Sorry for the long wait you guys! Good news, the next (and last) chapter is more than halfway done, so that one will be up sooner.
"And this year, I announce the House Cup winner as Ravenclaw, with 500 points" Professor McGonagall proclaimed on their last evening. The Ravenclaw table erupted into cheers, forcing the Headmistress to pause before continuing. "In the second place, we have Gryffindor with 487 points," another pause for more cheers, "and tied for third place are Hufflepuff and Slytherin, each with 470 points."
There were mixed responses to that final comment, with some students glaring across tables towards "enemy" students, and others high-fiving their opposing classmates. Many had been surprised at the standings, what with so many large point amounts having been given and taken from each of the houses.
"We thank you for taking all of this in good sport. This year ended with very close standings. Perhaps some of you will take that as motivation to do even better next year," McGonagall concluded.
Back at the table, Sophia nodded. "I now know which teachers appreciate extra questioning, and which will take away points for interrupting class with unnecessary questions."
Daisy laughed. "And, next year, you'll earn us loads of Defense Against the Dark Arts points to make up for it."
~0~
"I'll send the both of you an owl every week," Daisy said to her friends. The Hogwarts Express had just arrived at Kings Cross Station, and students were rushing forwards to meet their families.
"I'll look forward to it," Jonathan said, speaking above-normal volume to be heard.
"I'll probably have to share an owl," Sophia added, "but I'll send back letters when you send me yours."
Daisy nodded. "I see my parents," she said. "Bye!" She started to pull her trunk in the direction of her mom and dad when Poppy rushed to her side.
"I missed you!" Poppy whispered into Daisy's ear, her arms wrapped around Daisy's middle. Connie screeched from inside her cage as if to express her own greeting.
"We all missed you, Daisy," Dudley agreed, as he and Anna caught up to them.
Except for Grandpa Dursley Daisy remembered silently, but she grinned back anyway. "You have to tell me everything exciting that's happened since Christmas," she noted.
Anna's grin seemed to tighten slightly. "I think that you'll have a much more interesting story than anything that's gone on around here," she said. "I heard that there were some… unusual events happening at Hogwarts earlier this term."
Daisy winced, wondering just what her mother had heard. "Yeah. I'll tell you about it when we get home though. Let's go."
Less than an hour later, the family pulled up to their home in Little Whinging. It looked just as it always did in summer, with the flowers in front in full bloom. None of the neighbors were out, but there was someone walking towards them a distance away.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?" Dudley said, reaching to take Connie's cage out of the car.
Daisy placed a hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head. "Do you think you could take Connie in through the back and keep her in your room for a little while?"
"What? Oh." Dudley saw what Daisy's concern was as Emma waved at him from a couple houses away. "I can do that," he said. "Take Emma in first, and make sure she stays where she can't see."
Daisy nodded. She turned to face Emma as her friend walked up the path towards her.
"Daisy," Emma greeted, giving her friend a hug. "I'm so glad it's summer. We'll be able to catch up properly now."
Daisy grinned and hugged her back, but at the same time, she could feel anxiety churning in her stomach at the thought of how many lies she would have to tell. She couldn't tell Emma about Quidditch, which was now her favorite sport, she couldn't tell her about her favorite classes, or even about the huge discovery of The Room of Inquiry.
"I can't wait," she said anyway. "Why don't we go inside." The two walked amiably towards the front door, Daisy desperately trying to think of something to spend more time. She wished she could ask someone else for help, but Poppy was carrying something, and not looking her way, and their mother was already inside. Had Poppy been next to her instead of on the other side of Emma, Daisy could have discretely knocked something out of her hands, and then stopped to help, but that wasn't an option. If only Dudley would text her to let her know when it was okay to go in -
Her phone. Daisy had left it in the car.
"Do you mind going back for a minute?" she asked Emma. "I think I left my phone behind in the car."
Emma laughed. "How? I can't last two minutes without my phone, and yet you leave it behind so easily."
By the time they actually reached the house, Dudley had sent an "all clear," and Emma and Daisy started to head up the stairs to get to Daisy's room.
"Can I come?" Poppy asked, following them through the door.
Daisy shared a look with Emma. "Not this time."
Poppy grumbled but headed towards the kitchen when the older girls walked towards the stairs to get to Daisy's room. The two flopped down, laying side by side on Daisy's bed. Neither of them said anything for a minute or two. Daisy just stared at the ceiling. She thought she could sense Emma looking at her, but she didn't check.
"It's good to be home," Daisy said.
"Yeah," Emma agreed. "What's our plan for this summer?"
"We should dye our hair again. Change it up a bit. Maybe… a canary yellow."
"Maybe yours," Emma hesitated, "I think I'm starting to like my natural brown." She curled one of her long strands of hair around a finger and didn't meet Daisy's eyes.
Daisy shrugged. It was different. Ever since the first mistake in dying their hair, they had always gone out to get it done. Together.
