Chapter Forty Three: Dementors

The first couple of days of the new term brought lots of homework for the fifth years. They had all been under the impression that the workload would increase gradually. They could not have been more wrong.

As soon as they were back sitting on the hard wooden seats in the classroom, they were loaded with homework. Their classes focused on the practical elements of magic, while their homework was all theory and instruction.

Emalia and Fred struggled to find time together outside of class, her prefect duties were demanding more of her and she still spent a good portion of time studying in the library. Fred on the other hand was busy with Quidditch practice. Oliver had upped their training once again, his desire to win the Quidditch Cup had been renewed over the Christmas break.

One evening Emalia and Harry were catching up over a game of wizard's chess, when Oliver strode over, a rather perturbed look on his face.

'Bad news Harry. I've just been to see McGonagall about the Firebolt -', Emalia threw Harry a curious look, this was the first time she had heard about her cousin having a Firebolt.

'- She – er, got a bit shirty with me. Told me I had my priorities wrong. Seemed to think I cared more about winning the Cup than I do about you staying alive. Just because I told her I didn't care if it threw you off, as long as you caught the Snitch on it first …'

Oliver trailed off when he noticed the withering look Emalia threw his way. He gulped; remembering the slap she had given him the last time she thought he was putting Harry in danger.

'Anyways, I asked her how much longer she was going to keep the broom …' Oliver screwed up his face and imitated Professor McGonagall's severe voice, "As long as necessary, Wood".' Harry scowled when he heard this. Oliver tossed him a magazine, 'I reckon it's time you ordered yourself a new broom, Harry. There's an order form at the back of that magazine … you could get a Nimbus Two Thousand and One, like Malfoy's got.'

'I'm not buying anything Malfoy thinks is good,' said Harry flatly. Oliver shrugged and walked off.

Emalia sat back in her chair with her arms folded, eyebrow cocked, waiting for an explanation from her cousin. Harry avoided looking at her for a few moments, but eventually sighed, 'What?'

'Are you going to tell me why Professor McGonagall has your broom?' she asked, staring at him, 'And where you got a new broom?'

Harry glanced up at her, noticing that she was staring at him, slumped back into his chair. His face took on a look of annoyance, his attitude like that of a child being told no.

'It's a long story…' said Harry quietly, his mood changing once again, there was anger in his voice, but sadness written all over his face.

'I'm not going anywhere' said Emalia gently, reaching forwards over the small coffee table and gently squeezed his hand.

Harry hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether to share all he had learned over the holidays with his cousin; but soon found himself sharing everything.

Emalia sat there listening as Harry shared all he had learned about Sirius Black and his new Firebolt. As he continued his story, the frown on Emalia's face deepened significantly, her fingers digging into the arm of the chair in anger. When Harry had finished his story, he waited for his cousin to respond, but was greeted with silence from her. She was seething that Albus had hidden this from her, her eyes flashing black.

Emalia said nothing to Harry as she got up out of her chair, abandoning their conversation and their game of chess, she stormed out of the crowded Common Room and head straight towards Albus's office.

She angrily spat the password and stormed up the stone steps to the Headmaster's office, she stormed into the room unapologetically. Albus glanced up from his work with the sudden interruption, a small frown settling onto his face when he saw Emalia. The anger was basically radiating off her in waves, sending hostility into the otherwise welcoming environment of the Headmaster's Office.

'How DARE you keep this from me!' she shouted at him, as she angrily strode over to him, slamming her hands on the mahogany desk. Albus looked down at her hands, his eyebrow raised in curiosity, but a slight sliver of amusement danced behind his eyes. That disappeared as he noticed Emalia's hands begin to shift, her dainty fingers changing to long talons.

'Emalia' said Albus as he looked up into her eyes, his demeanour had changed to that of a concerned parent, 'Breathe.'

Emalia tried, but her anger and her hurt was consuming her quickly. She quickly cast her mind back to what she had learned at the Veela Council. Her anger and upset was seeping out of every pore, influencing the atmosphere in the room. It felt as if it was growing colder, as if the room was losing its colour, even though there was a fire roaring in the corner of the room sending warm, comfort and light into the office.

'Breathe' repeated Albus calmly.

Emalia cast her mind's eye to a long white corridor and situated at the end, was a large black door. She opened the door and watched as the anger and hurt left her body, as if it was being pulled out of her from an unseen entity that resided behind it.

Closing the door and opening her eyes, she had a better grip on her emotions, her breathing was more even and for the first time since entering the room she was able to feel the warmth of the fire.

'Why Albus? Why didn't you tell me about Sirius Black?' she asked as she flopped down into the wooden chair in front of his desk.

'Ah,' he said softly, folding his hands together, placing them on his lap as he sat back in his seat. He watched her for a few seconds from over the top of his half-moon spectacles.

'The reason why I did not share this information with you, is because I did not want to burden you. Sometimes it is best to live as a child for as long as you can, to not have the burden of knowing what the world is like' he said quietly, his eyes trained on her face.

She looked at him, her eyes narrowed in annoyance as she listened to what he was saying. 'I am not a child, Albus. I know all too well what the world is like.. what people are capable of.'

