Deal with the Devil

Chapter 38 - Deal with the Devil

POV Daphne

Comfortable, that was the feeling I had upon waking up. Even though I was alone, with everyone having gone to their rooms, I wasn't cold thanks to the blanket. After a while, I noticed I was wrapped in a different blanket than the one I usually used; it also had a different, but familiar, scent.

Eventually, I got up, still a bit sleepy, and headed to my room.

'I must have some time before dawn, so I can rest a little more.'

However, before leaving, I noticed a small note on the chair next to me. Upon opening it, I couldn't help but blush with embarrassment.

It seems you were very tired, so I'll let you sleep a little. We can discuss things better tomorrow, if you want.

Simon

"Idiot, why didn't you wake me up? Who the hell leaves a girl sleeping in the middle of the room?"

Although I was upset and embarrassed, I was still grateful for his consideration in at least giving me a blanket. The fact that my roommates hadn't come looking for me also made me a bit uncomfortable, but it didn't matter much, at least not at the moment. I walked through the dark corridors of the common room toward my room, thinking about Simon.

The fact that he knew about my curse, the curse haunting my family, bothered me. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't come to any conclusion about how he found out about it. Arriving at my room's door, I decided to put that aside for now and ask him the next time I saw him. After changing clothes, I lay down and used his blanket to wrap myself up.

"The scent is nice,"

was what I thought before falling asleep.

End of POV

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Next day, Simon walked through the dim corridors of Slytherin with a tired face. In his brief moment of chivalry, he forgot he didn't have an extra blanket, even though he transfigured one of his pillows; it didn't last the whole night.

'Damn, this place is cold. Cursed Salazar and his preference for this damned dungeon.'

"Achoo, need a good hot shower..."

Still irritated due to the poor quality of sleep, Simon headed toward the bathroom and enjoyed his hot shower. After that, he went to have his breakfast. There were few people in the Great Hall, which was good because Simon didn't want to talk to anyone before having his coffee.

Looking around, he made himself a sandwich and served himself some juice while trying to remember the next steps of the heroic trio.

'Let's see... Harry will soon encounter Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest, part of a punishment, something about a dragon egg with Hagrid or something like that, after that... I think they'll finally go after the Philosopher's Stone, finally,'

Simon thought as he ate a sandwich with eggs and bacon, and drank orange juice. Suddenly, while still lost in thought, someone sat next to him.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Why didn't you wake me up? What if someone had seen me?"

"Worried about your image?" Simon spoke while gesturing with his eyes for her to look around. In the middle of the Great Hall, in plain sight, the heiress of the Greengrass family was talking to a Mudblood.

Although Daphne wasn't exactly a defender of blood purity, she was also not known for interacting with them. In fact, although the Greengrass family itself maintained a relatively neutral stance on various subjects, they had still been one of the pure-blood families known to have supported Voldemort in the last war. Whether out of fear or actually believing in him, it didn't matter; in the eyes of many, the Greengrass family was a dark wizarding family.

So it was strange to see Daphne trying to talk to Simon.

"Anyway, why didn't you wake me up?"

"I don't know. I guess I found you cute."

Simon smiled at Daphne, who had sat beside him. After hearing Simon's response, she felt a little embarrassed, especially seeing Simon's handsome face, but she quickly composed herself and began to serve herself.

"I want to ask how you-"

"Knew about your 'family situation'?"

"...Yes."

Simon bit into his sandwich and took a sip of his juice before answering.

"When we met at Madame Malkin's robe shop, I noticed something about you."

Daphne stopped biting her sandwich and remembered the first encounter with Simon; at that time, neither of them knew each other, and apparently, there was nothing that could indicate that she had a blood curse.

"Although at that time I didn't know who you were, when we arrived at Hogwarts and I found out your name, I investigated you."

Simon spoke calmly while enjoying his sandwich.

"Meaning you were interested in me?" Daphne spoke with a slight pride in her voice.

