A/N: Okay, usually I write things for anime. And I know I haven't really been good at updating the stuff I've already written. But I woke up in the middle of the night and came up with like ten pages for this. So ya know what? Screw it. Here's a DracoxOC fanfic for ya'll.
Hopefully she's not a MarySue. I've had people tell me my characters are like that and I'm working on it. Review pretty please. Tried to keep everyone in character and such.
I do not own Harry Potter.
HOWEVER. I do own Emma Knight/Emmie Sterling and the Sterling/Knight family.
Okay? Okay. Enjoy.
I know it's long for a first chapter but...yeah.
The Beginning
Emma Knight had spent the last five years of school perfectly content to be invisible. But now, as she boarded the train that would take her to her sixth year of wizarding school, she decided maybe it was time to try being seen. The universe soon gave her a chance.
It started when she stood to get something from the candy cart. Her compartment was empty save for her, and she'd spent most of the time looking out the window. Now she stood with a few other students, some of whom already wearing their robes, as they waited to get something sweet.
"Oh, Harry, don't get that," said a brown-haired girl. "You remember last time, don't you?"
The boy she was speaking to held a box of Every-Flavor Beans in one hand. "Yeah, but that was just one time. They don't all have the earwax flavor. There has to be some variety." He examined the box closely.
A red-haired boy next to him, obviously a Weasely, laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Your funeral, Harry. Come on, Hermoine, let's leave him to his decision-making."
They walked off, leaving the boy named Harry alone. Emma watched them, the British accents floating around in her head. She, going back and forth between America and Britain, was still unused to the transition from the 'sup dude' of America to the 'bloody hell' of England.
The train jerked unexpectedly, sending klutzy, blonde-haired Emma crashing to the floor with an undignified "oof!".
The boy put the beans back on the cart and kneeled down, looking through his glasses with concern. "Are you okay?"
"Fine." Emma ignored the hand he offered and stood, brushing off her jeans.
He smiled and said, "I'm Harry. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," she said again. "I'm always clumsy. I've had much worse falls." Laughing somewhat nervously, more words tumbled off her tongue. "In fact, this one time I ended up falling off this huge rock into the ocean, and during high tide too--" She quickly closed her mouth against the flood of sentences. She was unused to this much conversation.
He only looked amused. "That sounds dangerous."
"I'm a bit of a safety hazard," she joked. "That's probably why my grandpa shipped me off."
Her second sentence fell flat. There was an awkward pause.
"I should probably go change into my robes," she mumbled, turning on her heel. If she could just make it back to her compartment, she could forget the whole notion of being seen. Maybe invisible was better after all...
Then she walked directly into something tall and was reacquainted with the floor of the train. Instead of the kind voice she'd heard the first time, a harsh male voice snapped, "Watch where you're going."
Emma bit her lip and moved to stand. Harry, the boy from before, helped her up. She muttered a thanks and tried again to escape. However, two larger boys blocked her way.
"Leave her alone, Malfoy," Harry growled.
Emma opened her mouth to say something, then closed it as the realization dawned on her. Draco Malfoy.
"Why should I?" Malfoy sneered. "She doesn't seem to have any objection." He turned his attention to Emma. "Do you?"
He dragged his finger lightly across her cheek. She tilted her head away from his touch.
"You've discovered some backbone, eh, Knight?" Malfoy chuckled. His gaze returned to Harry. "I suggest you keep her on a short leash, Potter. This one has a habit of running away."
Malfoy and the two goons pushed past them and, while Harry was still distracted, Emma half-ran back to her compartment and shut the door.
Harry Potter. She had met Harry Potter.
Draco Malfoy was in a sour mood the remainder of the train ride to Hogwarts. How dare she? She vanishes from his life and suddenly BAM, he's finally been face to face with her again and she doesn't say a word? Five and a half years of seeing her in the corridors, watching her in the Great Hall, of never having her so much as glance his way. Inseparable for ten years and then he suddenly doesn't exist. And why? Because she was a pretty little Ravenclaw and he a slimy Slytherin?
His fists clenched in his lap as he stared fiercely out the window. His childhood friend Emmie Sterling was gone, and Emma Knight was going to pay.
Emma sat at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall, blinking silently at her food. If anyone noticed, no one said anything. Her memory traveled back six years. Draco would have noticed exactly how she was feeling. She'd lost her best friend after her father--
She stopped that thought short. That was her past. This is her present. And in her present, Draco Malfoy was not her friend. He was a lying, conniving sonofabitch. Just like his father.
Harry Potter couldn't stop thinking about the girl on the train. The one Malfoy had called "Knight". There were so many unanswered questions about her.
"Hey, Hermoine," he said suddenly. Both of his friends looked up, Hermoine from her book and Ron from his full plate of food. "Do you know a girl named Knight?"
Hermoine frowned. "Is that her last name?"
"I don't know."
"Well, it must be! I don't know any girls with that as a first name. Is she a Gryffindor?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't think so. Malfoy was giving her a hard time on the train today, and she ran away before I could find out her name."
Hermoine carefully marked her place and set her book down. "What's she look like?"
He blinked. "Uh, well, blonde hair...pale skin...uh, kind of, I don't know, petite I guess..."
"What color were her eyes?" Hermoine pressed.
"Bloody hell, I don't know."
"Girls get pissed if you don't know their eye color," Ron mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"I'm not going to ask her out!" Harry hissed. "I just want to make sure she's okay!"
"It would help if you'd gotten a good look at her, mate."
Harry looked to Hermoine pleadingly. She shrugged and went back to her book, her way of saying 'Sorry, but he's right.'
"Ridiculous!" he said. "What about you two? She was right behind us at the candy cart. Why didn't either one of you get a 'good look at her'?"
Ron blinked at his friend, swallowed, and said, "There wasn't anyone behind us, Harry."
"Yes, there was! She was right behind us! You two walked right past her."
