She tossed and turned in her bed as the dream became vividly alive in her head. He was closer than he'd ever been in this dream; he was getting closer to catching her. She'd run with all her might but it seemed as if she were never really moving. Today the ending of her dream would come with a thud and the realization that she had fallen out of bed. Tossing her hair back and leaning against the bed she sighed heavily. It was time for her to leave, yet again. She would leave in the morning. Once again she fell into the sleep world but this time a new face appeared. A man of dark hair and eyes so brilliantly green they matched her own. Reaching out for him she brushed the brow of his hair away to reveal the most peculiar scar she'd ever seen. As the night rolled on she dreamt more of him and a picture came to form in her mind of this man of whom she did not know his name. Interrupted by the crowing of the rooster, she woke at last. She'd have to explain to her cousin her quick departure. Ready to move on she moved down the stairs but stopped at the sound of several voices coming from the doorway. She recognized her cousin's immediately but the other two voices were strange. They had unusual accents, British she supposed.
"I had no idea you'd be stopping by chaps" her cousin babbled as he led them in.
She continued to peer down through the banister hidden in the shadow of the morning light. As she spied from above she could see one of the young men had red hair and the other had black hair.
"We only came by to say hello" one of them answered "you see we have a bit of work to do in town."
"The ministry has you boys working hard" her cousin laughed.
She could have stayed on the stairs the whole time but her blasted cousin's cat spied her out and hissed making her jump. In reaction she slammed her head into a picture making it fall down the stairs.
"Up already" her cousin yelled out.
"Seamus you sly old dog, been hiding a girlfriend from us" the red haired fellow smirked.
"No it's my cousin from Dublin, she's been traveling a bit" he answered "come down and meet my old school mates."
Slowly she walked down the steps as she fixed her hair. She had reached the bottom step when she noticed that the other young men in the room were holding their breath, as if they were struck in awe.
"This is my cousin Emerald" Seamus smiled "and this is Ron and Harry."
"Hello" she said softly.
Harry stood up and tilted his head a bit examining her more closely "have we met before?"
Emerald looked from Harry to Seamus "I don't think so."
Ron stood up and elbowed Harry in the side "maybe in your dreams."
Harry narrowed his eyes a bit more at her and then shrugged his shoulders "I must have mistaken you for someone else."
"Maybe" she answered.
"Anyone up for a spot of tea" Seamus smiled breaking the still air.
Everyone nodded except for Emerald "I have to go Seamus."
"Go, you only got here yesterday" Seamus questioned.
"I know but" she whispered in a lower tone "I had another dream."
"Don't be silly sit down" he stated firmly and she took a seat at the table with Ron and Harry.
"So where did you attend school" Ron asked leaning forward on the table.
"Hogwarts" she answered leaning back in her seat.
"You must only be two years younger than us" Ron figured.
"Yeah something like that" Emerald answered staring out the window.
She was watching for something coming, anything. The last thing she wanted was a surprise attack.
"Anything out there" Harry's voice trailed toward her snapping her focus back into the room.
"Not yet" she answered distantly.
"I told you to stop that" Seamus snapped coming in with a tray with tea.
"Stop playing stupid Seamus" Emerald shot at him "you know better than that."
He served everyone tea and they sipped in silence. It was when Harry brushed back hair from his forehead that Emerald jumped up in shock.
"Everything okay" Harry asked.
"What did you say your name was" Emerald asked shakily.
"Harry Potter" he answered.
She stepped up close to him and moved the hair on his forehead again "of course I'd dream of it."
Ron snorted "dream of what, Harry's scar?"
"I'm sorry I have to go" she said running up the stairs and grabbing her bag. She turned around to see Harry in the doorway.
"Why would you dream about my scar" he asked.
"I'm not sure" she answered moving toward him "I'm sorry I startled you but I have to go now."
"No wait" he said grabbing her by the shoulders "I knew I saw you somewhere before and it sounds so stupid but I've dreamt of you too."
"You're making it up" she shook trying to push by him.
"Why are you running all the time" he asked making her stop "I always dream of you running?"
"You should get away from here and me right now" she said looking up into his eyes.
The magnetism of his gaze wouldn't let her look away. For the first time someone had eyes that equaled hers in color. The silence between them was broken by the crash downstairs. Harry jumped around and ran down the stairs. The door had been blown in and Ron was dueling with another wizard. Seamus lay on the floor bleeding; a piece of the explosion had hit him under the ribs.
"Get out Emerald!" he yelled from the floor.
Emerald took one step down the stairs before she was seen by the man who was there for her. Harry pushed her back up the stairs and into the room they were standing in before.
"Do you know how to apparate" he asked quickly.
"No" she answered with wide eyes.
Harry seized her up in his arms and with a flick of his wand they were gone. Harry wasn't worried for his friends because he knew they'd get out of there too. He took her to the only place he knew was safe at the moment; his flat in London. Emerald fell to the floor with her bag as they came to their landing.
"Sorry about that I've never took anyone with me before" Harry said helping her up.
"We just left them there" Emerald cried out "what if-
"They'll be fine, Ron is an Auror" Harry cut in.
"And just where are we" she asked.
"My flat in London" Harry answered.
She looked around at the untidiness "it's…nice."
Harry ran around picking up the clothes "I know it's messy but we'll stay here for now and wait for Ron and Seamus to show up."
"I hope they're alright" she sighed sitting down on the couch.
"I never knew Seamus had a cousin that attended Hogwarts" Harry said stuffing the clothes into a hamper.
"I was a bit of a loner" she said picking up a copy of the Daily Prophet flipping through the contents.
