Trigger Warning! Mentions of abuse, child neglect, and starvation in this chapter.

CHAPTER THREE:

THE GREAT ESCAPE

☍︎︎

THE NEXT THREE DAYS WERE SOME OF THE WORST IN DAISY AND HARRY'S LIVES.

Vernon paid a man to install bars on their bedroom window and a cat-flap on the bottom of the door for feeding times.

They were fed in increments of three throughout the day, once in the morning, afternoon and night. They were allowed bathroom times in the evening and morning, separately and for only three minutes at a time.

Daisy leaned her body against her bed, sitting on the floor and hugging the small stuffed dragon she'd managed to hide from her parents upon returning for the summer. It was a gift from Blaise for her birthday, which he'd given to her late on the train. His mother sent it to him later than promised, but it arrived on the last day of owl post before they returned for summer vacation. (He took time wrapping it up in paper he'd "borrowed" from Theo, but had ended up just giving it to her whole, claiming the paper didn't exactly work out.)

She wished she could hug him right now. Or Theo. Or Cedric. Her heart panged, thinking of her older friend. Her first friend in the magical world — would she ever see him again? Would she see any of them again?

She glanced over at Harry, who lay on his bed, staring out the window, a deep frown on his face and a crease between his eyebrows. A cold fury swept within her and she felt very angry, for the first time since Christmas.

How unfair was it to make Harry grow up an abused orphan and then rip away his only chance at happiness? He wasn't safe here — he'd surely starve by the time September 1st rolled around. He'd finally made friends and was burdened with the idea that they hated him,  only to find out that a creepy little house elf decided his "possible impending doom" was worse than the harsh treatment by her family's hand.

No, she didn't think it was very fair.

And how unfair to her as well. To separate her from her family, make her feel isolated and alone. Only to give her a glimmer of hope in friendship and magic — just to take it all away again. She didn't care about some evil impending doom.

Dumbledore could keep Harry safe. And the more magic she learned, the more she could keep Harry safe too. But now she might not ever return back to school. Back to goblins and ghosts and magical feasts — she had to get back to Hogwarts. She had so much to prove, still.

How would it look if she didn't return back? Draco Malfoy would bully anyone he came in contact with and would claim she didn't return because she "didn't belong."

She tightened her grip on the stuffed dragon.

Didn't belong.

Of course she belonged. She belonged to Hogwarts just as much as he, more so in fact. She worked harder and excelled in class just as much as him. She had to show him and every other pureblood supremacist with low opinions of her just how much better she actually was.

Who would stick it to Snape? Her grip tightened again, squeezing the dragon. Lucky it wasn't a real animal — otherwise it would probably be squirming in pain. The only good thing that would come of her being gone is Pansy Parkinson having no one to do all the potions work — perhaps she'd get kicked out for being as unmagical as her pug-faced self actually was.

Or maybe they'd favor her and provide extra lessons. Snape seemed to have a favoritism for Slytherin students that weren't born of muggle parents and she had to earn those lessons. She deserved that, right?

She deserved to have extra lessons and be the best potions student to ever step foot in Hogwarts. Just as much as anyone else. More so, because she knew deep down that she was better than the rest of them. Even Hermione Granger just memorized things — at least for Daisy potions came like second nature. The intimate matter in which potions were made, the absolute discretion and focus she had to put into it — she had to return to Hogwarts. Her sanity depended on it.

The cat-flap rattled and Harry and Daisy looked over, seeing two cans of expired soup sitting against the door. Daisy stood slowly, walking over and grabbing them, tossing one to Harry — who caught it with ease, thanks to his seeker instincts — and peeled back the top of the can.

They were given no spoons but she didn't mind, too hungry to eat. There was a strange texture in her expired clam chowder, possibly mold, but she didn't want to think about it. She swallowed it like juice, letting the cold, chunky soup slip down her throat in a big gulp.

"Here," she handed Harry the other half of the can. "So Hedwig isn't picky, mine's clam chowder."

He grimaced. "Sorry, I was lucky with vegetable."

"I don't need cold veggie soup, thank you though," she smirked. "I'll take moldy clam chowder any day."

He laughed, pouring the soups into Hedwig's cage. She looked down at it, then at Harry and ruffled her feathers.

"It's no good turning your beak up at it — it's all we've got. Daisy even gave you extra, come on, eat up."

Harry walked the empty cans to the door and left them in front of the cat-flap before moving back to his bed and laying down.

