The next few days were a blur. Floppy denied everything that had happened, saying that he had no part in the Portkey and that we were all just transported to a random field in the middle of nowhere and that a hobo had murdered Amy. 

Classy. 

Dumbledore, of course, had no proof to the contrary, other than Amy having been obviously murdered by a wizard, and so we could do nothing about Floppy. Fudge also denied everything that Dumbledore told him after meeting in the hospital wing, saying that Voldemort couldn't possibly be back and that it was preposterous to suggest otherwise. 

At this point, I had sat up from my bed and yelled, "YOU OBNOXIOUS, PRETENTIOUS FUCKING TWAT!" And Mrs Weasley and Bill had to hold me back on the bed and subdue me, Fred, George, and Terry all looking at me with impressed half-grins emerging on their pale faces. 

After Dumbledore sent Fudge away in disappointment, he told Sirius to transform back into himself and introduced him to Mrs Weasley, who had to be reassured for a good while that he wasn't a serial killer who had escaped Azkaban to kill me and Harry. Dumbledore also forced Snape and Sirius to shake hands and form a truce, and the two begrudgingly did so, with no hatred lost in each other's eyes. 

The meeting with the Rolfings that took place the following morning was the worst feeling I'd ever had. They did not blame me for what had happened; on the contrary, both thanked me for returning Amy's body to them. Mr Rolfing sobbed through most of the interview. Mrs Rolfing's grief seemed to be beyond tears. 

"She suffered very little, then." She said, when I had told her how Amy had died. "And after all, Curtis... she died just when the whole school were celebrating. She must have been happy." 

When they had got to their feet, she looked down at me and said, "You look after yourself, now, Daisy." 

"You too, Mrs Rolfing." I looked down into my lap. 

In that moment, I didn't feel like the legendary, popular, class clown Daisy Potter. I felt like someone meek and sad and quiet. 

~~~ 

I returned to Gryffindor Tower the following evening. From what the twins and Terry told me, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave me alone, that nobody ask me questions or badger me to tell the story of what had happened at the manor. 

For the most part, everyone was obeying his request. People were leaving me alone, giving me space, giving me sympathetic looks and murmurs as I passed them in the hallways. Bunches of flowers and little notes were piled up outside the door to my dormitory, I discovered, as Fred and George led me up. 

"That's so nice." I sniffled as I picked some up, sniffing some tulips and examining a teddy bear. 

"Do you need to be alone, Softpaw?" Fred asked softly. 

I hesitated, looking between them. They didn't look judgemental or annoyed at all, not like I was an inconvenience who was forcing them out of their dorm or to perform emotional labour. For that, I was so very grateful. 

"Yeah, maybe just an hour or so." I said tentatively. And, no questions asked, the twins both hugged me tightly, turned, and walked back down the spiral staircase to the common room. 

I collapsed onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling. But that was boring, and my bad thoughts were starting to creep back in, so I turned to my side. I gazed at the Evermore Roses, in their empty glass vase on my bedside table. They glittered and shimmered, their scent so much stronger than the flowers outside. 

I wished Kylie was here. She could put her perfect lips on mine and make me forget about all this. Her blindingly handsome smile could charm and woo me back into the girl I was before the Portkey. 

I sighed, turning to the glass dragon Draco gave me for Christmas in first year. It reflected in the light of the lamp on the other side of my bed, and moving images were cast onto the wall. 

Dudley and I chowing down on hot dogs together on the lawns. 

Harry and I racing to the top of the Great Hall together as we were called to be Triwizard champions, high-fiving and laughing. 

Cedric and I laughing outside his Charms class, punching each other's shoulders jokingly. 

Ron and I playing wizard chess intently while Hermione watched, giggling. 

Terry and I walking the corridors at night, chatting, carefree. 

Fred and George throwing their arms around me as we all laughed, the Marauder's Map in front of us. 

My fourth year class joking around with the list in DADA, pissing ourselves laughing. 

Harry and I winning the Triwizard Cup, lifting it high above our heads. 

Kylie kissing me full on the mouth at the third task. 

The Insurgents laughing as we pranked the Beauxbatons students. 

Draco and I hanging out on a windowsill as we skipped class together. 

Amy, Suzanne, Shannon, and I giggling as we stuffed our faces with sweets in the Shrieking Shack. 

Amy and I as we hung out in the library, sniggering and doodling naughty things on each other's arms. 

Amy as I landed on top of her on the pillows I was practising on, shrieking and giggling. 

Amy, hugging me hard before the third task. 

I blinked, the tears slipping down my cheeks and dripping onto my pillow, dampening it. 

Fuck. I miss her. She was my friend, and even if we weren't the closest this year, I still loved her like a sister. I miss her so much. 

I cried my heart out into my pillow for who knows how long, until I was all dried out and I could cry no more. I coughed, my eyes red and puffy, wiped my face best I could, and headed back down to the common room to distract myself with the Weasley twins. 

