"One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple." 😀
This is the lengthiest chapter I have written. When I sat down to write, I had created a mental map on where I wanted the story to go and on that map, there were 2 chapters. But as I kept writing, there came a point where I couldn't find a reasonable argument against having all of this under 1 chapter.
So, to hell with the word count... Sit back and enjoy Chapter 39! ❤️
"Thanks, Harry," said Ron the moment Harry closed the door to their room.
"What for?" asked Harry as he got busy sorting the things in his trunk.
"For these past couple of weeks," replied Ron.
"Oh come on, Ron... don't mention it... you would have done the same for me," shrugged off Harry.
"Home was getting difficult, you know? Fred and George have virtually stopped all of their pranks, Percy is holed up in his room... Mum and Dad are constantly whispering behind our backs. It's always about Ginny's treatment. And I felt guilty leaving all of that behind..." said Ron, looking the worst he had in all his time at Privet Drive.
"That's what friends are for... I was actually nervous about Dudley and Daisy, but seems like you guys have gotten along well," remarked Harry.
"It was weird in the beginning... But they are fun," replied Ron.
"I'm glad you liked them!"
"Sorry about the broom ride, mate... I stitched you right up, didn't I," chuckled Ron.
"You did stitch me up... but the ride wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Nobody saw us... and it was pretty fun," replied Harry.
"Now I get why you told Daisy about us... I mean Hogwarts and all," said Ron.
"She still doesn't know about me though... I mean the whole You-Know-Who thing. Neither does Dudley," replied Harry.
"I suppose it's better that way... what good is going to come out of it, anyway? Nothing" sighed Ron. Harry however had other ideas and refrained from responding.
After a few minutes, Ron spoke up breaking the silence.
"What was that Dudley was telling in the afternoon? Something about you imagining things" asked Ron.
"I would have told you about it myself... I just didn't want to talk about it here," hesitated Harry.
"What's the matter?" asked Ron.
"I have been having nightmares..." replied Harry slowly. "I'm actually surprised I haven't woken up screaming recently," he added.
"Nightmares? What kind of nightmares?"
"Well... it's mostly random stuff... but it always ends with a woman screaming and like a flash of green light," replied Harry.
"Oh"
"Yeah" sighed Harry.
After a few seconds, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I have heard you talking at night. But it's mostly gibberish, so I didn't bother telling you," replied Ron.
"Oh, have I been talking while asleep?" asked Harry, surprised. Ron nodded in response.
"It started since you went to the chamber, didn't it?" asked Ron. Harry had not thought about it that way. Ron's tone of asking the question almost suggested a rhetorical nature.
"It can't be because of the chamber..." replied Harry hesitantly.
"How could it not? Ginny is... well... you know? Bed-ridden, you have been having nightmares, Professor Jane is in the wind and even they have been having a hard time from the papers," replied Ron. "The chamber was best left closed," he added sombrely.
"I just wish this would all end soon," said Harry, yawning.
"We all do, mate... Speaking of which, do you happen to know where John is? Haven't heard from him since the end of term," asked Ron.
"I don't where he lives. He has never told me," replied Harry.
"It seems, no one knows... I mean, even I gave an interview once for the Prophet... but there has been none from John," remarked Ron.
"Maybe nobody wants his interview," suggested Harry.
"They would kill for one if you ask me. The papers talk more about Professor Jane's disappearance than Ginny. If they could have gotten ahold of John, we would have had a hundred interviews by now," replied Ron.
"Well, in that case, it's good that no one knows where he is," replied Harry, yawning once more. And with that, the boys went to bed.
"Where are you going to take him?" asked Petunia.
"Nowhere... we are just going to go for a walk," replied Remus. And with that Remus and Harry left.
"We can go to the lake, it's nearby," said Harry once they had walked a few steps.
"Yeah, sure," replied Remus.
After a few minutes of a silent stroll, Remus began the conversation.
"Do you like Hogwarts?" he asked.
"Hogwarts? Yeah... I love it," replied Harry. "It was weird in the beginning... but soon, I made friends and I got used to the magic as well," he added.
"That's good to hear... It must have been difficult leaving your friends from your muggle school," said Remus.
"Lying about Hogwarts was the difficult part," replied Harry.
"Lily used to talk about that a lot too... It was of course even more difficult for her since her sister never got the letter," said Remus, reminiscing his youth.
"Could you tell me more about them?" asked Harry. He had been thinking about what he would ask Remus ever since the day before, and this was on top of the list.
"Your parents? Some of the best people I had the pleasure of knowing. Lily was the most extraordinarily gifted witch you could find. And she was equally caring. She was good to me, in my most difficult times. Something that I will always be grateful for. Your father on the other hand was just the best friend one could have. How do the muggles say it? He would have taken a bullet for me, and I would have for him," replied Remus and started walking again. He had stopped walking mid-reply
"Why did he kill them?" asked Harry, suddenly, after a minute.
"Your parents along with a few of us were the braver ones in the magical community to actually stand up to what Voldemort was up to," replied Remus, he wasn't sure if he should talk about the prophecy yet. Harry was after all not even 13 yet. "Do you miss them?" he asked instead.
"Sometimes... Sometimes I wish I had parents just like all my friends do. Aunt Petunia's great though. She is the best I could have ever wished for," replied Harry.
"I was worried initially when Dumbledore told us that he had decided to leave you with your mother's sister's family. They were all muggles and would never understand who you were and the threat Voldemort posed before that night. But that's the reason Dumbledore did it I suppose. You grew up without all that," said Remus.
"You knew Aunt Petunia too?" asked Harry.
"And her husband too... Met them a few times, at your parents' wedding, once before that and a couple of times after that. Vernon was a difficult man, hated the wizards... But the poor guy tragically died," replied Remus.
"Uncle Vernon hated wizards?" asked Harry, surprised.
