Harry walked down the corridor on Halloween, going back up to the Common Room in search of his right socks. Ron and Hermione were going to meet him downstairs to go to the Deathday Party Nearly Headless Nick had invited them to. He sighed and mumbled, ''Wattlebird'' and the Fat Lady swung her portrait, allowing him entrance. He walked up to the Boys' Dorm and closed the door on his way in. Since everyone was down at the Feast, the silence in the room felt heavy around him. Harry walked to his trunk but stopped when he looked up, noticing his bed's hangings closed. He frowned deeply and stood up, taking out his wand from his cloak and rounding his bed. He swallowed slowly and drew the hanging as fast as he could. His heart jumped to his throat and back. Sitting cross-legged, with a deep red jumper, jeans, and Harry's socks was Emmeline, with a frown.
''Are you that mad at me?'' she raised her eyebrow, eyeing his wand. Harry snapped out of his trance and jumped on the bed to hug her tightly. Emmeline laughed happily and held him, feeling heavy droplets wetting her jumper. She couldn't help but laugh and sigh, relieved. ''I missed you too, kid'' she said. Harry pulled back and sat cross-legged too, next to her.
''Why didn't you answer my letters? Hedwig always came back with a full stomach but nothing else''
''If I didn't feed your owl she would've pooped Charlie's living room''
Harry chuckled and asked, ''Then why not answer? I wrote you everyday''
''I know, I know... It sucked. But I wanted to avoid any trouble. People are very curious and I didn't want to involve you in this''
''But not even Hagrid? I think he wrote to you twice as much as I did''
''And that was a lot'' Emmeline sighed. She looked down at Harry and grinned. She cleaned a little trace of tears on his cheek. Harry chuckled.
''Sorry about that...''
''No, it's alright if you cry,'' she admitted. ''It's human''
''George was asking where you were today. So did Lee''
Emmeline frowned, ''Did they, really?''
''They just said that you usually are very sad on this day,'' Harry shrugged. He thought for a moment and looked up at her with a frown. ''Are you?'' Emmeline nodded miserably. She grinned weakly at Harry and he simply took her hand. Just at that moment he truly realized how much he had missed her. And so had she. Harry looked down and frowned. ''What's that?'' he asked, pointing to a necklace that hung from her neck. Emmeline looked down at it and tried to put it back inside her jumper. Harry stopped her and instead took it in his hands, looking at it curiously.
''It was gift,'' she answer that question that lingered in his head. Harry looked up at her surprised but then looked back down at it. It was like something he hadn't seen before. The drop pendant had a Blue diamond inside, surrounded by sterling silver. ''It's actually a Blue Topaz'' she had corrected him out loud. Harry let go of the necklace and looked up at her puzzled. Had he said that out loud?
''How did you-''
''You're not that hard to read, Harry'' she smiled down at him. He blushed lightly and she laughed at this, pulling him back to a hug. Harry felt her cheek against the top of his head and he closed his eyes, listening to her breathing. ''Have you read the book?'' She asked him. Harry pulled away quickly. He hadn't even touched that book ever since she gave it to him. He looked up at her apologetically.
''I'm-''
''No pressure'' Emmeline reassured him. She frowned and said, ''Although you do have to go to that party I hear you're attending with Ron and Hermione''
''How did you know?'' Harry asked her, standing up from his bed and searching for his socks.
''There are few things I don't know. But when it comes to you... I always know'' Emmeline said, taking off her socks and handing them to Harry. ''I kept them warm for you. Don't worry, my feet don't smell'' She chuckled, seeing the frown on Harry's face. She stood up and put on her shoes. Just as Harry put on his and his socks, he looked up to find her closing the door on her way out. Desperately, he walked outside and almost flew down the stairs.
''Wait!'' he called after her, just before she walked out of the Common Room. It was deserted. Emmeline turned to look at him and frowned. ''When are you coming back?'' Harry panted. Emmeline grinned softly. She walked closer to him and leaned in to kiss his forehead.
''So fast you won't have time to miss me''
... ... ... ...
December
Her heart wanted to slap her own self for promising things and breaking them afterwards. The rough blizzard that had hit that place last night was still palpable all around. The trees and its branches were filled with snow, there was no ground but only five feet of snow, and more to come. Her brown knee-high boots were filled with snow and her surroundings made her transparent skin be almost unnoticeable except for her clothing. She reached the village and knocked on the wooden doors. It took another knock for her to realize no one was going to come outside and open her. She waved her hand effortlessly and the doors swung open, even with the heavy snow covering it. She looked around and was in awe with the beauty of the place. The low tree branches were white in the top and dark brown underneath. The sky mathed the place's grounds. There were several little houses with their dark red roofs filled with white snow. But the one she searched for was not anywhere close to the entrance of that wonderful place. She knew that.
