"I understand this must come as quite a shock to you," said Professor Snape.
Astoria clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle a gasp.
There was something deeply discomforting about the sight of Daphne sitting up in bed, staring blankly into the distance. Their sister almost seemed like an entirely different person without a scowl on her face, Oleandra thought to herself... and Astoria seemed just as shocked to see her this way.
"I thought the sight of her siblings might trigger some change in her condition," Madam Pomfrey said helplessly. "Why not have her look at you? She responds somewhat to loud sounds, and…"
"What in the world happened to her!?" Oleandra blurted out. "Some sort of curse?"
Oleandra couldn't imagine what sort of curse You-Know-Who might have overlooked that could do such a thing to her sister. Perhaps a dark spell of such potency that even a walking Horcrux like herself could not simply shrug it off?
"Were it that simple, we might have already tracked down the perpetrator… or perpetrators," Professor Snape said drily. "Miss Greengrass fell from the Grand Staircase's fifth floor down to the dungeons. I asked the portraits whether they had seen something, and they reported seeing a red-haired girl shoving your sister as she leaned over the railing… but the stairs should have caught her. It's quite puzzling, really."
Oleandra blanched. This couldn't be her fault, could it?
"Are you all right, Miss Greengrass? You look rather pale," Madam Pomfrey said unkindly. "A pick-me-up, perhaps? A Pepperup Potion would restore a bit of colour to your face, if you don't mind the steam coming out of your ears for a few hours."
Pepperup Potions were usually meant to treat colds, but just like cold syrup… they were not always used as intended.
"Will Daphne be all right?" Astoria said worriedly. "Will she ever go back to normal?"
Oleandra was relieved that Astoria seemed worried about their sister. After all, they were still family; she couldn't hate her for ever. Daphne hadn't chosen to join You-Know-Who's camp of her own free will.
"I'm at a loss, frankly," Madam Pomfrey said blankly. "First of all, this girl shouldn't even be alive after falling from such a height."
Professor Snape coughed loudly.
"But the girl is still alive, which I suppose some might consider something to be grateful for," Madam Pomfrey grumbled. "The problem is that none of the healing spells or potions I know are working on her. I was hoping one of the two of you might know why."
It was obvious that Madam Pomfrey did not relish the idea of treating one of the masterminds behind Dumbledore's assassination, but she still seemed determined to uphold her Healers' oaths. Oleandra trusted she would not slip her sister some poison while their backs were turned.
"I have no idea why that might be the case," Astoria said truthfully.
Oleandra said nothing.
"Miss Greengrass?" Professor Snape prompted.
Snape was just like the other Death Eaters, a lesser man riding the coattails of a far greater and far more terrible man. They all played the same game: grovelling for the Dark Lord's favour, undermining one another at every turn, desperately trying to preserve whatever goodwill they had managed to accrue. Snape was desperate to cover up the fact that the Dark Lord's precious Dark Lady had been harmed under his watch, and Oleandra relished the idea of letting him squirm. She had no intention of helping him wriggle his way out of this predicament.
Viviane sneered.
As expected, humanity was disgusting, rotten to the core. Arturus had been the only decent human amongst them, the exception that proved the rule… Even her adopted son Lancelot had disappointed her, and her teacher, the womaniser Merlin, was the worst of them all.
Oleandra blinked.
Without a word, she stalked towards the door.
"Where are you going, Oleandra?" Astoria called. "Don't you want to see if we can wake up Daphne?"
"Daphne's hardier than she looks, I'm sure she'll pull through," Oleandra said coldly. "Be my guest if you want to keep her company. I'm going to have a look around and see if I can't find the coward who did this to her."
Oleandra slammed the door shut behind her and strode away.
Professor Snape claimed that the portraits had told him a red-haired girl had pushed Daphne down the stairs. Oleandra could think of only one culprit who fit that description. The only girl other than Astoria whose hair danced like flames, who had both the courage and the power to deal with the consequences of laying a hand on the Dark Lady, and who had a motive for doing so.
"I spared your miserable, murdering life, and this is how you repay me?" Oleandra growled as she stormed down the Grand Staircase. "I already cut off your hand, but it seems the only way you will ever learn your lesson is by parting your head from your neck!"
Ginevra Weasley, the Heir of Slytherin. She did not mind taking care of another obstacle in her path before Loki… she suddenly clutched her heart and leaned against the stair railing, overcome by vertigo.
"What is this…?" Oleandra groaned. "What's happening to me…?"
Greater Fairies gained powers when they successfully tricked others, but their magic weakened when they were fooled. Even though this wasn't something Viviane had taught her, Oleandra instinctively knew something very wrong had just happened to her, even though she couldn't quite put her finger on what it might have been.
After a few seconds, the dizziness passed, leaving Oleandra with the feeling that she had lost something profoundly important to her… but no matter how much she wracked her brains, she could not for the life of her figure out what was missing.
"No, there's not enough proof yet…" Oleandra murmured. "It might not be Ginny… but if it's not her… then who pushed Daphne? …and why?"
In this world of Wizardry and magic, anything was possible. Proof could be Conjured from nothing and Vanished back into nothingness with the flick of a wand. The question Oleandra ought to be asking herself was…
Who would gain the most from trying to murder Daphne?
And was her death truly the end goal, or merely the first step of some greater plan, the outlines of which she was only now beginning to see?