I do not own Harry Potter. Jk Rowling does... awwwww mannnn!
Author's note:
This is by far my favorite chapter thus far... I really enjoyed writing this and I hope you all enjoy reading it. I wasn't going to post this until tomorrow, but I was super excited with the way it turned out and I wanted to share it. Please Review and tell me what you all think.
*Flashback*
The young woman sat in the only straight back chair in the antiseptic white room. The steady beeping sound from the muggle machine was the only noise heard. Jade eyes stared unseeing at the woman lying immobile in the hospital bed. Had it already been three months? Emerald thought to herself. It felt like just yesterday that her mother was diagnosed with this. The woman in the bed stirred slightly, her face registering pain even while she slept. Emerald sat forward in her chair, poised to spring into action if need be. Just yesterday, the muggle contraption started beeping wildly, eventually admitting a hairsplitting screeching noise that caused all of the medi-witches and wizards available to charge the room ordering Emerald to get out. Seeing that her mother was alright, at least for now, Emerald sat back in the stiff chair. The young woman went back to staring at her mother noting the changes in the once beautiful woman. Scaly bald patches covered her scalp where there once were long golden tresses. The beautiful locks had fallen out after her first dose of medicine.
Emerald remembered vividly how violently her mother reacted to what she was told was chemo therapy. Everything she ate came back up, she could barely walk and her skin, her beautiful dewy skin had aged at least ten years since her treatment. It was more like poison in Emerald's opinion, what kind of "cure" makes people deathly ill. What kind of antidote causes more issues than there were to start with? All of this, just to be told it was for naught." No cure!" Dr. Angelo said without any feeling. No emotion spared for the sixteen year old child that was about to lose her mother. "Six months." The same medi-wizard said this time looking at it from a medical stand-point, enjoying his discovery of the cancerous cells and discussing the damage they would cause with a child, like it was the most interesting thing he had ever encountered. Now, it was three months later and the same medi-wizard told Emerald she had less than a month left with her mother.
And where was her father, you may ask? Not here, not with her mother who needed him. He always had some excuse for his absence, usually consisting of "business." The one time he did show up, he walked into the hospital room took one look at his wife and then turned around and walked back out. His eyes passing over her mother like she was insignificant, muttering something about her will and needing to speak with the medi-wizard.
Movement from the hospital bed brought Emerald's attention back from her thoughts, she sat forward in her chair and watched as her mother began to cough violently, the frail woman sat up and covered her mouth with a shaking hand. Emerald instantly rushed to her mother's side. "It's alright Mother." She said soothingly, rubbing small circles on the ill woman's skeletal back. "You should be in school." Apolline Fawley Amellus said disjointedly, lacking the breath it took to form clear sentences. The ill woman sat back heavily against the uncomfortable bed and looked at her daughter through yellowed eyes. "No mother, I should be right here with you. Someone has to be… "Emerald's sentence trailed off, neither one of them needing confirmation on who exactly was missing. It was an unspoken rule; they just didn't mention Brangwen, her poor excuse of a father or his lack of attention. "You're going tomorrow, you've missed so much Emee, and you'll fall behind!" Apolline insisted, stroking her beautiful daughter's hair lovingly. Emerald couldn't refuse her mother anything and even if she wanted to the thought of upsetting her made Emerald sick inside. She didn't want to be another cause of worry for her. Emerald stared at her mother through suspiciously clouded eyes, praying that she would be here after she finished her day at school. She carefully pulled the fragile woman into a hug, inhaling her scent deeply, as if to imprint it on her memory. She left the hospital with the promise of returning tomorrow and an unsettling feeling stirring in her soul.
Emerald wasn't able to keep her promise to her mother. Two hours into her school day, the Head Mistress approached the young woman with a look of sorrow on her large face. Emerald knew what was going to be said even before the words left the large woman's mouth. "I'm sorry… "Emerald didn't hear the rest, because she was busy running away from the school as fast as her short strides would carry her. She apparated, without ever apparating before, without being licensed, without thinking of the consequences. Not caring if she was splintched or not, she sprinted into Saint Mungo's, sliding to a halt in the elevator. She repeatedly jammed her finger into the appropriate number until the elevator made it to her desired hall. She sprinted again, not caring about the burning in her lungs, or the pain in her legs, sprinted past the medi-witches' station and to the room her mother was in. She opened the door to the room roughly and yelled "Mother!"
4 days later…
The sun shone brightly, its warm rays making the gathered guests wish they were wearing any other color besides black. In the distance birds were heard chirping, singing happy little melodies. Emerald wished they'd all eat rice and die. Why wasn't it pouring rain, why couldn't the sky be a direct reflection of the turmoil rolling inside of her? She hated this! Hated all of the fake care and love floating around. If one more person gave her their condolences she was going to fucking scream. And where was her father, in the middle of the gathered group, playing the part of grieving husband. It really didn't surprise her, she was sure he was counting on this to boost his sales. Emerald watched as a tall raven haired woman approached her father, touching his arm lightly and whispering in his ear. She was very familiar with her, having spent the last six years of her life in this woman's dance class. Emerald's stomach plummeted. Something seemed off about them, she just couldn't put her finger on it. Deciding she really didn't care at the moment, she gave her attention to the wizard approaching the large podium in front of her mother's casket. The funny looking wizard with a large nose began his eulogy, breaking her mother's wand in two as was custom and magicing it into her closed casket. Emerald couldn't tell you what else the man said as she was staring sightlessly at her mother's beautiful oak casket, replaying memories of her child-hood in her mind. Her mother styling Emerald's hair into a bun for her first recital at the age of four. Her mother kissing her scraped knee when she had fallen off her play broom at the age of five. Her mother buying Emerald her very first Pointe shoes and then smiling adoringly at her while she danced around in them for hours. Her mother getting diagnosed with muggle cancer and still sitting front row at her competition, the same day she had received her first treatment of chemotherapy. Her mother standing in the bathroom a look of fright on her beautiful face as she held long golden blonde tendrils of her hair in her hands. Her mother coughing and hacking up what sounded like at least half of her lung. Her mother beautiful, strong and then weak and now… dead…..
