March, 1945
"𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐓, 𝐒𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 are you going again?" Gabriela asked for the 3rd time, tossing Daisy her stack of packed shirts.
"Ireland, I already told you," Daisy informed patiently.
"Yeah, but why?"
"Er...my sister," Daisy fumbled for an answer and cringed at Gabriela's dropped jaw.
"Wait, what?!" Gabriela shouted. "You're seeing your sister? I thought you hadn't spoken to her in years!"
"I haven't," the blonde replied. "I was surprised too. Apparently she needs me for something. It's a family emergency."
"Okay..." the Spanish witch scrutinised her friend for a few seconds, who was acting more suspicious than usual. "Doesn't she live in London? You could meet a nice London boy there, look at the bright side. I heard they're quite charming."
"Not everything is about finding a boy, Gab," Daisy rolled her eyes playfully, but her mind was elsewhere.
"It would offer a nice distraction. Have you packed anything nice in here at all?"
Her question was left unanswered. Daisy was wondering whether she should inform Lili where she was going. After all, the girl was the only one who knew about what Daisy was doing. But then again, she didn't know if Lili was a good person to trust. She decided not to tell her.
"So you're obviously stressed," Gabriella noted after a minute's silence. "You know what? Why don't you go eat breakfast and I'll finish packing your suitcase for you."
"Really?" Daisy's eyes shone with appreciation. "Thank you so much Gab. You're a lifesaver."
Gabriela gave her a gleeful smile and started rifling through her closet.
On the way to the Great Hall she saw Tom stalking towards her.
"Let's go, Kennedy," he motioned for her to follow him.
"Wait, I haven't even eaten yet!" she protested. "You said 8:00. It's not even 7:30 yet!"
"The earlier we get a start the better," he ignored her complaint. "The train ride is a few hours and then we need to take a ship to cross the Irish Sea. Then the village of Armagh is so small we'll have to walk the rest of the way for who knows how long. Pack lightly."
"Fine!" she grumbled. "Let me get a banana from the Great Hall at least."
"Make it quick," was all he said in reply as they parted ways.
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30 minutes later, Daisy and Tom were standing at the train station waiting for their train to take them to one of the ports on the coast of Scotland. The blond had been studying a map and was nervous to see that Armagh was indeed so small that she could barely make it out of the clear paper.
"I told you to pack lightly," Tom commented, noting that her suitcase was big enough to reach her upper hip.
"I did," she replied loftily. "I also wanted to be prepared for anything we may face. Plus, we are staying there for a week. Are you planning on wearing the same clothes every day?"
They both glared at each other, Tom not wanting to admit that he didn't even have that great of a selection of clothes to wear. Daisy didn't want to admit that 40% of her closet was borrowed from her very generous friends.
They stood in silence then until the train came billowing in, crowds of people starting to push the witch and wizard forward hastily. After some pushing and shoving of their own, Tom managed to snatch a compartment for the both of them and ushered Daisy in.
"So, explain to me please what your plan is once we arrive," Tom stated calmly once they had settled into their seats.
"Well, first things first, we're going to find someplace to stay for the 5 nights. I reckon we'll get their pretty late into the evening, so we won't do anything until tomorrow morning. My mother's family were apparently Purebloods, so I think we should start there. I saw that she has a sister and am planning on asking around to see whether Maeve still lives there."
"You think Maeve will know how your mother died? And you're hoping that somehow leads to answers about you?" Tom questioned, and Daisy nodded.
"You really didn't have to come you know," she repeated her earlier words again.
"Yes, I did," he corrected. "This is not a friendship anymore Kennedy, not that it ever really was one. I am accompanying you only to make sure you don't hide anything from me, and to see if you are of any use to me."
"You keep saying that," Daisy said in annoyance. "What do you mean? You're bloody 17 years old, Tom. Why do you sound like you're planning bloody world dominance?"
"You think I'm not serious?" there was an edge to his voice. "You forget that I've killed."
Her blood chilled. She had forgotten. For one stupid second she forgot what he was capable of, what he had already done. She looked at him now, looked at his slender delicate hands, and wondered how on earth those hands had blood on them.
