AN: First of all: I'm SO SORRY for the delay guys, especially after the support I got after last chapter. Last week a friend of mine came over from Germany and, as a good hostess, I of course had to show her around the Netherlands. I promise though that the next chapter will be uploaded on my normal time (Thursday/Friday) and I hope you'll forgive me. I want to thank sanna11, Guest and FangedMe for the reviews, you guys are amazing! Now, on with the story!

Chapter 14

Before she had actually started her incredible story, Daisy had made the Slytherin swear not only to keep her secret from professor Moody, but from everyone else as well. He was not to ever speak of her true identity to anyone, nor to hint at it in front of others. His curiosity far outweighing his reluctance to do something so distinctly Muggle, he had eventually agreed on her terms and sworn a pinkie swear.

To her greatest surprise, Malfoy proved himself capable of keeping his annoying mouth shut for more than five minutes and throughout the explanation, had only interrupted her to clear some thing or another up. For the remainder of the time, he simply sat and, with an expression that bordered on marvel – though he would of course later deny it – listened to her recounting the details of her existence.

Looking back on it, she didn't really know what was the biggest surprise of the two: Malfoy actually being capable of listening or the feeling that it gave her to finally talk about it. Sure, Hermione, Harry and Ron also knew about her predicament, but since they knew almost as soon – if not sooner – as her, she hadn't really had the chance to actually get anything off her chest. And that's what she told him.

'That's quite pathetic, McCalman.. even for you.'

Shaking her head, Daisy was disappointed in herself for thinking that Malfoy could actually be a decent person. 'Can't you pretend to be nice for one minute?'

'If you wanted to have a shoulder to cry on, you should have gone to Potty or Weasel. We are not friends.'

She frowned, ignoring the casual insult towards the two Gryffindors. 'Well, Harry and Ron are not really my friends either. That's the point I guess. Harry, Ron and Hermione are friends, I'm just the person they took in out of pity.'

Malfoy didn't immediately answer and for a moment, she thought that he actually felt compassion for her. Of course, he would prove her wrong. 'I didn't think it was possible, but you just managed to get even more pathetic. You've got access to an unlimited amount of magic, you're probably more powerful than Voldemort and Dumbledore combined and you've got people that actually like to hang out with you. What are you even whining about?'

'Wow Malfoy, that almost sounded as a compliment.'

Standing up from his place on the ground, he send her a disgusted and semi-bored glance – a combination she had not previously thought possible. 'It was not a compliment, I was just making a point. The only reason that we're here, after all, having a decent conversation, is because we made a deal. That's. It.'

Daisy stood as well, dusting her pants off and crossing her arms in front of her chest. 'I know you're a soulless, stupid little shit, Malfoy, you don't have to be afraid that I'll forget. Now, if we're done here I'd like to spend the last bit of my free Sunday in a place that does not smell of owl dung and inflated ego.'

'Now you mention it, I already thought you reeked a bit.'

'Urgh, you are impossible!' She stomped to the door. 'This conversation is over. Just hold your end of the deal or I will shove your foot so far up your arse that you will be able to taste the hairs on your toes. I hate you.'

The Slytherin had the nerve to look amused, but didn't respond to her threat. Instead, he smirked at her. 'I hate you, too, sweetheart.'

Monday morning brought Daisy another reminder that Saturday night's events had been, in fact, very real. She had been munching on a piece of toast, thinking of ways to get out of her Potions class with the third years, when hundreds of owls flew into the Great Hall. Not expecting any mail herself – and finding her impending doom much more important than some stupid letters – she was only drawn from her thoughts when a yellow barn owl dropped a small piece of parchment onto her plate.

Daisy snatched it up before it could touch the spilled marmalade and, having a feeling who it might be from, inconspicuously glanced at the Slytherin table. To her surprise, she didn't find a certain blonde haired boy smirking at her, but found him staring at a very similar looking piece of paper. Quirking an eyebrow, she missed the dark eyes of someone else watching her as she turned back to the table.

Slowly folding it open, she found the message equally short as the letter she had received the day before. 7 pm, DADA classroom.

'Bugger,' she cursed under her breath, having completely forgotten the detention that had been looming over her head ever since that Saturday.

Although she had tried to curse in silence, some people had still looked up from their plates and Harry was looking at her curiously. 'Are you okay?'

'Yes, sorry,' she smiled sheepishly. 'I only just now realise that I have to serve detention tonight. And with Moody, no less, who knows what he'll think up for me to do.'

'Detention?' Hermione suddenly said, her attention clearly perked and her voice laced with disapproval. 'Whatever did you do this time?'

'It wasn't my fault, really. I was only going to send a letter, but then Malfoy ca..-'

'Malfoy?!'

'Yes, Ron, you don't have to shout it all across the Hall.'

'What the Hell were you doing with Malfoy?' The boy seemed to have momentarily forgotten his resentment of his friends, his hate and distrust for the Slytherin being too all-consuming to remain indifferent to the conversation.

'Nothing! I went to the Owlery, he went to the Owlery, we ran into each other, no big deal.'

'No offense, Daisy, but this is Malfoy we are talking about. And if he caused you detention then he must have done something.'

'Why do you guys read into this so much? Even if I said I liked the guy, if I said that we snogged. Hell, even if I would want to bloody marry the guy you wouldn't have the right to get angry at me for that. Just because you have this life-long grudge towards him, doesn't mean you have to get angry at whatever person mentions his name.'

Grabbing the piece of parchment from the table and snatching her bag from the ground, she threw the Golden Trio one last glance before she stomped out of the Great Hall.

This was great. Just great. Not only did she work herself into a situation that made Malfoy blackmail her, she was now having a fight with three of the few people that actually cared for her. What was worse, Daisy knew that she was in the wrong. True, the way Ron had attacked her just for having breathed the same air as the Slytherin was unfair, but if she could have been just a little more understanding – a little less explosive – then all could have been solved with a small explanation. Now, thanks to her temperamental character, she was friendless and bound to get lost in the Hogwarts labyrinth.

Truly, this day could impossibly get worse.