Chapter 612: A Unique Use for Contracts, Ariana’s Regret

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Daphne might seem a little airheaded, but the two things she cared about most were her family and Tom.

And at this point, the two were practically the same in her mind. So she had taken her mother’s words that day to heart. The more she thought about it, the more sense it made.

She couldn’t keep drifting through life like this forever. Changing wouldn’t be easy, but she still needed to try.

It took the young lady several days to sort out her thoughts.

To deal with external threats, she first had to stabilize things internally. Even if Tom liked her the most, there were always troublemakers trying to usurp her position. Like that detestable Veela.

And Hermione. Hermione wasn’t as annoying as Fleur, and she didn’t openly fight for Tom’s favor, but she still lectured Daphne all the time.

Ginny was ruthless, always asking Tom to "discipline" her. Penelope wasn’t much of a threat, just an older woman. And Luna... well, she just took care of the pets. Nothing to worry about.

After mentally reviewing her rivals, Daphne concluded that most of them weren’t serious threats. But the few who were still made her feel a growing sense of crisis.

After thinking for ages, the young lady finally came up with a brilliant idea.

"Tom, I’m going to play. Bye-bye!"

After Herbology that afternoon, Daphne sprang up from her stool, waved hurriedly at Tom, then skipped out of the classroom.

Tom assumed she was going to chat and drink tea with her friends, so he didn’t think much of it.

He wasn’t some controlling freak who needed to keep people by his side. Whether it was Daphne or Hermione, he never interfered with their friendships.

...

Meanwhile, Daphne had already gathered the intel. The moment she left the classroom, she headed straight for the third floor, grabbed Astoria, who she had contacted in advance, and the two sisters went up another level. There, they successfully intercepted Cassandra, who had just finished Transfiguration.

Seeing the Greengrass sisters blocking her path, especially the chin-up, self-important Daphne, Cassandra felt uneasy, though she kept up a confident front and raised an eyebrow.

"Well? Greengrass, shouldn’t you be keeping Tom company or having a tea party? What do you want with me?"

Cassandra’s tone carried a hint of teasing, but there was also a trace of sourness and envy.

Different people, different fates. Daphne’s luck was the kind countless people envied, including Cassandra... even Hermione and the others.

Astoria frowned slightly, clearly catching the undertone. Daphne, however, was completely oblivious and spoke in her usual carefree way. "I came to you because I’ve got something to discuss. Come with me. Let’s find somewhere private."

She grabbed her sister’s hand and led the way, turning a couple of corners before reaching the Trophy Room. After unlocking the door with a spell, she pushed it open and walked in.

Cassandra had no idea what Daphne was up to, but she followed anyway.

"Well? You can talk now, right?"

The door shut behind them, and Cassandra suddenly felt uneasy. No matter how she looked at it, this setup felt off.

"Sis, what are you actually trying to say?" Astoria asked, genuinely curious.

She had only followed after receiving Daphne’s message. She had no idea what her sister was planning.

Daphne cleared her throat theatrically.

"Ahem. Cassandra, you know, I actually really disliked you at first. You acted like some nouveau riche, and an overconfident one at that. You dared to provoke Tom right after arriving at Hogwarts. When you got taught a lesson, I was thrilled."

Cassandra’s face darkened.

Seriously? That was ancient history. She was still bringing it up now?

But... it wasn’t the first time. Some things were embarrassing, but once they were said often enough, you got used to them. And Cassandra herself had changed a lot. So she only looked annoyed instead of exploding on the spot.

"Greengrass, if you’re trying to humiliate me, then I have nothing to say to you. Think whatever you like."

She turned to leave. Daphne hurriedly stepped in front of the door, which made Cassandra immediately pull out her wand.

"What are you doing? You’re not planning to fight after saying all that, are you?"

Astoria quickly grabbed Daphne’s sleeve. "Sis, calm down. What’s past is past. Why are you suddenly digging it up? Even Tom doesn’t care anymore."

