Chapter 5: Accusations
"Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!"
"Something wrong Katrina?" Emily asked, not looking away from her reflection as she straightened her green and silver tie.
"I can't find it!" Katrina yelled.
Emily raised an eyebrow and glanced at Katrina with the full-length mirror. "Find what?"
"The picture!" Katrina screamed, the contents of her trunk pooled around her.
Emily began to brush her hair. "Oh… What a shame."
Tears began to brim in Katrina's eyes and Emily felt disgusted. How did this…imbecile even make it into Slytherin? Her disgust heightened as Katrina grabbed her arm and whined.
"Emily, what am I going to do?! That was my only leverage over Narcissa!"
"Nothing." Emily said simply.
"Nothing?"
Emily nodded. "Only you and I know that you lost the picture. You can continue to hang around Narcissa as if everything is normal, and she'll think you still have the picture and continue to pretend to be your friend."
Katrina smiled and let go of Emily, suddenly composed and looking as if nothing had happened. "I was just thinking the same thing, but, just so you know, Narcissa is really starting to like me, and Bellatrix may even start to tutor me. So I'm sorry to say that there's no room for you. So from now on, I will no longer associate with you."
Emily looked at Katrina coldly. "You'll regret crossing me, Pearl."
Katrina laughed. "Don't make me laugh, Potter. I'm climbing my way up the social ladder and leaving you here at the bottom. You're a loser and will always be a loser." She left the room laughing.
Emily rolled her eyes and continued getting ready for the day before leaving her dorm, grabbing her bag on the way out, exiting through the Slytherin common room and heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. Her pace was relaxed, as if a great surprise wasn't waiting for Katrina in the Great Hall that would humiliate her. Just as she exited the dungeons and made her way past the staircase in the entrance hall, an excited yell tore through the air.
"WOOOO!"
Emily looked at the staircase and let out a scream as a figure slid off the banister and straight into her, causing both to fall to the ground.
Emily opened her eyes, which shehad closed tightly in the process of falling, and stared straight into the gray eyes of one of her least favorite people in the school: Sirius Black.
He sat up a bit, hands resting on either side of her head, knees on either side of her hips, and looked down at her. They stared at each other for a moment, and Emily noticed a strange look in his eyes. She ignored it and raised an eyebrow.
"Mind getting off of me Black?" She asked.
Sirius blinked and quickly got off, wiping his robes as if he was touched by something repulsive, not even bothering to help her up. "Watch where you're going, Potter."
Emily glared and stood up. "I wasn't the one sliding down the banister, Black. What kind of an idiot does that when there could be others there to break your landing?"
He glared back. "You're the idiot who didn't get out of the way. Too bad it was you standing there instead of someone more…appealing." He mumbled, not looking at her.
She bristled. Bastard!
"Tell me Black…what's it like being a complete asshole?" She hissed with contempt.
"I'll tell you as soon as you tell me what it's like being a traitorous bitch." He countered.
She scowled. "Speaking of traitors, how is James doing?"
Sirius glared and grabbed the front of her robes. "The only traitor I see is you. Do you have any idea what you did to your brother?"
"Not particularly." She said coolly. "I was only sorted into my House, what he did was much worse."
Sirius's grip tightened. "You became what he hated most. An evil, slimy, snobby, status obsessed Slytherin."
She grabbed his wrist and glared. "And what he did was good? Turning his back on me and leaving me alone in the snake pit?"
Sirius sneered. "Bet you're enjoying your time with them. After spending your first train ride defending those snakes, how can you expect us to believe that you didn't want to be a Slytherin? He did right by forgetting about you."
Emily stared at him and slowly smiled, running a hand up his arm and through his hair.
He let go of her in surprise, but she grabbed the front of his robes in return, pulling him down to meet her gaze. "We're similar, you and I." She said quietly. "Both of us are the outcasts of our families, and ended up in the Houses our families hate, causing our brothers to hate us, however…"
She leaned closer so their faces were inches apart and her breath traveled over his lips. "…At least I have a parent that still loves me." She smiled cruelly and pecked him on the lips to spite him.
She moved away, but Sirius growled and grabbed her arm, turning her back to face him. He raised a hand and swung it towards her. Her eyes widened and she lifted her hands in front of her face. Sirius caught himself last second, stopping his hand right before it hit her cheek, his face painted with shock.
She lowered her own hand and stared up at him, calm expression returning. "Aren't you going to hit me Black? Aren't you going to punish me on James's behalf? Or maybe you realize that you and I really are similar?"
He pushed her away and walked towardthe Great Hall. "We're nothing alike and I'm not going to waste my time with you."
"Coward." She said simply. "If you don't like something, do something about it. Empty words and threats mean nothing."
He stopped walking, but only for a moment before continuing again.
Emily sighed as she was left alone in the entrance hall. He may be an arrogant bastard, but he'll never be as big of a coward as I am.
She heaved another sigh and walked into the Great Hall. Her sadness evaporated immediately at the chaos in front of her, directed mostly toward the Slytherin table. And the spectacle was quite amusing.
