Chapter Forty One: The Break In
Author Warning: This chapter contains a scene of a sexual nature.
Emalia slept later than usual and was woken by Angelina. It was a sunny morning, in complete contrast to the night before. The rain had caused the grounds to become muddy and slippy, with the cold breeze cutting at students' exposed skin.
Emalia stretched in her bed, stretching her limbs to the point that sent tingles down her back. She winced slightly, looking down at her arm, the silvery scars that coloured her arm and back were red and angry looking. Angelina and Alicia made their way down to breakfast, telling Emalia they would meet her there.
Shoving on her uniform, she quickly grabbed her bag, ignoring the stinging feeling on her back and shoulder. Pinning on her prefect badge, a small smile appeared on her face, she was proud of herself.
When she arrived in the Common Room, she noticed Fred had stayed behind to wait for her, he was leaning casually against the wall, chatting to, what looked like, a first year. Emalia's heart skipped a beat as she watched Fred run his hand through his red hair. As soon as her feet left the last step, he looked up at her, his face breaking out into a large grin and Emalia couldn't help but smile back at him.
She walked up to Fred, standing on her tippy toes, she tried to kiss him on the cheek.
'You're too short, love' he chuckled as he leaned down and kissed her on the lips.
'Hi Prefect Emalia!' squeaked the first year excitedly.
Fred snorted with laughter, but somehow managed to turn it into a cough when he saw Emalia raise her eyebrows, a bemused look on her face.
'It's just Emalia, and your name is?' she asked smiling kindly.
The first year nodded at her enthusiastically, 'My name is Lauren McAvoy.'
'Well, it is nice to meet you Lauren McAvoy' said Emalia.
'Is he your boyfriend?' blurted out Lauren, who turned bright red immediately after asking.
Fred grinned at Emalia looking at her expectantly. Emalia rolled her eyes at him, playfully, before answering the younger girl's question.
'This is Fred, he is on the house Quidditch team, and yes, he is my boyfriend.'
'He is very handsome' said Lauren, her eyes widened as she realised what she said, she turned making a speedy exit.
'Looks like I have competition' laughed Emalia. Fred grinned down at her, before taking her bag and her hand and leading her out of the Common Room.
They walked through the stone corridors, making their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. The sun, billowing through the windows in streams, glinting off Emalia's prefect badge, which caught Fred's attention.
'Still getting used to seeing you wear that badge.. and I'm still waiting to see how this impacts my reputation as a prankster and playboy' he teased.
Emalia snorted 'I'll give you prankster, but playboy? That's questionable, Freddie.'
Fred held his hand to his heart, his face taking on a shocked and hurt appearance. 'I can't even get my girlfriend to believe my reputation. It's the curse of the prefect.'
The two of them walked into the Great Hall laughing. The Hall was buzzing, a loud hum of conversation coming from the crowds sitting at the four tables. Emalia and Fred spotted their friends, weaving through the crowd and taking their seat opposite Angelina, Lee and Alicia. Emalia seated herself in between George and Fred; Fred had wrapped his arm around her.
'Where have you two been? Huh?' teased George, wagging his eyebrows at them both.
'Wouldn't you like to know Georgie' said Fred, winking. Emalia laughed, shaking her head she reached forward for the butter and jam, pulling it towards her to put on the golden-brown toast that appeared on her plate.
Professor McGonagall made her way through the tables handing out the timetables. 'All O.W.L. students will meet with their heads of house over the next couple of the weeks to discuss their potential career options. I will also be discussing the seriousness of your O.W.L.s in class later today.' She looked sternly at Fred and George, who saluted her with grins on their faces.
A few minutes later, Harry, Ron and Hermione arrived. Harry sat down beside George; and noticing the expression on the younger boy's face, he asked 'What's up with you, Harry?'
'Malfoy,' said Ron, sitting the other side of George and glared over at the Slytherin table. George looked up in time to see Malfoy pretending to faint with terror again.
'That little git,' he said calmly. 'He wasn't so cocky last night when the Dementors were down our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?'
'Nearly wet himself,' said Fred, with a contemptuous glance at Malfoy.
'I had to walk him back to the Slytherin compartment afterwards' said Emalia after she swallowed her bite of toast.
'Really?' asked Ron, a look of pure delight on his face.
'I wasn't too happy myself,' said George. 'They're horrible things, those Dementors …'
'Sort of freezes your insides, don't they?' said Fred. Emalia's hand went to the scar on her arm subconsciously. Fred noticing, looked down at her, his brown eyes flooded with worry.
Emalia, noticing this, looked up and smiled at him 'I'm ok, I promise. Don't worry.'
'Anyway,' said Fred, changing the subject, 'we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match. Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?'
'Are you ready? We should head to Transfiguration; I'm sure McGonagall will want us there early' called Angelina, interrupting the conversation as she stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder.
Alicia and Lee followed suit, with George staying behind to wait with Fred and Emalia as they wolfed down their food. Three minutes later they followed their friends, making their way to Transfiguration.
As they were leaving the Great Hall, Emalia got flagged down by a bunch of first years, both Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. 'Are you all ok?' asked Emalia, as she was surrounded by the first years.
'We don't know how to get to Potions' whispered a Gryffindor girl, looking terrified but less so than the rest of the group.
'Oh, I can show you' said Emalia brightly. Turning to the twins she said 'Tell McGonagall I may be a few minutes late. Just tell her I had to show the first years to their class, she'll understand.'
Fred and George nodded, and head towards the stairs to go to Transfiguration.
Emalia turned back to the first years, 'Ok, so Potions is held down in the dungeons with Professor Snape. If you follow me, I'll show you how to get there.'
Emalia set off, at a leisurely pace, she had plenty of time to get the first years to the dungeons. They scuttled close behind her, some of them looking for any identifying features or areas, as they walked by. Five minutes later the first years were waiting outside of the Potions classroom, and Emalia turned on her heel and made her way to Transfiguration.
She opened the door gently, receiving a curt nod from Professor McGonagall, and made her way to the open seat beside Fred.
'Now that everyone is here, I can begin to talk to you about your O.W.L.s.' said McGonagall as she gazed around the room. 'Your O.W.L.s are important, as your results here will often influence your career path. For those of you looking at jobs with the Ministry, doing well in these exams is essential. Your results will directly influence what subject you can take for your N.E.W.T.s.'