~~~

When we entered the Hall on the last night of school, I saw at once that the usual decorations were missing. The Great Hall was normally decorated with the winning house's colours for the Leaving Feast. Tonight, however, there were black drapes on the wall behind the teachers' table. I knew instantly that they were there as a mark of respect for Amy. 

The real Mad-Eye Moody was at the staff table, his wooden leg and his magical eye back in place. He was extremely twitchy, jumping every time someone spoke to him. I couldn't blame him; his fear of attack was bound to have been increased by his ten-month imprisonment in his own trunk. 

Dumbledore stood up at the staff table. The Great Hall, which in any case had been less noisy than it usually was at the Leaving Feast, became very quiet. 

"The end," said Dumbledore, looking around at us all, "of another year." 

He paused, and his eyes fell upon the Ravenclaw table. Theirs had been the most subdued table before he had got to his feet, and theirs were still the saddest and palest faces in the Hall. 

I glanced to my side. All of my friends from other houses had sneaked across to the Gryffindor table to be with me, and Suzanne and Shannon were next to me, both with tears in their eyes. We all huddled together, holding hands, my heart stinging. We were Amy's best friends, and though we had grown apart a little this year, we were all still very close, and we loved each other. 

I looked across the table. Terry also looked miserable. He also knew Amy well, as they were in the same house. 

"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight." Dumbledore said. "But I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here -" he gestured towards the Ravenclaws - "enjoying our Feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Amy Rolfing." 

We did it, all of us; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stood, and raised our goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, "Amy Rolfing." 

Tears were pouring silently down my face. I noticed that George, on the other side of me, also had tears in his eyes. I'd never seen him like this before, and I knew within an instant why he was reacting like this. He liked Amy. 

I reached out and took his hand in my free hand as we all sat down again. I squeezed it, and he squeezed back, biting his lip, seemingly to stop the tears from leaking out of his eyes. 

"Amy was a person who exemplified many of the qualities which distinguish Ravenclaw house." Dumbledore continued. "She was smart and creative, witty, and a wise friend. Her death has affected you all, whether you knew her well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about." 

I raised my head, and stared at Dumbledore. 

"Amy Rolfing was murdered by Lord Voldemort." 

A panicked whisper swept the Great Hall. People were staring at Dumbledore in disbelief, in horror. He looked perfectly calm as he watched them mutter themselves into silence. 

"The Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore continued, "does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so - either because they will not believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Amy died as the result of an accident, or some sort of blunder of her own, is an insult to her memory." 

Stunned and frightened, every face in the Hall was turned towards Dumbledore now... or almost every face. Over at the Slytherin table, I saw Floppy muttering something to the Three Douchebags. I felt a hot, sick swoop of anger in my stomach. What a fucking loser. I forced myself to look back at Dumbledore. 

"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Amy's death." Dumbledore went on. "I am talking, of course, about Daisy Potter." 

A kind of ripple crossed the Great Hall, as heads turned in my direction before flicking back to face Dumbledore. 

"Daisy and Harry Potter, Fred and George Weasley, Terry Boot, and Cedric Diggory managed to escape Lord Voldemort." Dumbledore said. "Harry Potter risked his own life to save his sister, and Daisy Potter risked her own life to protect her brother and her friends. She risked her own life to return Amy's body to Hogwarts. She showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few witches have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honour her." 

