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HP: The Unchosen One-Malfoy SI Ch.34
🕑 Added 2025-04-15 18:33:15 +0000 UTCChapter 34
DAPHNE GREENGRASS
The final match between House Slytherin and Ravenclaw had been one of the best Quidditch matches ever at Hogwarts. The loss had hit hard, though the pain had been blunted for her and Tracey given that it had been their friend who had won the tournament.
Cassius was forced to spend a night at the hospital because of his injuries, missing out on the rather hippy celebratory party thrown by his House. House Ravenclaw was well known for its eccentric characters, and there was little in common in its members except for their rather liberal attitude towards certain psych altering potions, and drinks.
Cassius had lamented over this for days, continuously complaining and japing with his housemantes over this betrayal. On the other hand, House Slytherin had become even more divided since the match, not that they had much time to ponder over it all.
The exams began two weeks after the Final, and with the added subjects, all of them were rather tired by the end of the term. In the end, they had little time to focus on anything else except their studies for the two weeks.
And though they may not have had the time, the world around them refused to stay still and was undergoing some rather rapid and concerning changes—changes that were set to unravel the British Magical Society altogether.
Tracey, and Hermione had little interest in politics, both of her friends had different interests, but Daphne was the heiress to an Ancient and Noble House, and as a Greengrass it was all her bread and butter. It enveloped their entire lives.
Hers and Cassius’s. Now more than ever.
Tomorrow was the last day of term. Most of the people were busy celebrating the end of the exams, making preparations for the Summer. At the same time, she sat on the balcony of the Astronomy tower, with Cassius standing right beside her.
“She is close,” she began, and there was little need to mention who she was talking about given the stack of Newspapers in her hand, filled with headlines and pictures of a singular woman.
Amelia Bones had made a gradual shift in her campaign. While initially she was seen as a radical, working with a vendetta against one specific political faction, she had made a slow and important shift towards a more level headed and neutral figure.
The self-accountability and the arrests of the Crouch father and son added to her acceptability and fame, and she began to show her more appealing side. Fudge still had the numbers, but the vote was close, and by her own estimation, she might just overtake him.
“She is a smart witch,” Cassius added, and of course she was.
“You don’t seem concerned,” she asked, as Cassius shrugged.
“Why should I be concerned?” he asked, and she raised a brow.
“You know the answer to that,” for though she had eased her tone, she was still investigating his father. And though he may not show it, the whole affair had taken a toll on him.
Yet, as he refused to talk about the matter, she gave up on it with a sigh.
“Have you found a place to stay?” she asked, getting to the main reason she had called him out.
“I was looking out, when I received a rather interesting letter from Sirius Black,” and that was a name she had not expected to hear.
“Why is that idiot writing to you?” and though she had not ever had the man, she still disliked him much because of his thoughtless and impulsive actions. He had singlehandedly caused so much strife to Cassius that she wished he had never tried to help that idiot.
“He apologised and offered me a place to stay for the Summer,” and that was at least something.
“Are you going to take him up on the offer?” she asked.
“I might, though quite like having the freedom to do whatever I want,” and she shook her head.
“How will you live on your own?” she asked, and he was rather nonchalant about it.
“I will manage,” and she gritted her teeth.
“You should stay with Sirius,” she advised strongly, and he turned to face her, raising a brow.
“Why?” he asked with a frown, and so she told him what she had heard from her own father.
“Because it's not safe out there. Father wrote to me and mentioned that there is movement within the old Death Eater ranks. They are planning something, probably to retaliate against Amelia Bones. They will need to make a statement, and if someone managed to connect the dots and trace Pettigrew’s arrest back to you...” she did not need to say anymore.
“That would indeed be troubling,” he agreed to her words after some thought.
“I talked to my father about it, and though he was reluctant, he agreed to let you stay with us if you want,” and his eyes widened at that, for he knew her father rather well.
But it was the least she could do for him as a friend.
“If you do not want to stay with Sirius, you can come and stay with me,” and he smiled.