'I will have you know; I do not accept students into N.E.W.T. classes unless they have achieved 'Exceeds Expectations' or higher at Ordinary Wizarding Level,' she continued, 'Which unfortunately means, that if you do not put the work in, this will be my last year teaching you.'
The atmosphere in the classroom was serious, everyone was hanging onto McGonagall's words. Even Fred and George were paying more attention, sitting up straighter and giving her their undivided attention.
'Over the coming weeks, the Heads of your House will be talking to you privately about your aspirations and career options based on your previous exam results. I would advise each and every one of you to seriously consider your options and to work hard over the next year.'
With her speech over, Professor McGonagall began her lesson, introducing students to the Vanishing Spell, one of the more difficult spells at O.W.L. level.
The day passed quickly, and that evening all the fifth years were lamenting about the amount of homework they had already received.
'How is this fair?' moaned Alicia as she sank into the armchair near the fireplace. 'I swear this is a form of punishment. It's the first day back and already we have been assigned so much work.'
Emalia opened her mouth to talk but Alicia interrupted her. 'Don't Em. Do not even mention the library!'
The rest of the group laughed; Emalia made a face at her friend. Fred pulled her onto his lap and kissed her cheek. 'Don't tease her, Al. She may not help you with Potions' chided Fred.
Alicia's face dropped, anxiety replacing annoyance and she quickly apologised.
Emalia stifled her laughter, and kissed Fred on the cheek. He had his hand wrapped around her, one hand rubbing her back as they all sat and talked for the evening. None of them, although they were not particularly worried, did any work that night, preferring to ease themselves into it.
Over the course of the week, it seemed that those playing Quidditch, became infinitely more stressed with their workloads, as Oliver upped their training from two to three nights a week. Emalia was usually accompanied by at least one of her friends in the library most evenings, the evenings they were busy she usually studied either alone or with Adrian.
Fred, George and Lee had been so busy that they had yet to find the time to prank Filch, but they had big plans for the Halloween break which was soon approaching.
There was great delight when the first Hogsmeade weekend was announced, as it coincided with the Halloween feast, meaning that it would be an extremely eventful day for those in third year and up.
Emalia and Fred were discussing the weekend, planning what they would do. 'At least we can spend some time together this weekend' said Emalia softly as she idly drew circles with her index finger on Fred's palm. 'Mhhm' said Fred absentmindedly.
Emalia smiled 'Maybe we can go have a candlelit dinner in the Shrieking Shack?'
'Yeah, sounds good' muttered Fred.
Emalia started laughing, snapping Fred out of his daydream.
'What?' he asked, completely confused.
'You just agreed to have a nice candlelit dinner in the Shrieking Shack this weekend' she said, trying to supress the laughter that was still threatening to come through.
'Well,' said Fred grinning, shrugging his shoulders, 'It would be an adventure.'
Emalia laughed again, leaning over she kissed Fred on the lips. 'You are incredibly silly' she murmured.
'I think you mean incredibly handsome' he pouted, before kissing her again.
'Oh, would you two ever give the snogging a rest!' snapped Alicia as she flopped down into the armchair next to Emalia and Fred.
'Alicia, if you think that is snogging…' started Fred laughing.
Alicia waved her hand as if to shush him, her face scrunched with annoyance. 'Snape just docked points off me because I walked on the wrong side of the corridor, and I had my meeting with McGonagall, which has left me in foul humour.'
'I couldn't tell' muttered Fred under his breath, only Emalia heard what he said, and she elbowed him gently in the ribs.
'Do you want to talk about it Al?' asked Emalia, watching her friend carefully.
Alicia sighed heavily and said nothing for a few moments. 'No. I think I just need to sleep, forget about it and just relax in Hogsmeade tomorrow.' Alicia sat there for a few more moments, contemplating what to do next. 'I'm going to shower' she stated, rising to her feet and trudging off towards the showers.
'Is she ok?' asked Fred, watching Alicia disappear from view.
'I think so?' said Emalia uncertainly, 'I'll talk to her later, before she goes to sleep.'
Emalia and Fred sat in silence, watching the hubbub of the Common Room, some were playing exploding snap, others were trying to study, but most of the older students were discussing the trip to Hogsmeade.
'What time do you have to go out and patrol the corridors?' asked Fred.
'Ugh, don't remind me. In fifteen minutes. Percy is doing a walkthrough with all the new Prefects, for the second time this week' huffed Emalia, rolling her eyes.
Fred grinned 'He's gone power mad, our Perce.'
'That's one way to put it' muttered Emalia. Her head had been wrecked since she became Prefect. Percy was always hovering nearby, offering advice she did not want or need. Though she thanked him every time, it was starting to become excessive.
Emalia hopped up out of her seat when she saw Kenneth waving to her, she kissed Fred before leaving for her patrol.
For the first twenty minutes, Percy talked non-stop. Emalia stood there in disbelief; she was nearly certain that Percy had not taken a single breath since he started his speech. He gave them, as he termed it, quadrants, to patrol.
Emalia was lucky, she got the Astronomy tower this time. Usually there were a few stragglers after hours, couples looking for some alone time, or within the first few weeks, first years confusing it with the Gryffindor or Ravenclaw Tower.
While she was ascending the stairs; she found a third year girl and a fourth year boy giggling amongst the shadows. Emalia cleared her throat loudly.
She could hear the shushes between the two of them, followed by silence. Emalia sighed, a smile playing on her lips.
'If you go back to your Common Rooms now, I won't report it' she said loudly. A few seconds later, two Ravenclaws ran past her, making a beeline for the Ravenclaw Tower. Other than that, the rest of Emalia's patrol was uneventful.
When she finally arrived back in the Common Room, it was just after midnight and there were very few people up. A few seventh years sat around the tables, pouring over their books, looking highly stressed.
She saw Fred, dozing on the couch in front of the fireplace, the fire was long gone out, only the embers were burning.
She gently shook him, waking him from his slumber. 'Did you wait up for me?' she smiled down at him.
Fred yawned, stretching his arms up over his head, the sleep still hanging onto his eyes. He pulled her down into the couch. 'Of course, I waited up for you' he whispered.
Emalia grinned, as she snuggled into him.
