Severus Snape almost slammed the utensils for cleaning into Emmeline's hands one night in the Trophy Room. She glared down at the mop and piece of cloth in her hands and looked back up at him. He stared at her with his usual cold look. Sighing she said, ''Will you ever really forgive me, Professor?''
''There is nothing to forgive. Especially when no one has apologized,'' he said coolly. ''Whatever happened to 'the past is the past'?''
She looked at him desperately but sighed once again in defeat and looked away. Her eyes landed on the one name that made her smile even the slightest on any moment. This time, she smiled at the coincidence. ''Always present, isn't he?'' she whispered. Snape didn't have to glance to know who she meant.
''Probably laughing from his grave,'' he snapped.
''Don't you-''
''Sorry I'm late!'' George came inside just in time. Snape turned to glare at him while Emmeline looked up at him incredulously. ''It won't get me another detention, will it?'' he said trying to lighten up the mood. Snape simply slammed the utensils into his hands and walked out the door, slamming it on his way out. Emmeline and George cringed. She sighed and shook her head. ''Always the moody type, Snape''
''Tell me about it'' muttered Emmeline. She moved to the first line of trophies and started cleaning. ''Whatever are you doing here, anyway? Where's your evil twin?'' she mocked.
''He's not evil,'' defended George. ''And I, well... Professor McGonagall got angry when I arrived late at Transfiguration earlier today''
''Late? I thought you had left early from the loony bin'' Emmeline laughed, but George remained oddly silent. She frowned and looked at him. ''What is it?''
''I stayed behind... Left a book in there and went to look for it and then on my way there-'' he sighed and chose to keep on cleaning a medal.
''What?'' she asked him, frowning.
''I bumped into Klein... and he started talking about Katie''
''Oh,'' she said, looking at George, surprised it affected him that much. ''You didn't believe anything he said, right?''
''No, of course not,'' he answered quickly.
The night was darkening and they could see nothing inside. Emmeline placed down a cup and walked around the room, searching for candles. George glanced up from a golden plate and watched her pass by about ten of them. He was about to say something but stopped himself when he saw her walk by again to where she had started. As she passed, she glanced up to each candle, and when she did each one of them started lighting up. She kept on doing this, circling the room and lighting every single thing that could bring light. Once she was done, she glanced at George and grinned. The fireplace at the end of the room lit itself up bringing warmth into the room. George almost let the plate slid off his hands while he stared in awe around the room. ''How did you...'' he started whispering.
''Wandless...and non-verbal magic'' she answered before he had a chance. He stared at her amazed, processing what she had just said.
''They haven't taught us that yet''
She laughed and said, ''And they won't. It's something you can't teach to a room full of students. It requires dedication, concentration, attention, practice, and power''
''Alicia mentioned you did it in the train and that you'd teach her. She's quite excited,'' said George.
''The only person I ever taught to do wandless magic lies peacefully underground next to the first I ever taught non-verbal magic to'' she said calmly without thinking. She widened her eyes a bit once she realized what she said. George's lips parted and stared at her incredulously. Emmeline walked closer to him and took his hand into both of hers. ''Can I trust you?''
George looked at her with confusion and said, ''You can trust me... but can I trust you?''
''Yes'' she said relieved, letting go of his hand and smiling up at him. ''Of course you can-''
''Why the sudden change of heart, then? You hated me not two hours ago-''
Emmeline stepped back and looked at him with a frown. ''Who said I hated you?''
''Well you-'' he stopped himself and it was his turn to frown. He looked up at her amazed.
''Exactly, I never did, you just implied it because you hate me''
''I don't'' said George.
''So... what you mean is that we've hated each other when the truth is... we never did?'' Emmeline raised an eyebrow.
''I guess,'' George rubbed the back of his neck and they started laughing. They stayed like this for a while and then started to carry on with the cleaning. They sat next to each other while cleaning more cups, plates, and medals summoned by Emmeline. They talked endlessly. George told her the silly tales Bill and Charlie used to tell him and Fred, about Charlie and the dragons, Charlie in general, about George's mum, his dad, about Ron, about Ginny, about Mr. Weasley... and then to the twin subject. They stayed the longest on that one. George just seemed to have been waiting a long while to talk to her about all the jokes and pranks he and Fred had been plotting against her but kept some for himself. To his surprise, Emmeline had been everything but mad at him. She had actually laughed and complimented him for the creativity.
''I wish I had a family like yours'' Emmeline said, admiring a shield she had just finished cleaning. She watched it float all the way to where it had been put before she took it.
