Chapter 5.

He was amused, so amused that he was considering letting the Ravenclaw live. So far, it had not been dull except for the brief stint of inactivity. But, being suspected of being a demon was just so hilarious that he could feel himself smiling. Apparently, his older self was so feared that his name was struck from the books, but the idea of being a demon appealed a bit more to him. Demons were generally more feared than Dark Lords and the idea that a naïve student would refer to him as one without understanding the connection to his older self was comical. More so, because she was the most concerned about being eaten while she slept. He was considered cruel, merciless, and predatory but had never been called a demon by anyone in his lifetime. The closest was Devil Child by the matron at the orphanage, but that had been a long time ago. His musings took on a different turn when he considered demonology and the fabled summoning techniques. He had never witnessed one in person and there had been only a few references to them within the Hogwarts library, but he had been gifted a book during his seventh year by Abraxas that had one chapter dedicated to the topic. Summoning circles had lost favor over the centuries, especially since transfiguration and charms could either alter or conjure anything a person needed. Summonings and rituals were left to those like the druids and families who still worshipped the Old Gods. However, he wondered if he could modify or create a summoning circle to fit his needs. He would think more upon it later, after all, it would depend heavily on his feelings regarding the Ravenclaw's life; not to mention, it would be much more complicated than his original plan. It would be so much easier to just drain the girl dry as was originally intended.

Emeree woke a bit later than usual, but woke up none the less. She sighed thankfully before taking her shower things into the bathroom. As she went through her morning routine, her thumb stung a bit from the shampoo as she washed her hair. She was glad that Hogwarts had hot water even after hundreds of students using the bathroom in the morning. She didn't have to worry about the next person or how long she took.

She finished rinsing and toweled off, ignoring the comments from the mirror regarding her lack of feminine accessories. She was even tempted to stick her tongue out at the thing, but refrained. It wasn't wise to let some inanimate object rile you up. That thought stopped her from toweling her hair. She didn't check if the journal was still under her pillow! However, there was no need to act stranger than usual. She put on her casual clothing and ran a brush through her hair before running a hand through it to mess it up again. Who did she need to impress on a Saturday anyway? After placing her pajamas in the laundry basket provided, she walked out of the bathroom and headed towards her bed. Luckily, it seemed as if all of her other roommates had left for breakfast so she wouldn't be disturbed for a few minutes. Feeling under her pillow, she let out a small sigh of relief after the touch leather under her fingers. She pulled out the book and shoved it into her bag. If anything did happen, she would rather have some witnesses around.

She was about to go through the door when a pair of dirty sneakers caught her eye under Ashley's bed. Ashley Sykes, as a pureblood, wouldn't be caught dead owning a pair of muggle sneakers. Emeree grabbed them and frowned at the little ceramic vegetables that entwined the laces. Right, Ashley and the others were still bothering Luna. She cast a quick cleaning charm on the shoes before also shoving them into her bag. Perhaps she could conveniently give them back when Flitwick said his greetings to their table.

Unfortunately, that plan wasn't able to be fulfilled since Luna wasn't at breakfast. Emeree ate her sausage and egg sandwich she made while wondering how to find her roommate. The shoes didn't particularly weigh much, but at the same time she didn't want to walk around with them all day in her bag. She made a few more sandwiches and wrapped them with some napkins before stuffing them into her bag as well. Adventures always made her hungry. As soon as she was outside the hall, she made her way to the front entrance and sat on the stairs.

Emeree took a few moments to appreciate the scene in front of her. The grass was still green and the air was clear of pollutants since the nearest nonmagical settlement was hundreds of miles away. Even on a Saturday there were those willing to get up early if only to enjoy a pick-up game of quidditch and laugh along the banks of the lake.

saturday. 15 october 1992

Sometimes I wonder if I will truly belong to this world of magic. Sometimes I wonder if it is all just a grand delusion I've created to escape everyday life. Magic, spells, potions, creatures that people would only consider as fantasy and myth; it could just be an elaborate story to forget their—

"Look out!" Emeree stared at the slightly cloudy sky and wondered how she went from writing to being flat on her back, all her possessions in disarray. She rolled to her side and came face to face with blue eyes and hair so red that it looked like fire.

"Sorry about that, didn't think…"

"… someone would be blocking the steps."

"Bad luck." There were two. Two pairs of blue eyes and two sets of fire hair. Emeree pushed herself to a sitting position and looked at the speakers properly. Twins with the reddest hair she had ever seen were leaning over her slightly, their faces inches from hers.

