Daphne Greengrass looked at herself in the mirror for the umpteenth time, admiring her figure. She was beautiful; even in a room full of models, she would stand out. Blonde hair, fair skin, a small upturned nose. Her face was slim, and her lips full; thousands of wizards would die for the chance to take her hand in marriage; she was the perfect prize.
But apparently, all that was not enough for Altair. Daphne had been a secondary character while they were in Japan. Just another woman among a dozen. Altair simply ignored her, not that she didn't see why. Hell, she had been living with damn devils. The idea that one of those beautiful women could destroy any wizard was terrifying. Altair went for them; they were beautiful and powerful, while Daphne was only beautiful.
She tried everything: revealing clothes, conservative clothes, and typical traditional Japanese clothes. She was even almost naked around Altair once, but he didn't make a move in her direction.
"Maybe I'm not beautiful enough?" she thought as she put her finger in her mouth and began to bite her nail. Then she shook her head. Altair might not have done anything to seduce her, but he did waste time looking at her body. It wasn't something physical, it was something else... Maybe Altair had too much on his plate, too many women throwing themselves at him, and he didn't want to take her at that moment.
"Daph, are you ready?" Daphne heard her younger sister speak to her.
Astoria was different from her. Although she was no less beautiful. She was shorter and had dark hair, her face was heart-shaped, and her cheekbones were more pronounced. She also had dark circles under her eyes, although she usually hid them with a spell. Daphne felt a heaviness in her chest as she watched her take a deep breath.
The GreenGrass family was cursed.
One that affected only the women in the family. They had been investigating it for years, for centuries, but had not found a solution. It was always present. Daphne had it too, but she could live with it. She just felt more tired when using magic than a normal witch. But for Astoria, using magic was almost always painful. She constantly relied on pain-relieving potions whenever she used magic. Her body was weak and thin.
She was kind and sweet, but sometimes Daphne thought she was overly innocent.
"Yes... let's go see this... Lord," she said as her mind wandered to the dinner that was about to take place.
Her parents had told her to wear an elegant, traditional dress, one that screamed pure blood in every strand of fabric it was made of. Daphne did not disappoint them. The emerald green dress looked beautiful on her, although, of course, you could put her in a nun's habit and she would still look incredible in her figure.
Recently, the Malfoys canceled the betrothal contract between her and Draco. They gave no explanation, only a formal notification letter. Her father was furious, and her mother immediately began looking for other suitors. One of them was Charles Potter, who was why they let her go to Japan with Altair. The Potter sisters and their mother were there, wanting to make friends.
Other options were her classmates in Slytherin, but none were discussed with as much emphasis as Charles.
Altair was not even considered. That bothered Daphne. Altair was strong and wealthy, and she knew firsthand that he controlled the Malfoys and had connections to a very powerful supernatural race. But her parents did not know this, and Daphne was forced to remain silent.
Now they had a guest in their home, one who had shown a supernatural interest in her.
An old man, probably, one her parents wouldn't mind giving her away to in marriage.
She didn't know how she was going to get out of this. If he were too old, she could try to murder him, borrowing a couple of tricks from Lady Sabini. Another option was to "taint" herself with Altair. If she lost her virginity, her parents wouldn't be able to marry her off, since the other party wouldn't be willing.
Cough!
Astoria coughed into a white handkerchief she carried with her, and Daphne put a hand on her back as she stopped in her tracks. For a moment, she wished she had managed to seduce Altair. Perhaps he could cure Astoria. If he could create something as fantastic as Phoenix Powder, there was a good chance he could find a cure for the curse.
"I'm fine, sister," Astoria said with a smile. Daphne took the handkerchief and wiped her mouth, a small drop of blood falling from the corner of her lips.
Daphne did not respond; she just kept walking, keeping pace with her little sister. She reached the dining room and entered with her head held high. She might be thinking about how to kill her suitor, but that wouldn't make her behave in any way other than according to etiquette in front of him.
"You're here, dear," her mother said with a tense smile. She had only ever seen her smile like that in front of Lucius Malfoy. Whoever her suitor was, he was powerful, powerful enough to intimidate her mother.
