The Fox In A Snake Pit!

A Broken Heart~ Edited Jan 27, 2024

A sense of unease washed over him, and he couldn't help but wonder what awaited him at that moment. His mind raced, contemplating the possible reasons for her demeanor.

'Uh-oh...' Draco thought. 

His instincts told him something was amiss. The scenarios played out in his mind, each one fraught with uncertainty. 

'Either I've done something to upset her once again, or perhaps she has something important to share with me, something she has been attempting to convey for quite some time.'

Draco's heart skipped a beat as he fervently hoped for the latter. In his previous encounters, it had always been the former, leaving him on edge and searching for ways to make amends. But this time, he craved a different outcome—an opportunity to connect on a deeper level, to bridge the gap that had grown between them. Summoning what little courage he had, Draco closed the distance between them, his footsteps echoing softly in the room. He chose the chair adjacent to her, hoping that his presence would be welcomed. 

As he settled into the seat, he found himself stealing glances at her, searching for any hint of what awaited him.

"Good afternoon Daphne." He greeted nervously.

"Huh? Oh Hello, Draco..." Daphne greeted back but she had a thoughtful far-off look on her face and as he was about to ask her why Pansy came in with a plate of food. 

When Pansy placed the plate on the other side of Daphne, he glared at the plate. 

"Are you kidding me?! You haven't eaten at all today, have you?" he said, yelling. But when she remained quiet, he got even madder. "What the hell's going on? You've never stopped eating before, so spill," he said, sounding much like his father when he'd done something wrong.

Daphne avoided his gaze, her hands fidgeting in her lap. She didn't want to admit what was really going on.

"Daphne if you don't tell him I will. He needs to know... hell his aunt needs to know." Pansy said. 

Daphne glared at Pansy half-heartedly as she explained meeting Jade on the train and overhearing her talking to his father's owl, unaware that the owl belonged to Draco's father. 

"So she can talk to animals, what's that got to do with me and my family?" Draco asked with his arms folded over his chest.

"Before I left her compartment, she'd said the goblins at Gringotts wouldn't tell her who her real parents were," Daphne told him as he stared at her. 

"Why?" He asked as he began to suspect where Daphne was going with this conversation. 

'But there's no way Jade's my cousin... Right?' He thought.

"I guess Dumbledore told them if they revealed her identity to her he'd get them removed from working in the bank for good, I went there this morning with Pansy to ask about it." Draco's eyes bulged and he slumped in his chair. 

"So what are you saying exactly?" He asked but sounded defeated as he knew the answer. 

"You know exactly what she's saying Draco. Stop playing dumb for just one moment won't you."

Draco's shoulders slumped as he let out a heavy sigh. The weight of the situation was becoming unbearable. 

"As much as I'd like to just assume you're right," he admitted, his voice tinged with frustration, "I can't just tell my Aunt I've found her daughter without real proof."