'I know, but can you blame me from wanting to protect you from it?' he countered calmly.

Emalia sighed, she understood where he was coming from, but she did not understand why he was brushing her feelings aside so easily.

'Please do not think that I am ignoring how you are feeling. I understand that my actions have hurt you, but I was only trying to spare you from the worry you are now feeling' he said softly.

Emalia said nothing, she sat on the wooden stool not looking at Albus.

'I want you to be happy and carefree, at least for a little while. You have dealt with a lot in your life so far for one so young. I just wanted to give you time to have memories that are not touched by the darkness the world can bring.'

Emalia nodded mutely as she listened to what he was saying to her.

'Do not worry, Emalia. Harry is not in any immediate danger.'

Emalia stood up and walked towards the door, and without turning back to face Albus, said, 'You still should have told me.'

She left closing the door behind her. Albus sighed, he may be one of the brightest wizards, but he did not always make the right choices. No one is infallible, but he hoped that Emalia would understand that with time. He turned his attention back to the work in front of him, he knew enough about his adoptive daughter to know that she needed time alone to make sense of the situation. He just hoped that she would understand his perspective.

Before long, January progressed into February and although the snow had long since melted, it was still bitterly cold, with the grounds frequently glistening with a layer of frost in the mornings. The Gryffindor house team were preparing for their upcoming match against Ravenclaw. It was fast approaching, and the team were training every second night.

The only kink in Oliver's plan was that Harry still did not have a broom. Well, he did have a broom. He had told Emalia all about the broom he had received at Christmas, and although she could see he was disappointed that it had been temporarily confiscated, she agreed with the Professors' reasoning; much to Harry's annoyance.

'Don't scowl at me Harry' snapped Emalia after she said McGonagall had made the correct decision, when he bemoaned about the confiscated broom once again. 'If she didn't take it, I would have.'

Harry looked at her moodily, thoroughly unimpressed with her chastising.

'I'd much rather you stay alive than have the best broom in the school; so, if I hear you moaning about that broom again, I am going to hex you, and you won't be able to sit on anything for a week!' finished Emalia, as she snapped her book closed and stomped out of the Common Room.

Fred and George were chuckling in the corner, watching the family disagreement unfold. Harry threw a moody look their way.

'Aw come on Harry, don't get all moody with us' laughed George.

'Yeah, to be fair Em has a point, though it would have been funny to see you wrestle to stay on the broom' said Fred grinning, 'I think you would have had a decent chance of staying on.'

Harry smiled, then sighed. He knew Emalia was only looking out for him, but still; the broom, that would help Gryffindor greatly in the next match.

One evening Harry arrived back in the Common Room, beaming. In his hands he held his Firebolt. The whole Common Room crowded around him, and the broom was passed around, with echoes of 'Ravenclaw don't stand a chance' bouncing off the walls in low murmurs.

After a while the commotion died down and everyone went back to their respective activities. Fred and Emalia were lounging on the couch, with Emalia resting her head on his lap, looking up at him smiling, as they talked about a prank Fred and George had pulled earlier in the day.

Suddenly a strangled yell echoed down the boys' staircase. The whole Common Room fell silent, staring, petrified at the entrance. Emalia bolted upright; her eyes fixated on the entrance like the rest of the Gryffindors.

There came hurried footsteps, growing louder and louder – and then, Ron came leaping into view, dragging with him a bedsheet.

'LOOK!' he bellowed, striding over to Hermione's table. 'LOOK!' he yelled, shaking the sheets in her face.

'Ron, what - ?'

'SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!'

There was a horrible pause, silence fell over the Common Room once more, everyone was thoroughly engrossed in what was unfurling in front of their eyes.

'BLOOD!' Ron yelled, into the stunned silence, 'HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?'

'N-no' said Hermione in a trembling voice.

Ron threw down something onto the table, something not visible to everyone else; but whatever it was, caused Hermione to pale considerably. Ron stormed off back to the boys' dormitories leaving a rather upset looking Hermione and bewildered looking Harry in his wake.

'Well, I think Ron has become petless' said Fred, once the Common Room returned to its normal hustle and bustle, 'Probably for the best, Scabbers was a boring old rat.'

'Fred!' said Emalia, slapping him on the arm, 'Don't be insensitive.'

Fred grinned at her sheepishly and pecked her on the lips, before returning to their original conversation. Emalia only engaged in it half-heartedly, keeping an eye on Hermione, who had begun to gather up her belongings.

Emalia peeled Fred's arms from off her and made her way up to Hermione. She tapped the younger girl on the shoulder, pulling her from her thoughts.

'Are you ok 'Mione?' asked Emalia quietly, trying not to draw everyone's attention back to her.

Hermione looked up at her, tears trapped in her eyes, waiting for something to push them over the edge. Hermione nodded curtly as she gathered her belongings into her arms. She turned to walk off, but Emalia gently caught hold of her arm.

'It's alright if you're not ok, I am here if you need to talk' said Emalia, the sincerity heavy in her voice, and painted clearly on her face. Emalia gave Hermione's arm a reassuring squeeze before letting go, watching as the bushy-haired girl made her way up the stairs to the girls' dormitories, her head held down.

