Chapter 20
The Room of Requirement was decked out to make the people inside as comfortable as possible while Daisy and her brother told each other how their first day of classes had gone. Apparently Harry had found a potions book with interesting annotations inside that frankly Daisy envied even though she found the owner's name a bit ridiculous.
When Harry noticed the necklace and asked her where she had found such a beautiful object, Daisy told him the news. To say he was shocked was the nicest way to describe his reaction. Daisy was convinced that his head was going to explode.
" Sirius is going to kill you. " he announced, ending his long internal reflection. " Indeed, he will kill him and hide the body so well that no one will ever be able to blame him. "
" Tell me something I don't know, please. " she huffed, resigned to the absolutely dramatic reaction Sirius will have when he finds out. " Maybe Remus will calm him down enough to reason with him. "
" You're his favorite, he'll probably scare Theo so much he'll run away. " Harry nodded, smiling while picturing the scene in his mind. Harry adored Theo but it was still fun to imagine him being put in his place by their parents.
" You're supposed to tell me good things! " Daisy scolded him, indignantly. " I knew I should have told Luna about this. "
" By the way... " said Harry, looking at her thoughtfully. " How are you going to deal with our friends? Things are becoming too important not to be told. Ron and Hermione will explode if we say nothing. "
" I talked to Theo and Blaise about it and they agreed to tell the others only if we would also add Astoria and Daphne to the group. They have the same relationship you have with Ron and Hermione. " she said, already wanting to cry about the disaster that was to come.
" Let's not go overboard with these comparisons. " he said, distorting his mouth to the point that it looked like he had a slice of lemon inside.
" Don't be mean. " She stuck her tongue out at him, not taking the idiot in front of her seriously for a second.
" Well and when is this danger to humankind going to happen? And by mankind I mean you and Theo but mostly me. I will be dead once my best friends know what I was hiding from them. " He puffed resignedly at his fate.
" Then they are really shitty friends. " she replied, impassive. " You will still have Cedric, won't you? He's okay with the whole thing. "
" Cedric is the nicest person there is. He would never have told you that you're crazy. " Harry said, pointing out that she had not answered his question.
" We thought we'd do it today so we could chase the thought away. " the girl admitted, biting her lip. She thought it was better not to say the way they had arranged to have everyone meet otherwise her brother would try to escape.
" Merlin, it will be bloodshed and it's only the second day of school. " commented the twin, completely traumatized at the idea of having to attend such a meeting.
" It can't be that bad. " said Daisy, ignoring the look of pure horror her brother gave her once the words were spoken. According to him, that sentence was the harbinger of trouble.
And of course he was right because a few minutes later they found themselves stuck in a room so quiet that she swore she could hear the sound of Harry swallowing.
" Okay, what are we doing here? This is a rather unexpected group. " commented Daphne, breaking the silence. She did not seem nervous about the situation, just curious. She didn't look around in disgust so Daisy took it as a good start. She looked absolutely lovely as she introduced her and her sister to the others, totally ignoring the cold atmosphere of the room.
" I am Luna Lovegood. " nodded the Ravenclaw, smiling happily at everyone. " So are you going to say everything today? I thought it would happen at least next month. "
" Can someone explain what's going on? " Hermione asked, impatiently.
" How about we all sit down? It's a very long story. " suggested Theo, trying to sound confident and totally failing with all those stares aimed at him.
" Not that long. " said Blaise, bored. " It is you two who are long-winded. "
" Sun Beam, we have omitted important things from you as well. " smiled Daisy, returning the obscene gesture he made to her in response. She had to admit that Blaise's reaction to that horrible nickname was absolutely worth it. She had heard him and Theo call each other the strangest names many times so she decided to join in.
When everyone took their seats, Daisy began with the explanation. Assisted by Luna, Harry and Theo managed to formulate a timeline of events so clear that it was impossible to be misunderstood. They told them how they had met, how long they had been together, and why it was important that no one but the people in that room knew about it.
" So you are the one who made our Theo more docile. " Astoria said, delighted. " We wondered why he was so relaxed lately. "
" Docile as a little dog. " snorted Blaise, hiding his laughter behind his hand.