“Thank you for this, and I truly mean it, Daphne, and give me the night to think about it. You will have my answer by tomorrow morning,” and that seemed appropriate.
“Astoria is pretty excited about you coming over.” Her little sister, despite her ailment, was a fireball and a big fan of Cassius and his unusual tastes and antics.
“She has basically hijacked the Muggle Music player you sent to me for Christmas,” and it was a miracle that her friend had pulled off. Breaking with old laws and theories in a way that she had not expected.
“You do know that you could make quite a business with that,” and he chuckled.
“Your Greengrass side is showing,” he added, and she shrugged.
“We are businessmen, and I see an opportunity,” and there was. Somehow, Cassius had managed to decimate one of the cardinal rules, and if he could do so on a mass scale.
Or just repeat it consistently for niche items, he could make a killing. And with the Malfoy fortune taken from him, he could use a new source of income.
“It's still a work in progress. Right now, I have to sit down, design, and apply a unique runic array for each piece. I am trying to see if some standardization can be done. Otherwise, it will simply be too much of a hassle,” and if someone could do it, it was him.
“Well, if you are ever looking to partner up, know that I am always ready to help a budding a business,” and he scrunched his eyes as he began to walk away.
“I don't really think that's what your family is known for....”
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SEVERUS SNAPE
With the term ending, he was finally free from caring for the baffoons that were trying to learn the intricate ways of potion brewing. If it were up to him, half of them would never step foot in a potions lab, let alone his potions lab.
He had little patience for children and their tantrums, yet he persisted, for he had made a mistake. A mistake for which he must now atone for. Yet this penance came with a lot more responsibilities than the ones he had signed up for initially.
He found himself back in his home, pacing a bit angrily as he found himself becoming a reluctant messenger between the Malfoy mother and son.
The door to the house swung open, and he felt the shift in the wards as another person entered his house. Her steps were cautious and careful, and he looked up and saw Narcissa walk into the living room.
“Good, you are finally here,” he began as she walked into the lounge and looked into his eyes.
“Why did you call for me?” and the reason was simple enough.
“Firstly, this is the last time I am doing this. I am not fond of being turned into a messenger owl,” he warned, even though a part of him knew that he would not deny them this again if they asked.
“Cassius wants to meet you,” he finally passed on the message, reaching into his pocket as he gave her the letter the boy had entrusted to him.
“I cannot meet him. Luci....” and he was getting tired of it all.
“He says that it is urgent and necessary. The details are in the letter,” he cut in as Narcissa stopped and took the letter.
He had asked the boy why he had not simply used an owl, but the boy feared that Lucius may be keeping an eye on the mail. So, he did not wish to cause any more trouble than he had, a thought too mature and intricate for a boy his age.
However, it was all not so unlike him, for he had never really acted his age. Before, he may have tried to hide it all in his mischief and playfulness, but as he found himself scrutinising his habits and actions more and more, he found them incompatible with his age.
It was a bit strange but not as unusual as one may think.
He saw Narcissa skim through the letter, her eyes continuously moved up and down as her mind raced. And he wondered just what was written on it to get such a reaction from her.
“What does it say?” he asked.
“Not much. He just wants to meet with me once, and he says that it is about Lucius,” and that was a surprise for him. He had thought the letter may have a plea, or an apology, asking his mother to turn back the clock on Lucius’s idiotic decision.
“What about Lucius?” he asked, and Narcissa’s eyes once more went to the piece of parchment as she slowly replied.
“He says that he can help him get out of his troubles with the Ministry.” The words took a second to register, and he raised a brow.
“Interesting,” he whispered as Narcissa stood there, conflicted about how to act.
“How?” he asked.
“He does not say. He wants to discuss it face to face,” she clarified, and he began to wonder if it was just a ploy by the boy to see his mother. Or was there some truth to this?
And if so, how?
Was it Dumbledore’s doing? No. For all his words, Dumbledore was not the kind of man to put himself in such a position. The man preferred a more hands-off approach, a fatal flaw that had allowed the Dark Lord to gain hold in the first place.
