The Potions Master's Daughter

PART 2, Chapter 11: Gargoyles and whispers

'Er... Excuse me, are you Daphne?'

Daphne's eyes traveled away from her sandwich, around her immediate surroundings, and finally down at the minuscule figure standing timidly by her seat at the Slytherin table.

'Who's asking?' she growled. Blaise and Alice exchanged looks. Daphne had been inexplicably furious all morning and they still had no clue what had caused her to be so upset.

The tiny first-year student who had dared ask Daphne the question looked positively terrified.

'Graham, right?' asked Blaise gently, reaching out his hand to the boy from across the table. 'I'm Blaise. This is Alice. And yes, that is Daphne. How are you finding Hogwarts so far?'

Graham (Pritchard, as far as Alice recalled), muttered something incomprehensibly with a very awkward smile, shooting glances at his group of 1st-year friends at the other end of the table. 'Er... Mister Dumbledore and Mister Snape... asked to see you... And Alice too... Bye!'

Without any further explanation, Graham vanished as though hit with a spell. Alice, Blaise, and Daphne exchanged looks. 'What's this about?' asked Blaise suspiciously. 'What did you girls get yourselves into?'

'It's probably about Malfoy being turned into a ferret, right?' said Alice, and took a sip of her tea. Daphne merely shrugged.

'So... Shall we go to Dumbledore's office, or...?' Alice suggested carefully but her friend shrugged again.

'I need to go to the toilet...' she said and without another word abandoned her breakfast and disappeared from the Great Hall.

'I know what's going on,' said Blaise, sighing and helping himself to some quail eggs. 'It's Anthony Goldstein.'

Alice's face fell and she clenched her jaw at the mention of Anthony Goldstein's name. Flashbacks from yesterday's muddy humiliation flooded her head and she felt herself sinking into her seat. She never ever wanted to see any Ravenclaws ever again.

'What's with Anthony Goldstein?' she asked in an ice-cold voice.

Blaise's eyes darted at her and he lowered his fork from his mouth. 'What's up with you? Why are you two so irritable today? Oooohhhhhh,' upon receiving Alice's meaningful look he very quickly understood what was on her mind. 'He was the one laughing at you, wasn't he?' he whispered. 'He and Terry?' he mouthed.

Alice nodded somberly. Blaise shook his head with theatrical disgust. 'I never want to see those two again,' he announced.

'That's exactly what I was thinking!' Alice whispered. 'So why is Daphne upset at Anthony?' she asked, spitting Anthony's name out as if it was poison.

Blaise leaned over to her and lowered his voice. 'He's been spending an awful lot of time with Padma Patil...'

'Ah... Of course...' said Alice gloomily.

After what happened yesterday Alice found it very difficult to mentally reconcile with the Ravenclaws. She stared absent-mindedly at her plate, allowing memories to rush into her head. Ever since the first year, Terry and Anthony would always smile, wink, nudge, and stare at her and Daphne. And Alice and Daphne smiled and stared back. It was like a game the four of them would play. Alice hated the word flirt but she had to acknowledge that Terry and Anthony were indeed flirting with them on any given occasion. It wasn't anything serious. She and Daphne barely even spoke about it. They wouldn't really acknowledge their feelings... Were they even feelings? Alice had no idea. It was fun. She felt noticed. She had always liked Terry.

But now? After he roared with laughter upon seeing her fall into the mud? After he wouldn't even offer to help her up? And ask if she was okay? She stabbed her toast with her fork. She wanted nothing to do with either of them anymore. She felt betrayed. In a split second, Terry lost all of his charms. She wanted nothing more than to never ever see him or Anthony again.