" Take it back now. " Theo said, pointing a finger at her.
" Not a chance. He's right. " Astoria replied, raising her chin in clear defiance. Thus began a long staring contest that was promptly interrupted by Daphne, who put them back in their places, stating that they would continue all day otherwise.
" Now can we get to the important part? " Harry asked, rolling his eyes at the scene in front of him.
" Our love is the most important part. " replied Theo, outraged.
" Why not tell us anything? " Hermione asked, slightly hurt.
" Because until a few months ago I didn't know how you would react to all this. " admitted Daisy, apologizing to all of them. " We couldn't risk a single rumor reaching anyone. "
" She means my father. " said Theo embarrassedly, describing him as a real jerk who could surpass even Draco's father.
" I'd say I'm sorry. " nodded Ginny, remembering with a grimace Mr. Malfoy and what he had caused her during her second year.
The only one who had not said a single word since the conversation began was Ron, who watched them with a rigid jaw and flushed face. He looked ready to explode but, surprisingly, not from anger.
" You broke your father-in-law's wand. " said Ron, beginning to laugh maniacally.
" And I put an Bat-Bogey Hex on him. " commented Ginny, later joining her brother.
" You did what? " stammered Astoria, shocked.
" Don't remind me. " said Theo, looking at his girlfriend completely in love.
" At least I will no longer be the only one suffering as I watch this rubbish. " commented Blaise, looking at his friend completely embarrassed for him.
" They love each other so much that they will be able to overcome all the bad things that will happen. " hummed Luna, shushing everyone.
" What bad things, honey? " Ginny asked, running a hand through her hair reassuringly.
" I don't know, I'm sorry. " admitted the Ravenclaw, discouraged.
" Don't worry about it. " said Theo softly, surprising most of the people in the room. " What? It's not like it's her fault. At least we have notice that something will happen. "
" Do you believe her? " Ron asked, confused.
" Luna knows many things. " was the only answer the Slytherin gave. " So we should talk about the most complicated part of all this. "
" Is there anything more complicated than this? " Neville asked, pointing around the room.
After Daisy explained what the Horcruxes were and what they were doing to destroy them, the poor boy regretted asking the question.
" Maybe Dumbledore doesn't know. " said Hermione, trying to be optimistic.
" The principal has totally known since second year. " said Harry.
" Have I been possessed by a Horcrux? " shouted Ginny, horrified while communicating her sudden urge to vomit.
" Please don't or I'll follow right behind you. " whispered Astoria.
" So you want us to fight? " Daphne asked, frightened.
" No, it is not something she is interested in. " Blaise reassured her, telling her that otherwise he would not take them with him to listen to any of it.
" No? " echoed Hermione, completely confused.
" Everyone is free to make their own choices, all we want is that the people we care about stay safe. " explained Theo.
" I would not join Dumbledore but perhaps I could join you. " announced Daphne, shocking her own boyfriend. " I like Daisy's character. She seems ready to set the whole world on fire to protect her own and I would love to be on the side of someone who really cares about my life. "
" But I'm not the leader. " stammered the girl, vehemently denying even as her brother looked at her as if she were an idiot.
" Are we both? " Harry then proposed, knowing that this was how she would accept. His twin really hated being in the spotlight even though most of the time she ended up there because of her protective nature and short temper.
" I propose a coup. " Hermione said, proposing to storm an order meeting so that the adults would pay the attention they deserved.
" Good luck facing my mother. " snorted Ron, amused at the mere idea. " But it might be a good idea otherwise we'll never know what happens. "
" We already have someone on the inside. " admitted Harry, embarrassed.
" Cedric? " smiled Neville, knowing.
" And the second best twins. " answered Daisy instinctively, ignoring the amusement showing in the eyes of everyone.
" Please, tell me they heard you calling them that. " said Ginny hopefully.
" We had a long and animated discussion about it. " nodded Harry, seripusly. " Anyway, the plan is still the same: research and figure out how to get to the cursed objects before Voldemort realizes what's going on. "
" Do they have to be objects or also living things? " Ron asked, thoughtfully.