Harry sat next to her "I'm sure you had tons of friends."
Emerald flipped the book closed "actually, no."
"Then I bet you were a book worm like Hermione" Harry tried.
Emerald looked up at him "I studied once near her table in the library." Emerald stared down at the cover "this is a nice picture of you."
Harry pulled the book from her and looked down at the cover blushing "uh thanks."
Emerald wrenched her fingers "it's really getting late maybe we should-
There was a popping sound near the door and Ron's voice rang out for help. Harry and Emerald raced toward the two men standing near the doorway. Seamus was badly bleeding from his side and Ron's clothes were ripped up.
"Seamus you're bleeding" Emerald cried out inspecting the gash below his ribs.
"He'll live, Harry mate give me a hand toward the couch I need to crash" Ron mumbled out as Harry took him toward the couch.
Emerald pulled Seamus into the kitchen and cleaned up the wound before putting a spell on the wound to heal. She stood up angrily "this is my entire fault."
"No it's not" Seamus retorted.
"I wish I knew what he wanted because I'd just give it to him" she cried out.
"He'll kill you even if you gave him what he wants" Seamus said bitingly.
Ron groaned from the couch "lucky we got out of there before his friends joined him."
"Ron I'm sorry we didn't stay" Harry sighed feeling badly for what he did.
Ron gave Harry a short wave "I can handle my own."
"Emerald you have got to go far away from Europe" Seamus said silencing the group.
Emerald nodded slightly and swallowed hard. She'd never thought she would have to leave home, at least not like this. Emerald has been running for a few months now. To her, it seems like years. Right now, Emerald was trying to hold her fear down and keep herself from becoming emotional.
"Where will she go?" Harry asked with concern.
"Anywhere but here, it's not safe for her" Seamus shook.
"Seamus you're talking crazy like back in fifth year crazy" Ron murmured through a laugh "you can't just send her out on her own when she's being hunted by a madman."
"He's right" Harry stated firmly.
"Please, stop talking about me as if I'm not in the room. I'm an adult and I can take care of myself, I have been for the past year." Emerald stammered angrily.
"Emerald you'll listen to me because you have no idea what you're getting yourself into" Seamus bellowed.
"And you do?" She cried out indignantly.
"I cannot allow you to just go off on your own because you are my responsibility now" Seamus stated.
"I refuse to have you follow me around wherever I go just so I won't be alone" Emerald shouted getting up from her seat and storming out of the living room.
She walked straight into a room and realized she hadn't gone out the right door that was supposed to lead her down to the street. Instead of walking back out into the living, risking the chance of humiliating herself she stood in the room. Emerald looked around the nice sized bedroom. A bed was set off toward the right corner; an armoire stood against the left wall, and in the left corner beside the armoire was a beautiful broom. Emerald stepped closer to the broom and in the moonlight that crept through the shades of the window the word Nimbus glinted gold. Her fingers trailed from the top of the handle down the staff feeling the smoothness of the grain. It was indeed a beautiful broom. Setting the broom back in the corner, Emerald stepped back but stopped to see the armoire's door was slightly open. Curious of what was within; Emerald pushed the door fully open letting the moonlight shine onto the contents. A quidditch team robe was hanging on the left side and on the right were shelves full off neatly folded clothes. The patch of a golden lion caught Emerald's eyes and immediately she knew the team this suit represented. Memories of watching her house team play at the pitch flooded her; those were good times. Her eyes filled with tears and she couldn't hold them back any longer. Silently she wept staring at the maroon and gold quidditch robe. Unnoticed, Harry slipped into his own room and closed the door behind him. His heart was wrenched at the sight of Emerald crying. Harry observed her from the backside noticing she was staring at his quidditch robes from Hogwarts. It struck him; he had never thought that she missed Hogwarts and its security just like he did.
"I miss Hogwarts too" Harry said breaking the silence.
Shocked and embarrassed Emerald wiped at her face and turned round to Harry "I didn't mean to snoop it was slightly open and I noticed the robes, I'm sorry."
Harry smiled softly crossing toward her and pushing the doors to the armoire shut "the door doesn't close fully."
As soon as he let go of the door it creaked back open again and Emerald let out a soft laugh. She looked back into the armoire at the robes and her eyes darkened "I didn't want to leave, ever."
"Neither did I" Harry confessed "although somehow trouble always found me there."
"Trouble would have never found me if I was still there" she said resentfully.
"Seamus is concerned that you won't be safe on your own especially if this man has other people with him" Harry started.
Cutting in Emerald fumed "I am not a child."
"No one is saying you are, but you need someone to go with you" Harry stated nervously.
"Who would want to go with me knowing that I'm being hunted" Emerald said in despair.
Harry swallowed hard and hesitated before speaking "I said I would go with you to Seamus."
Stepping back confused Emerald shook her head "I don't understand."
"There is no one else that Seamus trusts more than Ron or me, but Ron has a job as an Auror and he has to answer to the Ministry of Magic." Harry stated flat out.
"And you?" Emerald questioned.
Harry raised his hand to the back of his neck uncomfortably "I play quidditch seasonally and I'm experienced with defensive magic."
"Harry, you can't just put down your broom and watch over me. You're a great player." She stated.
"I want to" Harry said in such a way that Emerald was knocked back metaphorically.
"Then I want you to" Emerald replied staring up into Harry's green orbs.
As she stared deeply into his eyes Emerald told herself that she couldn't let herself get involved with him no matter what. Harry was a friend now and Emerald knew it could never be more. But as she tried to convince herself not to fall to the temptation of his deep mysterious eyes, Emerald was already beginning to fall for him.