A few minutes later, Kenneth walked in. He waved at them both. 'Were you by yourself Emalia?' he asked as he stopped near the couch.
Emalia nodded, 'What about you?'
'I had the Dungeons, with Mark. So at least I had some company'
'Well, the Astronomy Tower is usually uneventful, and not full of ghosts' laughed Emalia.
Kenneth grinned back at her, then wished them both goodnight and made his way to his bed.
Emalia lay her head back against Fred's chest, they would both go up to their dorms in a while. Emalia looked up at Fred, a thought had struck her quite suddenly. The movement caused Fred to glance down at her; a questioning look on his face.
'So, what did Mark Abbot do that made you dislike him so much? He's always been pleasant enough to me..' she said.
A low growl rumbled in Fred's chest, which cause Emalia to sit up suddenly, looking at him carefully, slightly confused.
'Hey, what? What happened?' she asked concerned, placing a hand on the side of his face.
Fred sighed deeply, a frown settling on his face.
'Last year, George and I overheard Abbot talking to his friends' he said quietly, looking around to ensure no one was listening.
'What did he say?' she asked, curious.
'He made some remarks about you, some of which I will not say..' he trailed off, his jaw clenched so hard that it made the muscle in his jaw twitch.
Emalia turned to face him, and she took his hands in hers. 'Fred, no matter what anyone says about me, as long as I have you and my friends by my side, I'll be fine.' She paused, letting her words sink in.
'So… what did he say?' asked Emalia. Judging by Fred's reaction, it probably wasn't nice, possibly something potentially vulgar. She probably would be better off not knowing, but the curiosity was too great.
Fred looked at her, as if he did not want to say it, but after exhaling loudly, he began to speak.
'We only heard the last part of the conversation. But he said; that Emalia Potter has a nice arse. I'm sure she would love to have someone other than Weasley take advantage of that.'
Fred's face had turned stone like, his body was rigid, he was beyond annoyed.
Emalia kissed him; she could feel him begin to relax beside her. 'He's Roger's friend, so I'm not surprised. Don't let it bother you Fred.'
He sighed, before smiling at Emalia. 'He did get one thing right though; you have a fantastic arse.' He winked at her, earning a giggle from Emalia.
'You think so, huh?' she asked, flashing him a seductive look.
'Oh, darling' he growled lowly, 'I know so.' Fred's eyes grew heavy with lust, and he leaned in and kissed her, hard.
Emalia couldn't help it, and a soft groan escaped her lips.
Fred pulled back, grinning at her smugly, as she turned a bright pink. 'You should be quiet Em, there are people here who may hear you.'
He winked at her before casting his eyes over the remaining students in the Common Room, none of them were paying any attention to him or Emalia. When his eyes travelled back to Emalia, he could tell she was mortified.
He leaned closer to Emalia and whispered in her ear 'Plus, I should be the only one who gets to hear you make those noises.'
Emalia looked at him, with want in her eyes. She rose from her seat. Fred sat watching her, as she moved quietly towards the portrait, though none of the seventh years seemed to notice. Fred grinned widely when she beckoned him over, and he made to follow her.
Once out of the Common Room the two of them made their way to the closest room they could find. They ended up in the Room of Requirement, this time instead of the grassy wonderland, there was a four-poster bed, with white voile hanging from all sides of the bed.
Emalia, feeling bolder than she had before, pulled Fred by his tie towards the bed. He followed her, a bemused look on his face, his deep brown eyes boring into her grey-blue ones.
She pushed him down on the bed, he looked up at her, leaning up on his elbows. He cocked an eyebrow 'I am liking this side of you' he said huskily.
Emalia smiled coyly, before straddling him. Fred's hands automatically gravitated to her hips, as he captured his lips. Their kiss intensified, Fred coaxed Emalia's mouth open, his tongue seeking permission.
It turned into a very heated snogging session, so much so, Emalia started subconsciously grinding against Fred. He groaned against her lips, breaking the kiss. 'Before we go any further, do you want to?' he asked.
Emalia looked down at him, smiling, 'Fred, I am pretty sure I initiated all this.' She kissed him again, as he chuckled against her lips.
He wrapped his arms around her, and gently flipped her over, so now she was on her back and he was on top. He leaned down and kissed her, Emalia's hands snaked up his body underneath his jumper, pulling at it to try pull it over his head.
He leaned back and pulled it off him, starting to unbutton his shirt, but Emalia, who was feeling rather impatient, reached up and ripped it open, the buttons clattering onto the floor.
'I really am liking this side of you darling' he smirked, throwing his shirt onto the ground. Emalia had removed her own jumper when Fred was taking his own off, she was fumbling with her buttons when Fred ripped her blouse open. She grinned up at him.
'I just wanted to return the favour' he said, as he took in her figure. Emalia slipped off her shirt and threw it on top of Fred's.
He kissed her once again, gently taking control and getting her to lie back on the bed. His hands roamed over her body, with Emalia returning the favour. She could feel his arousal pressing against her, and it was turning her on, she was highly aroused, and she wanted him desperately.
Fred, who had been taking advice from the book he found in Bill's room, decided to try something new for the both of them. He started to move down her body, planting light kisses, all along her collarbone, the swell of her breasts, her stomach.
Reaching her skirt, he opened the button and zip and gently coaxed it off her. Emalia lifted her hips, allowing Fred to slip her skirt off her, he discarded it with the rest of their clothes. He moved back down, and lay kisses trailing up her thighs. When he reached her underwear, he gently tugged at it, and removed it. Emalia was confused, but every time Fred's lips came in contact with her skin, it sent shivers down her spine.
'Fred? …. What are you d- oh' Emalia moaned mid-sentence, as Fred's tongue came in contact with her most sensitive spot. Her hands bunched the sheets, as Fred continued teasing her with her tongue.
Soft breathy moans escaped Emalia's lips, that encouraged Fred to continue teasing her. Her back arched as she felt the pleasure building, until she came, wave upon wave of pleasure washed over her as she moaned Fred's name.
Fred watched her, from between her legs, watching as she came undone. She looked down at him, her face flushed pink, her chest rising and falling as her breathing came back to normal.
Her eyes wide with surprise, 'How did you…' she trailed off. Fred grinned up at her smugly. 'I told you, Bill had a book; and I may or may not have lifted it from him.'