"Yes, he did... so did Petunia for a while. Lily and her never really got along for a long time. That was partially the reason why I was worried about you," replied Remus.
"Oh! Aunt Petunia never talks about him though," replied Harry. By then, Harry and Remus had reached the lake and had found a nice shade to sit under.
After a few minutes, Harry asked, "what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Nothing important... I just wanted to meet James and Lily's son. I have already heard some stories, you know?" replied Remus smiling.
"Stories?" asked Harry, surprised.
"Your quidditch skills, breaking the rules, Chamber of Secrets to name some," replied Remus laughing. Of course, Harry just remembered how there was an entire page in the paper once about him, shortly after the events of the Chamber.
"Half of what was written was over-hyped and the other half was just pure lies," argued Harry.
"The Prophet does that to you, believe me, I know," said Remus. "And talking of the Prophet, there is indeed something that I wanted to talk to you about," he added.
Harry looked at him intrigued. "Harry, do you know who Sirius Black is?" asked Remus.
"Sirius Black? No, never heard of him," replied Harry.
"You haven't been reading the papers, have you?" remarked Remus.
"No, not recently. I stopped getting the Daily Prophet pretty soon," replied Harry.
"Well, as far as I know, he has been mentioned even the muggle papers," said Remus.
"He has? Who is he?" asked Harry.
"He... uh... he is a prisoner who escaped from Azkaban," replied Remus.
"Oh" gasped Harry.
"And I don't even know if anyone has ever escaped Azkaban. But that's not the reason I'm telling you this," said Remus. "Harry... everybody in the wizarding world is worried Sirius has escaped Azkaban. And that's because Sirius was one of the wizards in Voldemort's inner circle," he added cautiously.
"Sirius Black was working for Voldemort?" asked Harry, shocked.
"Yes, I suppose you could say that. There are lots of bad things he did before he was imprisoned. But now that he's back, you have to be careful," replied Remus.
"Why?"
"Well, Harry, it's possible he may come after you," replied Remus.
"You're really good at this," sighed Daisy after losing her 5th consecutive game of chess against Ron.
"Yeah, I have been playing for a long time now... You should really see wizard's chess. The pieces move on their own, all you have to do is to instruct them what to do," replied Ron.
"I don't get one thing though... if they destroy the captured piece, how do they come back?" asked Daisy.
"Magic," whispered Dudley.
"Dudley... obviously it's magic," retorted Daisy sharply.
"Dicey's angry," remarked Dudley and started giggling.
"Oh God... don't start calling me that again," pleaded Daisy.
"Dicey?" wondered Ron out loud.
"Yeah... very creative," replied Daisy and quickly followed it up with, "not... That was my nickname a couple of years back. I was going through an angry phase," she added.
And that instant, the doorbell rang.
"They're back," squealed Daisy and rushed down the stairs to open the door. Ron and Dudley followed, but much more calmly.
"You're back," exclaimed Daisy the moment she opened the door. Harry and Remus walked in.
"I should probably introduce my friends," said Harry and pointed at Daisy. "This is Daisy... my best friend since I was about 5," he said and Daisy waved at Remus. "And this is Dudley, my cousin," he added pointing at Dudley who was standing leaning against the stairs. "And finally," he said and pointed at Ron. "This is Ron, Ron Weasley... my best friend from Hogwarts," he finished.
"Ron Weasley," said Remus and held his hand out. "I'll be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," he added. Ron shook his hand and greeted him back. "Hello, Professor!"
"Where's your mother?" asked Remus looking at Dudley.
"She's at the bakery," replied Dudley.
"Oh, that's a shame. I was hoping to get a word in before I left. Nevertheless, nice meeting all of you," said Remus and was about to walk out of the house when he suddenly stopped. Harry who was walking just behind him almost bumped into him.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Harry... I completely forgot. I was meaning to ask you if you had any idea where John lives? I need to see him too," asked Remus turning back.
"John?" retorted Harry. "No... no, I don't know where he lives," replied Harry.
"You want to see John, as in John Smith?" asked Daisy from the hall as she came walking towards them.
"Yeah," replied Remus.
"I know where he lives, or at least where he last lived," replied Daisy.
"You do?" asked Remus, surprised.
"You know where he lives?" asked Harry in a whisper.
"Of course, I do... I told you all about it last year too," replied Daisy. That was when Harry remembered the story Daisy had told him about how John had visited Jane for a month during their 1st year at Hogwarts.
"Oh yeah... Now I remember," remarked Harry.
"Could you take me there?" asked Remus. Daisy shot a look at Harry.
"I'll come with... I want to see him too," said Harry. Ron who had been listening closely to the conversation jumped in.
"I'll join you guys as well," said Ron.
"Where are you all going?" asked Dudley as he came walking towards the door.
"A friend of ours from Hogwarts," replied Harry.
"Is that the guy who hit me?" asked Dudley looking at Daisy. Harry and Ron looked at each other and then at Dudley and Daisy, bewildered. Daisy was looking like she wanted to run far away from that conversation.
"What guy hit you? What are you talking about?" asked Harry.
"There was this friend she had... He was actually Professor Jane's nephew or something. He picked a fight with me a year and a half back. But I haven't seen him since. I would love to give that guy a piece of my mind if I see him again," replied Dudley angrily.
"John picked a fight with you?" gasped Harry.
"Professor Jane?" gasped Ron.
"Harry... it was a stupid fight, forget it," interjected Daisy.
"He called me Dudley the Ugly," said Dudley.
"Okay... this isn't happening... Didn't you have somewhere important to be?" asked Daisy looking at Remus. Remus nodded in response.
"Let's go then, I'll show you where he lives," replied Daisy and with that, she bolted out of the house followed by Remus, Harry and Ron.
"How do you know John?" asked Ron looking at Daisy.
"He came here to visit his Aunt... His Aunt used to be our Math teacher at school," replied Daisy.