Hermoine looked guilty. "There might have been someone there, I guess, but I didn't--"
"Ha!" said Harry triumphantly. "You didn't look closely, did you?"
"Well you can't expect her to examine everyone she walks past," Ron protested.
Harry gave him a look. "Ron. It's Hermoine."
Emma had barely unpacked when a bright-eyed firstyear bounded up to her.
"You're Miss Knight, right? Emma Knight?"
Before she could respond, the bubbly firstyear said, "Professor Snape wants to see you!"
The Slytherin dormitories were empty. Malfoy didn't know where everyone was and didn't particularly care. He was stretched out on his bed when he heard a bang from the common room. He drew his wand from his pocket and descended the stairs. All the lights were off in the dungeon-style room, and he heard a muffled 'ow' in the darkness.
He muttered a spell and the room was flooded with light. The intruder, a petite blonde girl with a decent figure, jumped and spun around.
"Malfoy!" Emma exclaimed, dropping a paper-wrapped parcel.
Her robes were swept aside, showing her swelling knee. She rubbed it tenderly.
"Couldn't see a damned thing in the dark--" she muttered.
"What are you doing here?" He made his voice as cold as possible.
He'd been expecting her to flinch and was surprised to see her scowl.
"I'm here to deliver something to you." She retrieved the parcel and threw it at him. He caught it reflexively, adding to her irritation. Everything's just so damn easy for him... "I was just going to leave it down here so I wouldn't have to deal with you. But obviously I'm not that lucky."
"How'd you get in?"
"Snape gave me the password." She spun around. "Goodbye."
She tottered as she headed toward the exit, and she nearly fell right before leaving. He sighed. She'd hurt herself more than she was willing to let on. Malfoy walked toward her, agitated, and grabbed her arm, towing her to a large green couch. He pushed her onto it.
"Hey!" she protested.
"Sit," he ordered, kneeling. "You hurt your knee."
"I didn't bang it that badly--"
"Just sit still."
Emma bit her lip as Malfoy wrapped her knee. When the job was done, she stood up faster than he would have thought possible. Without another word, she was out the door. Malfoy angrily walked back up to his bed, where he remained, awake, until the next morning.
The next morning, Emma was shocked to find that not only did her knee still ache, but she had gotten lost. In five years at Hogwarts, she had never gotten lost. She shook the daydreams from her head and set into a jog, careful not to jar her knee any more than necessary. When she finally made it to class, and only a few minutes late, Snape frowned.
"You're limping," he noted dully.
She smiled, though her knee was throbbing. The jog might not have been the smartest idea. "I'm fine."
"No." His tone made her jump. "I'm sending you to the hospital wing. Let's see..."
She surveyed the class nervously, wondering who he'd send to take her to get her knee fixed. Her gaze lingered on Harry, and his eyes lit up as he recognized her from the train.
"Draco."
Emma's eyes snapped up to her professor. "What? No! Really, I'm fine! I don't need to..."
She trailed off as Snape's frown deepened.
"Go," he said in a low voice.
As she left the room, Malfoy following, she heard Professor Snape say, "Mr. Potter, I expect you to take double notes today for Miss Knight while she's in the hospital wing."
Emma's POV
He was walking very closely behind me, and he was doing it on purpose. The pain in my knee grew with each step I took. How could one misplaced coffee table in a dark room cause this much damage?
"So, Knight." I could hear the smirk in his voice. "How does it feel, having Snape wrapped around your finger?"
I ignored him.
"It's a bit unusual. Normally, he only favors Slytherin." Suddenly, his voice was coming not from behind me, but from right next to me. "What makes you so special?" he breathed into my ear.
Shivers traveled down my spine, but not from fear.
"Bug off, Malfoy," I snapped.
"Touchy, aren't we, Knight?" He'd fallen back into step behind me. There was a pause, and when he spoke again his tone was thoughtful. "You know, I don't blame you for taking your mother's maiden name when you moved in with your grandfather. After all, your father was a--"
"SHUTUP!"
I was turned around, glaring at him with clenched fists. I couldn't believe I'd let him get to me, just as I couldn't believe what he'd been about to say about my dad.
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow innocently. "Did I strike a chord? Find a chink in your flawless armor?"
"Go away, Malfoy."
His grin grew smug. "Or what?"
In a flash, my wand was out and pointed at his heart. "Or you might just find yourself on fire."
That jerk wasn't even listening to me. "Why do you hate me so much, Knight? I'm curious."
So far, I'd surprised even myself with what had been coming out of my mouth. For the past five years, I'd hardly said anything at all. And now I was suddenly coming up with snarky comments and talking to people like Harry Potter? I was starting to be like the old me, the witty, sarcastic, ten-year-old me. The me who'd been friends with Draco. Still, I was pretty floored when I hissed, with all the poison I could muster and all the hurt and anger I'd held onto, "Because you're a Malfoy. All Malfoys are exactly the same: lying, greedy, manipulative bastards. You talk about my father? What about your father, huh?"
His cheeks were pink, as close as dignified Draco would come to flushing in anger. "At least my father's not rotting in Azkaban!"
I took a step back, my face burning as though I'd been slapped. I closed my hand around my wand so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Then I stowed it in my pocket and turned, fully prepared to leave. Not this time. Next time. Next time, I'll punch him. Next time, that stupid, ignorant loser is getting a black eye.
He grabbed my arm, and I froze.
"Why do you always get to walk away?" he asked crossly.
"Maybe because I'm always the one with a reason to!" I yelled.
"You didn't have a reason five years ago."
I tried to pull away from him. "I don't want to talk about this."
His grip on my arm tightened. "I don't care. I need to know, Emma."
"You're hurting me, Malfoy."
"I need to--"
"You're hurting me!"
He let go of my arm and stumbled back, a look of horror on his face. I didn't understand his expression at all. What reason had he to be terrified? I muttered how I could find the hospital wing on my own and got the hell away from him.
