A.N./
This is a disclaimer. I do not own the rights to any of these characters (with the exception of Emma Foster) or this story line. All are the property of the brilliant J.K. Rowling! Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions!
Because I am in college, and working, I plan to update a new chapter twice a week. So expect something new every Tuesday and Friday morning. :) Thank you! Enjoy!
Prologue:
I made my way through the train station, trolley stacked with suitcases, and Chess, my kitten, sitting on top. My mother followed.
"Mum, what if I can't make any friends?" It was the first time that I would be attending school away from home, and also, my first year attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"You will do fine, Emma," she said with a smile. She put a hand on my shoulder to stop me and then pointed to a brick pillar labeled nine and ten. "This is your platform."
I shook my head, looking at my boarding pass. "But this says platform nine and three quarters. Is there even such a thing?"
"Listen carefully," she said in a low voice. "You're going to walk at that wall, just between platforms nine and ten." When she saw me raise my eyebrows she smiled broadly. "Trust me, pet." I noticed tears in her eyes, and leaned forward to give her a hug.
"I'm going to miss you, Mum." I leaned back and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
I turned away and took a few steps toward the wall, turning one last time to wave goodbye. With a sigh, I jogged up to the wall, not stopping until… suddenly, I wasn't in King Cross Station. I was on an entirely different platform that was teaming with what I knew instantly to be other young wizards. Each with their own trolley covered in suitcases, and a large variation of pets.
I felt a jolt from behind me and instantly turned to see who had bumped into me. I met a pair of big blue eyes covered by glasses and shaggy black hair.
"I am so sorry," the boy said quickly. "I didn't see you there."
Giving him a broad smile I said, "It's alright. Hi, I'm Emma. Emma Foster."
He smiled back at me and held his hand out for me to shake. "I'm Harry," he said as I took his hand. "Harry Potter." I froze.
"You're-" I didn't seem to be able to form a coherent thought. Harry Potter? The boy who lived? "Wow." It was the best I could come up with.
"I've been getting that reaction a lot today." He laughed, but it was without humor.
"I'm sorry," I said after a moment. I picked up Chess, who had started to pat at my arm. "Would you like to sit with me?" I wouldn't blame him if he said no, after all, he probably had tons of friends.
"That would be great," he said happily. We made our way onto the train, and it wasn't long before we were moving along the tracks towards Hogwarts. Harry sat across from me, his owl just beside him.
"Harry," I said curiously. He looked up questionably. "What is your owl's name?"
"Oh, Hedwig." He was about to continue when a red headed boy opened the glass door to the car.
"Do you mind," he asked, slightly worried. "Everywhere else is full." I gave him a sympathetic smile and nodded.
"Not at all," Harry replied.
The boy came in and sat beside me. " I'm Ron by the way. Ron Weasley."
I took his hand. "I'm Emma Foster." He nodded in response and it was easy to see that he was trying to commit my name to memory. After a few seconds, he turned to Harry.
"Oh, Harry Potter."
Ron's eyes widened and for a few seconds he was speechless. "So.. Is it true that you have the…"
"The what," Harry asked, confused.
Ron glanced at me, then looked back at Harry. "The scar."
Harry laughed and pushed his hair out of the way. "Oh, yeah."
"Wow," Ron and I said in unison.
"Anything from the trolley," an older woman asked from just outside the car. She was pushing a large trolley fully stocked with snacks and sweets.
"No thanks," Ron said, pulling something out of his pocket. "I'm all set."
I put a hand on his shoulder and gave Harry a sad look.
"We'll take the lot," Harry exclaimed, pulling a hand full of galleons out of his pocket.
"Woah," Ron said with a huge grin.
Half an hour later the three of us sat laughing at Harry's reaction to Berty Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
"I just don't understand why earwax has to be a flavor," he said with a frown.
I let out a loud laugh. "Harry, I warned you before you ate it."
Ron nudged me with his elbow, giving me a big smile. "You also warned him the last ten times." We both laughed while Harry shook his head.