*End Flash back*
Weeks had passed since the incident by the Black Lake, September had ended and it was now October. Emerald spent a great deal of time avoiding everyone and everything, choosing to sit by herself at meals, using a book as a barrier to the outside world. During class she avoided eye contact with anyone who would so wish it, by sitting by herself in the back of the room at the farthest table. She even made it a point to rise before the other occupants of the dormitory to shower and dress, and she was the last to return at night after everyone else had went to bed. In her free time, she would venture out onto the grounds of Hogwarts, usually to a small clearing she had found near the Forbidden Forest and there she would spend hours staring up at the sky or reading her school texts.
She didn't speak, not even to respond to Draco when he told her she owed him another full day of hanging out because Harry had ruined it. She didn't speak, not when Hermione asked her if she was alright. She just walked past them, like they didn't exist, like she didn't hear them, even though they knew she did. Silence, her only respite, the only way she could avoid any and all emotion.
Her nauge had lasted her this entire time, without the complication of people; she realized she could handle herself and her addiction just fine. It was when you started throwing other people and their emotions into the mix that she couldn't take it. That's when she needed them the most. This discovery led Emerald to becoming what one would refer to as a loner, avoiding all contact except what was necessary to others.
That's why this Wednesday afternoon upon entering the Great Hall, Emerald didn't notice almost all sets of eyes were focused on her. She didn't see or hear the whispering begin at all four house tables. She didn't notice any of this until she had already walked down the aisle between Gryffindor and Slytherin to take her seat at the far end of the table not too far from where The Trio was located. Upon arrival she dropped her satchel next to the worn bench and began to take her seat. Just as she was about to sit down Ron Weasley made a disturbing remark "Shame about your Mother." The red head stated, throwing a copy of the Daily Prophet on her unused plate. Already not liking the red-head's remark, Emerald glared at him, before reaching for the paper. On the front page in large bold print was a headline that would forever be imprinted on Emeralds brain:
Brangwen Amellus Weds
Not quite five months after his wife's (Apolline Fawley Amellus; cousin of Sullivan Fawley)
untimely death from muggle lymphoma, Brangwen Amellus (International clothing designer)
elopes with Imogene Baker (Principal Dancer for London Dance) at a small ceremony
held for their family and friends at their new estate in London.
It is rumored that the couple has been secretly seeing each other
for the past several years, well before Brangwen's deceased
wife was even diagnosed with the disease that eventually
killed her. A picture of Brangwen and Imogene dated from about the time
Apolline was admitted to St. Mungo's right before her death can be
found in the center page of this issue of the DAILY PROPHET. One wonders
how Emerald June Amellus (Brangwen and Apolline's seventeen year old child)
is taking the news. A reliable source confirms that she did not attend the wedding of her
former dance instructor and father. One might ask is the grief stricken young woman aware of her father's new love. And if she is aware, does she not support the new romance?
Does that explain her absence at the happy event?
Have no fear my dear viewers me, myself and I will find out!
Rita Skeeter
Emerald assumed she liked killing herself slowly, or causing herself as much mental and emotional pain as possible, because she opened that paper, even after her mind screamed at her to drop it and run as forcefully as it could, she still opened the damn paper. She flipped to the center page and stared wide eyed and disbelieving at the two people locked in a very intimate position on the page and because t he picture moved, there could be no question that they were kissing very passionately. Without a doubt, this was a moving picture of her father and Imogene, stamped with a date not three days prior to her mother's death. Emerald's insides exploded and all she saw was red. She flung the paper down on the Gryffindor table, and began to walk down the aisle, stopping right in front of the red-headed boy who was the cause of her current pain. "Shame about your face!" Emerald seethed right before she used both hands to flip the platters of food over right onto Ron and the unfortunate souls who were sitting next to him. The infuriated young woman let out a feral cry as she did this, forgetting about her image and not showing emotion. Every eye in the hall, including the Staff Table had focused their attention on the crazed Gryffindor; Emerald began to back up slowly, realizing what a mess she had made of the situation.
Still feeling incredibly angry, she turned and ran out of the Great Hall and sprinted out the front doors of the enormous castle, down the path to the Black Lake. Stopping when she got near the water's edge. She screamed out all the pain and then screamed again. Heavy with all the anguish she felt she collapsed on the wet sand, rocking herself back and forth like a child as she wept for her mother and for herself. She screamed again in anger and began to pull on her long chocolate hair, hating herself for being weak, for losing her control. Hating her father for what he had done. Hating this life she was given. Hating the hate that she felt. She wanted it to go away or she just wanted to die.
Strong arms picked the fitful girl up and carried her to the fallen limb. Strong arms wrapped her in a tight embrace and let her cry. No questions asked, nothing said at all.