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

Chapter 25 - Are you Daisy Potter?

Over the next few days, the atmosphere in the tent was quite awkward. Fred kept looking like he was going to say something to me, but at the last minute changed his mind. I was sort of avoiding him, occasionally looking down at the 'F' scar on my chest and wondering if that red gleam I saw in his eyes momentarily had anything to do with Riddle.

We'd discussed before, in hushed tones outside the tent when me and Fred were on watch and the others were inside, what the red in his eyes meant when he was destroying the locket. We had a theory it was the piece of Riddle's soul inside the locket trying to possess him, in a last desperate attempt to stop him from destroying it. But there had been no Horcrux anywhere near us when Fred and I were having sex. So why did he have that strange scarlet gleam in his eyes?

The other three had also noticed the weird tension between us. George kept going back and forth between us, hanging out with us in turn, but with a permanent concerned look on his face. Terry stayed by my side constantly, worried that something had happened to me, which I constantly reassured him did not. Lee tried to crack jokes to ease the tension, but when those efforts failed, he took his wireless and sat in the corner hosting Potterwatch.

But we really should have been more careful. One day, it all went wrong.

"Look, I'm sorry, Daisy, alright?" Fred raised his voice, and I took a step back, my eyes widening. "Stop tiptoeing around me as if I'm gonna explode and hurt you or something! You ASKED for it!"

"I know that -" I said hurriedly, but Terry butted in, suddenly scowling.

"What did you just say, mate? She asked for it?" He said. "What did she ask for?"

"Yeah." Fred said, panting. "Go on, Daisy. Tell him what you asked for."

I looked nervously in between them. George and Lee were watching us by the entrance to the tent, watch shift forgotten.

"Softpaw..." Terry said in a much gentler tone, turning to me. I shook my head.

"She wanted me to hurt her." Fred said, his eyes flashing. "When I fucked her the other day. She wanted me to - to choke her and cut her... go on then, show them what's on your chest!"

I backed away, shaking my head again. I really didn't want to. I knew it wasn't Fred's fault that it happened, it was me, it was all me...

But a voice whispered from the back of my mind, 'and Riddle...'

"Sweetie, let me see." Terry said, reaching out for the bottom of my jumper. I let him, blinking away the tears forming in my eyes. He lifted it up, his warm brown eyes focusing in between my breasts, and they narrowed, his nose flaring. He dropped my jumper, whirling around to Fred, and snarled, "You - you piece of -"

And before he could finish his furious sentence, he had launched himself at Fred, his wand out. A jet of purple light shot out and hit Fred, who yelped; a second one connected with his chest, and he was thrown back onto the floor, screeching, "Terry, fuckin' stop it, man!"

Terry looked like he had no intention of stopping; his face was twisted in fury and he was advancing upon Fred with his wand raised, shooting hex after hex at him.

I blinked, forcing myself out of my stunned stupor. "Terry!" I ran forward, darting in between my best friend and my boyfriend, my arms stretched out wide. I was reminded forcefully of me defending Hufflepuff's cup from George. "Terry, stop! It's not his fault!"

"Get out of the way, babe." Terry said, his eyes hard and fixed on the boy behind me.

"Terry, please!" I begged. "He wasn't himself! It was - it was Riddle!"