Note: Gasp! Chapter ONE FREAKING HUNDRED!!!! This is the most I've EVER written for a fan fic! O_O Too bad I may've moved onto Naruto by now. I'm now sure how or why, but some unknown force tempted me toward The Akatsuki of the Naruto World. Some unknown force...I suspect Nargles...oh well, on with the story! ^^
She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…
Marauder's Phase
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED
The First Task
Before I knew it, the prospect of The First Task was merely days away, and I began to lose precious sleep, looking more and more like Remus every day.
Meanwhile, Remus was becoming more and more worried about me, and forcing me to practice spells we thought I might need. I spent so much time yelling: "Protego!" And: "Accio!" That when I did manage to fall asleep at night, I either dreamed about shielding myself from flying objects or, the less rational of the dreams - summoning giant shields made of water.
And, if you think it's easy to hide a scarred hand from your best friends, think again. I had a few near misses, and came up with a dozen new excuses but, finally, Regulus saved me the hassle and bought me a pair of gloves in Hogsmeade. It's times like these when friends who aren't too close to you can come in handy.
Meanwhile, I began to spend a fair bit of time with Regulus, mainly because of the reason that Sirius was treating me very strangely. He would look at me weird, and then act all super polite in a way that put me at unease - it was the way I often spoke to people I didn't know too well. It unnerved me way more than what the prospect of DYING in front of the entire school did, and I thought I might pass out at times.
I was a wreck.
And then, on the night before The First Task, I had a dream that seemed to unravel the last of my sanity.
In it, I was standing in a huge enclosure, seeming surrounded by people who were screaming my name. And then the screaming stopped, because a huge dragon had just appeared, and it was carrying a large golden egg.
I awoke in a mess of sheets and a cold sweat, and immediately kicked the covers off, jumping to my feet and running to the window, opening it to be greeted by the sight of an early morning snow flurry.
"Whoa..." I whispered, as the snow came in, and in a matter of seconds I was soaked.
"Oh, spare me..." I heard Molly mutter and, a few seconds later, Alice groaned: "Close the window Frank..."
"It's cold..." Serilda chimed in sleepily, but Lily seemed to be wide awake.
She sat up, her green eyes suddenly alert. "Em?" She asked, throwing the book aside and getting out of bed. "What's wrong? (Oh my gosh, you're soaking!)"
"The First Task," I said blankly, suddenly aware that I had woken everyone up. Lily came up to me, her eyes glued to mine, green to hazel. "I think it's dragons."
***
I sat in History Of Magic that day, unaware of what was going on around me. The reactions of the other witches in my form played in my mind.
_-_
"The First Task. I think it's dragons." I said blankly.
"What makes you say that?" Lily asked.
"I had a dream." I replied.
"A dream?" Alice repeated, doubtfully.
"Was it a premonition?" Molly wondered.
"I dunno," I shrugged. "Maybe..." I closed the window, because it really was cold.
"Thank you." Serilda said.
"You're welcome." I replied.
_-_
And then their was the reactions of the Marauders when Lily had told them. I'd been out of it by that stage, as we sat down the breakfast, and Lily made me eat something (what it was, I couldn't tell you).
We were all clustered down one end of the Gryffindor table - Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Molly, Alice, Serilda and I...
_-_
"D-Dragons!?" Peter squeaked.
"What makes you say that?" James asked.
"Are you sure?" Remus looked even paler than usual as he said that.
"I didn't ask for this!" I exclaimed unhappily.
"We know you didn't, Emma," Lily said soothingly. "Now eat your pancakes." (Oh, so
that'swhat they were).
"She's nervous." Molly noted, as if I wasn't there.
"That," Remus had said, still ghostly pale. "Is an understatement."
"The teachers must know by now that she didn't put her name in." Alice said to Lily.
"I think the whole
schoolknows that by now, Al." Serilda had stated flatly, but she too seemed concerned.
_-_
Sirius hadn't said one word to me since yesterday, when he'd asked me to pass him a silver dagger in Potions class. I glanced sideways at him now, and saw that he was staring straight ahead, eyes to the front, unusually alert - for him, for anyone - in History Of Magic class.
He still didn't believe that I hadn't intentionally stolen his glory, didn't he? Oh, this was ten times worse than Harry and Ron's argument, for so many different reasons! Sirius was my boyfriend, for one, and for two, he'd actually gone for it...but I'd taken it away from him. Not only that, but it always seemed to happen to me - but that shouldn't affect Sirius, right?
