Chapter 4

"I just don't understand it."

"What don't you understand, Em?" asked Albus as they caroused the halls of Hogwarts trying to get to potions. Albus hardly noticed the other students' stares anymore. They all meant little anyways. It had been two months since the start of term and the stares and whispers still hadn't let up.

"How can the whisper and point and stare at you so bluntly, like you aren't even there?" she whispered, close to Albus' ear.

"They're only human, Em. They can't help it."

Emily continued to chatter aimlessly and Albus tuned her out. She was like background music of a movie now. Kind of takes away from the show, but the movie seems empty without it. Emily was the background music to Albus' life. The days were quiet when she wasn't around.

Just then, a massive wave of students emerging from classrooms all at once converged upon those already in the hall. Albus took Emily's arm before she could get lost and pulled over to the moving staircases. As soon as they stepped on, the stairs moved to a new location. Once they stopped, Emily tripped over a step trying to scurry off of the stairs.

"Quick, Al, get off, before they move again. I don't know where we are as it is."

Albus hurried off as well, but instead of panicking, he pulled out the Marauder's Map and looked for their dots. Emily wasn't paying attention to what he was doing at all, until Albus spoke up.

"C'mon Em, this way." Albus grabbed her sleeve and she followed obediently behind him. When they came to a statue of a Rowena Ravenclaw, Albus pulled her left arm down towards them, to reveal a secret passage way hidden in her pedestal. A granite door slid to the side, showing a slide downwards.

"A-Al, where does this go?"

Albus turned to look at her.

"Just trust me Em."

And then he took her hand and pulled her down the slide behind him. As soon as they started gaining speed, Emily wrapped her arms around Albus' waist and buried her face in his shoulder. They reached the bottom in record time, but Emily did not let go of Albus easily. She gripped his hand as though it was her lifeline to the world and looked around like a frightened animal, for once quiet as a mouse. Albus moved forward, pushing back cobwebs until they came to a wall. Albus pushed on the right side, and swung around on a spoke, like a wheel until it stopped on the other side, Al and Em with it. They were in one of the rooms in the dungeons.

Emily started breathing easier and relaxed her grip on Albus' hand.

"You ok, Em? You look like you saw the ghost of Merlin come back to haunt you."

Emily nodded shakily, taking deep ragged breaths.

"You get spooked easily, don't you?"

Emily only nodded again. Looked around the room and then placed Emily on a bench in the room, and claimed back his hand, so that he could consult the map. After locating their position, Albus took Emily's hand and led her until she could walk without tottering. Finally they came to their classroom, where ancient Professor Slughorn still resided. He had been teaching on and off since Voldemort was a pupil here. He had taught Albus' grandfathers, grandmothers, father and mother, even Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron. Slughorn had a gift collecting certain pupils whom he thought were exceptional. He had tried to collect James, only to discover that he had no talent for potions. Albus, however, showed brilliance in all subjects, making him a quick favorite of Slughorn's and many of the other teachers as well. Albus had already spent multiple nights helping Emily, Rose, Lucy, Scorpious and his new friend Trevor, study into all hours of the night. It was tiring work, but rewarding when his friends came up proudly waving the grade they had worked so hard to accomplish. Al and Em entered the class just as Slughorn was starting the lesson.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, Miss Thomas, that knack for being tardy might catch up with you one day."

This was received with sniggers from several of their classmates, including James' friend, Christopher. He was in James' year, but he had arrived half way through the school year, so he didn't get his first half of first year potions. Albus didn't like him, and had told James this on many occasions, but James said he kept him around for strategies sake. He could pull a mean prank.

James and Emily took a table as far away from him as possible. They were working I partners today, to brew a simple happiness potion. It allowed James to let his mind wander far from the dungeons and across the lake, where snow-filled clouds brought promises of a white Christmas.

A/N: Just a hint for those actually particpating in the challenge I gave last chapter (eh hem eclipsed heart cough cough) go back and re read the first chapter of this story! It will help