Daisy did the same on her own bed, staring at the stuffed animal in her hands, smiling as she thought of Blaise's cold hands and soft expression looking at her as he handed the gift over. She missed Blaise. She missed them all, really.

She missed Theo's hugs and gentle, understanding words. She missed Blaise's snark and 'you're-the-only-people-I-care-about' attitudes towards her and Theo. She especially missed Cedric's laugh and comforting advice to help her through the year. She even missed Cedric's friends; Clara, Sam, and Jenny. Clara always made her laugh and Sam made her feel like family with his dark eyes and wide smile. Even Jenny, who had a major crush on Cedric — or at least, that's what Clara claimed anyway — and her bright-eyed look on life that felt a bit exhausting at times.

She didn't want to spend the rest of her life at the Dursley's trapped in a bedroom that didn't even belong to her. Her heart ached, begging her to return home and spend the rest of her teenage years at Hogwarts with people that made her happy and magic that tingled through her veins.

Harry fell asleep after an hour but Daisy couldn't find it in herself to sleep. She was wide awake, trying to formulate a plan of escape. She wouldn't succumb to this life like Harry — she would find a way for them to get out, she had to.

A pounding at the window startled both Daisy and Hedwig, who sat up in surprise. Outside, two bright lights nearly blinded Daisy. She stood up, reaching over and shaking Harry awake and peering through the lights to make out a bright head of hair.

Was that — it couldn't possibly be — Ron Weasley outside their window?

Harry awoke a moment later, blinking and turning to the window quickly. "Ron?" He asked in surprise. "What're you — how did you —? What the —"

"Ron, if you're here to break us free, I will personally do anything you'd like for a week."

Ron chuckled at Daisy's words. "Thanks Daisy, why're there bars on your window? Are you sharing the same room?"

Daisy shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable. Wanting to change the subject, she asked, "Wait, are you in a flying car? How did — how'd you manage that?"

Two more heads poked out from the vehicle, grinning over at she and Harry.

"All right, Harry? Daisy?" George asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Daisy blinked, happiness swelling inside her. She pushed away the brief of jealousy — her friends hadn't exactly shown up to rescue her — and smiled over at them gratefully.

"What's been going on?" Ron asked Harry, a frown replacing his smile. "Why haven't you been answering my letters? I've asked you to stay about twelve times, and then Dad came home and said you'd both got an official warning for using magic in front of Muggles —"

"It wasn't us — how did he know?" Harry asked.

"He works for the Ministry," Ron said hurriedly, "you know we're not supposed to do spells outside school. Slytherin or not, that applies to everyone."

Daisy scowled, the bubble of happiness bursting at his dig to her house. "Just because I'm Slytherin doesn't make me stupid, Ron. I know we don't use magic outside of school and we didn't. It wasn't us. Besides, we're not the ones using a flying car in the middle of Surrey."

"Oh, this doesn't count," Ron argued, "we're only borrowing this. It's Dad's, we didn't enchant it. But doing magic in front of those muggles you live with — "

"We didn't!" Daisy exclaimed just as Harry started up again.

"I didn't!" He explained to Ron. "But it'll take too long to explain now — look, can you tell them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have locked me up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't magic myself out, because the Ministry'll think that's the second spell I've done in three days, so —"

"Stop gibbering," Ron rolled his eyes playfully. "We've come to take you home with us," he looked to Daisy then, a friendly smile on his face. "Both of you."

"But you can't magic us out either," Harry denied.

"—Oh, Merlin's sake, Harry, let's leg out of here, do we really care how it happens?"

"None of us have to," Ron shrugged. "You forget who I've got with me?" He pointed back to Fred and George.

"Tie that around the bars," Fred tossed a rope to Ron, who complied and knotted it tightly.

"If the Dursley's wake up, we're dead," Harry explained worriedly. Daisy grabbed her stuffed dragon again tightly, making sure she wouldn't forget it. Knowing her family, they'd probably toss it out.

"Don't worry," Fred said, "and stand back."

The car revved louder and louder, making minimal damage on the windows until, suddenly, with a loud crunching noise, the bars were pulled clean off as Fred drove the car straight into the air.

Panting, Ron hoisted the bars into the car while Daisy and Harry exchanged an anxious look. They listened closely but no sound was heard. Would they really get out of this scotch free?

Fred reversed the car to Harry's window and Ron waved at them.

"Get in," He said waving his hand towards them.

Daisy bit her lip, remembering her wand and supplies locked tightly downstairs in Harry's old cupboard.

"Harry, our wands?"