No. This was someone else. This was him—the boy.
“Will you meet him?” he asked, curious about her answer, for if word of it reached Lucius, it could destroy what little of their relationship she had managed to salvage with the sacrifice of her own son.
She hesitated to answer, her eyes once more reaching for the letter.
“Can you arrange it?” she asked, and he nodded. Loathed as he was to do so, his House was secure enough to arrange such a thing.
“I can,” he offered, going against every fibre of his being, as she gave him a slow nod.
“Then tell him that I will meet him next week,” and by then, the vacation would have started
“I will relay the message,” he said, hoping that this would be the last time he was forced to do such a thing.
“Have you met him?” she suddenly asked, and he nodded.
“Yes, though it was for a brief time when I escorted him to the Hospital Wing for his injuries.” The way her lips thinned, she must have heard about them from Draco at least.
“Was he fine?” she asked, and for all her faults, she was a mother, and for some odd reason, this whole affair reminded him of his own mother, Eileen, and the life he had lived.
“Yes, he seemed fine,” and her shoulder sagged with relief as she gave him a smile.
“Good. Good. And where will he stay during the Summers? How were his exams? Did he recover well from his injuries?” and he wanted to tell her to ask him all this by herself, yet seeing the desperation in her eyes he halted his words as he gave her his answer.
“He was fine. His scores in the practicals were as exemplary as always, though he made quite an improvement in his theoretical scores as well this year,” not to his surprise.
“Probably because of his newly found friendship with one Hermione Granger,” and she knew of the brown-haired girl, who had been little more than pesky bookworm before this all.
But this unlikely and strange friendship had been beneficial to them both, as the girl somehow managed to do what none of the teachers could and make Cassius Malfoy pay some attention to theoretical side of magic alongside the practical aspect, while she began to flourish more in the practical aspect, erasing the deficiencies left by her muggle upbringing.
She had finally realised that there was more to magic than just memorizing chants and recipes, that magic was something beyond reason. It was sentient, and though they were but baby steps they had made her a lot more tolerable for the past few months.
“He is within the top five in the year and remains unmatched in the practical aspects,” as a wizard who could conjure a corporeal Patronus in his third year should.
He had even seen him do chantless and wandless magic, a feat that witches and wizards ten times his age could never dream of pulling off.
This was what made Cassius Malfoy so intriguing, for the boy was in many ways the opposite of the Dark Lord. Brilliant, charismatic, and mature beyond his years, yet their ideologies and actions were the entire opposite of one another.
Narcissa’s smile at the mention of her son’s achievements was so natural that it reminded him of his own mother and how she would look at him whenever he would make a perfect brew, and yet he could not live with those memories, so he turned away from her.
“As for his living situation, it is not yet resolved, but two people have already stepped up to house him during the summer,” and she seemed surprised.
“Two?”
“Yes, the first was Sirius. Albus told him about the consequences of his stupid actions, and so that bumbling idiot has offered to house him himself. A mistake for that man can hardly care for himself let alone a child,” and that was why the second option was far better.
“And what of the other one?” she added.
“It is your sister, Andromeda. She wants the boy to come and live with her....”
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Comments
Radiant Tiefling
Thank you for the chapter.
FallenMetalGod
Thank you. I am curious to see how things play out, especially if Cassius is calling for his mother. I am very interested in seeing what next year brings. Great job, as always, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
MyAfroAteMyDog
I don’t think he will stay with anyone. Probably disrupts his plans being basically babysat
TypistTyphon
Thanks!
Almaz Zakytkazy
Thanks for the chapter!
f_2004_nashef
Thx for the chapter,
John
lol Daphne does have a crush and feelings for Cassius
Ahmed
For all Sirius is a nice guy to the nephew that helped prove his innocence Andromeda is the better option, her and Ted are kind, sweet and have already raised a child. Besides they clearly understand that he’s a good kid
