Chapter 3 - Snorkack's Hell

At 10:25, Emerald was ready with her bag packed, standing in their living room, and waiting for Betty.

A few minutes went by and...

Soot started to blow out from the fireplace and emerald-colored flames started to burn in it. Some seconds went by and there was Betty and her mother, Luna Lovegood.

Betty was first to step out of the fireplace and the second she and Emerald saw each other, they threw themselves into each others arms.

"Emmy!"

"Betty!"

When the two girls finally parted, Emerald was covered in soot. But she didn't mind it. Betty was there.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you! How you've been?" Emerald asked Betty, who's big dreamy eyes she'd gotten from her mum, where filled with tears.

"It was kind of fun. You know, going to Sweden and all." she said and hugged Emerald again. "Though I wasn't very fond of the search for the Crumbled-Horned Snorkack."

"Eh, what exactly?"

"I've inherited my mother's looks, but not her loony interests of killing old rumors." Betty said. "I don't exactly know what a Crumbled-Horned Snorkack is either..."

"So you don't think you've inherited Luna's loonyness?" Emerald said and looked across the living room at Luna, who was so caught up, telling Laura and Elisa how fascinating Snorkacks are that she didn't even notice that they almost fell asleep. "Because I do!"

"Thank you really much!" Betty said and gave Emerald a quick jab in her stomach. "So how have you been...?"

The two girls started talking and they had just come to the part were Emerald was about to tell her best friend about the little incident she had with the former sixth and soon to be, seventh year Evan Scott in Hogsmeade, earlier in the summer, when Ginny and Luna said it was time to go.

"Bye dad!" Emerald said and gave her dad a hug.

"Bye, sunshine and good luck." Harry whispered in her ear.

Emerald nodded.

When Betty and Emerald had said goodbye to everybody, they stepped into the green flames and started spinning and a few second later they stood in the fireplace at the Burrow.

"Hi girls!" Was heard and then both Emerald and Betty was pulled out from the fireplace.

"Hello grandma." Emerald said and quickly hugged Molly Weasley.

Betty, as ever so polite gave Molly a hug.

"Hello Mrs. Weasley."

"Hi, Betty!" Molly said and took Betty's hand in hers. "There's no need to call me that, I've known you your whole life. Just simply say Molly."

"Okay then, Molly." Betty said and smiled.

Emerald dusted away some soot and then looked around in the room. No Rory there and she couldn't hear anyone. She turned around to Molly.

"Grams. Where is Meredith and eh, Rory?"

"Don't call me that, you can also say Molly. You know, everybody sais that nowadays!"

"Molly! Where are they?" Emerald asked again.

"Oh well. They're down by the lake." Molly said and looked a bit nervous and Emerald could see that.

"What is it?"

"Eh she knows you're coming so that why she's down by the lake. She got a little bit angry. You know how she is."

"Well let's go down there, then." Betty said and took Emerald's arm.

"She's really angry!" Molly said, even more nervously than before and took Emerald's other arm.

"Come on Molly. Rory's going to come back sooner or later and by that time, Emerald is going to be here."

Molly and Betty started slightly to pull in Emerald's arms and she interrupted.

"I didn't exactly plan for two women have to fight over me and I won't let that happen, so if you're so kind to just..."

Both Betty and Molly let go of Emerald's arms.

"Thank you."

"Let's go then, Emmy!" Betty said.

"I'd actually rather not; we'll wait for her up here." Emerald said nervously.

"No, we won't!" Betty stared at Emerald, whose hair had become more flaming read than ever. "Let's go!"

Betty excused herself to Molly and went out the door. Emerald unwillingly followed her.

"You know this is really silly," Betty said after a while of walk. "And it's really tearing on me and Meredith."

Emerald looked at her best friend, who she highly admired for everything she had done for Emerald through the years.

"I know and I'm really sorry. I really am."

"But why, then! Why Emmy?" Betty asked. She clearly had tears behind her eyes, Emerald could see that.

"I don't know!" Emerald said and continued to walk. "The moment she stepped forward when Naomi asked which ones who wanted to try out for seeker. I was expecting a competition with someone, but not with her. So when she stepped forward I couldn't believe it. I thought she would try out as a keeper that year too. She has always done that. And when she got angry, 'cause I kicked her butt. I couldn't stand it anymore."

Betty sighed.

"I don't know. Maybe you're right. NO! I can't say that." Betty hid her face in her hands. "I'm supposed to be natural here."

Emerald laughed.

"And you say you haven't inherited Luna's loonyness!"

Betty peeked out between her fingers.

"Maybe a little, then."

"Yeah, maybe a little."

They laughed and took each other's hands and continued to walk down to the lake, where Emerald thought and probably Betty too, that within minutes would be a living hell.

At the point where Emerald had tried to convince Betty that it she shouldn't go down to the lake and had turned around twice to run back to the Burrow, they were almost there. Emerald could see the back of her cousins' heads. Meredith's red and Rory's dark-brown hair swirled in the warm wind.

Emerald stopped.

"God. Now or never." she said to Betty. "Promise, you'll cover me if she starts to throw rocks at me?"

Betty laughed.

"Promise!"