Dumbledore turned gravely to me, and raised his goblet once more. Everyone in the Great Hall followed suit. They murmured my name, as they had murmured Amy's, and drank to me. But, through a gap in the standing figures, I saw that Floppy and the Three Douchebags had remained defiantly in their seats, their goblets untouched. Dumbledore, who after all possessed no magical eye, did not see them. 

Pansy, however, stood up defiantly next to them, and held her goblet out to me, taking a sip as our eyes connected. She maintained eye contact with me for what felt like eternity, her pretty brown eyes telling me that she believed me and trusted me one hundred percent. I felt a rush of relief flow through me. 

Why does her opinion of me matter to me so much? 

When everyone had once again resumed their seats, Dumbledore continued, "The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further and promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened - of Lord Voldemort's return - such ties are more important than ever before." 

Dumbledore looked from Madame Maxime and Hagrid, to Fleur and her fellow Beauxbatons students, to Viktor and the Durmstrangs at the Slytherin table. Viktor, I saw, looked wary, almost frightened, as though he expected Dumbledore to say something harsh. 

"Every guest in this Hall," Dumbledore said, and his eyes lingered upon the Durmstrang students, "will be welcomed back here, at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again - in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. 

"Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open. 

"It is my belief - and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken - that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you, in this Hall, have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst. 