Emalia nodded dumbly, not able to focus as mini waves of pleasure still washed over her, before it ebbed away.
'Sooooo' said Fred, trying to act as casual as possible, 'what did you think?'
He was watching her nervously, she smiled at him shyly, the pink flush on her face deepening as words escaped her.
'I'll take your silence as a yes' he chuckled lowly. He kissed his way back up her body; when he reached her face, he peppered kisses all along her jaw, the bridge of her nose, before finally landing on her lips. She smiled against his lips, pulling away slightly. She looked deep into his warm brown eyes, 'I love you Fred' she said.
'I love you too, Emalia' he murmured before capturing her lips once again. She kissed him back with fervour, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him close to her.
Fred returned her kiss, excitement flowing through him as his arousal became more intense. He was subconsciously grinding into her, and soft moans escaped both of their lips as they kissed.
Fred pulled away, and shimmied off his trousers and underwear, then positioned himself between Emalia's legs. He slowly pushed forward; a low groan escaped his lips as he pushed deeper into Emalia. She moaned softly, as she stretched around Fred, feeling him fill her.
When he was fully inside her, he stayed still and captured her lips, kissing her gently at first until Emalia kissed him back with more passion. As their kiss grew in intensity, Fred started to move slowly, in and out of her, causing her to moan into their kiss. This succeeded in encouraging Fred, steadily he picked up the pace, feeling her contract around him as he thrust into her, only heightened his own pleasure.
Emalia arched her back as she felt her own pleasure build, sending shivers down her spine as Fred thrust into her with increasing speed. She was close to unravelling underneath him. Fred kissed her neck as he continued, increasing his speed, thrusting harder, deeper.
Emalia wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper as she began to lose herself in the feeling that was building inside her. Her pleasure peaked, her nails digging into Fred's back as she came, clenching around him as he continued to thrust in and out of her.
She had just come down from her high, when Fred's thrusts began to get more erratic, his grip on her tightened. He groaned loudly as he reached his climax, collapsing on top of Emalia. She gently played with his hair, kissing the side of his face, before he turned to look at her.
He smiled gently at her, moving to lie by her side.
'I was not expecting that this evening' he said, his breathing still shallow. Emalia rolled onto her side and smiled up at him before resting her head on his chest. Fred pressed his lips to the crown of her head, kissing her as they lay together enjoying the quiet of each other's company. They soon drifted off to sleep, arms and legs tangled up around each other.
They woke the next morning, feeling completely relaxed. 'I think this is the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on' yawned Emalia as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
'Mmmhmm' said Fred, his eyes half closed. Emalia grinned 'Wake up sleepy-head' as she gently shook him into the waking world.
Fred groaned as he opened his eyes, 'Can we not stay here?'
Emalia smiled at him as she sat up in the bed. 'As much as I would like to spend the entire day in bed with you, we should probably get dressed and get down to the Great Hall.'
Fred sat up, supporting himself on his elbows as he watched Emalia climb out of the bed, 'Why's that?' he asked, his eyes never leaving her.
'If we are down at breakfast before everyone else, they won't be asking us why we weren't in our beds last night Freddie' she said as she pulled on her underwear. 'Unless you want everyone to know we were having sex?' She looked up at him a bemused look on her face.
Fred chuckled 'Nah, this is our business, no one else's.' He swung his legs off the bed and pulled on his underwear.
'There's only one problem with your plan, Em' he said as he turned to face her, 'They will figure it out when we both turn up at breakfast wearing our uniform.'
Emalia's forehead creased, it was a Saturday, and there was no way to play off wearing their uniforms on a Saturday that would not come off as suspicious.
It was then she noticed clothes folded neatly on top of a wooden table to the left of Fred. She walked over and found two sets of jeans, one for her and one for Fred, two t-shirts and two jumpers.
'These might work' she said holding them up. Fred chuckled, catching the clothes Emalia tossed at him. They both changed, afterwards Emalia whipped out her wand and repaired the buttons on her blouse and Fred's shirt.
Fred grinned, walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her from behind 'I liked when you took control. The impatience was a real turn on' he whispered in her ear, his breath ticking her neck.
'Shush' she said, her face turning a slight pink colour, 'Come on, we can stop at the Prefect's bathroom on the way down to the Hall. It should be empty enough …' she said looking at her wristwatch; it read nine in the morning and seeing as it was a Saturday and a Hogsmeade day, most of the students slept until ten in the morning.
Emalia shoved both of their uniforms into a black leather rucksack she found beside the wooden table and the two of them left the room, hand in hand.
They walked to the Prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor without seeing another person, luck was on their side this morning. Emalia turned to Fred, shoving the bag into his hands, 'Wait here.'
She disappeared into the Prefect's bathroom. Moments later, her arm pulled Fred through the doorway, and he was standing beside Emalia inside of the Prefect's bathroom.
'Guarantee you Mum would never believe that I was standing in the Prefect's bathroom if I showed her photographic proof,' grinned Fred as he looked around him.
The room was softly lit by a splendid candle-filled chandelier, and everything was made of white marble, including what looked like an empty, rectangular swimming pool sunk into the middle of the floor.
'I can see the appeal of wanting to be a Prefect, this bathroom is amazing.'
Emalia laughed as she walked over to the sink, she took out two toothbrushes, toothpaste and mouthwash from the cabinet to the left of the sink, and handed one of the toothbrushes to Fred.
'Feel free to use whatever, there is deodorant, perfume, cologne, hair gel, everything' she said as she turned to look at herself in the mirror.
She instantly swung back around to look at Fred. 'Why didn't you tell me I had a terrible bed head!' she demanded. Her hair was fuzzy, sticking out in a manner of different angles; it didn't look bad, but it was not a look Emalia liked to see.
Fred shrugged, toothbrush in his mouth he said 'I tugh ooh ukd ot.' Emalia stared at him, a blank confused look on her face. Fred grinned, taking the toothbrush out of his mouth and spitting into the sink. 'I thought you looked hot' he said.
Emalia smiled; she couldn't help it. 'Smooth talker' she muttered, before proceeding to fix her hair. Fred watched her as he continued to brush his teeth, smiling when he caught her eye in the mirror. Emalia stuck her tongue out at him. Fred grinned at her, before taking her hand and twirling her around to face him.