''What about yours? Do you have siblings?'' George asked looking down at a bronze plate in his lap as he cleaned it lazily.
''Not one''
George turned to look at her and the plate he had been cleaning floated all the way to where it belonged. ''Cousins?''
''None''
''Uncles?''
''None''
''Aunts?''
''None''
He sighed and bit his lower lip before asking, ''...Parents?'' He watched her stare at the fireplace in complete silent. Emmeline took a deep breath and sighed silently.
''Dead'' she said coolly. George shuddered slightly and sighed.
''Is it... alright if I ask-''
''Murdered,'' she answered him before he could. ''Both of them''
''Who do you live with, then?''
''No one, really'' she said simply. George widened his eyes in surprise.
''Really?'' he whispered.
''Really''
''That's... sad''
She chuckled and shook her head. ''Maybe. But I don't see it that way''
''And what way do you see it?''
Emmeline pressed her lips together into a thin line and frowned. ''It's hard to explain''
''I might surprise you if you try me''
She looked at him incredulously and chuckled, looking back to the fire. ''You're better off not knowing, George'' Both were startled at what she had just said, but said nothing. A shield flew from the back of the room and landed on Emmeline's hands. She sat there petrified as she looked down at it. At the top, 'Gryffindor' was written and in the centre of the shield was a smaller golden one that read 'James Potter' listing him as playing Seeker in 1972. She traced her fingertips on the name and let out a shaky breath, her lower lip trembling. George had asked her if she was alright but she ignored the question and stared in awe at the shield, cleaning it with the effort she hadn't made present on the rest. It almost glowed when she was done with it. George's eyes flickered from her face to the shield, worry visible in his eyes. Emmeline sniffed, making George notice the tip of her nose, which was the only part of her face he had ever seen with colour up until now. ''He'd be proud'' she whispered without looking up from the name engraved under the tips of her fingers.
George watched her fingers; tenderly tracing each letter and number and the shield itself. He had already known of all the great Seekers that had ever been in Gryffindor, but could not understand why Emmeline, who naturally hated Quidditch, admired so dearly one of Gryffindor's best. Not King, from 1969, who had been a spectacular Seeker and the best of his time. Not Professor McGonagall, who had suffered and still did for every loss the scarlet and gold had, and who had been the best female Seeker there had ever been in Hogwarts and still was ever since 1971. But she only felt great admiration and was what George recognized as proud for one particular Seeker who happened to be the father of a boy she cared greatly for.
He found this a strange.
Emmeline's lips formed a broken smile that made George feel almost guilty for something he neither knew of nor had done. ''Tomorrow's Halloween, George'' she had whispered. George hadn't thought of this for a long time. Though, as he thought of it more, he and Fred had been plotting a friendly gift for Emmeline just for that night. And as he thought of it more, he remembered that one Halloween that had turned his hatred, that wasn't really hate, toward Emmeline into almost none. And just as he thought a bit more, it somehow seemed to start clicking. Her tenderness towards Harry and how protective she was over him, how much admiration and emotion was there when she spoke or heard of his father, and how Halloween, October 31st, turned out to be the one night he had been murdered and just the one night that not so long ago he and Lee had seen Emmeline cry. Every Halloween, she did...
''What do you mean?''
George jerked his head up to look at her, wondering if he had said that out loud. He gulped and said, ''It's going to sound crazy, but... It's hard not to wonder if... you know, if you're somehow-''
''Say it already'' she pushed.
''Related to Harry?'' he blurted it out. It sounded so logical inside his head but now that he had said it, it seemed almost impossible, ridiculous, and unimaginable! He even looked back at the fire, knowing that she'd probably laugh in his face. He could almost feel the laughter running up her throat to be sent out and barked into his ear. But she didn't. George waited and waited, not daring to look at her, but she did not laugh. The thought of what he had said being real made him turn to face her and look at her incredulously. Emmeline had looked up at him and stared with her lips parted, deep in thought. ''You are...'' whispered George.
''I am, but not the way you probably think'' she answered truthfully.
''Then how? Are you his sister or something?''
The laughter he had been expecting came and startled him. ''Oh, you have no idea how much I wish I was Harry's big sister. He sees me that way, though. And maybe one day he might just say it out loud... But no, I am not Harry's sister. It's far much more complicated than that''
''How complicated?'' asked George confused.