"Professor Jane used to teach Muggles?" whispered Ron to Harry.
"Seems like it," whispered Harry back.
"Harry... what are we going to do if we see Professor Jane there?" whispered Ron.
"You don't have to worry about me," chimed in Remus. Harry and Ron stopped whispering immediately and were now looking at Remus, wide-eyed.
"I know John... And I also know that it couldn't have been Jane, from what I have been told about her. I believe she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and the Prophet is just using her to sell their papers," said Remus.
"How do you know John?" asked Harry.
"John was a... uh..." stumbled Remus. He wasn't sure if John had told them about his treatment. "I met John last year in Iceland... It's rare to meet someone who speaks really good English in there," he added with a chuckle.
"John was in Iceland when he was suspended?" asked Harry, shocked.
"Yeah... for 2-3 weeks, he was," replied Remus. "I'm actually grateful to him. He's the reason I got a job at Hogwarts," he added.
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"From what I was told, John put in a good word for me with Dumbledore," replied Remus. The rest of the short walk from Harry's house to John's was completed in silence.
"We are almost there," said Daisy pointing at a house.
"Wow... he lives so close to my house," remarked Harry.
"I hope we find him here," said Daisy and walked up to the door and knocked. 5 seconds, 10 seconds, half a minute passed but no one opened the door. She rang the doorbell and knocked a couple of more times. But no one answered the door.
"Maybe he isn't home... He could be somewhere else, lying low," suggested Ron.
Daisy tried a few more times and after about 5 minutes, all 4 of them left the house and went back home. Remus left for his hotel midway leaving the 3 of them alone, going back home.
"Why would he want to lay low? And what did he mean when he said, Jane was in the wrong place at the wrong time?" asked Daisy the instant Remus left.
Harry and Ron looked at each other but remained silent.
"What is it HP? Ron? Why are you both silent?" kept pestering Daisy.
"Daisy... It's just stuff about the magical world. Nothing important" lied Harry unsuccessfully.
"You're just deflecting. Did something bad happen?" she asked. Upon getting no response in return, she knew something had happened. "What happened to John? Or what happened to Mrs Smith? Is she okay?" she continued pestering.
"Why won't you let it go?" snapped Harry loudly.
"Because you're lying," shouted back Daisy.
"Yeah, well, I am. Alright? I should have never told you about the magical world," retorted Harry and regretted it immediately.
"You and your magical world. With all the secrecy involved, I wonder how truly magical your world is..." snapped Daisy and walked away, presumably to her house.
"Where's she going?" asked Ron.
"She's just angry... We'll talk to her later," replied Harry.
A couple of days went by without much happening. Daisy had not visited them either. Ron's stay with Harry was also coming to an end. He had planned to leave the day after Harry's birthday. It was the morning of the day before Harry's birthday. And the morning also brought Harry his letter from Hogwarts.
"I got my Hogwarts letter," said Harry looking at Ron.
"Mine's probably sent home," replied Ron.
"Look," said Harry and gave the letter to Ron pointing at a particular paragraph.
Ron read the paragraph and said, "Permission form for going to Hogsmeade? Looks like the Ministry has gotten to Hogwarts as well. I don't remember Fred and George ever getting their's signed."
"At least they are letting us go to Hogsmeade. Imagine if they had prevented the students from going this year onwards," replied Harry.
"This is our first time, it should be fun. Hogsmeade is like the only all wizarding village," said Ron.
"Yeah, I hope so," sighed Harry.
"I wonder if Hogwarts will have increased security too," remarked Ron.
"Why?"
"This Sirius Black guy... I mean, I don't think anyone has ever escaped Azkaban. And he was working for You-Know-Who it seems. It was all over the papers when he escaped. And now that Professor Lupin told you that he may be after you, I wondered whether there will be increased security at Hogwarts," replied Ron.
"Well, he picked one hell of a time to escape Azkaban," sighed Harry.
"There are supposed to be Dementors at Azkaban. Dad's told us about them. He always comes home gloomy after a trip to Azkaban," said Ron.
"What's a Dementor?" asked Harry.
"Foul creatures... suck the happiness out of you. I have never seen one though," replied Ron.
Harry remained silent for a couple of minutes.
"What's up?" asked Ron.
"Nothing... I have just been wondering if I should go and apologise to Daisy. I did snap at her that day," replied Harry.
"She was extremely angry when she left," said Ron.
"I was going to tell her about You-Know-Who... I have been wanting to tell her for so long, but I'm afraid if someone finds out that she knows, they will wipe her memory," said Harry after a few seconds. "And she's very particular about it. She gets upset whenever I tell her about the risk of knowing stuff from our world," he added.
"To tell her or not to tell, is your choice, mate... But she already knows so much. I don't think it makes any difference anymore," assured Ron. And that was exactly what Harry wanted to hear.
Late that afternoon, Harry made his way to Daisy's house. Despite trying his best, he couldn't convince Ron to come with him.
"It's your story to tell... she's angry with you... It won't be right if I came in between that," convinced Ron. Though the real truth was, he had other plans.
It was Daisy's mother who opened the door.
"Harry... how are you dear?" she greeted.
"Good Afternoon Mrs Taylor... is Daisy home?" asked Harry.
"Yes, Daisy is home, come in," replied Olivia and in went Harry.
"Olivia, who is it?" came Daisy's voice from inside her room.
"It's Harry dear, should I send him up?" asked Olivia. It had always fascinated Harry how Daisy called her parents by their first name instead of Mum or Dad.
"Harry?" asked Daisy. "Yeah, okay," she added after a pause.
"You both got into a fight?" asked Olivia.
"Yeah, something like that," grinned Harry sheepishly.
"Whatever it is, she was really upset," she said.
"That's why I'm here," added Harry and gave a chuckle. And with that Harry excused himself from the conversation and went up to Daisy's room.
"Hi Harry," greeted Daisy the moment Harry walked in.