He leaned down to kiss her, and when he pulled away, he looked down at her. 'Mhhm, minty fresh' she said. There was a brief moment of silence between them before they both creased with laughter.
They made their way down to the Great Hall, sitting in their usual spot. They chatted and laughed as they ate their way through breakfast. When they were about halfway through breakfast, Alicia, George and Lee sat down opposite them. The three of them exchanged a look once they saw Fred and Emalia, how affectionate they were being, how touchy-feely they were. The two of them were usually very affectionate, but there was something different about them this morning.
'Ahem' interrupted George, a smirk on his face, 'Where have you been?'
'What do you mean?' responded Emalia; she gave nothing away in the way she responded.
'Well Fred didn't come to bed last night, and he was gone this morning when I woke' said George, 'His bed didn't look slept in either.'
Fred and Emalia just looked at George.
'And,' started Alicia 'You didn't come up to bed last night either Em.'
'Don't be silly Al, I did' said Emalia, brushing their insinuations aside, 'When I got in from patrolling last night, Fred was waiting for me in the Common Room. We stayed down there for a while; we just fell asleep on the couch and woke up very early this morning.'
Fred nodded, 'Yeah and we made plans to have breakfast together.'
'You always have breakfast together' pointed out Alicia.
'Alone' said Fred, stressing the word.
Alicia, George and Lee all looked at them sceptically, but seemed to buy their story of events and proceeded to eat. Their conversation inevitably turned to Hogsmeade, and where they planned to go. The first Hogsmeade trip of term always brought excitement, but as it was also Halloween, they had the feast to look forward to in the evening.
At eleven o'clock, all the students who were heading to Hogsmeade made their way to the Entrance Hall. The weather was cold but dry, meaning that they only needed coats and not winter boots for their excursion to the village. They all filed out of the Entrance Hall in large droves, breaking out into smaller groups when they passed through the gates.
The Dementors, guarding the perimeter of the school, hovered around them, and the joy and chatter coming from the crowd of students dimmed to silence as they passed by. More than one person shuddered, and there were a few quiet screams coming from some of the younger students.
Emalia shuddered as they passed through the gates, a short shooting pain lighting up her arm. Fred, who was holding onto her hand, looked down at her. 'Are you ok?' he asked.
'Yeah… they just…' she started, looking up at him.
'Suck the happiness out of you?' suggested Fred.
'Yeah, that. I hate having them here' Emalia sighed. Fred squeezed her hand, trying to reassure her. She shook her head, as if to signal she wanted to change the subject.
At that moment though, Alicia and Lee turned around to shout at Fred and Emalia to catch up. Grinning up at their friends, they ran together to catch up with their friends.
Most students made their way to Honeyduke's first, but for Emalia and her friends, Zonko's was always their first port of call. When they arrived, there were only a handful of students there.
Fred immediately let go of Emalia's hand, rushing towards the new stock Bilton Blimes had. Emalia perused through a variety of prank items, stopping when her eyes settled on a variety of lollipops. A mischievous glint lit up her eyes as she quietly made her way over to pay for them. She was helped by the fact that several other students barged in the door of the shop, making quite a racket as they did so.
She paid for the lollipops, and shoved them into her pocket, before making her way to the back to her friends. Fred looked at her curiously but said nothing. When they had made their purchases, they made their way to Honeyduke's.
They had to push their way into the shop, it was overflowing with students. Some of the shopworkers looked positively overwhelmed as more and more students surged into the small premises.
Emalia decided that she was going to get in and out of the shop as quickly as possible. When she had purchased what she wanted, she waited for the others outside the shop. She had just stepped out of the door when she spotted Adrian.
She waved him down and he walked over to her, a smile on his face. 'Hey Em, how are you?'
'Good, how are you?' she asked, 'Patrol's with Paisley going ok?'
Adrian's face dropped for a brief moment before he recovered. 'To be honest, she is wrecking my head. I had to stop her from taking points from a few first years for being in the courtyard when she was.' He sighed 'I still don't know how she was made prefect. I'm hoping she will do such an awful job this year that Cordelia will get it next year.'
Emalia tried not to laugh, she could see how frustrated Adrian was, and her heart went out to him. Adrian was a good person, kind and he cared for others, which seemed in complete contrast with some of the others in his house.
Emalia never really took stock in the belief that all Slytherins were bad, Adrian and many others disproved that old notion. She knew that everyone had the ability to be awful, but Paisley Parkinson often took it to a completely new level. She routinely bullied the younger students, often times taking it upon herself to using magic to trip them up or cause their bag to rip in half.
'Don't let her bother you too much' said Emalia as she hugged him quickly 'If you want, I can ask Percy if we can be put on patrol together?' she smiled at him. Adrian nodded, returning her smile.
'Anyways, I better get back. I'm supposed to be meeting Diggory and a few others in The Three Broomsticks.' He walked away before turning back to face her. 'I'll see you around!' he called. Emalia nodded, waving at him as he walked off.
Not thirty seconds later, her friends emerged from Honeyduke's, all of them looking for her. 'Why'd you leave?' asked Alicia as she chomped on a Liquorice Wand, her tongue turning black the more she ate.
'Waaaaaay too crowded' laughed Emalia, 'I felt like I was getting trampled on.'
'That's because you're short' teased George, 'I think even the first years are taller than you.'
'Ha Ha Ha' laughed Emalia sarcastically. Fred grinned at his brother before wrapping his arms around Emalia. 'Good things come in small packages, Georgie.'
Emalia grinned up at Fred. She stood on her tippy toes to kiss him on the cheek, he leaned towards her to bridge the gap.
'I think that proves my point' muttered George before laughing.
The group of them made their way back towards The Three Broomsticks. As it was a chilly day, most students had made their way there for a warm flagon of Butterbeer. They pushed their way into the warmth of The Three Broomsticks, weaving through the many patrons, they found a table big enough for the five of them.
Fred and Emalia made their way up to the bar where Madam Rosmerta stood pouring Butterbeer, firewhiskey and various other beverages for her patrons.
'What can I get you?' she asked as Fred and Emalia sidled up against the bar.
'Five Butterbeers please' said Emalia pleasantly.
'And a firewhiskey' added Fred with a wink.