"Remember Amy. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right, and what is easy, remember what happened to a girl who was good, and kind, and brave, because she strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Amy Rolfing." 

~~~ 

It was the hour before everyone was meeting in the Entrance Hall for the carriages. Fred, George, and Lee had taken a break from packing to hang out in the fourth-year boys' dormitory, though I knew it was really to give me some more alone time. They were getting more considerate as the years went on. Maybe this is the result of teenage boys maturing. Hopefully. 

I was tired of crying into my pillow after ten minutes, so I pulled the silver half-heart necklace Draco had given me for my birthday just last summer, out of my robe pocket. I still wore it, even though Draco and I weren't together anymore. He was still my friend, and, yes - you guessed it - I loved him. 

I took a deep breath, and held it in my fist. 'Draco, you there?' I thought. 

There was a minute's silence. 

Great. He didn't still wear it. Of course he didn't, we'd broken up. 

But miraculously, eventually, he answered. 

'Yeah, I'm here. Are you okay, Daisy-flower?' 

My heart warmed. He still called me that. It was times like these that I truly appreciated my friends and was reminded how lucky I was. 

'Eh, I dunno. Just cried my eyes out for like half an hour, lol.' 

'Oh, that's rough. I hope you feel better soon. You really don't deserve to feel like this. None of this was your fault.' 

'It's pretty much all my fault, but okay, Dragon.' 

'It's not. Seriously. If you want to feel better, look at Facebook.' 

'Huh?'

'I'm not joking. Open Facebook.' 

I unplugged my phone from charge, and opened up Facebook. I scrolled down my feed, my mouth dropping. 

Woah. 

Fred Weasley: #ibelievedaisypotter

455 likes

George Weasley: #ibelievedaisypotter

455 likes 

Terry Boot: #ibelievedaisypotter

434 likes

Colin Creevey: #ibelievedaisypotter

327 likes

Katie Bell: #ibelievedaisypotter

299 likes 

Angelina Johnson: #ibelievedaisypotter

367 likes

Anthony Goldstein: #ibelievedaisypotter

233 likes 

Ernie Macmillan: #ibelievedaisypotter

246 likes 

Cedric Diggory: #ibelievedaisypotter

398 likes 

Pansy Parkinson: #ibelievedaisypotter

301 likes

Penelope Clearwater: #ibelievedaisypotter

231 likes

Hannah Abbott: #ibelievedaisypotter

211 likes 

Minerva McGonagall: #ibelievedaisypotter

509 likes 

Felix Malfoy: daisy potter is clearly mental and a freak!! nothing happned in that field. youknowwho was not their or anything. shes a compulsive liar!! dont trust her you fuckin cretins lmao 

2 likes 

890 dislikes 

112 replies:

- Harry Potter: shut the fuck up about my sister or I'll fucking kill you

60 likes 

- Fred Weasley: the only cretins here are your parents who dared to bring your pasty, knobslobbering excuse of an existence into this world. 

171 likes

- Lee Jordan: you're one to talk, Malfoy 

52 likes

- Neville Longbottom: I trust her, and so does the entire rest of the school, so shut your uneducated mouth. 

49 likes

- Pansy Parkinson: Sad excuse for a Slytherin 

97 likes

- Suzanne Wanders: pathetic 

43 likes 

- Minerva McGonagall: I would like to ask you to please not spread such nonsense on the Internet, Malfoy, and to please use spelling and grammar at all times. There is no need to embarrass Hogwarts' teaching skills like this. 

256 likes 

I couldn't believe it. The level of support pouring out for me from the school was staggering. And there was MORE roasting of Floppy in his comments sections the further down I scrolled. This made me happier than I'd been in days. They believe me. 

'Dragon... thank you.' I thought, tears forming in my eyes again. 

'Anytime, Daisy-flower. I mean it.'

Eventually, my trunk was packed; Snidget was back in her cage on top of it. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Cedric, the Insurgents, and I were waiting in the crowded Entrance Hall for the carriages that would take us back to Hogsmeade station. It was another beautiful summer's day. I supposed that Privet Drive would be hot and leafy, its flowerbeds a riot of colour, when Harry and I arrived there that evening. The thought comforted me a little. I was looking forward to seeing Dudley and my Muggle friends again, even though I had just seen my cousin a few days ago. 

"Daizzy! 'Arry!" 

Harry and I looked around. Fleur was hurrying up the stone steps into the castle. Beyond her, far across the grounds, I could see Hagrid helping Madame Maxime to back two of the giant horses into their harness. The Beauxbatons carriage was about to take off. 

"We will see each uzzer again, I 'ope." Fleur said as she reached us, holding out her hand. "I am 'oping to get a job 'ere, to improve my Eenglish." 

"It's very good already." I said, in a strangled sort of voice. Fleur smiled at me, a beautiful, radiant smile; Fred and Hermione scowled as Terry, George, and Cedric cracked up behind me. 

"Thanks, Daizzy! Goodbye." Fleur said, turning to go. "It 'az been a pleasure meeting you!" 

My spirits couldn't help but lift slightly, as I watched Fleur hurry back across the lawns to Madame Maxime, her silvery hair rippling in the sunlight. 

"I'm sure it has been." George muttered behind me, and Terry snorted, making moaning noises. I turned and whacked the two snickering boys with Hermione's book, Fred finally cracking a grin beside me. Cedric, too, grinned, shaking his head at us as he returned his gaze to his phone, scrolling through his timeline. 

"Wonder how the Durmstrang students are getting back?" Ron said. 

"D'you reckon they can steer that Titanic without Karkaroff?" Fred pondered as he turned to stare at the ship. I rolled my eyes. How does that boy not know what the Titanic looked like? 

Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang, had fled after feeling the Dark Mark on his arm on that fateful night. He had not returned. 

"Karkaroff did not steer." A gruff voice said. "He stayed in his cabin and let us do the vork." Viktor had come to say goodbye to Hermione. "Could I have a vord?" He asked her. 

"Oh... yes... alright." Hermione said, looking slightly flustered, and followed Viktor through the crowd and out of sight. 

"You'd better hurry up!" Ron called loudly after her. "The carriages'll be here in a minute!" 

He let the rest of us keep watch for the carriages, however, and spent the next few minutes craning his neck over the crowd to try and see what Viktor and Hermione might be up to, all the while the twins, Terry, and I teased him about his jealousy. 

They returned quite soon. Ron stared at Hermione, but her face was impassive. 

"I like you, Diggory." Viktor was saying to Cedric, who looked to be restraining a grin. "You vere alvays polite to me. Even though I was from Durmstrang - with Karkaroff." He added, scowling. 

"Damn, that boy really hates Karkar-rimjob." I said to the twins, Terry, and Cedric, and the four boys fell about laughing. 

"Have you got a new Headmaster yet?" Harry said. 

Viktor shrugged. He held out his hand as Fleur had done, shook Harry's hand, mine, and then Cedric's. 

Ron looked as though he was suffering some sort of painful internal struggle. Viktor had already started walking away when Ron burst out, "Can I have your autograph?" 

The Insurgents and I erupted into laughter once again as Viktor, looking surprised, but gratified, signed a fragment of parchment for Ron. 

