Daisy was floating... She was floating in thin air. There was no pain” only numbness. It was beautiful, yet scary. The lack of sensation felt weird and she wished she could feel something... Anything...
As if her wishes were coming true, she felt a gentle hand run through her hair. And then that single sensation led to many more.
The first thing to alert her was the sharp pain on the places where she had been stabbed. And soon after, she felt a build up of nausea. Her eyes opened and the first thing she saw was Chris. He looked ready to break down even with that forced smile on his face, as he bent forward and kissed her softly. “How are you feeling?”
“Sick,” she replied truthfully. The nausea was at its peak now and she really needed to throw up. She also needed to speak to Chris very urgently. And her family was in danger. But before anything else could happen, clouds of darkness had engulfed her. And she couldn't help but succumb to them.
***
Chris wiped away beads of sweat from his forehead as he along with Pari, Harry, Hermione and Ginny wheeled Daisy to the Emergency Room. He couldn't believe that this was happening to Daisy. He hadn't imagined in his wildest dreams that he would be facing a situation where half his friends would be murdered and the other half would be attacked. This was the most horrible thing that was happening to him.
Healer Robert Harrison immediately attended to Daisy once she was in the ER. Healer Tudor was there too and she told Chris and the others to stay out while she and Healer Harrison sorted Daisy out. Harry and Ginny went back to Daisy's house to gather evidence and Hermione went for a cup of coffee while Chris and Pari sat on the chairs outside in silence. It was several minutes of unpleasant wait before both the Healers came out of the ER. Chris looked up at Healer Tudor as she gave him a grim expression. “Whatever the girl was struck with had some kind of poison on it,” the Healer said. “She's having seizures and we can control them, but the spread of the poison can only stop with the correct type of antidote.”
“So she will be all right if you give her the antidote?” Chris asked hopefully.
“She will,” replied Healer Harrison. “But there's a hitch here.”
“What?”
The two Healers looked at each other for a minute, before Healer Tudor sighed. “The poison that has been introduced into her body is of a new type. We don't yet have an antidote for it.”
***
Harry knelt down on the grisly driveway to Daisy's house. There was dried blood all around and a particularly gruesome patch seemed to be the place where Daisy was standing when she had been attacked. It was right in front of the porch pillar. So the attacker had probably hidden behind the pillar and emerged from his or her hiding place when Daisy had come out. But the car was in the opposite direction and this meant that Daisy was facing her back to the murderer. How then, had she been attacked on her front?
“Harry, look here!” said Ginny, beckoning to him from amongst the bushes that lined the porch. Harry obliged and what he saw almost made him gasp. Lying on the bare space of land between the line of bushes and the boundary wall was some black material and a blood stained butcher's knife.
Ginny picked up the black material to find out that they were hooded robes. Harry on the other hand conjured a handkerchief and wrapped it around the butcher's knife before picking it up. He then placed it on the floor of the porch and unwrapped it. Scraping off a bit of dried blood, he touched his wand to it and then to the blood a few feet away. They matched. Finally he touched his wand to the knife handle which glowed a fluorescent green first and then became black again. Harry looked at Ginny. “Daisy has definitely been attacked with that butcher's knife. But the attacker had gloves on.” He tapped the knife handle again. “Right and the gloves were made of...” the handle glowed blue as Harry gasped.
“What is it?” Ginny asked.
”They were dragonhide gloves,” Harry said, unable to believe it. “I mean, why on earth was the person wearing dragonhide gloves for this? Gloves are usually worn so that there are no fingerprints.”
There was silence as they both looked at the knife in bewilderment. Then Ginny spoke. “Do you know if there are certain types of poison that can be corrosive to the skin?”
Harry shrugged his shoulders. “I wouldn't be an Auror if toxicology were my thing, would I? But do you mean to say that the knife was smeared with poison?”
“Has to be,” said Ginny. “A simple stab wouldn't produce seizures would it? I mean, seizures are generally due to poisoning or head injuries and Daisy does not seem to have a head injury.”
“Oh yeah. You're right.” Harry frowned and looked around. Then he thought for a while, picturing the attack. “So, what story did Chris give you?”
“He came in through the gate with Pari and everything got dark because the lights had gone off,” replied Ginny. “Then Pari got attacked. After that when he walked up to the porch and he also got attacked with some spell and fell into the bushes. Then when he woke up, he found Daisy and managed to get her into the house. You know the rest of the story.”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Chris fell into the bushes and didn't see the knife and robes when he came round?”
“He may have not noticed them,” said Ginny.
Harry looked at her. “Do you seriously think so?”
