Chapter 6: Chapter 5 – Award Ceremony

My last summer as a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a busy one, filled with events where I was a guest of honour in some way or another. 

We had Terry and Draco's engagement party - I was the maid of honour. We had my birthday party - I was one of two twins becoming eighteen on that day. And then the awards ceremony held by the Ministry, where my friends and family were to be given Orders of Merlin, and I a Gold Medal of Honour in addition to my Order of Merlin. 

"Are you excited?" George asked. We were currently in the kitchen at the Burrow, me perched on the counter as my boyfriend inspected his suit. He held the hanger up in front of him, eyes moving over it critically as I sighed. 

"Y'know, I would usually be so fuckin' stoked to be invited to a fancy award ceremony and be the guest of honour," I looked down into my lap, "but it's not getting me as excited now. I just keep thinking of the people that're gonna be given the Order of Merlin posthumously... people that should still be here..." 

Images of Lupin, Tonks, Bonnie, Connie, the other students that had died at the Battle of Hogwarts, all floated up in my head. And guilt rose up in me. 

"And I think about how if I hadn't gotten involved with Riddle... if I had only just fought harder to resist him..." I bit my lip, shutting my eyes briefly. "If I hadn't given in so easily... maybe none of them would have died." 

I heard the sound of a hanger being hung up, then footsteps. A finger was placed under my chin, and my face was tilted up. George gazed down at me, his eyes soft and warm. I melted; while Fred was the wild card, all firecrackers and recklessness and confidence, his twin was more empathetic, sensitive and comforting and so, so gentle. And sometimes I needed comfort. 

"Princess," George murmured, his chocolate eyes searching mine, "keep your chin up, don't let your crown fall." 

I let out a quiet giggle as the corners of his mouth curled. He was so close now; he was in between my legs, his hands braced on either side of me on the countertop. 

"Seriously, though; please don't blame yourself for what Riddle did to you." George rested his forehead on mine, and I inwardly prayed that my heart would stop thumping so hard. "He was a monster who kidnapped you and tortured you, and manipulated you. None of that is your fault." 

I gazed into his eyes as I tried to fight the trembling inside me. He was so sweet... so sweet... I wanted to kiss him so badly, I wanted to show him just how much I appreciated him... 

"And no one died because of you. They died fighting HIM. They chose to die defending you so that you could take him down and leave the world a better place." George said firmly. "You know, I would have done the same. I'd die for you any day, princess. You -" 

I couldn't take it anymore; he was making my heart melt and flutter and twist all at once. I leaned in, capturing his lips in mine. George responded enthusiastically, moving his lips against mine slowly but passionately. I trembled under the intensity of the kiss; his hot breath against my skin, the slick wet heat of our lips and tongues moving against each other, his crotch brushing deliciously against my core - 

"And would you like a cup of tea too, Arthur, dear?" 

The sudden approaching voice of Mrs Weasley made us spring apart, George stumbling backwards and turning, rubbing the back of his neck, and me swiftly bringing my legs together, placing my hands on my knees. George's mother was bustling into the kitchen, flicking her wand at the kettle; it began to boil immediately. 

"Are you wearing lip balm, George, dear?" Mrs Weasley said, one hand on her hip. 

George went bright red. I put a hand to my lips, feeling the balm on them that had mostly been kissed away by the guy in front of me. 

"Oh, and Daisy - I hung your dress up in Fred and George's room. It really is beautiful, dear." 

I beamed at Mrs Weasley, who beamed back. 

"If you need any help getting ready tomorrow afternoon, feel free to pop into my bedroom." She said as she turned back to the kettle, making four mugs leap out of the cupboard with her wand. "Ginny, Luna, Hermione, and Fleur will be getting ready in there, too. You'd hardly want to get ready in Fred and George's room." 

Mrs Weasley said the last part with a little laugh. 

"Why's that, Mum?" George said, his eyebrows narrowing. 

Mrs Weasley stared at her son, her hand back on her hip and a reprimanding expression on her face. "She would hardly want to get naked in front of her boyfriend's brother, now, would she?" 