Draco's POV
I'd heard that sentence before. From her.
We were nine years old, two years before her father was arrested by the Ministry. She had been Emmie Sterling then, the funny, intelligent girl raised by her father alone. Her mother had always been out of the picture. She didn't even remember her mother.
She'd started experimenting with magic even before me. She found her mom's old wand and would spend hours making up spells that never really worked. We sometimes had mock duels, and I would always win. She never gave up though. She kept trying, even made bets with me when she got cocky, but she still always lost.
"I'll win eventually," she'd said, laughing as we lay outside on the grass, staring at the sky.
"Let's duel again then." I'd rolled onto my side and grinned at her. "We'll just have to raise the stakes."
She'd stood immediately, grabbing her wand from wear it lay and brandishing it dramatically in front of her.
"What are you doing?"
We'd whirled around. My father had stood just outside the front door, his face ghostly pale and contorted with anger.
"Give me that!" He'd strolled over to her. She had yanked her arm away as he'd grabbed for her mother's wand. She'd looked completely terrified as my father had clamped onto her wrist and squeezed. "Drop it, Sterling!"
I had just stared, watching. Father had never called her that. He'd never so much as yelled at her. Everything she did was adorable, or funny, or great. He'd been a second father.
"Mr. Malfoy!" She'd tried to twist away. "You're hurting me!"
"You're hurting me!"
She stopped dueling with me after that. She'd stopped practicing, had shoved her mother's wand in a box under the bed next to everything else that had belonged to her. Her dad started leaving more, was around less often. When he was away on "Ministry-assigned business", which is what he always called his leaving, and forgot to call for her tenth birthday, she started talking less. As she gradually stopped talking to everyone else, she began needing me around more. I sometimes stayed over for a week straight, because her dad wasn't there.
She'd never really had friends, and even though I was starting to get a little cruel, I was all she had.
Until, one day, she up and vanished.
Everything was still in place at her house. There was food on two plates in the dining room, as if they'd expected they would be back. But no one was home.
Turns out, that was the day her father, Flynn Sterling, had been arrested. I was never told for what, but his trial didn't last very long.
I never got a goodbye from her. All I heard was that, after Mr. Sterling had been sent to Azkaban, she'd been taken in by her mother's father over in America. When she showed up at Hogwarts, I made one attempt on the train. After that one attempt, I never tried again. And we hadn't talked since.
I turned, anger rising. Who did she think she was, walking away from me? Me, Draconis Malfoy! How dare she!
After taking three steps back toward class, I realized something. Doubtless Madame Pomfrey would make her stay for an hour or so. Defense Against the Dark Arts was surely halfway over by now. I would just be a little late for Divination. I could say I'd been visiting a friend in the hospital wing. And in a hospital bed with a hurt knee, she couldn't walk away from me. I'd get my answers.
Grinning, I walked back.
Emma's POV
It had taken me awhile, but I'd finally convinced Madame Pomfrey that I didn't need to stay overnight. I think she just gets lonely.
I'd already missed all of Defense Against the Dark Arts and half of Potions, but my knee was fine so I supposed it was worth it.
Across the hall, I suddenly saw a familiar face. "Harry?"
He looked over at me and smiled. "Hey! I've been looking for you, uh..."
"Emma," I supplied, smiling a little.
"Oh." He blinked. "Okay. You never told me your name is all..."
"Oh. Right. Sorry."
"Here." He held out a few pages of paper. Writing was scrawled all over them. "The notes from class."
My smile grew shyly. "Thanks." I took the papers and added, "You know, Snape only made you take extra notes to be cruel."
Harry shrugged. "I figured, but just in case."
"So, wait, isn't there class right now?"
"Actually, no. They canceled classes. Apparently there was some emergency in the Forbidden Forest. A bunch of teachers are out there right now."
I frowned. "Emergency?"
Remembering something strange I'd seen out of a window in the hospital wing, I added in a low voice, "I don't think its an emergency."
"What do you mean?" He leaned forward a little, intrigued.
"Well," I said slowly. "Did Dumbledore go to the 'emergency'?"
Harry nodded.
"How about Professor McGonagall?"
Another nod. I smiled.
"I don't think its just an emergency. I think its an emergency meeting. They were all gathered outside Hogwarts all right, but not in the forest. They were right below the hospital wing."
Harry opened his mouth to say something when I heard someone call my name.
I instantly recognized the voice. "Malfoy. I can't be rid of you for more than an hour, can I?"
Draco Malfoy ignored me. "Potter," he said disgustedly.
"Malfoy," said Harry.
They both stood there, glaring at each other.
"Still following in your daddy's footsteps, Malfoy? This may be just me, but I heard that puts you in jail."
"I'd watch it if I were you, Potter," Malfoy hissed.
I stepped between them, facing Malfoy.
"Knock it off," I said.
Malfoy's eyes met mine, and suddenly I was staring into icy, almost iridescent blue-grey eyes. My breath caught. He'd stopped gelling his hair, I noticed. I also started to notice he'd grown up to be kind of cute--What the hell am I saying?!
Malfoy looked away first. He glanced at Harry and sneered, then looked at me again.
"Whatever," he said. "I've got better things to do."
Draco's POV
Since half the teachers were gone, everyone was in the Great Hall. I couldn't remember the reason why I'd left. It wasn't simply in hopes of finding her, that was certain. As I walked to the Slytherin table to take my seat next to Pansy, Blaise across from me, her eyes haunted me. The darkest, deepest green eyes I'd ever seen...I shook my head fiercely. She was nothing. I sat, Pansy leaning her head on my shoulder, and tried not to think of what happened.
I watched her when she walked in. I'd seen her enter the Great Hall the same way so many times: head down, hair loose, avoiding eyes. This time was dramatically different. Her head was up, her eyes shining with steely defiance. Her pale cheeks were rosy. And her wavy blonde hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, leaving only her bangs to frame her face. She looked radiant.
