After Defence Against the Dark Arts, Eira and Tracey strolled through the corridor toward the Great Hall for lunch. Their steps echoed softly across the stone floor, but before they could reach the main staircase, two familiar figures appeared from the opposite direction.
Pansy Parkinson swept past with Daphne Greengrass at her side, her chin tilted high and her expression sharp. She cast a cold glare at Eira, her voice deliberately loud as she tugged Daphne's arm.
"Let's go. I do not have the time or patience to look at that arrogant face."
Daphne followed without protest, her features like usual carefully blank, as if carved from stone.
Tracey's lips tightened as she glanced at Eira. "Sorry, Eira. It seems Pansy still refuses to get along with you."
Eira gave a small smile, one that was more amused than bothered. "Do not worry about her. If I cared for every insult or rumor whispered about me, I would already be buried under them. By now, everyone would see me as a monster, and I have no desire to carry that image. What I do not understand is Daphne. She always keeps her distance. She can speak, certainly, but it feels as though she avoids interacting with me."
Tracey sighed, lowering her voice slightly. "Daphne is like that with most people. She is not the most social girl, though I know her well since we share a dormitory for a couple of years now. She has known me since first year, and Pensy and the other girls even longer. Their families are old acquaintances. Daphne is simply more comfortable with people she has known for years. You came in only two months ago, so of course she is cautious. Besides, she is the heir to the Greengrass family. She carries that burden with great seriousness, and she will not risk anything that might stain her family's name, Besides, I suspect her father said something about you to her, which could explain her behavior.."
Eira arched a brow. "So that's why she's so reserved. Perhaps her father said something about me that left the poor girl so uneasy she feels under siege every time we speak. Edgar Greengrass… I wonder what he told her to make her so defensive."
Tracey glanced at her friend, her tone suddenly firm. "Oh, come on, do not pretend you do not know. In the pure-blood circle your family is seen with both fear and respect. Many already whisper that you might become the next leader of the pure blood families. Slytherins know this too. They are careful not to misstep around you, in case it damages a future alliance with House White."
Eira tilted her head thoughtfully. "I do not think they are afraid of me, or of my family. If anything, all they see is wealth and influence that they crave. What better way to seize it than—"
Tracey finished the sentence for her with a wry grin. "By marriage."
Eira laughed softly. "Exactly. That is why no one shows open hostility. They want to keep their chances alive."
Tracey gave her a sidelong look. "So to them you are a rabbit surrounded by wolves. They watch, they wait, each one wondering which of them will manage to catch you first. And if one wolf succeeds, it means access not only to you, but to all the other rabbits as well."
Eira burst into laughter. "What a strange analogy. But you are not entirely wrong. They have laid out their traps, and they wait for the rabbit to step onto one willingly. Once caught, the wolf that owns the trap becomes the master of the rabbit."
Tracey shook her head, half amused and half concerned. "Oh, Eira, you are in more trouble than you admit. What will you do when they start trying to corner you? And by the way, I am surprised I have not seen any of the Slytherin boys attempt something obvious. Draco tries now and then, but Pansy hovers over him like a hawk. She would probably hex any girl who so much as looks at him."
Eira gave a small shrug, unbothered. "Who knows. Perhaps they are waiting, or perhaps they are too afraid to risk their chances that they will get one time. Either way, it makes little difference to me. Now come, let us go to lunch."
They turned toward the Great Hall together, but as they neared the entrance, Eira slowed. Her eyes had caught a familiar figure at the far end of the corridor.
"Go on ahead, Tracey," she said with sudden purpose. "I have something to do. I will come after I speak with a certain someone."
Tracey smirked knowingly. "All right, but be careful. Someone might just propose to you in the middle of the corridor."
Eira rolled her eyes, unable to hide a smile, and then stepped away toward the figure who was talking with a girl at the far end of the corridor.