'Ha! Nice try' laughed Rosmerta, 'Five Butterbeers coming right up.'
Emalia laughed and shook her head.
'It was worth a shot!' explained Fred grinning. Emalia paid for the drinks, and her and Fred brought them down to her friends. The five of them sat there chatting, sipping on their drinks for a while.
It was just after four o'clock when they decided to make their way back to the castle, carrying their new purchases with them. When they arrived back in the Common Room, it was still fairly empty, so they sat down near the fireplace, warming themselves after being outside.
'Do you want a lollipop?' Emalia asked Fred, as she fished two out of her pocket.
'Where did you get those from?' he asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowed somewhat.
Emalia held one out to him in her right hand, but Fred reached forwards and took the one from her left. 'I'll take this one; I saw you buy this in Zonko's earlier.' he said.
Emalia grinned at him, 'I would never Freddie.'
'After you' he said grinning back at her, indicating that she should try her lollipop first.
Emalia obliged, opening the wrapper she popped the lollipop into her mouth. Fred waited a few moments and lo and behold, Emalia's face started turning a bright shade of magenta.
'You're going to have to try hard than that if you're trying to trick me, Em' he chuckled as he popped the other lollipop into his mouth.
A few seconds later, his expression froze. He looked at Emalia before ripping the lollipop out of his mouth.
'What did you ooo?' asked Fred, his tongue was slowly starting to inflate. Emalia giggled to herself as Fred's tongue continued to swell.
'M-ah-ee-ah' said Fred struggling to deal with his swelling tongue. Emalia was now howling with laughter, which caught the attention of various other people, who started tittering away. George had fallen out of his seat laughing at the pair of them.
When Emalia managed to catch her breath, she took out her wand and muttered a counter spell. Fred's tongue slowly started to deflate. She turned her wand on herself and her face began to return to her normal colour.
Fred grinned at her when his tongue had shrunk back to its normal size, 'I think I have been a bad influence on you.'
Emalia chuckled, 'Mhmmh. Admit it Freddie, I got you good.'
Fred kissed her on the lips, then leaning forward whispered in her ear, 'Never.' The two of them laughed, as they settled into the couch.
That evening, everyone changed back into their robes and made their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. The Great Hall had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes.
The food was delicious, everyone helped themselves to second and third servings, as they chatted merrily amongst themselves. The Hall was buzzing with the numerous conversations that were taking place.
The feast finished with entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a spot of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a re-enactment of his own botched beheading.
They all made their way back to the Common Room in one large group, but when Emalia and her friends reached the corridor which ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students.
Emalia pushed forward through the crowd, she gasped when she saw the state of the Fat Lady's portrait, strips of canvas littered on the floor, great chunks of it had been torn away completely.
'Let me through, please,' came Percy's voice, as he came bustling importantly through the crowd. 'What's the hold-up here? You can't all have forgotten the password – excuse me, I'm Head Boy -'
And then silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. Percy, spotting Emalia, turned to her and said in a sudden sharp voice, 'Get Professor Dumbledore. Quick!'
Emalia turned on her heel, forcing her way through the crowd, ran as fast as she could towards Albus's office. She met him just as he was about to enter his office.
'ALBUS' she shouted, he turned around and frowned at her, startled by the shout. 'Something… has…. happened…. to…. the…. Fat Lady….' panted Emalia as she struggled to catch her breath.
Albus turned on his heel and quickly made his way towards the Gryffindor tower. Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes sombre, to see Professor McGonagall, Lupin and Snape hurrying towards him.
'We need to find her,' said Dumbledore. 'Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady.'
'You'll be lucky!' said a cackling voice. Peeves was bobbing overhead and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.
'What do you mean, Peeves?' said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead, he adopted an oily voice.
'Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen she's a horrible mess. Crying something dreadful,' he said happily. 'Poor thing,' he added, unconvincingly.
'Did she say who did it?' said Dumbledore quietly.
'Oh, yes, Professorhead,' said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. 'He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see.' Peeves flipped over, and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. 'Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black.'
Professor Dumbledore sent all the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where they were joined ten minutes later by the students from the other houses, who all looked extremely confused.
'The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle,' Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the Hall.
'I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the Prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the Hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately,' he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. 'Send word with one of the ghosts.'
With one casual wave of his wand, the long tables flew to the edges of the Hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.
'Sleep well,' said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him. The Hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened.
'Everyone into their sleeping bags!' shouted Percy. 'Come on now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!'
Emalia turned to Fred, handing him another sleeping bag. 'Save me a space' she said before making her way over to Percy and Penelope.
'Ok, I want you to split into groups of two, and take a spot every three windows.' Percy said. 'What are you waiting for? Chop chop, get into your position.'
Once the Prefects took up their spots, Percy shouted, 'The lights are going out now! I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!'
The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the Prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars.
Emalia, who was fortunate enough to be partnered with Adrian, had taken her position near to where the rest of her friends had set up for the night. They were also lucky, the Fat Friar had decided to keep them company, telling them jokes and stories to keep them distracted from their fear in this situation.
Adrian nudged Emalia and pointed down to Mark Abbot, who was partnered with Paisley Parkinson, and he looked beyond uncomfortable, as the Bloody Barron settled in beside them. Three hours went by before Percy came down to them and told them to go to bed, the ghosts would keep an eye on everyone.
Emalia settled into her sleeping bag beside Fred, the two of them facing one another. He smiled lazily at her, as he reached forward to take hold of her hand. Kissing it, he then held onto it tightly.
'What do you think he wanted?' whispered Fred lowly.
'I don't know' shrugged Emalia, keeping her voice quiet. No one would admit it, but the fact that Sirius Black had managed to get into the school when it was this heavily guarded, terrified them all. They both fell asleep a little after three in the morning.
The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days, with the theories about how he had entered the castle becoming wilder and wilder.
The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat grey pony. Nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day.
One evening, Fred arrived back from Quidditch practice in a rather grumpy mood. Emalia looked up from her Transfiguration homework, when he sat down beside her. 'What's wrong with you?' she asked.
He grunted at her in response 'Nothing.'
She raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing and returned to her homework. A few minutes passed before he muttered, 'Do you think Diggory is good-looking?'
