Chapter 25:

"Good morning love." Fred said as he came down the stair case in the common room.

"Good morning." She smiled.

"Me and George were going to make a quick run down to Honeydukes today, would you care to join us?" He asked.

"I'd love to... But I promised Neville I'd help him look for water plants." her smile went away.

"That's disgusting." He stated. "Why on earth would you agree to do that?" He chuckled.

"I don't know, he just seems like he doesn't have many friends and saying no was kind of mean." She shrugged.

"Well try to enjoy yourself." He said and kissed her cheek as he left the common room.

"You too, don't have too much fun!" She said.

"Without you? Never."

Emily and Neville were walking out of the castle and towards the black lake in the cold, icy morning.

"Did you know that when you poke a Mimbulus Mimbletonia, the entire thing explodes to protect it's self from enemies." He said.

"That is maybe one of the most revolting things I have ever heard." Emily said, tucking her nose into her jacket to keep warm.

"It may be gross, but it's extremely effective." They both chuckled.

"Say Neville, plants... Why are you into plants?" She asked.

Neville shrugged. "Magical plants are so much more interesting than regular muggle plants. D-don't get me wrong, muggle plants are great and all but-"

"But plants that move are way more fun to study?" She asked, making Neville nod. "But did we really have to wake up this early on a Saturday to come out here?"

"The specific plants I'm looking for only show up around this time of day and year." He said. "I need extra eyes to help fine them in the lake." Just then the two saw Harry approach them.

"Hi guys." He said, doing the same thing as Emily.

"Oh I forgot, I asked Harry to come along as well. More eyes and all." Neville shrugged.

"The more the merrier." Emily smiled as she slung an arm around both of their shoulders and walked between them down to the lake. "Come on Harry, let's go get muddy."Emily really didn't want to put her feet in the water, but of course she did. Harry sat against the tree trunk near them, barely helping them out. Emily and Neville stood in the lake, pants rolled up to their knees and her whole body shaking because she was so cold.

"Is this one?" She asked, grabbing a grey thing out of the water.

Neville looked at it closely. "No, that's a rock." Emily shrugged and tossed it back into the water.

"Magical Water plants of Highland?" Harry asked as he looked at Neville's book.

"Moody gave it to me that day we had tea."

Emily looked over at Neville subtly as he was still looking through the water. "You and Moody been getting close then?" She asked.

"Yeah, nice guy. He was a intimidating at first but... He seems to be a fan of plants as well." Neville smiled.

Emily didn't make any comments towards the professor. She instead made it her silent duty to keep an eye out for him and make sure he never got too close to anyone else. After all, he was a dangerous man.

Just then, Neville waved at someone in the distance. Harry and Emily turned to look at who he was waving at. Ron, Hermione and Ginny came strolling down. Ron seemed to be whispering something to Hermione.

"Ron why can't you go ask him yourself?" They heard Hermione say as she approached with Ginny and Ron. Harry got up from against the tree and walked over to them. "What do you want me to say again?" She asked Ron. Ron nudged her towards Harry. She walked up to him and cleared her throat. "Ronald would like me to tell you that Seamus told him that Dean was told by Parvati that Hagrid is looking for you." She tried to explain.

"Is that right? Well... What?" Harry asked, not really knowing what Hermione just said.

"Uhm..." Hermione turned back around and went up to Ron. They whispered for a moment before she came back. "Dean was told by Parvati that... Please don't ask me to say it again. Hagrid is looking for you." Hermione explained.

"Well you can tell Ron-"

"I'm not an owl!" Hermione shouted and turned back and went with Ginny back up to the castle.

"Oh goodness..." Emily mumbled as she got out of the lake and put her shoes back on. "I think this has been enough fun for one morning. I'm going to go back up to the castle with them. Good luck Harry. Bye Neville." She said.

She was trying to catch up with Ginny and Hermione but she had lost sight of them while walking. She heard a branch break behind her.

"Hello?" She asked as she looked behind her. There was no one there. "You're losing it Em..." She said to herself. She turned back around to see none other than Professor Moody standing in front of her. She jumped back, she didn't hear him walking by at all. His eye was looking at her face, then rolling back into his head.

"Good morning miss Ryan, what is a student such as yourself doing in a forest alone?" He asked. The only thing that was going through her mind at the moment was 'stranger danger'.

"Nothing sir." She said as she walked around him. "Just heading back to the castle." She swallowed hard as she kept on walking.

"That's professor to you missy!" He shouted. She stopped and turned back around.

"Actually... it's not... is it?" She said as she walked back up to him. "I think we both know you aren't a professor." She said.

"That's madness." He said, taking a swig from his flask.

"We'll just go to Dumbledore, I have no doubt that he'll believe me..." She stated.

"Neither do I. He already told me about you." He said. Emily swallowed the lump in her throat. She went to leave the impostor behind, but as soon as she turned her back she felt a long pain crawl up her spine and knock her to the ground. She went to push herself up off the ground when she felt him kick her body down. She yelled, but nothing came out. She fell to her back. The last thing she saw before her eyes fell shut was his face staring down at her.

Emily woke up to the sound of people talking. She moaned as she opened her eyes. She looked around and saw that she was in the hospital wing. The lanterns on the desk casted a unique shadow on the room. She looked out the window and saw that it was dark out. She must've been unconscious all day.

"Surely she'll be fine head master." Was the first coherent thing she heard as she sat up. She saw Albus and Snape talking at the foot of her bed.

"Who?" She asked. The two men turned their heads towards her in panic. Albus came rushing to her side.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, laying her back down.

"I feel sore that's for sure. What happened?" She asked them.

"Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Potter found you unconscious on the ground leading up to the castle. You had burn marks crawling up the back of your neck." Albus explained.

"Yes, clearly the work of a dark jinx." Snape added.

