Chapter 22
Apparently they were not even in their senior year that they already didn't understand anything. They were worried about what it would really be like to face senior year if sixth grade was so stuffy.
The few breaks they had between classes were used to go over what the teachers had previously explained or to try to catch up on assigned homework. Daisy felt catapulted back to a few months earlier when she studied for exams insistently. There were few times she allowed herself to get far enough away to spend time with Theo, who was also overburdened with homework. But those few hours spent together were the only times she felt truly relaxed.
By now she spent most of her nights in her boyfriend's room, and he often joked to her that they seemed to be getting used to living together with the amount of her stuff he found lying around each day.
But as the weeks went by, all the positivity began to wane. Too many things were happening inside Hogwarts and it seemed that none of them were even remotely nice.
First, as they were returning to school after a day at Hogsmeade, ready to face another load of homework to be done, they heard Katie Bell and another girl screaming at each other. It seemed that Katie was carrying something with her, and when she slipped and grabbed it again, she began to float through the air looking almost peaceful before a horrible scream escaped her mouth, caused by pain. As her body fell to the ground, Hermione ran to call Hagrid for help while the rest of them stayed to guard the aching body lying on the ground.
Ron was almost about to touch the necklace lying on the ground when Harry stopped him, telling him that he was sure it was cursed because he remembered seeing it displayed at Borgin&Burke.
According to her friend, Katie seemed to be under the Imperius curse because she kept telling her in a monotone that she had to deliver the gift to someone special.
A few hints scattered around and Harry was again convinced it was Malfoy, starting off with the usual invective that he only repeated again when they all met together the next evening. He stopped only when Theo promised him that he would investigate, even though everyone knew he would not really do it. He couldn't risk bringing attention to himself.
After that Harry told them about the new memory Dumbledore showed him, which showed a young Tom Riddle inside the orphanage. He told them, horrified, how even as a child he used magic against others in an attempt to frighten them and manipulate them to his liking. He had compared his mind to that of a psychopath.
The principal tried to direct all of Harry's attention to the trophies from his victims that he had been collecting since childhood, not knowing of the connection the student had already made with the Horcruxes.
What was even more horrifying that took place in those days (at least for Daisy) was that she had to necessarily attend the Gryffindor Quidditch team tryouts so that she could support her brother, who had to figure out the best candidates to admit to the team. Fortunately, Ginny and Ron made it onto the team, although the latter received a little help in the form of Hermione using a confundus on his rival.
But the match that took place a few weeks later went unexpectedly well given the horrible way it had started. And he had to admit that, with Luna beside her dressed as a lion, witnessing it was not at all an effort. In fact, she was beginning to enjoy it.
It was only after the celebration that Ron found out that Harry had not put felix felicis in his pumpkin juice that morning and therefore the credit was all his. They had to listen to him strutting around for at least half an hour before forcing him to shut up and telling him to go to sleep.
Following him into the dormitory so as to make sure he was okay after having a few more drinks, the twins decided to stay in the room. They lay down under the blankets, conspiring under them as they used to do as children.
" I had a bit of a crazy idea. " whispered Daisy, explaining how she wanted him to use some "liquid luck" to ask Slughorn what he was hiding from Dumbledore.
" What if it doesn't work? " Harry asked, nervous.
" Name him the key words like memory, Tom Riddle and Horcrux...surely he can't help but tell you everything he knows. " she giggled, thinking how much the professor wished Harry would calculate him.
" Maybe you promise to go to one of those parties and that's it. "
" Only if you come with me. " Harry said, trying to find a compromise. " If I have to suffer, so will you. "
" All right, but do it by Christmas break if you can because I don't think we'll have much time after then. " She revealed the girl, joining their hands and falling asleep in each other's arms.