[A/N: sorry for the long break, I've been catching up with my uni work and I've also been working a lot during the pandemic. It's been super hectic but enjoy this filler chapter! Action coming soon! Also, it's so crazy how close this story is to 400k reads?! I'm lost for words. Thank you for sticking with my lil story, even if it's very old and I cringe every time I read it.]

••

AS THE days went on and the first task soon approaching, Daisy became more fearful and restless. This had been physically noticeable by her friends and father, who all raised their concerns.

Daisy couldn't sleep. Sirius had been in discrete contact with Harry, which he had passed on information to Daisy. Sirius had seen the article in the Daily Prophet and he was worried for the both of them. He knew this wasn't just coincidence. This was something else. Something dark, and something Sirius had seen before.

People die in the contest. Her thoughts always came back to that. Draco had spent a lot of time with Daisy trying to reassure her. He was worried to see his best friend this low. It was very unlike her. She wasn't sleeping, barely eating. Daisy was worried. Draco was very worried.

Her father had given her a number of sleeping potions to help her sleep before the big day, which she was very thankful for.

Harry had kept his distance from Daisy up until this point, which made her sad. Her own brother had been avoiding her, spending far too much time with their new professor. Daisy sensed something odd about the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, but she couldn't quite put her finger around it.

She didn't know what to expect from this contest just yet, but she was rather uneasy, which made every scenario in her head seem totally crazy and nerve racking.

••

• ONE WEEK BEFORE THE FIRST TASK •

Daisy had finally found her friends eating breakfast on the chilly Saturday morning, giving herself plenty of time to join them and eat something small. Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle sat around the end of the Slytherin table, feeling a sense of worry until Daisy had joined them.

"Daisy, there you are." Draco smiled, patting the spot next to him. She walked around the other side of the table, returning the smile and sitting down. "We were starting to worry." He shot her a look, seeing her panicked face. He knew exactly how she felt. She had been very open with him, not holding back a thing. She trusted him a lot, and even if he didn't know how to help her in certain ways, just him being there meant a lot to her.

"Sorry, I lost track of time." She picked up a piece of toast, spreading some jam onto the bread before taking a bite. "Any plans for today?" She questioned the group.

"We are going to go to Hogsmead if you wanted to join us? We just decided to go before you got here" Pansy asked. Daisy nodded.

"Would be a shame if you didn't want to come." Draco spoke, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"I'm in." She finished her toast, sitting there fiddling with the tassels on her jumper. She was even more nervous, realising that this time next week she may be dead.

"Are you okay?" Draco whispered to Daisy. The rest of the friendship group were talking to each other, probably about all the sweets they were going to buy whilst in Hogsmead.

Daisy nodded. "I'm fine." She gave a half smile.

"You're not. Don't think about it too much, you'll be fine. You've got this." He smiled. He gave her a nudge, making her smile.

As the two engaged in their own light conversation, Daisy didn't notice the presence of her brother across the table from her, trying to get her attention. He cleared his throat, making the girl jump. "Merlin's beards, Harry." She chuckled.

"Potter, what are you doing at the Slytherin table?" Draco questioned.

"Draco, it's okay." She smiled. "What's the matter, Harry?" Daisy questioned. It was almost time to leave for Hogsmead and she didn't want to be late.

"Can I talk to you alone for a second?" He asked. Draco looked rather confused, but he shrugged it off. Daisy nodded.

"Sure." The two got up, leaving the great hall and standing in a cove in the stone walls just outside the hall.

"Dragons." Harry stated, worried.

"What?" Daisy was confused. What did he mean?

"That's the first task. Dragons." Daisy was sure her pale skin was as white as a ghost, her face dropped.

"You're joking?" Daisy was taken aback.

"I wish I was." Harry gulped. "There's one for each of us."

"Who told you this?" Daisy questioned. She was shaking, her mind full of thoughts. There was no way she could take on a dragon. Ever. It had to be a lie.

"Hagrid." He was worried. She was worried.

"I don't know what to say. That's barbaric." Daisy was close to losing it.

"I have to go, but good luck!" Harry quickly left his sister, which was rather unusual for him. It was like he was drifting away, like he was purposely keeping his distance.

••

Daisy had been silent the whole trip with her friends. How could she relax and enjoy herself when she knew she had to face a dragon, no less?

The group of Slytherin friends were sat in the Three Broomsticks, butter beers placed in front of all of them. Nobody said more than a few words, noticing how uncomfortable their friend was. Draco had been the first to break the silence. "I heard from my father that there's going to be some kind of ball at Christmas." He took a sip from his drink.

"How exciting!" Pansy squeaked. "That's why we needed dress robes!" she was clapping her hands as the rest of the group nodded their heads. "Has your dad said anything about it, Daisy?" Pansy questioned. Daisy didn't respond, staring into her glass of foamy liquid.

