Chapter Six
(Blood Or Water)
Ember had had a hard time sleeping the night after Katie Bell had been cursed. She couldn't be sure if her morphing dreams had been caused by witnessing the event, the fact that it happened at all, or the fact that her brother had (Ember was sure) been behind it. Voldemort morphed into Katie who morphed into Draco who morphed into her father. Each time Ember woke up, she noticed that Anna was tossing and turning, as well. After countless nights of waking to the haunting scream they had heard from Katie Bell, both girls had decided to speak to Madame Pomfrey about a Dreamless Draught.
Weeks passed, and talk of Katie Bell being admitted to St. Mungo's morphed into talk of the upcoming Yule Ball. Ember and Anna were both surprised as they realized they had seen little of Draco since the incident. Ember was grateful – her heart turned to stone at the thought of her brother. Anna's distant gaze, however, told Ember that her friend was a bit disappointed that her love interest was missing in action. Sympathetic as ever, Ember had realized that she had seen Fred and George even less than she had seen Draco.
Ember and her fellow Gryffindors had just finished with their classes for the day, and were winding their way through halls littered with giggling girls, and boys who pretended to be oblivious. The conversations all consisted of what would be worn, who would be taken, what would happen afterwards, and who was hoping for a kiss from who. Ember resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Dates to the Yule Ball was a bit of a touchy subject for her and her female friends; none of them had been asked by the men they most wanted to go with. Ron had asked Lavender Brown, and Harry hadn't asked anyone, which was just as bad.
"If girls cared as much about more important things as they did boys..." Ember shook her head, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "And if boys weren't so bloody dense."
Hermione and Anna muttered their agreement, and the three girls entered the common room. Fiery hair caught Ember's eye, and she scowled at George and Fred, who were playing a game of Wizard's Chess by the fire.
"I swear," She added, leading the way to the dorm.
The girls were silent as they deposited their school books in their trunks – or, in Ember's case, scattered on top of her bed. They made idle chit chat as they changed from their school robes into more comfortable clothes. The heat brought the smells from the kitchen up to them, despite them being in the Tower, and Ember's stomach clenched hungrily. She laughed softly to herself, and followed Hermione and Anna out of the dorm, eager to get down to the Great Hall for dinner. She stopped short and bumped into Hermione's back; scowling, she looked past her friends shoulder and then felt her scowl deepen.
"Who let the snake in?" She hissed.
In front of them, there was a small girl dressed in Slytherin robes. Judging by her furtive glances around the Gryffindor common room, Ember concluded that the girl couldn't have been older than a second year. Ember opened her mouth to shout at Harry, Fred and George, who were the only other Gryffindors in sight, but the Slytherin beat her to it.
"Which one of you is Callahan?"
For as small and fidgety as the girl seemed, her voice was all arrogance and haughtiness. Ember's mouth snapped shut as Anna let out a soft squeak of a reply. The girl looked her up and down and then sneered, as if amused by her own private joke. She rolled her eyes and then seemed to remember that she was the better person here, and her spine straightened as she met Anna's eyes.
"Draco Malfoy wishes to see you," She scoffed. "Now, if you don't mind."
Ember had to slap Anna's arm before the girl could speak.
"Where is he?" She choked out.
"On the seventh floor," The girl responded, clearly bored with the conversation.
Ember sneered after her friend as Anna hurried out of the common room, and lunged at the Slytherin girl. The girl jumped and turned to leave, and Ember smirked as she noticed the tension in the girl's legs as she tried not to run. She'd have to yell at the Fat Lady later for letting that trash in her common room. She exchanged a look with Harry, who looked just as confused as she did. Hermione rolled her eyes at them both, and Ember bristled.
"He's evil!" They exclaimed together, causing Hermione to roll her eyes again.
Ember sat down on the couch with a huff, crossing her arms. She had a scowl set on her face, and Hermione joined her. After a moment of glaring at the flames, she met Hermione's questioning gaze with her own. The amusement in Hermione's eyes made Ember scowl more fiercely.
"Is it that Draco is about to ask her to the ball, or that George hasn't asked you?" She mused, crossing her legs; Ember snarled and rounded on her.