I frowned to myself. What the bloody hell was I thinking?
She glanced over at me as she walked to the Ravenclaw table. First time in five years. As she did so, Pansy not-so-casually draped herself on me. Emma's eyes widened ever so slightly and she turned away, sitting. A moment later, Potter walked in and sat between his two friends, the Weasley and the Mudblood.
Pansy traced circles on my leg with her finger as she said, "Who was that girl you were staring at?"
I scowled. "I wasn't staring." I hadn't been staring, had I?
"No, he's right," said Blaise, sipping from his goblet. "He wasn't staring. He was drooling."
Zabini was so calm as he said it that Pansy didn't register his words for a moment.
Dismayed but acting otherwise, she said, "I didn't think she was all that pretty. Rather plain, if you ask me."
"Some people prefer plain," said Zabini, grinning evilly at me. He enjoyed tormenting me, sadistic bastard. "But I think she was pretty easy on the eyes. And a Ravenclaw, by the look of it. Not a far cry from Slytherin, but still not exactly my type. What do you think, Draco?"
I attempted a look of indifference, difficult to do when my insides were boiling with rage. "Plain"?! "Her looks aren't all that striking." I shrugged. "I merely looked to see who was entering."
The circle movement on my leg, which had previously ceased, started up again as Pansy nodded, pleased with my answer.
"So," she whispered in what Blaise called her 'gossip tone'. "What do you think she was doing with Potter?"
I choked on my drink. "What?"
Zabini raised both eyebrows. I ignored him and instead focused on Pansy.
"Think about it," she was saying. "They were both gone. They both came back at the same time. And did you see her face? No one gets that flushed unless they were doing something they weren't supposed to."
I could see her looking at me, gauging my reaction. I kept my face controlled. "That's desperate, even for Potter."
Pansy giggled, so I knew I'd said the right thing. But Zabini was still looking at me with that insufferable grin on his face.
"What?" I demanded.
His smile grew. "Nothing."
The missing teachers returned from wherever they'd been, sitting in their chairs. Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"Students!" he bellowed. "It is my pleasure to announce all remaining classes for today have been canceled." He waited a beat before saying, "And all students have an," he paused again to chuckle, "off day. Our caretaker, Mr. Filch, reminds you to stay out of trouble." He smiled. "If that's possible for some of you."
There was scattered laughter. I looked up to see Emma huddled close with another Ravenclaw girl, and they were giggling.
"That is all," Dumbledore dismissed.
Emma's POV
That damn creep, Malfoy. I could feel him watching me. I ignored him as best I could--which was very well. After all, I'd been doing it for years. I also ignored the glares that Pansy Parkinson occasionally sent my way. The girl next to me noticed too.
"What's with Parkinson?" she asked.
"I don't know," I shrugged.
"Hey, Emma, where's your necklace?"
My hand flew to my neck. "Necklace?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I don't remember ever seeing you without it on. Did you lose it?"
I felt frantically for the thin silver chain, the small white spiral charm. I looked around me, but I didn't see it.
"Emma?"
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. When Dumbledore dismissed us, I stumbled out of my seat and half-jogged half-sprinted out of the Great Hall.
Draco's POV
Blaise and I had gone back to the Slytherin dorms to change out of our robes. Dropping my robe onto my bed, I said, "So what's with that grin, Zabini?"
He chucked, shedding his shirt. "Who is she?"
I frowned. Why must he answer my question with a question? "She who?"
"The she you were watching the whole time in the Great Hall earlier."
"She's nobody." I peeled off my own shirt and tossed it semi-angrily into a corner.
Zabini leaned against his bed and observed me quietly for a moment. Finally, he said, "If she's nobody, why are you in love with her?"
I gaped at him, stunned. Where the hell had that come from? In love with Emma? Was he insane?
"I think I left something downstairs," I muttered.
Zabini followed me. "Running away isn't like you. You're not getting away from the question that easi--"
We both stopped at the bottom of the boys' dorm stairs. There was a person, on their hands and knees, under the coffee table. I saw blonde hair and immediately knew who it was. Who else would I find underneath a damn table?
"Emma?" I called in disbelief.
She jumped, her head hitting the underside of the table, hard. "Ouch," she whimpered. She held onto the back of her head with both hands. Louder, she said, "Don't do that!"
She stood up.
"Do what?" I said, smirking. "Aw, did I scare you?"
Emma glared. She'd already changed, I saw, into dark-washed jeans and a tight-fitting blue T-shirt.
"I was under a damn table," she growled.
"As we noticed," snapped Blaise.
"It's common sense," she continued, ignoring him, "not to surprise someone who is underneath a table."
"We wouldn't have that problem if you weren't under the table to start with," I said, chuckling a little despite myself.
"Just go away," she said.
"That hurts, Knight." I sauntered up to her. "Plus, I can't really go away. This is my House, remember?"
"How did she get in, Malfoy?" asked Blaise coldly.
My eyes never leaving hers, I said, "Snape gave her the password yesterday." She was still glaring. "Your face will get stuck like that, Knight."
"At least it'll still look better than yours," she countered. "Now shut up and give me what I came here for."
I raised an eyebrow and she turned pink. "Not that, you idiot. My necklace. I want my necklace."
"I don't have your damn necklace," I said, scowling. "You think I'd really steal something from someone like you?"
"I've looked everywhere and haven't found it. This is the only place I didn't check. And I wouldn't put it past a Malfoy to steal," she spat. "Even from someone like me."
"I don't have it," I repeated. I took a step closer. "What would I do with your stupid necklace?"
"Don't ask me to explain how your twisted mind works. If you find it, give it back. It was my mother's; it's a white charm on a silver chain. You do know what white looks like, don't you, Malfoy?"
I stared her down. "If you don't trust Malfoys, why do you expect me to give it back, even if I do find it."