He looked over at her, one foot out the window with an ashen look. "She's right. Our Hogwarts stuff. Our wands, trunks, my broomstick —"

"—Where is it?"

"Locked in the cupboard under the stairs. And we can't get out of this room—"

"—No problem," George cut in, clambering into the room like a housecat, slinking over the windowsill and winking at Daisy. "Have you got a hairpin, love?"

Daisy nodded, grabbing one from the dresser and handing it to him. He grinned as Fred climbed in behind him, both walking to the bedroom door.

"A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick," said Fred, "but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow."

"You're brilliant," Daisy breathed out in awe, feeling a rush of appreciation for the twins.

There was a small click at the door and it opened.

"So — we'll get your trunk — you grab anything you need from your room and hand itout to Ron," George whispered to Daisy. She nodded, sending him a grateful smile.

"Thanks, George. Watch out for the bottom step, it creaks."

He nodded and without another look, Fred and George made their way quietly out of the room and downstairs. Daisy couldn't even hear their footsteps, so different from her father's thundering ones.

Harry began grabbing his clothing and shoes, Hedwig's cage, and anything else he deemed important, handing it to Ron item by item. She grabbed her old school backpack and rolled up the few clothing items she had left and stuffed them into her bag. She grabbed the old roll of toothpaste and her and Harry's toothbrush, stuffing it into the front pocket. She slid on her shoes, not caring that she was still technically in her pajamas, and slipped a few hair ties around her wrist.

She handed the bag to Ron, who took it easily and shoved it into the car atop Harry's items.

While she grabbed any remaining items — her stuffed dragon, a few extra pairs of Harry's socks, her hairbrush, his comb — he headed into the hall to help Fred and George.

"How come yours is so much lighter than his?" George whispered to Daisy, lugging her trunk into the room and handing it off to Ron.

"I actually know how to pack a trunk properly," she grinned, sending her cousin a fond look, "he's got a brain but he's not the best at using it."

George laughed, reaching for Harry's trunk and helping Ron get it into the car.

"A bit more," Fred panted, reaching for Harry's trunk. "One good push —" Daisy and Harry pushed together and Ron, George, and Fred pulled the trunk into the car.

"Okay, let's go," George whispered, reaching a hand out for Daisy. She grabbed it with a friendly smile and legged over the windowsill, climbing into the car. Hedwig decided it was the perfect time to screech and it echoed throughout the room, followed by the booming voice of Vernon Dursley.

"THAT RUDDY OWL! I'LL KILL IT!" He thundered, his footsteps echoing out of the room and into the car. Daisy sank against the seat, grateful she was clear of his view. But Harry wasn't.

"Hedwig!"

Daisy reached out for the cage as Harry passed it into the car and held on tightly, hoping her father's weight made him slower. It didn't.

She couldn't make out anything over Hedwig's cage, but she heard her father's loud, angry groan like a rampaging bull. George muttered 'quickly, quickly now' under his breath and the car lurched forward a bit as they presumably struggled to pull Harry in.

"PETUNIA!" Vernon's voice shouted. "They're getting away! The ruddy brats — they're — THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!"

But Fred and George pulled Harry in a bit further and finally, he was tumbling into the car, crashing into Daisy's body and Hedwig's cage with a loud thump. George clambered in then, climbing over them both to the driver's seat.

"Sorry, Daisy," he grunted, rubbing his back.

"No worries," she smiled down at him and he climbed into the seat next to her, Ron next, who headed to the passenger seat, and Fred on Daisy's other side. Harry slammed the door shut.

"Put your foot down, George!" Ron shouted and the car sped up quickly, heading straight to the moon.

Daisy burst into relieved laughter, feeling her eyes water. Harry rolled down the window and looked down at the Dursley's, waving down at them.

"See you next summer!" He chortled, sharing the laughter with Daisy.

They were free.

"Here," Harry reached over, unclasping Hedwig's cage. "She can fly behind us. Go on, girl."

Hedwig didn't hesitate, flittering from the cage and the car, testing her wings out behind them, hooting in happiness.

Daisy didn't think anything could kill the high she felt right now. Escaping her family with her cousin, being free and safe — she hadn't felt this happy in months. George caught her eye in the rearview mirror and she couldn't stop the smile on her face. He winked.

"Alright there, Daisy?"

"Thank you guys!" She gushed, wiping her eyes. "They were gonna starve us to death, honest."

George's smile fell. "Starve you?"

Before she could answer, Ron turned to Harry from the front seat. Fred squirmed next to Daisy, looking down at her curiously.