"Shut up, Hermione," She growled, throwing a pillow at her friend and pulling a laugh from the girl.
Time seemed to pass slowly for Ember as she waited for Anna to return. The crackling of the fire was the only sound, save Fred and George's occasional shout of defeat. Hermione's quill scratched soothingly over parchment as she worked on her never ending supply of homework, and Harry had disappeared shortly after Anna had. The silence and waiting seemed to grind Ember's nerves, and she felt like a time bomb, ready to explode.
The portrait swung open, and Ember watched Anna walk in, her friend's cheeks pink and her eyes twinkling. Suddenly, Ember felt suffocated in the common room. She stood and waved good-bye to her friends, promising to see them at dinner. Anna's eyes were wide as Ember brushed past her without acknowledging her. At the sound of the portrait swinging shut behind her, Ember let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She took deep breaths as she counted to ten, and then scowled at herself.
She couldn't figure out why she was so angry; she and Hermione would still go to the ball together. George would never come around, and that was no surprise. She wasn't jealous of Anna. In fact, if it were anyone else, she'd be ecstatic. But it was her bloody brother - the boy was nothing but trouble waiting to happen. She sneered, and her feet began moving before she told them to go.
The Slytherin common room's passage loomed before her for the second time that month. Draco was just entering the corridor, and she reached out, pushing him against the wall. She gripped his collar, ignored the anger in his eyes, and shoved her wand in his shoulder.
"If you so much as bend a hair on her head," She hissed, close enough that his eyes were blending into one, "I'll show you a fate so horrible you'll wish you had just failed whatever errand Voldemort has sent you on."
She turned on her heel and stormed away, leaving Draco staring in an angry stupor behind her. She left the castle, conjuring her coat from her room and pulling it onto her body. She needed somewhere to cool down, and the Quidditch pitch had been the first place to pop into her mind. Maybe it'd be empty. Maybe she'd catch someone practicing. She really didn't care at the moment; she needed to get out of the castle, and the Quidditch pitch seemed the safest bet for that time of day.
She didn't have a broom of her own, but there were some available for lending out in the shed by the pitch. She grabbed one of the less dangerous looking ones, and flew up until the pitch was just a small oval under her. The crisp air whipped her hair around her head, and she suppressed a shiver as she stared out towards the horizon. A frown pulled at her features, and she tried to catch hold of one of the thoughts that was racing through her mind.
Something was wrong in the wizarding world – that much she knew to be true. Something deeper, however, was wrong in her own world. Her mind wouldn't let go of Draco's malice the night she had confronted him in the Slytherin common room. He had reminded her too much of her father, and Ember wondered if she was the only daughter in the world to despise that realization. She missed her brother, and missed the secrets she used to share with him. She found herself despising the secrets he kept to himself, and wondered if they were weighing as heavily on him as his failing façade led her to believe.
Ember sighed, and almost grimaced when she saw a familiar cascade of red making its way through the darkening field. She flew down to the ground, hovering in front of Ginny, who was looking around furtively. The red-head finally sighed in resignation and met Ember's questioning gaze.
"She knows you're pissed at her," Ginny called up. "Cut her some slack, would you?"
"No," Ember replied with a roll of her eyes. "I won't cut Dean slack for hurting you when you argue, I won't cut Ron slack for hurting Hermione, and this is just one more reason on a growing list to dislike my brother. She's going to get herself hurt, and I don't think it's just going to be a broken heart."
Ginny's face fell slightly as Ember's words sunk in. They sat in silence as they collected their own thoughts, and Ember was reluctant to admit it was one of the first awkward silences between her and her friends. Ember frowned; it wasn't that she was mad at Anna for accepting her brother as an escort to the Yule Ball. Her friend's apparent death wish and ignorance to Ember's warnings was the true reason Ember was annoyed. Ginny finally sighed, and with a shiver turned to Ember.
"Come on," She pleaded softly. "It's bloody cold out here, and we're going to be late for dinner."
Dinner had been nothing short of awkward. Ember had been in a mood, Harry had been in a mood – hell, they had all been in a mood. They finally traipsed upstairs, and Anna had fallen asleep instantly. Ember had listened to her friends' deep breathing, and waited for the Dreamless Draught to take effect. Her eyes had just begun to grow heavy when a loud crash from downstairs made her sit upright in her bed.