Emalia put down her quill and looked up at her boyfriend, she could see the irritation on his face, and also the slightest touch of jealousy.
'No' she said calmly, 'Where is this coming from?'
'Apparently he is incredibly good-looking and all the girls in our year fancy him' he said, not looking her in the eye.
'Who is saying that?' she asked, trying to get him to open up more.
'Angelina … Alicia .. and Katie too, I suppose.'
Emalia sighed, 'A complete generalisation Fred. Cedric is in my Ancient Runes class, and he seems friendly enough, but I am not attracted to him.'
Fred said nothing, but the jealousy that was on his face was receding.
'Why would I when the hottest guy in our year is my boyfriend' she smiled. Fred grinned at her, meeting her eye for the first time.
'Sorry' he said, 'Between the weather, Oliver acting like a madman and Sir Headache out there -'
Emalia reached over and grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, 'I understand, you don't have to explain; I am glad you asked me this though, rather than let it fester.'
'Yeah, yeah. How was your evening?' he asked, changing the subject.
Emalia opened her mouth to answer when Percy came striding over, a very official look on his face. 'Professor Dumbledore would like to see you, Emalia' he said curtly before walking off.
'Hold that thought' said Emalia as she rose out of her chair, 'I'll be back soon, go shower and get out of your wet gear.' She pecked him on the cheek and made her way to the Headmaster's office.
When Emalia arrived at the Headmaster's office, she ran into Professor Lupin. 'Good evening Professor' she said smiling brightly at him. Professor Lupin, who had not seen her, started suddenly, but smiled warmly at her when he recognised her. 'Ah, Miss Potter, I did not see you there. Off to see the Headmaster?'
'Yes Sir' she said, she noticed that he was rather pale and sickly looking.
'Well, I shall leave you to it. Goodnight Miss Potter' he said, still smiling as he turned and made his way to his quarters.
Emalia mused over his appearance, a slight realisation dawning on her as she made her way up the staircase, she had always suspected but -. She pushed those thoughts out of her head.
When she arrived in Albus's office, she found him sitting at his desk, mulling over numerous pieces of parchment. She closed the door gently, she knew that he was aware that she was in the room, she walked over the Fawkes, who was very happy to see her and scratched the top of his head gently.
'How are you?' asked Albus after some time.
'Oh fine, I think everyone is just on edge at the moment, but I am fine' she said as she showered attention onto Fawkes.
She paused for a moment, considering her next words. 'Albus?'
'Mhhm?' he asked, his attention fixed on the papers in front of him. 'Ah yes, you are probably wondering why I have asked you to come here this evening.'
'Well n-' began Emalia.
'I received a letter from Molly Weasley this morning. She was writing to me to ask if I would consider letting you go to The Burrow for the Christmas holidays.' He paused, gauging her reaction before continuing. A large smile began to spread across Emalia's face, as delight lit up her eyes.
'I can see that you would like to go, and I think it may be wise considering the current predicament that we find ourselves in. So, shall I write back to Molly, confirming that you would love to spend Christmas with the Weasleys?'
'Yes please!' said Emalia eagerly, but then the smile slipped from her face.
Albus smiled, and as if he read her mind, said, 'Do not fret, we can spend a sort of holiday celebration together one evening before you go. How does that sound?'
Emalia smiled at him and nodded. Fawkes nipped at her hand, demanding more attention. Emalia giggled as she returned to stroking his feathers.
'Albus?' she began hesitantly, 'I er- I am not sure how to ask this…'
Albus gazed at Emalia from over the top of his half-moon spectacles, his blue eyes twinkling with curiosity.
'I have a… a theory, I guess. Or maybe theory is not the right word. A suspicion? No that's not right… a hunch?'
Albus chuckled lowly, 'And are you going to share this theory with me? Or shall I have to try guess?'
Emalia scratched her elbow absentmindedly; she was not sure she wanted to answer to her question.
Albus noticing her hesitation, grew more sombre; he had an idea of where this was leading.
'It's about Professor Lupin..' she started.
Albus held up his hand, silencing her mid-sentence. He looked at her for a few moments, as if trying to read her mind. Though Emalia was under no illusions that Albus could read her mind if he so wished; but she knew that he would not invade her privacy in such a manner.
'You may ask your question, Emalia' he sighed, 'Whether I choose to answer it though it entirely a different matter.'
Emalia fidgeted as she asked, 'Is Professor Lupin a werewolf?'
Albus stared at her, without saying anything.
'I just… I just know what it looks like trying to hide something like a curse. And well he always is missing around full moons and well that potion, I noticed Professor Snape making it one day in class and…' she trailed off, her words and reasons sounding silly as she voiced them.
'Does it matter if he is or not?' asked Albus, watching her intently.
'Not at all. He's the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher I've ever had!' she responded. 'I guess the only reason I asked was curiosity, and well, I feel for him.'
Dumbledore nodded gently, a small smile playing on his lips. 'You have a big heart Emalia. Have you had your careers discussion with Professor McGonagall yet?'
Emalia shook her head, letting him know that she had not.
'Well,' he said, 'maybe you could consider something where you can help people.' He smiled at her, as she thought about it. 'Something to mull over. Now, my dear, I think you should make your way back to your dormitory. I have some work to see to.'
Emalia gave him a quick hug before exiting and made her way back to the Common Room. When she arrived at Sir Cadogan's painting, he tried to challenge her to a fist fight; instead, she managed to convince him to let her into the Common Room without resorting to a round of fisty-cuffs.
She found Fred and George sitting talking in front of the roaring fire. She walked behind the couch, wrapping her arms around Fred, she leaned down kissed him on the cheek. He turned sideways in his seat and grinned up at her.
'I have news' she said smiling down at him, 'Your Mum wrote to Albus asking if I could spend Christmas at The Burrow with you all… and he said yes!'
Fred jumped over the back of the couch, gathering her into his arms, swung her around with a huge grin on his face. 'This is great news!' he exclaimed.
Even George was happy with the news and celebrated with the two of them. 'You're always a blast around the holidays Em' said George grinning, as he gave her a hug. Emalia grinned, 'I am looking forward to a Weasley Christmas.'