"Daisy?" Draco cleared his throat. The group looked at the girl, concerned.

The girl snapped out of her thoughts, her face going red. "Sorry." she muttered. "He hasn't said anything about a ball to me." she shrugged, taking a sip from her glass. Draco frowned, looking at the girl. Something was wrong and he was going to find out.

A short while later the group finished their beverages and made their way back to the castle they called home. Draco was going to talk to his friend and get to the bottom of this. He was not going to see his best friend this low any longer. It pained him to see her like this.

As they reached the common room, Daisy was the first to sit down in the corner of the room, picking up her book she had left there and starting to read. She didn't pay attention to where her friends went, until Draco Malfoy sat on the floor facing her, giving her a frown. "I know something is wrong, Daisy. You can't hide it from me." He sighed. He liked when she opened up, but sometimes he had to prompt her to, and he hated when she broke down in front of him. And that's what she did. She cried. She couldn't say a word, but let the tears flow. "Dais?" She looked at him, her face crumpled in pain.

"I found out about the first task, from Harry. That's what he came to tell me this morning." She choked. She was weak.

"Tell me, what is it?" He questioned. He shuffled even closer to his friend, conjuring a box of tissues and handing her one. She muttered a quick thank you.

"Dragons." She stated, drying her eyes.

"What?" Draco wasn't sure if he had heard that correctly. He did.

"One dragon for each of us. No clue what we're going to have to do with the dragon." She had finally stopped crying, redness lingering on her cheeks as she folded the tissue, placing it next to her. "How crazy can this get? It's only the first task." She put down her book, running her fingers through her hair. She sighed loudly. "I'm not going to survive this contest, am I Draco?" She took in a deep breath.

"Don't be silly, I've said it before and I'll say it again. You're powerful beyond your years. You're going to show everyone that, and you are very much going to come out of this alive." He paused. "Besides, I don't know what I'd do with myself if you died." He shrugged, saying how he truly felt. "You mean so much to me and I worry a lot." He gave her a warm smile.

"You mean so much to me Draco, but you're really don't have to worry about me." She knew why he worried, sometimes she did say things that were a little to much to not be concerned about. "As long as you're there to support me, you'll have to be like my good-luck charm or something." She chuckled.

"A good luck charm, aye?" He laughed. "Am I really that charming?" He smirked.

"Only sometimes." She paused as she watched his face fall. "I'm just kidding, Draco." She giggled. Sometimes he did dislike his best friend and her wild jokes.

"You got me there." He laughed. "I believe in you, I know you've got this. Just speak to your father and I'm sure he'll be able to help you, and I'll be there to cheer you on."

"Thank you, Dray." She smiled. "It means a lot. I'll speak to him about it, for sure." He got up, sitting next to her and bringing her in for a hug. They didn't say anything, the hug said all the words that needed to be said. He cared for the girl. He cared for her a lot.

The pair broke their hug, agreeing that dinner was well and truly needed. The common room was empty, meaning everyone else had already gone.

As the two left the common room, Draco put his arm around his friends shoulder, giving her a side hug. He laughed at her as she almost tripped over his foot.

"Are you ready to become the youngest tri-wizard champion in history?" He chuckled seeing her face show several different emotions, scrunching up at a thought he could only imagine was something to do with her brother.

"Don't be daft, Draco." She chuckled. "Me? A champion? Never!" The two entered the great hall, laughing.

"Don't say it won't happen, because I think it will!" He smiled wide, his eyes crinkling at the side.

At the teachers table, Severus Snape raised an eyebrow seeing his daughter so close to Draco Malfoy. Daisy was old enough to know what was best for her. She has gotten rather close to him ever since he overheard the conversation between them, but he shrugged it off. If there was something he needed to know, he knew she would tell him, or he hoped.

Harry Potter couldn't stand seeing his sister so close to Draco Malfoy. Something about it made him nervous. Like he thought his sister deserved someone better, like he was trouble. However, Harry knew it was best for her to decide for herself. It was her choice who she liked and who she surrounded herself with. He shrugged it off, going back to his food.

The pair joined their friends, eating as much food as they could. Draco saw Daisy genuinely happy for once, and he wanted to make sure she stayed like that. The group chatted and piled their plates full of food before Dumbledore wished them all a goodnight.

As Severus was about to leave the room, Daisy followed him "Dad!" She called. She said a quick goodbye to her friends, following her dad out of the room.

He turned around, seeing his daughter. "Daisy, is everything okay?" She shrugged, him noticing her puzzled face.

"Can we talk about something, please?" He nodded, wondering what his daughter wanted to talk about now. It must have been urgent, seeing her face convey a series of different emotions, one which he hoped she didn't let go. He didn't want to see his daughter cry anymore over the tasks. Not now, not ever.