It was my turn to blush. "Yeah, that would be wild. C'mon, Bushy." 

I hopped off the counter, grabbing George's hand. Mrs Weasley's eyes followed our hand movements, and she took a long sip of tea before saying, "Do you two want any tea?" 

"Uh, I'll have a hot chocolate if that's no bother?" 

"Of course, dear. And you, George?" 

"Sure, a tea's fine." 

And so George and I sat together on the sofa, trying hard to cuddle in a seemingly-platonic way, while Mr Weasley poured over the Daily Prophet, Mrs Weasley tuned the wizarding wireless, and Ginny and Luna chatted in the corner. They'd gotten together after they'd had Seven Minutes in Heaven at my birthday party, and according to Ginny, it had been a long time coming. 

"What's up with you two?" Mrs Weasley said, turning to me and George as I lay uncomfortably on my side, arching my neck so that I wasn't laying too close to him, and as George positioned his arm so that most of it wasn't touching me. Mr Weasley shot her a look, but she ignored him. "You never used to be this awkward around each other. In fact, I remember you were especially close last year. You were always cuddling and being intimate as friends." 

"Leave them alone, Molly." Mr Weasley said with a sigh. 

"Yeah, Mum, leave them alone." Ginny giggled. "You don't know anything." 

"Do I not?" Mrs Weasley raised an eyebrow as she sipped her tea. "Enlighten me, then, Ginny." 

"There are a lot of Nargles in your curtains, Mrs Weasley." 

There was a bit of an awkward silence after Luna's dreamy comment, where Ginny stared furiously at the wall as her lips twitched, and Mrs Weasley frowned at the curtains in confusion. George found this a suitable opportunity to leave the room. 

"Right, well, we're off to bed." He slapped his knee, dislodging me from him as he sat up. "Separately! Into separate beds." 

I sniggered at his hastily added comments, and righted myself. "Night, all." 

Ginny, Luna, and Mr Weasley all wished us a good night cheerily, while Mrs Weasley watched us out of the room with a glint in her eye. 

"Phew. Fuck." George let a huge breath of air go as we climbed the rickety staircase, out of range of the living room ears. "Do you think she suspects?" 

"Not a thing, Georgie." I high-fived him. We reached our landing and entered the twins' bedroom, sighing in relief. I pulled off my top as I made my way over to Fred's bed, dropping my shorts to the floor also. I could feel both twins' eyes on me as I bent to pick up my folded pyjamas. 

Fred was already in bed, shirtless, with a stack of papers propped up on his knees. His quill rested against the parchment, stationary, as his eyes roamed over me. 

"Why are you doing paperwork in bed, weirdo?" I scoffed. "You know it's nighttime, right?" 

"Sigma grindset." Fred grinned, showing off a bicep and slapping it with his free hand. "No pain, no gain." 

"Shut up." I said. "Idiot." 

"Come here, baby girl." He purred, patting the space beside him on the bed. "Don't bother putting those pyjamas on, it's too warm anyway. Come snuggle up next to me..." 

"Mmm, gladly." I said, dropping my pyjamas back on the rug and collapsing onto the bed. Fred's strong hand wrapped around me and drew me closer to him; I shuffled over so there was room for George too. 

The twins were too close on either side of me; my skin was heating up. I gazed at them both - Fred had resumed scratching away on his parchment with his quill, his face serious with concentration, making me bite my lip at how attractive that was. And George was on his phone, smiling at some prank video - his smile was so boyishly handsome, so heart-flutteringly attractive that I squirmed on Fred's mattress. 

And both of them were so strong... the way Fred had effortlessly pulled me towards him, had shown off his biceps... that were the same size as George's... I switched my gaze between them, drinking them in with my eyes. 

"I want to ride you both tonight." I said bluntly. 

There was a brief pause, then - 

"Uh, hell yeah." Fred immediately moved his papers and quill to the bedside table, tossing the blanket off him as he turned back around. 

"Yes please!" George quickly tossed his phone onto his bed, turning and placing a hand on my thigh. 