I didn't ask for this!!
Time seemed to go by in the blink of an eye and, yet, when I was with Sirius - my uncharacteristically stoic boyfriend - it seemed to drag on forever. Imagine spending forever with a person who used to love you, but was now ignoring you completely. He wouldn't even look at me.
Professor McGonagall came to collect me after lunch had finished, and I was aware of everyone looking at me. I caught Bellatrix's gaze, and she smirked smugly at me.
Could I show her a thing or two? Maybe not...against dragons...
I groaned inwardly as McGonagall and I left the Great Hall, with 'good lucks' and 'you'll be fine's' from seven-eights of my friends. Guess-Who stayed quiet, staring stonily ahead...
McGonagall didn't seem herself, and once we'd walked down the stone steps, she placed a hand on my shoulder. "Now, don't panic," She said. "Just keep a cool head...we've got wizards on hand to control the situation if it gets out of hand..."
"The double hand in there was incredibly redundant, Professor," I found myself saying in my sleep-deprived, totally-nervous state.
She appeared not to have heard me. "The main thing is to just do your best, and nobody will think any worse of you...are you alright?"
"N-yes." I sighed. "Yes, I'm fine..." Oh God...
***
Soon, I found myself standing in a tent that had been erected at the edge of the forest and which beyond it, I knew, dragons waited. McGonagall had left me, and I found myself alone in the tent with Sean Durmish, Apolline Violetta and Brunilda Danikavitch.
As soon as Apolline (whom I was now convinced was the to-be Mother of Fluer Delacour, especially since I knew that there was somebody with that same last name at Beauxbatons) saw me, she rushed over to me. Today she was wearing an inversion of her usual school uniform - it was still powder blue, but seemed sportier, and more ready for battle. It looked really, really good on her, but what did I expect? She was half-veela, of course.
"Emma!" She exclaimed, taking both my hands in hers. "Are you alright? Are you nervous?" She asked me, concerned suddenly.
Was I really that pale? There was no way I was going to tell her how nervous I was. "No, not really," I tried to laugh. "You?"
"A leetle," She admitted, laughing self-consciously.
I nodded. "Me too, I guess...I mean...umm..."
She laughed. It was like an angel's laugh. "Don't worry, I am too! Eet is, after all, ze First Task!"
I happened to glance over her shoulder then, and saw Brunilda glaring at us. She was, too, was wearing a sportier version of her school's blood red uniform, and I suddenly remembered my long black robes.
"Uh..." I said, glancing down at myself.
Apolline gasped. "Oh, but of course! You cannot compeet in zis!" She gestured to my robes. "Oh, meester Durmish!?"
Sean Durmish looked up, and then seemed to remember something. "Oh, right, of course!" He handed me what appeared to be a uniform. "Your robes for the tournament. Replacements are avaliable if they're...damaged in any way." He pointed to an area enclosed by curtains. "You can get changed in there." He added, and I thanked him and stepped inside to get changed into the shorter black robes, which included two leather straps which criss-crossed at the waist, and s hiny silver and black badge with an 'H' on it, for Hogwarts. I'm not sure what it was, but something made my realise the unbelievable as I pulled on my boots.
Oh my God...this is actually happening...
I realised, as I stepped out.***
Apolline, Brunilda and I gathered around Sean Durmish. Behind us, repsectively, were Madam Maxime, Professor Poliakoff and Professor Dumbledore, repsectively) and Sean was holding out a purple silk sack, and opening the neck of said sack.
I hoped Dumbledore, who had his hand on my shoulder, didn't feel me shudder, as Apolline reached in and pulled out a small, enchanted model of a red dragon with an odd fringe of fine gold spikes around its face out of its face. She didn't look surprised, somehow and, I wondered, if Hagrid had shown Madam Maxime the dragons beforehand?
Why didn't he show me...oh, of course...I'm not as close to him as Harry will be, right...it's not Hagrid's fault...good God, Brunilda got the Swedish Short-Snout...
For Brunilda had just reached into the bag an extracted from its depths a silvery-blue dragon model with long pointed horns...it snapped at her finger, and she exchanged a glance withy her headmaster. She didn't look surprised either.
I glanced at the bag as Sean offered it to me. I had only two choices, really - a Common Welsh Green...or a Hungarian Horntail. Granted, I'd rather take neither...but if Fluer could get past a Welsh Green...then I'd take that one!
