Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any other element of the story. Emily Black and her mother and brother are my creations so don't use without permission :) Sarah (sweets), Rilee, and Nephiro own themselves.
A/N: Here is a chapter. Lol.Edited Note Yup. I guess 11 and 12 weren't very long… maybe like 1, 500 words. Well I combined them too. And look! Over 3,000 words!
Chapter 7: Facing Myself And New RecordsDraco was still crying out in pain when I got to the infirmary, he was squirming on the bed while Hagrid stood watching nervously, twisting his hands within one another. Madam Pomfrey was rushing around trying to get certain remedies to put on Draco's arm. I felt like I was going to puke- I mean from looking at the deep gash in the flesh. The sight of blood made my stomach do flips, it was worse than when Draco touched me. I walked over and took a seat next to his bed to keep me from passing out.
"Hagrid- you may go now. Don't you have another class today?" Madame Pomfrey inquired. Hagrid just nodded his head and backed out the room, leaving me alone with the crying baby.
"Draco, calm down. Your arm is going to be fine!" I told him in a stern but soothing manner.
"Bite me, Emi!" he moaned back.
"Now, you two stop it," the nurse cut in. "Hold still Mr. Malfoy." She poured a steaming green liquid over the cut and he let out a high-pitched yelp. I cringed at the sound, but regained my composure when I heard Draco whispering my name.
"Emily?" he called.
"Yeah, Malfoy?"
"Go to the Owlery and sent a message to my father explaining that he is needed at the school immediately." His gray eyes pleaded with mine, as I bit my lip. I leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.
"Sure, Draco."
I didn't see much of him the next couple of days. We were in potions when he finally decided to come to class. I knew his arm was fine, but choose not to say anything thing about it to him, knowing he was enjoying the amount of attention he was getting. I heard Seamus and Harry talking about my father during a portion of the class. I think Malfoy had a little go in the conversation too, but I brushed it off and tried not to let it get to me.
I wasn't looking forward to our first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. I hadn't tried or wanted to speak with Lupin since that day at The Leaky Cauldron. I took a seat in the back, next to Lily and waited while everyone took out parchment and quills. Professor Lupin stumbled in the doorway, looking no better than he did at the welcoming feast. He stared at me, then at Lily, and then at Harry.
"Right, good afternoon. Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson." Everyone in the class had this scared expression on their faces. "You will need only your wands." The class put away their books as Lily and I smiled at each other.
"Why didn't you take your stuff out?" I asked as we all piled out of the Dark Arts classroom. The two us didn't even pay attention when some ghost was causing trouble in the hallway.
"I just don't see the point of taking out supplies when you don't even know we need them," she answered as if it were the simplest thing in the World. "Why didn't you?"
"I just had this feeling that we wouldn't need them today." Professor Lupin stopped us outside the staff room door. I looked at him as if he was crazy.
"Inside, please," he said, opening the door. Inside, the room was long with different types of furniture that didn't go together. Professor Snape sat in one of the old armchairs.
"Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this," Snape told Lupin as he got to his feet and walked to the door. "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear." How dare him! I let out a growl as others in the group glared. He smiled knowing his comment had made an impact on the class.
"I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation and I am sure he will perform it admirably," Lupin countered. "Now, then." He pointed to a bureau at the back of the room. When he got close the closet the dresser starting wobbling. "Nothing to worry about. There's a boggart in there."
"Ummm. . . And you're telling us that's not something to worry about?" I asked in a shaky tone. Heads turned towards me as I finished my sentence. It was the first time I had even said a word to any of the teachers in a class since classes started earlier in the week. Harry looked rather displeased and Lupin was smiling.
"Yes, I am Miss Black. Do you happen to know what a boggart is?" Hermione's hand shot in the air but I knew the answer . . . for once. Her glory was gone this time. . . bloody showoff.
"It's a creature who hides in dark spaces and takes the shape of the nearest person's greatest fear," I told the class.
"Indeed." He nodded with contentment. "This boggart moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice." He glanced at us then back at the wardrobe. "The boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out he will immediately become whatever each of us fears. This means, that we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"
He didn't look very happy with the fact Lupin had called on him "Er- because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?"
"Precisely." Lupin continued on babbling about boggarts he has seen in his past and stuff and other junk. But my attention was set on the wardrobe. He asked the class what scared us the most. And here I was, worried what shape it would take if it faced me . . . the fact of the matter was I didn't know what my greatest fear was. Was it the truth? Was I afraid of the truth about my father? Or was I more scared of blackness . . . the darkness that consumes souls forever, binding them to "things" like Voldemort. I honestly didn't know.
I watched as Professor Lupin opened the dresser with his wand and a fake Professor Snape came walking out of it. I hid my sniffles of laughter. There was something about that guy that made me chuckle.