"Not exactly interested in you, it was more to know what was in you," Simon spoke while preparing a second sandwich and continuing his explanation, completely disregarding Daphne.

"Greengrass family, one of the Sacred 28. A powerful family in the British wizarding world, no, in the European wizarding world, since you have some roots in France. Anyway, a powerful family that was marked with a blood curse about, I don't know, 200-300 years ago?"

"217 years... but that shouldn't be recorded in any book..." Daphne spoke with a slightly lower voice, feeling anxious, afraid that someone else might overhear their conversation. In the wizarding community, suffering from a blood curse is a mark, a stigma over your head.

Although they are not expelled from the community like Squibs, they are also not highly appreciated. In some milder cases, they can still be tolerated, but in more severe cases like Maledictuses, they are hunted for sport by the elite of the wizarding world.

Although Daphne and her family's case is not so severe, the fact that a pure-blood family, one of the Sacred 28, actually suffered from a blood curse would undoubtedly be a cause for mockery and exclusion by the other pure-blood families.

This would give many families the opportunity to try to swallow up Greengrass family businesses, and marriages with other pure-blood families would be almost impossible. This would lead the family to resort to marriages with half-blood or Muggle-born wizards in an attempt to maintain their pure-blood status. But by doing so, they would cease to be one of the Sacred 28.

"That's true, however, I found a book in the restricted section that records some blood curses. That's where I got my hunch about what was wrong with you."

"..." Daphne fell silent as she thought, and Simon just took another bite of his sandwich.

"Anyway..." He spoke as he swallowed. "If I'm right, this is a curse that only affects the women of the Greengrass family, causing them to be born with weakened health and, if they're lucky enough to survive childhood, they die a few years after giving birth. Something like what happened to your mother, after she gave birth to Astoria-"

BAM

Daphne slammed her fist on the table and looked at Simon angrily, attracting the attention of some students who were still watching them. The hall was also starting to fill up with more people taking their seats for breakfast, making it an inappropriate place to continue the conversation.

Simon wasn't bothered by the girl's action and just finished his sandwich before standing up. "I think that's all, I hope you enjoy your breakfast, Miss Greengrass."

Daphne saw Simon leave the hall, and after a few moments, she decided to go get ready for the first class of the day.

Throughout the day, rumors about Simon and Daphne having an argument in the Great Hall during breakfast spread through Slytherin, but after a while, they quickly ceased, with many believing that Simon tried to talk to Daphne and she kicked him out.

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At night, in the Slytherin common room, some older students were discussing the upcoming OWLs and NEWTs. In a relatively isolated corner, Simon was once again sitting, enjoying his tea while reading a book. As he enjoyed his leisure time, Daphne approached and sat beside him again. Both remained silent, Simon reading the book and Daphne lost in thought.

"Sorry about earlier. I think I got a bit carried away."

"Hm, it's okay."

"Can we continue our conversation?"

Simon closed his book and looked at Daphne with a serious face.

"I've already explained how I found out about your situation. I don't think I really possess any other information you might desire, Daphne."

"..."

Seeing the girl silent, Simon sighed a bit and asked, "What do you really want, Daphne?"

"I need help," she spoke in an almost inaudible whisper, but one that Simon caught.

"Help with what exactly?"

"I want to cure my sister. I want to cure my family's blood curse."

Daphne spoke with a low but firm voice. However, when she met Simon's gaze, she realized he was looking at her as if she were an idiot.

"There are no cures for blood curses, Daphne. And even if there were, why do you think I would know how to end it? Wouldn't it be more practical, I don't know, to ask Dumbledore? He's the headmaster and the greatest white wizard of the century; undoubtedly, he would help you, a great student and future heiress of the Greengrass family."

Simon spoke with an innocent face, as if he truly respected Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore can't cure my family's curse. When I found out about Astoria developing symptoms of the curse, I talked to my father about asking Dumbledore for help."

Daphne spoke as she looked straight ahead, as if she were recalling the conversation she had with her father.