Tom's words had effectively stopped their flow of conversation, and they spent the rest of the few hours reading or sleeping, occasionally gazing out of the window to look at the rolling green hills, small villages, and fields of flowers.
Tom felt sick to his stomach for unidentifiable reasons. Every time he articulated that he was only in this for the objective desire of power, and not for her, he felt nauseous. He assumed it was because of those swarming feelings he experienced whenever he thought of her. The hatred. But he didn't understand why it was so intense and so vehemently almost painful.
He observed her sitting across from him, a big book in her lap and her head drooping down as she was slowly falling asleep. Her shoulder's were hunched and her hair was messy, nails bitten down and grey rings under her eyes. She shouldn't have been beautiful, no she shouldn't have.
He closed his eyes so that he did not have to look at her, feeling absolutely disgusted with himself. He needed to control himself. He needed to reestablish his emotions.
He felt nothing for Daisy Kennedy.
˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗
"I wish I had a camera on that ship," Daisy sighed, lugging her suitcase on the dirt road. "There were so many pretty pictures I could have taken."
Tom rolled his eyes and said nothing. For the past 30 minutes of their walk she had been incessantly chattering and he was about to perform the silencio charm on her for a moment of peace.
Daisy looked at Tom's irritated expression and fell silent. In situations which were unfamiliar to her or unhappy, the young witch usually filled them with conversation and questions. She found it was more bearable than dull silence. Also, she was trying to appear amicable towards Tom so he wouldn't be inclined to kill her once he realised she wasn't as useful as he thought.
That's what would happen, wasn't it? She knew too much about him and his plans, and the only thing that could save her was the extent of her power.
"It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if you took part of this conversation," Daisy piped up again, looking for any reaction out of the sour-faced boy. "You haven't said a single word since we got off of the port."
"All right," Tom looked at her. "Could you please shut your mouth?"
"Rude," she grumbled to herself. "Didn't the orphanage teach you any manners?"
His eyes flashed with anger. "I'm not surprised that Potter ended things. Just spending today with you has almost turned me into an insane man."
She glared at him, feeling victimised by his words. How did he even know about Fleamont breaking up with her?
"I'm glad I have that effect on you," was all she said in return. "I know not many people do."
Eventually they reached the town of Armagh, their only clue being a small sign hidden by shrubs that welcomed them. The two of them walked for another 10 minutes before they reached the centre of the town. Tom spotted a small motel and motioned for them to check it out.
The sun was setting, waiting the small town square in orange as the shadows of lampposts and buildings growing longer. Daisy noticed that there seemed not to be a soul roaming around, and it was barely 19:00.
Tom held the rusty door open for her, and the both of them got their first look at the only motel in Armagh. For some odd reason, the wallpaper was as black as the night and so old that it had started peeling in some corners, revealing pale wood underneath. The chairs in the front of the reception were moth-eaten and dusty and Daisy ruled her face into a placid expression to hide her disgust.
"Excuse me, sir," Tom's cool voice spoke to the tired looking man behind the counter.
The elder man looked up at the sound of a voice, seeming shocked that someone had walked into the motel. Daisy wondered how often Armagh got visitors.
"We'd like to book two separate room for 5 nights," he requested politely. "I'd prefer one with a bigger bed, but I'm sure the lady will be fine with a single."
Daisy tried not to scowl.
"I apologise, but we don't have two rooms," the clerk didn't look sorry in the least, only curious. "May I ask what brings you both in Armagh for nearly a week?"
"Wait, I'm sorry, you don't have any rooms?" Daisy spoke up, ignoring his question. "How could that be? It doesn't seem like you receive many guests, the town being quite small and all."
"We do have one room available," the man said, smiling ever so slightly. "And it does have a big bed. Would that be suitable?"
"You only have one room available in this motel?" Tom repeated, looking agitated.
"That's what I said," the clerk replied, growing a little impatient.
"We'll take it," Daisy sighed at the same time Tom said, "We'll find someplace else."
They both looked at each other with indignation, Tom's mouth set in a firm frown and Daisy's eyebrows raised in a questioning manner.
"There is no place else," Daisy hissed under her breath.
"I am not sharing a room with you!" Tom whispered back with gritted teeth.