I licked my lips and grinned, sitting up and swinging my leg over him... 

~~~ 

"Fuck." I muttered to myself as I braced myself against the wall. My core was aching, and I was really in no position to be standing. 

"You okay, Daze?" Ginny asked, finally tugging the zip up all the way on my dress. I sighed in relief, sagging onto Mrs Weasley's bed. 

"I'm fine. I'm just a bit sore." 

"I bet." She said in an amused tone. Then she lowered her voice. "You guys might wanna watch your volume at nighttimes, just saying." 

"Ugh." I buried my face in my hands as Ginny sniggered. 

"Are you sure you're fine, dear?" Mrs Weasley's kindly voice said from across the room. I lifted my head to face her. "Fred did mention you've been feeling under the weather lately. He said you almost missed the engagement party because you were feeling so poorly." 

I shifted on the bed, focusing on Hermione, who was working a potion through my hair, instead of answering the question immediately. 

Then, finally, I sighed. "Yeah, I don't know what it is. I've been feeling so nauseous and drained and dizzy at random moments of the day... sometimes I feel like it's connected to -" 

I stopped myself before I went any further. I didn't want to make myself sound crazy by claiming that I'd seen HIM. 

"You don't think you're pregnant, do you, dear?" Mrs Weasley said in a businesslike tone. I jumped, then laughed. 

"No, don't worry, you're not getting grandkids yet." I joked, but to my surprise Mrs Weasley's face dropped a bit before she composed herself. "It was the first thing we tested for when it started happening." 

"Good. I would whoop Fred's behind if he got you pregnant again, you poor thing." 

"It's no worries, Mrs Weasley; soon enough I'll want it to happen, I'm sure." I shrugged. 

"Daisy, dear, I've told you before to call me 'Molly.'" Mrs Weasley shook her head at me fondly. 

"Sorry, Molly." 

And then, with hair curled softly, lips balmed pink and shiny, and my shimmery baby blue ballgown swirling around me, I descended the little staircase into the kitchen. There waited the men - we'd all stayed at the Weasleys' so that we could all travel together - Terry, Draco, Harry, Ron, Bill, Charlie, Percy, and Mr Weasley all milling about in the cramped room, dressed in suits. Kylie was among them, her tuxedo fitted to her slight frame. 

"How's Zabini, Perce?" I called over the boys. 

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Percy flushed, and didn't answer. His ears went red too as half the room turned to stare at him. 

Then I saw them. Fred and George were in matching suits, black blazers and white button-ups with thin black ties, and their hair was gelled and tousled sexily like they always did when they wanted me to drag them into the nearest bathroom and drop to my knees. 

What? Did I say something? Oops. 

And now they were both staring at me like they'd like nothing better than just exactly that. Fred was shamelessly checking me out, and George gulped before letting his eyes move over me slowly. 

I'd debated on this dress. For one, it was blue, a Ravenclaw colour, which from a political point of view looked like I wasn't repping my house. And for two, it was very low cut; the v-neck went down to my waistline, where it then flared out into the skirt, showing off a lot of my chest and cleavage. 

Obviously I had no problem with it being a rather risqué dress. My issue was with the scar visible because of it. The little broken-heart shape on my chest. 

But I had other scars that were visible most of the time, most of which were received because of Riddle. The scars the Unbreakable Vow and the ropes that Riddle had used to tie me up with had left on my wrists; the jagged, thin white lines along my forearm, left by my frantic grappling at Hufflepuff's cup through the broken window; permanent little lines left by scrapes on my knees from the countless times I'd been tortured and forced to pleasure Riddle on them; a small red line along my cheekbone from when the side of the castle exploded during the Battle... and of course, the lightning bolt left by Riddle himself when he'd tried to kill me the first time. 

A few of those were also shameful. At least to me. 

But the twins didn't seem to care about my scars. Their eyes were elsewhere. 

"Eyes up here, boys." I said, winking. George reluctantly dragged his eyes up to mine, but Fred only licked his lips in response, his eyes glued to my - 

"Breasts?" Ron said loudly over the chatter. "How big of chicken breasts are we talking here?" 

"Pretty big. Or you could have turkey, I think." Kylie said. 

"They better be big. I'm starving already." 

"Of course you are, Ronald." 

"It seems Freddie is, too." I commented, and Fred finally looked up, smirking. 