"We were waiting for you to wake up so we could find out who did this to you." Albus said. Emily looked between the two.

"I'm sorry... I'm not sure who did it." She groaned as she sat back up. "I was headed back up to the castle when I felt a pain at my back and then I fell unconscious. Whoever did this to me... I didn't see them..." She whispered.

Albus nodded. "It's as I feared." He rubbed the back of Emily's hand. "Are you feeling better at least?" He asked.

Emily nodded. "Way better than I did when I got hit with whatever it was back there."

"Good. Rest up here for the night. If you're feeling up to it, I'm sure your friends are worried sick about you. Meeting them back in the common room would be a good idea as well." Albus said. Emily smiled, as did he. With a kiss to her temple, Albus left the hospital wing. Leaving Emily and Snape alone.

She looked at him, his eyes never left her since she woke up. "Is there something wrong sir?" She asked.

"I just find it odd, Ryan..." He shook his head curiously. "You didn't see the attacker?" He asked. Emily eyed him knowingly. He seemed to already understand why she had lied to the head master. "He's worried about you constantly." He told her as a warning.

"Which is why I couldn't tell him what happened." She said.

"Who was it?" He asked.

"It was Moody."

"Professor Moody?" He asked, furrowing his brows. "A teacher attacked you? That doesn't make any sense... He's an auror."

"Yes. Professor Moody is. However... That is not professor Moody." She sighed. "He's an impostor. A Death Eater."

"He attacked you because he knew you knew who he really was." Snape concluded. "Dumbledore told him about you." Snape pieced together the reason as to why she got attacked, Emily nodded.

"I need to be able to defend myself." She told him. "I need a real Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." She told him.

"...You want me to train you?" He asked, as if he didn't believe her.

"Please? There's no one better qualified to teach me. Plus I know you wouldn't hold back." She said. By the look on his face, he didn't seem to think it was a very good idea. "Albus can't know. If he knows I need it..." She looked down at her lap.

"Very well." He said reluctantly. We'll start in the morning.

Emily stayed in the hospital wing for a couple more hours before returning to the common room. She said the password and walked through the portrait hole. As soon as she came into the common room, Hermione's arms flung around her.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" She exasperated.

"I'm okay, I'm fine." She assured her.

"You scared us Em." Harry said, taking his turn to hug her.

"Don't know where I'd be if you two didn't find me. She said as Neville went in for a hug.

"It was nothing." Harry said. "Like I said, I'm used to the weirdness." He laughed.

"You sure you're okay?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah I'm fine." She turned her head to the girl.

"Blimey Emily!" Neville said, squinting at her neck.

"What?"

"You've got... Well I don't really know what that is..." Harry said, pointing at her neck. Emily turned to one of the mirrors on the wall and saw a veining looking burn crawling up from the back of her spine to her neck.

"Wow..." Was all she could say.

"It looks kind of cool... Makes you look tough." Harry said.

She turned to him. "Tough? You saying I wasn't tough before?"

"Well I..." He stuttered. Then Emily laughed, as well as the others.

Everyone had gone to their separate rooms and Emily was about to head up to hers when she heard the portrait hole open, she turned to see who was coming in. Fred and George were whispering between themselves but stopped when they Saw Emily.

"There she is!" George smiled, walking up to her and giving her hair a ruffle. "Heard your ass got handed to you on your way up to the castle."

"Sod it George!" Fred hit his brothers chest. "You okay?" Fred asked her.

"Yeah I'm okay. Just exhausted. Whatever I got hit with earlier really did a number on me."

"Blimey, Em your neck—" George walked around her to see the marks better.

"Yeah I got a little reminder of the event too." She tried to chuckle but she knew Fred wasn't convinced she was okay. Fred went to look as well.

"Anyone have any idea who it was?" Fred asked, following the marks with his finger tips, Emily shook her head.

"Damn, they're lucky. They missed out on a good pounding." George said, cracking his knuckles.

Emily genuinely laughed. "Loved to have seen that."

"Yeah they—" George paused as he yawned. "They woulda had a face full of my fist I guarantee it."

"Thanks Georgey." She smiled as he headed for the stairs.

"Yeah yeah, you two love birds don't stay up too late." He waved behind him.

"Night George!" They both said and stood in the empty common room.

"You up for a little adventure?" Fred asked.

Emily raised a brow. "What kind of an adventure?" She asked.

"Follow me." He said as he took her hand and they went through the portrait hole. They silently made their way up to the Astronomy tower. As soon as Fred opened the door, what Emily saw made her smile.

On the floor of the tower there was a big picnic blanket with candles all around the edges and even some candles on the railing. A basket full of sweets was by the corner. Fred walked over to the blanket and took a seat.

"This is... Fred this is beautiful."

"I heard what happened when George and I came back from Honeydukes this morning. I went straight back there and grabbed all your favorites and set this up hoping you'd wake up by curfew." He explained.

Emily took a seat on the blanket. "What would you have done if I didn't wake up?" She asked curiously.

Fred shook his head. "I honestly don't know what I would've done if that was the case." He told her truthfully. "Em'... Oh jeez I'm just gonna say this..."

"Fred are you okay?" She asked, taking his hand in hers. He shook his head and looked her in the eyes. One side of his face was illuminated by the candles, and his hair was waving in the small breeze from the high altitude.

"The thought of losing you even for a moment was..." He paused. She could see he was finding it hard not to choke.

"Fred, it's okay. The thought of losing you as well terrifies me..." She closed her glassy eyes knowing full well she actually will lose him.

"You're my best friend, you always have and you always will be. I love you." He told her. Emily leaned over and kissed him with as much passion as she could.

"I love you too. Though... I wouldn't tell George that I'm your best friend. I don't know how well he'd take that." She chuckled.

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