After a couple of intense chapters with Lily, welcome back to Harry Potter and the Friend He Never Had!
I'm back with Chapter 79... A lighter one to engage your senses... Enjoy!
"Daisy, darling, when are you planning to introduce this mysterious boyfriend of yours?" asked Jacob as he saw his daughter frantically getting ready to go out.
"Jacob... How many times do I have to tell you? He is a bit shy, give him some time," replied Daisy, loudly from some other corner of the house.
"We just want to meet him and get to know him, that's all, dear," said Olivia.
After a couple of minutes, Jacob continued. "Olivia, darling... do we even know if this mysterious boyfriend... is indeed a boyfriend?" he remarked and after a few seconds, continued, "And not a girlfriend?" he added. Olivia, his wife, stared at him with a mix of anger and laughter.
"Jacob," exclaimed Daisy, loudly. "I heard that..." she added, furiously.
"It's perfectly fine darling... we don't mind, do we, Olivia?" replied Jacob, with a chuckle.
"Jacob, stop," whispered Olivia. A moment later, Daisy arrived at the hall, all ready to leave for her date with Ron.
"Stop pulling my leg, will you?" remarked Daisy. "This is why Ron doesn't want to come home," she added.
"Oh come on darling, what kind of dad would I be if I didn't give your boyfriend a little difficult time?" smiled Jacob in response.
"We promise not to give him a tough time," chimed in Olivia.
"How do I look?" asked Daisy as she swirled around in her skirt. Olivia responded with an air kiss while Jacob got up from his seat and kissed his daughter on the forehead.
"You look beautiful," remarked Jacob. "Have a great day," he added with a smile.
"Have a nice time, dear," said Olivia.
"Thank you... Bye Jacob, bye Olivia, love you loads," replied Daisy and with that, she left her home.
Ron and Daisy had decided to meet a little outside of the residential area. Earlier that morning, Ron had arrived at Harry's house and had taken his bicycle to the rendezvous point, whereas Daisy had just left her home on her bicycle for the same.
It was only a short distance away and Daisy reached there within no time. To her delight, Ron was already there, waiting for her.
"You're already here," exclaimed Daisy as she got off her bike. Daisy and Ron hugged it out for a minute or two before they pulled apart from each other.
"It's so good to see you," remarked Ron with a beaming smile on his face.
"Likewise," retorted Daisy with a blushing smile of her own.
"You look gorgeous," exclaimed Ron. "I can't take my eyes off you," he added, blushing.
"Oh, Ron... Did you practice these lines in front of a mirror?" chuckled Daisy.
"No," replied Ron, instantly, a little embarrassed.
"Relax... I'm just pulling your leg," retorted Daisy, laughing. "Thank you," she added. "You look really nice as well," she remarked with a smile.
"How have you been?" asked Daisy after a moment. "Your eyes look a little tired," she added.
"I'm doing great, I can't wait to tell you all about quidditch," replied Ron, excitedly. "It has just been a long semester, that's all," he added. "How are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm doing fabulous... Just like usual," replied Daisy wholeheartedly. After a moment she continued, "You're not going to believe what Jacob and Olivia have been doing recently," she began.
"What?" asked Ron, curiously.
"They have been pestering me non-stop, asking to meet you," replied Daisy.
"They have?" retorted Ron, surprised. "What did you tell them?" he asked.
"What else? I have been making up reasons to avoid the meet-up," replied Daisy. "They're relentless, let me tell you... Always pulling my leg with one thing or the other," she added.
Ron chuckled in response. "As much as I would like to meet your parents, it's a bit tricky, innit?" he remarked.
"A bit tricky?" exclaimed Daisy. "I'm not risking them finding out about magic just because they want to see and interrogate my boyfriend," she remarked, disapprovingly.
"We will figure it out..." retorted Ron, assuringly. "So, are you ready?" he asked.
"We are travelling by a portkey?" asked Daisy, nervously.
"Yes, it is a custom made... Relax, you will be fine," replied Ron. Daisy grabbed Ron's hand and held on to it tightly.
"Here... we... go..." remarked Ron and almost instantly, the couple felt the jerk. Their feet seemed to have left the ground and the briefcase that had been bewitched to act as a portkey pulled them onto a howl of wind and swirled them around, and after a moment, their feet slammed onto the soft grassy ground. Ron fell to the ground uncomfortably and was just in time to grab a hold of Daisy before she could fall to the ground as well.
"Phew..." sighed Ron as he got up. Daisy let go of Ron and had her hands on her head.
"That was way too much fun," she chuckled and continued, "... and a little nauseating," she added, straightening her dress. Daisy thought of something inappropriate and chuckled, but decided against telling it out loud.
"Every time I wonder how inconvenient our travelling methods are, you marvel at it and leave me feeling stupid," retorted Ron with a smile.