"Hey," he greeted back. There were piles of books scattered all over the bed.
"Give me a minute... let me get rid of these," said Daisy and got up to keep some of the books back on their shelves while she kept the others neatly stacked on her table.
"Have you been reading all of these?" asked Harry.
"Yeah... I just began reading these," she replied pointing at the 7-8 books stacked on the table. "And the ones I kept on the shelf were the ones that I just finished," she added.
"Wow" gasped Harry. "What are they about?" he asked.
"They are all fictions... My parents have this big library of books. And I thought why not start reading some of them," she replied.
After a few seconds of contemplation, Harry went with it.
"I'm sorry," said Harry. But he wasn't alone since Daisy had picked the exact same moment to say the exact same words, "I'm sorry"
And that was all it took as they both started laughing at the coincidence.
"I'm sorry, Harry... I got carried away the other day. I hate it when you don't tell me what happens in your life. But I understand that there are some things that you can't tell me. I hate those rules, but I have to live with them, I suppose," said Daisy.
"I should have never snapped at you. The truth is, there are so many things that I haven't told you. And every time I think about telling you, I remember the risk of getting caught. And then I decide not to tell you," replied Harry.
"What things haven't you told me?" asked Daisy.
"I don't even know where to begin," replied Harry with a chuckle. "I got a letter today from Hogwarts," he added after a pause.
"You got a letter too?" asked Daisy, excitedly.
"Yeah, I did... wait... what do you mean?" retorted Harry.
"Oh"
"Who else got a letter?"
"I may or may not have gone back to John's house," replied Daisy, smiling nervously.
"When?" asked Harry, surprised.
"Today" replied Daisy. But before Harry could respond, she continued, "And yesterday," she added. Harry looked at her shocked. "And the day before," she finished.
"Why did you go back? We saw that he wasn't home that day, didn't we?" asked Harry, bemused.
"I thought, what if he had gone out? Or something... But, unfortunately, it seems, he doesn't live there anymore. I haven't seen him once," replied Daisy.
"You are crazy," remarked Harry with a grin.
"Yeah, well, that's how I know he got a letter too. I went there today, in the morning. And there was this envelope outside his house. I picked it up and saw that it had Hogwarts written on it. I didn't open it though. What did the letter say?"
"Just general stuff about books for the upcoming year, basic instructions and so on," replied Harry.
"That makes sense, I suppose," replied Daisy.
"Daisy... Before I tell you what I am about to tell you, I want you to promise me something," said Harry, collecting himself.
"What?" asked Daisy with a straight face.
"That you won't treat me differently after hearing it, that we will be the same as before, that I will remain the same Harry you've always known," said Harry intensely and with the most serious face.
"HP... you're making me nervous now. Why all this formality. It's just me, the Daisy you've always known," replied Daisy, smiling nervously.
"I hope this statement stays the same 10 minutes later," sighed Harry.
"What is this secret that you've been hiding. What could you possibly hide from me, now that I know that magic is real?" she asked.
"A long time ago, years before we were born, there was a dark wizard called Vol... Tom Riddle. He killed many people, wizards and muggles alike," began Harry and immediately got Daisy intrigued.
"Everybody was afraid of him. They even feared uttering his name. There were some wizards of course, who fought him bravely. Some died fighting their battles and some are alive now, to tell the story," he continued.
"And then, one night, when he tried to kill a family, something happened. The father and mother died, but their child survived. The child not just survived, but something happened that night that Tom Riddle couldn't explain. His spell backfired and instead of killing the child, it destroyed him," he finished. And there was silence for a few seconds.
"Wait... that's all?" asked Daisy, exiting the trance Harry had her in. "What happened to Tom Riddle? Who was this child?" she asked.
"I am... I am the Boy-Who-Lived... This scar," replied Harry and pointed at it. "This is the most famous scar in all of the wizarding world. Tom Riddle's spell backfired and instead of killing me, it destroyed him leaving this scar on me. People rejoiced his death and celebrated me as a hero, and gave me the title, the boy-who-lived," he added. As Harry uttered the words, the expression on Daisy's face went through multiple changes. Fear, joy, relief and sorrow all at once.
"I don't under...stand... You said your parents died in an accident," stuttered Daisy in disbelief.
"That's what I thought too... But when I got my letter on my 11th birthday, I found out the truth. That my parents died fighting, and I somehow survived something that nobody could," he replied.
"Oh my god, HP... I don't know what to say," said Daisy and pulled Harry into a hug. There were even a few tears trickling down her cheeks. "At least that wizard is now dead," she added.
"Daisy... Tom Riddle is not dead," corrected Harry. Daisy released the hug and looked at Harry.
"He is not?" she asked.
"Everybody who thought... who thinks he's dead are wrong. He's weak but alive. And there will come a time when he will be back. In fact, he tried to kill me a year back. I somehow survived, yet again thanks to a lot of people. And he's the reason behind the attack on Ron's sister too," replied Harry.
"What?" gasped Daisy. "A year back you were almost killed? Are you joking?"
"No, unfortunately, I am not," replied Harry.
"How are you so calm about all of this? I would be freaking out if it was me in your shoes... Forget that, I'm freaking out now,"
"You don't know how I was when I find out. Every place I went, there was somebody, some wizard, old, young, shopkeeper, you name it... every place I went there was somebody who recognized me from my scar. The moment I entered a place, there used to be dead silence. People come up to me and congratulate me, thank me, for something that I didn't even do. It was mental," replied Harry. "I mean, even Ron was shocked to see me for the first time. We talked a lot about the scar, You-Know-Who on our train journey," he added.
"I can't believe this... any of this... this has to be a prank," said Daisy hastily.
"I wish it was," replied Harry. There was silence in the room for a good 10 minutes. Neither of them uttered a word. Daisy spent most of it rewinding their conversation in her head. While Harry sat beside Daisy, his head rested on the headrest.