"Follow me, let's go and talk over a warm cup of hot chocolate." She smiled, following him close behind.

The two Snape's made their way back to the older Wizards quarters, Daisy plopping herself on the sofa nearest to the bookshelf. She kicked off her shoes, crossing her legs underneath her. "Harry told me something today. About the contest." He looked at her confused, walking over to hand her a cup of warm hot chocolate. It was her favourite.

"Go on." He paused, sitting opposite her.

"Dragons." She stated. "It's the first task." His face dropped. Not even he knew this, and now he was worried. "Harry said there's one for each of us."

"Daisy, I didn't know. This isn't something I'm happy about." He frowned. Each day he was more nervous for his daughter as the contest edged closer to them. "I haven't been told about the details of the contest, but you're allowed a wand in all of the tasks. You know magic beyond your years, I'm sure you'll remember a spell to help you." He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how he could help her.

She took a sip from her cup, then placing it on the table in front of her. "I'm sure I will, but I just want to come out of this alive." She sighed.

"You will. I'm sure all your friends have said the exact same thing, including Mr Malfoy." He hinted at what he had picked up from the pair, but he knew it was none of his business what his daughter did. She didn't say anything to reply to that, but instead picked up her warm beverage again, running her finger around the rim of the glass, staring at the brown liquid.

It was silent for a while, the two drinking their drinks and staring at the blank walls in front of them.

Daisy was the first to break the silence. "Dad, how did you know you liked mum?" He was slightly taken aback, something pained inside of him. "Sorry, that was a silly question."

"Not at all." He put down his cup, fiddling with his fingers. He wasn't sure how he could answer, but he thought for a while. "Everything went slowly when I saw your mother. Every moment brought joy, happiness, something more. I couldn't go without thinking about her. I always saw the good in her, that was what I admired. I missed out on the chance, well I most certainly blew that chance, but those feelings stay for a lifetime." He smiled slightly as he remembered his beautiful Lily. Daisy was so much like her, there was no doubt about that. She was as brave, as courageous, as kind and as smart as Lily. She had her eyes.

"Mum seemed like such an amazing person. I wish I could have met her." She frowned, placing her now empty glass on the coffee table. The closest she had been to her mum was in the Mirror of Erised and that made her heart hurt.

"You remind me of her. She would be so proud of you right now." She smiled. Something about those words made her happy. She would be so proud of you.

"Why did you ask? Is there something you want to talk about?" He questioned. He noticed that his daughter was in deep though, wondering if he should leave the conversation there. He decided to ask. "Is it about Draco?" She nodded.

"He likes me, and I think I like him back in the same way, but I'm scared." She spoke, almost as a whisper. "It's uncertain times. While Harry and I are alive, there is trouble and it's going to follow us everywhere. I don't want Draco to get hurt." He sighed in relief. He worried it was something else.

"If that's how you feel then you should tell him, before it is too late." He advised his daughter. She nodded. "The evidence the dark lord is retuning is slim and far between. It will happen, but everyone will be prepared, and you will be safe."

"I'm the only weapon against Harry. The only weapon between him getting to Harry. He's either going to want me to join him, or kill me. I can't do that to those I care about most." She sighed.

"You don't need to be worrying about this now, Daisy. I promise you. That's something we'll deal with when time time comes, and that time isn't now." He paused briefly, noticing how his daughter felt. "You're incredibly brave, looking back on your past and everything that's happened since then. It's made you who you are today. A brave girl who will make wizarding history. My daughter." The pair smiled. He was so proud of her and all her achievements. He was proud to call her his daughter.

"Thanks dad." She smiled. He nodded.

"You do like Mr Malfoy a lot, don't you?" She nodded. "I noticed today when you walked into the great hall. I saw it in your eyes. I saw the same look in your mum after she became close with Potter." He frowned. That part of his past hurt him.

"He's helped me a lot. Especially through this. It's something I need to think about. I'm still young." She chuckled. She knew her mother had fallen in love quite young, but she was fourteen and she knew she had better things to do than focus on boys.

"I'm glad you're happy." He said genuinely. He didn't want to see his daughter upset. "When the time is right, talk to him." She nodded.

"I can't believe I'm here talking about boys with you." She laughed, covering her face. He chuckled with her. She was embarrassed, but also glad her dad wasn't mad at her for liking someone like Draco.

"It's getting late, you should head to bed now before you get caught." She nodded, getting up.

"Goodnight Dad." She smiled. He bid her a goodnight, the girl heading back to her common room. She smiled wide as she thought about Draco. She was sure she liked him a lot, she just didn't know if now was the right time for this to happen.

Not when Lord Voldemort was amongst them, ready to play out his evil plans.