Over the next few days, I was confined to George's lower bunk while he took mine and Fred's upper one. The pain in my side only subsided somewhat; the wound still stretched across my right side, and we had to keep it firmly wrapped in bandages or else it started bleeding again.

"It was fucking wild, though." Terry said one day as I practised walking in front of the bed, holding onto Fred. "I never knew that Horcruxes could fight back. Then I remembered, of course, the diary - Tom Riddle had tried to sap the life force out of you and actually tried to cast the Killing Curse on you with Harry's wand!"

I shivered as I remembered why Riddle became my Boggart in the first place. The way he'd charmed his way into my trust, into my life... his effortlessly handsome looks... the way he so easily set the Basilisk on my brother and friends, while he tried to usurp my powers from me... the fact that he was so frightening, so sadistic, yet so alluringly attractive... I really stood no chance against him, it was a miracle I survived.

Sometimes I still feel as if I don't stand a chance against him.

I tried to turn on my heel, and nearly toppled over. Fred caught me, steadying me again. Terry, George, and Lee sat on George's bed, watching.

"So I'm surprised the locket didn't fight back, beyond screaming." Terry mused. "Unless... there's something you guys aren't telling us?"

I choked on air; I angled my face to look up at Fred, who had gone pale.

"Nothing happened!" I said quickly, cringing at how unconvincing I sounded.

"It's okay, baby." Fred said, tightening his grip on me and turning to the other three. "They have a right to know, especially if everyone saw you go loco over the cup."

"It fought back." George said, but it was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah." Fred said. He took a deep breath. "It - it manifested into Softpaw and Riddle somehow, they looked like ghosts or something. They taunted me... and preyed on my insecurities..."

My boyfriend looked down at his feet. I stopped attempting to walk, turning to him and caressing his arm reassuringly.

"Then they kissed... and I destroyed it." Fred looked back up. The three boys' jaws had dropped; Terry nodded impressively.

"I would've done the same if I'd seen that." My best friend stated, and I giggled.

And soon it was time for my daily Boggart and dosage of love potion. I sat on the bed as Terry crouched beside the briefcase, fiddling with the buckles. The twins were on either side of me, ready to hold me back in case things got frisky. Lee was hovering at the entrance to the tent, keeping lookout.

I held the Amortentia in front of my face, letting the powerful fumes sweep over me. Firewhiskey, candyfloss, gunpowder and marshmallows... I was still afraid after all this time, I wasn't sure that I was ever going to get used to it.

"It's also interesting," Terry was saying, "how you didn't die when you were unconscious. You should've, according to the Unbreakable Vow, as obviously we couldn't dose you and make you look at the Boggart in order to love Riddle every day. Which makes me think that maybe it doesn't work if you're incapacitated the whole day."

"Yeah, you don't know how panicked I was the first day." Fred said with half a laugh.

"You should've seen him." George said, grinning. "Was proper shitting himself the whole day, pacing up and down, he wore a line in the floor over there, look."

And with the love potion unwillingly drained, Terry unclasped the briefcase. Out stepped Tom Riddle, in all his handsome glory, and I felt myself straining against the boys to get to him. I loved him, I loved him so much...

"Alright, Softpaw, snap out of it!"

I wasn't listening... I wrenched myself free of the twins and fell forward off the bed, staggering, then swayed towards Tom, reaching my hands out... Tom's alluring red eyes gazed into mine, and I leaned in, letting my eyes flutter shut...

"Daisy!"

I felt a solid force slam against me, and I was knocked back onto the bed. I opened my eyes to see Fred lying across my legs, panting, and Terry snapping the briefcase closed.

"Sorry." I said. But I was feeling guilt over something else entirely. I was only just now realising that what Terry had said before I'd succumbed to the love potion was very significant. I don't think it was due to me being unconscious that I didn't die... something inside me was telling me that something else was at play here.

As time went on, I should have been getting better at controlling the love potion inside me, should have been getting better at fighting it off. But I was actually getting worse. And I had no idea why. But I was sure it had to do with why I didn't die due to the Unbreakable Vow.

Surely it wasn't because I loved Riddle? If so, the love potion shouldn't work on me at all, then. But why did it feel as if the love potion's effects on me were weakening, but my desire for him all the time was increasing? I could still see him in my dreams, could see into his head as he caressed my picture and my wand at night...

As the days went on, the boys felt it was now okay to Apparate me, and we started changing locations again. The weeks we'd spent in the tent were weeks that I'd look back on for the rest of my life; living somewhat domestically with four of my very best friends was awesome. The watch shifts were spent bonding with each of the boys in private, chatting and practising with my Grace, and in the evenings we'd all join Lee in hosting Potterwatch, grinning as I knew that there would be excited faces on everyone listening as I spoke. We'd take turns doing the dishes and the cleaning, and surprisingly chores didn't seem half as bad when you were doing them with a friend. We'd spend the days strategising on how we were going to break into Hogwarts and destroy the other Horcruxes; we'd also chat and mess around and listen to the Wizarding wireless, dancing energetically to songs we liked.

