Disclaimer: Don't own or profit from this! Only OC's and anything not found in JK's world (i.e plot twists) belong to me.

Chapter 18: Emma & Who?

Harry was in the hospital wing with everyone else. He sat, numbly listening to everyone else's recounting of the night after he had told them how Dumbledore died.

"Wait," Lupin said quickly. "You said Emma was with you?"

"Yeah, she led us out when we couldn't see," Ron said.

"Where is Emma now?" Lupin said panicking.

Harry jumped to his feet. "I didn't see her come down the astronomy tower," Harry and Lupin ran to the tower.

They burst through the door and saw Emma leaning over the edge. Harry rushed forward and grabbed around her waist. Emma threw up on his shoes.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this! This wasn't supposed to be the plan! It should have been us," Emma sobbed. Harry's eyes teared up, and he started crying too.

Lupin pulled her into a tight embrace. "Emma, it's not your fault he's gone. It's Snape's," Lupin said.

"No!" Emma said pushing herself away. She shook her head trying to clear her head, her emotions. "You don't know. You don't understand. It was SUPPOSED to be us! I mean, we are nothing compared to Dumbledore!" Emma shouted. Lupin led the hysterical Emma down the stairs and to the hospital wing. Harry grabbed her hand.

"I don't understand how we could have been fooled by Snape," Emma heard Pomfrey say. "Dearie!" She jumped to her feet and handed Emma a potion. Emma shook her head and stepped back, right into Lupin.

"I promised Draco I wouldn't take it," Emma said. She had composed herself on the walk back so she wouldn't project on anyone. Fleur, who had been sponging Bill's face (after the bonding moment with Mrs. Weasley), saw how distraught Emma was and rushed to her.

"Qu'est-ce que ce?" She said in rapid french, and started asking Emma if she was alright, what happened, what she could do to help . . .

"I don't understand why," McGonagall said. Everyone whispered their agreement.

"It was to . . .to save us," Emma said, choking on her words. Everyone stared at her.

"What do you mean?" Lupin asked.

"Last year, the night we got back from school, Bellatrix stole Draco in the middle of the night and took him to Voldemort. He was forced to join. Voldemort gave him an impossible mission, a suicide mission, to punish the Malfoys for embarrassing him."

"What? How do you know this?" Lupin said. Everyone watched Emma in shock; not even Harry and the others knew this.

"Draco was suppose to kill Dumbledore. We tried to prolong it, but that only angered Voldemort, and Voldemort isn't . . .kind when he is angry." Emma added remembering Draco's'punishment.' "Snape, who made the unbreakable vow with Narcissa, had to watch over Draco. Dumbledore figured it out. He told us there was a plan! He made me promise not to pry and figure it out. I promised. I had no idea that this was the plan!" Emma choked. "It should have been us," she said softly. "I followed him up. I wanted to be there when it happened, rather than in another room. We are always separated when things happen to us, this time I wanted us to be together. I was there with you, Harry."

"Draco . . .we both knew he wasn't going to do it. We were willing to accept the consequences. Snape had already moved Narcissa into hiding. We weren't worried about her. We were okay with his choice. It should have been us."

Harry stared at Emma. He saw the hurt and shock on her face, and hated Snape even more for causing so much pain.

"Dumbledore didn't want the two of you to die," Harry spoke up. "He didn't want Draco to be a murderer, and he didn't want the two of you to die."

"So? It still would have been better if he was alive, and we weren't." Lupin pulled Emma into a hug.

"Dumbledore knew what he was doing, Emma. I don't even like the thought of losing you. You are going to be important in this war. You are important to all of us," Lupin said lovingly.

"And if Draco is important to you," Harry said, "Then, I guess I can learn to tolerate him."

Emma laughed tearily. Partly over Harry's attempt at being friends, and also over the shock of McGonagall and Lupin and Tonks when they heard that. "Ah, l'amour!" Fleur said excitedly. "This is the man I 'ave felt around you," she said happily.

Emma hugged Fleur. "Thank you," she said. Fleur was supporting her even if she didn't understand the situation.

Emma gave Lupin and Harry one last hug, and ran to the Room of Requirement. The swell of emotion over the news of Dumbledore's death was all-consuming, even more so than Cedric's death had been.

Lupin watched Emma leave. "What on earth is she talking about? What does Lucius's son have to do with this?"

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. "Um, . . ."

"They dated for a short period. It was a huge scandal right after break," McGonagall explained.

"Actually, they are still dating," Harry said.

"What?" McGonagall and Lupin cried at the same time.

"Emma and a Malfoy? Oh, Riley is going to kill me. Then you, Harry, for knowing about this and not telling anyone, and then Lucius, for having a son like that, and then probably Draco before he grounds Emma for life," Lupin said.

"You might want to intervene before he kills Draco," Hermione said. "They are. . ."

"They have been dating since last year," Harry cut in.

Lupin sat down. "My cousin and Emma . . ." Tonks said.

"Don't mention you're related, or Riley will come after you too," Lupin muttered. "God, if Sirius wasn't dead, this would kill him."

Harry looked at the others. "Can you imagine what would happen if we said they were bonded," Harry whispered.

"They are still dating?" Lupin asked. Harry nodded. He sat down and Tonks squeezed his shoulder. McGonagall stood up.