Ginny shrugged. “I believe that one, all right. The only other deduction is that Chris attacked Daisy himself.”
“That's very probable,” began Harry, but Ginny cut him before he could speak again.
“Come on, Harry, why on earth would he do that?”
Harry shrugged. “This crisis is deeper than we are aware of and I think at some level Daisy has always known everything. So when she decided to tell us...”
“Yeah I get that, Harry, but Chris is crazy about that girl! Why the hell would he want her dead?”
“I don't know, but I've always found Chris to be an ambitious type of a person. I don't think we should totally ignore this fact. We must keep an eye on him.”
“Okay,” sighed Ginny. “I guess there's no harm in that. We'll keep a watch over Chris.”
***
Daisy was sitting in Andrew's study on a chair next to him. He frowned as he wrote something on a piece of paper. Then he looked up at her. “Have you seen the Crown Jewels?”
She nodded. “Obviously. Why?”
He looked down again, rubbing his temples as he did so. “Do you know about the Kohinoor diamond?”
“Yeah. It has been passed around a lot as spoils of war, hasn't it?”
“And do you know about the Galvanising Gem?”
Daisy stared at Andrew, bewildered. “I don’t think I’ve heard of it…”
Andrew sighed. “I think I should explain the entire legend to you. Listen to me very carefully.”
Daisy could feel a throb on her head the moment she came around. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She was in a white room, on a clean bed that kept her in a comfortable reclining position. A cannula ran right below her nose, providing her with oxygenated air to breathe. She looked at her hand to see a drip needle run through the palmar side of her wrist. She also noticed that her room was a semi” private ward. A WWN set stood on a table next to the one containing various medicines. And on the other side of the room, she could see another unoccupied bed.
Daisy laid her head on her pillow as a wave of dizziness swept over her. The pain of the stab injury was starting again and she could feel nausea begin to mount as she shut her eyes. Just then there was a sound. “Daisy?”
She opened her eyes to see Chris enter the room, looking a little surprised that she was awake. His eyes looked tired and he seemed very exhausted. He sat on a stool next to her and placed a hand on her hair, stroking it.
Daisy opened her mouth to talk when she realised that something wasn’t right. Then before she knew anything else she sank into the darkness, Chris’s scream of terror being the last thing she heard.
***
“Clean up the blood there and put this potion on the wounds,” instructed Healer Robert Harrison to Chris as he entered the room with Carla John. Chris nodded and lifted Daisy’s gown to the place where she had been wounded. He gently wiped away the blood with a piece of cotton. Then he dabbed the Healing Potion with a piece of cloth. The wound covered up, but Chris knew that it was only superficial. The next seizure would again open up the wounds.
When he was done, he walked out of the ward without so much as a word to Healer Robert and slumped onto a chair outside next to Pari. The tears that he had been holding back for so long streamed down his eyes. Pari put an arm around him as he tried to control the sobs that erupted. He covered his face with his hands, trying to stop himself from crying more as Pari patted his back. Finally he felt a little better and looked up at her questioning eyes. “What has happened now?” she asked, sounding very worried.
“Another seizure,” sniffed Chris. “The poison seems to be reopening the wounds each time she has a seizure.”
“Hermione’s working on an antidote, isn’t she?”
“Yeah,” said Chris. “But it could take her ages. This seems to be a complicated poison.”
“So… what else can be done, now?” Pari asked.
“Nothing,” Chris replied, standing up. “Except we should call Ryan and Daisy’s parents here, I guess.”
***
“The Kohinoor diamond is supposed to empower the person who owns it,” said Andrew, seriously.
Daisy stared at Andrew, bewildered. “Okay. So?”
“Oh, don’t you get it?” he asked. “Infinite power! Come on, Daisy, you know what power can do.”
“Yeah I do, but big deal. It’s a legend!”
“Yeah, it may not be true with concern to the Kohinoor, but it is when it comes to the Galvanising Gem.”
“So…” said Daisy. “What is this Galvanising Gem, then?”
Andrew took a deep breath. “It all starts with Lord Dalhousie presenting the Kohinoor to Queen Victoria. A few Dark Wizards of that age got to know of this Kohinoor legend, and were enthralled by it. But soon enough, they found out that the legend wasn’t true. So they decided to create a gem just like the Kohinoor which would empower the owner infinitely.
The stone they created is called as the Galvanising Gem. There is a certain procedure you have to follow to work it. If you do that, you are bestowed with the secrets of the darkest, most powerful magic. You can gain power beyond your imagination.”
Daisy raised an eyebrow. “And… you are telling me this because…?” She stared into Andrew’s eyes and got the answer immediately. “No way. Are we both thinking of the same thing?”