"Who said I was digging up old grudges?" Daphne looked baffled. "Don’t get so worked up. Haven’t you heard Tom say it? In a speech, the important part isn’t the beginning. It’s the ’but’ at the end."

"And where’s your ’but’?" Cassandra asked flatly.

"I haven’t gotten there yet. That was just the buildup."

Astoria and Cassandra: "..."

They exchanged a look. Cassandra saw pure exhaustion and speechlessness in Astoria’s eyes. Astoria, meanwhile, thought she saw... sympathy in Cassandra’s.

The normally gentle Astoria suddenly felt the urge to swear.

"Sis, just say it already. Skip the buildup." Her tone turned icy.

Daphne shrank her neck slightly and nodded repeatedly, then looked at Cassandra.

"I came to you to make a deal."

"A deal?" Cassandra raised a brow. "You’ve started doing business now?"

"Not business. It’s about Tom."

Daphne stepped closer until they were nearly face to face. In a conspiratorial whisper, she said, "Cassandra, do you want Tom to kiss you, hug you, and lift you up? I can help."

Cassandra’s pupils shrank. Then she stared at Daphne with a strange expression.

Was this girl... seriously trying to sabotage herself?

No. This had to be a test.

Cassandra immediately grew cautious and shook her head. "Greengrass, Tom and I are just partners. You’ve misunderstood."

"Oh, please." Daphne rolled her eyes. "The way you look at him is practically dripping. Just partners? What kind, partners in making babies? can see it in your eyes, Cassandra."

"And I’m not testing you. I’m serious. As long as you agree to my condition, I’ll make your wish come true."

Cassandra studied Daphne’s expression carefully. She couldn’t find even a trace of probing or deception. Slowly, she began to believe her.

Her attitude softened at once. She even reached out and took Daphne’s hand.

"I may have spoken a bit loudly just now. Tell me what you want. I swear in the name of the Vole family, I’ll do everything in my power to complete it."

"My request is simple. From now on, you acknowledge me as the big sister, as the first Ms Riddle, and help me deal with Fleur. Mm... and Hermione too."

Cassandra’s expression changed. She cautiously took a step back. "Daphne, aren’t you setting me up? If I really do that, Tom will definitely hate me for causing trouble among you. And are you really sending a woman to your boyfriend?"

Daphne lowered her head, troubled. "When I said ’deal with them’... I didn’t mean that kind of deal. I mean..."

She began gesturing wildly, explaining while giving a few examples. Only then did Cassandra—and the equally startled Astoria—understand.

This "dealing with" wasn’t about attacking anyone. It was more like defense, a way to secure her position.

She also explained that she knew it was impossible to have Tom all to herself, as he was like the king of Britain in the wizarding world. So, to her, sending Cassandra was a hundred times better than Fleur.

"No problem. I agree."

Once she understood, Cassandra had no more concerns and answered decisively.

"No." The young lady shook her head. "A verbal promise isn’t enough. What if you get turned against me later?"

Cassandra said helplessly, "Then what do you want me to do? You can’t expect me to go declare war on Fleur right now, can you?"

"Hehe, don’t worry. I’ve already prepared it."

Daphne took out a sheet of parchment and handed it to Cassandra.

"A binding magical contract?" Cassandra exclaimed after reading it.

"That’s right. It’s a contract. Once you sign it, you can’t break it later. Otherwise something very scary will happen. Um, I don’t know exactly what, but Tom definitely won’t like you anymore. He hates people who break their word."

The Greengrass family were creditors to much of Britain’s pure-blood world. Across the globe, plenty of witches and wizards owed them favors. As Daphne grew older, Lady Greengrass had taught her the family’s most important foundation: contract magic.

But even she never would have imagined that the first time Daphne used it... would be for something like this.

Forget Lady Greengrass. Even Astoria was stunned.