"Okay, tell me something. What about John? What was it that you were hiding about him the other day?" she asked finally breaking the silence.
"John... well, the thing is, Professor Jane, was our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Ron's sister wasn't the only one attacked this year in our school. There were a couple of other kids as well. But at the end, when the Aurors arrived, for some inexplicable reason, Professor Jane confessed to attacking the kids. She was arrested and the very day, she escaped and is on the run now," replied Harry.
"Aurors?" asked Daisy.
"They are like Wizard Police," replied Harry.
"There is no way Mrs Smith attacked the kids. She is the best teacher I have ever had. And she was always good to me. She even protected me once from some wizards last year. She couldn't have done it," argued Daisy.
"We know Professor Jane didn't do it. But the world believes the opposite," replied Harry.
"What about John?"
"Well... even he knows that she didn't do it. But he couldn't believe what Professor Jane had done. They were close, but even he didn't anticipate she'd do something like that. I mean, why she confessed to a crime she didn't commit, only God knows," sighed Harry.
"Oh god... They had a special bond, those two. They were much closer than just Aunt and Nephew. It was only for a 3-4 week period I saw, but I know what I saw. This would have broken him," sighed Daisy, feeling sorry for John. Harry chose not to reveal John's secret. That was not his story to tell. There was another period of silence that followed. And it was Daisy again that broke the silence.
"I still don't get why he wants to kill you," she said.
"Because I am the reason he became weak. Something unexplainable happened that night. Something that I had nothing to do with, yet something that I am celebrated for," replied Harry.
And there was a man, a boy now who was there that night, who had answers to their questions, who was close to where Harry and Daisy lived, yet he was too far away.
Daisy spent the rest of the afternoon and the evening thinking about what all Harry had told her. She played every little part multiple times in her head. And it was all way too much to take. She decided to get some fresh air and took her bicycle and went out of the house. She decided to take the usual route, from her house through Harry's to the lake and then back through Harry's till John's house, and then back home. The ride was fun as usual, cool breeze blowing, it was a great day to be outside. She even found an interesting dog standing outside Harry's house on her way to the lake. She was surprised to see the dog having not moved an inch on her way back from the lake. For a moment, she even wondered if it was the same that they played with a few days back after their swim. She cycled away peacefully, now much calmer than she was earlier that afternoon towards John's house. A cursory glance at his house and she knew that it was still the same, closed and unoccupied. But she suddenly stopped peddling and abruptly stopped the cycle. She rolled back a few feet to get a clear view and realised that the letter she saw earlier that morning was now missing. She got down the cycle and slowly walked towards the entrance and then through the gates to the front door. The letter was definitely gone.
She knocked on the door hopefully but there was no response. She looked around again. Maybe the letter flew away due to the strong breeze, but she couldn't see the letter anywhere. She rang the bell and knocked again and yet there was no response.
"John... are you home? Open the door," she called out.
"It's me, Daisy... remember me?" she asked and knocked again.
Something in her told her that John was home. Maybe it was what Harry had told her earlier.
"I'm alone," she said. "Just wanted to see you and make sure you were doing okay," she added. But there was no response.
"I'm actually going crazy," she told herself and turned around and that's when she heard it. The sound of the lock releasing. She turned back instantly and saw that the door was slightly ajar. But John was nowhere in sight. She pushed open the door and walked in slowly.
There was an odd smell in the house. Much similar to how small enclosed rooms without ventilation smelled like. All sorts of things were shattered and their broken pieces scattered all over the floor. The house itself was almost dark with barely any light. Daisy navigated all the mess carefully and slowly and wandered in.
"John?" she called out softly. Fortunately for her, she had spent a good amount of time in that house during her extra classes with Mrs Smith. She could see that there was no one in the kitchen.
She remembered the last time she had seen John in the house, to know which one was his room. She cautiously walked towards it. Just outside the room was a table. There was the Hogwarts envelope on the table and a torn piece of note beside it. The other part of the note was on the floor right beneath. And besides, it was a crumpled piece of paper. She picked up the paper and smoothed it out to read what was written on it.
Cjkz yjdib rzgg. Njmmt vwjpo rcvo cvkkzizy. Dhkpgndqz yzxdndji. Pnz hzhjmt rzgg. Orj ja ocznz rdgg xmzvoz diadidot.
Rdocjpo Rvs – 19919
She couldn't make head or tail of what was written on it. It was the most absurd collection of random gibberish she had ever laid eyes on. She crumpled it back and kept it inside her pocket and walked ahead.
She had just spotted a silhouette at the corner of the room when she heard a coarse quavering voice that was barely audible.
"In here," said John.
Daisy walked in and the closer she got, the clearer the silhouette became. A few steps later she was close enough to realise that there was a young boy sitting in the corner of the room. Instantly she recognized him as John.
"John... John, are you okay?" she asked hastily and dashed towards him and knelt in front of him. From up close, he looked extremely weak. His eyes were puffed and red, a little moist even. There were dark patches under his eyes. His lips looked dry and chaffed. His hair was messy and dirty and his overall appearance was forgettable. And there was his wand lying beside him.
"What are you doing here?" asked John but words didn't come out of his mouth, only air did.
"What happened to you? Why is the house in a mess?" she asked.
"I couldn't save her. I wasn't there when she needed me," mumbled John but Daisy barely understood anything he said.
"Here, let me help you get up," she said and tried her best to help him get to his feet. At first, she failed miserably in helping him up as there was absolutely no effort from his side. But a few moments later, he tried to get up. But the moment he got up slightly, he fell back down with a thud.
"Oh my god, John are you okay? I'm so sorry," exclaimed Daisy.
"I'm okay... I'm okay," said John and tried getting up again. This time, he was successful but was barely able to maintain his stability. Daisy somehow managed to get him to walk up to the bed and the moment he got there, he sat down.