Andrew grinned. “Stop using cheesy Muggle movie dialogues. I really don’t know what you’re thinking of.”
Daisy smacked his arm. “You sure know how to lose the heat of the moment. Anyway, I was thinking...” Daisy stopped there and grinned. Andrew raised an eyebrow, but he grinned too.
“I think we really have the same thoughts.”
Daisy felt a sharp pain as she awoke again. This time she had a funny, scratchy feeling on her wrists, ankles and chest. She could still feel the IV line going through her vein and also the nasal cannula. She slowly opened an eye.
There was a gasp and a pair of arms was around her in a moment. She pulled away to see Ryan's white face looking at her with fearful eyes. He tried to say something, but tears began to fall out of his eyes instead.
“Hey,” began Daisy, giving him a hug with her IV free arm. She saw that her wrists were wound with funny looking vines. “I feel absolutely fine,” she lied.
Ryan pulled away and nodded, looking down and rubbing his eyes. “I'm sorry.”
“There's no need to be,” said Daisy. “When did you get here?”
“About ten days ago.”
“What?!”
“You've been out cold for about two weeks.”
“So today is...?”
“The eleventh of January.”
“Merlin!” Daisy sat up all at once, but everything started to spin. She sighed and lay back down. Then when she felt steady, she looked at Ryan. “You haven't called Mum and Dad, have you?”
“No. I thought you wouldn't want that, Should I call them?”
“No!” said Daisy. “And I don't want you to stay here, either. Go back to Hogwarts, okay?”
Ryan nodded. “I'll leave in another””
“I want you to get back there immediately.”
“But””
“I'm telling you to do this with a good reason, Ryan.”
“Okay... This evening...”
Daisy sighed. “No. You must leave now.”
“Sheesh, you're grateful!” Ryan said, getting angry. “I've come here all the way for you, and...” He picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder and stormed away. Daisy sighed and shut her eyes, her heart sinking. She had really wanted Ryan by her side, but the killer's words had not left her mind. She couldn't let Ryan stay in danger.
In a few minutes, Chris walked in. He gasped on looking at her and came and took a stool beside her. She smiled at his exhausted face and said, “Happy birthday!”
He smiled back at her, but didn't thank her. He only held her hand in his. Just then, she noticed that his eyes looked swollen and red. She squeezed his hand. “Look, it's your birthday. Stop moping around for this once!”
He did not reply. Instead, he bent down and kissed her hand. He looked up again and blinked rather hard.
“Why aren't you saying anything?” she asked, sadly.
He cleared his voice and said, “I” er... You...” he looked down again and when he looked up, his eyes were wet.
Daisy just stared as the tears in his eyes formed slowly, finally starting to fall out. She didn't know what to do or say. Ryan was another story; she'd handled him loads of times. But Chris had never broken down in front of her. He had surely been on the verge several times, but he was generally strong. Finally, Daisy gave his hand a tight squeeze and asked, “What happened? What's upsetting you like this? Look, I'm all right!”
He nodded as he wiped away some of the tears with the back of his hand. Then he brought it back and stroked her forehead as more tears made their way down his cheeks. Daisy could make out only one thing from his behaviour. She looked straight into his eyes. “Okay. How long do I have? Tell me, Chris. Will” Will I live for my b” birthday?” Daisy's nineteenth birthday was quite close: just eleven days away.
Chris didn't seem to be able to take it anymore, for he stood up and walked out of the ward. Daisy heard voices outside and finally, Pari came in. She too, looked exhausted, but she seemed quite calm and composed. “How are you feeling, Shona?”
Daisy took a deep breath. “Can you tell me how long I have, Pari?”
Pari smacked her forehead. “Oh God. You have a long life ahead, Daisy. What gave you the idea that...?”
“Well, Chris...”
“Oh,” said Pari. “So you assumed the worst, eh? Don't worry. It's just that Chris's parents were supposed to be home today and they met with a small accident on the way to the airport. They couldn't make it, but both of them are fine. Chris has been quite upset since this morning. He just got overwhelmed when he saw you, I suppose.”
“And... You know the plan...?”
”Yeah, but without you... Chris will not like it...”
“I need you to carry it on. Please. It's my wish. Tell Chris that I've requested for it.”
Pari sighed. “All right, then...”
Daisy gave a sympathetic smile. “And tell Chris that he can come and see me whenever he wants, okay?”
“Yeah, I'll tell him that,” Pari promised. Then she paused and frowned. “Wait. I just remembered something. I'll be back in a moment, okay?” She hurried out of the room. Rebecca was sitting outside, with Chris's head resting on her shoulder. Pari sat on the chair next to them. “How is he?”