~~~ 

Me, Harry, Fred, George, Terry, Draco, Cedric, Ron, and Hermione had managed to get a compartment to ourselves on the journey back to King's Cross. Pigwidgeon was hidden under Ron's dress robes to stop him hooting continually; Hedwig and Snidget were dozing, their heads under their wings; Banter, my baby snake, was sleeping in my pocket, and Crookshanks was curled up in a spare seat like a large, furry ginger cushion. We talked more fully and freely than we had done all week, as the train sped us southwards. I felt as though Dumbledore's speech at the Leaving Feast had unblocked me, somehow. It was less painful to discuss what had happened now. We broke off our conversation about what action Dumbledore might be taking even now to stop Riddle, only when the lunch trolley arrived. 

After about a half hour of chatting and eating, the door of the compartment slid open. 

"Hello, Weakling." Floppy said. 

The Three Douchebags were standing behind him. All four of them looked more pleased with themselves, more arrogant and more menacing, than I had ever seen them. 

"So." Floppy said slowly, advancing slightly into the compartment, and looking around at us, a smirk quivering on his lips. "Weakling and her wanker brother are Dumbledore's favourite boy and girl again. And Weakling has managed to convince the student population that the Dark Lord is back. Big deal." 

His smirk widened. Will Ash and Greg Spieler leered. The Insurgents were frozen, mouths dropped wide open in shock as to how the dickhead could stoop this low. 

"Trying not to think about it, are we?" Floppy said softly, looking around at all nine of us. "Trying to pretend it hasn't happened?" 

"Get out." I said.

I had not been near Floppy since I had watched him muttering to the Three Douchebags during Dumbledore's speech about Amy. I could feel a kind of ringing in my ears. My hand gripped my wand under my robes. 

"You've picked the losing side, Weakling! I warned you! I told you you ought to join us! The Dark Lord has been urging you too, in your mind, I know he has!" He smirked evilly. "Too late now, Weakling! You'll be the first to go once we've gotten all we need from you! Well - second - Rolfing was the f-" 

It was as though someone had exploded a box of fireworks within the compartment. Blinded by the blaze of the spells that had blasted from every direction, deafened by a series of bangs, I blinked, and looked down at the floor. 

Floppy, Ash, Spieler, and Tim Rudd were all lying unconscious in the doorway. Everyone inside the compartment was on our feet, all of us having used a different hex. 

"Interesting effect." George said, looking down at Ash. "Who used the Furnunculus curse?" 

"Me." I said, a small grin working its way back onto my face. 

"Odd." George said lightly. "I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed. He seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face. Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the decor." 

Fred, George, Terry, and I kicked, rolled, and pushed the unconscious Floppy, Ash, Spieler, and Rudd - each of whom looked distinctly for the worse for the jumble of jinxes with which they had been hit - out into the corridor, making sure to step and tread on them as we did so, then came back into the compartment and rolled the door shut. 

"Exploding Snap, anyone?" Fred said, pulling out a pack of cards. 

We were halfway through our fifth game when Harry decided to ask us. 

"You going to tell us, then?" He said to me. "Who you guys were blackmailing?" 

"Oh." Terry said darkly. "THAT." 

"It doesn't matter." I shook my head, grinning. "It's all dealt with now." 

But Harry, Ron, and Hermione kept on asking, while Draco and Cedric watched with bemused faces, and finally Fred said, "Alright, alright, if you really want to know... it was Ludo Bagman." 

