Emma Swan and the Cursed Dagger
Chapter 4
BOOM.
Next to Emma, Regina jerked awake. She looked around bewildered, her dark eyes seemingly too big for her pale face. Rumple hid himself under his blanket. The storm drowned out his sobs, but Emma could see them rake his body. She jumped up and went to stand in between her friends and whatever was trying to break the door.
BOOM.
What was going on out there? Were they using a bazooka to knock?
She noticed someone came to stand next to her and looked up at Leroy's grim face.
"Who's there?" he shouted, "I warn you - I'm armed!"
There was a pause in which Emma realized with a twinge of nerves that the man was not lying.
"Don't let him in!" Mrs. Blue yelled from somewhere.
SMASH!
The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.
A surprisingly thin man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost entirely hidden by a black hood. Emma could make out the glint of glasses. He stepped inside almost casually, glancing down at the rather sad looking door.
"This brings back memories," he chuckled. He had a clear man's voice and it sounded faintly familiar.
"You are not welcome here," Mrs. Blue raged as she marched towards him, "And I ought to sue you for breaking and entering!"
The man pulled down his hood, revealing messy black hair and a faint scar that was oddly shaped like a lightning bolt. He stared at the director of Mundi Harborage with flashing green eyes and his mouth became an angry line.
"You did not exactly leave me another choice," he said coolly.
Leroy puffed up his chest. "Did you not hear the lady? Make yourself scarce, friend."
The mysterious man simply turned his back on him and pulled out an item that looked like...
"A wand?"
Everyone jumped at the sound of Emma's voice, as if they only just now realized she was in the room.
The man smiled at her and she instantly concluded he must be crazy. If he thought he was going to use magic to get himself out of this situation, he had another one coming. Magic did not exist. Did it...?
"I demand you leave at once, sir!" Mrs. Blue's voice ominously rose in pitch.
"You can't. This cottage does not belong to you, you are trespassing yourself."
At this, Leroy turned to her, looking shocked. "What? Is that true?"
"Leroy, this is not the time...!"
The cloaked man put up his free hand. "Please. Why don't we sit down and talk about this calmly?"
Emma could have sworn steam came out of Mrs. Blue's ears. "I have had enough of this, Mr. Potter. I explicitly told you to leave us be. Things were going fine before that woman from Hogwarts started insisting we continue with the old plan."
Emma squinted as she took a closer look at the man that was now pointing an actual wand at the wounded door. So this was Harry Potter? Apart from his odd clothes and peculiar scar, there was nothing special about him. A normal, somewhat lanky middle-aged guy with round glasses and well... okay, he was wielding a stick like a wand. He didn't seem very dangerous, though. So why did Mrs. Blue look so scared?
Regina gasped, snapping Emma out of her pondering. In front of her, the door had started to float and was now hovering towards the doorframe. It slowly moved into position and the next moment the hinges snapped back, entirely renewed.
"How did you...?"
"I will explain in a second," Mr. Potter said kindly, "First we need to get a fire going. It is freezing inhere."
"We are perfectly alright, thank you very much." Mrs. Blue was now on the couch with Regina, an arm over the girls shoulders, gesturing at Emma to come over. Emma hesitated.
"If you think the Ministry didn't notice what happened at the museum, you are mistaken," Mr. Potter said as he crouched in front of the fireplace. He tapped his wand on the cold stone inside. A bright flame sparked to life out of nowhere and simply hovered there. It filled the cottage with flickering light and Emma felt the warmth wash over her as though she'd sunk into a hot bath.
"Thank you," Mrs. Blue snapped, but she didn't sound grateful at all, "Now please leave. Please. It is for the best, trust me."
Mr. Potter's face darkened, but then he glanced over at Rumple, who was peaking out from under his blanket and seemed to reconsider. He took a deep, slow breathe and went to lean against the wall next to the mantle. He folded his arms and waited as Emma went to sit with the other women in the room and Leroy went to Rumple. The boy looked like he might die of fright and Emma wanted desperately to give him hug, but she stayed put.
There was an awkward silence. Eventually Harry Potter stood up straight.
"We had a deal," he said, "Nothing has changed."
