Disclaimer: Don't own or profit from Harry Potter. Only Emma (and other new characters) plus plot twists are mine.
Author's Notes: Conversations in italics surrounded by ' ' are mental conversations : )
Chapter 3: Another Year Begins
The rest of the summer was the same with Emma slipping to the Weasley's to watch over Harry and occasionally staying for breakfast to keep Fleur company.
To everyone's surprise, Emma and Riley were invited along with Lupin and Moody to Harry's birthday. "Riley! It's been too long," Arthur said as he shook Riley's hand when they arrived. "I don't even get to see you in the office anymore."
"True. It seems I am hardly in the country much anymore," Riley said.
"Harry, you remember Emma's dad, Riley?" Lupin said.
"Yes. It's nice to see you again sir," Harry said shaking his hand.
"Call me Riley," Riley said with a warm grin. After all, we are family, Emma thought bitterly.
"How are you Emma?" Lupin asked.
"Better than Tonks. Have you seen her lately?"
Lupin nodded. "I have. I try to tell her that Sirius' death wasn't her fault, but she won't be persuaded."
Emma snorted into her drink. "You think this is all about Sirius?" Emma asked surprised and then laughed.
"What?" Lupin said.
"Never mind," Emma joked. "So, Slughorn is returning to Hogwarts?"
Lupin nodded. "No doubt his Slug Club will be as well."
"So long as he doesn't remember my mother. I have no interest in joining."
"I highly doubt he would have forgotten her. He has a knack for remembering everyone who was ever in his club. Grant it, Lily was his favorite in our year, but he still liked your mother."
"Well, as far as he knows, I am dead, so it doesn't matter. I would much rather he still thinks it."
"It will be hard once he sees you in class," Lupin pointed out.
"Lets not talk about that anymore." Emma said. Lupin changed the subject at once.
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'Guess who is at Madam Malkinswith me,' Draco said.
'The trio?' Emma asked.
Draco nodded. 'And mum isn't too happy about it either. Bloody insulting my father is one thing, but now they are insulting my mother!' There was a pause before Draco said, 'mother finally decided to leave the shop. Can you believe it? They were holding their wands at my mother.'
Emma sighed. 'I wish I went today. Da took me two days ago. I got two mini pygmy puffs!'
'What did you call them?'
'Well, I thought of naming the emerald one Draco and the Scarlett one Emma.'
Draco laughed. 'Yeah, that will blow our cover'
Emma shrugged. 'What can I say? Alright, I named the emerald one Merlin and the Scarlett one Maeve'
Emma and Riley apparated onto Platform 9 and three quarters. "Now, be careful honey. If the slightest thing occurs, let me or one of the aurors around the school know. Be careful, try not to get into any more battles, alright?" Riley grinned. "I have a feeling, though, that if it involves Harry you will fight regardless of what I say. Just like your mother and James." Riley sighed. "Be careful my little Irish Rose,"
Emma hugged her father and headed towards the train. "Emma!" Luna called out. "Haven't found a compartment yet? We are looking too," Luna said.
"Do you want to sit with us?" Neville asked.
Emma nodded. "That would be nice, thanks."
"You look like a Frusticle has attacked you. Are you alright?" Luna asked.
Emma saw the weird look Neville had. "Yes, I am fine. No Frusticles, just lack of sleep," Emma said with a smile. "How were your summers?"
"Gran was so happy over the ministry battle. Harry!" Neville called out.
"Hey guys," Harry said.
"Sit with us," Neville said. They found a compartment and were settling in when they were interrupted.
"Hi Harry, I'm Romilda, Romilda Vane. You can sit with us, you know. You don't have to sit with them," Romilda said pompously looking at Neville and Luna, not noticing Emma.
"No thanks, I like sitting with my friends," Harry said. Emma rolled her eyes.
"Gold digger," Emma muttered. They were interrupted again when someone brought invitations to Harry and Neville.
"I wonder what that was all about?" Ron muttered.
"Invitations to the Slug Club, I'd assume," Emma said.
"That new teacher?" Hermione asked. Emma nodded.
Emma spent most of the time talking with Luna and Neville while Hermione and Ron talked amongst themselves. 'Will they ever get together?' Draco asked.
Emma rolled her eyes. 'I hope so. It's been driving me batty since the end of third year. Besides, what are you complaining about? You got Pansy right there pampering you.'
'What can I say . . .you're not jealous are you?' Draco teased.
'Of the situation, not Pansy,' Emma muttered. 'Of course I am! I wish it was me there instead of her'
'That makes two of us. Zabini just got back from the Slug club thing'
'Neville too . . .'