''Far too complicated'' whispered Emmeline, looking down at James's shield, grinning down at it. ''It's getting late'' she said, standing up and taking the shield herself to where it belonged. George walked to the door and waited for her. As she walked over to the door, looking up at George and smiled gratefully, the candles blew out. They exited the Trophy Room and made their silent way up to the Gryffindor Tower. She asked George something about Quidditch just to be polite and he went on into his rambling about everything there was to know. He said every detail, went over the positions and most famous tactics that Oliver Wood liked to use and talked about his very favourite teams and players. Just when they got to the portrait of the Fat Lady, he had just finished and Emmeline felt like she knew far enough already.
''Pig Snout'' Emmeline said and they walked into the Common Room just when George started making fun of the silly passwords and Emmeline laughed. Lee, Alicia, Angelina, Katie, and Fred all sat together and were startled when they saw them walk inside far more than civil. Emmeline cleared her throat and George looked at them.
''I don't believe it!'' shouted Fred. ''The dwarf of brother we have may have gone to her side, but you! You're the uglier version of my face! How could you!''
''Quit the shouting, Weasley, we just had detention together''
''Did you just say uglier?'' George asked.
''We just had detention together'' Fred mocked her in a high-pitched tone.
''Very mature'' she glared at him, crossing her arms.
''Here we go...'' groaned Angelina.
''Very mature'' Fred mocked her once again.
''I'm much more handsome, thank you very much!'' argued George.
''I'm getting sick of this, to be honest'' Emmeline said making her way to the stairs.
''Hogwarts Hogwarts Hoggy Warty Hogwarts...'' Katie started singing.
''Really?'' Alicia glared at Katie.
''I'm getting sick of this, to be honest'' Fred mocked.
''Weasley!'' screamed Emmeline.
''Mom says I'm handsome!'' yelled George.
''Weasley!'' Fred screamed in a girly voice.
''One hippogriff, two hippogriffs...'' Lee said, slamming a pillow against his face over and over again.
''Our heads could do with filling with some interesting stuff!''
''This is madness'' groaned Alicia.
''Stop being such a git!''
''I am also nicer, d'you know!''
''...Six hippogriffs, seven hippogriffs...''
''Jesus...'' sighed Angelina.
''Stop being such a git!''
''So teach us things worth knowing, bring back what we've forgot!'' Angelina joined Katie.
''I'm surrounded by idiots'' mumbled Alicia.
''George is so much nicer than you are!''
''THANK YOU!''
''George is so much nicer than you are! BOLLOCKS!''
''...eighteen hippogriffs, nineteen hippogriffs...''
''I am better looking and nicer than you!''
''...our brains all rot!''
''AND AGAIN!'' shouted Katie.
''NO!'' Fred, George and Emmeline shouted in unison at her.
''What the bloody hell is going on in here?''
The seven of them turned and noticed how the Common Room and the stairs had been filled by groans, yawns, and amused looks. Percy walked forward his arms crossed and a scowl, tapping his foot and glaring at each of them. Silence filled the room and he shouted, ''WELL?'' And why he had done that, no one knew. Emmeline went back to scream at Fred saying it was his fault, Fred went on mocking, George kept on screaming how he was the better looking twin and how Fred just couldn't handle it, Katie simply started telling Percy how they all started yelling so she chose for the civil track and sang the school's song, Angelina begged him not to tell Professor McGonagall because Quidditch was coming up, Alicia went on about how she had no idea what was going on with their heads, and Lee simply started counting hippogriffs. Again.
''ALRIGHT ALRIGHT, I GOT IT!'' shouted Percy, but neither of them bothered. It was only until one girl that descended from the Girl's Dorm with a tight bun at the top of her dark-haired head and a tight robe around her that moved Percy to a side and cleared her throat. Only Alicia noticed this and went rigid. The girl took a deep breath and sighed.
''SILENCE!'' she roared and the entire Common Room fell silent. She grinned and said, ''I don't give a bloody damn what the issue is, I just wish to sleep. Now either all of you get your arses to bed or I will call Professor McGonagall and make sure you get detention until I graduate, and make your lives here a living hell. Am I clear?'' she said in a stern voice that made everyone cringe. The seven of them ran upstairs to their dormitories just like everyone else. The black-haired girl sighed happily and smiled. She turned to Percy and said, ''I might just not make it to Head Girl with the little patience I have, but if you get to Head Boy, you better learn how to control these children, Perce''
''You're too harsh, did you know?''
''I'm Russian, raised in Bangkok. What did you expect, really?''
I had so much fun writing, editing, and reading this! I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I did :)