I was sitting on my bed reading when suddenly my ring became warm.

I threw the book to the side, pulled the ring off my finger and started to run.

Without any consideration for losses I stormed through the Slytherin rooms, up the stairs and through the corridors.

All I could think about was Daisy.

She needs my help.

Daisy.

I was getting side stitches but I couldn't stop running.

Daisy.

A scream echoed through the corridors.

I didn't know if it was because of the corridors or because I knew it was hers but it echoed in my ears.

Daisy.

I sprinted around the corner and saw three figures standing around something lying on the floor.

I drew my wand and aimed it at the apparent leader of the group.

As angry as I was, I was surprised I didn't fire an Unforgivable.

The attacker fell to the ground as my Petrifficus Totalus hit him.

That was more of a Potter spell, I would think if I could think anything other than Daisy.

The others shocked by my attack jumped to the side and let go of her.

She lay huddled on the floor, not moving.

Before I dropped to my knees beside her I realised who was responsible for all this.

Crabe, Smith and Nott.

Nott was the one lying on the floor now.

I didn't care what happened to them, all that mattered was Daisy.

"Daisy!", I addressed her, lightly shaking her upper body.

No reaction.

I saw that she was bleeding and I panicked.

I quickly checked her pulse and her breathing, weak but present.

"What the?!", I heard behind me.

Without turning around I knew who was standing there.

He was always there when something like this happened.

"Potter!", I shouted at him.

"Find McGonnagal, tell her Daisy Harper is hurt and I'm taking her to the hospital wing!

Quick!"

Without questioning he ran, for I heard his quick footsteps on the stone floor.


"Daisy!", I called her again but of course I got no answer.

She needs to get to the hospital wing immediately.

I slipped my arms under her body and lifted her up.

She hung there like she was dead that was how little strength she had left.

My panic increased and I hurried as fast as I could with her in my arms through the corridors to the hospital wing.


Without knocking I bursted through the door.

Madame Pomfrey stared at me, then at Daisy in my arms.

"She's hurt.

She's not responding to anything.

Her breathing is very faint and her pulse is barely palpable!"

I didn't know why I was shouting.

The medi witch directed me to put Daisy on the nearest bed and casted a diagnostic spell over her.

I watched the little white orb change from white to yellow to orange and quickly to red and now was the moment the tears ran down my cheeks.

I had failed. I had not been fast enough.

I had heard her scream, if I had been quicker I could have stopped it.

If I had been at the party I would have been quicker.

I have to calm down, I can't have a panic attack now, Daisy needs me.


The door was pulled open and Professor McGonnagal rushed into the room.

I had always thought of her as a very strong person who didn't let on when something was bothering her.

But now that she saw her goddaughter lying there on the bed, fear was written all over her face as it was on mine.

"What happened?", she said turning to me with audible panic in her voice.

"Nott, Smith and Crabe kicked her.

When I found her her condition was like it is now."

My voice trembled and tears ran incessantly down my face.

"Minerva", it came quietly from Madame Pomfrey and directly she had our undivided attention.

The two witches took a few steps to the side, probably so I couldn't hear them but that was the case anyway.

I understood every word and the more I heard the worse it got.

"Her kidney. It's badly damaged, I can't fix it with magic and she's not stable enough to take her to St Mungo's.

She needs a donor kidney as soon as possible."

Seriously damaged. Can't fix with magic. Donor kidney.

The words echoed in my head.

"Finding a compatible donor that fast is going to be difficult."

Compatible. Daisy and my blood are compatible.

"Take mine", I said in a firm voice.

Both witches looked over at me.

"Take my kidney", I repeated again.

"Mr Malfoy, your sacrifice is honourable but the donor must be compatible."

"Our blood is compatible. Test me but I'm telling you we are compatible.

Take my kidney! She doesn't have time."

They were both still looking at me with wide eyes.

Professor McGonnagal was the first to speak.

"We need your parents' consent."

"I am of age. I can decide for myself.

Test me!"

Madame Pomfrey was clearly more open to the suggestion than Professor McGonnagal.

She fetched a needle to draw blood from the cupboard and ran some tests on the drawn blood.


