A year later
Daisy squirted some Sleekeazy's Hair Potion into her hands and rubbed it all through her curly locks. Instantly, the curls straightened a little each, giving her hair a wavy look. Daisy then put the potion back into a drawer, satisfied with this.
Standing back, she observed herself in the mirror. At twenty, she looked more perfect than she ever thought she'd be. Her figure was well-toned and pretty much perfect with no flabs anywhere. She was wearing a pink dress which reached her knees, coupled with a pair of strappy silver stilettos. Her acne had completely vanished with the help of a new potion that had been launched a year ago. Her face looked mature and her hair reached two inches below her shoulder. The new haircut that she'd received a few days ago suited her well. She had also kept aside her glasses and started wearing contact lenses.
Daisy brushed her hair and glossed her lips a little before she sat on her bed. Pari would be arriving any moment now, and they were driving to the wedding together.
Daisy picked up the Muggle tabloid from her bedside cabinet and sighed as she saw a picture of Chris and Cheryl right on the front page. Their faces were dangerously close” it was as though they were kissing. The article below said so too, and there was also a quote from Chris admitting that he was seeing Cheryl now.
Daisy put the tabloid away, not wanting to see the picture anymore. It just made her realise how Chris had forgotten her and moved on. Of course, she was very happy for him but she definitely wasn't in the stage where she could really think about him without feeling her heart sink into her stomach. But then, if she couldn't see them together in some picture on a tabloid, she had no idea of how she'd be able to see them today.
Daisy and Chris's second break up had been worse than the first. He had come to her bed the day he got discharged and just told her point blank that he never wanted to see her face again, and that it was best for Daisy not to try and approach or contact him again. Daisy had begged of him to forgive her, but he had walked out without listening to her, with Cheryl by his side coaxing him to listen to Daisy. Watching him leave like that had then caused Daisy to break down completely and she had been crying hysterically until the Healers got so scared that they kept her sedated for the next five days.
She had woken up later to see that her parents and Ryan had come to stay by her side. Even Liz, Neil and Mike came and apologised profusely. But Chris... Daisy never saw him again after that.
***
“You may now kiss the bride.”
Her slight frame was wrapped in a simple, flowing white gown and her eyes glinted with happiness as she looked up at him. His thumb caressed her cheek as he bent down, feeling his lips on hers. There was a shower of sparks over the couple and applause issued from the spectators.
Harry looked at Ginny and smiled as they hugged.
***
The entire hall was filled with slow, soft music. Harry had already had his dance with Ginny and was now looking around for someone… someone whom he really wanted to speak to.
Finally, he found her. She was seated at a table, deeply engrossed in a conversation with Ron and Hermione.
Harry put a hand on Daisy’s shoulder and she turned around. “Oh, hey Harry! I didn’t realise that you were done dancing with Ginny… congratulations!”
Harry smiled. “Thank you! How are you, by the way?” He hadn't met her in three months or so.
“I’m good,” she said, smiling broadly. “Turns out I've got to take medicines lifelong, but everything's stable now.”
“Where is Pari?”
“Oh, she just went over to the loo. She’ll be right back.”
“Hmm,” Harry said, as the music changed. “So Daisy, will you have this dance with me?”
“Sure,” Daisy replied, standing up. Harry took her hand and led her to the dance floor. They waltzed for a few minutes in silence. Just then Ginny passed by, locked in a waltz with Chris. She gave Harry a meaningful look and winked at Daisy. Chris steered her away, glancing at Daisy fleetingly. Daisy smiled at him but he didn’t return it. Harry noticed this and decided to begin his part. Hermione had put him and Ginny through countless rehearsals on how they were supposed to talk to Daisy and Chris.
Harry cleared his throat. “How are things with Chris, then?”
“I have not tried to talk to him,” she replied. “But I’ll readily talk the day he does…”
“Come on, Daisy,” said Harry, “You’ve got to forgive him. He lost his father, after all…”
“I have forgiven him, Harry. It’s just upto him to forgive me in return. If he can’t, well… I wish him a good life.”
“But why won’t you even talk”?”