" It is not recommended but it might be possible. " answered Theo, looking at the boy with vague interest.
" I think the snake that attacked my father may be one of them. " nodded Ron, expounding his theory to everyone. According to him, Voldemort could communicate with the animal because they were connected.
" And it is also an obvious reason to keep him by his side at all times. " Harry said, telling them about how the twins long ago had mentioned that they had heard several members of the order notice this unusual thing. Why have a huge poisonous snake if you can't use it?
" Ronald, that was really clever. " Hermione said admiringly. Surely no one expected Ron to be the one to come up with such a thing.
" Say it again without sounding so surprised. " he replied, unnerved. The two thus began a squabble so enormous that it shocked even the four Slytherins.
Daisy and Harry exchanged a glance at each other, simultaneously sighing as another week of fighting unfolded before them. It would have been simpler if the two admitted their feelings or simply kissed, ending all that pining.
" There is no point in complicating life when the only solution to solve the problem is Harry. And best wishes for the engagement! " nodded Luna, wishing everyone a good night and walking away, dragging a shocked Ginny with her.
" Did she just tell me that I have to take care of this myself? " Harry asked, suddenly terrified.
" I think she meant something else. " Blaise said, looking with interest at the place previously occupied by Luna. " Perhaps you should pay close attention to what you will be told by Dumbledore from now on. If you were right in thinking that he wanted Professor Slughorn here for a reason, he will certainly want your help. "
" And back to that horrible Slughorn. " Daisy said disconsolately.
" I don't think it will be so bad. " tried Theo.
" Do you want to bet? " she retorted, raising an eyebrow in his direction.
" Can we talk about the fucking wedding part? " Ron asked, reaching almost an octave with his hysterical scream.
" I asked her to marry me. " said Theo blandly, ignoring the excited squeals of his two girl friends.
" You didn't ask me at all. " she corrected him.
" Did you hide the ring with any charms? " Neville asked, after congratulating them both.
" Necklace. " she smiled, carefully displaying it after pulling it out from under the sweater she was wearing. And smiling sincerely at Hermione, who hugged her while congratulating her on the great news. She was absolutely worried it was too soon to be thinking about such a big thing but she would never tell, sure she had weighed the pros and cons.
" Theodore Nott! " shouted Astoria, indignant.
" What? Don't be fooled, she totally adores it and would have told me no if I even tried to kneel with a tacky ring. " snorted the Slytherin, smirking when Daisy admitted he was right.
" Was it even romantic? " Blaise asked, shocked by the discovery.
" It was perfect. " she blushed, her mind going back to the previous night.
" You didn't tell me! " said Harry, shocked while realizing what his twin was thinking about.
" I didn't have the time. " she defended herself, blushing even more while urging him to keep quiet.
" Do you tell each other everything? " Theo said in horror, shouting that they needed stakes on some topics.
" Mind your own business, they will eat you alive. " advised Ron, having been in his place a few months earlier.
" She will probably sleep in the dormitory with us tonight, she often does when they are upset. " commented Neville, not at all fazed by the addition of a girl in their dormitory.
" Okay, never mind. " he said, still not quite sure how to take this turn of events.
" They have a strange relationship but they are really cute. " commented Hermione, blushing when Harry remarked that they were in the room with them.
" Do you think we're really weird? " Daisy asked her brother, ignoring the snorts of the teens in the room.
" They are the weird ones. " commented Harry, without the slightest hesitation. " Sirius and Remus are not complaining so it's okay. "
" You're right. " she nodded, blanching when she remembered their godparents. " They will kill me so much. "
" I could propose to Cedric to keep you company. " Harry offered, ignoring the judgmental looks of the others.
" He's joking guys. They're not at this level. " snorted Hermione, amused.
" But I could ask Fred and George to set something on fire so it would distract them enough for you to escape. " Harry said, trying to make her smile.
" We've gone completely off topic. " commented Astoria confusedly.
" Welcome to the asylum. " sighed Neville.