Ink and Parchment ~ blood and bone

13: what happens in the common stays in the common room I

"I'll never push you to talk about it Theo" she murmured quietly "but I'm always here when you need someone to listen"

Theo asked if she wanted to play a game of chess before he started crying.

~

It's easy to forget, when they're around Eliza, that every day is a battle field in Slytherin. But their peace can never last too long. When Theo heard that the underclassmen court wanted to attack Eliza he instantly reached for his wand. Third years against a first year? It was ludicrous.

But Eliza doesn't let them get involved.

She ordered them to stand down and Theo could only watch as she faced against the court. Could only watch her as she won. Because she's vicious. He had known on some level that she was before but he could never have believed this. And when she made Rosier bow with her force of will alone Theo is reminded of the bed time stories his grandfather used to tell him.

Of a Slytherin with such a control over magic it was scary. Of a boy with dark hair and a sharp smile that had people bowing at his feet, that in the face of such power you knew you were witnessing history being made.

Looking at Eliza as she claimed the underclassmen court for herself he thinks he finally understands what his grandfather meant.

~

Daphne had been watching Eliza Potter for a while and she couldn't say she was surprised when the other girl finally took over the underclassmen court. But she was surprised when she got accepted into it. As far as Daphne knew she had no desirable skills, she's good at gossip but Blaise was good at that. She's the Greengrass heir but everyone in slytherin was an heir of something.

She's just another pureblood girl destined to be married off to the highest bidder.

And so she really couldn't understand why someone like Eliza Potter would look at her and see something worth keeping around. But Daphne went with it anyway because Eliza was the one thing that could maybe take her somewhere other than a wedding altar and a mansion full of children.

So Daphne contributed her opinion in their court meetings and acted more confident then she felt. She taught Eliza cosmetic charms passed down from mother to daughter through every family and ignored how sad she felt when she realised this was the closest Eliza was ever going to get to that experience.

Just Daphne, sat on her bed, and coaching her through quick and easy hair style charms.

The more time went on the more Daphne felt like an imposter.

Theo was so clever, his mind was sharp and over the weeks he produced contingency plan after contingency plan for all of Eliza's ideas. And Blaise was brilliant, he boosted their image, he charmed and connived his way into conversation, knew exactly what to say to spread word around the castle or to keep something a secret. And Daphne's just, Daphne.

All those thoughts catch up to her when she's in the common room one night. It's late and no one's up and before she realised it she was crying and then before she realised it Eliza was sat right there next to her.

Eliza doesn't like touching people, it's something she's noticed over the weeks. She flinched away from hugs, tensed when Blaise's arm draped across her shoulders but still, now, she reached over and took Daphne's hand into her own. She looked uncomfortable but she also looked like hell nor could high water stop her from staying with Daphne.

"Now are you going to tell me what's wrong?" she said softly.

And Daphne did. When her confession was done Eliza simply sat with her until she stopped crying. And when her cheeks are dry Eliza began to speak.