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

Chapter 33 - Escape For Real This Time

I kept the thought of Fred in my head like a glowing talisman as I pushed open the door and crept down the hall. His grinning face, the cheeky twinkle in his eyes, his messy red hair, all pushed my determination such that I reached the Entrance Hall with no obstacles.

But the giant double doors had been shut; obviously so, as it seemed to be the middle of the night, and I supposed that Snape wouldn't want a repeat of the Support Daisy Potter party. I took a deep breath, raising my right hand; whiling up the feeling of anger and trapping it in my chest, I harnessed it and felt the power flowing towards my fingertips.

The double doors swung open casually. I felt the breeze from outside hit my face and beamed to myself; that was so easy it was almost laughable. Tom really thought that I wouldn't use my Grace to help me escape? Seriously, what did he think would happen?

I looked around tentatively. It was silent, so quiet that it was a bit unnerving. It was all seeming too easy. Were there not meant to be Slytherins patrolling, or teachers? Why hadn't Tom came back to discover me gone yet?

But there were no running footsteps, no shouts of warning, and I turned back towards the wide-open doors. I descended the steps towards the courtyard, and, with a last furtive glance around, made a break for the bridge. I sprinted along the concrete, the sound of my bare feet slapping the ground echoing faintly, my heart pounding. It seemed to take forever to reach the end of the bridge, and as my feet landed on grass at the end, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Five shadows had been moving towards the bridge but halted just as I did. I backed away slowly, reaching for my Grace inside me, but before I could summon any self defence magic to my hands, one of the figures leaned forward and said in a disbelieving voice, "Softpaw?"

"L-Lumos!" Another said, and a wand-tip lit up. I stared back at the five in a similar fashion of disbelief. George had leaned forward; Terry's wand was lit; Harry's mouth was agape, and Sirius was beaming.

And Fred's eyes were wide and shining in the light, his lips parted. His warm brown eyes were familiar and inviting, and my heart melted.

"Freddie..." I breathed, taking a step forward.

"Princess..." Fred's voice cracked.

A huge swoop of emotion rushed into my chest, and I ran forward, throwing my arms around him. Fred's hands landed on me and his lips enveloped mine, moving against mine passionately. I teetered on my tip-toes, straining to reach him as I hooked my arms around his neck, kissing him as my heart soared.

"I love you, baby..." Fred whispered against my lips. "I've thought about kissing you every day since you've been gone."

A wave of guilt washed over the emotion already in my chest, but I shook it away. I'd deal with what I'd done with Riddle later, when we were all out of danger.

"I love you..." I pecked Fred's lips, "I love you, I love you..."

"Alright, guys, c'mon." Harry's groan made me break away from Fred, blushing slightly.

"Leave them be, they're lovebirds." Sirius told my twin, grinning.

"Aw, don't get jealous, I love you too Harry!" I grinned, reaching out for him. I wrapped my arms tight around him, and my brother hugged back just as hard, burying his face in my shoulder.

"My turn!" Terry collapsed into my arms the second I let go of Harry, squeezing me tight to him. The emotions from hugging my loved ones were making my eyes well up, and I spent a few more comforting moments wrapped in Terry's arms, breathing in his homely scent, then broke free, wiping at my face hurriedly.