Things between Ron and Hermione had not improved, and Fred was not exactly helping matters. Ron was taking the loss of his pet very hard, and one evening in the Common Room, Fred endeavoured to try cheer his brother up, to get him to look on the bright side.

'Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was, said Fred bracingly. 'And he's been off-colour for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly. One swallow – he probably didn't feel a thing.'

'Fred!' said Ginny indignantly. Emalia frowned and elbowed Fred in the ribs, which earned her a reproachful look from her boyfriend.

'All he did was eat and sleep, Ron, you said it yourself,' said George.

'He bit Goyle for us once!' Ron said miserably. 'Remember, Harry?'

'Yeah, that's true,' said Harry.

'His finest hour,' said Fred, unable to keep a straight face. 'Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory. Oh, come on, Ron! Get yourself down to Hogsmeade and buy a new rat. What's the point of moaning?'

Emalia elbowed Fred in the ribs, harder this time. 'Don't be insensitive, Fred' she hissed from the corner of her mouth.

'Ow' muttered Fred, rubbing his side, looking at his girlfriend unimpressed, 'You're supposed to back me up, not my brother…' He sulked, still rubbing his side.

'I'm not going to sit around and laugh when you're being insensitive to your brother… or anyone else for that matter!' retort Emalia, sitting back, folding her arms, watching her boyfriend sulk beside her.

'Are we witnessing our resident lovebirds first fight?' teased George, trying to pull the focus away from Ron and his rat.

'You wish George' laughed Fred as he wrapped his arm around Emalia and pulled her close to him, getting a smile out of her.

'Oh no. Trust me, I never want to be around when you guys fight. I can just about deal with you when you're all lovey-dovey, I can't even begin to imagine how head-wrecking you'd be in a fight' said George, which got a giggle out of the rest of the group and successfully distracted Ron from his dead rat, at least for a little while.

Finally match day arrived, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw and everyone was beyond excited for it. The atmosphere in the Great Hall that morning was electrifying, everyone was looking forward to the match, but more than that, people were looking forward to seeing the Firebolt in action.

Fred and Emalia sat with the rest of the team at breakfast that morning. Fred sat on the bench, a leg either side of it, pulled Emalia to him and kissed her. Emalia pulled away and laughed shaking her head.

'What was that for?' she asked smiling up at him as she took a bit of her toast.

'Luck,' grinned Fred, 'Though, I still don't feel lucky enough, maybe another kiss or two would help?'

Emalia laughed, 'Silly head,' but she turned and gave him numerous kisses before Oliver pulled him away.

'See you later' he called as he waved as Oliver frogmarched him out of the Great Hall, muttering 'Quidditch first Weasley. You can kiss her after the match, or better yet when we win the Cup!'

The stadium was packed, with the whole school down to watch the game, everyone nervous about the outcome. Emalia had managed to find a seat tucked in behind Lee and Professor McGonagall in the commentary box.

When the Gryffindor team came onto the pitch they were greeted with a tumultuous roar from the crowd and screams of joy and excitement.

The electric atmosphere of the stadium had rubbed off on everyone, with Lee bringing extra enthusiasm to his commentary.

'They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt which Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to Which Broomstick, the Firebolt is going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship -'

'Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?' interrupted Professor McGonagall's voice.

'Right you are Professor – just giving a bit of background information. The Firebolt, incidentally, has a built in auto-brake and -'

'Jordan!'

'Ok, Ok, Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor heading for goal …'

Emalia smiled to herself as she heard the interchange between the two, but her eyes were firmly fixed on the match, her attention drifting from Fred, to George and to Harry at regular intervals.

The game was an exciting one, with both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw battling hard for the win.

'Gryffindor lead by eighty points to zero, and look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now. See it turn – Chang's Comet is just no match for it. The Firebolt's precision -balance is really noticeable in these long -'

'JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!'

Emalia tried her hardest not to laugh, but the interaction between Lee and McGonagall, which distracted her from the game for a few minutes, was too much. Her silent laughter made her sides hurt, Lee turned back towards her for a second and flashed her a grin, which received a withering look from McGonagall.

'Jordan! The match!'

Emalia turned her attention back to the match, she saw Harry cast a spell at three hooded figures, he flew straight past them and extended his hand, and closed his hands over the small struggling Snitch.

Madam Hooch's whistle sounded, Harry turned around in mid-air and saw six scarlet blurs bearing down on him. Next moment, the whole team were hugging him so hard he was nearly pulled off his broom. Down below he could hear the roars of the Gryffindors in the crowd.

Emalia and Lee bolted down the stairs of the stand, jumping down several steps at a time, attempting to get ahead of the crowd. They were successful and managed to be among the first Gryffindors on the pitch.

Emalia ran up to the twins and pulled them both into a hug. 'CONGRATULATIONS!' she shouted happily. The two of them squeezed her back, before Fred pulled her away and kissed her passionately.

Moments later the team was surrounded, the entire Gryffindor house had pushed onto the pitch in excitement.

'COME ON!' roared George over the noise of the gathering crowd, 'Party! Gryffindor Common Room, now!'

Fred and Emalia walked hand in hand alongside the rest of the team back to the Common Room, leading the group of Gryffindors.