"Hang on — what's the story?" Ron asked Harry. "What's been happening?"

Harry and Daisy exchanged a look before launching into the explanation of the summer; Dobby and his pudding mishap, the letters from the ministry — neither of them mentioned Vernon pulling Daisy's hair and dragging her upstairs, she didn't want to bring it up and Harry was kind enough not to — and the loud wailing Dobby made when warning them.

"Sounds fishy," Fred said thoughtfully.

"Definitely dodgy," George agreed. "So he wouldn't even tell you who's supposed to beplotting all this stuff?"

"I don't think he could," Harry explained, "We told you, every time he got close to letting something slip, he started banging his head against the wall."

"It was awful," Daisy shook her head. "Say, you lot haven't got house-elves, have you? You're purebloods."

Fred shook his head. "No, Mum does the cleaning and cooking. We can't, em," he coughed, ears reddening. "We can't really afford one."

Daisy nodded, giving him a comforting smile. "No shame in that," she explained. "I think it's better that way. Putting all that work on a helpless creature," she exchanged a dark look with Harry. "No better than my family forcing us to do everything."

Fred and George exchanged a look.

"Do you think he was lying?" Harry asked, looking around the car.

"Well," Fred cleared his throat, speaking with trepidation, like trying not to startle a rabid dog. "put it this way — house-elves have got powerful magic of their own, but they can't usually use it without their master's permission. I reckon old Dobby was sent to stop you coming back to Hogwarts. Someone's idea of a joke. Can you think of anyone at school with a grudge against you?"

"Yes," Harry and Ron said together.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry explained to Fred and George. Daisy snorted. "He hates me."

"Draco Malfoy?" George turned around. "Not Lucius Malfoy's son?"

"Must be, it's not a very common name is it?" Harry asked.

"I've heard Dad talking about him," Fred spoke up. "He's a big supporter of You-Know-Who."

Daisy laughed hollowly. "Naturally," she said sarcastically. "Theo said the same, his dad is one too, and apparently so are the Parkinson's."

Fred looked at Daisy as though she'd grown two heads. "How do you know all of that?"

"I'm in Slytherin," she said slowly, as though speaking to a child. "My best friends are Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, I'm presuming you've heard of them?" At Fred's nod, she continued. "They explained a lot of the pureblood supremacy to me. It's ridiculous if you ask me but not remotely surprising that Malfoy's stupid family is apart of it."

"You don't like him either?" George glanced back. "What — with your being friends with all of his wannabe followers?"

Feeling uncomfortable for the first time since leaving Privet Drive, Daisy shifted in her seat. "Theo and Blaise do not want to follow him. Blaise's mum is an active feminist, you know that all her husbands have," she smirked, "mysteriously disappeared after leaving a great bout of wealth in her name? And Theo hates his dad, why do you think he's friends with a muggleborn?"

The silence was tense. No one wanted to say anything against Daisy's friends — at least not whilst she was in the car — but she had a feeling they wouldn't mind later. Perks of being a Slytherin in a car full of raging Gryffindors, she supposed.

"When You-Know-Who disappeared," Fred spoke up finally, giving Daisy a cautious look. "Lucius Malfoy came back saying he'd never meant any of it. Load of dung — Dad reckons he was right in You- Know-Who's inner circle."

"He was," Daisy said quietly, though no one paid attention to her. According to Theo, most of His inner circle was still free, with only the most notorious people locked in Azkaban. People like his and Draco's father remained free — which terrified her.

"I don't know whether the Malfoys own a house-elf..."

"Well, whoever owns him will be an old wizarding family, and they'll be rich," Fred glanced down at Daisy again, "like I said, we can't exactly bring one in."

"Mum wishes, though," George spoke up, "always wanting one to do the ironing. But all we've got is a lousy old ghoul in the attic and gnomes all over the garden. House elves come with big old manors and castles and places like that; you wouldn't catch one in our house..."

Daisy smiled to herself. "I think it sounds like a lovely home," she said quietly, meaning it. Growing up with everything prim and proper and neat — she couldn't wait to see a lousy ghoul and gnomes in a garden. Fred looked down at her, grateful but when she met his eye, he looked away.

"I'm glad we came to get you, anyway," said Ron. "I was getting really worried when you didn't answer any of my letters. I thought it was Errol's fault at first—"

"—Wait, whose Errol?" Harry asked.

"Our owl. He's ancient. It wouldn't be the first time he'd collapsed on a delivery. So then I tried to borrow Hermes —"

"Nice name," Daisy commented.