Rebecca shook her head. “Bad pulse. He's ready to pass out. I think we should admit him. Fibrillations can be fatal. This can get really serious.”
“This can't be happening.”
“What did Robert say? What's got Chris so upset?”
Pari sighed as tears welled up her eyes. “Robert checked her up this morning. He says that Daisy's condition is worsening. She doesn't have more than a week.”
Rebecca ran a hand through her hair. “Does Ryan know about this?”
“No,” said Pari wiping her eyes. “He hasn't been informed. And Daisy asked him to get back to school immediately. He was pissed at first, but he agreed to go when I told him that she was probably concerned for his safety.”
“And what about her parents?”
“I don't know where they are,” said Pari. “No one knows how to get them informed.” She looked at Chris and ruffled his hair. “I think his parents are still at his place, though. I hope I'm forgiven for lying to Daisy. Chris's mum and dad are fit as a fiddle.”
***
Daisy took a deep breath as a slightest wave of nausea hit her. She shut her eyes and opened them again, remembering Chris and his reaction. She was just thinking of him, when Healer Robert entered the ward. He grinned at her. “How do you feel?”
Daisy nodded. “Better than before.”
“That's good,” he said and waved his wand at something on the ceiling. A piece of parchment fell out and he caught it, frowning at it. Then he pocketed it and looked at Daisy. “Good pulse and breathing. So, unless you have any other problems you might want to tell me about, I think I'll put you on a sedative.”
“I feel okay,” said Daisy. Healer Robert nodded and pulled out two syringes from his pocket. One had a red potion in it, and the other was a pleasing blue in colour.
“Your antispasmodic,” said the Healer, pushing the needle of the syringe with the red potion through the IV port. “And... Here's the sedative.” He gave her the other injection and Daisy was asleep before she saw him leave.
***
Harry walked along the corridor of St. Mungo's, with Hermione, Ron and Ginny by his side. Just that morning, Hermione had informed him about Daisy's worsening condition, and the Aurors had decided that it would be best if Daisy's parents would be called, at least. But as they reached the ward, a weird sight met Harry's eyes. Robert, the Healer was standing outside the ward and he seemed to be taking Chris's pulse while Rebecca and Pari sat on either side of the teenager.
Harry was just drinking in the scene, when Hermione rushed forward to them. Harry could see her bending forward, towards Chris. When Harry and the others reached them, she spun around to face him. “Daisy woke up a while ago.”
“Is she still awake?” Harry asked, glancing at Chris's pale face. The poor boy didn't seem well at all. But Harry wanted to talk to Daisy about the attack. So far, the Aurors had reached nothing else but more dead ends on the case, and Harry knew that Daisy was the only one who could help them. She surely knew a lot about all those attacks.
Harry had reached this conclusion given that Daisy had been about to tell them something about the murderer the night she had been attacked. Plus, they hadn't found the usual ‘I want Harry Potter’ chit anywhere in the site of the attack.
“Daisy is sedated, at the moment,” Robert replied. “I'm sorry, but I had to do it to keep her body and mind relaxed. Another seizure, and that's really the end of her. But she should be awake in another five hours.”
“Okay,” said Ginny “we'll be back, then.” Robert nodded and walked away, as Ginny seated herself beside Pari. Hermione walked into the ward, but Harry and Ron remained standing. Ginny patted Chris's arm. “Wish you a very happy birthday!” Harry and Ron came forward and wished him, too. He thanked them all, as Ginny spoke again. “How are you?”
“How do I look?” he asked, giving her a weak grin.
Ginny looked at his tear streaked face, and then at Pari. “Why don't you admit him here?”
“He doesn't want to be admitted,” said Rebecca.
“But he doesn't look well at all,” Ginny said, wondering how Rebecca could take it so easy.
“I could just force him into it,” Rebecca said, “but since it's his birthday...” she looked at Chris. “Why don't you go home and spend time with your parents? You can be back tomorrow. It's not everyday that your parents are home, is it?”
Chris considered her suggestion and then replied. “Yeah. I think I'll do that. But let me stay here for an hour, at least. I'll go after that.”
“But your health...?”
“Oh come off it, Becks,” said Chris. “I'll be fine. You go home and get some rest, now. Haven't you been up all night?”
Rebecca yawned and stood up. “Fine, then. I'm going. I'll be back to watch her wake up again.”
“I think I'll leave, too,” Ginny said, standing up. She nodded to Harry and Ron, as Hermione came out.
“I'll just take up a few patients since I'm here,” Hermione said. “You people can move ahead.”