She raised her chin defiantly and said, whipping out her wand, "Because I'm on very friendly terms with the ex-Potions professor. There's nothing to stop me from asking him for his help creating and slipping you a truth potion."
Blaise took a step forward, but soon realized we had left both of our wands upstairs. Emma smiled as she realized it too. She glanced at Zabini, then back at me, seeming to notice for the first time that we were shirtless.
"You're very close to me, Malfoy," she said, poking me in the shoulder with her wand. "Back off."
I held my ground. This reminded me so much of our mock-duels when we were little. She talked like this back then, always cocky and confident. She hadn't seemed that way with Potter earlier, but she had always been like that with me.
"Harry was right." She stashed her wand. "You are gay."
Losing control, I lunged at her. She looked at little shocked, but reacted quickly, ducking away from me. She bowed theatrically and fled the commons room. I glared after her, breathing heavily. She hadn't acted that way in years. She'd turned quiet. Why was it that Quiet Emma always seemed to dissipate when she was around me?
Behind me, Blaise took a deep breath. "So that's her."
I spun around to face him. "What are you talking about, Zabini?"
"The girl you're in love with," he stated, flopping onto a couch.
"I'm not in love with anyone!"
"That's not what I just saw."
"What you saw," I hissed, "was an extremely annoying Ravenclaw girl giving me grief about supposedly stealing her necklace."
"What I saw," he said, mocking me, "was you enjoying yourself more than I've ever seen. Face it, Malfoy."
"You're insane!"
"Am I?"
Emma's POV
My first thought was that Pansy Parkinson would give all the Galleons in the world to see what I just saw. A shirtless Malfoy? She'd probably stop breathing.
My second thought was, Why am I always such a bitch when I'm around him? I can be shy with anyone else, I'm quiet with everyone else, but with him...
It's just because I hate him so much, I thought. That's why. I just hate him so much.
I was so preoccupied with these thoughts that I didn't notice Pansy Parkinson waiting around the corner with a group of Slytherin girls.
2 hours later...
I didn't remember much about the fight. I might've blacked out, I don't know. Bits and pieces came back, but they were kind of jumbled. Next thing I remember, I was on the floor, hugging my knees to my chest. Snape and Dumbledore were beside me, Flitwick hovering nervously behind them.
"Are you alright, Emma?" said Dumbledore.
My face burned with shame. "Did I...Did I hurt them?"
Dumbledore and Snape looked at each other.
"No," Dumbledore said at last. "We'll have them un-hexed in a jiffy."
He stood to do exactly that, giving me an open view of what I'd done. There was a chunk missing out of the wall, probably from a misfired spell. Pansy and the Slytherin girls were unconscious, frozen in strange positions.
"What happened?" Snape asked.
"They jumped me," I whispered. "Pansy was mad about..." About Draco. Pansy was jealous of you because of Draco. "Pansy was mad. She attacked me and I..." I swallowed. "I did that."
Snape nodded once, his eyes cold, and left to join Dumbledore. I was still able to hear them when he said, "What are we going to do about this, Headmaster?"
"She is one of your favorite pupils, Severus, is she not?"
Snape stiffened. "Yes, but--"
"Is your opinion of her going to change because she defended herself against a group of girls from your own House who meant her harm? Defended herself quite well, I might add. As her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, you should be proud."
"I--"
Dumbledore eyed him from behind half-moon glasses. "The correct answer to my question, Severus, is 'no'."
He pulled out his wand. "Once they're un-hexed, a quick memory spell and the problem is solved."
Snape looked at me and I looked blankly back, eyes stinging. I wiped quickly at my eyes as I realized in horror that I was crying.
"What about--"
"I think Miss Knight is traumatized enough, Professor Snape. Obviously whatever she did to Miss Parkinson and the others she never wishes to do again." He smiled warmly at me. "The best thing for her to do is go back to her dorm and rest."
As if on cue, my head began to feel heavy. I laid it on my knees and, exhausted, promptly fell asleep.
Draco's POV
Pansy walked into the commons room a few minutes before dinner, looking dazed.
I had been lying on the couch, Blaise sitting on the floor, and I glanced up when she came in.
"Where the hell have you been?" I said, frowning.
She blinked at me, confused. "I...I don't know."
"Well nevermind that," Blaise snapped. "We're going to be late."
Once we had sat down for dinner, I caught myself surveying the room. Why? I stopped abruptly, dropping my eyes to Blaise. That stupid grin was back.
"She's not here," he observed.
"Who's not here?" asked Pansy with a slight frown.
Zabini kept smirking. "The girl he's looking for."
Pansy snapped to attention. "You're looking for a girl?"
"No," I growled. "I'm not looking for anyone."
"Alright, Malfoy. Alright."
Emma's POV
In my dream, I was surrounded by fire. Towers of flame geysered all around me, trapping me. The acrid scent of smoke filled my lungs, and the flames advanced until I could feel the scorching heat burn my arms.
I woke up, coughing, to find my dream had become reality. But as I screamed, the flames vanished, leaving no proof there had ever been fire. Shakily, I stepped out of bed and turned on a lamp. I faced my bed...opened my mouth...screamed again. The scream faded into a low moan as I collapsed to the floor. My bed, the floor, and the wall it touched were charred black.
Draco's POV
Halfway through dinner, I noticed something.
"Is that a new necklace, Pansy?"
Smiling slyly, she fingered the chain. "Yes, it is."
The chain was silver, the simple charm a white spiral. I chewed slowly. Where was Emma? Did she know Parkinson had her necklace? Should I...Should I get it back from her?
Swallowing my food, I thought, No. She'll just think I really did steal it. She can get it back on her own.
3rd Person POV
Dumbledore stood outside the entrance to his office after dinner. He was just about the say the password when he heard a quiet voice say, "Professor?"
He turned. "Miss Knight, whatever is the matter?"
"I don't know what's wrong with me, Professor." Her voice trembled. "I don't know what's happening."