I reached into the bag for the last dragon model, praying to God that I'd draw a smooth-scaled green one and not a lizard-like black one with a spiky tail...
CWG...CWG...you know what I mean...
I prayed, reaching into the bag, and drawing out the last dragon by it's none-spiky tail (yes!)...it was light green (double yes!) and I knew without a doubt that it was a Common Welsh Green.I glanced up at Dumbeldore with a relieved smile, but then...
"We had some trouble getting the Common Welsh Green here..." Sean said suddenly, and glanced at the other Ministry official, the Head Of The Department Of International Magical Cooperation, a man named Lyle Huttsworth (!?). Where was Barty Crouch Senior? Or maybe...he was only in that position during the end of the First Wizarding War...maybe...
"Yes," Lyle took over for Sean. "But, luckily, we have found a suitable replacement..."
"It's not a Hungarian Horntail, is it?" I interrupted.
Lyle and Sean stared at me. "How did you know?" The asked in unison.
"What!?" I fairly shrieked. I turned to my headmaster. "Professor, is this...safe? I mean...a Horntail..." I glanced at the Welsh Green in my palm, which was looking up at me with a questioning expression, and I wanted to cry. "I mean...there's no similarity...this one's small, and Horntail's are...well..."
Everyone was staring at me now, except for Dumbledore, who was glaring at Sean and Lyle.
Suddenly, as if to accent my words, there was a sudden loud roar that was unmistakebly a dragon's, from outside, and somebody yelled: "The Horntail's loose!"
"Watch out for its tail, lads!" Somebody yelled.
I'm sure my eyes were the size of dinner plates, by that stage. I groaned. "Never mind...just get on with it..." I was tired of stalling. I'd been in a panic for ages now, and I was tired of panicking, tired of waiting.
Come what may.
I'd face it.
***
"Look at that dragon!!"
"It HUGE!!"
"There's Brunilda!!"
"She's going in!!"
"Dear God, no!!"
"BRUNILDA!!"
"AAAAUUUURRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!"
"At least she got a good score!!"
"But look at her arms!!"
"How can they fix that!?"
"Hey, where did Remus go!?"
"Ssh, LOOK!!"
"Who...OH!!"
"It's the French-girl's turn!!"
"She almost got bitten then!!"
"Oh my God!!"
"It got her!!"
"Apolline's done it!!"
"MY EYE!!!!"
"GET MADAM POMFREY!!!!"
"AAAUUURRRGGGHHH!!!"
***
The last one didn't sound too good.
"Oh. My. God." I said through chattering teeth, staring at a blank spot on the tent wall. Never ever in my life had I wanted to run away as much as I had now...in the face of such danger...
I wish I'd brought ear plugs. What had happened to Apolline and Brunilda?? I could onky make out, through what I had heard from the stadium, that both had gotten past their dragons to collect their golden eggs...but both seemed to have been hurt in the process. And badly...
Brunilda arms, and...Apolline's eyes!? Her eyes!? Eyes!?
Burned, or...what else could be worse than that!?
What would happen to me!?
I began clenching and unclenching my hands, and that was when the tent flap nearest to where I was sitting on a bench flew open, and Remus Lupin came in.
"Remus!" I cried and, before I could stop myself, I flew into his arms, nearly sobbing but managing to control myself just in time.
"Emma!" He wrapped his arms around me, and held me close to him, stopping me from shaking with the firmness of his hug. "Now, listen to me...can you do the Summoning Charm?"
"Yes, but..."
"Will you concentrate on what you are to summon alone, and nothing else?" He pressed on, firmly.
"Yes, but..."
"Then will you summon James' broomstick to you, in the task?"
"Yes, but...Remus!" I yelped, jumping back from him. "Are you suggesting that I...fly, and get the egg that way?"
Remus nodded. "You can do it, Ems." He said confidently.
"Why James' broom?"
"I know you feel most comfortable on that." Remus said confidingly.
"What if I mess up?"
"You won't."
"Did Apolline or Brunilda fly?"
Remus shook his head. "No, but I'm not allowed to say what they did. Ems, beli..."
A whistle suddenly blew from outside, somewhere. I was frozen. "I-is that..?" I guessed.
Remus nodded, looking paler than I had ever seen him before. "Yes, Emmy...you have to go now..."
"Remi!" I exclaimed, and flung my arms around him, kissing him on the lips. I drew back just as suddenly as I'd started forard, and gasped: "I can do it!?" And I drew my wand and fairly sprinted out into the stadium.