"Let me get you some water," she said and went and came back a few seconds later with a glass of water.
John drank most of it in one gulp and also managed to cough it all out.
"Careful," she said and sat down beside him.
"What happened?" she asked again.
"I knew it would happen and still couldn't stop it. He got the better of me again. I couldn't save her. She needed me and I wasn't there for her. She was there for me when I needed her, but the one time she needed me, I wasn't there for her," mumbled John in response.
Half of it, Daisy couldn't hear properly. The other half, she didn't understand one bit. "I should have been there... She wouldn't be on the run... If I hadn't asked her to come, she wouldn't be here... I should have never let her stay... This is all my fault," he continued.
"John... it's me Daisy... do you recognize me?" she asked.
And the next instant, John burst out crying and hugged Daisy tightly. He kept mumbling the words again and again.
"John?" exclaimed Daisy the moment he hugged her.
"It's okay... Mrs Smith will be fine... she is a really great witch. People will soon realise that she didn't attack those kids," consoled Daisy but to no effect.
A minute or so later, she continued, "Hey... it's okay... she will be fine. Caaalmmm dowwwnnn... Relax... everything will be fine."
And just like that, John released the hug and stopped crying. He looked up at Daisy and instantly backed a foot away.
"Daisy? What... what are you doing here?" he asked.
"What am I doing here? What are you doing? What happened to you? I never thought I'll ever see you in such a state. Are you okay?" retorted Daisy.
"I am... I am... I am okay... I don't know whatever... what came over me," he mumbled in response, still extremely weak.
"Harry told me what happened to Mrs Smith..." said Daisy.
"He did?" asked John, a slight surprise in his voice.
"Yeah, he also told me a lot of other things... but before all that, I need to know when was the last time you ate? And what are you doing in this house all alone? Don't you have somewhere else where you could go?" she asked.
John remained silent at that question.
"Well, I'm taking you back to my home. Olivia and Jacob... I mean, Mum and Dad would love to have you over for dinner," she said.
"No... you shouldn't... I'm fine here," replied John faintly.
"What? I didn't hear that... oh wait, you're too weak to say anything. I wonder why... You're not saying another word... Go, clean yourself up... we are leaving for my house, no excuses," said Daisy authoritatively. She had no idea where she produced that from but it made its required impact.
John was left with no choice but to get up. It took him about half an hour, but when he came back, he at least partially resembled himself.
"You look much better," she said.
"I don't think it's a good idea for me to come to your house, let alone have food," said John, sounding much better than he did.
"I said no excuses," she reiterated.
Though there was an external resistance, internally, John appreciated what Daisy was doing for him.
"Okay, let's go," replied John and with that, the pair left John's house.
"I don't think I can cycle with you in the back... are you sure you can walk that far?" she asked the moment they got out of the house.
"I can create a bicycle," replied John.
"What do you mean?" asked Daisy, surprised. There was a subtle excitement on her face. If what she thought she heard was what John meant, then it was going to be fantastic.
"Here... look," he said and waved his wand at a small rock. Nothing happened though. Daisy looked at the rock keenly and then back at John. John tried again and this time, the rock magically transformed into a small bicycle.
"Oh... my... god... you can do that?" she exclaimed in amazement and walked around the cycle. "This is a real bicycle... I mean it has wheels and everything," she added excitedly.
"This is an actual bicycle, Daisy... not a fake," grinned John.
"This week keeps surprising me," said Daisy. "Let's go," she added.
So, an apprehensive John cycled beside Daisy from his house to Daisy's. It took only a few minutes for them to reach. The moment they reached and got off their cycles, Daisy stopped John.
"Wait..." she said.
"What?" asked John.
"If they ask you questions about who you are, what you are doing and so on, tell them that you are new here and that you are here on vacation," she said.
"Why would I do that?" asked John, surprised.
"You can't possibly tell them that you are a wizard, can you?" retorted Daisy.
"Okay... I'm new here on vacation. Where am I living? Who am I here on vacation with? Where do I actually live? Where do I go to school?" barraged John with questions that Daisy hadn't thought of an answer for.
"They won't ask these questions," retorted Daisy.
"They might if you give them an opportunity to. Relax... I'll handle the questions," said John. Daisy looked completely unconvinced by John's assurance, but she decided to go with it.
Daisy knocked on the door and John stood just behind her. A few seconds later, Daisy's father opened the door.
"Hey... baby girl, you've been gone..." began Jacob but paused the moment he saw John.
"Hello Sir, I'm John Smith," he said and held out his hand.
"Hi John, I'm Jacob, Daisy's father... welcome to our house... and please, don't call me sir, Jacob's fine," greeted Jacob and gestured for them to enter the house. "Olivia... Daisy's home and she has brought a friend," he said.
"I'll be back in a moment," whispered Daisy and went away presumably to talk to her mother, leaving John alone with her dad.
"Have a seat," said Jacob and John sat down awkwardly. A minute's silence later Daisy came back and sat down beside John and behind her came walking Olivia, Daisy's mother.
"Hi," said John standing up and smiling a little.
"Hi, John... I'm Olivia, how are you dear?" she asked smiling.
"I'm good, thank you," replied John sitting back down.
"John, let's go upstairs," said Daisy and got up and briskly walked up the stairs to her room. John smiled weakly at her parents and followed suit. Once they were in her room, he spoke up.
"See? That was easy, wasn't it?" he chuckled.
"It's not over yet... How are you so... I don't know, calm?" asked Daisy, panicking slightly.
"Well... I'm used to lying," grinned John.
"Don't I know about that?" scowled Daisy.
"Calm down... and why to bring me here if you were so afraid of even the most basic questions?" asked John with a chuckle.
"I didn't think about them at the time," retorted Daisy. "By the way, food will be ready in 5-10 minutes... we just need to get through that..." she added.
"Gosh, you're really panicking, aren't you? Your parents seem cool though," said John.