"Shut up," he said quietly, but I could tell that he was holding back a smile.
Suddenly a girl with brown frizzy hair came to the door to the car. She looked around the cabin for a moment and then frowned. "Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost one."
We all shook our heads. "Well you all best be changing into your robes. I suspect we'll arriving soon." She started to turn and leave but stopped herself and looked at Ron. "You've got dirt on your nose, by the way. Did you know?" I giggled as she walked away while Ron scrubbed at his nose with his fingers.
"Something tells me that's the Granger girl," Ron said after a few seconds.
"Who," Harry and I asked at the same time.
"I heard from this kid Seamus that the girl is some genius or something. Brilliant apparently." Ron didn't seemed impress, in fact he seemed a little annoyed.
"Not your type, Weasley," I asked him jokingly. He smiled at me and shook his head.
As the train came to a stop Harry, Ron and I made our way onto the platform and outside. I held Chess close to my chest since it was starting to get colder.
"Harry," I said. "Can I ask you something? You too, Ron?"
"Of course," Harry said while Ron nodded.
"No matter what house we are assigned in, I want us to stay friends. Can we?"
Ron stepped forward and put an arm around my shoulder. "Of course we can. Right, Harry?"
Harry smiled at me and was about to respond when we were told to walk over to a dock of boats that would take us to the castle. Harry and Ron stepped onto a boat that didn't seem to have room for me. They were about to step out and follow me when I stopped them.
"Don't worry about it," I said quickly. "I'll find another boat." I turned away and ran into someone's chest.
I looked up immediately to apologize and froze. My eyes met a pair of extremely bright grey ones and platinum blonde hair. I couldn't think of anything but those eyes which seemed to draw me in, which sounded completely insane. For an instant, it seemed like this boy was locked in place the same way I was, but he quickly shook it off.
"Watch where you are walking, you filthy little mud-blood." He gave me a cold smile before walking past me with his friends. I however, stood there in shock until, Hagrid, the school's groundskeeper nudged me lightly into the nearest boat, which just happened to be with the blonde boy and his friends.
I turned away from them, hugging Chess a little closer and petting his head. That boy seemed really mean, and for no reason. He hadn't even given me a chance to apologize.
"Hey you," the boy said, calling my attention. I looked up at him, some of my black curls falling forward. "What is your name?" I couldn't tell if he was being nosy or polite, but he seemed genuinely curious.
"Emma," I said thickly, suddenly aware of the tears in my eyes. "Emma Foster."
He considered this for a few seconds before shrugging and turning back to his friends as if I didn't exist.
And that was what started everything.
~Chapter 1~
I made my way to the breakfast hall, not completely focused on my path since I had walked it hundreds of times before. This was my fourth year at Hogwarts and something told me that my friends, Harry, Ron and Hermione were going to find a way to make it another exciting one.
It had actually always baffled me how they always seemed to find a way to put our lives in peril. Not that I wasn't eager to help. I couldn't say that I had a boring childhood.
Someone, or rather, two someones fell into step beside me and I looked up to find Fred and George Weasley. I smiled at them as Fred swung an arm around my shoulder. These boys were like the older brothers I had always wanted as a kid.
"Good morning, Foster," George said with a sly smile.
"Good morning, George." I wrapped an arm around Fred's waist and looked up at him. "And what can I do for you boys today? And please tell me you're not out causing trouble without me."
"We have a surprise for you," Fred said, tapping my nose with one of his long fingers.
I laughed. "Oh really? And what would that be?"
George answered me. "We overhead Dumbledore talking to Snape last night while we just happened to be walking through the north corridor." I knew that he meant that he and Fred had been sneaking around after hours, it wasn't anything new for them. "And we just happened to hear him tell Snape-"
"That this year's TriWizard Tournament would be held here at Hogwarts," Fred finished.
They both looked down at me triumphantly. This was a surprise. "But would that mean-"
"That they're allowing students to enter," George said with a devilish grin. "Yeah."
