HP: The Arcane Thief

Chapter 157: Daphne's Guilt

Daphne Greengrass didn't have a pleasant childhood. Even when she was too young to notice the abnormalities, young Daphne had realized that maybe her father did not love her.

Why else then, would he even look at her no matter how hard she tried to get his attention? He was always busy, often spending time outside, or in the dungeons of their manor bringing lots of sealed cages. She was sad many times by his cold attitude towards her and his cruel words, as if no matter how hard she tried, it would never please him.

She had also realized that her mum loved her very much and she did not like daddy too. Why else would they sleep in separate bedrooms? And why else would her mother come to her and Astoria's room to cry at nights when Daphne pretends to sleep?

"Mum, why do you always need to see the healer? Are you sick?" She had once asked her mother, as she laid weakly in the bed.

Even with all the pain, her mum had tried her best to smile tenderly.

"Mum is fine honey. Just sometimes, mum is a little unlucky."

Unlucky… That wasn't enough of an answer for young Daphne. So she began trying to find the answer for herself.

Too bad, there wasn't much she could find. The basement was off limits and her father would only come home late when she had fallen asleep.

Just like that, young Daphne's childhood was spent in confusion, trying to find answers about the peculiarities in her family. Until one fateful night.

*Slap*

Daphne had just woken up to go to the bathroom when she heard that sound from her dad's room.

"Let me put up the privacy ward first. The girls might—" came her mother's voice, but it was cut off due to another blow.

*Baam*

"You think I care? They're both bloody useless! Just like you! Would it have killed you to give me sons?!"

"How can you say that? They're your daughters!"

"You need to not remind me,," said Cyrus coldly. "They're my daughters, that's why I haven't tortured them yet. Why do you think I spend so much time and resources to acquire and torture muggle children in the dungeon when I have two children at home?"

!!!

Listening to the conversation, Daphne, who was quickly making her way toward the voices, stopped in her tracks, her mind trying to process what she had just heard.

"Please, just let me cast the priva—" her mother's voice came but--

*Snap*

The sound of breaking of a stick was heard.

"Do NOT touch your wand! You think you can hex me?!"

Alarmed, Daphne, who had been frozen quickly ran towards the room and peeked through the slightly ajar door.

!!!

The scene she saw inside made her dumbfounded. She saw her mother lying prone to the ground, cradling the broken remains of her wand, while her dad stood over her, pointing his wand at her.

At this moment, Daphne, for the first time, saw her mother angry as she turned her gaze at father, angered at the loss of her wand, and the denunciation of her daughter's.

"I was NOT trying to hex you! Are you so cowardly that you're still scared of me after binding me with the contract, you absolute gutless recreant?! It's not my fault that you're impotent and can't even get it up anymore! If your House doesn't have male heirs that's not my problem you—"

Her mother suddenly stopped in her outburst when her eyes met with Daphne's who had been peeking through the door.

"Tolly, seal the room!"

Before Daphne could react, the house elf appeared with a pop at the same time her father brandished his wand at her defenseless mum.

"Crucio!"

The door was slammed shut by magic, blocking her sight along with mother's painful screams, and Daphne was left standing there, completely horrified.

From that day onwards, she slowly began to understand. Even though she was too young to comprehend everything she had heard, but eventually, she did.

Turns out, her father really didn't love her. All he wanted to do was to sell her to the highest bidder and have her continue the Greengrass line.

Turns out, the reason her mother would sometimes need to see the healer was because she would put her into that condition.

Turns out, the reason why her father spends so much time in the dungeons is not because of work, but because the man has a sick hobby of torturing children.

Turns out, the meager approval which she craved and for which she used to work so hard for, learning all types of things was only given to her because it would increase her chances of getting a better spouse to continue the line.

But. Even though she had realized everything, Daphne didn't know what to do with the information. She didn't know how to save her mother, and she didn't know what to say to the bright and cheerful Astoria.

Then one day, something happened that made her dead set on what to had to do.

