"𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐙𝐈𝐄! 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏, let me explain!"
"Leave me alone Daisy, I don't want to talk to you!" the older blonde hurried along the corridors in an attempt to avoid her younger sister.
"You can't ignore me just because I'm a Slytherin!" Daisy scoffed at the absurdity, and when he sister still didn't stop, she yelled, "You promised you would never judge!"
Finally Mackenzie did turn around, fixing Daisy with the cliché I-know-better look of an older sister. She crossed her arms firmly and walked back to her.
"This is different," she retorted. "That hat put you in Slytherin, because that's who you are at your core."
"So what? You really buy into all that Slytherin-is-evil crap?" Daisy thundered angrily.
"It's not crap. There have been many psychopathic wizards, and they all came from Slytherin!"
"You really think I'm some evil psycho?" the young blonde challenge, trying to hide her hurt. "You've known me your whole life, Mack, you know me better than this!"
"Not anymore," she shook her head. "I've tried to ignore it for a while, but I know you're not just all sunshine and rainbows, Daisy. And now this has determined it. You're not who I thought you were."
You're not who I thought you were.
The words echoes in the girl's head, and she knew that Mackenzie was right. She was hiding a darkness that she felt deep within her, growing with every day she aged. The hat had said that Slytherin would be able to help her with it, harness the power, but what if instead it would cause her to spiral out of control?
"Please Mackenzie, don't do this. I still need an older sister," Daisy urged.
"No you don't. I'm sick of always having to look over my shoulder and make sure that you're alright," Mackenzie said harshly. "Find your own friends and leave me alone."
Daisy watched her go, unable to find the words to reply to the painful message. It would be a long time before she spoke to her sister again, and that time, it was much much worse.
October, 1944
Daisy awoke, strands of her hair plastered to her forehead in a light sheen. She had this dream many times, it different renditions, but with the same scenario. She wished it was only a dream, but it was the day after she had been sorted.
Mackenzie Kennedy had graduated 2 years ago, when Daisy was in her 5th year, and Daisy had not interacted with her since. She still tries to forget what happened the last time.
Her sister had gotten exactly what she had wanted, her own life. All Daisy knew now was the Mackenzie was living together with a wizard from a rich Auror family, probably engaged by now.
She didn't even realised she was rubbing at her wrist absentmindedly until the skin became irritated. Removing her hand, she stared down at the ugly scar that marred the inner flesh of her wrist.
Shaking her head to rid herself of these emotions, she got out of bed sighed in frustration as she saw the bathroom was already taken by her roommate, Cecilia Greengrass. The delicately pretty girl had a permanent look of disgust constantly written on her face, her perfect nose always wrinkled.
"I would have gotten to the bathroom first, but that bitch practically shoved me out of the way," Gabriela's voice came out of nowhere, startling the blonde.
The other Slytherin girl was perched on a chair in the corner of the room, immersed in her novel. Gab always had a tendency to sit in dark corners and scare people, which annoyed Cecilia greatly.
"You're awake," Daisy remarked with a pleasant surprised. "Don't you like to arrive to Potions at least 10 minutes late?"
"It's the start of our last year," Gabriella shrugged, then said dramatically, "I'm turning over a new leaf. Plus, I heard Sluggy is arranging us with new partners this year. I hope I'm paired with Julian!"
Daisy rolled her eyes, wondering when her friend's infatuation would end for the school flirt.
"I would prefer it if you didn't speak about my boyfriend in that manner," Cecilia's cool voice emanated at she stepped out of the bathroom, fixing Gab with a look of distaste.
"Yeah, let me know when you guys are over. Actually, you don't have to let me know, I'll be able to tell by you crying for days in our dorm. Just like all the other girls," Gabriella snarked cruelly, then turns to Daisy and scoffed,"You would think these girls would learn by now."
Cecilia huffed in anger and flounced out of the room, taking her expensive purse with her. I turned to Gab with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't pretend like you wouldn't kill to date him, just like all the other girls."
"Yeah but I'm different," Gabriella shrugged seriously. "I'll be the girl that changes him."
"Oh honey," I laughed, but didn't push any further. "Let's go."
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"Ah students!" Slughorn bellowed when the last of them had entered the class. "Do you feel the nostalgia in the air! Do you smell the sadness and despair!? I do! Because this is our last year together."
Gabriella nudged Daisy and mimed someone puking. She snickered. Slughorn was always so dramatic. The Slytherins were all talking over Slughorn, no one really listening, but the Gryffindors were the eating it all up, looking at each other with sad gazes.
"Therefore, it's time to mix the class around a little!" Slughorn concluded, and this time all the students collectively groaned.
The Potions Professor took out a small scroll from the pocket of his pants and peered through his spectacles to see his tight cursive script. He then started calling out the names one by one, which were followed by a happy or annoyed sound from the class.
"Daisy Kennedy and Fleamont Potter!" Slughorn called out, and Daisy looked at the other boy perking up from the end of the class at the sound of his name.
He had messy dark brown hair and stormy blue eyes that suited his michevious features. He grinned at her, giving a small wave. She smiled kindly and waved back, not knowing what else to do.