"You're covered in soot!"
"I set it on fire," she said vaguely. "Only my side, only my bed. It's burnt to a crisp. I set it on fire while I was asleep, you see, while I was lying in it."
She took a few shaky steps toward him.
"I'm dangerous," she said next. "You have to keep me away from everyone. You have to."
Sobbing, Emma Knight collapsed in his arms.
"Where is she now?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"Slumbering peacefully, I assure you," Dumbledore replied.
"This is ridiculous!" Professor Slughorn grumbled. "The girl's a safety hazard! She barbecued her bed in her sleep."
"Did you manage to get anything intelligible out of her?" asked Snape tonelessly.
"Funny you should ask, Severus," said Dumbledore, standing. "She was muttering something about Malfoy stealing her necklace. At first I thought she meant Lucius. Then she said Draco's name."
"Why would you think she meant Lucius?" McGonagall asked dubiously.
Dumbledore opened a drawer in his desk and began leafing through the papers inside. "You all are aware that Flynn Sterling was arrested several years ago on the accusation of being a Death Eater?"
The three teachers nodded.
"Then you must also be aware that Miss Emma Knight," he gestured at the sleeping girl curled on the armchair in the corner, "is Sterling's daughter."
When Snape and McGonagall nodded, Slughorn seemed astonished.
"It has long been my suspicion," Dumbledore said now, pulling a manila envelope from the drawer, "that Flynn Sterling was falsely accused. As I was never able to full prove his innocence, he was sent to Azkaban despite my protests. His daughter was sent to live with her deceased mother's father in America. There, Emmie Sterling disappeared and Emma Knight took her place."
He smiled. "Ah, here we are!"
He retrieved a picture from inside the envelope and laid it on his desk. Two men, a woman, and two small children looked up at the teachers. The man on the left, with dark hair hanging messily in his eyes, had his hands on the shoulders of a young fair-haired girl. He would turn his head every once in a while to grin at the man on the right, whose son stood in front of him and whose wife smiled lightly beside him. The son was grim-faced until the little girl leaned over and shoved him, giggling. The boy reached over and flicked her arm; she stuck out her tongue in retaliation. The girl's father laughed; the man with white-blonde hair, even lighter than the girl's, chuckled. The two children each threw an arm around the other's neck and smiled widely.
Dumbledore tapped the picture with his pointer finger. "That is a picture of the Malfoy and Sterling families, exactly ten years ago. It is now my belief that this man," he pointed at Lucius, "may have been the one who turned in Flynn Sterling. And I think Emma believed it too."
"That still doesn't explain why she is setting her bed on fire or using highly advanced hexes on fellow students," said McGonagall.
"Emma Knight has a magical version of what Muggles call 'split-personality'. Her original self is where the power comes from. There was something keeping it in check until now."
"Original self?" squeaked Slughorn.
Dumbledore sat down again. "Minerva, how would you describe Miss Knight's class behavior?"
"Very studious," she said, still confused. "She usually keeps to herself, hardly speaks..."
"And if I told you that over the last two days she's picked numerous verbal battles with Draco Malfoy?"
"I wouldn't believe it!" she exclaimed.
"You see! You would not believe it because you have seen the shy version of her!"
"'Version'?" Slughorn repeated, taken aback.
Snape glared at him, which Slughorn either did not see or chose to ignore.
"Hm. Let's say that a normal person has one setting, a default setting that is that person's personality. Emma Knight has two settings: her default, which is to say the way she was born, and another setting, one she established after her father was sent to prison."
"Perhaps Draco is a trigger," said Snape suddenly. "She seems only to be her 'default' when she's around him."
Dumbledore said nothing. He watched the girl as she slept and wondered what it was they were missing.
Draco's POV
Emma wasn't in Defense Against the Dark Arts the next day, nor did I see her at any point in the Great Hall. Days of her absence turned to weeks, and the stupid necklace Pansy doggedly wore every day was a constant reminder for me. I no longer paid any notice to Zabini's mocking or teasing. I found myself listening to pieces of gossip I overheard in the halls or the courtyard.
"Did you hear about that fire in Ravenclaw?"
"Wasn't that weeks ago?"
"I heard it only burnt one bed."
"I bet someone did it on purpose."
"Didn't that Knight girl get expelled?"
"No, I heard she had a mental breakdown or something so the teachers are giving her private lessons for stuff."
"Does she even sleep in the dorm anymore?"
"Do you think the fire freaked her out?"
The voices went on and on. I told myself I didn't care, that it didn't matter. But I kept listening anyway.
Christmas came and went. I left home early and arrived back at Hogwarts a day before most everyone else. When I walked into the nearly empty Great Hall, I noticed one thing: Potter, Granger, and two Weaselys were sitting at a table with blonde-haired green-eyed girl.
Emma's POV
After the fire in the Ravenclaw girl's dorm--that you caused, my mind filled in--Dumbledore arranged for me to get private classes. And at my request, he allowed me to spend nights in his office on the large comfy chair in the corner. It was the only place I felt safe at night.
I'd promised myself that whatever happened, whatever I had done, I'd never do it again. Luckily, everyone had been in the Great Hall for dinner when the fire--when you set your bed on fire--had occurred. Nevertheless, my classmates wouldn't see me again if I could help it. I was doing a pretty good job, too.
Until Harry, returning from Christmas with Ron, Hermoine, and Ron's little sister, found me sitting in the Great Hall. They plopped down around me, Harry making introductions and the others asking me to separate face from rumor.
Ron's sister, introduced as Ginny, waited until I had finished explaining everything before saying, "It's your necklace, then."
We gaped at her.
"What?" she said defensively.
Hermoine's eyes lit up. "Wait a moment! Ginny's right!"
Harry and Ron looked at each other, lost. "What?!"
"Think about it." Hermoine was practically bouncing with excitement. "She's never been seen without her necklace. She's always worn it. Then she loses it and the next day all kinds of freaky things happen to her."