It felt as though they had already won the Quidditch Cup; the party went on all day and well into the night. Fred and George disappeared for a while and returned with armfuls of bottles of Butterbeer, pumpkin fizz and several bags full of Honeydukes sweets.

'How did you do that?' squealed Angelina, as George started throwing Peppermint Toads into the crowd.

'With a little help from Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs,' Fred muttered in Harry's ear.

Emalia had managed to root out some records and put them on in the Common Room, The Weird Sisters was the most popular request so Emalia charmed the record player to play them on loop.

Everyone was celebrating, dancing, eating and being merry. Fred had gotten cornered by Oliver who was interested in going through the match play by play. He spotted Emalia sitting on the back of the couch laughing with Ginny, their eyes met, and they smiled at each other.

Suddenly, Fred's view of Emalia was blocked, by a large boy with blonde hair; he stood right in front of Emalia.

'Hey, Emalia Potter, right?' said the boy as he extended put his hand, 'Cormac McLaggen, though I am sure you have heard of me.'

Emalia and Ginny exchanged confused looks.

'Er – Yeah. You're the year behind me, right?' she said confused, trying to recognise the boy in front of her.

'Yeah, and hopefully your future boyfriend' he said sidling up beside her, intruding on her personal space.

Emalia shuffled over in her seat, moving closer to Ginny, trying to put more space in between her and Cormac. Fred was watching from afar, keeping an eye on the situation, his jaw twitching with irritation as he watched McLaggen try and cosy up to Emalia. He was not paying the slightest bit of attention to what Oliver was saying.

'I have a boyfriend' said Emalia dismissively, hoping that McLaggen would get the picture.

'Yeah, but maybe you should think about an upgrade' he said smugly, a smarmy smile on his face, 'I can give you much more than Weasley can.'

Emalia stood up and gently pushed Cormac off her, 'Not interested' she said, with a disgusted look on her face.

'Oh come on, I can give you so much more,' said Cormac, 'More opportunities, and I would appreciate how fine you look. Alllll the time.' He winked at her suggestively. Emalia fought the urge to laugh in his face, but the way he was coming on to her was disgusting and angering her.

'Again. Not interested' she said more forcefully, as she turned to walk away. Cormac grabbed her arm, to keep her in place to plead his case. Fred saw red when he saw Cormac manhandle his girlfriend, he pushed past Oliver who was mid-sentence, and battled his way through the crowded Common Room.

Cormac's hand started to pull her to him, trying to wrap his arm around Emalia's waist.

'I am giving you a warning. Let go of me or I will slap you' stated Emalia coolly, her face contorted in disgust.

'Bug off Cormac' said Ginny, taking Emalia's hand, trying to pull her away.

Cormac, having wrapped his arm around Emalia's waist, let his hand travel down lower, hovering just above her ass. 'Think of the fun we could have' whispered Cormac, as he tried to caress her face.

Emalia pushed him away and spun around and slapped him in the face. 'No means no,' she fumed, 'Do you need me to repeat myself again?' Cormac turned bright red, shaking with anger.

'Everything alright here?' asked Fred as he got to them, he had watched Emalia slap Cormac, as had a majority of the Gryffindor house. 'You hassling my woman, McLaggen?' Fred slipped his arm around Emalia's waist pulling her tight to him.

Cormac was shaking with rage, managed say through grit teeth, 'My mistake' and stalked off into the crowd.

Emalia turned to him, snaked her arms around his neck, 'Your woman, huh?' she said smiling her eyebrow cocked.

'My woman' affirmed Fred, 'and what a woman you are.' He leaned down and kissed her passionately, earning a few whoops and cheers from those surrounding them.

The party continued into the wee hours of the night, and only ended when Professor McGonagall turned up in her tartan dressing-gown and hair-net at one in the morning, to insist that they all went to bed.

Emalia untangled herself from Fred, rather reluctantly and made her way up the stairs, ushering the younger years into their dorms as she made her way to her own bed. She lay in bed, wide awake, the adrenaline and excitement from the party still pulsing through her veins.

A little while later, she thought she heard movement in the stairways, and pulling on Fred's jumper she made her way down to investigate. When she arrived down in the Common Room, she found Ron, Harry, the rest of their dormmates, Percy and Professor McGonagall. Soon more people arrived down in the Common Room.

Emalia was not listening, Fred had come down the stairs excited, thinking the party was continuing. It was only when Ron roared at Percy and Professor McGonagall, did she turn her attention to the interaction.

'IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!' yelled Ron. 'PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!'

Professor McGonagall stared at him, the whole room fell silent, everyone was stunned.

Professor McGonagall briefly left the Common Room, when she pulled herself back through the portrait hole to face the stunned crowd, she was white as chalk.

'Which person,' she said, her voice shaking, 'which abysmally foolish person wrote down the week's passwords and left them lying around?'

There was utter silence, broken by the smallest of terrified squeaks. Neville, trembling from head to fluffy-slippered toes, raised his hand slowly into the air.

The whole house was ushered down to the Common Room. No one slept that night; everyone was waiting to hear whether Sirius Black had been caught. Emalia drifted off every couple of minutes, her head lolling against Fred's chest, but she never slept for long. Professor McGonagall came back at dawn, to tell them that he had escaped yet again.