"Forget about the deal, Mr. Potter. I have no intentions to honour it and you have wasted your time coming here."
"What deal?" Emma asked frustrated, "What are you talking about?"
"It's alright. I will deal with this."
Emma turned on her. "Alright? How is this alright? You practically kidnapped us, took us to a random cottage and now there is this guy that uses magic and talks about deals. What does he want?" Then she looked at Mr. Potter. "What do you want?"
He smiled. "I want you to read your letter."
Emma's heart jumped. She sat up bolt right and her hand trembled as she took the envelope he handed her. She barely noticed he gave one to Regina and Rumple too. She turned over the yellowish parchment and saw the same emerald letters as before.
Emma Swan, Abandoned Cottage, the countryside
That was the silliest address ever. No wonder it had to be hand delivered. She quickly drew out the letter, half expecting Mrs. Blue to rip it from her hands, and read:
Hogwarts School for
Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmistress: Pomona Sprout
Dear Miss Swan,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft
and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Pomona Sprout
Headmistress
Questions exploded inside Emma's head like fireworks and she couldn't decide what to ask first. After a few minutes she stammered: "What does it mean, they await my owl?"
Harry grinned. "Don't worry about that. I'll arrange it."
"You will do no such thing," Mrs. Blue interjected, "They will not be going."
"They should. They are witches and wizards and need to learn how to use and control their magic."
"No, they don't!" Mrs. Blue was startled by her own tone as she shrieked those words and quickly recollected herself. "There is no need. Green and I will handle it."
"You say that, but you don't believe it."
Emma looked at Mr. Potter in surprise. Could he read lies the same way she could? Was that part of being a witch or a wizard?
"Do not presume you know me," Mrs. Blue said, her voice dangerously hushed.
"I may not know your secrets," he responded calmly, "But I am not a fool. I can see your fears regarding the magic of these children. Especially the boy's."
Rumple squeaked and hid under his blanket as the man pointed at him.
"Look," Mrs. Blue said, rising from the couch in such a way that Leroy - the tough looking, broad shouldered Leroy - took a shaky step back. "When you came to Storybrook, I cooperated. I trusted you to find everyone a home, to keep everyone save. I let you take everyone to England. And now I expect you to trust me."
It sounded more like a demand than an expectation. Emma's mind reeled.
"What's Storybrook?" she stammered.
To her surprise, it was Leroy who answered. "It is the town where you are from. Something strange happened there and Potter and his co-workers came to help."
"And we are thankful for that," Mrs. Blue added loudly, "But we have no need for his further assistance."
Harry Potter scowled. "These children are witches and wizards. They will use magic, like you have seen at that museum. If we don't teach them anything about it, accidents will happen."
"But... How can I be a witch?" Emma asked.
The man with the round glasses looked at her with sympathy. "I suppose one or both of your parents were and it was passed down. Or maybe you are Muggleborn and simply gifted with the magic."
"Muggleborn?"
He chuckled. "Born from Muggles; non-magic folk."
"Her parents were not Muggles!" Leroy growled angrily.
"It is not a bad word. I mean no disrespect."
"Well, it sounds ridiculous," the shorter man raged, "And you should know her parents were honourable people. They were good. So don't you dare talk about them, mister."
Emma felt the blood drain from her face. "You knew my parents?" she whispered.
Leroy stared at her for a few moments, blinking slowly. The room had gone completely quiet, except for the crackling magic fire. Outside, the storm still raged.
He moved his mouth, like he wanted to say something, then seemed to think better of it and shook his head. Clearing his throat, he sat down on the armrest of Rumple's chair.
"Yes, well... Yeah," he grunted.
It was not a lie.
Emma looked at Mrs. Blue, who watched her in return, and felt like she couldn't breath.
"You told me I was found at the side of the road," she choked out, tears burning her eyes, "You said I was abandoned there."
She was so confused. Mrs. Blue had not lied when she'd told her that story again and again. The boy that was with her at the time had been placed in different home and that was it.
"Did you know them too?"
"And my parents?"
Emma looked at Regina in bewilderment and instantly felt bad. She had completely forgotten about the girl. Her best friend.
The dark haired girl was crying, though there were no sobs. "Did you lie about my mum?"
