Daphne regarded the two Death Eaters bowing before her with cold disdain: Bellatrix Lestrange, the Dark Lord's most devoted servant… and Lucius Malfoy, the spineless fool. She already knew why they had come to Hogwarts in the middle of the night. She had learned of the Dark Lord's passing through the cooling of the Dark Mark on her forearm.
"The Dark Lord is dead?" Daphne asked icily. "And Oleandra was the one to kill him?"
What troubled her most was that she had felt nothing from her own, intimate connection to the Dark Lord through their shared souls. Had the main body's soul grown so thin and weak that she could not even sense the perishing of its mortal shell?
"Yes, Milady," Bellatrix said tremulously, looking up at her with upturned, pleading eyes. "We came here without detours, to revive him as quickly as possible— before the news spreads— before everything he fought for unravels…"
For the longest time, Bellatrix had loathed Daphne Greengrass for daring to take what she saw as her rightful place at the Dark Lord's right hand. But now, perceived affronts aside, she was her only hope of seeing her beloved Dark Lord again. Perhaps this desperation explained the odd feelings of attraction and devotion she now felt toward the green-haired girl, who now struck her as oddly handsome…
"We are all eagerly awaiting the Dark Lord's return," Lucius said evenly. "It is our dearest wish to witness our immortal Lord's miraculous rebirth with our own eyes…"
Lucius's back was beginning to ache from his prolonged bow. Though the Dark Lady had grown to a normal height for her age, he still towered over her. Looking down on her would have been tantamount to disrespecting the Dark Lord himself— and he was not keen on punishment again.
"You wish to witness our Lord's rebirth? Do you realise what you're saying, Lucius?" Daphne said softly. "Surely you didn't mean to question his power with those words? To imply doubt in his ability to resurrect? Do you believe our master's rebirth a common parlour trick meant to entertain? Or perhaps… do you mean to pry at the secrets of his immortality?"
The man's face drained of colour. Perhaps he could have chosen his words more wisely.
"CRUCIO!" screamed Bellatrix.
Crimson lightning blasted Lucius off his feet as he began stammering an excuse, sending him sliding across the Bell Tower's Entrance Hall until he slammed into a wall. Bellatrix ended her spell swiftly, leaving her brother-in-law a crumpled, whimpering mess on the cold stone floor.
"Think before you speak, foolish man!" Bellatrix screeched in Lucius's direction, who moaned in reply. "None of us are worthy to witness the Dark Lord's resurrection, not after having failed him so many times!" she then cried, throwing herself at Daphne's feet. "We only wish for his swift return— to see his foes' faces twisted in terror before his dark might when he returns! Before everything we have strived for is undone!"
"So, your concern came from a well-meaning place," Daphne said, sounding faintly amused. "Then rise, Bellatrix. I have… work for you."
Bellatrix scrambled backwards and looked up at her mistress with shining eyes.
"Then…" she said hopefully.
"I'm afraid resurrecting the Dark Lord will have to wait," Daphne said loftily. "I'm afraid the time is not yet ripe."
Sheer, unadulterated despair twisted Bellatrix's once-beautiful features.
"For your loyalty, I shall reward you with a secret," Daphne said, beckoning her closer before whispering in her ear: "To revive the Dark Lord, I must have blood from one of his enemies, forcibly taken."
"Then why wait?" Bellatrix sobbed. "I'll have the blood before you within the hour!"
Daphne smiled at her condescendingly.
"Of course, the blood of any enemy would do," she said. "But do you wish to see the Dark Lord return diminished? Only blood from his greatest enemies would restore him at full strength. Do you understand now why the Dark Lord went to such extents to infiltrate the Triwizard Tournament?"
Bellatrix's face now shone with fervent trepidation; her expression had changed so swiftly that Daphne briefly wondered if she was bipolar.
"Then nothing has changed," Bellatrix said savagely. "I'll hunt down Potter and bring you his head on a platter!"
"Of course, my dear sister ought to do the trick as well," Daphne said lightly. "She's been quite the thorn in our side, time and again… though if I were you, I wouldn't trouble myself to seek her out. It seems her time in my care did nothing to temper her more vicious impulses, sadly. Still, she'll return to Hogwarts sooner or later. I'm certain of it."
Daphne felt no need to justify herself to the help, and Bellatrix had no need to know her mistress's reasoning. In any case, Daphne knew the lengths Oleandra had gone to obtain the Elder Wand— she would return to Hogwarts without doubt, to challenge her for its allegiance… if not to get her revenge.
With one final bow, Bellatrix pushed herself to her feet and spun on her heel, striding towards Lucius's body twitching on the floor.
"Ah, and before you leave," Daphne called. "Lucius, you wished to ask me something earlier, didn't you?"
His Occlumency was nothing before her Legilimency. It had taken her but a second to infiltrate his mind when he had briefly raised his head from his bow to address her earlier.
"Answer the Dark Lady, you cretin!" Bellatrix screamed, hauling Lucius up by his collar. "You should feel honoured she's even bothering with your worthless concerns!"
"My son, Draco…" he gasped, phantom pain wracking his body. "I only wanted to know… if he's served you well!"
A malevolent smile touched Daphne's lips. She'd been waiting for him to ask.
"I daresay he hasn't," she said coolly. "The foolish boy took my sister's side in our conflict and rose up against me."
Lucius Malfoy's mind went blank, and he began to sway as if punched in the chin. Bellatrix let go of him, her revulsion at her worthless brother-in-law turning to cold indifference, and he fell to his knees.
"But worry not, Lucius— all is not lost," Daphne said soothingly, before shattering his last ray of hope with her next words. "You won't have to pay a Knut for Draco's burial. There was nothing left of his body after I was through with him."
Lucius fell to his side; the shock had been too much, and he'd fainted. Bellatrix waved her wand, levitating him out the door to the castle grounds, while Daphne turned on her heel to find Professor Snape standing on the stairs behind her, waiting. They briefly locked eyes, and she sneered as she walked past him. As usual, the Headmaster's thoughts were an open book before her.
Daphne allowed herself a thin, sinister smile as she slipped back into her dormitory. She had no obligation to drop everything to restore the Dark Lord; she simply couldn't act against his interests. Oh, she'd help the main body regain his strength— make no mistake— because as long as she lived, so would he. He would return, sooner or later, with or without her aid, but for the time being… there would only be one Voldemort.