'Is Harry there?' Draco asked suddenly.
Emma looked around. "Neville . . .Where's Harry?" Emma asked.
"He went off somewhere. Said he'd catch up later." Neville said.
'No, why?'
'I think he snuck in here. I definitely sense someone else. Your powers are really starting to rub off on me . . . and I just saw a shoe floating in the baggage rack,' Draco said.
'Great . . .just don't get jinxed! How would I explain that to everyone in the carriage?'
'I won't and I won't hurt Potter . . .at least, not too badly,' Draco drawled.
Emma and the others put their robes on and got off the train. 'What did you do?'
'Just petrified him and hid him under his cloak. Hopefully he'll get to London before they realize he's gone,' Draco muttered.
Emma sighed. 'I think your cousin will find him before that.'
'Cousin? Who . . .Nymphadora?' he asked. Emma nodded her head.
Emma sat next to Ginny and Seamus during the feast. When the announcement was made that Snape was the new DADA teacher, the shock erupted around Emma. 'Shock always feels like being hit upside the head with a rubber mallet while floating in champagne bubbles,' Emma thought making Draco laugh.
That night, Emma stayed in the common room well after everyone had cleared out. No one stayed there long since classes started tomorrow. 'Do you want me to stay up with you tonight?' Draco asked.
'Of course I would love for you too, but it's not the summer where we can sleep in the next day. One of us should at least get some sleep,' Emma said.
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The next morning Emma watched as McGonagall went through creating the sixth years schedules.
"Good Morning Emma, may I see your O.W.L.S?" McGonagall said. "11 O's. I wouldn't expect any less, Emma." Emma watched as a smile streaked across McGonagall's face. "In fact, I think this should merit twenty points to Gryffindor for the most O's a person has received. Snape seems to have enjoyed taking points before term even officially started," she muttered. "What would you like to take?"
"Honestly, as much as I can since I'm not sure what to take."
McGonagall remembered their conversation last year about becoming unspeakable. "Alright. Transfiguration, Defense, Charms, Potions, Ancient runes, Arithmancy, herbology, and Magical Theory. Do you think you could handle the work load? Not even Hermione is taking this many classes, and you have other things besides school work," she reminded.
"I would like to try, professor," Emma said and hated the comparison to Hermione. McGonagall gave her a nod, tapped a parchment, and went off to the next student. Emma grabbed a piece of toast and rushed off to Ancient Runes after Hermione.
'Are you trying to kill us this year with your course load?' Draco drawled
'Well, death-by-school sounds a lot better than death-by-Voldemort, but if I had a choice I would have to prefer death-by-chocolate' Emma joked.
'I wouldn't prefer death by any sort, but it seems inevitable' Draco thought morbidly.
Emma stopped in the middle of the corridor. 'We will find something . . .we have to!'
'You always were the optimistic one' he said.
'Someone has to be, wouldn't you say? The alternative is . . .'
'Death' he finished for her.
Emma was preoccupied during the beginning of Ancient Runes thinking about whatever it was Draco had to do. After the 200 page reading assignment, fifteen inch essay, two translations, and quiz scheduled for next week, Emma lugged out of class to DADA. Emma piled up all her books and then shrunk them to fit more comfortably in her bag.
Emma smiled when she arrived at Snape's class. Everyone was wondering what would happen now that he finally got his dream job. Emma caught Draco's eye.
"Pair off and practice non-verbal spells and non-verbal counter spells," Snape said after his opening lecture. Emma paired off with Seamus.
"Can't wait till Thursday, Emma," he said as they started but Snape was glaring at people talking so they couldn't talk anymore. (A/N: First society meeting of the year). Emma watched as Seamus tried his hardest to get something to happen. After twenty minutes they switched so Emma could do offensive spells and Seamus Defensive. Petrificus Totalus Emma thought, and Seamus froze and fell over. Snape, who happened to walk over at the time, muttered under his breath before awarding Gryffindor 5 points.
Draco, watching, smirked. A moment later, he froze Goyle and Snape awared Slytherin 10 points. 'Figures' Emma muttered. Draco chuckled.
The bell rang and Emma started reading a book for runes during her break, and then headed off to potions.
"Hey Emma," Harry said. "Not a lot of people here, huh?"
"No, odd that there are all four houses in one class," Emma said.
"How are classes going? You don't seem to have a lot of books like Hermione," Ron pointed out.
"Why not?" Hermione asked suddenly. "We're in the same class," she reminded. Emma just grinned and was saved explaining when Slughorn opened the door.
