Disclaimer: Don't own or profit still ;:
Author's Notes: So many people asked what Draco and Emma gave each other last chapter : ) Sadly, I don't know! (Bad author, I know). I just assumed it would be something great and perfect, but I wanted to focus more on Harry's gift because it was the first real time he had given her something thoughtful. It was a big step in their relationship : ) (which, yes, is soon to be tested). Hopefully you won't be to disappointed, but this is the chapter that starts it all!
ALSO, there seems to be some confusion over her gift from her dad (the car). The car is from her dad, not Jane. Jane just suggested the idea (and was very persistant and detailed in what it should look like), but it is from her dad (Jane would probably keep it for herself if she got one! I would : )
Chapter 7: Fate Steps In
Emma arrived back at Hogwarts for the beginning of term feeling more rested than when she left. 'Voldemort was kind enough to remind me the year was half over,' Draco said on their first night back
'That still gives us half a year to figure something out, or for something to happen,' Emma said, but they both knew she wasn't optimistic
Harry found Emma the next day. "Emma, I can confide in you without you laughing, right? You'll believe me," he said. Emma nodded, afraid he was going to bring up the one subject she wouldn't agree with him on. "Well, see, I've had my suspicions about Draco being up to something since the beginning of the year, I mean his father is a death eater after all," Harry started. "I overheard him and Snape having a talk during Slughorn's party, and Snape is helping him."
Emma sighed. It would be the one subject she didn't want to talk about. "I'm not going to say what everyone else has, that it has to do with the Order . . ."
"So you do believe me!" Harry said excitedly. Emma knew that Ron and Hermione were tiring of Harry's rants and he wanted someone to believe him.
Emma sighed again. "You didn't let me finish. Whatever Draco is doing doesn't concern you, and you shouldn't be so driven to find out what it is anyways. What if he's trying to find the cure to some magical malady?" Emma said. "Leave Snape and Draco alone," Emma said sharply.
Harry looked shock for a moment, and then turned angry. "Fine. I don't know why I trusted you."
"Harry, you can trust me. Haven't I always been on your side? The Chamber, the Tournament, Voldemort's return . . . I have always supported you, all I'm asking is don't pursue this," Emma pleaded. Harry gave her a dark look and left to go find Hermione in the library.
xxxx*** (A/N: this all happens the first week back from break)***xxxxxxx
Fate decided to toy with Emma and Draco. 'What did we ever do to Fate?' they would wonder laterTheir first potions lesson back from break Slughorn announced they would be working on perhaps the most difficult potion of the year. "Now, to show I can be kind, I think perhaps we should work in pairs for this. No, Miss Patil, I will be picking the pairs," he said with a chuckle. "I think we would find everyone here trying to be partners with Harry."
'Not everyone' Draco pointed out. Emma chuckled.
Slughorn tapped his wand on the roll sheet and the names slurred around forming pairs. To Ron's happiness, he and Harry did become partners. "And last, but not least, Miss O'Neill and Mr. Malfoy," Slughorn read out. There was a pregnant silence. Everyone starred at Slughorn like he just read something in Turkish.
Emma felt everyone giving her sympathetic looks, which made her want to laugh. She walked over and set her stuff on Draco's table. "You have an hour and a half to finish the potion," Slughorn said as everyone started taking out ingredients.
'What luck! The only time we will ever get to work together,' Draco said. He started chopping up the roots they had to add first.
'Maybe fate is being kind to us. I think we deserve something nice for once,' Emma thought. 'Pass the grate.' She was squishing up the pod that had to be added after the roots.
Things progressed well for half an hour, but then the other pairs, who were whispering to each other while working, started noticing how well Draco and Emma were working together. "I think I am dreaming," Ron said. "Look! They don't even talk! Malfoy isn't hissing at Emma, she hands him the knife without his even having to ask, he hands her the spoon without talking, I mean, how are they working so well together? Even you and I need to talk to each other. Why aren't they hexing each other or grumbling about it?"
Harry shrugged. "Let's figure it out after we finish this. Maybe it's a fluke." But Harry, like the rest of the class, continued to watch Draco and Emma out of the corner of their eyes.
"Times up!" Slughorn announced. He toured the room, and to Draco's delight (and Hermione's aggravation), they had the best potion along with Harry and Ron.
'I think we drew attention to ourselves,' Draco said.
Emma rolled her eyes. 'Nah, really? Oh well, it is just one day, everyone will forget it naturally anyways soon.'
'Well, at least Fate was nice to us today,' Draco said.
By their next Defense class, though, Emma and Draco were cursing fate.
"Since not all of you have acquired the skills necessary to move on to the more advanced magic," Snape snarled looking pointedly at Harry, "I have decided a more practical use would be to assign partners so that you may put into use your non-verbal spells. Some of you need this more than others," Snape said, leaving no one confused he was referring to Harry again.
Everyone watched Snape tap his wand to the roll sheet and the names swarmed around forming pairs. "Mr. Malfoy and Miss O'Neill," Snape said, and even he was a little taken aback by this. There were hardly any inter-house pairings, and certainly no Slytherin/Gryffindor pairings.