“Harry,” Daisy interrupted, “I’ll never push him to talk to me. He has every right to be mad at me. I lied to him like hell.”
“But you were blackmailed and forced. Chris must understand that.”
“I was a coward. That's what I can say for myself.”
“Stop being a fool and blaming yourself. You were very brave through the entire ordeal.”
Daisy sighed. “I cheated on Chris. That was my bravery. I was so cowardly that I didn't even tell him the truth. I was not confident enough for our relationship.”
Harry looked at her sad smile and then at Chris, who was talking to Ginny while they were waltzing. He looked earnest enough for Harry to guess that he was saying similar things to Ginny. Harry looked back at Daisy. “But it's never too late to try.”
“I would,” replied Daisy. “But Chris is settled now. And... He also told me he never wanted to see my face again.”
Harry didn't know what else to say and just danced on till the end of the song. Then Daisy seated herself on a table with Pari and some other people. Harry just sighed and went searching for Ginny to report failure.
***
Daisy had just settled herself beside Pari, when she heard someone call her name from the back. She turned around to see Cheryl, who waved at her. “Hey...”
“Hi, Cheryl,” said Daisy.
“You look great,” said Cheryl, giving her a broad smile.
It was a bit rich coming from her, thought Daisy. Cheryl looked nothing short of stunning in her green tube dress. “Thanks!” said Daisy. “Well, you look great too.”
Cheryl nodded. “Thanks...” she fidgeted with a strand of hair and then spoke again. “Chris wants to talk to you.”
“Oh...” said Daisy and immediately, her heart was beating fast. “Where is he now?”
“Just outside in the garden,” Cheryl said.
“Okay, I'll talk to him,” said Daisy as she got up. She then exited the hall and walked towards the garden, where she could hear the sounds of water gushing out of the fountain placed at the centre. When she entered the well manicured garden, she noticed Chris seated on a bench just beside a daisy bush.
Smiling at the wilted purple daisies, Daisy walked towards Chris. He was looking at her, his face expressionless. He didn't even make place for her on the bench.
Daisy went and stood beside him, waiting for him to move. But he didn't. He had even stopped looking at her. Instead, he seemed very interested in his hands and the sleeves of the dinner jacket that made him look irresistably handsome. Daisy got irritated. “I've not got all night, you know.”
He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Okay. Whatever.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I don't give a damn. And I think I said I didn't want to see your stupid face again.”
Daisy wanted to cry, but she kept her composure. “So that's what you called me here for? To insult me?”
“I didn't call you. You're imagining things.”
“Not until Cheryl is imagining them too. She told me that you wanted to talk to me.”
“Yeah. You wish.”
Daisy looked at him for a minute and started to walk off, the terrible sadness overwhelming her again. What the hell did Cheryl think, asking Daisy to go and talk to Chris like that? Just then, Chris said something that pushed Daisy over the edge. “You thought blaming Cheryl for something this stupid could probably cause us to break up, did you?”
Daisy turned around. “Excuse me?”
Chris folded his arms. “You're jealous of Cheryl.”
Daisy put her hands on her hips. “For your information, she really did tell me to meet you, okay? And who the heck are you? Gerard Butler? I wouldn't be jealous of Cheryl even if you were him. Just because I prefer not to act slutty and kiss my boyfriend in every street possible, it doesn't mean I haven't moved on, okay?”
“Oh, you haven't,” sneered Chris. “It was pathetic with the way Ginny was asking me to at least talk to you.” He laughed. “And didn't you have to be sedated for five days when I left you?”
Daisy growled in anger. “I was sick, weak and troubled, okay? And you know what? It is equally pathetic that my five day sedation is such laughing matter for you, seeing that you're becoming a Healer. I've never seen anything more unprofessional and insensitive than a Healer making fun of sick people.”
Chris shook his head. “Look, I don't give a rat's crap to what you say, okay? You can go on talking like that. You're just a liar and a cheat.”
