Chapter 17
More and more were the attacks by Death Eaters and even more were the lives lost of the innocent. Muggles were being tortured and killed in the safety of their homes without even knowing what was happening. The tension could be felt even in their homes where all the members of the phoenix order were gathered.
It seemed that those few captured Death Eaters didn't produce any reaction from the opposing faction. On the contrary, more people were joining the cause, ready to be on the side of darkness. Whether it was because they believed in their ideals or because they were convinced that they were more likely to survive did not matter. The main thing for Voldemort was to have a large army, and he seemed to be succeeding.
Daisy and Harry couldn't help but wonder which of their classmates would be in Voldemort's ranks once they returned to school. And how many of them had taken the mark knowing what would happen to them.
Returning to school was another painful topic. Several were the families who had run away, thus withdrawing their children from school. Even Mrs. Weasley had a moment of weakness, wanting to prevent Ginny and Ron from returning to Hogwarts.
Although Mr. Weasley brought his wife to her senses, he could not stop her from unloading all her nervous energy on them. The mood was low at headquarters, and Molly was worried about everyone to the point of unnecessary stress as she tried to keep anyone she considered too young from finding out anything to do with the war.
As much as Daisy admired the sentiment, as one of the few adults who really cared about them, she was beginning to get irritated.
There was no point in hiding the papers, shutting up when they entered a room, or distracting them with cleaning because, whether they wanted to or not, they were in the crosshairs of the Death Eaters because they were Harry's dearest people.
The only positive note from that enforced isolation was that Daisy had gotten to know Ron, Hermione, and Ginny better. She was now convinced that she could tell them everything because they would not betray them, independent of their reactions. All she had to do was talk to Theo and Blaise about her plans, hoping they would agree to help her.
Daisy had even managed to figure out, along with her brother's help, where the fourth Horcrux might be.
Helga Hufflepuff's cup was located, if their calculations were correct, inside the Lestrange vault at Gringott's. The bank was one of the most secure places in existence, and it would have been almost impossible to enter it without risking getting caught. To recap: they were screwed on every front.
As they tried to figure out if Voldemort had created more Horcruxes, a blessing came to them.
Dumbledore had picked up Harry a few days ago, taking him to the home of what would become their new potions professor. According to his brother, Horace Slughorn was a horrible man who kept a multitude of photographs of old students, famous and influential, displayed like trophies in his house. The man was apparently convinced that he made those people successful because they belonged to his "collection." Just the term sent shivers down Daisy's spine, hoping that the man didn't have in mind to lure her to one of those horrible gatherings. However, he seemed to have real affection for their mother so he could not be entirely rotten.
When Harry told her about the paranoid way Slughorn was hiding, Daisy was sure he knew something about Voldemort. There was no reason otherwise for Dumbledore to want him at the school, next to him. They just had to find out as much as they could.
When they went to Diagon Alley to get the few items they needed for the start of the new year, the boys were shocked at the sight before them. The once bustling streets were gray and dull, and the only splash of color and joy was Fred and George's store, which was finding great success. It was during a trip to their store that Ron noticed Draco and Narcissa Malfoy prowling the street suspiciously. It seemed that they did not want to be noticed, and of course she had to follow the three reckless Gryffindors on their improvised spy mission.
Harry was now convinced that Malfoy had the mark and it seemed that neither Hermione nor Ron took this accusation seriously. They found the mere thought that a student could be a Death Eater ridiculous.
Daisy found their line of thinking ridiculous and let them know this during the sleepover organized that evening. They had decided to sleep together so they could spend a night together before their return to school.
The only person to agree with her besides Harry was Ginny who amazed them all by stating, " We fight on the light side or plan to as well as many of our contemporaries. What prevents Malfoy and his friends from doing the same? "
" Even if it were true, I don't understand how this is our problem. If they chose to ruin their lives it's not our fault. " muttered Ron.
" What do you know if it is their choice? Not everyone is lucky enough to have parents who seriously care about their children and especially not everyone can afford to run away if they have nowhere to go. " Daisy replied, unnerved by the answer.
Harry grabbed her hand, trying to reassure her. He understood that their friend's sentence had struck a deep chord, reminding her of Theo's fate.
" They are just Slytherins, why get so worked up over someone who is horrible to people like Hermione? " Ron said, sincerely trying to understand what she meant.
" I don't get upset anymore when they call me those terrible names. I know they've grown up hearing their family members repeating those words and so they feel it's okay to use them even if it's wrong. " Hermione said, trying to calm him down.
" And anyway, it's not just Slytherins who use offensive terms toward Muggleborns. Prejudice exists in every house. They're just the only ones who say it out loud. " Daisy continued, recounting how she had once heard one of her fellow Hufflepuffs insult a girl of her age because of her blood status.
" Well, I'm sorry. " sighed Ron, flushed with embarrassment. " I see what you mean and I know that the Death Eaters might even be in Gryffindor but it's hard to think of the Slytherins being on our side. "
" I don't like Slytherins either but I have never tried to befriend them. There are so many prejudices that prevent us from even talking to each other without insulting each other. " Ginny said, nodding amusedly at Harry when he asked her if she took private lessons from her sister because of the way she spoke.
" We had a long talk about everything, especially Luna. " Daisy raised her eyebrows, teasing her.
" As soon as you have a crush, your teasing will pay off. " threatened the redhead, making her laugh.
" Speaking of crushes, are things going well with Cedric? " asked Hermione, worried because her best friend didn't receive a single letter during the vacations.
" Better than ever. " replied Harry, glowing as he told them that they were communicating through their patronuses. " I didn't want to risk having Hedwig fly because she was easily recognized. We both agreed that it would be safer if no one could trace him and his family. "
" I'm really happy for you, man. But you have a talent for saying the most depressing things without even realizing it. " Ron pointed out to him, shaking his head.
" Let's just say we are a strange bunch. " Ginny said, resting her head on Hermione's shoulder. " But it will be hard for you this year without him, won't it? "
" Yes but he is determined to join the order so I will see him more often during the next vacations. " revealed Harry, telling them how worried he was about his safety.
" That's understandable but I'm sure they will all take good care of him. " smiled Hermione.
" Thank you. " said Harry, relaxing. " How old do you think Dumbledore is? "
" More than 150 for sure. " answered Ron, promptly.
Everyone burst out laughing when Hermione hit Harry over the head with a scroll because he compared the principal to a mummy.
They didn't know what was waiting for them at school but at that moment, they were happy and it was okay.