"Emma...you can!"
***
There she was, waiting for me.
A scaly black lizard with wings, thrashing around as the crowd roared from above. Her leathery wings were half furled, and she had directed her evil yellow eyes on to me.
Oh my freaking God...this is the scariest thing I have ever seen...where is my Welsh Green!?
I wondered, locking eyes with the Hungarian Horntail. Stupid customs...okay, here goes nothing... I raised my wand. "Accio broomstick!" I yelled, concentrating every fibre of my mind and body onto James' broomstick, the Nimbus 1700, the closest I could get to a Firebolt...I hoped...And then the dragon struck, lashing out with her long, spike-laden tailed and, without thinking, I dodged it, leaping nimbly to the side as if in a dream, and flipping over sideways with my hands to get away. It was a natural reaction, I'd taken lesson after lesson to be able to do things like that...but probably not for this reason...
The crowd cheered when I did this, however, and I had to remind myself to focus. Where was that broomstick!?
And then I heard it, speeding through the air behind me; I turned and saw James' Nimbus 1700 speeding towards me around the edge of the woods, I heard the roar of the crowd as I leapt into it, grabbing it, mounting and gripping tightly with my legs...
Fly...
It was as if I was playing another Quidditch match, and the Horntail was just another opposing player...Harry had been right, everything did just fade away...just became me, the Horntail and the eggs...the golden egg...that became the Snitch for me...
I can't let everybody down...
I thought, as I dived, and the Horntail's head followed me...I pulled out of the dive and felt the searing heat from a burst of flame, right where I would have been had I not risen...that was a Slytherin-directed Bludger to me, though...that was all..."Great Scott, she can fly!" Sean Durmish cried.
Oh shut up, Sean.
I thought, as I rose higher, to the screams of cheers of the crowd, and I realised that the Horntail was far too protective of her eggs.Right...
I rose up more, and then banked, diving steeply, heading toward the eggs, and the Horntail's head followed me, then I rose up again, and swerved sharply to the left...the crowd gasped...
And then, suddenly...the Horntail's chain neck-collar broke.
Oh my God.
I thought and, without a moment's thought after that, I soared away over the crowd and the Horntail, now free of her bindings, followed me.Just like in the movie, I headed toward the castle, but I knew that it was too high a hope to believe that she'd fall onto the rocks, so I began a series of sharp turns and dives, hoping to throw her off. I might've succeeded, had not been for that bloody tail of hers, and suddenly it sliced through the air out of nowhere...I pulled my broom to the left...and felt the razor-sharp spikes rip through my robes and tear at my skin...felt it stinging...
Then I pulled up in a death-defying loop, and managed to turn myself around, speeding back toward the stadium, one idea firmly lodged in my mind: Get the egg.
I heard the screams from the audience, heard their gasps as they saw my injury, and then I ducked down and I had the egg. I tucked it safely underneath my uninjured arm...
Unfortunately, the Horntail was right on my tail and, as I suddenly looked over my shoulder, I saw it open its mouth and direct a huge wave of flames at me.
I didn't even think, I just dropped - I let go of the broom, left it hanging there in mid-air to be burned to cinders, and I fell, the ground was rushing up to meet me, I was free-falling...
And then, suddenly, I was caught - wrapped up in a pair of arms, in an embrace that I had long forgotten.
"Dear God," Said Sirius, and I could only tell that it was him from his voice - my eyes were shut tight, and I was shaking. "That broom could've been you...I knew...but I didn't want to believe...you never wanted to...I was so worried..." And suddenly, he was running with me toward the first-aid tent, where Madam Promfreyw as waiting.
I scarcely noticed Brunilda there, with her arms done up slings, or Apolline, bandages over her eyes and nose.
The only thing that mattered was what Sirius said, as he leaned close to me. "I knew you didn't put your name forth...dear God Emma, I've been so worried for you!" And then he kissed me, and I kissed him back.
"I need to heal your cut!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, and Sirius and I jumped apart from each other. Madam Pomfrey cleaned the cut on my shoulder with a dab of purple liquid that stung, but then she poked it with her wand and it healed instantly. "Now, just sit her quietly for a minute - sit! And then you can go and get your score." She bustled out of the tent.
"Well," Said Lily's voice from beside me, for she, James, Peter and Remus had just entered the tent. Her teeth were chattering. "Well...that was exciting now, wasn't it?"
"My broomstick!" James wailed. "My precious broomstick, guys!"