AN: Hey everyone. I hope you've all had a nice week! Before we go about this chapter, I would like to thank themysteriousnicole, Liz and Celeritous for writing a review. It really motivates me and I am glad to know that you guys liked it. And now, on with the story!


Chapter 12

After a rather chaotic dinner, all the Gryffindor students had gone upstairs to their common room, where talk about the Tournament – and more precisely; the fourth champion – had continued. In contrary to the other students, the Gryffindors didn't think the situation to be all bad, no matter whether or not they believed Harry had put his name in himself. Some of them even expressed their pride in having an own champion and being the only ones to figure out how to work around the age limit. When at last the fourth champion had arrived in the tower, he had been practically engulfed by congratulations, which he only seemed to accept half-heartily, and questions, which he all answered in the same manner ("I didn't put my name in!").

It was only when she lay in bed, when all the hubbub had finally died down for the night, that Daisy remembered her earlier worries. All sleepiness had vanished from her mind and she once again found herself thinking over that one question time and again. What had really happened to her parents?

Up until she came to Hogwarts, Daisy had never given much thought to who her biological parents were and what had happened to them. After all, she could not remember them and with her Aunt and Uncle treating her as well as any real parents would, she had never actually missed her Mum and Dad.

When she was younger, she had once asked about their deaths and she had seen the newspaper article about the circumstances, but apart from that, she knew close to nothing about them. Her mother had worked in the city of Edinburgh, that she knew of what her Aunt had told her, but doing what and for who, she did not know. Now, she found herself wishing she had spent more time learning about perhaps the only people who could really understand her situation. But with no grandparents still alive and her father having been an only child, her Aunt and Uncle where the only ones she had left.

An idea suddenly sparked and she sat up in bed. Although she might not be able to talk to her parents, she could speak to her mother's brother. He might know more about what had happened that fateful night.

Shoving Hermione's slumbering cat off of her legs – and earning herself an indignant meow in the process –, Daisy slipped out of bed and grabbed her wand from her nightstand. Muttering a quiet Lumos, she threw on a black robe over her pajamas to ward off the autumn cold. She was already halfway to the door when a voice in the dark stopped her.

'Where are you going?' Parvati Patil now sat up in her bed, looking at Daisy through sleepy eyes.

'Just got to do something before I go to bed,' she whispered, hoping they wouldn't wake the others up. Hermione would flip if she knew she was sneaking out.

'Students aren't allowed to be out after curfew, you know. It could get you in detention.'

'I won't be gone long,' she promised, then quickly slipped out through the door. Letting out a sigh of relief as she descended the stairs, Daisy was momentarily distracted from her own worries as she noticed the other person in the common room. He was already in his pajamas, his hair looking disheveled, but his face looked pensive.

'Couldn't sleep, huh?' Daisy guessed as she went to sit on the opposite chair's armrest.

Harry looked up from his ponderings and flashed her half a smile. 'I see you couldn't either.'

'I remembered something I had to do and I know that if I don't do it now, I will not get round to it tomorrow,' she shrugged, then turned serious again. 'I am sorry that people don't believe you.'

Now it was Harry's turn to shrug his shoulders. 'I don't care about people. I just wish my friends would believe me.'

Daisy knew he was talking about Ron and how he had become angry with Harry, even after Hermione had repeatedly tried to make him see reason. 'He'll come around, Harry. Ron's a stubborn bastard from time to time, but he won't throw away your friendship for something so stupid. And if he doesn't see reason by Christmas, I will slap some sense into that idiot myself.'

Harry did have to laugh at this, then shook his head. 'I think I'm going to bed. You know, try to sleep a bit. You should go do whatever you were going to do.' Standing from his chair by the fire, he waved Daisy a good night and left for the boys' dormitories.

Daisy waited until the door closed, before she slowly got up from her seat and, after checking once more if it was safe, made her way to the portrait entrance. As she pushed it open, she made it a point to block out anything the Fat Lady would say and quickly disappeared into the night.

Having never actually been to the Owlery, coupled with her horrible sense of orientation and direction, it took Daisy almost half an hour to make it to the tower. By that time, she had pulled her robe closer around her and cursed herself for having put on flats; her toes were practically freezing off!

Stepping into the Owlery, she was stopped mid-step by the sight in front of her. The first thing she saw was blond hair. Then, she noticed the letter that he'd just attached to one of the owls' feet. As of yet, he didn't seem to have noticed her, instead watching after the departing owl and Daisy couldn't help the smirk that was creeping up onto her face.

'Dear Father,' she drawled in an arrogant matter, trying to imitate the Slytherin's normal manner of speaking. To her delight, he turned around in surprise, clearly not having been aware of her presence until she spoke. 'I can't believe they selected Harry Potter: it's just not fair!' She made it a point to sound extra whiny at that point, going a little overboard with her act. 'I wish you were here Father, so I could cry in your lap and you could buy out the Ministry to make me a champion as well. With all my love, your wonderboy.' It wasn't exactly the ending she was going for, but since she only knew the boy's last name, she had to do some quick thinking at that point. It hadn't really mattered anyway, because when she opened her eyes to gauge his reaction, she was pleased to see that it was him who was riled up this time. To her disappointment, however, he managed to keep his cool.

'What are you doing here, McCalman? Potter let you off the leash for now?'

Scoffing, she crossed her arms in front of her. 'Oh shut it, Malfoy, you'll never be the man your mother is.'

This seemed to hit a nerve as the Slytherin suddenly whipped out his wand and took a menacing step into Daisy's direction. It was only now that she noticed his hair wasn't slicked back as usual and that he actually looked kind of.. could she say awful? 'Don't talk about my mother.'

'Or what?'

To say she was surprised when he sent a hex her way would have been an understatement. She had always figured Malfoy to be all talk and therefore didn't even have the time to whip her wand out, let alone use it to block the curse. As a reflex, though, her hand shot up in protection and somehow that gesture, coupled with the word Protego running through her thoughts, caused the hex to reflect and instead hit against a stone pillar. Several owls flew from their resting places as the pillar crumbled to the ground.

'What the bloo..-' Before the Slytherin could finish that sentence, the sound of a booming voice, accompanied by a familiar thump broke off whatever curse word would have passed his lips.

'Who's there?'

'Profe..-' Daisy had clamped her hand around his mouth, trying to prevent the boy from signing her death sentence. It was too late, however, as the sound of a thump could already be heard coming in their direction.

He ripped his mouth free from her hold. 'I hope you'll get kicked out of Hogwarts when they hear,' he smirked.

'Malfoy, I swear: if you tell him I will make sure the entire school knows you've got your arse kicked by a girl.'

'And you think they'll believe you,' he scoffed.

Already, the thumping of professor Moody's wooden leg could be heard on the winding staircase that led up to the Owlery. Desperately, Daisy looked between the doorway and the Slytherin boy, hoping one of both would spontaneously disappear. When that didn't happen, she knew her time was running out. 'Please Malfoy, I beg you. Don't tell him what I did. I.. I'll do anything!'

'What are the two of you doing here?'