"When my mother found out she was pregnant with Astoria, she was already weak due to the blood curse. The chances of surviving until childbirth were low, and even if she did, it was guaranteed that she would die after Astoria's birth. So they went to ask Dumbledore for help. However, 'The great white wizard' didn't have the ability to undo our family's blood curse, or at least, he wasn't interested. Maybe it was retaliation for my father supporting the Death Eaters, I don't know. In the end, my mother died after giving birth, while my sister was born with fragile health but without obvious signs of the curse on her, at least until last year."

Finishing listening to Daphne's story, Simon just nodded a bit and took a sip of his tea, which was already getting cold.

"I understand," he spoke as he gently waved his wand to warm up his tea a bit. "However, that only answers one of my questions. You still haven't told me why you think I could be capable of curing your sister and ending your family's curse."

"Intuition," Daphne replied with a serious face.

"Intuition? Just that?"

"I don't know you, Simon, but I've been watching you since the troll incident," Daphne spoke in a serious tone before looking at the group of students who were starting to head to their dormitories.

"You're intelligent, tend to stay out of sight in many moments, but your steps seem calculated. Even our encounter in the library, I always feel like it wasn't a coincidence. Whatever you seek or want, I'm willing to use all of the Greengrass family's influence to help you, as long as you can cure my sister and end my family's curse."

Simon didn't expect this response, and shortly after that, he just leaned back in his chair and took a sip of tea while closing his eyes. Both remained silent, and after a while, he turned to her.

"I have to say... your intuition is very good, Daphne."

Simon spoke calmly as his eyes changed. Daphne noticed that all of Simon's calm personality was set aside, giving way to something much darker. If before Simon gave the impression of a calm and discreet young gentleman, now he was just a predator looking at a small and innocent bunny.

"I can help you, Daphne, but there's a price."

Simon spoke as he approached the girl, who at some point had shrunk completely into the chair, and touched her face.

Daphne noticed that Simon's hands were warm, but for some reason, all she felt was cold, as she was stared at by his only visible eye.

"What... do you want?"

"I want you."

Simon spoke with a pure smile, dispelling all the pressure Daphne had felt before. It was as if everything was just an illusion. However, she could still feel the sweat on her back and her heart pounding hard.

After calming down a bit, Daphne looked at Simon with a slightly strange look.

"You... want me to be your wife?" she asked still a little hesitant, to which Simon just smiled. He was still caressing Daphne's face, feeling her smooth face with the tips of his fingers.

"Wife, lover, Pet... I haven't decided yet. I just know that I want you, Daphne."

Simon spoke calmly, and after a few moments in silence, he removed his hand from the girl's face before standing up and going to his room. "Sleep on the proposal, Daphne. If you're willing, I'll help you."

For many, Daphne's attitude of seeking help from a first-year, especially a Muggle-born, to cure her family's blood curse was foolish.

After Simon left, Daphne remained in place for a while before going to her room. She was undoubtedly scared of Simon's aura, but more than that, she was desperate, and desperate people make stupid decisions, without thinking about the consequences.

Daphne didn't want to lose her sister, nor did she want the curse to be passed on to her future children. Although it wasn't guaranteed, Simon's help was undoubtedly the closest thing to a cure for the Greengrass family that she could find.

Was she not afraid? No, she was terrified of Simon. Whatever he had done to be so scary worried her, but that only strengthened her decision. No matter how you look at it, for someone to have that kind of air about them, undoubtedly proved that he wasn't normal.

For Daphne, if by surrendering herself she could secure a future for her sister, for her family, she would undoubtedly do it.

"Even if this is a deal with the devil, I'm willing."

After firming her conviction, Daphne went to sleep.

Next morning during breakfast, Simon, who decided to procrastinate a little in bed, was having coffee with the other students. The Great Hall was crowded when Daphne entered and went towards Simon. Before her friends could call her or Simon could react to her presence, she stopped in front of him and spoke.

"I'm willing to be yours."