The Ministry cars picked us up to take us to the venue, and we were surrounded by wizarding paparazzi as soon as we arrived. Aurors had to protect us as we got out; Kylie strode on ahead, used to all this, but the rest of us were starstruck, not knowing what to do. I had people shouting my name all around me, normal ordinary people trying to get in past the paparazzi to get a look at me, waving cameras and quills and bits of parchment, trying to get a photo or an autograph. 

"Come on, let's go, let's keep moving." Fred murmured, his arm around my waist. "Just ignore them." 

"It's a bit hard to when they're screaming so much." I screwed up my face as the flashes from the cameras nearly blinded me. 

"That's fame, baby." Fred grinned. "Come on, here's where they can take their pictures -" 

He led me and George over to an area of the cordoned-off red carpet that had a background set up with the Ministry and Order of Merlin logos on it, and the twins put their arms around my waist - George glancing nervously at his mother, who was still only halfway down the red carpet. The paparazzi had a field day, taking picture after picture as the twins and I posed, beaming charismatically at the cameras. 

Then Terry finished getting pictures with Draco and skipped over to us, joining in with the poses. The paparazzi shouted things over to us that I couldn't exactly make out, but I did hear many of them using our clan name, 'the Insurgents,' which delighted me. 

We all continued into the auditorium, where a long aisle led down between thousands of chairs facing the stage. Someone took us to our seats, which were right at the front. As we took our seats, I noticed that many of the people already seated were pointing at us and whispering. 

I stuck my tongue out at a few, who looked taken aback and swiftly looked away. 

"I'm anticipating all this food they're apparently going to give us after this." Terry said, rubbing his belly. "Starving!" 

"Yeah, starving for Draco's cock." Fred sniggered. 

Terry shrugged. "I guess." 

"Shut up, Freddie, you're so annoying and gross and annoying and disgusting." I said. "And annoying." 

"And also annoying, Softpaw." George added. 

"Oh, yeah. And annoying. Can't believe I forgot." I fake-glared at Fred. 

Fred smirked. "Are you not starving for something, baby?" 

I stared at him. "Nope." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Positive." 

"Not even some delicious, fresh, tasty," Fred raised an eyebrow slowly, "CREAM?" 

I involuntarily traced my tongue across my bottom lip, then looked away. Shit. He'd got me. When I glanced back, I noticed that Fred's smirk had deepened, and now his hands were behind his head as he lounged back in his seat. 

The auditorium quickly filled up. My family and friends settled in around us, chattering and laughing, and eventually the vast room hushed as Kingsley stepped up to the podium on the stage. 

"I welcome you all to this very special awards ceremony, during which I shall issue Orders of Merlin, First Class, and Second Class, to numerous guests. A Gold Medal of Honour will also be awarded to our special guest, who will deliver a speech." 

I had known that I'd be expected to give a speech. I didn't need to rehearse it; I knew exactly what I was going to say. 

"These awards are to be given based on the merit and excellence shown by the recipients and their roles in the Second Wizarding War." Kingsley continued. "All of the recipients had some active role in working to fight and end the regime of Tom Riddle. Many were injured or lost loved ones in the final battle, during which they fought valiantly, and with honour, for their country. We will take a moment of silence now, to honour and remember those we have lost during this time." 

We all stared into our laps as the auditorium went completely silent, the faint sound of someone coughing at the very back of the room the only thing I could hear, apart from Fred and George's breathing next to me. 

"And now," Kingsley said, making us all jump, "we shall award the Order of Merlins. For First Class, they are awarded due to acts of outstanding bravery and distinction. The first recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, is Daisy Lily Potter." 

There was a deafening applause around me. I stumbled up, sweeping up the stairs onto the stage and crossing it with confidence, beaming. I barely even registered the massive crowd that I was walking in front of, my attention focused only on trying not to trip. 

"Congratulations, Daisy." Kingsley said in his deep voice, and I bowed my head to allow him to place the golden medal on its green ribbon around my neck. 