Everywhere they went the next day they saw signs of tighter security; Professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognise a large picture of Sirius Black; Filch was suddenly bustling up and down the corridors, boarding up everything from tiny cracks in the walls to mouse holes.

Sir Cadogan had been sacked and the Fat Lady was back. She had been expertly restored, but was still extremely nervous, and had only agreed to return to her job on condition that she was given extra protection. A bunch of surly security trolls had been hired to guard her. They paced the corridor in a menacing group, talking in grunts and comparing the size of their clubs.

Neville on the other hand, was in total disgrace. Professor McGonagall was so furious with him she had banned him from all future Hogsmeade visits, given him detention and forbidden anyone to give him the password into the Tower. Poor Neville was forced to wait outside the Common Room every night for someone to let him in, while the security trolls leered unpleasantly at him.

Emalia felt sorry for him and tried to time being outside the Common Room every evening when Neville was. 'Thanks Emalia' he mumbled one evening.

Emalia smiled at Neville, 'Don't worry about it, I wouldn't be a good prefect if I didn't try help make things a little easier for you.' Neville managed a half smile as he climbed through the portrait.

That evening, Emalia had, what George had now christened, Prefect Patrol. At 9 o'clock she made her way down to the Great Hall, walking with Kenneth and the other Gryffindor prefects. The Head Boy and Girl were already there when they arrived, along with the Slytherin and Hufflepuff prefects. Five minutes later the Ravenclaw prefects arrived, and Percy launched into his speech about upholding school rules and the importance of the rank in the school.

Six minutes and twenty-seven seconds later, Percy finished his speech and Penelope began dividing up the pairs and assigning areas for the prefects to patrol. Emalia was assigned the Courtyard and the Greenhouses with Adrian.

The two of them walked off together, chatting quietly as they walked through the dark empty corridors towards the courtyard. The instances of students being out after hours had dwindled significantly since security on the castle tightened, everyone was terrified that Sirius Black was lurking around a dark shadowy corner at night.

'That was some Quidditch win last week' said Adrian as they walked out to the courtyard.

'The party was better, until well.. you know the Sirius Black intrusion' said Emalia shrugging.

The two of them chatted more, making their way to the Greenhouses, when they heard some shuffling noises coming from behind the Greenhouse.

'Go, get Percy or Penelope' whispered Emalia hurriedly, 'I'll keep my distance, and keep an eye.'

Adrian nodded and quietly made his way back inside. He was only gone five minutes when Emalia heard more noise coming from the open space behind the Greenhouses. She saw a shadowy figure moving along in the dark, by the long grass.

'Lumos Maxima' muttered Emalia, shuddering. The temperature felt as if it had dropped significantly in a matter of seconds, the darkness deepening, encroaching on her light as if it was trying to snuff it out.

She walked further, carefully, quietly into the night, unsure of what was out there, but ready to face what was thrown at her. The cold was becoming stronger now, gnawing at her bones, causing her to shiver.

She heard a whooshing noise behind her, spinning around she was greeted with nothing but the dark empty night looking back at her. Her heart was racing, but she wasn't sure why. 'Come on Emalia, pull yourself together' she muttered to herself.

She turned back to her original position and came face to face with a dark hooded Dementor. A quiet scream lodged in her throat, but never escaped her mouth. She felt this crushing fear envelope her, calling forward negative memories, filling her with her worst fears. Her mind casting back to when she had the nightmares when she was cursed, the one where she got attacked. She could feel the pain shooting up her arm and her shoulder was on fire.

The whole world was going cold, the darkness shrouding around her, her vision was failing, black spots appearing and multiplying. The scream that was lodged in her throat finally found its way out, ringing through the open space, echoing, causing the high-pitched scream to be amplified.

As quickly as the world descended into darkness, a blinding silvery light cascaded around her, lifting the darkness off her body, as she lay on the ground shivering. Her arm was still on fire, her scream became quiet sobs as she fought to breathe the cold air into her lungs. The anxiety and fear she felt, was subsiding somewhat, but still felt suffocating.

She heard the panicked voice of Adrian, and frantic footsteps pounding towards her. There were other voices there as well, but she could not place them. Her grip on what was happening around her was loosening, and soon she was plunged into darkness once more as she passed out.

- Out of the darkness emerged the harpy creature, smiling evilly at her, but no matter where she ran, the harpy creature was always right behind her. Emalia felt the pain of the talons dragging into her arm, paralysing her. She fell in a heap on the floor, unable to move, see or talk. She knew the harpy was circling around her, she desperately wanted to scream out for help. Tears slipped out of her closed eyes, as she screamed violently in her head. Her breathing became more erratic as the panic flooded her system, the realisation that she was back where she was when she was cursed. -

Emalia woke with a start, a film of cold sweat on her brow. It took her a moment to orientate herself, but she realised that she was lying in the Hospital Wing. She felt awful, clammy and shaky, as if she was about to crumble. She looked around the Hospital Wing, it was dimly lit and there were screens around her bed, obscuring her view.

She looked to her left, the chair was empty, there was actually no one around, which surprised her. She was confused about how she arrived in the Hospital Wing, and she was about to swing her legs off the bed and go searching for answers, when Madam Pomfrey bustled over.