"Who?"

"The owl Mum and Dad bought Percy when he was made prefect," Fred spoke up.

"But Percy wouldn't lend it to me," Ron said glumly. "Said he needed him."

"Percy's been acting odd all summer," George said thoughtfully, "And he has been sending a lot of letters and spending a load of time shut up in his room... I mean, there's only so many times you can polish a prefect badge—"

"—You're driving too far west, George," Fred interrupted, pointing to the compass on the steering wheel. George nodded gratefully, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel.

"So, does your dad know you've got the car?" Harry asked.

"Er, no," Ron answered, his ears reddening like Fred's only minutes before. "he had to work tonight. Hopefully we'll be able to get it back in the garage without Mum noticing we flew it."

Daisy's heart thudded against her chest and she couldn't help the worried look that flickered over her face. She hoped they wouldn't get into too much trouble over picking her and Harry up. What if Mrs. Weasley wasn't happy to have a Slytherin in the home? Her heart sank and any remaining happiness left her body at the thought.

She resigned herself to the horrible idea — she'd be returned to her family promptly and would never step food in Hogwarts again. Daisy tightened her grip on Hedwig's empty cage, her stomach flipping at the thought of her father's undoubtedly gleeful expression when she turned up at his doorstep without Harry the next day. She'd be the center of the punishment, the —

"—What does your dad do in the Ministry of Magic anyway?" Harry asked, shaking Daisy from her trance.

"He works in the most boring department," Ron said, "the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."

Daisy smiled. "That's cute," she spoke up. "I like how simple that is. Having posh jobs aren't for everyone, I'd rather enjoy life in simple ways than be in something exciting like an Auror or Healer."

"Sorry," Harry interjected. "The what office?"

"It's all to do with bewitching things that are Muggle-made, you know, in case they end up back in a Muggle shop or house. Like, last year, some old witch died and her tea set was sold to an antiques shop. This Muggle woman bought it, took it home, and tried to serve her friends tea in it. It was a nightmare — Dad was working overtime for weeks"

"What happened?" Daisy and Harry asked at the same time, sending each other a funny look.

"The teapot went berserk and squirted boiling tea all over the place and one man ended up in the hospital with the sugar tongs clamped to his nose. Dad was going frantic —it's only him and an old warlock called Perkins in the office — and they had to do Memory Charms and all sorts of stuff to cover it up."

"But — your dad — this car —"

Fred laughed. "Yeah, Dad's crazy about everything to do with Muggles; our shed's full of Muggle stuff. He takes it apart, puts spells on it, and puts it back together again. If he raided our house he'd have to put himself under arrest. It drives Mum mad."

"I should bring him a drill sometime," Daisy said quietly to Harry who snorted in laughter.

"That's the main road," George said, peering down the windshield. "We'll be there in ten minutes, just as well, it's getting light..."

The car lowered slowly and Daisy was reminded of the time she and her family went on vacation and had to take an airplane. Only, there was no popping ears or loud jets. The car veered towards the ground and then finally —

"Touchdown!" Fred exclaimed excitedly. They landed next to a ramshackle garage in a small yard and Daisy couldn't help the gentle smile as the Weasley's house came into view.

House wasn't exactly the correct word. It appeared to have been a long one-story home that had numerous other buildings built upon it over time. It was several stories tall and looked haphazard, like the only thing holding it together was magic. A lopsided wooden sign stood out in the yard reading 'THE BURROW' in brightly colored writing. Ahead of the front door, multiple pairs of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron sat plainly on the grass. Several large, plucking chickens walked around the yard.

"I love it," Daisy breathed out, but only Fred heard her, looking at her with a smile.

"It's not much," Ron said.

"It's wonderful," Harry disagreed, mirroring the wistful smile on Daisy's face.

They got out of the car, Daisy grabbing her backpack and tossing it over her shoulders. She let Hedwig's cage in the car — they could grab it later, surely, — and took Fred's offering hand. She tried not to let the nerves build up...maybe Fred or George could convince their mother to let her stay? She hoped so. She didn't want to go back to her parent's home.

"Now, we'll go upstairs really quietly," Fred explained. "and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast. Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going 'Mum! Look who turned up in the night!' and she'll be all pleased to see Harry and no one need ever know we flew the car."