"Wuz happenin'?" Anna mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"I don't know," Ember mumbled back.
Without another word, the girls slid out of their bed. Ember noticed Hermione still sleeping, and shook her head at her friend's ability to sleep through a tornado. Ember and Anna drew their wands, prepared for the worst. Ember nodded to Anna and she pushed the door open, their personal dilemmas forgotten for the moment. They made their way slowly down into the darkness of the common room, and paused when they heard Ron muttering.
"Romilda Vane."
The two girls exchanged a slightly worried glance. It was their friend's voice, that Ember was sure of. Ron, however, sounded like a very drunk version of himself. He had slurred the name, and Ember wondered why he had mentioned Harry's obsessed fan in the first place.
"…The hell?" Anna whispered, and Ember shrugged as she moved further into the common room.
"I thought you loved Lavender." Harry said, nodding in their direction in acknowledgment.
"Lavender?" Ron scoffed. "She's bloody annoying."
Harry looked at Ember and Anna, and mouthed 'love potion' to them. They watched in mild amusement as Ron stared up at the moon, rambling incoherently about how beautiful it looked, and did they think Romilda was watching the moon, too? Ember and Anna pocketed their wands, and Ember smirked as Harry gripped Ron's arm.
"C'mon, Ron," Harry growled. "We need to get you to Slu- I mean, Romilda's waiting for you outside."
Anna lost it when Ron shut up from his place on the floor. Her laughter was a welcome sound, and Ember found she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. She saluted Harry, leaning against the wall, and her smile turned into a smirk.
"Need a little help there, Chosen one?"
She laughed as he snarled and told her to sod off. Ron told her how much he loved Romilda, and she snickered as the two boys left. The two girls looked at each other, and Ember's smile faded when she realized her friend's amusement had disappeared. They stared at each other in awkward silence, and turned silently to head back up to bed.
Ember sunk in between her sheets, and sighed quietly. Ginny's request played back to her, and she turned her head to look at Anna's back. They had been friends for too long to let a boy come between them – especially Ember's brother. She made up her mind to talk to Anna tomorrow, and found that her decision made sleep welcome her more quickly. She was just slipping into consciousness when the door to the sixth year girls' dorm slammed open. Ember shot up and stared at Ginny angrily.
"Bloody hell," She hissed. "Don't you Weasleys understand the concept of sleeping?"
Hermione was mumbling something about it not being time for school yet, and Anna had sat up in her bed, looking mildly annoyed. Ginny's cheeks were flushed, and Ember paused at the worry she saw in her friend's eyes. She was sliding out of bed when Ginny revealed her reason for waking them up.
"Ron's in the hospital wing!" Ginny hissed back.
It seemed like only two seconds had passed before Ember rushed out after Ginny, Anna and Hermione following close behind. The groans of sleeping portraits followed them as they rushed through the halls of Hogwarts, skidding to a halt in front of the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey looked up to acknowledge them as they entered, but their eyes were all for Ron. Harry was pacing at the foot of his bed, and Ginny joined her twin brothers by Ron's head. Dumbledore was carrying a quiet conversation with Slughorn and Snape, but Ember ignored them for the moment.
Madame Pomfrey pulled four more chairs next to Ron's bed, and the girls sat down with a grateful glance in the healer's direction. They sat by his bed for about an hour as Dumbledore, Snape and Slughorn went over what had happened. Ember was catching bits and pieces of their conversation, and her sense of dread deepened with each thing she caught on to. Poison, wine, a gift for Dumble- Ember stiffened. Poisoned wine that was meant for Dumbledore. A necklace that was sent for Dumbledore.
Ember would have reached over and slapped Anna, telling her to stop being so blind, but Lavender had run in. She immediately began fussing over her "Won Won", and when Hermione scoffed, Lavender turned with a glare. The two girls egan bickering over who had the right to be by his bedside, and Ember was amused – in the "Hermione's finally coming to terms with her love for Ron" sort of way. Ron's head rolled to one side, and they fell silent as his lips moved.
"Mm..ne... Her.. My... Knee..."