"Well I hope that the two of you don't plan on entering. No offense, but I prefer not to lose any friends this year. Don't you remember what happened at the Quidditch World Cup? If Harry is right, and I suspect that he is, then You Know Who is back. And I have no doubt that he will try and pull something this year. He's never failed to before."
The boys thought about that as we walked into the breakfast hall and over to the Gryffindor table. As I sat down next to Harry, I looked up and caught Cedric Diggory's eyes at the Hufflepuff table. I gave him a smile and waved.
"Good morning, Emma," Harry said, giving my shoulders a squeeze. Over the years, I come to think of Harry as an older brother. Especially because he acted over protective with me.
"Good morning, Harry," I said with a smile. I leaned over and gave him an exaggerated kiss on the cheek while laughing.
"You're in a good mood this morning." He sounded extremely amused and a little flustered.
I hadn't pulled away yet, so I leaned a little closer. "I need to tell you something, Harry," I whispered.
He leaned away from me and gave me a serious look. "What is it?"
Suddenly, Dumbledore stood and walked up to the podium at the head of the room. "Quiet," he called, getting everyone's attention. "I have an announcement."
I looked down at my hands. I already had a feeling what his announcement could be, and to be honest, I didn't want to hear it. Harry removed his arm from my shoulders and turned towards where the headmaster stood. I however, didn't turn. Instead, I focused all of my attention on studying the room.
My eyes made their way to the back wall when I felt someone watching me and instantly, my eyes went to the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy.
I met his stare curiously and he didn't look away. This sort of thing was actually pretty common. I would often find Draco watching me in classes, or in the corridors. It was never a glare, which he seemed to give everyone else and usually gave me, but more of a smirk. Even I had to admit that it was attractive. But I could never understand the meaning behind it.
We never really talked, Draco and I. Unless you counted the times we saw each other in the halls and he would knock my books out of my arms or purposely bump into me and then insult me. I never really let it bother me because I knew that he treated everyone that way.
He looked away suddenly and I immediately knew why. Almost every one of the boys in the room was suddenly groaning and yelling objections at Dumbledore. Though I couldn't understand why.
Hermione must have seen my confused expression because she leaned forward over the table so that I could hear her. "Dumbledore put an age restriction on the tournament."
I looked at Fred and George who were practically shouting at this point. "Good," I told her seriously.
Today was the first day of classes, and I was determined not to miss any of them this year. I saw Hermione just ahead of me and skipped to catch up with her.
"What class do you have now," I asked her.
She looked at her schedule and then back at me. "Divination." She rolled her eyes but otherwise kept walking. I knew that she thought that class was a joke.
"Me too," I said with a smile. "I wonder what we will be learning this year-" I was interrupted when someone ran into me, causing me to drop my books.
I heard a familiar laugh and pictured Draco's signature smirk as I leaned down to pick them up.
"Watch it, Foster," he said in a cold voice, and I felt myself frown. I didn't look up.
"You better watch yourself, Malfoy," Hermione said, stepping towards him.
"What are you going to do about it, mud-blood? Throw one of your books at me?" He and his friends started laughing, though it wasn't very funny.
I stood up and looked directly at Draco, waiting for him to meet my eyes. "Draco," I said quietly. His expression softened slightly.
"Emma, Hermione," I heard Harry call from down the corridor. He was running toward us. " We're going to be late." He came up next to me and put a hand around my waist, trying to pull me forward. "Let's go."
Draco glanced at where Harry's hand rested and he immediately started to glare at him. "Well well," he said to his friends. "It looks like Foster has herself a boyfriend. Tell me, what's it like on the arm of the famous Harry Potter."
I sighed. "Get over yourself, Draco."
He gave me an amused, but slightly hurt look. I'm not sure the others caught it, but I certainly had. "Does he make you feel special, or are you just using him to boost your own reputation?"