'You're awake' she said quietly, 'Here, eat this while I check on your arm.' She handed Emalia a rather large slab of Honeyduke's chocolate. Her shaky hands gently opened the gold foil and broke off a small square.

She hissed when Madam Pomfrey touched her arm. Madam Pomfrey frowned, Emalia's arm was an angry red colour, her once silvery scars looked as if they were open wounds once again. Madam Pomfrey put a salve on her arm, and watched until she was satisfied that the salve was helping.

Emalia bit into the chocolate, the velvety taste of it spread warmth throughout her body, she felt herself become steadier.

'Keep eating that chocolate, Miss Potter' ordered Madam Pomfrey, 'The Headmaster will be around to check up on you shortly.' She bustled off, leaving Emalia alone with the remainder of the chocolate. Her arm still pained her, but it wasn't a searing pain anymore, more like a dull ache.

She continued eating the chocolate, the dream she had playing over in her mind, she shivered absent-mindedly. The door of the Hospital Wing opened, and in walked Albus, he walked directly to Emalia.

She was pale and still shaking a little, but she was awake and eating chocolate. She smiled weakly at him as he approached. She could see the anger in his eyes, blazing like a fire.

'How are you feeling?' he asked gently, as he placed a hand on her forehead. Her skin was cold and clammy, but the colour was starting to return to her face.

'Better' she replied in a small voice, there was something in her face that led Albus to believe that that was not the case.

'Emalia …' he said, giving her a reproachful look as she popped another square of chocolate in her mouth.

She sighed heavily, 'I am fine, I'm just a little shaken … and maybe a little disappointed in myself that I didn't think, that I couldn't defend myself' she said bitterly.

'Emalia, you were attacked by a Dementor that had decided to go rogue, you can't expect the unexpected in a place where you are safe. I have sent that Dementor back to Azkaban, and have had quite an eventful meeting with the Minister just now.'

Emalia tried to stifle a yawn, but it escaped. She could feel the tiredness seep into her body, now the adrenaline had dissipated.

'Sleep, my dear' said Albus smiling as he stood and made his way out of the Hospital Wing.

Emalia settled down into the soft bed and closed her eyes. A few minutes passed by, she heard noise come in the direction of the door, she assumed that it was Madam Pomfrey closing the doors for the night.

She heard footsteps approach her, and when she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the red hair of her boyfriend. His face was painted with worry and concern.

'Fred?' she said quietly, sitting back up in the bed.

'I waited for Dumbledore to leave. Kenneth told me what happened, are you ok?' he said lowly, taking her hand in his.

'I'm fine' she said, her voice slightly shaky, which caused Fred to frown.

He took out his wand, muttered 'Engorgio.' The single bed instantly became slightly larger, big enough for the two of them to sleep comfortably on. 'Budge over,' he said as he sat down on the bed beside her.

Fred lay down beside her, on top of the covers, and pulled her to him.

It was only when Fred wrapped his arms around her, did she fully relax, and she realised how tense she had been. She felt safe now, safer than she did five minutes ago. Fred had that effect on her, like he could bring her back centre.

A small, stifled sob escaped her mouth, and tears began to fall. She was exhausted, and terrified and being with Fred right now was what she needed.

He gently kissed the top of her head, caressing her arm with her thumb. He let her cry, she needed it and he knew that. He only spoke when she had finished crying, with just a few sniffles coming from her.

'I know you say you're fine, but if you want to talk about it, I'm here' he said gently.

Emalia sniffled. Fred pressed his lips to her head once again.

'I thought it was a student or maybe a stray unicorn or something… and then I felt cold, and fear… I was so afraid… and then there was darkness and I had that dream again, but this time I couldn't move… and I was terrified, I didn't want to go back to being a zombie again, being awake but unable to move or interact with people… and it terrifies me because I still fear that that may happen again… and I don't want to wind up like that… it's like… being afraid of going to sleep, because there's a possibility that you will never wake up..' she whispered in a hushed voice.

Fred listened to her as she talked, speaking into existence her fears, and what the Dementor had triggered in her.

'I know there is not much I can say to calm your fears, Em… but I will always be here for you, to help and support you in any way I can. I won't let anyone hurt you, love. Never, and I know you can protect yourself, but I will always be there supporting you' he said gently.

Emalia turned her face up to his, her eyes were red and puffy from crying, tear stains down her face, but she managed a small genuine smile. 'I love you Fred, so much' she said before she craned her neck up to kiss him softly.

He cupped her face, to capture her lips. When she pulled away, he looked deep into her eyes, they were greyer now, with only a hint of blue, usually it was the perfect mix of both; the whites of her eyes were also incredibly bloodshot. He gently caressed her face, 'I love you Emalia, always' he murmured.

She lay her head back down on Fred's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart as it lulled her to sleep. It didn't take Fred long to fall asleep either, having Emalia close to him always made him feel at ease. Being in each other's presence was something they both loved, and hated being separated, even if it was just for a few hours.

They were awoken the next morning by the stern voice of Madam Pomfrey.

'Mr Weasley!' she said in a stern whisper, so she would not wake any of the other students in the Hospital Wing. 'Get out!'

