"You heard what our 'beloved' head of house said, we need to catch up with the defence material as quickly as we can, as we are majorly behind the desired targets for our age. If we want any hope of being successful for our exams, we have to work hard now." Daphne defended, actually agreeing with her head of house for a change. "The fifth and seventh years have it far worse than we do."
"I suppose," Blaise reluctantly agreed.
"If it makes you feel any better, I asked my parents about Professor Slughorn. They said he's a very skilled potions master and teacher, and is especially kind and helpful to his favourites. He even throws little parties for them," she offered, as she recalled her father's letter comparing the professor to a spider. "He even invites former notable students who have been successful, so we can network and get some valuable contacts for the future."
"That's cool," he replied. "Did your parents say how you actually become one of his favourites?"
"You just need to show you have both ability and potential," she answered evenly, already working out a way to get into the new professor's good graces. "Harry already knows the professor, he can always introduce us if need be," Blaise's face darkened in annoyance at that answer, obviously his dislike for Harry hadn't truly disappeared with his mother's letter. The idea of he and his betrothed needing Harry Potter's largess to be noticed by Slughorn obviously not sitting well. "Not that it will be necessary."
"No, it won't," he agreed, with a firm nod.
"We also need to talk about what you are going to do about Theodore, with Draco weakened and in disgrace you are Theodore's biggest rival," she lectured, Blaise groaning in annoyance, at the idea of the future power struggle or her giving advice/orders on the subject, she didn't know.
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A/N : if we get 400 power stones by the end of the week, I will release an extra chapter ;)
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