"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry shouted, letting go of me and stepping forward. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
"Harry, it's fine." I grabbed his arm, but he shook me off quickly.
"It's not fine, Emma. He needs to stop thinking that he can treat everyone like they are beneath him." He only glanced at me once.
"Speak for yourself, Potter." Draco was becoming angry very quickly, and I was sure that he wasn't one to exercise restraint.
I grabbed Harry's arm again but this time pulled on him roughly. "Let's go, Harry."
"Harry," Hermione said. From her expression, I could tell that she was worried about a fight breaking out. "Emma is right. We need to go."
After a few seconds Harry finally nodded and turned to follow us.
We made it to class and I realized something suddenly. "Hermione," I said in a worried tone. She looked at me curiously. "Ron is sick today and isn't coming to his classes." She seemed to see where my train of thought was going and nodded.
"I'll sit with Harry," she said quickly, leading him over to an empty table.
Everyone else had already arrived which left the only empty seat in the class beside Draco. He gave me a sideways glance as I sat down but didn't say anything.
Professor Trelawney called the attention of the class. "Listen here, children. Today we will be discussing the use of stars to see the future. I have left a book of astral maps on each of the tables so I ask that you partner up with your neighbor and answer these questions I have written on the board." She adjusted her thick glasses on her nose and pushed some of her bushy curls away from her face. I couldn't help but smile. I had also liked her as a professor.
She dismissed us to do our work and I automatically turned myself toward Draco and opened up the text book. It looked like a list of basic star formations. I took out some parchment and a quill from my bag and started to write out the questions. I could feel Draco watching me, and I could also tell that he knew I did.
"Is something wrong, Draco," I asked him earnestly, glancing at him before looking back down at the book.
"Yes," he said quietly. I could have sworn I heard pain in his voice, but I was probably just hearing things. "Why do you associate with that Potter, and the rest of that pathetic lot?"
I sighed and laid the quill on the table. "Because, Draco, they are my friends. They've always been there for me." His eyes narrowed slightly and I could tell that he was trying to process what I was saying. I didn't want to push him, but I felt the need to ask," why are you friends with Crabbe and Goyle? Or better yet, why are you dating Pansy Parkinson?" I didn't mean it to sound rude, and I made sure that my tone was nothing but curious.
He smiled to himself, and it was one of those genuine smiles that he so rarely gave. I liked it. "I wouldn't exactly call Crabbe and Goyle my friends. They're more like workers really. Or at least, that's the easiest way I can think of to describe them. And Pansy…" He paused for a minute and looked at me, judging my expression. "She wanted a relationship and I couldn't have cared less."
I let myself process that for a minute and answered the first two questions from the board before I spoke again. "So you love her then?" They had been together for well over a year now. It was highly possible that he did love her.
He actually laughed. "You're kidding right," he asked incredulously.
I smiled and looked back down again. "I guess I am."
After a minute I noticed Crabbe across the room waving his arm at Draco. I kept my eyes down but watched them from my peripheral. Draco looked up and saw Crabbe who immediately started to make gestures toward me, but Draco just shrugged and looked down at the text book.
For that rest of the class period, he didn't say anything, not that we had a whole lot to talk about. And when we were dismissed, I began to pack up my parchment and quills.
"Malfoy," Crabbe called, coming over to our table. Draco had just stood up. "What are you doing sitting over hear." I saw him give me a dirty look, which I ignored. "Don't the mud-bloods usually sit together," he asked, pointing between me and Hermione who was still taking notes. I felt my temper flare. I hated when they talked about my friends that way.
I don't know why I expected him to say anything to defend Hermione, but I felt slightly disappointed when all Draco said was, "usually." He and Crabbe walked off after that.
Harry came up to me on his way out. "I'm sorry you had to work with Malfoy. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."
"It wasn't so bad," I said after a few seconds. Hermione caught up to us then. "Besides, we hardly talked."
Hermione sighed. "Just stay as far away from him as you can. Malfoy is nothing but trouble."