Draco and Emma looked at each other.
'So this time we have to make it look less real,' Draco muttered. Emma nodded.
Draco came over to where Emma was sitting. Everyone started practicing. Draco shot a jelly legged jinx, which Emma deflected. She shot a hiccuping charm which he deflected. 'This is easy seeing as how I know what you are going to do,' Draco said. 'Free period.'
Emma smiled. 'If only I could nap! You could do what you have to do.'
'This is pointless. Mental magic is the one field you don't need any instruction in, and neither do I,' Draco pointed out. Emma nodded. They shot and shielded periodically and were the only pair where each partner could successfully perform a variety of jinxes and blocks non-verbally against each other. Draco conjured flowers at one point (although no one saw him do it).
'I think Dumbledore and Snape are up to something,' Draco said.
Emma nodded. 'I have thought so too.'
'They have been acting oddly since . . .well, all year, but especially since the Christmas party.'
'I know. I am going to talk to Dumbledore this weekend about telling Harry. I want him to show Harry a memory that has my mom and James talking. Something he will recognize them as being cousins in, and then he will come ask me about it.'
'Any memory in particular?'
'I'm thinking of either the one where they are boarding the train their first year saying goodbye to their parents, or one from them fighting in the order. I'll ask Dumbledore what he thinks.'
'I'm sure he'll agree. It's not as if he has told you lately you can't tell Harry.'
'I know. I just hope he is alright with how I have decided to show him.'
'Harry's been looking at memories all year. I doubt he will have a problem.'
They both jumped when the bell rang, and they realized they had talked the entire period. Everyone was giving them odd looks for not only being good at the non-verbal spells, but also for getting along. A few noticed the few flowers Emma had left (which she placed in her bookbag). They walked out of class and Draco pulled Emma into a broom closet. "Draco, they suspect us!" she whispered.
"I know, but what can we do? You could make them all forget, but you are too tired to do it. I don't want you to hurt yourself."
"No, but if they realize it, it could be dangerous, especially for you and what you have to do," Emma pointed out.
"I just don't know what to do anymore, Emma," Draco said as he sat on the floor.
Emma sat on his lap and rested her head against his chest. "I have no ideas either," she said sadly. "Snape made the unbreakable vow, so this has to go through somehow." Neither wanted Snape to have to break his vow; they needed to find a way of saving all of them.
"I know, and I would gladly try to drag this out as long as possible, but Voldemort is growing impatient, and when he grows impatient, he does terrible things." They sat there during their break taking comfort being near each other, and then got up to go to class.
Emma felt the buzz in the air that was always associated with hot, new gossip. 'Draco, they are all talking about us! They are spreading that we are dating!' she panicked as she said this.
Emma was walking to lunch and everyone was looking at her. Emma could feel their feelings of being perplexed, disbelief, and shock. The Gryffindor were the worse, though. They felt betrayed.
'Why did this happen? What did we ever do to fate?' Draco wondered. He could feel the senses of the school through Emma. Emma sat at the Gryffindor table, and they all squished away from her. Harry glared at her from a few seats up. Emma got up and left the hall. She went to her refuge, the room of requirement. 'You alright?' Draco asked.
'Emotions are just hard to deal with when they are directed towards you. Especially in such a massive quantity as the entire school!' Emma said.
'We'll figure a way out of this,' Draco reassured her.
Emma went to her afternoon classes with everyone staring at her, talking about her (blatantly so, not just behind her back), and more importantly, with wild emotions dancing around the castle. Emma didn't even bother going to dinner unable to face the entire school's emotions at once.
Emma walked into the common room later that night. Everyone ignored her. Emma took a seat in the corner as she finished up an essay for Snape.
People started going to bed and soon it was just the trio and Emma. Emma was waiting for them to go to bed so she could guard Harry and go to bed herself. "How could you, Emma. I mean, Malfoy! Especially after what I told you I thought he was up to!" Harry yelled suddenly and jumped to his feet.
Emma closed the book she was reading. Pippin, who was with her since lunch, hissed at Harry and looked ready to pounce. "Shh, Pippin. It's okay." Emma said as she scratched his head. "What does it matter to you whom I date?" Emma asked evenly.
"Why would you date Malfoy? He's an evil git that comes from a history of evil gits."
"Just because his father and his family are evil does not mean he himself is. Look at Sirius, he broke away from his family," Emma pointed out.
"DON'T you ever compare that piece of scum to Sirius," Harry said threateningly. "Malfoy will never be anything better than his father."
Emma jumped to her feet, trying to keep her emotions pushed down. "Don't you dare speak like that about Draco," Emma said. The lack of emotion in her voice actually frightened Harry more than if she had yelled.
"I can't believe you betrayed me Emma. I thought we were friends, that you understood the way things were between Malfoy and me."
"Friends?" Emma laughed. "What on earth would you know about being my friend? What do you honestly know about me? Here I know you your entire life, things you don't even know, and you don't know the first thing about mine! Friends? Ha!" Emma shouted. "Here I have been sacrificing myself for the last nine months! And all because I WANTED to be your friend!" Emma said.