"Okay," Daisy said. "We'll bike. We'll bike, and every day, we'll go somewhere new."
"So eager for change, are you?"
"I don't know. What did you want to do?"
Emma shrugged. "I'm not sure what I want to do. I just feel so different."
"Would you rather spend time with your school friends?" Daisy asked. Now that she thought about it, Emma had never talked about the people at her school much. Just classes, and what she was interested in.
"Of course not," Emma responded.
Daisy finally turned to look back at Emma. Emma grinned, licked the tip of her finger and reached out as if to try to tap Daisy on the nose.
Daisy lurched up off the bed. "Don't you dare!"
Emma laughed, and for a moment Daisy felt as if things had never changed.
~0~
When Emma left, it was revealed that her visit had only delayed a talk with her parents about school. Why was it that they only wanted to focus on the bad parts? Daisy had already sent them several owls reassuring them that yes, she was alright, and no, she had not been in any way injured.
"We just want to know the whole story," Dudley said. Poppy snuck in and sat behind him, trying to look like she was supposed to be there.
"Well," Daisy started, "Students started going missing."
"Started?" Anna asked. "As in, one by one?"
Daisy nodded.
"But they were all found, right?"
"Yes mum, they're all fine now."
Dudley coughed. "How many students went missing?"
"Three." Before either of her parents could get in another word, she started into the larger story. "One older kid was taken because he knew some stuff that someone else wanted to be kept secret, and the other two, including Albus, were taken because they were needed for an experiment."
"Albus Potter?" Anna choked. "Oh. Oh no, I wonder if I said anything insensitive when Ginny was here. But he's fine now, isn't he?"
"Yep. You know, why don't I just show you the article about it?" Daisy said, wondering why she hadn't thought of it sooner. Then she wouldn't have to deal with explaining everything. She ran back up the stairs and pulled out a copy of The Quibbler, and returned to hand it to her parents.
Daisy watched their eyes move back and forth across the page, a small frown appearing on both. Poppy tried her best to read it between her parents' heads, and an expression somewhere between jealousy and being impressed appeared on her face.
Daisy bit her lip. She wasn't sure what she expected - a scolding or praise - but just waiting for a verdict to be declared wasn't pleasant.
"Well," Dudley put the magazine down, only for it to be snatched by Poppy. "I think that I would say that what you did was extremely reckless. But I'm proud of you. It looks like you did a pretty good thing."
"Just make sure you don't ever do it again," Anna added sternly, glaring at her Husband for only giving praise. "Go to an adult first. Just because you got lucky this time -"
"- doesn't mean I'll get lucky every time. Got it."
They separated, and Daisy went back to her room to unpack her things.
"Hogwarts sounds like an interesting place," Poppy said. She stood in the doorway, watching Daisy transfer her clothes from her trunk to the dresser.
"It is," Daisy agreed. "But it's not all adventure. For a while, everyone thought the school would be closed. And when it wasn't, we still had to go back to classes and take our exams just like a muggle school."
Poppy nodded. "Here." She held out the magazine, having finished reading it. "Do you need any help unpacking?"
"Sure." Daisy directed, and with her sister's help, her trunk was empty of everything but school books in only a few minutes.
The last thing Daisy pulled out of the trunk was a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans, a Reusable Hangman, and a box of Skiving Snackboxes.
"Er, I forgot to send these to you earlier, when I sent you your birthday card," she said, holding them out to Poppy.
"Thanks!" she looked delighted with her unexpected gift and opened the box of beans immediately.
"Careful!" Daisy cautioned.
It was too late, though. Poppy had already spit out the bean into her hand. "What is that? It tastes like - it tastes like how a skunk smells! Why would you ever want to eat that?"
Daisy laughed. "They come in every flavour. You can use them as a sort of game with friends. You might get one that tastes like berries, or, you might get something like grass, or onion."
Poppy grinned. "I'm going to give one to Mum and see what happens."
"No! Poppy, that's not a good idea!" but she was already off, having left the other two gifts on Daisy's desk. Daisy sighed. She'd be back for them later.
To her surprise, Anna's voice called Daisy's name a few minutes later, not Poppy's. Daisy groaned and started towards the stairs. She should have known that she would be the one to get the blame.
"This came with that owl," Anna pointed a a large barn owl preening itself in the windowsill and held up an envelope. The seal was already torn, meaning that Daisy's mother had probably already read its contents.
Dudley stepped in, feeding the barn owl one of Connie's treats, and then ushering it out the way it came. "It's a letter from one of your professors."
Daisy's stomach dropped. Had there been a mistake in her test scores? Would she have to retake a class?
"Professor Flitwick," Dudley continued, "said he'd like to meet with us next week about some private lessons you'll be having with him next year."
"Oh." Daisy said.
Anna nodded. "Yes. Do tell us more. What exactly can you do with this… wandless magic?"