“And you're a bloody fool,” snarled Daisy. “You got fooled into murdering your own Dad. Happy? Suit you fine?” Before Chris could say anything, Daisy was walking away. The tears were beginning to blur her vision. She knew that she'd gone overboard with rubbing the death of Mr Stevens on Chris's face, but she couldn't see how much more he could hate her now anyway. He had been right in calling her a cheat and a liar after all.
Daisy was climbing the stairs to the hall, when she heard footsteps descending them. In a minute, she was face to face with Cheryl and Pari.
“Hi!” said Pari. Then she noticed the tears in Daisy's eyes. “What's wrong?”
Daisy said nothing to Pari. Instead, she was looking at Cheryl in anger. “Look, I know that Chris is now your boyfriend and that you're very proud of it, okay?But I'm doing fine even without all his extra insults right now. You didn't need to send me there like that.”
“I'm sorry,” Cheryl sighed. “I” I only wanted to help...”
“Oh, really?” Daisy said. “Don't tell me that you wanted your boyfriend to sort things with his ex.”
“I really wanted that to happen. He's been upset about this entire matter for very long. You really broke his heart.”
“And you weren't scared of us getting back together after sorting all those things out?” asked Daisy, raising an eyebrow.
“I think I believe in our relationship enough to say that it won't happen,” shrugged Cheryl. “We have been going out long enough to be stable.”
Daisy was just left to stare at Cheryl. She had no words. Cheryl was right. Tears started to well up her eyes and she felt Pari pull her into a hug. “I'm sorry, Shona.”
Daisy broke away and wiped her face. “I'm going back into the hall.”
“I'll come,” said Pari. The two of them walked up, leaving Cheryl to go to the garden. They took a table at the hall and sat down. There was silence for a while.
Daisy and Pari both got asked to dance by different people after that and most people had dispersed by the time they were done. The party was over and Daisy was in the parking lot with Pari when she spotted Chris again. This time, he was engaged in a kiss with Cheryl and Daisy had to turn away before she broke something. Then as she got into her car, she realised that maybe this was how it was supposed to be. Maybe she and Chris were not destined to be together.
Fate. Karma. Whatever...
***
Ron opened the door to his room at The Burrow and looked inside as the nostalgia filled him. The room was as he had left it, except that his single bed had been replaced by a proper double bed, and the room had been made bigger magically to accomodate it. But there was also a smaller bed at the side for Jake and a cradle for Jessica.
Just as Ron was thinking about all the time that he, Harry and Hermione had spent together in that room, Hermione entered the room with a snoozing Jessica in her arms. Jake was trailing behind his mother and Hermione pointed at a pile of nightclothes on his bed that he promptly began changing into. Then she smiled at Ron before gently getting Jessica out of her frilly frock and dressing her in nightclothes. In a few minutes, both Jessica and Jake were sound asleep. Ron and Hermione had changed too and both of them were lying on the bed, trying to drift asleep.
Ron was between sleep and wakefulness, when he felt Hermione's arm wind around him. She turned him around. “Ron...”
Her lips were on his but he pulled away instead of responding to them. “Hermione, the kids...”
“Oh, they're asleep,” she murmured. “And anyway, it's okay if they know how they came.” She pulled him closer and kissed him again. And this time, he responded with enthusiasm.
The world seemed a new place and everything was just fine. Harry and Ginny had settled, while Ron and Hermione had sorted out their marriage well. Everyone was happy. There was going to be no more sadness. All was well.
The End
Killer Instincts by Ginny Weasley Potter
Chapter Notes: So... Here we are! Killer Instincts ends with this chapter. I had written an epilogue first, but I've modified it so much now that I've decided to let it be a full-fledged chapter. There is a sequel coming up for KI, and the details are on the End Notes.
This one is for all of you guys for sticking with the story through the three long years. I love you all! And I'll really, really miss writing this story.
Chapter Endnotes:
So... That's that. KI is officially complete! And there is a Daisy/Chris/Cheryl sequel called ‘Where Are You?’ That one's a mystery too, and it will be submitted on the OC/OC category. Keep your eyes peeled for it, and thank you for reading my first ever novel! Love you all! :) PS: Here's the link to the sequel! Enjoy! http://fanfiction.mugglenet.com/viewstory.php?sid=87127&warning=3