Harry suddenly found himself frozen and Hermione and Ron jumped to their feet. "Stop whatever it is you did!" Hermione yelled, making to draw her wand, but found she couldn't move. Ron tried, but couldn't move either. Harry saw flashes of images flash before his eyes. He saw several of his parents during their Hogwarts' years with another blond girl, some of this blond girl and Sirius, her and Lupin, her with a child, her dying, then he saw images of a young girl that he eventually recognized as Emma.
Finally the images stopped and Harry collapsed to his knees, his hands pressed against his temples. Emma turned on her heel and stormed upstairs. "Harry!" Hermione yelled. "Are you alright?" She asked as she rushed forward now that she could move, momentarily forgetting she was ignoring Ron.
"What happened mate? What did she do to you?" Ron asked.
"I . . .I have no idea. I saw . . .I saw things. Pictures, flashes of pictures," Harry said. Harry just thought over what he saw. Hermione, who remembered she was ignoring Ron, left to go to bed after making sure Harry was alright.
Harry and Ron turned to go to bed too, but stopped on the steps when they heard someone coming down the girl's stairs. They hid to see who it was. They watched Emma run down the steps and through the portrait hole straight into Draco's arms. "Wow, I guess they are serious," Ron whispered. They saw Hermione sitting on the girl's stairs across from them.
"How can he do this Draco! How?! After everything I have done for him, after all these years of trying to be his friend," Emma said. "It's enough to make me want to go to Dumbledore and . . .James, Lily, Sirius . . . they would all be furious, probably at me right about now," she trailed off.
"What can I say, Harry is an evil, overly-pompous prat," Draco said as he rubbed her back soothingly. "And people say I'm the jerk. . . . and I highly doubt they could be angry at you."
"Well, at least he still hates me," Harry said. "Something is as it should be."
"You know what all the Slytherins are thinking? They are furious I got the Slytherin Prince. I am the nobody, a Gryffindor nobody. Believe it or not, they are the kindest thoughts that I hear too."
"Draco's Gryffindor nobody? Nah, I think the title should be Draco's Gryffindor Goddess. Suiting for the Slytherin Prince."
Emma smiled. "I have to stay here, I have to do my job," Emma said.
"Hell no. I couldn't care less what happens to him tonight after this, bloody prat," Draco declared. "Come on, Emma. You need to sleep. It won't be my fault if you don't get your three hours of sleep," he said softly.
"How can he reject me?" Emma asked. "How?" Something in her voice made Harry's heart twinge with pain. There was something more here than just Emma dating Draco. The portrait closed behind them and they went off.
"What do you make of that?" Ron asked as they walked upstairs. Harry shook his head. One thing was for sure, though.
He needed to talk to Emma, and soon.
author's notes: if the conversation between Draco and Emma seems slightly odd, it is partly because they are having half of it mentally knowing the trio is listening in. : )
ALSO, I have a ton going on with school but I will try to update again regularly. Review to keep me sane and to cheer me up after a horrible day (with a horrible week to look forward too -_-
KRP-- Hope the note at the top clears up the confusion over the car! This is the chapter where they slip up, as you guessed last year. The eyes are important too : ) I have slipped it in earlier (right after they first got bonded), but in the center of their pupil is a speck of color (Emma has a speck of grey, the color of Draco's eyes, and Draco has a speck of cloudy blue, the color of Emma's) from the bonding, and when they are talking to each other, the speck grows a little larger. I've thrown it in a little here and there, but no one notices it; it plays a bigger role (well, you see it more) next year. And before you say anything about the flowers in class (I just get the feeling you would comment on that in your review), I know, it was a mistake on Draco's part, I just couldn't help myself : ) AnimeCrazy-- You find out about Percy next year. As for her dad . . . well, Lupin explains it pretty well at the end of this year! Amarthiel-- I'm glad you like Percy too. I made him more important earlier in the series (when he was still in school), but I have plans on bringing him back . . . and why he was such a prat. BornBlue-- I am such a bad author for not thinking of something::hangs head in shame:: I was just happy Harry got Emma something for once. Potter Fan Bo-- Pippin appreciates being mentioned! I think i don't give him enough screen time : ) Hopefully you will have more to talk about the rest of the year (I have a really, really, pulitzer-prize-winning one in year 7! The ultimate cliff hanger! Professor Epona-- Thank you! A lot of draco/emma stuff still to come. year1989-- I know! I'm jealous of my own character (I still have to pay mine off : ( Childofthekng-- I cried too (grant it, it was 1 in the morning and I had been reading for several hours), but I hated it! But, yes, the show must go on. And the fact she can shrink her car to make it easier to travel will be used later (plus, no worries about parking : ) Fishertowers-- Hi! I am thrilled! Thank you! I'm so glad you liked all of them! (and, on a side note, thanks for your review on my Robin Hood story! Totally made my day so much better! I should be updating it again this weekend-ish). I actually have my own year 7 written that I hope to get started posting before the last book comes out, and then I will probably also write a year 7 that is DH compliant (but I'll wait awhile after it comes out so no one will get angry for me spoiling the ending).