"Gabriela Martinez and Julian Lestrange," Slughorn called out, and Gab punched Daisy's so hard in her astonishment that the blonde cried out in pain, earning several glances in her direction.
"Tom Riddle and Cecilia Greengrass."
The other names Daisy didn't listen to, and finally the students moved seats to join with their partners. The Kennedy witch stayed in her seat while Fleamont Potter sauntered over to her, a slight smirk on his face.
"Hello, love," he greeted sitting down beside her. "I look forward to being your partner for the rest of the year. Are you good at Potions?"
"Oh no," Daisy laughed with a warning tone. "I am not going to fall for that."
"For what?" Fleamont questioned innocently, cocking his head sweetly.
"You know exactly what! But, if you want me to articulate it... You flirt your way through every partner in an assignment, resulting in you manipulating them to do all the work. Well, that's not going to work with me."
"That's so not true!" he gasped dramatically, his feather almost flying out his hand with his antics.
She shot him a meaningful look, and he sighed.
"What can I say? I'm a dog," he shrugged.
"That's funny. I was just about to say that you were barking up the wrong tree," she bantered, and he raised an impressed brow at her witty reply.
"Well–" the boy began again, but was interrupted by the glare of a certain Riddle who was sitting at the desk behind them.
"Could you two cease making so noise?" he suggested in a delicate voice that barely hid the annoyance. "You're disrupting the class."
Daisy flushed, realising that he was right, the whole class was silent. She rubbed the scar on the inside of her wrist in embarrassment. She expected Slughorn to be angry, but he just beamed at them.
"I love it when my pairings work out!" he told the class excitedly.
˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗
The Potions class whizzed by, and before she knew it, the students were packing up to leave for their next class. Daisy had specifically assigned each of them their homework for next class, making it so clear for Fleamont that there was no way he could wiggle out of it.
What she really had wanted to do though, is speak to Tom Riddle. She had tried leaving him a alone for a few days, and had sat through a second torturous tutoring session, but she couldn't take it anymore. He wasn't allowed to treat her like that!
She said goodbye to her partner and ran after the long-legged boy who was striding out into the hallway. Clutching her backpack and attempting the zip it up as she sprinted, she called out his name.
He spun around smoothly, eyebrows furrowed as he regarded her state. She had strapped her backpack to the front of her so she could pack as she walked, but belongings were falling out of her bag. Her hair was in her face, and she blew it out of the way every few seconds. Her skirt was slightly riding up her leg as she tried to reposition the bag.
"Alright, Kennedy?" he questioned politely, firm to stay as professional as ever.
"No," she let out an annoyed breath. "No, I am not alright at all!"
His expression didn't change, but she say a slight switch of light in his eyes. Maybe curiosity? His eyes swept down to look at her absent-mindedly kneading the inside of her wrist. He noticed that she did that whenever she felt angry, annoyed, or sad.
"I don't have ti–"
"YES YOU DO!" she yelled, grabbing his arm and dragging him into a spare classroom. "I checked your schedule and you have a free period next! As do I!"
He looked slightly perturbed at her outburst, and yanked his arm out her grip, not liking the feeing that spread over him as her skin came in contact with his. He took a large step back, putting at least 2 metres in between them.
"Are you stalking me now?" he droned. "This is quite irrational you know."
"Is it?" she asked angrily. "Is it really? Is it that irrational to want to talk to your former best friend about why he's being a jackass and pretending like he doesn't know you?"
"You are overestimating the extent of the friendship we had," he blared. "Stop acting like a desperate schoolgirl."
"Oh, so I guess you tell all your classmates about how you wished you could know your mother? About how you felt so out of place in the orphanage that the only way you could find control was to be mean? Or should we revisit the fact that you're ashamed to be a half-blood?!" Daisy yelled, fed up with being nice.
The boy's eyes darkened with a dangerous rage as he advanced towards her in a threatening manner. His jaw clenched aggressively, the muscles working under his cheek as he attempted to stay calm. But Daisy Kennedy had managed to scrape away his cool layer and cause him to feel blossoming feelings of anger.
"You'd do well to know your place," he warned, barely holding himself back from doing something reckless.
"Oh yeah, show me the real Tom Riddle," she jutted her chin up, refusing to show her growing apprehension at his movements. "The dark, dark boy who doesn't know right from wrong!"
"Don't pretend like you're any different. Don't forget that I've seen the real you as well," he whispered murderously.
"I'm nothing like you," the blonde scoffed, taking a step back and letting out a short breath as her back hit the wall.
He took one more step towards her until their chests were almost touching and she had to crane her head up to meet his chilly gaze. His cold fingers rose to grip her chin in a dominating manner. She gulped nervously, starting to regret the way she had spoken.
"We're more alike that you would care to admit," he purred. "I've seen what you do when you let your true self take over."
Her breath froze as he used his other hand to grip her wrist, lifting it up and pressing his thumb into her scar. Then, just as quickly, he took multiple strides back, and exited the classroom, leaving her stifling for air.
˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗
A/N: Phew *wipes brow* that was intense! How do you think she got her scar?
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