She dragged him by the forearm towards the door, Fred turned back and grinned at Emalia, who was smiling sleepily at him.

'Well, I never …. Not since Remus..' she trailed off, her disbelief stopping her from finishing her sentence.

She came to examine Emalia's arm once more, the scars had returned to their silvery colour once again, everything was as it should be. Emalia wanted to get out of the Hospital Wing and head down to the Great Hall to see her friends.

Madam Pomfrey gave her some more chocolate to eat, along with a plate of toast and scrambled eggs, which Emalia wolfed into her; she had not realised how famished she was. She washed all that food down with a piping hot cup of tea, and she felt like she was back to her normal self.

'I don't want you to leave the Hospital Wing just yet, Miss Potter' said Madam Pomfrey when she noticed Emalia busying herself making her bed. The smile on Emalia's face fell, 'Why not?'

'I need to ensure that you are fine.'

'I am, Madam Pomfrey' she insisted, 'really, I feel like my normal self.'

Madam Pomfrey looked at her closely, scrutinising her face, searching for any sign that Emalia could be lying to her. She sighed and relented, 'You can go.' Emalia beamed and had to stop herself from doing a little wiggle of excitement.

'But, you are to stay in your bed all day. No classes and no lounging around with your friends. Bed rest, or else. I will have people coming to check up on you.'

Emalia nodded and practically ran towards the door and made her way towards the Gryffindor Tower. On her way there she ran into Professor Lupin; she was turning a corner at such speed that she nearly didn't stop in time.

'Oh! Sorry Professor!' she said breathlessly, her face reddening from embarrassment.

Professor Lupin chuckled lowly, 'No worries Miss Potter. I am glad to see that you are recovering well. You gave everyone quite a scare last night.'

'Yes, I am feeling much better' she said, subconsciously touching the scar that ran up her arm.

Professor Lupin raised an eyebrow, looking at her curiously.

'It's a … long story…' she said hesitantly.

Professor Lupin smiled at her kindly, 'Well, would you like to join me for a cup of tea? My office is just around the corner you came flying from.'

She nodded and followed him, the office was full of an assortment of dark creatures, which he used in his class, alongside a huge volume of books.

'Please, sit' said Lupin, gesturing to the wooden chair on one side of his oak office desk. He left momentarily and returned carrying a tray with a pot of tea, some cups, milk and sugar.

He poured her a cup and pushed it towards her, watching her.

'How are you after last night?' he asked, as he poured his own cup of tea. 'You gave us all quite the scare.'

'Better' she said, she felt kind of awkward being here, she liked Professor Lupin, but she had the feeling that he was aware of her theories.

'I hope you don't mind me stating, but I know you are different to the other students here. You are part …'

'Veela. Yes', she interrupted, before taking a sip of hot tea, burning her tongue in the process.

He smiled at her gently, 'I apologise, I do not mean to make you feel uncomfortable.'

There was a brief moment of silence between them.

'Most people usually are curious about me. About who I am, what happened to me, what I am. I think I am used to it at this stage' she said smiling weakly.

'People, I think, tend to be nosey more than curious' he mused, smiling. He looked at her for a moment.

'I hope you don't mind me saying, but you are very like your father.'

Emalia was taken aback. 'You knew my dad?' she asked, surprised.

'A little, I knew your uncle more, but I did have the good fortune of meeting your father. A very kind and bright man; and I can see those are qualities that you possess.'

'That's what most people say' she said quietly, she swirled the teaspoon in her tea, sending a clinking sound echoing through the room as the metal hit off the china.

'Well, you are quite a bit ahead of everyone in your year, most of the Professors are blown away with how advanced you are, I am sure you will impress the examiners during your O.W.L.s'

'Thank you, Sir' she said, 'though that did not seem to be of much help last night…'

Lupin looked at her curiously, waiting for her to speak.

'I knew the spell; I knew how to do it… but I froze... and it brought everything back up to the surface again…'

'Brought what back up?' he asked quietly.

Emalia hesitated, she put her cup down on the desk and rolled up her sleeve, revealing the silvery scars that snaked up her arm.

Lupin looked at her, wide-eyed, 'How did that happen? A dementor can't?'

Emalia shook her head, 'I was cursed, and this is from a dream, I was attacked by a harpy ... it's a long story, but because of the curse, it manifested itself on my body.'

'Curious … that is very uncommon' he said, 'and as for the Dementor attack. You are fifteen, in school where you feel safe. You were ambushed by a rouge Dementor, there was not much you could do.'

He stopped and looked at her, smiling kindly, 'All you can do now is rest and recover, and know that there will be no more Dementors within the school grounds.'

Emalia nodded, they chatted about school and O.W.L.s for a while, and when the tea was all gone, she left the office. Feeling better about her situation, she made her way to the Common Room. It was completely empty when she arrived, everyone would have been in their first class by now.

Emalia yawned and decided to take Madam Pomfrey's advice, and made her way up to her room. When she had settled into her bed, she realised that she was not comfortable, there was something missing. She swung her legs over her bed, her bare feet touching the cold stone floor, as she walked from the girl's dormitory to the boys.