"You have no idea how many in my part of the world would kill to travel long distances, so quickly," remarked Daisy. "It is a little messy, but where's the fun if it wasn't?" she added. The couple began strolling after a couple of minutes.
"So, how far is it?" asked Daisy.
"Just a little ahead," replied Ron. "Trust me... you are going to Candyland," he added, excitedly.
"I can't wait..." retorted Daisy, equally excited.
The couple walked a few hundred metres and then came the ancient village into sight. Ron leaned in slightly and whispered to Daisy's ear, "Welcome to Hogsmeade," he said and brushed his lips over her cheek before he straightened up once again.
It looked ordinary, like any other village, but there was a different vibe about it, thought Daisy. Ron's words in her ear raised goosebumps on her skin while the idea of being in a completely magical village kept her on the edge of her seat.
If Diagon Alley was magical, then Hogsmeade was something else entirely.
"This is a village full of magic," gasped Daisy, multiple times throughout their time on the streets.
They had started their journey from one far end of the village, which was home to Madam Puddifoot's tea shop, and enjoyed a nice warm cup of maple cinnamon milk tea.
From there, the couple made their way to the nearby Dervish & Banges, a local wizarding equipment shop. With binoculars that could see things far away and also through some opaque things, compasses, crystal balls, brass and silver scales, moon charts, sneakoscopes and many more, Daisy stood and enjoyed every piece of item in the shop with great intrigue and interest.
After a while, Daisy walked through, glancing a little at the quill shop and the music shop and finally arrived at Zonko's joke shop. Zonko's was essentially the wizarding world in a microcosm. For any muggle, everything that could be different and weird in the wizarding world seemed to be present at Zonko's. Dungbombs, Hiccough sweets, tonics, funny-looking teacups, and many more kept the couple entertained for a while before they left for the next shop, the Gladrags wizard-wear.
Quirky-looking socks and clothes invited the couple inside. Shortly, Daisy and Ron were giggling, trying out a variety of things on themselves. They even competed with each other in a, "most weirdly dressed" competition, and despite Ron's odd combinations, Daisy won, owing to her skimpy dress made of confetti and paper. Ron and Daisy spent very little time in Honeydukes, for they decided to buy a bunch of sweets, to be eaten later at a picnic spot.
Upon convincing, Ron took Daisy to the Tomes and Scrolls, a specialist bookshop. After Daisy was done purchasing a couple of interesting reads, despite Ron's disapproval, the couple decided to make their way to the infamous, Three Broomstick's Inn. The couple somehow managed to escape unscathed from Madam Rosmerta's questions about Daisy and got themselves a butterbeer to drink and some more to carry.
After roaming through the village for a few hours, Ron and Daisy, tired and ravenous, finally made their way to a nice cosy spot near the semi-frozen lake.
"On the other side of this lake, is Hogwarts," remarked Ron as he took a big bite off of his sandwich.
"The lake looks gorgeous frozen," admired Daisy.
As the couple began eating, they discussed a lot of things, what Ron did at Hogwarts, what Daisy studied in the muggle school, interesting gossip from either world and much more. While it was bound to happen, Ron was still unprepared when Daisy brought up John.
"The lake reminds me of John," whispered Daisy, out of the blue. Ron glanced at her and saw that her face had gone a bit pale.
"He loved this lake," replied Ron after a few seconds.
"He loved the one near our house as well," remarked Daisy. "We spent countless hours there," she added.
"Do you miss him?" asked Ron, though he knew the answer to that question.
"Of course I do," smiled Daisy in reply as she glanced away from Ron, hiding a few tears. "He was so very different..." she added. After a moment, she continued, "And he was a big fat liar," she chuckled, trying to stop herself from crying.
"That he was..." chuckled Ron.
"So, everything you wrote to me... all of that is true?" she asked, glancing back at Ron.
"Yeah, that was pretty much everything we knew about him," replied Ron.
"He was in a disguise, for all that time?" remarked Daisy, confused. "Besides... I always found John and Mrs Smith's relationship intriguing... They were..." continued Daisy but paused for a lack of a better word. "They were... never like an Aunt and a Nephew," she finished.
"I found out much later than Harry and Hermione... about them. I didn't even know for a long time that they were related," chuckled Ron in response.
The couple lay around the lake for a while before Ron came up with the final activity of the evening.
"I have an interesting idea," began Ron, with a twinkle in his eye.
"Oh no, I know that look..." retorted Daisy.
"What?" asked Ron, intrigued.
"I can feel something coming," replied Daisy nervously.
Ron laughed briefly before continuing. "Going by your track record, I'm sure you will be up for this," began Ron.