She was 9. It was just another ordinary day. She was working with Astoria in one of their greenhouses.

"Come on, Tory! You have to do it!" Said Daphne, digging the soil for painting new seeds.

"I'm not doing it, Daphi!" Astoria stood a distance away, a rebellious pour on her face. The little girl couldn't properly pronounce Daphne's name, so she settled for "Daphi" instead. "My hands would get dirty! What if I got sick?! You should not do it either! Just let the workers do it!" She urged.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Afraid of dirt and soil? What kind of Greengrass are you?"

Astoria stomped her foot, waving her tiny fist. "I-I'm not afwraid! I just like to stay clean and not sick!"

Daphne sighed. She didn't know where, but her little sister had gotten in her head that children get sick easily if they play around in dirt.

She got up and grabbed Astoria with her dirty hands. "Listen to me, you dummy. You aren't getting sick. We will take a big bath after this, and all the soil will be washed away."

Astoria trusted her elder sister. And she really liked to bath with her elder sister, so the two sisters happily began playing in the greenery. After that Daphne had to attend her etiquette classes like usual with Rose, Susan and Hannah, so she bade farewell to her sister.

But when she returned…

No one was at home. She was taken to the Saint Mungos by the house elf, where she saw her sister lying on the Hospital.

"Daphi… you said I won't be sick..."

What had happened…

Her sister had gotten sick. Not by any ordinary sickness. It was Blood Malediction. The incurable disease.

How did it happen…?

She never got the exact details, but she knew one thing for certain. Cyrus Bloody Greengrass. It was due to that man.

Something happened. Something which made Astoria feel such emotional distress that it made the curse of Greengrass line activate in her. It manifested in the form that would deliver the most impact to little Astoria. It took her health, giving her a short, and sickly life.

It was only after the incident happened that a resolve was solidified in her mind. Even if she was young and weak, it burned bright inside her.

A resolve to kill her father.

From that day on, she began planning and plotting. But it was easier thought than done.

First of all, her father was a paranoid man. He would check everything for poison before consumption. He was also a formidable wizard with sharp senses and a strong body. Killing him was not at all an easy task.

Secondly, Daphne was not like her father. She was a normal child. Taking a life, especially one of her father… it wasn't morally, physically and magically possible for her.

'It's wrong…'

That's how she justified her inaction. But she knew deep in her heart that it was the right thing to do, and she was just too much of a bloody coward to do it.

Daphne became an unfeeling robot. She would just do things she was supposed to do. She would eat what was given to her, she would study what she was made to study, and she would talk with whoever her father would order her to.

She couldn't let know that she was about to kill him, could she? She knew he could read minds, so she strived to not even give him a reason to try reading her mind.

All the while, inside her head, she planned and plotted hundreds of ways to kill him.

Every night, she had to sleep with the knowledge that her mother and sister have to live with that man for one more day.

She was stuck. She was unable to kill him, and neither was she able to live without killing him. It was absolute hell. Just when she had almost lost hope, something happened.

He died.

The devil that had made life hell for her, was… gone. Just like that. It was so surprising that it had taken her more than 3 days just to completely believe that fact.

Suddenly, Daphne felt free, for the first time in her life. Suddenly, the sky seemed much brighter, the gardens looked much more lively, and the Manor, much more homely. She realized she no longer had to behave like she was dictated to anymore. She could do whatever the hell she wanted.

And it was all because the devil was gone.

Someone had stabbed his balls twice, slit his throat from ear to ear, and stabbed his chest a total of 157 times, as if venting a lot of anger.

It wasn't a simple killing. It was a revenge murder.

Someone must have had a lot of anger for the man. At that time, Daphne had thought that whoever had done this was an angel, to rid her and this world from that terrible demon. She had thanked her lucky stars that the man had finally pissed off the wrong person. Someone who strikes back.

For years, she had tried and failed. But finally, the work was done. Albeit it was late, and someone else had to do it for her, but she cared little about that. After all, she and her family were finally free now, weren't they?