She was sure she wouldn't get caught, as the tower was empty, she ran to Fred's dorm, and rifling through his belongings, stole one of his Quidditch jerseys to wear. She ran back to her bed, this time she felt more comfortable and lay down.

Before she fell asleep though, she sent Fred a message.

'Got out of the Hospital Wing, but Madam Pomfrey wants me to stay in bed all day, so I won't be in class.'

After a few moments, she fell asleep, the combination of the smell of Fred's jersey, the comfort of her bed and the warmth coming from the embers of the fire, lulled her to sleep.

She woke up, what seemed like minutes later, but the room was dark. Someone had drawn the curtains on her four-poster bed, and her chest felt heavy. She opened her eyes, and when her eyes focused, she could see a mop of red hair in front of her.

'Fred?' she asked in a half whisper, her voice crackly after being asleep.

Fred turned his face up to hers 'You're awake!' he smiled up at her before sitting up. Emalia pulled herself up to a seated position.

'What are you doing here?' she asked confused.

'I think the more pertinent question here, love… Is, where did you get that jersey?' he asked, as smug smile playing on his face, as he gently pulled the collar of his jersey with his fingers.

'I stole it from your room' she giggled, 'I needed something of yours to sleep in.'

'Could have just asked, love' he teased her gently as he moved to sit beside her, wrapped his arm around her.

'Well, you were in class.' She replied, 'shouldn't you be there now?'

'Yeah, but when I heard my girlfriend was on bedrest, I knew I had to give myself the day off to take care of her' he grinned. 'Now, lie down, you need rest.'

Fred pulled Emalia to him, and she lay down, nuzzled into his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart.

Fred was playing with her hair, near her temples, twisting it gently in circles over and over. They lay in comfortable silence, feeling completely at ease with one another.

'What are you thinking about?' He murmured to her.

Emalia smiled 'I was thinking 2 kids would be a nice number.' She stopped, frozen, not quite believing she had said that out loud.

Fred continued playing with her hair and without missing a beat said, 'No, four is a much better number. Think of the quidditch we could play'

Emalia turned to face him, examining him, looking for anything that may indicate that he was teasing her; but she saw nothing but sincerity on his face.

Emalia smiled, 'I didn't scare you by saying that?'

He looked down at Emalia, stroking her cheek with his thumb and smiled 'You can't freak me out when you talk about our future together Em, it's not possible. I think about our future all the time.'

'You do?'

'Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?' he asked, watching her face intently, 'Don't you?'

Emalia nodded gently, her face turning slightly pink.

Fred grinned down at her, noticing that she had gone shy, probably because she felt embarrassed. He turned his eyes up to the canopy above him, a smile still on his face.

'I imagine us, living in London for a while as George and I set up our joke shop; and you of course will be the youngest Professor in Hogwarts, sharing your amazing brain with the young witches and wizards. After we graduate, we will get married, in a low-key ceremony; I would say we would elope, but I don't think mum would ever forgive us,' he chuckled before continuing.

'We would move into a little white cottage, which is a lot bigger on the inside, with enough rooms for our kids, George and guests. It would have a workshop as well, for George and I to test our new products in; and a library for you. I am under no illusions that there are going to be a lot of books in our house.' He looked at her with a sly smile on his face.

'At least you are aware of my reading habit' she laughed.

'It's hard to miss, love' he murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss, as he pointed to the stack of books on her bedside locker.

'So, four kids huh?' she asked, a smile on her face.

'Too many?' he mused, 'I don't know, I guess coming from a big family, I always wanted a big family. Later on in life, like maybe in like ten or fifteen years… Three boys and a girl, they would have my red hair, to keep with the Weasley tradition,' he winked down at Emalia, 'but they would have your eyes and your kindness.'

'And my amazing sense of humour' teased Emalia as she giggled.

'Mmmmhmmmm' grinned Fred.

'Four sound like a good number to me' yawned Emalia, as a wave of tiredness came over her.

'Get some rest, I'll be here when you wake up' Fred said softly, as Emalia lay her head back on his chest. He began to gently caress her hair, as she fell asleep.

She woke two and a half hours later; Fred was reading one of the books by her locker to keep himself entertained.

'Enjoying the book?' she croaked, her throat was dry after her nap.

'It's given me a few ideas' smiled Fred as he closed the book, setting Advanced Charms down on her locker.

'You know you are probably going to get detention for ditching class' said Emalia sleepily, as she pecked his cheek, before stretching.

Fred pulled her close to him and hugged her, 'It's totally worth it.'

They spent the rest of the day lying and talking in Emalia's dorm. Fred left just before classes finished for the day so that no one would catch him in the girls' dormitory, which was good timing on his part, as Madam Pomfrey appeared mere minutes later bringing Emalia food and to check up on her.

Emalia decided to spend the evening down in the Common Room, she was in high spirits, even though she had to catch up on all the work she missed in class. Percy loudly tutted at them numerous times, when he thought their game of exploding snap was getting too rowdy.

Eventually, they all went up to their dorms, with Fred kissing Emalia goodnight and walking up the stairs with his brother with a giant happy grin on his face.

'I am going to marry that girl one day, Georgie,' he said to his brother, 'Just you watch.'