Gryffindor's first match against Hufflepuff was upon them. The weather was beyond miserable, the rain and wind battered down and it was unusually dark for the time of day. Emalia had wrapped herself in several layers of clothes and wore her rain resistant dragon hide boots. She did not envy her friends right now, having to play the game in these conditions. The match got underway, though no one could see what was happening. It was difficult for those in the crowd to see two feet in front of them; and it was beyond Emalia how either team could see in front of them.
Suddenly though, everyone could see a flash of scarlet and gold robes, tumbling through the air at a frightening speed, hurdling towards the ground. Screams were lost in the rolling thunder and the loud wind. Emalia felt a sinking feeling in her stomach; something told her that was Harry.
She pushed through the crowd and hurried to the pitch, followed closely by Hermione and Ron. They too knew something was not right with Harry. They arrived just in time to see Harry being stretchered off the pitch and up towards the castle.
Fred flew down and landed, rather unsteadily, beside Emalia. He looked at her wordlessly, no one was really processing what just happened. He took a hold of her hand and made their way after Harry, closely followed by Ron, Hermione and the rest of the Gryffindor team.
The colour had drained from all their faces, the mud splattered all over the faces of the Gryffindor team made them look paler still. They walked up to the castle, directly to the Hospital Wing in complete silence.
The Gryffindor team managed to whisper amongst themselves when they reached the warmth and comfort of the Hospital Wing; Emalia, however, was shocked into silence. Harry's eyes snapped open.
'Harry!' said Fred, who looked extremely white underneath the mud. 'How're you feeling?'
'What happened?' he said, sitting up so suddenly they all gasped. Emalia stared at him, unblinking, scared that if she did, he would disappear from view.
'You fell off,' said Fred. 'Must've been – what – fifty feet?' Emalia nodded mutely, her anxiety levels still at an all-time high.
'We thought you'd died' said Alicia, who was shaking. Fred glanced down at Emalia when Alicia spoke, and he gripped her hand tightly, she squeezed his hand back, but her eyes stayed firmly fixed on Harry.
'But the match,' said Harry. 'What happened? Are we having a replay?'
No one said anything. The horrible truth sank into Harry like a stone. 'We didn't – lose?'
'Diggory got the Snitch,' said George. 'Just after you fell. He didn't realise what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a re-match. But they won fair and square … even Wood admits it.'
'Where is Wood?' said Harry, realising that he wasn't there.
'Still in the showers,' said Fred. 'We think he's trying to drown himself.
Emalia drowned out the rest of the conversation, she stared in disbelief at how casually Harry was talking about the game when he came so close to being fatally injured.
Madam Pomfrey came over and asked the team to leave to give Harry some peace. The team trooped out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door after them.
Ron, Hermione and Emalia stayed behind. Ron and Hermione stayed for about ten minutes longer, before they too left; but not after handing Harry the remnants of his Nimbus 2000.
Emalia stayed longer, the two of them sat in silence for a few moments.
'Are you ok?' she asked quietly, her voice cracking with emotion.
'Yes, I am ok. I promise,' said Harry nodding his head, wincing as he did so.
'You really scared me… What happened?' she asked, her pale face had a frightened look about it, that unsettled Harry. He had not realised how much of a near miss the accident was; not until he read it all over his cousin's face.
'Dementors' he muttered. He hesitated, unsure of whether or not he should share with her how much the Dementors affected him.
'When they come near me… I hear… I hear my Mum, begging for her life' he said.
Emalia sat beside him, stunned. She knew that Dementors can cause you to relive your worst memories; but she did not think Harry would be reliving that.
She jumped out of her chair and hugged him. 'I'm sorry you have to live through that over and over.'
He looked at her and smiled weakly.
'Do you want me to leave?' she asked. Harry shook his head, he didn't feel ready to be alone yet, he welcomed the distraction Emalia provided from the pain he felt from the fall, and from losing his broom.
Emalia spent another half hour there before Madam Pomfrey shooed her away. When she got back to the Common Room, Fred was waiting for her. He was relieved to see that she had more colour in her face, and the shock of the incident had diminished somewhat.
He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. She sighed against his chest, the warmth of his hug caused her to relax, but a few silent tears fell from her eyes. The stress and tension of the accident started to ebb away.
The following Monday, during Potions, Professor McGonagall called Emalia to her office. 'Ah, Miss Potter, come in.' The office was, rather welcoming. The stone floor gave off a cold demeanour, but the roaring fireplace added much warmth to the room. Professor McGonagall, who was seated behind her large oak desk, gestured for Emalia to take a seat in the tartan armchair situated in front of the desk.
Emalia could see a long piece of parchment with her name on it sitting in front of Professor McGonagall. 'I have all your prior exam results here, unsurprisingly you have been top of your year since you started here. All of your Professors speak very highly of your work ethic and the quality of your work, both written and practical.'
Professor McGonagall paused, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth, before continuing, 'You are Prefect, you also tutor several other students. With that in mind, if you achieve high results in your O.W.L.s, you will have a whole world open to you.'
Emalia nodded, her face burning with pride at the praise she had just received.
'Have you any career preferences?'
Emalia considered the question, she had, but it was not what Albus had suggested to her.
'Well, Professor. I have always wanted to teach' she said.
Professor McGonagall smiled at her, 'A noble profession; and I think, one you are well suited for.'
They discussed career and exams at length, and at the end of their meeting, Emalia felt more certain that she could achieve her goal of teaching.
'So, what did Minnie say to you?' asked Fred quietly when she arrived back in Potions. 'Wait, wait, let me guess. You are going to be a teacher/Minister of Magic/Healer/Supreme Witch.'
Emalia laughed and shook her head, 'Get back to the Potion before Snape decides to take points from you for talking!'
That evening when they got back up to the Common Room, Emalia told Fred all about what her and McGonagall had talked about. 'I've always wanted to be a teacher' she said when she finished.
Fred kissed her temple, 'You'll be an amazing teacher, love.'
'What about you?' she asked, though she had a sneaking suspicion she knew what Fred's plans were.
'Well,' he said grinning, 'George and I have always had a dream to own and run our own joke shop. Mum would be horrified, and to be honest, neither of us can see ourselves working for the Ministry.'
Emalia nodded, 'I can see that. The best joke shop in the world.'
Fred grinned down at her, 'I'm glad I have your support.'
Emalia looked up at him, 'You always have my support Freddie' as she smiled gently at him.