Daisy frowned. There were many things wrong with that plan — but the dependent on Mrs. Weasley's oblivion was the crying factor. Not to mention, Fred hadn't said her name. How would they explain her arrival? Was she invited? Had Ron brought her up positively at all? Would Mrs. Weasley be excited to see her? Or would she truly kick her out back to where she came from? Perhaps she could convince them to send a letter to Blaise's house. His mum was in France for the summer but maybe she could stay with him? She knew Theo would never let her stay with his father in the house.

"Right," said Ron. "Come on — I sleep at the — at the top —"

Daisy looked over at Ron, seeing him a ghostly shade of white. Turning to the front, she gulped as a rounded, redhead woman veered towards them, a furious look on her face. Daisy took a step back, her breathing picking up. She'd probably be blamed for it all. Surely, they'd all place the blame on the unwanted Slytherin?

"Ah," Fred said.

"Oh, dear," George added.

"There goes the genius plan," Daisy muttered, suddenly feeling very nauseated.

Mrs. Weasley came to a halt in front of them, hands on her hips and a stern look on her face. Daisy watched her with wide eyes, hands shaking uncontrollably. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to meet her eyes.

"So," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Morning, Mum," George joked with a small grin. Daisy looked at him in horror. Surely, surely he'd get a nasty bruise for that snark —

"Have you any idea how worried I've been?" She asked in a deadly whisper.

Daisy dug her nails into her arms, begging herself not to cry. The more weakness she showed, the more angry Mrs. Weasley would be. And she'd probably already be in trouble for coming with Harry to a Gryffindor home.

"Sorry, Mum, but we had to —"

"Beds empty! No note! Car gone — could have crashed — out of my mind with worry —did you care? — never, as long as I've lived — you wait until your father gets home, whenever had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy —"

"Perfect Percy," Fred muttered.

"YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY'S BOOK!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked, jabbing a finger to Fred's chest. Daisy flinched back, watching with worried eyes. To thank him, Daisy almost stepped in and placed the blame on herself. It was her fault. Had she sent word through Theo's owl earlier in the summer — or Blaise or Cedric's or Jenny's or Sam's — perhaps they wouldn't have gone looking for Harry and they wouldn't be in trouble right now.

But her voice caught in her throat and she could hardly breath, feeling incredibly suffocated, despite being in the open yard of the countryside.

"You could have died, you could have been seen, you could have lost your father his job —"

It seemed to go on forever, Mrs. Weasley shouting and screaming at the boys. Daisy looked down at some point, too terrified to watch anymore. She knew they were in real trouble now. Her father never finished with just an angry shout or two — they would get it sooner rather than later.

"I'm very pleased to see you Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley said finally, and Daisy's heart dropped. "And Daisy, of course," Daisy's head flicked up to Mrs. Weasley's smile and confusion soared through her mind, "come in and have some breakfast."

Daisy almost protested, questions running through her wind. This was a ruse. Of course it was. When she was at her safest — that's when the punishment would strike. Or she'd already somehow phoned her parents and they were coming to get her now. She could picture her father's smiling face and angry eyes —

but hunger ruled her. She was so hungry. The can of clam chowder felt like weeks ago. And she hadn't had a proper night's sleep in days...

Mrs. Weasley turned and walked back to the house and Daisy looked to Harry for confirmation, but found him staring at Ron. Ron nodded to him and Harry trudged ahead, not looking back for Daisy. Daisy swallowed, debating on whether or not she should follow.

Was it an open invitation? Or just for Harry?

"Go one, then," a voice whispered in her ear and Daisy jumped, looking to find George with a small smile. "Mum's a great cook."

Daisy nodded, feeling a bit more relieved at his words before urging her feet to work as she walked towards the house, the tightening in her stomach growing exponentially with each step.

The kitchen was exactly as you'd expect: cramped and small, but decorated with knitted supplies and a small wooden table sat in middle, surrounded by a multitude of chairs that barely fit against one another. It was homey, Daisy thought.

Daisy sat next to Harry, feeling awfully shaken after the screaming session Mrs. Weasley gave her boys and Harry glanced over at her, as if realizing she was there still. He gave her an encouraging smile and pointed to a clock across from them.

It had a single hand and no numbers, which Daisy thought was particularly strange, and there were odd sentences written around the clock. Time to make tea, time to feed the chickens, you're late, and more phrases were written in an unfamiliar chicken scrawl.

Books were stacked from the floor to the the doorframes, some familiar from Hogwarts Library, and other's she'd never heard of. Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking, and One Minute Feasts were printed neatly on the binding of each book. Daisy's fingers itched to pick one up. She wanted to learn everything about magic — and these appeared to be household spell books to make day-to-day living even easier. Imagine if she showed up to Hogwarts as a master of those spells. The Slytherins wouldn't be the ones laughing, that's for sure.