"R-r-riddikulus!" Neville shouted. Then it was like magic . . . well, it was magic . . . Snape was wearing an ugly green dress with a hideous hat that looked look it had some kind of bird on it. To top it off, he was carrying a red handbag. I began laughing, this was going to make it harder not to laugh every time I see Snape!
"Parvati! Forward!" Lupin called out the class. The young girl took a step in and the boggart changed into a mummy, wrapped in bloody bandages. She held out her wand and yelled the same thing Neville did. Poof! The head of the mummy just kind of flew off and rolled out of the floor, as the bandages slowly fell off. The class starting laughing again. "Black! You're next!" I gulped and walked a few small paces towards the un-bandaged mummy. Its body turned to me and there was a loud cracks, there standing before me was myself. The students around me took loud intakes of air, and others gaped. What am I going to do?
I sighed and closed my eyes. Once, in my grammer school, my classmates had taken a black marker and drew things on my face when I fell asleep in naptime. Then, they spilled paint on me. Yeah. I wasn't liked at other schools either. I pictured the scene with me a little more grown-up and yelled, "Riddikulus!" All around me people starting to giggle, then it got louder and louder. I opened my eyes and saw me, covered with pink paint with rainbows drawn all over my face. 'That so didn't help my reputation,' I thought as I took as step back into the crowd. The class ended and a very pleased Lupin looked upon us.
"Excellent! Excellent, Neville. Well done, everyone . . . Let me see . . . five points to Gryffindor for every person to tackle the boggart- ten for Neville because he did it twice, and 10 for Emily because she had to humiliate herself." I felt my cheeks go red. "And five points each to everyone who answered a question."
After class everyone was talking about it. Probably all were laughing at me for being afraid of myself. How was I scared of myself?
"Uhhh, Professor Lupin?" I walked up to him as the rest of the class left the room.
"Ah, Emi. How nice to see you again," he said.
"Err- Right. Why did you give me points for, err- defeating myself?" I wanted to know if I was getting special treatment.
"Simple. You defeated something that most of the class wouldn't even bare to have faced. I'm proud of someone who can put pride behind them like that." He walked away, leaving me in the teacher's office.
I saw Oliver and Sarah walked in the hallway, on their way to dinner. I went up and said hi.
"Hey there Emi," Sarah said cheerfully, still clutching Wood's hand tightly. "Did you and Draco make up yet?" I was blushing. How could we make up if there really wasn't a "we"?
"Umm. . . I guess so. Why?"
"Because, he was all bent out of shape after the welcoming feast. He wouldn't talk to anyone in the common room, not even those two buttheads he hangs with."
"Oh." She winked at me.
"See ya Blackie!"
o.O
I was sitting outside by the lake, minding my own business . . . if watching Sarah and Oliver make out across the lake was my own business. People were going walking about with their friends, being teenagers, but moi, being my loserous self, sat alone. I threw a clump of grass in the water and said, "This blows."
"I agree Blackie," Nephiro said from behind me. I personally didn't know her very well except she and my brother hit it off pretty well. She sat down on the ground a couple of feet away. "Being the new kid sucks."
"Yeah, I kinda wish that I was still with my Aunt Mildred. But, after a minute of thinking that, I would rather kill her," I complained, half joking and half meaning it. I heard her mumble something. "What was that, Nephiro?"
"I said, you probably couldn't kill her if you tried."
"What are you two doing?" Someone said before I could retaliate against Nephiro's comment. I recognized the voice as Hermione's. I turn to face her and saw she also was traveling with a friend . . . Harry Potter. Oh joy.
"Plotting your demise. Go away or it won't be a surprise," Nephiro sneered.
"Well, that's not nice!" she whined.
"Yea, Nephiro. That's not nice," I agreed. I got up, dusted myself off and took a step towards Hermione. I flashed a grin at Nephiro as a smile grew on her face. "I'm sorry Hermione for my . . . friend's rudeness." I held out my hand and she looked at me like I was mad. Nephiro got to her feet and stood next to me. Hermione slowly put out her hand and shook mine. I tighten my grip and grabbed her wrist with my free hand, then with a powerful shove, pushed her into the lake. Another splash followed and I saw Harry fall in as well. Nep looked rather pleased.
It was funny how we "bonded" at the moment; I mean Nephiro and I. We only seem to agree on one thing- people who we hate. And I, Emily Black have a strong dislike for Potty and Mudblood girl. I felt rather proud.
o.O
"Never in my years at Hogwarts has that sort of thing happened!" McGonagall said to us sternly. Her and Professor Snape were told of our deed and I was feeling stupid. We were going to be expelled. "Nevertheless, I do not feel this needs to be punished with expulsion from this school. You will each have detention every Wednesday night until Christmas."