Emma sat on the edge of the table she shared with Harry, Ron, and Hermione (A/N: in that order, too). Slughorn started taking roll and, as Emma dreaded, paused on her named. "O'Neill, Emma . . .O'Neill?" He said startled. Emma saw his brain working, remembering the headline of her and her mother's deaths, her father leaving the country and his heartbreak.
"Now, this is shocking, I must say . . .I am assuming of course, your father is the Riley O'Neill, minister of Foreign Affairs, and that would make your mother Emily . ."
"Yes, sir," Emma said quickly. Slughorn looked her over before continuing on. Emma felt Harry staring at her.
'Okay, now I see why you don't parade the fact of who you are. Talk about obsessively creepy,' Draco said.
'He almost blabbed it to the entire class!' Emma thought.
'I think you just got invited to the slug club, though' Draco added.
'Yay,' Emma thought sarcastically.
Emma sat passively through the rest of the lecture, letting Hermione answer the questions. 'What do you smell?' Emma asked.
'Brooms, open air, and you,' he said.
'What do I smell like?' Emma asked worriedly, making Draco chuckle.
'Well, you smell like brown sugar and vanilla and chocolate, especially after baking. When you are more like your mum, you smell like Roses and Cherry Blossoms, but I smell you after you've baked' he said.
Emma smiled. 'I smell shamrocks, new leather like in book and new dancing shoes, and you,' she said.
"Do not underestimate the power of obsessive love," Slughorn said interrupting their mental conversation. Emma and Draco chuckled. Harry heard them, and glanced. Emma just grinned.
'Who says love has to be obsessive to be powerful?' Draco asked.
'I would say it just has to be crazy like us,' Emma added.
Everyone started making the Draught of Living death, and Emma felt Draco's determination to win it. Emma knew he hoped it would make whatever he had to do easier. Emma was slightly surprised when Harry won it. Figures Draco thought.
After lunch, Emma went to Magical Theory, which was about the same size as Potions had been, and then after that was dinner.
Emma started working on essays when she got back to the common room. She waited patiently for everyone else to trickle off to bed. While Emma guarded Harry she finished runes and Snape's homework.
Author's Notes: Yay! Chapter 3! Magical Theory is a class I made up. I remember reading somewhere how Hermione took 11 owls, but only 10 classes have been named by JK so I made one up : )
Iceball-- I am probably painting a bad picture of Hermione, he-he. I have to say, I like her (I see myself in her sometimes), but for Emma I see them butting heads (at least at first). Things continue to get worse for her (and Draco) throughout the year too . . . sleep just being one of them. Potter Fan Bo-- Don't get depression! I feel bad now! Childofthekng-- Your welcome : ) he tells her in a few chapters, but you are right, he doesn't want to burden her with it. It doesn't really affect their relationship yet . . . Amarthiel-- I am a Fleur fan too: ) Harry's reaction to Draco . . . well, it was fun for me to write : ) They will certainly have an . . . evolving relationship this year and into year 7. And you are right, Dumbledore's death is crucial to the storyline and I definitely have it important to Draco and Emma : ) (it also revolves around how I interpret Snape in all this). AnimeCrazy-- well, at school she can physically be close to Harry but the sleep stuff will be a burden (something that isn't going away anytime soon) Storm Herder-- Thank you! I liked how Draco planned ahead (about the dark mark) : ) Emma knows he will tell her eventually, he doesn't want to add any more stress to her, so in that regard everything is fine between them (Well, for a two or three chapters I think). Professor Epona-- Thank you! I always saw Fleur and Emma having a special bond since she is an empath and Fleur is a veela. I kind of hinted back in year 4 that Fleur recognized what Emma was because of her veela senses (or can at least tell she isn't normal). xhanni-27x-- Emma finds out in a couple chapters (I think 2-3, I can't remember) but she confronts him about it after a blotched attempt. . . year1989-- Thank you! I am happy to see it keeps people enthralled : ) ABitofBlack-- Thank you! I'm glad to hear from you whenever you get a chance to review : ) Things actually get worse for Draco and Emma (public-wise) this year . . . and there is definitely animosity between Emma and Hermione coming up. Harry too, but a differenty type. It won't last to long (at least not with Harry, the rest of the school is a different story). KRP-- to others, it looks like a new tattoo but she can still tell when Draco is summoned (and whatever is happens to him through it). Since it is the summer, her and Draco just sleep in (he usually stays up late to keep her company) and no one notices. During the school year will be more difficult (mainly like you guessed, Draco sleeps and it averages out between the two of them). Honestly, I don't think of the Weasleys asking a lot of questions about her being there at night. They assume she comes for breakfast to keep Fleur company, and people just in general have a habit of just accepting whatever Emma is doing and not noticing or asking questions (she blends in really well).