"You think she's in shock?"

"Over my good looks?"

"Excuse me, I'm the more handsome looking one."

"You only think that dear brother."

"What do you think?!" Both boys had a hand stretched out to her to help her up and she couldn't help but laugh when taking them. As soon as she was on her feet she started sorting her belongings back into her bag.

"Well, one of you knocked me over and since I don't know who it was, I say that you both lose some points in attractiveness." Their identical looks of shock made her laugh again. "But, since both helped me up, I guess you can have those points back." She slung her bag on one shoulder and held out both her hands to shake and was surprised when they both took one each, turned it slightly, and bowed over them until she could feel their exhale over her knuckles.

"And we really apologize about that."

"We would never..."

"…unknowingly knock over…"

"…a lady that wasn't…"

"…our Aunt Muriel." They had the cheekiest grins she had ever seen and it sent another fit of laughter through her.

"Right. Well, my name is Emeree, nice to make your acquaintance." When they stood up, she noticed how much taller they were than her. Guess they weren't first of second years.

"Name's Fred." The other immediately pushed him out of the way.

"No, I'm Fred!"

"No, I am. You're George!"

"You're George!"

"Fred!"

"George!"

"Gred!"

"Forge!"

"We're Forge and Gred!" They had their arms slung about each other's necks in camaraderie that could only have been brotherly love. Emeree smiled slightly at their ridiculous display, especially since they had caught the attention of some fellow students. There was even a girl who looked around her age who was heading right towards them; she even had the same hair. The two boys seemed to take notice and backed away slowly.

"Now, now, Ginny…"

"…we didn't mean to get you…"

"…right, we were aiming at ickle Ronniekins." The girl made a large grunting noise before she launched herself at the two, knocking them both down, which led to her being knocked down for the second time and her bag spilling all over the lawn. After getting her bearings, Emeree could only watch the fight that ensued with two teenagers and a little girl, but it seemed that the girl was winning.

"Are you three related by any chance?" All three figures stopped before the twins started laughing in earnest.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, Weasley hair is pretty hard to come by." One boy pulled at his locks for emphasis.

"If you aren't a Weasley." She wasn't sure who was talking, but she thought it was George, but it might have been Fred.

"Sorry about my annoying brothers. You can just ignore them. I'm Ginny." Ginny had thrust her hand forward, but kept the annoyed scowl on her face. Emeree shook it briefly before continuing to pick up her stuff.

"Right. Nice to meet you all." She was shoving Luna's shoes in her bag when she was stopped by a hand on her arm. There was a slightly pressure there that made her turn around. Ginny was still scowling.

"Hey, those are Luna's shoes. Are you the one who keeps taking them?" The accusation rung in the air for a while before Emeree got to her senses. She could hear the whispers being traded through the crowd.

"No, I found them and was going to return them." Ginny was still looking at her suspiciously, but now even her brothers were. Of course, she was just a stranger and they would take her side, even if they didn't know all the facts.

"You've been carrying them in your bag this whole time?" It did sound pretty strange.

"I was going to return them at breakfast, but I didn't see her." Ginny thrust out her hands again, but with a more demanding attitude.

"I'll take them. We've been friends since we were little." Emeree had no choice but to hand the shoes over. It wasn't like Luna Lovegood herself was going to come and speak on her behalf.

"Well, thanks I guess. Nice meeting you." She smiled faintly but didn't receive any back. As she passed them she could hear Ginny talking to her brothers.

"I bet you she's one of the ones whose been bullying Luna. She is always missing her books and stuff."

"Well, Ginny, you can't know for sure."

"She might have just been trying to help."

"Whatever." Their voices were fading away with each step but Emeree could still feel the embarrassment as heat on her face. She only said the truth but she could already see the suspicion from the other students. What was even worse was that the Weasley's were Sacred Twenty Eight and their word was far more reaching than hers. She didn't want to be labeled as a thief within this world, especially within her first few months. She sighed, there wasn't really much she could do about it. Hopefully she could explain away the misunderstanding, even if she was a bit angry about the outcome. She reached inside her bag for the journal, but couldn't feel leather on her fingertips. She rummaged around and eventually pulled everything out looking for it. The journal wasn't there. She should have started panicking considering its suspicious nature and what she had written inside, but was somehow a bit calmer. She sat on a log and contemplated what to do now and if that Ginny girl would blab about everything she read inside.