"Thank you, Minister." I replied, giving him a quick smile, before turning and beaming at the crowd. I winked, blowing a kiss, before sweeping off the stage. The applause seemed to get louder, a few wolf-whistles penetrating the air, before I sat back down in between the twins. 

"You're hot." Fred and George chorused. 

"I know." 

And so all of my friends and family, including everyone who had fought at the Battle of Hogwarts and those who had been in the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army, got called up to receive their medals. Those who had an integral part in Riddle's downfall, like those of us who had hunted down the Horcruxes, or who had battled his most senior Death Eaters, or who had helped in breaking me out of the grasp of the love potion, received the green-ribboned First Class Orders, while everyone else who had fought in the Battle, and or had been a member of the Order of the Phoenix or Dumbledore's Army, received the purple-ribboned Second Class Orders. 

And soon, it was time for me to rise from my seat again. 

"And finally, the Gold Medal of Honour, to be awarded to Daisy Lily Potter, for outstanding acts of courage and service to her country as the Chosen One." 

I swept up to the stage again while the crowd roared, my Order of Merlin bouncing slightly on my chest, and I stood watching Kingsley's face as he pinned the golden ribbon to my dress. 

Once affixed, the Minister of Magic backed away, letting me take my place at the podium. I took a deep breath, facing the crowd. There were too many faces to fully register any of them in my mind, to recognise any of them would take too much time. They were all watching me, waiting expectantly. I cleared my throat, pointing my wand at it. 

"Sonorous." 

My voice was suddenly magnified. I glanced around the room once more, smiling softly. 

"It's great to see you all again." I said. "Under different circumstances, I mean. It's certainly welcome that we're not all fighting for our lives at Hogwarts." 

There was a ripple of laughter. Encouraged, I leaned forward. 

"I am incredibly grateful for these two awards, and I thank every one of you who allowed me to have them; as you all know, I'm not exactly the best at preserving precious wizarding tokens - I tend to hunt them down and destroy them." 

Another, louder, ripple of laughter. Honestly, I could be a comedian. 

"But enough joking. I am truly grateful. I feel like I don't deserve these awards - no, really, I do feel like that - there are other more deserving people who should be here with us today..." I glanced down, then back up again. "But life goes on, and we'll do our best to preserve their memories. They meant something to us, and they fought for a better future for us and our kids. We'll never forget them. 

"And I wanted to thank everyone here who fought alongside me in that Battle. We were comrades -" 

"Dumbledore's Army, represent!" 

A smattering of laughter came from the crowd. I searched with my eyes, and grinned at Louis. His green ribbon lay on his chest, the medal glinting up at me under the auditorium lights. 

"Yeah, Dumbledore's Army, everyone - give it up, please." 

Applause sounded all around the room, accompanied by whoops and catcalls. I spotted Professor McGonagall in the crowd, chuckling and clapping. 

"But yeah, everyone who was there deserves a special thanks. The community spirit I felt when we were all working towards a common goal, working together, fighting for the good of our friends and family... it's something I'll never forget. You are all so, so brave. 

"And lastly, I wanted to give a special thanks to my three very best friends, Fred and George Weasley, and Terry Boot. Because if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here today. They gave me the strength to keep going, up until the end, and past that." 

I heard Terry whoop, and Fred and George whistle, through the applause. I gazed around the auditorium, smiling, ready to give my final statement. Then the hairs on the back of my neck rose; my eyes caught sight of him. Standing right at the back, behind even the security guards. 

Evil red eyes right on me. 

His dark hair, curled ever so slightly at the base of his neck. His handsome, defined face... that attractive little smirk, the sinister, sadistic, sexy smirk... 

I faltered. I felt the blood drain from my face. He was here, yet it was impossible. How could he have gotten in? I wasn't going to shout, or point him out. For all I knew, only I could see him. 

Instead, I pulled a fake smile back onto my face and thanked Kingsley again, walking down the stairs slowly, my gaze fixed on the back of the auditorium. 

He'd gone in the split second I'd turned to Kingsley. But I'd seen it with my own eyes, and it was real. I couldn't mistake Tom Riddle anywhere.

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