"'Freaky'?" repeated Ron skeptically. "C'mon, Hermoine. It's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Things like this happen all the time."
"Yes, on purpose," she said. "Never on accident! Don't you understand? Emma's magic is unstable. Her necklace could've been some kind of charm or something to keep her power in check."
I squirmed a little in my seat and raised my hand a little. "Um, hi? Unstable-magic-girl is right here, you know."
All of them looked over at me and suddenly started laughing. It took a few seconds for the shock to wear off, and pretty soon I was laughing with them.
Draco's POV
When I saw her laughing with them, when I saw Potter cozying up to her, I lost it. I went over to the table, grabbing her arm and yanking her up. She stumbled as I pulled her along.
"Malfoy, what the hell?" she said.
I stopped, turning around. Potter and his crew had drawn their wands and Potter himself looked like he really wanted to be the one to rip my throat out.
"Call off your guard dogs," I growled at her. "I just want to talk."
She frowned, turning to follow my gaze. "Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of them."
I made a low guttural noise. "Alone, Knight."
Slowly, very slowly, she looked at Potter and said, "Malfoy and I are going to talk. You guys just stay here."
Just as slowly, the others sat down. Potter remained standing.
"Harry," she said softly. "It'll be fine. I can handle him."
Potter held her eyes longer than I felt necessary. Then he looked at me.
"If you try to hurt her," he began.
"Yeah, yeah," I said flippantly. "I know. Brave man routine. 'You'll be sorry if you hurt her blah blah insert threats here'." I glanced at Emma. "Can we go now?"
Scowling, she nodded and let me lead her into the corridor. We started walking, almost automatically matching each other's stride.
"You wanted to talk," she said. "So talk."
There it is again, I thought. The real her, a different her than how she is with everyone else. Even with the wonderful Harry Potter she's not this confident. Remembering her and Potter brought my anger back anew.
"What are you doing with him?" I demanded.
She stopped walking. "With who?"
"You know who!" I snapped, whirling on her. "Potter! What the bloody hell are you doing with Potter?"
For a moment, she just stared at me openly. Then she smiled. "We all know you have a crush on him, but its time you knew: Harry prefers girls."
"I do not have a crush on Potter, you idiot!" My fists clenched.
"Even if there was something going on--I'm not saying there is or isn't--how is it your business?"
I didn't say anything. We both knew I didn't have an answer.
"If that's all you wanted to talk about, I'm going back to my friends."
"They aren't your friends," I said in a low voice. "And you didn't answer my question."
"You didn't answer mine."
I stepped close to her, noticing I could feel the heat off her body through my clothes. She wore light-colored denim jeans and a deep green v-neck shirt that brought out her impossibly deep eyes. She shivered a little.
"Yes or no, Knight." I frowned. "Are you interested in Potter?"
She met my stare. "Yes."
My anger consumed me and I turned left, punching the wall next to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emma jump. I leaned my head against my fist and took deep, steady breaths. Why was I so bloody angry?!
"Why?" I said tightly, keeping my eyes closed.
"He's nice, and he's courageous, and..." I opened my eyes in time to see her blush. "...and cute..." Her blush deepened.
"Not to mention bloody famous," I snarled. "That's got to get him bonus points with the ladies."
"I don't like him because he's famous."
"Ha! Yes you do! You don't like guys like him, you've never liked guys like him. But because he's the great Harry Potter, you're all over him!"
"Shut up."
"Make me."
"Inform me then. What exactly is the kind of guy I like, Malfoy? Since you know me oh so well."
"I'm not the one who disappeared without a goodbye!"
"Oh! So that's what this is really about! My dad had been arrested, Malfoy. I was eleven. What'd you expect me to do?"
"I dont know!"
"Do you want to know why I didn't say goodbye?" she said, taking a step towards me. "It's because the day my father got arrested was the day I started hating you."
"You don't hate me."
"Oh yeah? What makes you so sure?"
"I can prove it."
The words rolled off my tongue before I could stop them, and suddenly I was kissing her. My hands gripped her upper arms, maybe to keep her from running away. But it wasn't necessary. Her body was pressed against mine, her hands on my shoulders. Slowly, timidly, she placed one of her hands lightly on the back of my neck. Then she broke away. My hands dropped from her and she stepped back.
"I..." Her fingers went to her lips.
And then she ran away.
3rd Person POV
When Emma hadn't returned after an hour, Harry, Ron, Hermoine, and Ginny went to look for her. They already knew she was afraid to go back to the Ravenclaw dorm, and she wasn't in the courtyard. All of the classrooms were locked and spelled...
"The library!" said Hermoine suddenly.
They nearly ran in the door of the library and heard quiet crying.
"Emma?" Harry called.
No response. the crying continued.
"Please don't tell me Moaning Myrtle's left her bathroom," Ron muttered.
"Ow!" he exclaimed as Hermoine elbowed him.
They walked down rows of books, following the crying. They rounded a corner and--
"Emma!" Hermoine and Ginny were by her side in an instant. "What's wrong?"
Emma was on the floor, arms around her knees. She looked up at Hermoine through bloodshot eyes. She shook her head. "I..." she swallowed. "There's something wrong with me. Why...Why do I..."
"What'd Malfoy do to you?" asked Harry through clenched teeth.
She seemed surprised. "Nothing, he...Nothing. I just..." The tears began to flow again and she clutched at folds of her shirt. "I'm just so stupid!"
Hermoine gathered her up. "Why? What's wrong?"
"What's wrong is that..." She hiccuped. "What's wrong is that I'm...I'm in love with him."
Everyone froze.
Finally, Ron burst out with what they were all thinking, "Malfoy? You're in love with Malfoy?"
Emma nodded against Hermoine's chest, sobbing.
Ron blinked. "Draco Malfoy?"
"No, Ron, his twin brother," Ginny snapped.