"Bagman?" Harry said sharply. "Are you saying he was involved in -" 

"Nah." George said gloomily. "Nothing like that. Stupid git. He wouldn't have the brains." 

"Well, what, then?" Ron said. 

Fred hesitated, then said, "You remember that bet Softpaw, Hopper, Bushy and I had with him, at the Quidditch World Cup? About how Ireland would win, but Krum would get the Snitch?" 

"Yeah." Harry and Ron said slowly. 

"Well, the wee wanker paid us in leprechaun gold he'd caught from the Irish mascots." I said. 

"So?" 

"So," said Fred impatiently, "it vanished, didn't it? By next morning, it had gone!" 

"But - but it must have been an accident, mustn't it?" Hermione said. 

George and Terry laughed very bitterly. 

"Yeah, that's what we thought at first." Terry said, examining his fingernails. "We thought if we just wrote to the fucker, and told him he'd fucked up, he'd cough up." 

"But nothing doing." I said. "Ignored our letter. We kept trying to talk to him about it at Hogwarts, but he was always making some shitty excuse to get away from us." 

"In the end, he turned pretty nasty." Fred said. "Told Softpaw we were too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving us anything. Called her 'sweetheart' and everything." He added, gritting his teeth. 

"So Softpaw asked for our money back." George said, glowering. 

"He didn't refuse!" Draco gasped. 

"Right in one." Fred said. 

"But that was all your savings!" Ron said. 

"Tell me about it." George said. 

"'Course, we found out what was going on in the end." Terry said. 

"Lee Jordan's dad had had a bit of trouble getting money off Bagman as well." I explained. "He was in big trouble with the goblins. But he eventually paid us back." 

"How?" Harry said. 

"He put a bet on you, mate." Fred said. "Put a big bet on you and Softpaw to win the Tournament. Bet against the goblins." 

"He was right not to bet on me, that's for sure." Cedric laughed. 

"Aww, Ced! Don't be hard on yourself!" I reached over and patted his shoulder harshly, grinning. He grinned back at me. 

George started dealing out the cards again just as Suzanne and Shannon walked past the compartment doors, stepping gingerly over Floppy and the Three Douchebags' unconscious bodies. The sight of them without Amy made my heart pang, and my grin immediately dropped. 

"Hey, Softpaw." Fred, beside me, slid an arm around my shoulders and leaned in. His eyes were soft and concerned, so unlike what they usually were. "You okay?" 

I paused, then nodded, relaxing into him. He was comfortable. He felt like... somewhere safe. 

Terry, on the other side of me, noticed my down face, and threw his arm around my shoulders too, his arm on top of Fred's. George, on the other side of Fred, leant in too and took one of my hands, squeezing it like I did his during Dumbledore's speech about Amy. 

Harry was watching us from the seat opposite mine. He was regarding us thoughtfully. Our eyes connected. 

'You four have something special. You're very close with each other.' Harry sent to me. 

'We are.' I replied. 'We all love each other. I couldn't live without these lads.' 

'All joking aside, I've never seen anyone care for you like this. Other than me, of course.' 

'Hey, I wasn't joking!' I sent furiously, shaking my head at him as he grinned. 'I do seriously love them!' 

'I know, I know. Just joking around. You know me, the twin brother of the class clown - he has to joke around sometimes.'  

'Indeed.' 

'Naturally!' 

We both burst out laughing. Everyone else in the compartment jumped. 

The rest of the journey passed pleasantly enough. I wished it could have gone on all summer. But time will not slow down when you're having fun, and all too soon the Hogwarts Express was slowing down at platform nine and three-quarters. The usual confusion and noise filled the corridors as the students began to disembark. Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Cedric struggled out past Floppy and the Three Douchebags, carrying their trunks. 

Harry, however, stayed put while us Insurgents joked around. "You guys - wait a moment." 

Us four turned. Harry pulled open his trunk, and drew out his share of the Triwizard winnings. 

"Take it." He said, and he thrust the sack into George's hands. 

"What?" Fred said, looking flabbergasted. 

"Take it." Harry repeated firmly. "I don't want it." 

"You're mental." George said, trying to push it back at my brother. 