"Harry, I would like to talk to you before the ministry gets here. Hagrid, would you and the head of Households to come to my office. Ask Slughorn to come as the Head of Slytherin please?" She asked. Hagrid nodded.

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"My boy!" Narcissa cried. She rushed forward as soon as Snape and Draco apparated, and pulled him into a tight, motherly hug.

"Is he alright Severus? Is this over?" Narcissa asked.

"It has only begun, Narcissa. Now, Draco must come back with me to Voldemort to claim his glory and keep up appearances."

"No," Draco said stepping away from his mother and Snape.

"What?" Snape asked. "If you don't go, he will be even angrier you didn't do it yourself, Draco. You must keep up appearances."

"I am not doing it any more," Draco said.

"He will come after you, and her," Snape warned.

"We are fine with that. We made that decision. I am not going back. I never wanted to be in it in the first place. Now I am walking away, consequences be damned." Draco said.

"It isn't just your decision to make," Snape warned.

Draco knew he meant Emma. "We already know this," Draco said. "I am doing what I should have done last June. I am walking away."

"What do you mean walking away?" Narcissa demanded.

"Just that. I am doing what Sirius did and what I should have done a long time ago. You are safe for now, mother. I hope you stay safe."

"Don't you dare," Narcissa said dangerously. "You are a Malfoy and a Black. Sirius was nothing but a cowardly blood traitor. He paid for that, but I won't let my son follow in his fatal footsteps."

"It is my decision, and I have already made it. My only hope is you do not have to pay the consequences as well," Draco said.

"Draco," Snape said. "We can get through this."

"I am not going back."

"We will think of something else then," Snape said simply. Narcissa looked at him hopefully.

'Are you alright?' Draco asked.

'I . . .I think I will be fine so long as I stay here in the Room of Requirement. The emotions are almost too powerful for even this place. I can sense them right outside, ready to attack as soon as I step out.'

'I wish I was there with you'

'Me too.'

'I did it,' Draco said. 'I am walking away from all of it. Unless you do not wish to risk it.'

'No, I am alright with this decision. Even if you went back, there is no guarantee we would be alright. At least this way, you are as free as you can possibly be, for as long as possible.'

Emma slept fitfully that night. She heard a knock and Harry came in. "How are you?" Emma asked.

Harry shrugged. "I'm . . .well, I will be fine. What about you? How are you?"

"I'm . . .the same." Emma said.

"What about Draco?" He asked. Emma knew he was asking because Draco's welfare was tied to Emma's. She knew they still had a long way to go before he asked after Draco because he actually cared.

"Well, he followed in Sirius' footsteps. He is walking away, and now he is in hiding along with his mother and Snape," Emma said.

Harry sat on the chair Emma made appeared.

"I couldn't even perform the non-verbal spells. We've been doing it all year, and I couldn't do it when I needed to most," Harry said sadly.

"I'll help you," Emma offered. They sat in silence for awhile.

"I think your dad is here with Lupin and Tonks," Harry said. "I didn't tell them about your bond, just that you were dating."

"Lupin probably freaked out," Emma muttered.

"To put it mildly. He predicted your dad would go on a wild rampage if he found out," Harry remembered.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, he probably would. I'm not going to tell him."

After awhile they headed back down to the hospital wing where the Order, now including Riley, were meeting. "Emma," Riley pulled her into a huge embrace; his relief and grief practically smothering her. "I went to the Gryffindor common room, the Fat lady was nice enough to let me in," he said with a small laugh, "but you weren't there. Ginny said you were with Harry. Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. She remembered she looked like hell. "Do you want to go home?"

Emma shook her head, still embracing her father trying to erase the past few hours from her mind. "Yes, but I am not leaving till after Dumbledore's funeral like the other students."

Riley nodded. "I figured as much. I still can't believe he's gone. He. . .he helped me out a lot after your mum died," he said as he stroked Emma's hair remembering that awful night so long ago. "Helped people believe you were dead too, and I will always be thankful to him for that."

Emma nodded. She watched as the Order all discussed what to do, but didn't listen. She concentrated on just breathing and not throwing up on her shoes from the misery permeating the castle. She was surprised her father didn't kick her out of Order business, but her father knew Dumbledore had permitted her to attend so he didn't kick her out.

Emma looked out the window. She saw Harry and Ginny sitting together on the steps right outside the castle, and Ron and Hermione were further ahead together. 'At least some people get to be together,' Emma thought. 'I wonder if we will one day get to be like that?'

'I hope so,' Draco said sadly.

Emma was walking back to the Room of Requirement. Her father, along with the other Order members, were staying in the castle. "Emma?" Harry called out. "I have a question. What happened to the cabinet? The one the death eaters came through?"

"Draco destroyed it right after the death eaters came through," Emma gave a sad, cynical smile, "a year's worth of blood, sweat, and tears destroyed in the blink of an eye."

Harry squeezed her hand. "I'll see you later." He didn't add Ginny was waiting for him, but Emma knew. She always knew. She nodded. She went into the Room of Requirement. She pulled out her cloak and unwrapped Dumbledore's wand.. She had summoned it up from the ground right as Harry and Lupin arrived. She held it in her hand, looking at it fondly.

Such a clever, wonderful man, Emma thought.

Author's notes: One chapter left of year 6, and then year 7! (My version of their final year). Expect both of them up in a day, possibly two (So hurry & Review!)