My legs bobbed up and down nervously as we all waited for the results.

"Should he be compatible", Professor McGonnagal interrupted the silence, "Can you operate on them here?"

"Yes", was the quick and curt reply.

Madame Pomfrey had had to heal many injuries on her own during the war and she was a very gifted medi witch.

I trusted her more than some at St Mungos.

I would be compatible, I knew that, although I had no way of knowing.

Professor McGonnagal paced until Madame Pomfrey relieved us all.

"He is compatible."

We all breathed a sigh of relief.

Until that moment I hadn't thought exactly what that meant.

I will donate a kidney to her.

You could live with one kidney, I knew that.

Then so could Daisy, so why did she need a donor kidney?

"What about her other kidney", I asked quietly.

"The accident when her parents died."

McGonnagal's voice was also occupied.

"She was injured. Her right kidney was so badly damaged it had to be removed."

Just like now, I thought.

"I failed", McGonnagal said so quietly that I was sure she hadn't meant to say it out loud.

I had nothing to say about it and I wasn't the one to do it, I had no right to do it.

"Miss Harper is stable enough for us to begin.

Mr Malfoy?"

The medi witch looked at me questioningly, waiting for my approval.

"Would you like us to get someone for you? For support?", she added when I didn't answer for a moment.

This wasn't about me, it was about Daisy.

"Mr Longbottom and Miss Abbot would be nice", I said therefore.

They both nodded but said nothing.

They called a house elf to come and fetch them.


Completely confused and certainly no longer sober, the two came to the hospital wing after a few minutes.

In the meantime I had already put on one of the surgical gowns and was lying on one of the beds.

I was scared.

Not for myself, I didn't care about my life.

Daisy was the one I was afraid for.

She had to make it, because without her I wouldn't want to stay.

Longbottom and Abbot were talking to McGonnagal and Abbot bursted into tears.

Longbottom on the other hand, looked very composed and came over to me.

Now up close I could see that his eyes were glazed over but he pulled himself together.

A true Gryffindor.

He said nothing, just looked at me.

"Take care of her, okay Longbottom?

Otherwise, I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you, and I mean it."

This wasn't a moment for joking, not at all but it took away some of my fear.

Longbottom just nodded silently.

"You must go, I'll let you know when you can see her", Madame Pomfrey ordered those present.

"You too Minerva", she spoke sharply as Professor McGonnagal made no move to follow her students.

She could be seen to want to retort something but did not.

"Notify Newton, he'll want to come."

I was confused.

Who by Salazar's sake was Newton?

Please don't let it be her boyfriend from America, was the last thing I thought before the sleeping potion Madame Pomfrey had injected me with took effect and everything around me went black.


Green.

I stare into deep green eyes.

The little creature on my arm stares at me from deep green eyes.

A baby.

I'm holding a baby in my arms.

Panic.

I'm horrible with children.

Who was stupid enough to put one in my arms?

The little one has black curls on its head and reminds me directly of Daisy.

Just thinking about her name makes me smile.

The baby in my arms is maybe half a year old and still stares at me.

It reaches out its arms and grabs my hair, which is significantly longer than I remembered.

"Grayson, don't pull Daddy's hair", a voice sounds behind me and before I can turn to it everything around me blurs.

Blue.

The next thing I see is blue.

I hear seagulls and I smell salt.

Sea.

A little boy of maybe three years runs across the stand where I am sitting.

Again and again he runs with his feet into the sea but straight back again.

He laughs throughout and I can almost imagine how happy he makes his parents.

His mother just comes up to him, lifts him up and twirls him through the air.

She is wearing a big hat that covers her face.

She is pregnant.

The belly is clearly visible, even under her airy dress.

"Mommy baby", the little boy says, pointing at his mother's baby bump.

"Yes sweetheart, your little sisters are in there.

Soon you'll be big brother."

Sisters, plural, twins.

The little one grabs his mother's hand and wants to pull her back towards the sea.

"Mommy's not going in the water, Grayson honey.

Ask Daddy, he's lazing in the sun back there."

She laughs and points her finger in my direction.

The moment I should recognise her face everything blurs before my eyes again.

Black.

Everything I see is black.