The boys had entered the kitchen, sitting quietly across the table, though Daisy caught Fred and George's eye more than once. They seemed to still be in high spirits, despite upsetting their mother. She hoped it would turn out well for them.

Mrs. Weasley clambered around the kitchen, throwing Harry and Daisy looks every so often. Daisy averted her eyes from the kitchen and stared at the wooden table, trying to focus on the lines. If she didn't challenge her with eye contact — things would be better. Daisy couldn't show how she felt.

She set a plate in front of Daisy and another in front of Harry. She piled it high with sausages and bacon.

"I don't blame you, dears," Mrs. Weasley said after a long pause. "Arthur and I have been worried about you, too. Just last night we were saying we'd come and get you ourselves if you hadn't written back to Ron by Friday. But really," she was piling three eggs each on their plates now. Daisy's stomach rumbled. "flying an illegal car halfway across the country — anyone could have seen you —"

Daisy wanted to speak up and let them know that they'd probably saved their lives. At the rate of her parent's treatment towards them, it wouldn't have ended over the summer. They'd have been starved for months, years — however long it took them to die, really. But once again, her voice caught in her throat and she couldn't bring herself to speak. Ashamed of herself, Daisy's eyes stared at her plate, suddenly feeling guilty for eating the food. She couldn't stand up for the people who decided to sacrifice their own nights and save her and Harry — what gave her the right to eat?

"It was cloudy, Mum," Fed objected.

"You keep your mouth closed while you're eating!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. Daisy hadn't even realized they had plates in front of them. "Daisy, dear, you can eat you know."

Daisy looked up, hands shaking again and gave a tense smile, feeling incredibly out-of-place in the situation. She felt like she were walking on eggshells. Anything she did or said would cause Mrs. Weasley to blow up on her and kick her out of the house — she was sure of it.

Daisy took a bite of the sausage and couldn't help the expression that took over her face. It was so delicious. She looked over at Harry, exchanging a look with him. Whatever came of today's events — she'd eaten the best breakfast since Hogwarts.

"They were starving them," George argued.

"And you! Close your mouth!" Mrs. Weasley snapped again, buttering Harry's toast. Daisy couldn't believe her eyes when two slices of her own toast were placed on her plate. Toast, eggs, sausage, bacon — she felt like she'd died and gone to heaven. Forget Hogwarts, if she could eat this meal for the rest of her life she'd be content.

A smaller figure, with hair the same shade as Daisy's entered the kitchen, wearing a long nightgown and a frightened expression. She squealed and rushed from the room again. Daisy blinked, thinking she'd seen a ghost until Ron explained.

"Ginny," he told Harry and Daisy, "my sister. She's been talking about you all summer, Harry."

Daisy smirked at Harry's expense, feeling slightly more relaxed with food in her system.

"Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry," Fred teased with a grin but caught his mother's eye and looked down at his plate. Daisy's smirk fell and anxiety swarmed her again. She couldn't let herself get too comfortable. It was a meal and that was it. She'd be kicked out soon enough.

Nothing else was said for the duration of breakfast, and Daisy felt grateful for it. She enjoyed eating her food in peace. After all, it could be her final breakfast depending on if Mrs. Weasley called her parents. They'd surely end her after this. Make up some story about 'runaway niece' or something. Would Dudley miss her? A year ago, she would've known the answer but now...she could hardly call him her brother. It wasn't as though he called her his sister anymore.

"Blimey, I'm tired," Fred yawned, stretching after dropping his fork to the plate with a clanking sound. "I think I'll go to bed and —"

"You will not," Mrs. Weasley snapped. "It's your own fault you've been up all night. You're going to de-gnome the garden for me, they've gotten completely out of hand again—"

"—Oh, Mum—"

"And you two," she glared at Ron and George. "You two can head up to bed dears," Mrs. Weasley looked to Daisy and Harry. "You didn't ask them to fly that wretched car—"

"—I'll help Ron," Harry said quickly, eyes darting from Mrs. Weasley to Daisy. "I've never seen a de-gnoming —"

"That's very sweet of you," Mrs. Weasley smiled, "now, let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject."

She pulled a large book from the old fireplace and began flicking through the pages. George groaned.

"Mum, we know how to de-gnome a garden—"

Daisy peered over Harry's head to the book where a handsome blonde-haired fellow smiled and winked at them all from the cover. Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests.