"Let me stop you right there..." intervened Daisy. "If you are going to ask me to go skinny-dipping into the frozen lake... don't... As much as I would love to get naked with you in there... I'm not going to... Have you looked at the state of it?" remarked Daisy, breathlessly, only stopping when she saw Ron's face.
Ron burst out into laughter. "I knew it... How I wish I had asked you to get in there with me!" retorted Ron, chuckling. "But I had something else in mind," he added. Daisy stared at him a little embarrassed and intrigued.
"What is it?" she asked.
"There is one more place in Hogsmeade that is... legendary to say the least," remarked Ron. "Everyone at Hogwarts, Hogsmeade... all of Britain knows about this place," he began a short narration. "The villagers call it the shrieking shack," he continued.
"What?" chuckled Daisy, but quickly her smile vanished looking at the severe face Ron had.
"No one alive knows who lived there last. The villagers only know one thing. Often, at night time, they hear screams... coming right from there," narrated Ron and pointed towards the shack, which was located a fair distance away. "Something worse than ghosts is said to be haunting the old shack," he continued as Daisy's shuddered a little.
"And you want to go there?" asked Daisy.
"Yes, I want to take you there," replied Ron with a smile.
Daisy considered her reply for a moment. "If you think you can scare me with a ghost story, you don't know me very well," she replied. "Let's go to your... shrieking shack," she added, pompously. Ron, however, had other plans. He wanted to play with her and a haunted shack was better than anything he could have come up with.
The couple made their way to the shrieking shack.
"So, how do we enter?" asked Daisy as the pair looked at the gigantic shack.
"There are no doors we can enter through," replied Ron, calmly.
"How are we supposed to get inside then?" she asked, confused.
"There is supposed to be a ladder here somewhere," remarked Ron as he began walking around the structure. "Here," he stated after a few seconds. Daisy walked up to him and came face to face with an old, almost shattered, dusty, mouldy ladder.
"You are joking, right?" she asked.
"This is the only entrance that we have now," replied Ron blankly. "Please," he said and guided Daisy to climb up first.
"Wow," he exclaimed, the moment Daisy was up by a few steps.
"What?" retorted Daisy, as she looked down at Ron. He was staring back at Daisy, more precisely, at her beautifully shaped backside. "You're disgusting, Weasley," exclaimed Daisy and continued climbing upwards.
"Now I know why they let the ladies go first," chuckled Ron as he began the climb as well.
Just as the couple made it halfway through the steep ladder, Ron took out his wand, hidden, and flicked it at the base of the ladder. Just as he had wanted, the ladder began to shake a little.
"Ron," exclaimed Daisy, panicking. "Ron... I don't think this can handle 2 at a time," she remarked.
"Woah," exclaimed Ron. "Daisy... I don't think this is the ladder," he remarked. "Climb up quickly..." he added, in a panicking voice.
Unsure of what was going on, Daisy began climbing the steps quickly and within a few seconds, she reached the top of the ladder. In one quick, short jump, she was inside the shrieking shack. Ron followed suit a moment later. The couple was now inside the shrieking shack.
"Woah," gasped Daisy. "This place has definitely been abandoned for a while," she remarked at the state of the dirty-looking shack. There was broken furniture all over, and stained floors, it was all a mess.
Ron, who was busy planning his next prank, nodded along absent-mindedly. Daisy walked around the room for a bit before making it out of there and onto the staircase to go downstairs. Ron followed her closely.
Daisy was looking around the shrieking shack, intrigued, when Ron flicked his wand once again. And instantly, there was a loud bang from upstairs that made Daisy jump. Even Ron, who created the ruckus jumped a little.
"What was that?" shrieked Daisy as she glanced at Ron.
"I... don't know," replied Ron as he stared up blankly. There was another loud bang. "We shouldn't come here," exclaimed Ron, in a frightened voice.
Daisy who was actually frightened by then started shuddering a little. "What do we do now?" she asked.
Ron stared around and then momentarily at Daisy, with a worried look and then spoke up. "Let me go upstairs and check it out," he remarked.
"No... no you're not," began Daisy but Ron had already made his ascent.
Ron walked up the staircase and stared at the doors he had aimed at, to get them banging. After strolling around for a few seconds, he heard Daisy's voice from below.
"Ron? Are you alright? What is it?" she asked.
Just when Ron thought of a reply, he got an idea. Instead of replying, Ron stayed silent. He walked softly to a corner of the room and hid behind the shelves. Daisy continued calling his name, with every time, her voice getting squeakier and more worried sounding.
Worried about the sudden silence that filled the shack, Daisy walked up the stairs and continued calling Ron's name.
"Ron... are you playing with me? If you are... I give it to you, this was a nice ruse... Now please reply something," she said as she climbed up. The moment Daisy got to the room, she looked around but Ron was nowhere to be seen.