"But Professor! I have Quidditch practice!" Nephiro yelled. I gazed at the young beater.
"Well, Miss Miketsu, I'm sure Captain Flint will not need you at practices. You are an excellent Beater," Professor Snape told her quietly. "You shall meet me here tonight at 7 o'clock. The tables need a good scrub."
The two us of walked away quickly, not wanting any more punishment than needed.
"This is all your fault, Black!" Nephiro hissed at me.
"My fault? It was you who pushed Harry in!" I countered.
"Yeah, only after you threw Hermione in!"
"I can't believe you! It's not my fault that you were too stupid and had to follow up on my stunt." I walked away. I didn't need to get into another fight now, not after I got dished detentions with Snape.
"Whatever!" she cried after me.
o.O
My detention was eventless. Snape went on and on about how it was disrespect to school property to throw Gryffindors into the lake and that we are lucky they weren't killed.
"It would have saved me some trouble if they did," Nep murmured under her breath. I just laughed. Leave it to Nephiro to wish death upon people.
"Where'd Snape- oh there he is." I said glancing around the classroom.
"Ha ha, Snapoe?"
"I didn't mean it like that!" It was like the first time Nephiro and I were normal towards each other . . . well as normal as we can get.
o.O
"OK, today we will be working on brewing the Vanishing Potion," Professor Snape said, moving his greasy hair behind her ear. The class whispered and Neville Longbottom looked at Lily and I nervously. "It takes precise measurement and if not done correctly, the object of the potion it's used on may never come back. I want to everyone's brew to be perfect. Then we will test them all on Longbotom's toad." Neville gave a frightened whimper. Snape had been pretty hard on Neville since to whole boggart incident.
"I've made the liberty of putting groups together. First group Black, Granger, and Miketsu. Second, Longbottom, Malfoy, and Potter . . . " All of us groaned but he chose to ignore us. Hermione and Nephiro picked up their stuff and sat down near me, glaring. I set the cauldron to a simmer while Nephiro and Granger cut up the ingredients.
"Emi, you're not doing it-" Hermione began to say.
"Shuddup Granger," I hissed. "Despite your beliefs, I am doing it correct."
"But-"
"Stop."
Snape lingered between Draco's group and my own . I guess after Nep and I pushed Harry and Hermione in the lake yesterday, made all the teachers watch me . . . to make sure I don't try any funny stuff.
"So, Hermione," Nephiro teased, "how was your swim? Did you and giant squid get along?" Granger kept cutting the ginger root, not replying to Miketsu's questions. I decided talking about the lake incident was not the brightest idea in the World with "Snapoe" lurking around. We told Dumbledore we slipped and "accidentally" shoved them in. And I want them to keep believing that.
"Pass the clabbert blood, Nep," I said. She gave the small amount of blood to me and I poured it into the brew. As I stirred I gazed at Draco. Now that his arm was better, Potter was making him do all the cutting of the components. "Draco," he looked up and smirked at me.
"Yes, Em?" he questioned. I giggled a little and winked. Pansy eyed me meanly then returned to her group (who was Lily and Ron). Malfoy turned a shade pink knowing that most of the class saw it and stared at the roots he was slicing.
"Black!" Professor Snape said harshly. I glanced up at my teacher, his cold-hearted eyes looking down at mine. "Why is your potion purple?" Hermione bit her lip when I looked over at her.
"Ummm . . . because when ummm . . . the clabbert blood and the smashed billywig stingers cause the water to turn a bluish tint. And . . ."
"And?"
"And the Kneazle claw which is a pink turns the potion a light purple," I breathed, hoping I was somewhat correct.
"10 points to Gryffindor." He walked away briskly.
"Did he just give Gryffindor points?" Hermione asked when he got out of range. I was shocked.
"I think a new record has been broken!" I could hear Ron say loudly.
o.O
"Emi! Wait!" I heard Harry yell from down the hallway. I was walking with Draco, what the hell did he want?
"What Potter?" I asked him as he reached us.
"Can I talk to Black alone, Malfoy?" Draco glared at him but never the less walked away.
"What is so urgent?" I eyed him suspiciously.
"I wanted to apologize."
"What!"
"For judging you the way I did. I want us to be friends again."
"Harry, Nep and I just threw you into a lake and you want to be my friend?"
"Yes. Think of it as payback. Now we are even."
"Fine, but I'm not going to be a good friend. Think it as a gift, because I allow you to speak to me." I turned and walked away. Harry wasn't worth my time.
A/N: Edited Note whack And Emi hits Harry with a direct blow to the nose! Haha. I wish.