In front of Daphne stood a thin, unkempt man. He looked malnourished, his eyes filled with madness. He degraded her; she would rather die than marry someone so... filthy.
"Is that her?" she heard a voice say, but it didn't come from the man in front of her. It was sharp and cold but also infant. "Tell her to come closer," her father gestured with his hand.
Daphne obeyed.
The thin man was not particularly powerful at first glance, although he gave off a sense of danger. But there was another person in the room, although she didn't know if calling them a person was the right thing to do.
It was a baby, about 6 months old.
"It's her, my Lord," her father bowed his head deferentially.
"Lord?" Daphne looked at the baby again. It was sitting on the chair and looked at Astoria beside her with concern. It didn't seem like a baby capable of supporting itself, but somehow it did. Its eyes were red; it had brown hair and a small, almost nonexistent nose, though its nostrils were large and elongated. He wasn't a deformed baby, but he was close to being one.
"Kneel," the baby murmured, his speaking face terrifying. Daphne felt his legs give out, and her knees hit the floor. "Good," the smile that appeared on her face was far from inspiring any kind of joy in her. "Tell me about Altair," the baby clumsily clasped his hands together. A black wand was in them.
Daphne looked up at him from the floor, her legs moving on their own as soon as he commanded her.
"He's the man I desire," she said in horror. Her hand went to her mouth, questioning what she had just said.
"Ah... young love. How disgusting, but useful," the baby said. "I want you to tell me everything about him, his abilities, his relationships, his business with the devils," the baby commanded her again.
Daphne's tongue locked up; she felt a horrible tingling sensation in it, and her eyes began to fill with tears from the pain. She had signed a contract that prevented her from divulging information about Altair or the devils.
"Ah, clever," the baby said, and Daphne suddenly felt at peace. "A contract? Yes... He's a pretty smart young man, a genius. But with major flaws, like lust," the baby continued, staring at her with those piercing red eyes.
"Who are you?" Daphne asked.
"Ah... right, I haven't introduced myself," the baby smiled macabrely again. "I am Lord Voldemort." Daphne felt a twinge in her mind and tried to look away, but she couldn't. "Even your memories are protected," he said with some anger, but also admiration.
"A pity... extracting your memories by force could kill you, and right now you're more useful alive. I need Altair's seed. Do you know what I am talking about?" Daphne knew, but she still opened her mouth to say something. "Don't speak. Good, how obedient. You don't need to know why I want it, you just need to bring it to me, understand?" the baby asked.
"What if I refuse?" Daphne didn't know where that stupidity came from, but she didn't want to hurt Altair. He was hers, not Lord Voldemort's.
"Crucio." Daphne looked to her left. Her sister began to writhe as a heart-wrenching scream escaped her throat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother trying to get up, but her father prevented her.
"I'll do it!" Daphne said quickly. But Lord Voldemort did not remove the torture curse. "I'll do it, please forgive Astoria!" Daphne begged, and only then did Voldemort remove the curse.
Daphne looked at her little sister's face. She had bitten her lips so hard that they were bleeding. She would probably have a scar if it weren't treated with magic. "It's not that hard to be obedient, is it?" Lord Voldemort asked. Daphne nodded.
"Barty," he said, naming the other unknown adult, who handed him a glass jar. "Do I need to explain?" Daphne shook her head. "Good, I like those with quick minds who understand... Oh, poor girl, Barty, give her Phoenix Powder," he ordered his lackey. "See? Disobedience is punished, and obedience is rewarded. Complete the mission I have entrusted to you, young Greengrass, and I will reward you... that curse seems familiar to me," Daphne felt a little hope when she heard his words, but also suspicion: how trustworthy was this man who was torturing her sister?
"Can you cure her?" Daphne asked.
"Before you ask, make sure you complete your mission," Lord Voldemort cut her off.
Daphne nodded, then looked at her sister. The man named Barty was giving her a yellowish potion. She recognized it immediately, but how could Voldemort have it?
"Now... Altair gave me a wonderful idea," he said with a smile. Daphne felt bile rise in her throat when she saw him.