Sweet Revenge

Pureblood Balls

          "Get up you big oaf."

Harry groaned as the tip of a wand was brandished in his face. The voice held traces of amusement at his little tangle of blankets.

He was used to Daphne's awakening ceremony by now. 

Harry had been at the Greengrasses for about three weeks and was thoroughly pleased. When he had first arrived, Daphne and Draco had barreled down the stairs and encased him in hugs. He had politely kissed Lady Greengrass's hand ('Call me Esmerelda') and shaken Lord Greengrass's ('It's Procyon to you). 

Apparently, he had arrived at the end of one of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Greengrass's annual balls. The attendees were comprised of members of pureblood Houses. Pureblood etiquette and politics were exceptionally complicated which was why those in Slytherin always stood out the most.  

He had met Pansy's parents, Lord Fornax Parkinson and Lady Sigma Parkinson, as well as Blaise's (Lacerta Zabini), and Theo's (Izar and Atria Nott). Lord Lucius and Lady Narcissa Malfoy had pulled him aside and unabashedly hammered him with questions about the wellbeing of the Lestranges which had left him thoroughly perplexed. Cissa at least was exactly like his Auntie's description of her.

Afterward, when all the guests had left, Harry had asked why everyone was so eager to meet him and Lady Greengrass had sat him down. It seemed that most pureblood families, specifically those in the Dark sector, knew about the falsitude that was Alex Potter. He had, at first, been rather hurt that his friends had become his friends because of his status. However, they had assured him that while that was their original motive, they had decided they liked him and would always have his back. 

He had developed what he considered a familial relationship with the Greengrasses. Astoria, Daphne's younger sister, was quite obviously infatuated with Draco. However, Draco himself was too thick to realize it and therefore spent hours complaining to the group about how she just wouldn't notice him. Daphne...Daphne, he considered his sister. Yet, from time to time, he would catch her staring unabashedly at him and felt very uncomfortable under her gaze. He tried, though, to keep his encounters with her more or less platonic although he did not know it then; he only did his best to avoid awkward situations. 

Harry and Daphne had, after Draco's rants got a little too annoying, sat down on the floor of Daphne's gorgeous room and put their heads together to form a long-term plan for bringing her little sister and Harry's best friend into some sort of realization. 

Whack!

          "Ouch, Daph! What the hell?!"

          "You know, perhaps I should employ the pillow more often."

He shot her his best unimpressed look. 

           "But seriously, why did you wake me up at...bloody hell! Five in the morning?!"

           "You forgot what the date is."

           "Wh-"

           "It's July twenty-first. The date of your first pureblood ball!"

Ah yes. Part of deal of staying with the Greengrasses was that he also had to behave like a member of the family...and that included going to all the pureblood balls they hosted. 

Today was to be Harry's first. 

After a hurried breakfast (Lady Greengrass barely ate anything. After about five seconds, she went back to bossing the House Elves around and fretting over the color of the hangings), Daphne dragged Harry upstairs to the walk-in closet on the top floor.