"Where has this boy gone?" she remarked as she carefully stepped out and looked around. But Ron was nowhere in sight. And right when Daisy came back into the room, Ron flicked his wand at the door once again and this time, it shut with a big bang and locked itself. Daisy jumped out of her skin and stared around.
"Hello... is anyone here?" she called out but got no response. Panic-stricken, Daisy went back to the door and tried to open it. To her greatest dismay, the door wouldn't open. The harder she tried, the more difficult it felt, to get the door to open. Taking the opportunity he had created for himself, Ron cautiously crawled out from his hiding and slowly crept up near Daisy.
In one quick movement, Ron jumped from his position and onto Daisy, who was blind-sided by the enormous figure that jumped over her and began yelling and screaming at the top of her voice. It took her a couple of seconds to realise that the one who had jumped on her was Ron and not something else. Ron's tackle had taken Daisy to the floor, while he was on top of her, laughing his backside off.
"You... utter... arse... Ronald Weasley," shrieked Daisy, angrily as Ron continued laughing.
"Your face... the look... on your face," gasped Ron for breath as he continued rolling on the floor.
"My heart stopped for a moment, you idiot..." cursed Daisy as she regained her breath. "The ladder was you as well, wasn't it?" she asked. Ron nodded in acknowledgement as he finally came to some kind of sanity.
"Don't ever do that to me ever again," exclaimed Daisy, her eyes glistening.
"Oh my God, are you crying?" chuckled Ron as he quickly made his way, closer to her.
"This... was way too much..." sighed Daisy as she tried to get herself together.
"Come here," remarked Ron as he grabbed Daisy into a hug. "I'm sorry... I couldn't resist it," he remarked with a chuckle as he caressed her cheeks.
The couple stayed that way for a few seconds before returning to their normal senses. And almost instantly, they realised how close they were to each other.
"Was this a ploy to get me... this close to you?" whispered Daisy in a sultry tone.
Ron stared at her and followed her gaze to his lips and then stared back at her. "Is it working?" he asked in response.
Without waiting for an invitation, Daisy leaned in and kissed Ron. It was a brief kiss, but it was just the first one. Daisy pulled away slightly and stared at Ron's reaction. Instantly, Ron grabbed Daisy's face and brought her closer to capture her lips once again, this time with conviction. A quick moan escaped Daisy's lips.
Ron pulled away a little to admire Daisy, to capture that moment to remember forever. The couple stared at each other, with just one thought in their minds.
"Yes," said Daisy, with hunger in her eyes.
"What?" asked Ron, confused and pinching himself.
"Yes," repeated Daisy and Ron stared at her, a little shocked.
"Are you sure?" he asked, a little cautiously.
Daisy quickly leaned into another passionate kiss as the couple took each other's scents in and tasted each other's lips. Ron's hands moved to her back, and in one struggled movement, found her dress' zip and brought it down. In one motion, he got her out of her dress and stared at her, with a newly found hunger.
Ron fashioned a mattress out of his wand and that evening, the shrieking shack, for once, was filled with the moans of pleasure rather than filled with the screams of a werewolf.
Ron and Daisy were fondling and cuddling each other.
"Want to go back for some butterbeer?" whispered Ron.
"I'd love that," replied Daisy in a whisper.
The couple got dressed and were about to leave when they heard a buzzing sound.
"What... what's that sound?" remarked Daisy as she looked around, searching for it. Ron looked around briefly before realising the sound was coming from his pocket.
Ron searched through his pockets and after a moment, took out a watch, the watch that belonged to John. Ron stared at the watch and to his shock, the needles belonging to him and Daisy, both were pointing to mortal danger.
"That's John's watch isn't it?" remarked Daisy, casually. "Why is it buzzing?" she asked.
"We're in danger..." whispered Ron, confused.
"Danger?" retorted Daisy, confused. And just then, they heard a cracking noise from below. "Ron," exclaimed Daisy, annoyed. "Do you really think I'd fall for that again?" she remarked.
"That wasn't me," replied Ron, beginning to panic a little.
"Yeah, right," scorned Daisy, sarcastically.
"Daisy... stay quiet," whispered Ron and pushed her back softly as he took out his wand from his other hand.
"What... wait are you serious? Are we in danger?" she asked, panic beginning to induce in her as well.
"Yes, we are..." whispered Ron and watched the entrance door carefully. Daisy had her eyes on the window they had climbed up onto, but there was no one in sight. The watch, however, was still buzzing.
Right when Daisy was about to mention the sudden lack of noise from downstairs, a voice spoke from the other side of the door.
"We meet again, Ron Weasley," came the man's voice.
A nice change of pace, I hope it was. Let me know your thoughts about our special couple!
PS - I'll be back with the next chapter very soon!