Daisy wondered why she'd never come across his name before. She'd have to ask Hermione if she'd read on the man, or if he was common in pureblood houses. Perhaps Theo would know...

"Oh, he is marvelous," Mrs. Weasley gushed, looking down at the book. "He knows his household pests, all right, it's a wonderful book..."

"Mum fancies him," Fred said in an audible whisper. Daisy tried to laugh but when Mrs. Weasley shot another glare at Fred, she couldn't bring herself to feel comfortable enough to.

"Don't be so ridiculous, Fred," said Mrs. Weasley, her cheeks rather pink. "All right, if you think you know better than Lockhart, you can go and get on with it, and woe betide you if there's a single gnome in that garden when I come out to inspect it."

Daisy's heart dropped again and she looked around the room as the Weasley brothers and Harry all got up slowly, grumbling about one thing or another. Daisy remained still, trembling again. She was dreading this. Surely, they'd send her off now.

"Daisy, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, taking the seat Harry occupied previously. "Are you alright?"

Daisy looked at her with wide, fearful eyes. "Em—em, aren't you sending me off now?"

Confusion showered Mrs. Weasley's face. "Sending you off?" She repeated with a furrowed brow.

"Y'know," Daisy swallowed, itching her wrist nervously. "Because I'm a Slytherin. I'm not supposed to be in your home. Harry's Harry, he's everyone's favorite — or, rather, what I mean to say is — if you send me back — not that I want to go, but if you were to, I'd understand. Or I can write to a friend if you need me out of your hair. Harry's best friend is Ron, it makes sense to keep him here but I'm not — well, I'm just — thing is —"

Mrs. Weasley surprised Daisy by wrapping her arms around her tightly and holding her close. "You'll not go anywhere," she said gently, squeezing once before pulling back. For a moment, Daisy felt a surge of happiness, like she was hugging her own mother again. "You belong here just as much as Harry does. You've even got the hair to prove it."

Daisy's eyes watered and she looked down, trying not to cry. "I — I can help with the chores if you need. I don't have any money but I'll help make food and —"

Mrs. Weasley grabbed her face and held it loosely in her hands. Daisy couldn't help flinching at the contact. "You will do no such thing," she said sternly, looking into Daisy's eyes. "You're a Slytherin but you're just as much family as Harry is. It's not which house you're in that's important. It's who you are."

Tears slipped down Daisy's cheeks before she could stop them and she nodded, unable to say anything in fear of bursting into tears.

"Now," Mrs. Weasley pulled back, standing up and straightening her apron. "Head on up to bed, you'll bunk with Ginny. She's on the third floor, just sleep in her bed for now and I'll arrange a new one for you later."

Daisy nodded, still shaken from the kind encounter, relief threatening to burst within her but she wouldn't let it. Something had to go wrong. It always did. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The stairs were thin, winding, and old. Daisy found the door slightly ajar and spotted a long head of red hair. A soft smile found her lips and she knocked twice.

"Ginny?" Daisy asked nervously. "Your mum said I can sleep here. I'm just going to sleep on the floor. I would de-gnome, but I'm beat, I think I might pass out."

Ginny smiled over at her, seeming to be looking through her dresser.

"Sure," she gestured to the bed on the right of the door — with a bright yellow, blue, and red checkered comforter — and shrugged. "You can sleep in the bed if you want. I'm just getting my clothes for the day." She hesitated. "Say," she looked over with a small smile. "You wouldn't know if Harry likes jumpers, do you?"

Daisy laughed in surprise. "Em," she licked her lips. "I wear them a lot, so he's pretty used to seeing them. But his favorite color is red if it helps."

Ginny nodded, toying with her hair a bit. "That does help, thanks."

Daisy nodded, sitting on the bed, feeling uncomfortable in Ron Weasley's sister's room. She glanced around the yellow walls and spotted numerous posters for something called the Weird Sisters and Daisy frowned, not recognizing it.

"What's Weird Sisters?"

Ginny turned with wide eyes, as though Daisy had proclaimed she'd be running through the house naked. "You don't know Weird Sisters?"

"No, sorry. Muggle parents."

Ginny's smile widened. "This is going to be a good arrangement."

And for the next four hours, Ginny explained in detail about her favorite band, her favorite quidditch team, the exact color of Harry's eye — which felt incredibly awkward to listen to, but she did her best — and how they would become best friends.

And for the first time, Daisy found friendship in another girl.

☍︎︎