Katrina was screaming, trying to grab every piece of paper that was on and around the Slytherin table. Emily smirked. They copied and dropped the pages of the diary all around the Slytherin table.
There must be enough copies for every person in Slytherin, but…
She pulled her wand and cast a sweeping spell, causing the pages the float throughout the entire hall, landing everywhere. She put her wand back in the holster, unnoticed by all, and picked up a page that fell at her feet and read a random spot.
'And then Regulus would lay me down and climb on top of me, and we would-'
Emily stopped reading and tossed the paper over her shoulder with a smirk. She made her way towards the Slytherin table, kicking papers as she walked, enjoying the taunting and laugher directed at the thoroughly embarrassed and humiliated Katrina Pearl.
Said person was screaming at Narcissa and Bellatrix. "How could you do this?! You won't get away with this! I still have the picture, you slut!"
Narcissa looked enraged and opened her mouth, but Emily interrupted. "You're such a hypocrite Pearl."
"Emily?" Katrina asked.
Emily crossed her arms. "Narcissa took those pictures for someone special to her, whereasyou, wrote down your disgusting fantasies and conquests of mudbloods. You're the slut, not her."
Katrina had tears running down her face. "Emily…you…you..."
Emily silently reached into her bag and took out a folded picture, handing it to Narcissa. "I think this is yours."
Narcissa checked the picture and smirked. "Why yes it is, where ever did you find it?"
Emily shrugged. "It was just lying around."
Bellatrix grabbed the picture and took out her wand. "Let's just take care of this." She tapped the photo and it burned quickly until it was beyond repair.
The ashes fell to Katrina's feet and she watched horrified then looked up at Emily, who smiled. "I told you you'd regret it." Emily said with no sympathy for the distraught girl.
"How…How could you? I was your only friend." She glared. "How could such a weak and stupid person like you think this up?"
Emily laughed humorlessly. "I'm stupid? Who's the one who leaves her diary and the blackmailing piece she needed to make people like her lying around? Who asks the supposedly stupider person for help with homework and spells? Who can actually perform said spells? The only weak and stupid girl I see is you. You are a disgrace to the Slytherin House and to purebloods deserve everything you get."
Katrina growled and lunged at Emily, who drew her wand from the holster and shot a spell at Katrina, hitting her and sending her flying. "How barbaric, fighting like a muggle." Emily said in disgust, staring down at Katrina impassively.
Dumbledore, along with Slughorn, Head of Slytherin House, seemed to find it was time to intervene.
"Miss Potter, Miss Pearl, may I ask what the problem is?" Dumbledore asked.
"She copied and sent everyone pages of my diary and attacked me Professors!" Katrina yelled, getting up painfully.
"Is this true Miss Potter?" Slughorn asked; shocked one of his favorite students would do such a thing.
"No." She said easily. "I was merely defending myself when she attacked me, making horrible accusations." Emily rubbed her eye, looking sad. "I've been Katrina's friend since first year, and she loses her diary almost every week. She's blaming me because I didn't find it like every other time."
"That's not true! You lying bitch!" Katrina yelled.
"Miss Pearl, this is hardly the time for such language." Dumbledore scolded. "Now, Miss Potter, can you tell me why you were late for breakfast?"
"Are you accusing me Professor?" Emily asked.
"Of course not." Slughorn interrupted. "We just want to know who did this. Do you have any idea?"
She looked down. "I don't have any idea of who would pull such a horrible prank, but it wasn't me." She looked back up and she eyes had a glassy appearance.
Katrina watched horrified as Dumbledore's eyes softened and Slughorn patted Emily's shoulder. "She's lying!"
"Do you have any proof that she would do this?" Dumbledore asked.
"N-No." Katrina said weakly.
Emily suddenly noticed a page of the diary lying innocently on the floor and inwardly smirked. She reached down and gave a quiet gasp. "Professor..." She handed it to Slughorn, who silently read it and his face darkened.
"Albus." Slughorn handed him the paper.
Dumbledore read it and looked gravely down at Katrina. "Have you been stealing potions from Professor Slughorn, Miss Pearl?"
"No!" Katrina denied, but made the mistake of looking Dumbledore in the eyes.
Fool. Emily thought.
"Will you meet me in front of my office Miss Pearl?" Dumbledore asked. "Now." It wasn't a question and Katrina immediately ran out of the Great Hall, blushing at the taunts and snickers directed at her, but not before sending Emily a dirty look.
Dumbledore summoned all of the diary pages and looked at Emily. "I am sorry Miss Potter." She just nodded, but wouldn't meet his eyes, pretending to look sadly at the ground. "Horace, you will accompany me since this was a theft of your potions?" Dumbledore asked.
Slughorn nodded. "Of course." He smiled at Emily and both men turned to leave.
Emily smirked to herself and sat down in her usual spot at the Slytherin table, ignoring the stares she was getting. When Slughorn and Dumbledore left Narcissa looked at Emily and smirked. Emily just stared back for a second then looked back down at her plate, a smile forming.
Things may start to change… The question is… Will it be a good change, or a bad one?