Mrs. Blue suddenly looked very sad. "No, I did not lie about her. She is gone, dear."
Whatever hope Regina had for a moment, was now crushed and she physically sagged into the overly large sofa. Emma curled up beside her and wrapped her thin arms around her. Regina shook with silent sobs in her embrace.
Mrs. Blue glared at Harry Potter. "Look what you've done. Will you leave now?"
"What I have done?" He looked at her incredulously. "I do not like it that you keep important information from me, but I can understand it. I can not believe, however, that you would keep it from them. Have you any idea what that feels like for a child?"
There was something in his voice that made Emma want to hug him too.
Mrs. Blue seemed stunned. After a while she simply nodded. Not in agreement, just a nod.
"Let's talk in private, Mr. Potter. Leroy, watch the children."
With those words, she disappeared into the bedroom. The tall wizard followed her after giving Emma an apologetic look, even though she couldn't imagine what he could feel guilty about. Once they were out of sight, she focused on her friend.
"Are you okay, Gina?"
"Yes," the other girl croaked. She untangled herself from the hug and wiped her face with her sleeve. "I think so."
"It's all gonna be fine," Leroy said gruffly.
Emma sat up straight and watched his face closely as she asked: "Why is Mrs. Blue afraid of our magic?"
There it was. A flicker of fear that flashed across his face. "Mrs. Blue is not afraid of your magic."
That was true.
"And Rumple's magic?"
He coughed once. "She is not afraid of magic."
Emma's head buzzed and it was like her brains tingled for well over minute after. That must have been a big lie.
"Is she going to let us leave for Hogwarts?" she continued.
Leroy looked very uneasy. "I don't know."
Rumple crawled out from underneath his blanket. His eyes were huge in his pale face and his hair was tousled. He held his crinkled letter in a tight fist. "I want to go to Hogwarts."
"Why?" Leroy asked curtly.
The boy mumbled something in reply. When Leroy glared at him, he said with a shaky voice: "I am scared of my magic too..."
Mrs. Blue and Mr. Potter remained in the bedroom for a long while. Emma grew restless and had started pacing in front of the fireplace, to the great annoyance of Leroy.
"Would you stop that?" he barked, "It is not gonna change anything."
She turned to him and hesitated. He knew her parents. Or had known them, at least. She could ask him questions. He looked extremely angry, though, and quite menacing with shadows dancing over his face. His eyes were very dark.
He surprised her when he smiled. "What are you staring at, then?"
"Eh... I don't... nothing..."
Her stammered response seemed to amuse him, for some reason. "Out with it."
"Where exactly is Storybrook?" she asked. There were too many questions, she had to start somewhere.
"In America," he answered, "But I reckon it isn't there anymore. They would have seen to that."
"Who?"
"Potter's American co-workers." He gestured to the bedroom door. "You know. Wizards."
"Did Mr. Potter know my parents?"
Leroy hesitated. "No... Not really."
Emma tilted her head a little. It was not really a lie, but it still confused her.
"Look," the man said, "All I can tell you is that something terrible happened there. In Storybrook, I mean. We have all been trying to help out. Potter, Blue, me and my friends. We took all the kids from there and made sure they are okay."
"The other children at Mundi Harborage are from Storybrook too?" Regina interrupted him.
He shook his head.
"But..."
"You all got split up," he clarified a little impatiently, "Placed in different homes all over England."
"Were there so many children?"
"Yeah. And they are all alright. If you get to go to Hogwarts, I am sure you will meet a few."
Emma took a deep breath. "What happened to my parents?"
Clearly taken aback, Leroy folded his arms and looked down at them. "They got caught up in... that terrible thing that happened in Storybrook."
Even though she had expected as much, Emma flinched from the sting the words brought.
"I'm sorry, kid." There was sympathy in his eyes and a painful sadness.
Emma looked away, her eyes burning.
"Go to sleep, guys," Leroy said, his voice soft, "I will go to Blue and Potter and have a talk with them. Everything is going to be alright."
Suddenly exhausted to the bone, Emma obeyed. She crawled next to Regina and never noticed the bedroom door closing behind Leroy as he left the children alone with their questions and dreams.