Heya guys! So this my first fanfic, so I hope you leave your thoughts behind. I'm also open to Beta readers so feel free to offer. My goal is to update at least once every two weeks and finish with at least 50,00 words though I usually read 100k plus. So review, review, review so I'm faster and write better!
Summary: The emptiness slowly consumes Emma Leighton. But a project brings Theodore Nott closer to the broken Hufflepuff, and Emma has to decide if she will let this rule her or to stay away from the Slytherin and his bright light in the dark.
Disclaimer: Well, I'm not blonde, rich or Scottish so I'm probably not J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros. but I'll tell you when I am. *sigh*
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That place was filled with conflicting memories. It had been a personal Hell but at the same time, before that she had felt some semblance of home and safety despite all the trials and death. And dear Merlin! So much has happened in the few of her longest years. And all that "finished" a few short months ago. But it hasn't ended yet. Because his supporters are out there right now, and those maniacs are hungry for revenge. While the ring leader was gone, they grew rash, getting caught easily but they grew insane, inflicting pain as much as possible their goal, to find away to wear down their world's shaky foundations. And those that weren't slowed down progress, wrapping help in a thick layer of political bullshit and red tape. They revelled in the pain and misery, wearing down fragile lives left and their if their souls were to be consumed it seemed to be of no consequences as long as they have done their mission. And it worked, and the seams kept slowly unravelling, despite the efforts to stitch back their lives together. She had first hand experience.
Emma Leighton, as a child of an Auror was unsurprisingly, a main victim along with those who publicly showed their rebellion against the Dark. Once Voldemort had come out, only the Dark Aurors were remained the rest were killed or sacked. The Carrows were no difference, she had shown obvious bias to her, like the Weasleys, or people like her and Susan Bones. So she knew a lot who had lost their lives. And it wasn't just them, others had as well. It was filled with holes where people should be. She'd always accept to see Snape lurking or to swoop into the dungeons and lecture them on how idiotic they are but to Emma he'd always seemed an alright sort of Professor as he only hated the Gryffindors and she honestly enjoyed Potions. Sometimes he's even help her in an advanced potion once or twice. But not anymore. He's dead, and although he seemed decent he was admittedly a bit surprised that he died for the Light. Professor Reinhart wasn't the same and she noticeably had a lot more accidents already. Little Collin Creevey, a young Gryffindor was dead as well even when he manage to sneak in for the Final Battle. She'd remembered fonly that he used to run around, snapping pictures and he'd beam whenever he got a nice picture. But with a single Reducto the bright light of the older Creevey was snuffed out and left the world his mourning brother, Dennis. Another missing face was Fred Weasley, who with his twin ha flew off unforgettably. She remembered seeing him dead surrounded by his family and with many Hogwarts students visited as nearly everyone remembered the Weasley twin fondly. It was frightening when she had seen him sightless with slightly quirked lips, a empty shadow of the whole hearted laughter he once had. Professor Lupin was another one lost and despite his lycanthropy there were many who liked him. Next to him was a young brunette woman, who was an Auror and were married with Professor she found out by her Da later. And turns out they had a child. So many lives gone. Was it worth it all. Probably but it seemed that so many have lost so much.
Emma Leighton was no stranger to lost either. Her mum was a Muggleborn as well and being an Auror's wife was no help as well. Imagine going home at the end of your sixth year only to see the object of her nightmares-the Dark Mark. She had gone completely hysterical at the sight and even more when she saw her mum, ripped open and swaying from the ceiling her empty sockets staring at them. Emma had immediately lost what little she had eaten and had taken her to St. Mungo's when she ha fallen in to shock. Shite, she still had nightmares and that night she had needed a lot of Calming Draught for that week and Dreamless Sleep was her best friend. It fed the hole in her soul but the pain was pulling at her, tugging her, dragging her soul through hell.
But in the end here she was. Back where it all started and where it all ended. Her world felt so off kilter, everything so out of place. As the year started she could feel herself get tired. Not the normal tiredness, but kind of cold that seeped through your pores and permeates you're bones, the kind that drains you completely empty, draining you dry until you're nothing. It never quite left you, and sometimes she wanted to just hide in the covers and cry. Cry for the pain, cry for the lost, cry for the emptiness that's trying to devour her. Because her tears meant she was, if only for a moment, she's alive. As if she hadn't have everything taken from her. Maybe she should stay strong for the others, but she was sick of it. She couldn't stay strong. She wanted to break down, to be held, to feel safe. But life was cruel. She couldn't be strong but she hid, the pain and emptiness, locking her heart away as the hole in her heart grew and festered. Her emotions were shallow, running through the edge her walls but they never kept away the emptiness. Only pain did. Pain reminded her of her humanity, reminded her of who she was, why she was here. Her few anchors in this world. Unhealthy or not, she clung to what little bits she could keep. Death sang to her, enticing, tempting. She rarely visited but she came strong and furious, trying to tear down the fragile seams that just barely held her together. So she put up her walls, to pretend she held some semblance of normal. She put up the pretence of strength for those that needed her. She couldn't show weakness because it meant showing her secrets and if she did she couldn't hide how broken she was. So she clutched her weakness close to her because she couldn't pretend she's strong if the world saw the shards of what was left of the broken girl.
First chapter done! It's about 1,020 words. Not long but ah well. See that? The one that says review? Click it, I dare you! ;)