’Sis, is there something wrong with your brain? If you needed help, why not recruit me? Why are you adding an outsider to the family?’

Astoria suddenly realized something. Her sister had never seemed to notice that she herself...

No. She needed to find a chance to come clean with her sister.

Astoria sighed inwardly, but she didn’t try to stop Daphne’s antics. Cassandra wasn’t a bad choice. She had strong talent in business and could help Tom a lot. Turning someone that important into "one of us" was reassuring.

Besides, there had already been signs between the two. Tom bringing her home for Christmas this year was proof enough.

It was just that Tom was always busy, and Cassandra had an awkward personality. She didn’t have the courage to confess, so things had stalled until now.

...

Meanwhile, Cassandra carefully read the contract terms again. She wasn’t worried Daphne was trying to trick her. Daphne could be arrogant, but she wouldn’t deliberately set traps.

What Cassandra feared was that the young lady’s muddled brain might write sloppy terms and accidentally trap them both instead.

That would leave her with nowhere to cry later.

Fortunately, the clauses were simple. Even Daphne had managed to write them clearly. There were only two core points.

First, acknowledge Daphne’s position as "big sister," the first Ms Riddle.

Second, if conflicts arose in the future with Fleur or others, she had to stand on Daphne’s side.

Coming from a great family herself, Cassandra naturally understood Daphne’s intentions. She also knew she had no real standing to compete with her. So she decisively signed her name on the contract using magic.

"Daphne, from now on we’re on the same side." Cassandra revealed a dazzling smile. "Don’t worry. I’ll definitely support you as the first wife. As long as the few of us live well together, that’s better than anything."

"Good, good, good. Cassandra, you’re my best sister from now on."

The young lady beamed, instantly finding Cassandra much more pleasing to the eye. She completely missed the deadpan stare from her younger sister behind her.

So she’s your best sister... what does that make me?

Fine. Since you’re being heartless, don’t blame me for being ruthless.

...

..

Tom, meanwhile, had no idea the girls were already playing palace drama behind his back.

Granted, the level of drama was... fairly low.

Well... Even if he knew, Tom wouldn’t stop them. He would simply pretend not to notice.

Getting everyone to tacitly accept the others’ existence was already difficult. Expecting the girls to live in perfect harmony... unless he erased their individual personalities, it simply wasn’t possible.

As long as it didn’t turn into life-or-death conflict, a few minor disputes and rivalries were completely acceptable.

He might even benefit from it. There could be plenty of perks.

---

"Congratulations on finally reviving, Andros!" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

After class, Ariana shook off the Durmstrang tagalongs, met Tom in the small garden, and followed him into the pocket world to visit Andros.

She was happy for him, but also for herself.

With Andros and Grindelwald backing her up, who would dare pick on her now?

"When are you going to beat up my brother?" she asked eagerly, practically itching to introduce them so they could start fighting immediately.

Andros’s mouth twitched. Having such a devoted sister... what a blessing for Dumbledore.

Of course, his greatest blessing was having a student like Tom.

"Sorry, Ariana. Tom and I already made plans. Tomorrow I’m heading to Egypt to set up a trap to lure Voldemort."

"Once I deal with Voldemort, I’ll come back and help you beat up Dumbledore. Sound good?"

"Voldemort... he’s not really worth much." Ariana muttered softly.

In her mind, Voldemort was already as good as dead. Sending Andros might even risk alerting him prematurely.

Still, since Tom arranged it, there must be a reason.

The three of them had dinner together that evening. To avoid her long absence alerting Dumbledore, Ariana left right after eating.

Before she went, she repeatedly urged Andros to finish the job quickly and come back for revenge, leaving him both amused and exasperated. He turned to Tom.

"How did Ariana end up like this? It was just a couple of arguments, and she’s still hung up on it."

Tom sighed. "That just proves she’s inherited my strengths."

"What strengths?"

"Holding grudges."

.

.

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