Daisy Potter and the Fallen Angel (Book 7, Harry Potter ff)

Chapter 23 - Tesco and Wet Dreams

Over the next few days, I was confined to George's lower bunk while he took mine and Fred's upper one. The pain in my side only subsided somewhat; the wound still stretched across my right side, and we had to keep it firmly wrapped in bandages or else it started bleeding again.

"It was fucking wild, though." Terry said one day as I practised walking in front of the bed, holding onto Fred. "I never knew that Horcruxes could fight back. Then I remembered, of course, the diary - Tom Riddle had tried to sap the life force out of you and actually tried to cast the Killing Curse on you with Harry's wand!"

I shivered as I remembered why Riddle became my Boggart in the first place. The way he'd charmed his way into my trust, into my life... his effortlessly handsome looks... the way he so easily set the Basilisk on my brother and friends, while he tried to usurp my powers from me... the fact that he was so frightening, so sadistic, yet so alluringly attractive... I really stood no chance against him, it was a miracle I survived.

Sometimes I still feel as if I don't stand a chance against him.

I tried to turn on my heel, and nearly toppled over. Fred caught me, steadying me again. Terry, George, and Lee sat on George's bed, watching.

"So I'm surprised the locket didn't fight back, beyond screaming." Terry mused. "Unless... there's something you guys aren't telling us?"

I choked on air; I angled my face to look up at Fred, who had gone pale.

"Nothing happened!" I said quickly, cringing at how unconvincing I sounded.

"It's okay, baby." Fred said, tightening his grip on me and turning to the other three. "They have a right to know, especially if everyone saw you go loco over the cup."

"It fought back." George said, but it was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah." Fred said. He took a deep breath. "It - it manifested into Softpaw and Riddle somehow, they looked like ghosts or something. They taunted me... and preyed on my insecurities..."

My boyfriend looked down at his feet. I stopped attempting to walk, turning to him and caressing his arm reassuringly.

"Then they kissed... and I destroyed it." Fred looked back up. The three boys' jaws had dropped; Terry nodded impressively.

"I would've done the same if I'd seen that." My best friend stated, and I giggled.

And soon it was time for my daily Boggart and dosage of love potion. I sat on the bed as Terry crouched beside the briefcase, fiddling with the buckles. The twins were on either side of me, ready to hold me back in case things got frisky. Lee was hovering at the entrance to the tent, keeping lookout.

I held the Amortentia in front of my face, letting the powerful fumes sweep over me. Firewhiskey, candyfloss, gunpowder and marshmallows... I was still afraid after all this time, I wasn't sure that I was ever going to get used to it.

"It's also interesting," Terry was saying, "how you didn't die when you were unconscious. You should've, according to the Unbreakable Vow, as obviously we couldn't dose you and make you look at the Boggart in order to love Riddle every day. Which makes me think that maybe it doesn't work if you're incapacitated the whole day."

"Yeah, you don't know how panicked I was the first day." Fred said with half a laugh.

"You should've seen him." George said, grinning. "Was proper shitting himself the whole day, pacing up and down, he wore a line in the floor over there, look."

And with the love potion unwillingly drained, Terry unclasped the briefcase. Out stepped Tom Riddle, in all his handsome glory, and I felt myself straining against the boys to get to him. I loved him, I loved him so much...