Ember stared with wide eyes as Lavender stormed out, crying, and Hermione moved to the bed, holding Ron's hand tightly. They all stared at Hermione with silent wonder, and a pleased blush crept up the girl's neck. She avoided meeting their eyes, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ears to hide her smile.
"Shut up," She demanded before they had a chance to say anything.
"Guess we know who she's going to the ball with now," Fred muttered, looking down at his brother.
"Ah, young love," George swooned.
Dumbledore was smiling knowingly, and made a passing comment about how young Mr. Weasley was in capable hands now. Ember stood and Anna followed, and she rolled her eyes at her friend's dreamy expression. The Gryffindors filed out of the hospital wing, leaving their two friends to their relative privacy. Ember had a passing thought of whether or not it was worth it to fall asleep now, but not even her annoyance could put out the warm flame Hermione's smile had started in her heart.
(xxxxxxxxxxx)
The next morning at Breakfast, everyone was bustling. The spirit of the Yule Ball had girls swooning and boys cringing, but everyone was being swept up in the spirit of the nearing Christmas holiday. Ember sat between Hermione and Ginny, and was trying to keep the smirk off of her face as Ron, now recovered, cast confused glances past her shoulder. Ember knew that Lavender was sitting behind them, and she could feel the weight of her glare. Harry had told Ron that he had broken up with Lavender last night, because Ron could remember nothing.
"I must have been pretty harsh," He mumbled.
"You really don't remember anything you said last night?"
Hermione's soft question carried across the table to Ron, who flicked his confused gaze from his now estranged girlfriend to his best girl friend. He shook his head, and Ember tried not to frown as she recognized the rejection that glazed Hermione's eyes.
Katie Bell walked in, and the friends turned to smile at her, welcoming her back after her month at St. Mungo's. Harry immediately got up, as Ron continued to ask Hermione what he had said to Lavender. Hermione's scowl effectively silenced Ron, who turned to watch Harry as he followed Katie. Katie turned to face Harry, and the friends watched on.
"I'm sorry, Harry," The girl mumbled softly. "I know what you're going to ask, but I don't know who cursed me."
Harry sighed, and turned as Draco walked in. Ember saw her brother's gaze take in Harry and Katie, and she frowned as he paled. He straightened his tie, and even though he had just walked in, he turned and left the Great Hall.
"Malfoy!" Harry called.
Anna jumped up and followed Harry as the boy raced after Draco. Ember growled in mild annoyance and took off after them. They ran around for what seemed like an eternity. They finally entered a bathroom, and the two girls could hear shouts echoing off of the stone walls. Her brother's face was pale and tear-stained as he shot a curse at Harry. Ember gripped onto Anna, telling her silently to stay out of their way. Draco's curse missed Harry, but hit a pipe; Ember shivered as water began showering the bathroom.
"Sectumsempra!"
It was a spell that Ember had never heard before, and after she saw its effects, wished to never hear again. Draco's shirt ripped open, and the cloth that was still intact immediately turned red. Her brother collapsed onto the ground, his blood mixing with the water as it flooded towards the drain in the floor. It took her a moment to realize that she was shaking.
"What did you do?"
Her voice was cold and emotionless, and she had never sounded so much like her brother in her life. She felt someone bump into her shoulder, and stared stupidly as Snape rushed in past her. His eyes were wide with shock as he looked from Draco to Harry, and then his usual sneer masked his features. Harry jumped when he noticed the girls standing behind them, but left the bathroom without a word.
"Anna," Ember hissed, apathetically. "Come on." She tugged on Anna's arm, but she wouldn't budge. "Anna, for fuck's sake, let's go!"
She pulled her friend out of the bathroom, and they followed Harry silently through the halls. She shouted the password to the Fat Lady, who seemed too shocked to delay them in her usual manner. Ember pulled Anna forcefully into the common room, ignoring her friend's protests that she was hurting her arm. She slammed Anna onto the couch, bent down over her, and pressed her face into hers.
"Do you see now?" She hissed dangerously. "Do you see why you can't get involved with him?" She seethed, and turned, running a hand through her hair before pointing at Anna. "Nothing happened. Do you understand me? Nothing happened. Draco wasn't there, Harry wasn't there, and neither were we. And Anna... for god's sake, stay away from Draco!"