"No wonder she's crying," he murmured.
Hermoine gave him a look. That didn't stop Harry from exclaiming, "His father is a Death Eater!"
Numb, Emma replied, "I know."
"He's probably a Death Eater now, too! I don't doubt that Voldemort's recruited him--"
His friends flinched and Emma repeated, "I know."
"You even told us you thought it was his father who got your dad arrested--"
"I know!" She sat up, eyes shining. "Don't you think I've asked myself these same questions, given myself the same reasons why I shouldn't?" She started to tremble. "But I do. There's not getting around it. I do."
"Maybe it's not love," said Ginny.
Emma shook her head. "It's...I'm more myself with him than I am with anyone. It's always been different with him. He's always been different." For the third time, she began to cry. "When He kissed me, I...I let him. I enjoyed it. I..." She hid her face again.
"He kissed you?!" said Harry.
"You let him?!" Ron's face was crinkled in disgust.
"Not helping!" hissed Ginny.
Emma's POV
I'm falling apart at the seams.
Pansy, the fire, the weeks of strange dreams, they were all warnings.
I am crumbling.
All because the boy I thought I hated kissed me.
3rd Person POV
"What are we going to do, Harry?" said Ron the next day.
"About what?" Hermoine asked.
"Emma."
"What's there to do?"
Ron stepped in front of Harry, who so far had not said a word. "You can't tell her anything, mate."
"Emma's our friend!" Hermoine protested, frowning at Ron.
"She's in love with Malfoy," Ron whispered frantically. "Anything we say to her is something she can tell him, and you know that little prick will report anything important right to You-Know-Who."
Draco Malfoy stood stock still, frozen against the courtyard pillar. Emma was in love with...?
"She wouldn't do that," said Harry in an icy tone.
"No offense, mate, but how do you know?"
"I know her."
"You've talked to her a maximum of, what, five times?"
"Lay off, Ron," said Hermoine, stepping in. "Up until yesterday in the library, you liked her, too. You're just spooked cuz someone normal actually likes Malfoy."
"She's not one hundred percent normal, Hermoine--"
"And do you really think she's going to tell Malfoy anything after the state she was in yesterday?"
Ron relaxed. "I guess you're right."
They started walking again.
"But we do need to come up with a plan." After another look from Hermoine, he hastily said, "Backup plan, just a backup plan." He brightened suddenly. "Maybe we could set her up with Fred or George!"
Draco's POV
I was still marveling over what I'd heard when Pansy entered the commons room.
She said something I didn't quite catch and I stared at her blankly.
"I'm sorry, what?" I said, a bit irritated.
Pansy gaped, open-mouthed and hurt.
"Don't mind him," said Blaise from across the room. "He's distracted."
"Distracted by what?" she asked cautiously.
Zabini grinned maliciously. "A girl."
I glanced up sharply. "What?"
"Oh, don't be embarrassed, Malfoy." He turned to Pansy. "Someone saw him kissing a pretty little blonde yesterday outside the Great Hall. All of Slytherin's trying to figure out who she is."
Something in Blaise's smile told me he already knew who it was. Pansy looked distressed. She was twisting the charm on her necklace--Emma's necklace--over and over.
"What I want to know," Zabini continued, "is when I'm going to meet her."
He knows very well that Pansy knows exactly who that "pretty little blonde" is.
I glared at him fiercely. Pansy was still twisting the necklace.
"Where'd you get that?" I asked.
Startled into honesty, she replied, "I found it."
She pressed her lips together. I held out my hand. Her mouth became a thin line when I said, "I think we both know who that belongs to."
She took it off, placing it in my open hand. "You're not giving it back to that stupid Ravenclaw girl, are you?"
I examined the charm intently, turning it over in my palm. "I don't know," I said quietly. "I might just keep it. For kicks."
She already thinks I stole it. It doesn't matter now.
But something she'd said echoed in my mind.
"It was my mother's..."
I walked into the Headmaster's office that night and came face to face with Emma's sleeping form. I stared, wide-eyed, until Dumbledore cleared his throat. I sat down opposite him, his desk between us, classic student-teacher position.
"I called you here because I wanted to ask you something, Draco," said Dumbledore. "You and Emma were friends when you were little, correct?"
I nodded dimly.
"Do you remember something she always had with her? An item of some kind?"
My memory flashed to when we were five. "A necklace."
He mulled that over for a moment.
"Do you know where it is? Or, perhaps you have it?"
I stiffened.
"You aren't in trouble, Draco."
I said nothing.
"Why isn't she wearing it now?"
"She lost it," I said tightly.
Dumbledore chuckled. "She talks in her sleep, Draco. Often. Rants, actually. She mumbled at one point about how she thinks you stole her necklace. If you found it, or took it off someone else," he smiled knowingly, "you can just give it to me and I'll say I found it."
I reached into my pocket slowly, looking over at her. Her hair had fallen in her face, and my fingers itched to brush it away from her forehead. What's wrong with me? One kiss and suddenly I'm going soft?
When I handed Dumbledore the necklace, he said, "This is very important to her."
"It's her mother's," I said. "She's never taken it off."
He watched me carefully. "Do you remember when she got it?"
"No. She's had it since before I met her."
He nodded at me and smiled again. His eyes twinkled.
"She talks in her sleep, Draco," he said again. "Often. About you."
I could feel my face growing hot. Bloody hell, I'm blushing now?!
"As you must be aware," he continued, "she is not entirely thrilled about her feelings for you. She blames your father for her own fathr's imprisonment, and doubtless, feeling how she does for you must seem to her like a betrayal."
"Is there a point to this?" I snapped.
"Not really," he said, still smiling.
I stood, anxious to leave.
"Goodbye, Draco."
I turned and walked out, but not before hearing Emma mutter my name in her sleep. And when I got back to my dorm, I realized something.
Shit, I thought. I'm in love with the girl I hate.