All she did was thank the Angel a million times in her head.

...Never even once… did she wonder what the man might have done to the Angel that was so cruel that they stabbed her father 157 times.

Never even once… did she consider the fact that she could have saved the person so much trouble, if she just had the courage to do it herself.

Daphne had gotten her freedom. But at what price?

Well, now she knew the answer. Axel's suffering.

Daphne gritted her teeth, leaving the Hospital ward. Minister Black's words still echoed in her mind.

Hatred.

Intense Self-Hatred. That's what Daphne was feeling right now.

There was something about Axel that she had noticed after spending so much time with him. It's the fact that he is very good at hiding his emotions.

Unlike others, Daphne knew just how much Axel had suffered due to what the Cruciatus had done to him. She could see his pain, even though others couldn't. It would hurt to write, it would hurt to sit, it would hurt to stand, it would hurt to walk... basically... if he's moving, it would hurt. But even if he's not, it would still hurt.

So, it wasn't just those ten minutes that he was tortured. It lasted for the whole year. His whole body was in pain, and no one could help lessen it.

Why? Just because she couldn't kill one damned demon who had made so many people's life hell.

It was her fault.

….

—Back to present—

Looking at Martina and Akiko's faces, Axel got a bad premonition.

He got up with some difficulty.

Limit Break is a skill that consumes every bit of power you have at that time, and what you are going to have in the future. Both physical and magic. The effects are not going to go away so soon.

"What the hell happened?" Axel asked the girls. Everything should have been fine. He had thought these two would make sure of that.

"...."

Martina and Akiko didn't know how to explain it. What were they supposed to say?

"I… think it's better if you see it yourself," said Martina, looking into his eyes.

Axel didn't need a second invitation. He delved into Martina's mind, and saw the memory which she had brought to the forefront.

With his fast Legilimency, the memory was over within a second. Axel came out of Martina's mind, but not before she got stunned by the sheer amount of anger that he leaked into the link.

She gripped her forehead terrified. She looked up at Axel who looked completely calm on the outside.

"Why… didn't you stop her?" He asked. His voice was low, but it sent chills down their backs.

Axel put a hand to his forehead. Why… Why can't things go right for once?!

Martina looked like she was about to cry. "Her father did that to you… and at that time…"

At that time, all she could think about was how much hatred she had from Daphne's father. How sick was that man that he made Axel suffer so much?! And if she's that man's daughter. . . Let's say she didn't have pleasant feelings for her. At that time, she hadn't thought much about the situation. But now, feeling the intensity of Axel's anger, she knew she had made a huge mistake.

Unlike Martina, Akiko didn't know how bad the situation was. "What's the big deal?" She asked. "We'll apologize to her if she's not as bad as we thought."

Axel sighed. If it were only that simple. "You know, you might not get the opportunity," he said, beginning to walk out of the hospital wing.

They really might not get the opportunity. Because Daphne might have already done something extreme by now after knowing what that bitch Bellatrix revealed to her. Daphne still has that goddamn curse too!

But Axel didn't have time to explain all this to them. Neither did he have the time to get angry at them. Heck, he would have already reached Daphne if he could still use his Physical and Magical abilities.

"Axel! Please don't move. You're supposed to rest!" said Martina.

"Yeah, the Healers have recommended strict rest. We can get her for you," said Akiko.

Axel looked at them with a look that said: Seriously?!

Just for a moment, Axel stopped controlling his anger.

*Shatter*

Water particles in the air crystallized, and the magically reinforced windows broke down like glass.

!!

Martina and Akiko fell to their knees.

Axel's eyes glowed blue as he looked at the two of them.

"Shut it, will you?"

...

A.N.: There is nothing to fear. That's what I wanted to say before I start getting cursed. Daphne will be alright. Next chapter is a vanilla chapter. Relax. Take deep breaths. In...out... in... out

Anyways, Martina and Akiko trying to stop him at this moment.

Women☕

Also, sorry the delay. Something came up irl.