Ember's mind was reeling as she turned away from Anna; she had known that tensions were high between Draco and Harry, but she hadn't expected Harry to use such a malicious curse on him. She remembered Harry's shocked eyes after he had shouted the word, and then her mind registered something that had almost seemed irrelevant until then. That book, she realized; that Potions book had become Harry's bible. She seethed with even more anger at her friend's careless stupidity.
"Anna, once Voldemort gives you something to do, you do it," Ember scowled at her friend. "No matter who needs to be killed to get the job done – do you understand me? Honestly, Anna, what do you think was going to happen? Did you think he would fall in love with you? That you would… save him from the life he's living? He's not some poor, abused soul, Anna – this was a choice. Draco knows what he's doing, and he doesn't want to be saved!"
"How do you know?"
Her friend's soft rebuke startled Ember, and she whirled around to face her again, knowing her eyes were hard and resigned. Her mouth opened and closed countless times before she could finally respond to her friend.
"How do I… Are you serious, Anna?" She laughed cynically. "That's my brother, Anna – I think I know the inner workings of his mind more than you do."
Anna fixed her with a stare that made Ember realize the girl knew more about her relationship with her brother than Ember wanted her to. Anna pushed Ember back and stood, breathing heavily as she stared across the small space. Ember set her jaw with determination and pressed her face closer to her friend's. Her eyes locked with her, and when she was sure Anna wasn't going to look away, she scowled.
"Are you playing some sort of sick joke on me, Anna? Or is being smacked around and scowled at how you get your rocks off?" She backed Anna up until she was against a wall and pushed her wand under her friend's chin. "Do you like it when he threatens you? When he hisses your name like he can't stand the thought of you? Or are you just so damn compassionate that you need to save those who can't be saved?" She pushed her wand up further, watching her friend's skin turn red from the pressure. "He's going to kill you! He is going to get you fucking killed and you don't care! Or is it just that you've wooed the unwooable, Callahan?"
She was breathing hard now, but she couldn't make herself stop. Anna shoved Ember away, and the fact that she got aggressive alone surprised Ember enough to make her stumble. Anna just stood there looking at the ground, her breath's coming out in rasps. She turned and ran out of the Common Room, the few Gryffindors that had been around to hear Ember's outburst parting silently to let her through.
Ember groaned and sunk onto the couch, holding her head in her hands. She felt the weight of someone sitting next to her, and she fell easily into George's body when he put his arm around her. She wondered when he had gotten there, and then figured that her other friends must have followed them when they realized they weren't returning to breakfast. She bit the inside of her cheek against the tears welling in her eyes, and pulled away from George. Ember stood and growled, brushing Hermione away when her friend came to hug her.
"I know," She grumbled. "I know."
Ember ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She conjured up a basket full of chocolates and hot butter beer, a warm blanket, and a tarp. She marched out of the Common Room, ignoring George's question about who the romantic picnic was for and walked out to the grounds. By the time she found Anna, her nose was going numb and her hands hurt as they held the picnic basket. She sighed, put the tarp down, and sat down on it, not looking at Anna yet.
"I don't know why you love him," She started almost whispering. "And I don't know why I hate him. But I do know that he's up to something, and I do know that it' not good."
She sighed and pulled Anna onto the tarp, wrapping the blanket around both of them.
"And I do know that I don't want you to get hurt. Just do me two favors, and I won't ever get on your case again." She waited, and felt Anna nod. "Promise me that when it comes to it, you won't be surprised if he turns out evil, and you'll choose the right thing. And promise me you'll smack some sense into George - I can't be the only one to go to the Ball alone."
She heard Anna laugh, and smiled easily now. Her friend was in love - the least she could do was try to be happy. She had already told Anna her feelings on it, and she had already threatened Draco. Her job as a friend had been fulfilled. She smiled at Anna, waving her good-bye, telling her that she'd be in the Common Room in a bit. She handed her friend the basket.
"Tell George we had a wonderful time, he swept me off my feet, and we're going to the Yule Ball together, eloping, and having lots of children."
She winked, blew Anna a kiss, and made her way back into the castle. Things had taken an interesting turn, and Ember didn't know yet whether the turn had been for better, or for worse.
