Daphne's brows furrowed. "Weasley." Her voice was quiet, but clear.
"Is this how your family raised you—to casually badmouth people behind their backs?"
Ron's face went pale.
"You said it to her face. That's even more despicable. Even more ill-mannered."
Ron's lips trembled.
"Rude, crude, and untalented." Daphne's tone was calm, as though she were reciting from a textbook. "Compared to your brothers, you're far, far inferior."
"What's it got to do with you?!" Caught red-handed, Ron's face flushed red and then turned white as he stubbornly retorted.
"What kind of person I am isn't for some Slytherin like you to judge! Every last one of you Slytherins is selfish and snobbish. What right do you have to talk about me?"
Daphne looked even more disdainful, a mocking smile curling at her lips. The look in her eyes was exactly like the one Malfoy usually gave Ron, filled with contempt.
Daphne was usually as meek as a doll around Tom, speaking in a soft, gentle voice. But now, she was like a little hedgehog with all its spikes raised, her presence overwhelming.
"What kind of person I am has nothing to do with you."
Daphne gave a cold laugh. "But you were judging my friend, so naturally I have the right to judge you."
"What? You don't like hearing the truth? Look at your brothers—which one of them isn't better than you?"
"In Tom's words, you're a textbook double-standard hypocrite."
Ron's face went from white to green. Daphne's words dealt true damage and landed a critical hit.
What he hated most was being compared to his brothers. Now that Daphne had exposed that sore spot in front of everyone, his self-esteem took a massive blow.
The bell rang for the end of class.
Ron grabbed his books and rushed out