"No, I'm not." Harry said. "You take it, and get inventing. It's for the joke-shop. I know you guys have your bet money and Daisy's winnings, but you'll need a place of your own for all four of you and a shop premises as well as equipment and materials for inventions." 

"He IS mental." Fred and Terry chorused, in an almost awed voice. 

"Harry, what?" I said. 

"Listen." Harry said firmly. "If you don't take it, I'm throwing it down the drain. I don't need it. But I've seen the way you three look after my sister, and I've never seen anyone else care for her like that." 

The other three fell silent. I could sense Terry and George glancing at Fred out of the corner of my eye, and I smirked to myself. 

"I could do with a few laughs. We could all do with a few laughs. I've got a feeling we're going to need them more than usual before long." Harry said. 

"Harry," said George weakly, weighing the money bag in his hands, "there's got to be a thousand Galleons in here." 

"Yeah." Harry said, grinning. "Think how many Canary Creams that is." 

We all stared at him. 

"Harry, mate..." Terry said, in a voice almost as weak as George's. 

"Just don't tell your mum where you got it, Fred, George..." Harry warned. "Although she might not be so keen for you to join the Ministry anymore, come to think of it..." 

"Voldemort-denying bastards." I muttered under my breath. 

"Harry..." Fred began, but Harry pulled out his wand. I took a step back, raising my hands in mock surrender. 

"Look," my twin said flatly, "take it, or I'll hex you. I know some good ones now. Just do me one favour, okay? Buy Ron some different dress robes, and say they're from you." 

He left the compartment before we could say another word, stepping over Floppy, Ash, Spieler, and Rudd, who were still lying on the floor, covered in hex marks. 

The twins, Terry, and I turned to each other, our mouths dropped open. 

"What the hell?" Terry whispered in shock. 

"Honestly, I love Harry, Softpaw." George said. "I think I might marry him." 

"You're in luck." I said. "I strongly suspect my brother is bi. I swear he has a crush on Draco." 

We all sniggered for a minute, then Terry left with George, telling us that they'll meet us back outside. 

Fred turned towards me. Before I could say anything, his hands were on me, and his mouth was on mine. I melted into the kiss, moving my lips with his slowly, my eyes fluttering shut. Fred's hands held me, not too tight, but tight enough. They moved down my body, slowly, and our tongues met, moving over each other, and Fred was gently pressing me against the compartment door. 

A loud giggle came from down the corridor outside, and we sprang apart. I gazed up at Fred, and he just smirked down at me. 

Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley were waiting beyond the barrier, I saw, when we finally came out. Mrs Weasley was close by them. She hugged me and Harry very tightly when she saw us, and whispered in my ear, "I think Dumbledore will let you come join us later in the summer. Keep in touch, Daisy, Harry." 

"Bye, Daisy!" Hermione said, and she did something she had never done before, and kissed me on the cheek. 

"Harry - thanks." George muttered, while Fred and Terry nodded fervently at his side. 

Harry winked at them. 

"See you sometime, Daisy." Cedric told me as he hugged me. "We'll keep in touch, yeah?" 

"Definitely, Ced." I grinned up at him. Cedric beamed, before heading off to his parents. I watched as he greeted them, his dad throwing an arm around his shoulders as they walked out of the station. 

Suzanne kissed Harry and hugged me, and Shannon hugged me after. I took both of their hands before they left, glancing between each other with a mutual understanding. We were going to maintain our friendship. We wouldn't let this drift apart anymore. After all, any of us could be taken from this world at any time. 

Draco hugged me as he passed us, and snogged Terry momentarily, before hurrying off to his bleach-blonde parents, grinning and waving at us. 

"See you soon, Softpaw." Terry grabbed me and hugged me so tight I thought I might burst. 

"Stay safe, Softpaw." Fred and George chorused, throwing their arms around me and messing my hair up. I laughed in their arms as they grinned down at me. 

But that was easier said than done. 

•••

Hey, guys! Daisy Potter 5, 'Daisy Potter and the Student Rebellion' is posted now! Go check it out! Love you so much xoxo