Unable to speak, Sirius just stood there staring at Emma. A voice came from somewhere in the castle, causing the pair of them to jump.
'We have to go, it's not safe here,' said Emma, grabbing Sirius and pulling him towards the door. They hurried through the castle, aware that the teachers had heard the commotion and were probably out looking for students not in their beds.
'But…you have wings…' stammered Sirius, still unsure of what to say.
'Yes, and I'll explain that later, but right now we need somewhere to hide and somewhere I can treat those gashes on your shoulders,' as if from nowhere a door appeared on the wall of the corridor they were in and without thinking, Emma hurried through it.
It was quite a small room with a small bed, a fire and a sofa. Lined on the walls on shelves was medical equipment of various sorts, in particular that to treat deep cuts and severe bleeding with. Emma hurried around looking for bandages and potions to treat Sirius with,
'You might as well stop that as I'm not going to let you near my wounds until you tell me what's going on' he said. Emma looked at him in disbelief but she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was being serious. She sat down on the sofa and indicated that he should do the same. He did so obligingly.
'Well, you might as well make yourself comfortable as it's a long story,' he sat there, motionless. Emma took in a deep breath and began her story…
'I haven't always been like this you know. I'm actually muggle-born, I had quite a happy life until...well...I was 11. It was the last day of school and I was looking forward to the summer holidays and then coming here for school.
It was late afternoon, me and some friends had been in the park and I was just walking home. There was a loud crack and this guy in black robes and a mask appeared in front of me. I was petrified. Of course I realise now that he apparated but I knew nothing of the sort at the time. I was unsure of what to do, I tried running but he put the body-binder curse on me so I couldn't move and then he grabbed me, disapparating to somewhere strange and unfamiliar to me. It still bugs me to this day as to why it was me he kidnapped, but I suppose that's irrelevant now,' Emma stood up and began pacing the room. 'I remember being bound in a chair and then I met him,' she paused, staring at the ground, struggling to get her words out, 'Lord Voldemort', she finally whispered. Sirius opened his mouth as if to say something,
'No don't, I have to finish this story,' she said. 'Anyway, he spoke to me. He kept going on about some super weapon, something that was going to the win the war from him. I remember him laughing and commenting on what Dumbledore's reaction would be. He touched my face; that thought makes me shudder to this very day, and he told me that it was all thanks to me. I didn't understand. I remember crying and asking what he was going to do with me. He laughed when I asked that. He told me he was going to change me, make me different by using some ancient magic he had stumbled across. He explained that he had found a way to create the super-being, by using elements of different magical creatures and combining them into one. The hunger of a vampire, the temper of a werewolf, wings of an angel, insight of a centaur, grace of a unicorn, fire of the phoenix and all in the body of a human.' She stopped pacing and sat back down.
'I don't remember a lot after that, I remember being taken away and I remember a lot of fire and a lot of pain. There were needles, I remember that, and all sorts of other stuff but those memories are just flashes of what happened, I suppose my mind blocked out the rest.
My next clear memory is of when I was 13. He was laughing in joy, apparently the experiment had been a success and the world was finally ready for me. I felt a lot of hatred, anger, despair and fear. I was ready to go out and kill for Him.' By this time Emma was in tears, Sirius sat there awkwardly. He had never imagined such things… Emma continued, 'But before I was let loose upon innocent civilians, someone turned up; someone who saved my life. It was Dumbledore. I remember looking at him and feeling pure loathing, I wanted to tear him apart. He looked at me, straight into my eyes, causing me to stop in my tracks. He spoke to me in a way I hadn't been spoken to in years. It was with a voice of kindness and compassion. He told me he was sorry for what had happened to me and that he was going to make it right. My memory breaks up again here. There was a fight, I remember that but I don't know what else. The next thing I knew I was sat in Dumbledore's office and he was talking to me. He said something about how Lord Voldemort had misunderstood and underestimated the power of ancient magic and how it can't be created into good or evil. He explained that I had a choice ahead of me, not straight away but in a few years time. I would have to choose between using my magic for good and using my magic for evil and before that time came I would have to learn my abilities and limits and how to control them. That's why I don't look particularly different, I've learnt to control my external differences to make me look normal, I mean I don't look amazingly different anyway, but still. Anyway, as part of this choice I'm supposed to be uninfluenced by good or evil. That means I can't make friends, make enemies, or fall in love or anything like that because it might influence the way I think or something. Anyone or anything that gets in the way of that basically ends up getting hurt,' she indicated to Sirius's shoulders which were still bleeding and she began to clean the wounds, ignoring his winces of pain. She was beginning to work herself into a state. She looked so helpless but Sirius couldn't think of a way to comfort her without sounding patronising or completely stupid. Emma continued, her voice getting louder a she went on 'and that's why, (and I don't know if you've noticed this), everyone seems to have trouble remembering me. I fade from pictures, my writing fades and my name fades from history and people forget about me after time. It's such a lonely life. But now the time of the choice is getting nearer, you heard what the centaur said, and that's why it's so dangerous to be around me.' Emma stood up; she was yelling now and sobbing hysterically. 'Now do you understand? Do you understand why I can't go to that stupid dance with you? Do you finally understand how dangerous it is for you to be around me?' Sirius slowly stood up and turned to face her.
'Yes I understand,' he said softly, 'And to be honest, I don't care' and with that, he kissed her.
The secret is finally out. I hope it wasn't a disappointment after all the build-up. Let me know what u think. )