We'd also play games like Truth or Dare -

"Red, truth or dare?"

"Er - truth."

"Cop out. What's your favourite sex position?"

"Oh. Uh. Er - fuck sake, Hopper, why? Er -"

"It's okay, babe, you can tell them."

"Well - er - I like the one where I prop her ankles on my shoulders, 'cause then I can watch my -"

"Okay, Godric, Freddie, I didn't say to tell them EVERYTHING!"

"Okay, fine. Truth or dare, princess?"

"Dare. Obviously."

"I dare you to wear your skinny jeans without pants for the rest of the night."

"Okay, WHAT? That's so cruel!"

"Are you refusing?"

"... No way. Fine. Fine! You want no panties? You'll get no panties!"

"AHAHAHA - oh. Oh! Is this an Insurgent thing? Do you guys undress in front of each other all the time?"

"... Red, Bushy, and Softpaw do, Lee. If you know what I mean."

"Shut up, Hopper!"

- cards -

"Do you have any threes, Hopper?"

"I don't. Go fish."

"Are you sure? I'm certain you asked Lee for some a few rounds ago."

"You're incorrect."

"I think you're a cheater."

"And I think you're a hoe, but that's neither here nor there."

"Rude!"

- and strip poker -

"Okay, Softpaw, off with that bra."

"Are you kidding?"

"Well, it's either that, or your jeans."

"But you made me take off my panties earlier!"

"Exactly."

"Okay. Fine. Get ready to see a whole lotta titty -"

"AAHHHH!"

My wound had healed to the point that it could be tamed by tying several bandages around it firmly. The only danger was if the bandages came loose and the wound bled or got infected, but it wasn't likely to happen as the boys were super vigilant about it, changing and disinfecting it every few hours.

The pain had even lessened so much that I only noticed it if I strained myself too much or if anything touched it. And it was with the confirmation of this fact that the boys decided to go into the little town we'd set up camp beside that day.

"We need more food." Fred shrugged. "And banter. Wouldn't mind popping into a wee Tesco."

"We, like, straight up don't have any money though." I said.

"It's okay. We have this." Fred held up the Invisibility Cloak. I grinned.

And so we all left the tent hidden by a heap of protective and Muggle-repelling enchantments, trekking down to the little Muggle town at the bottom of the hill, pushing and shoving each other all the while as we giggled and laughed loudly.

Entering the Tesco, we immediately grabbed a trolley and deposited the Cloak in it. George took charge of the trolley, charging with it past us and leaping onto the bars underneath, still holding onto the handle, riding it down the first aisle. We all ran after him, cackling.

"Quick, where's the haemorrhoid cream?" Fred said loudly, and several other customers turned to glare at him.

I pointed at a cucumber as we passed the fresh produce section, and said accusingly, "I thought I told you to wait in the car!"

Terry and Lee were pissing themselves; George was performing tricks on the trolley; Fred was grinning at me with a twinkle in his eyes that I hadn't seen for a while.

We went up and down every aisle, getting everything that we needed, even overindulging in stuff that we didn't need; we filled our trolley with fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, bread, and snacks, and even some new clothes for us all. There were at least ten pizzas chucked in there; a dozen packets of crisps and mounds of biscuits were tossed in too. I mean, just think about what three nineteen year old boys, a seventeen year old boy, and a seventeen year old girl would buy with unlimited money, then factor in that they are under no supervision and are living by themselves.

As we passed the fish counter, I pointed at a salmon lying out on the ice, and sobbed, "We were supposed to be married on Saturday!"

"Aren't you a little too young to be married, dear?" An old lady rasped as she passed us, her bulging eyes narrowing at me.

"I mean, ya, I guess." I flicked a curly lock of hair over my shoulder with my left hand, and the lady's eyes lingered on my wedding ring. She sniffed disapprovingly and shuffled on with her little trolley; George, Lee, and I sniggered.

"Wheeee!" George said as we turned the last corner, gliding along on his trolley.

I spotted the old lady just a bit ahead of us, waddling along. She paused to look at a display, and I snuck up behind her, snatching a packet of laxatives off the shelf and quickly tossing them into her trolley.

I snuck back to the boys, sniggering. They all high-fived me, and started looking around for funny things to add to the old lady's trolley. Up we went, one by one, adding to her collection as we made our way up the long aisle, up towards the alcohol section.

"Should we -?"

"I mean, we've got a ton of Firewhiskey." Terry muttered in response to Fred's wandering eyes. "But eh, why not. Maybe Muggle stuff is harder, I wouldn't know, I've never tried it."

Fred rubbed his hands together in glee and made a beeline for the vodka. I grabbed some Smirnoff and slipped it into the old lady's trolley.