"This is the first time I'm bringing a stranger home... They both know Harry and Dudley. We have all known each other for years now," replied Daisy fidgeting.
"Stranger?"
"You know what I mean"
And just that moment, Olivia came upstairs and knocked on the open door.
"Kids... food is ready," she said and went back downstairs.
Daisy took a deep breath in and walked out of the room. John however was much more relaxed. All 4 of them took their seats around the dining table and the first few minutes went in serving the food. And then Jacob spoke and broke the ice immediately.
"2 boys in 1 day... I am impressed," said Jacob.
"Jacob?" exclaimed Daisy and Olivia at the same time. Olivia's tone was one of stunned shock while Daisy's was more angry and embarrassed.
"2?" questioned John and looked at Daisy bemused with a sneaky smile.
"Why would you say such a thing?" asked Daisy angrily.
"That was a joke," smiled Jacob slyly and John grinned along with him. "See? Even he's laughing," he added pointing at John.
"Don't laugh," glared Daisy looking at John but he couldn't control his smile. In fact, it only made him giggle a little more.
"You've got competition, Son," said Jacob looking at John.
"I can't believe this... who was it, Daisy?" asked John over-dramatically and that brought a smile even on Olivia's face.
"It was Harry," replied Daisy looking at John, her face was red with embarrassment and anger. Without taking a pause, she continued, "It's not like that... he's not... we're not," she stuttered. "And neither is Harry..." she added looking at her father and mother.
"Does he know that?" asked Jacob and Daisy went redder if that was even possible.
"Jacob, stop it now... You've pulled her leg enough," said Olivia. "So, where did you 2 meet?" she asked looking at John.
"We met at her extra class a year and a half ago... I'm Jane's nephew," replied John calmly.
"Mrs Smith's nephew?" exclaimed Olivia, surprised. John nodded with a smile.
"Isn't she out of town? Daisy, weren't you telling me that she left the school last year?" asked Jacob.
"Yeah, I did," replied Daisy unconvincingly. John took the hint and took over, "Yeah... she doesn't live here anymore. She only shifted a few days back. Last year she took a job elsewhere," replied John.
"Oh, okay," acknowledge Jacob. "So, how are your studies?" he asked a minute or so later.
"He studies in the same school as Harry," replied Daisy. John gave her a look and added, "We are in the same class."
"Oh, what a coincidence... Harry only transferred there last year, right? Or was it the year before?" replied Jacob.
"Yeah... a couple of years back," replied John.
"How's the school? How are your studies going?" asked Olivia humping into the conversation.
"It's wonderful... magical even," replied John. The very next instant, Daisy choked on her food and coughed a couple of times.
"Daisy... how many times have I told you not to gulp your food? Eat slowly," said Olivia.
The rest of the dinner went normally. Once Daisy and John were back upstairs, Daisy heaved a sigh of relief.
"I told you," said John.
"Jacob's always teasing me for one thing or another... I'm sorry if he offended you in some way," said Daisy.
"What? No, absolutely not... Your parents are so cool... I love them," replied John.
"I'm glad you like them," replied Daisy.
After a few minutes, Daisy said, "You're really good at lying... you were answering them so calmly."
"The more you do it, the better you get at it... The trick of a good lie is the truth in it. And to never answer more than what's asked. And never ever say something that would lead to more questions," remarked John.
"Gladly noted," replied Daisy and sat down on the bed.
"So... Harry told you," sighed John and sat down beside her on a chair.
"He did..." replied Daisy.
"What all did he tell you?" asked John.
"About Tom Riddle, or as people call him... You-Know-Who... What happened to his parents, Ginny, your Aunt," listed down Daisy.
"So, everything basically," sighed John.
"Don't worry about Mrs Smith... she's a really great wizard... I don't know why she did what she did. But I know that she did what she thought was right. And she's really powerful. Did she tell you that time when there were these wizards that attacked her? I was there too... I fell unconscious almost immediately, but I saw her fight them. It was just... brilliant," said Daisy dreamily.
"I'm not worried about Jane... and as for that time when those death eaters attacked you... She didn't have to tell me about it. I was there that night," replied John.
"What? No, you weren't," replied Daisy, confused.
"I was... you were already unconscious by the time I got there," replied John.
"But you weren't there in the morning," wondered Daisy out loud.
"That's because I left before you woke up," sighed John.
"Why didn't you tell me you were a wizard?" asked Daisy.
"You never asked me if I was one," replied John calmly.
"Wait... everything you told me back then was a lie?" she asked, slightly hurt at the realization.
"No... I don't think I lied to you," replied John.
"You literally said you were homeschooled," retorted Daisy.
"I was homeschooled... that is not a lie," replied John.
"Whatever," scowled Daisy.
"And what about you? You basically told me that magic was real. You told your best friend's secret to a stranger you had met just a couple of weeks earlier," retorted John.
"But I never told you explicitly," said Daisy.
"What you did was more than enough to raise suspicions. And guess what? Harry and I were both questioned about a breach in the International Statute of Secrecy. And guess whose name came up during the interrogation?"
"I told this to Harry and I swear to you too... I never told anyone about magic or Harry or you," pleaded Daisy.
"I don't blame you, to be honest. It is a difficult thing to find out. But even the slightest hint is enough for a ministry official. In fact, wizards and witches can read your mind, did you know that?" asked John.
"What? Really?" asked Daisy in return, excitedly.
"Yes... it's difficult, but it's not an uncommon art," replied John.
"That is so cool... can you read my mind? Wait... have you ever read my mind and what I was thinking?" asked Daisy.
"No" replied John.
"You're lying... yes you have," teased Daisy.
"No, I have never..." replied John genuinely.
"Okay... I believe you," said Daisy.
"What have you been up to during the holidays?" asked John.
"Just general stuff... did you know Ron's here?" replied Daisy.
"Ron? Ron Weasley? He's here?" asked John, shocked.