“Okay, then, bye!” Ginny said, before turning around and walking with Harry and Ron. Rebecca stayed on for five more minutes and then left too, leaving Daisy alone with Chris and Pari.
***
“There's a specific way to work the Galvanising Gem,” said Andrew. “You have to look for a powerful person in your era and seven people who have any sort of positive feelings for that person. Then you have to kill all of those seven people.” He reached for his bag a pulled out a book from it. It was titled ‘The Crown Jewels’. “All the information is in this. Read it up. And as we have discussed, I'm very sure of the subject, but not the, victims, I'm afraid.” He paused and massaged his temples.
“But getting hold of the Galvanising Gem...?”
“It has been stolen from the Department of Mysteries,” said Andrew, before Daisy could complete her question.
Daisy gasped. “My dad is the Head of Department! That's why he's gone abroad, has he?”
Andrew grinned and nodded. “But imagine this: the Gem is right here in Britain.”
Daisy raised an eyebrow. “I think I've finally understood it all, now.” She grinned.
Andrew nodded. “And... There's someone I need you to meet.” He waved to someone outside, and in a minute, Daisy was facing a blonde woman with cold blue eyes. “This is Irene Stance,” Andrew said, introducing her. “When this becomes a proper case, she has arranged for herself to be put on it, so we can get help from her.”
As Daisy shook hands with Irene, she was sure that the plan would work.
***
Daisy was awoken by sharp pains on her upper as well as lower abdomen. She groaned and then gasped as a shot of white hot pain coursed through her. Then there was another and a third one. “Aaah!” she moaned, placing a shaking hand on her belly.
“What is it, Shona?” Pari asked, coming to her. At that moment, it all happened. The pain reached an unbearable extent, leaving Daisy breathless. Pari gasped, and Daisy saw her run to the door. “Chris!” Pari called out desperately.
Chris came rushing in and was beside Daisy in a second. “Get the Healer!” he told Pari. Then he turned to Daisy. “Where does it hurt?”
Daisy pointed at her abdomen, as tears of pain began to blur her vision. She began to sob helplessly. The pain was just too much to bear.
”No, no, it's okay,” said Chris holding her hand tightly. “Crying is only going to make this tougher for you. Look, squeeze my hand tight. It will ease the pain. Do it.”
Daisy gritted her teeth and squeezed his hand, her nails digging into his flesh. The pain eased, but she was scared of hurting him. Anyway, he didn't seem to feel any pain, as he told her to squeeze it more. “And take a deep breath, now,” he said, when she had applied all her strength. She took a deep breath, but a retch racked through her body as the pain returned in spasms.
“It's okay, it's okay,” Chris told her, using his free hand to prop her up and pat her back. She retched again, and then threw up over her blankets. Then she realised that something was terribly wrong, as she tasted blood.
“Chris, move,” said another voice from the back. There was a gasp and she felt Robert's hand palpate her abdomen. The tip of a wand touched her and another spasm of pain tore through her. She vomited a second time and she could tell that there was a lot more blood.
“Oh Merlin,” Robert said.
”What?!” asked Chris's voice. Daisy could still feel his hand in hers.
“She's slipping away. Till this time, the wounds were reopening superficially, but now she's heamorrhaging internally. I'm afraid the poison is destroying her abdominal and pelvic organs.”
Daisy felt the grip on her hand tighten as there was another rush of pain. Chris called out to her. “Daisy, do you hear me?” Daisy gave a weak groan, and then she heard him say, “You're staying with me. Do you understand that? You've got to stay with me.”
“Chris...” she whispered, the words slurring in her mouth.
“Tell me, Daisy,” she could barely hear him, but she felt him move close to her.
”Galaniving... Z” Zem...” she slurred again.
“Huh?”
“Chris... She's going...”
“Oh no... Daisy! Stay with me, Flower.”
Daisy wanted to stay, too. Chris kept calling her again and again, but his voice was fading like an untuned radio. Then there was complete silence. Finally, there was no pain. Daisy was in peace. She had told Chris about the Gem. The Aurors would have a new lead. Hopefully, the culprit would also be caught. She could go now. She was going... Going away...
Robert stumbled away from Daisy and looked at Chris sympathetically. “I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do... Her stomach and uterus had both been damaged... I'm really very sorry...”
Killer Instincts by Ginny Weasley Potter
Chapter Notes: Hey all! Sorry for the wait, but I had to go through two rejections for this one. O.o
This is for the lovely Mods of MNFF!
People, please review. I don't usually respond immediately due to time shortage and everything but I won't leave them unresponded either. So, just let me know of what you think.