Lee then returned with a massive yellow melon we'd passed earlier, and, as the old lady shuffled over to an end bay, dumped it into her trolley beside my alcohol.

Fred, having lined up a healthy collection of different alcohol in our trolley, disappeared in the direction of the bakery section; he returned moments later with his arms full of baguettes, and I doubled over in laughter as, grinning, he deposited them into the old lady's trolley.

The old lady returned with a packet of soda bread; she continued on her way even though the ten baguettes were sticking straight up out of her trolley, and the five of us all turned to each other silently, mouths open and hands spread wide.

But eventually she did notice that there was something wrong with her trolley, but it wasn't the baguettes; the old lady stopped, pulling out the watermelon. She stared at it in confusion, then placed it on the shelf next to her. She turned back to her trolley as we all watched, heaving with silent giggles, and picked out the Smirnoff. She made to place it on the shelf too, but paused, turning the bottle over in her hands. Then, to our astonishment, she set it back in her trolley and continued on down the aisle.

We all burst into laughter once she was far enough down the aisle. Tears streamed down my face as my side ached from the strain underneath the bandages, but I didn't care; I was having the time of my life with my four best friends.

We threw the Invisibility Cloak over our trolley and wheeled it out. We didn't pay much attention to the fact that the wheels were visible, seemingly wheeling along by themselves, giggling as we pushed it up the hill and into our tent.

That night, we feasted on the food we'd stolen, lazing around and telling spooky stories, making each other laugh. Terry and George took the first watch of the night several hours later, and Lee disappeared into the kitchen, whistling to himself as he started the washing up.

Fred turned to me, the twinkle in his eyes still there and bright. He leaned down, pressing his lips onto mine, and I melted into the kiss, letting myself fall forward into him. His hand gently caressed the back of my neck; he pressed me down onto the mattress, carefully fitting himself in between my legs, his lips moving more passionately with mine.

Fred nibbled at my bottom lip, and I opened my lips, meeting his tongue with mine. Our tongues moved together in a slick heat, slow and deep and punctuated by soft moans and heavy breathing. Fred's hands moved down my body, skimming over my bandages and massaging my hips. I reached up, feeling his toned arms, those arms which had been perfectly exercised for Quidditch...

Lee's whistling suddenly got louder, and Fred detached from my lips, sitting up. I groaned as I saw Lee strolling into the living area, bending down to tune the wireless, and Fred sighed. He glanced at me apologetically, and moved to join Lee.

I sighed too, flopping down onto the bed. As the murmuring of the two boys started, I closed my eyes. Thinking of Fred's purring, seductive voice murmuring into my ear as he did naughty things to me instead of delivering a segment on Potterwatch, I let myself drift off...

I was kissing him, letting his tongue into my mouth as we moved our hands all over each other's bodies...

His cool hands moved underneath my skirt, tugging off my panties... long fingers brushed against me as I arched my back up into him, moaning into his mouth...

Then he slipped into me, filling me... I whined desperately as he slid in and out of me, slow yet hard, grinding and rolling his hips into me... I scratched down his back as he hit that sweet spot inside me, the spot that made my hole clench in pleasure around him...

"T-T-To-"

I stammered as I whimpered, detaching from his lips and opening my eyes. I found myself staring into scarlet, darkened and full of desire.

"Tom..."

Was this a dream or reality? I didn't know. But one thing I could tell for certain - Tom Riddle was also here. In his quarters at Hogwarts, in his bed, he was also here in this dream space, inside me... and I could tell by those eyes, which knew me -

"Daisy, my love..."

Tom's low groan sent chills through me, and my eyes fluttered shut. I didn't even flinch as I felt the familiar sharp sting of his small blade pressing into my chest; instead, I squeezed around him in pleasure at the delicious sting of it, moaning even louder.

I opened my eyes again to meet Tom's. We stared deep into each other's eyes as we reached our highs, and I gasped breathily as I came around him, moaning his name as I arched my back, and Tom collapsed against me, groaning my name into my ear as I felt him release inside me.

"Daisy... I love you..."

I gazed up into his red eyes, which were flickering to their handsome brown and back.

And that was the last thing I saw before I blinked awake, stirring in the darkness that now enveloped the tent. The only light came from the entrance to the tent, where Terry and George were still sitting with the fairy lights above them, quietly chatting.

The wireless had been turned off and was stowed out of the way in a corner. Lee was collapsed on his bottom bunk across from us, snoring. Fred's arm was slung around me, and I could tell from his breathing that he was asleep also.

I shivered, wrapping myself further under the blanket as I remembered the dream I'd just had. Riddle had definitely shared that dream.

And I was even more convinced of the fact as I felt a familiar sharp sting on my chest, and looked down.

Even in the darkness, I could make out a faint, fresh, bleeding heart-shape.