"Yeah... he came over a couple of weeks back to stay with Harry. He's actually a lot of fun. The weird things he says about wizards... his reaction to normal human things like escalators, television... it's been an awesome time with him," replied Daisy.
"Wow" sighed John with a bright smile.
"Actually, someone else came too. Harry's parents' friend from their time at school. I... uh forget his name... it was something like," said Daisy and paused a moment to try to remember Remus' name.
"Remus Lupin?" asked John.
"Yeah... that's the one," replied Daisy.
"Remus visited Harry? That's nice," replied John.
"He wanted to see you too... but you never opened the door," said Daisy.
"It's okay... I'll see him in a few weeks at Hogwarts," replied John.
That's when Daisy remembered something and she checked her pocket.
"What is this?" she asked handing John the crumpled note she found in his house.
"Where did you get this?" asked John, shocked and re-read the note again.
"Found on the floor, like this in your house," replied Daisy and John heaved a sigh of relief. "What is it?" she asked again.
"It's a coded message," replied John.
"Coded? From whom?" she asked.
"Jane," replied John.
"It is? What does it say?" she asked.
"Let me think..." replied John and a few seconds later, he read out slowly,
Hope doing well. Sorry about what happened. Impulsive decision. Use memory well. Two of these will create infinity.
Without Wax – 19919
"Wait... come again," asked Daisy. John read out the note couple more times.
"How do you it's from Mrs Smith?" asked Daisy.
"19919... you can think of it as our identification... Jane's 19919 and mine's 21815," replied John.
"But how did you know what the note said? All I can see is random gibberish," asked Daisy.
"Well... to break a code like this, you need to know the key," replied John.
"What's the key?" asked Daisy.
"21," replied John. "It's our... I mean my birth date, 21st January," he added quickly correcting himself.
"Okay... how did you use the 21 to get from what's written to what you read out?" she asked curiously.
"A equals 1, B equals 2 and so on till Z equals 26, and the cycle continues. Now add 21 to every letter of your message. Et voilà," explained John taking a sheet of paper.
"Wow... That is super complicated," sighed Daisy.
"Actually, for muggles, this is barely anything... it is one of the easiest ones. But fortunately, wizards are stupid... curse of the magic I suppose," replied John.
"And what do the numbers mean... 19919 and what was yours 21?"
"21851... and I can't tell you that," replied John.
"Why?" asked Daisy.
"Would you rather I lie or not reply at all?" asked John.
"There isn't a 3rd option for telling the truth?"
"No" replied John and got a glare in return. But Daisy knew there was nothing she could do to get the truth out from him.
"Okay, but tell me something... why was this crumpled and on the floor? Isn't this important? And what was it that you read out towards the end? Something about infinity?"
"It's nothing... We happen to have an enchanted set of 2-way mirrors through which we can talk to each other," replied John. "The last part reads and I quote, two of these will create infinity. It's something we discovered when we were kids. If you place 2 mirrors in front of each other, there will be an infinite number of reflections," he continued. "So, basically she wants me to talk to her through the mirror," he finished.
Daisy was looking at him in awe. "It just keeps getting better and better. So cool," she replied. "So, did you talk to her?" she asked.
"No, I didn't," replied John.
"Why not?" asked Daisy surprised.
"Actually, I haven't spoken to her ever since she pulled that stupid stunt. That's the reason she sent the note. It took her a good few weeks to realize the need to apologize. Anyway, I'm not in the mood to talk. So, I haven't," replied John coldly. There was a tinge of utter disgust and anger in his tone.
"John... you don't mean that, do you? Or need I remind you of the state I found you in? Talk to her... Don't you want to know where she is? How she is doing?" asked Daisy but before she could finish, John interrupted.
"She's likely doing well," he interrupted.
"But you don't know that for sure," she reiterated. John remained silent.
"Why were you living here alone? Why not go back to your father's place?" she asked out of nowhere.
"What do you mean?" asked John. The one problem with lying regularly is that you tend to forget your lies.
"When we first met, you told me that you were with your father and had come here for vacation. So, why not go back and stay with him instead of living alone?" she asked.
"Oh... that... uh, yeah... I... how do I say this?" stuttered John. "Uh... Jane is all I have got," he replied with a grin.
"What do you mean? What about your parents?" asked Daisy innocently. John remained silent for a minute but from his face, it become horribly obvious to Daisy.
"Oh my god... No... are you serious?" she asked. John remained silent still. "How did it happen?"
"It's been a few years since it happened," replied John. "Dad went..." he began but stopped himself almost immediately. "You know what? Let's not talk about it now..." he added.
And Daisy understood not to prod any further. But she had found something else to press on.
"All the more reason for you to talk to your Aunt... Or think about this. How would she feel if you don't talk to her, even when she's ready to admit her mistake? Do you really want to do that to her?" she asked. John remained silent again.
After a few minutes, John decided it was time to leave.
"I think I have overstayed my invite... And it's late now anyway. I should go back home," said John.
"Good Night... and reach safely," replied Daisy and gave him a hug which John returned happily.
"I'll think about what you said," said John. "And thank you so very much for what you did today... I didn't realize how badly I needed it," he added with a gentle smile.
"You did the same for me," replied Daisy returning the smile. She accompanied him till he walked out the gate. Just when he was about to leave, she stopped him one final time.
"Listen..."
"Yeah, tell me"
"It's Harry's birthday tomorrow... I'll expect you to come. He will like it too, I know," she said.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not going to be there tomorrow... And I request you not to tell them about the state you found me in or even the fact that you saw me," replied John and without waiting for a response from Daisy, he left.
"Why are you like this?" she whispered and went back in.
PS - 9000+ words... I'll personally hunt down every single one of you that fails to leave a comment on this chapter...
Nah, I'm just kidding 😁😁
Hope you enjoyed this one... Chapter 40 will be published in the next week.