"Oh grow up! Just because you can't sort out your feelings for me doesn't meet I'm sleeping outside today." the blonde scoffed, and turned back to the clerk. "We'll take it."
The raven-haired wizard fumed silently, but did not argue back.
˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗
Daisy stepped out of the shower which was surprisingly nice for such a shady looking hotel room. The tiles were a pale green and clean, and the water was warm without much of a wait. She wrapped a rough towel around herself and wiped the condensation off of the mirror.
Dark brown eyes stared back at her from her reflection, ringed with lack of sleep. The skin around her face seemed tighter, and her lips were chapped from dehydration. This definitely was not from the 2 nights she hadn't slept. This looked like it had happened over the course of a few weeks, and she just hadn't noticed it.
She brought her fingers up to massage her temples, a slow headache creeping in. She hadn't been riddled with the pain for a few days, but she could feel it starting again. Perhaps she should turn to muggle medication to ease the throbbing.
She turned towards the toilet, where she had placed her clothes bag on top of the lid. Unzipping the top, she rifled for the modest nightclothes she had packed. To her growing confusion, they were nowhere to be found.
Now Daisy's clothes were strewn across the bathroom carpet as she tried to find where her soft pants and tank top went. She looked at the first thing she had taken out of the small bag.
It was a midnight blue nightgown adorned with silvery white lace on the bottom and along the neckline. She did not own anything like it.
Suddenly her mind flashed back to the morning where Gabriela had offered to pack the rest of her things for her. No...she wouldn't, would she? Gabriela was teasing her that morning to meet a boy, but she wouldn't give Daisy only a bloody strip of cloth!
"Damn it," she whispered to herself, redness rushing up to her cheeks at the thought of wearing this.
She could just wear the trousers and shirt, but it would be too hot in the musty room and uncomfortable. Plus, she decided to look on the bright side, it would make Tom quite uncomfortable indeed.
Renewed by that thought, Daisy rubbed some cream on her body and then pulled the nightgown over her head. She packed up her clothes and hung up her towel, opening the window to let some of the steam get out.
When she stepped outside, Tom had already changed into loose-fitting pajama trousers which hung low on his waist and was about to pull a shirt over his head before he spun around at the sound of her coming out.
Daisy took pleasure in seeing his eyes almost bug out of his head, the most reaction she had seen out of him in years. He put his shirt on the bed, momentarily forgotten as he stared at her, his eyes never leaving her face
"What the bloody hell are you wearing, Kennedy?" he managed to spit out, his words just strangled enough that Daisy could tell he was affected.
"A nightgown," she said simply, walking closer to the bed.
"Is this supposed to seduce me or something?" he smirked as if unaffected, but his eyes were darker than usual. "Are you that desperate to prove your worth that you've turned to this?"
"Ew," her lips pulled down into the usual scowl she always wore around him. "You think too highly of yourself Tom. I just enjoy wearing clothing that make me feel good."
"Let's not forget it's you who wanted to share a room with me," Tom snapped, throwing the covers back aggressively.
"No," Daisy corrected. "this was the only room available!"
"But you are happy with the ways things turned out, aren't you?" he slid into the bed, eying her appreciatively.
"What kind of reaction are you trying to get out of me right now?" Daisy challenged, trying to hide the fact that she was growing flustered at his insinuation. "You think I have feelings for a murderer?"
"I don't know, do you?" he echoed her words, finding amusement in the way she tried not to blush.
He had distracted her enough that he could adjust the covers over his upper legs without her noticing, in order to hide his body's reaction to the sight of her clad in only a lacy dress. It was purely objective, his carnal male desires having nothing to do with what he really wanted. Yes, that was it.
"I'm too tired to play games with you tonight," she finally said, unable to reply with a smarter answer.
The two of them turned away from each other, both unknowingly unable to get their minds off of the other in the most frustrating way. Tom uncomfortably positioning himself as to not brush his front, and Daisy placing a hand on her chest to feel her racing heart.
Neither of them willing to accept their true but utterly nonsensical feelings.
˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗
A/N: Oooooh we're getting closer and closer to both of them finally admitting how they feel!!!
Thoughts?