Her footsteps were hard not to notice as she made her way deep into the village, looking from side-to-side, looking for that one house. There were several dead ends and a couple of snow filled playgrounds. But it was not until she reached the far end of the village were a small humble house stood away from the others, that she let a little relieved sigh escape her lips. She walked towards it and raised her arm, knocking softly on the front door. A tiny blue eye peeked over the curtains from the window next to where she had knocked. Several locks, she heard, began unlocking from the other side. Luckily this house had less snow on the front than the others, or else the little boy that had opened the door would've drowned on snow. He looked up at her with his big blue eyes and stepped aside, welcoming her. He closed the door, still without saying a word, and pointed to the sofa next to the window he had peeked on earlier.
She moved to sit there, but he stopped her and pointed at her boots. They were filled with snow and she would make a lot of mess if she kept them on. She looked up as though someone stood behind him, and the boy turned. Before he turned back around, she waved her hand lazily over her boots and watched as they cleaned quickly, leaving them stainless. She grinned and looked back up. The boy turned around and frowned confused when he looked back at her boots. He raised an eyebrow at her but seemed to shrug it off, offering her to sit on the sofa once again. This time without complaint. The little boy sat down in front of her on a chair. He took off his brown hat and watched her with his big eyes as she stared right back at him with a warm grin.
A short black-haired little girl came jogging from what seemed to be the kitchen and stopped dead on her tracks when she saw those two sitting down in the tiny living room. The boy nodded at her and the little girl nodded back, jogging her way back into the kitchen. It wasn't long before a short dark brown-haired woman walked inside with a floral apron and a black jumper underneath, her light blue eyes eyeing them curiously. ''English?'' the visitor asked gently. The woman hesitated but nodded slowly.
''Yes...'' she whispered. ''Who are you?''
''My name is Emmeline''
The woman grinned and said, ''He said you'd come. We've been waiting for you''
She nodded and carried on. ''I'm here to ask you some questions about your husband, Afrim''
Pain flashed through the woman's eyes. The little kids didn't even flinch. Instead, the little girl sat down next to Emmeline and looked up at her curiously while the little boy did the same.
''Did you know my daddy?'' The little girl asked with a bit of an accent that made Emmeline's heart melt.
''Bora!'' the woman said in a warning tone.
''No, it's alright,'' Emmeline said with a grin. She turned to look at the little girl and asked her, ''Will you introduce your family to me, Bora?''
Bora stood nodded happily and ran back inside. She came back in with another boy that looked around ten years old. ''Lule,''—she pointed to her mother—''Behar,''—she pointed to the blue-eyed boy next to Emmeline—''Aleksander,''—she pointed to the boy she had just dragged from inside—''Bora,''—she placed a hand on herself—''and Afrim, baba'' This time she pointed to her heart. Emmeline stayed silent and watched in awe, her throat twisting into a tight knot and her eyes threatening on letting some tears go. Lule cleared her throat and sat down on the sofa opposite to the one Emmeline sat in. Bora sat down next to her mother and Aleksander took a seat on the chair next to Behar. Emmeline contemplated them in silent, realizing that her trip had been in vain.
''Forgive me, but I must ask... what happened?'' She whispered, watching the pain that was still fresh in Lule's eyes and how she struggled to speak. She thought of taking it back but stopped when the woman raised her hand to stop Emmeline from speaking.
''It was a long time ago. Afrim went to search for wood near the hill outside of the doors and never came back. There was a strange rain that night, with thunder. Green thunder. My other son, Fatmir, went to search for him and came back with his body. The village doctor said there was no blood, no struggle, no nothing. We still don't know what happened to him. All I know is that the green thunder took my husband...'' Lule's voice broke. She turned to her kids and said something in Albanian. The three kids nodded and walked to what she guessed was their rooms. Lule sighed and turned to Emmeline. ''They are not my real children. I treat them like they are, but they are Fatmir's. He and his wife had many kids but could not raise them all. He gave me my three angels to take care of me, told me to raise them as my own and Afrim's. They suffer a father's death that's not theirs, but Fatmir refuses to let them know he's their father. Only their big brother. Some day they will know. ''
''You only had one son?'' Emmeline finally spoke.
''Unfortunately, yes. But I love my Fatmir. I lost a girl the night before Afrim died. It made the doctor consider suicide but, as I told you, it was as if he had just literally dropped dead''
''A green thunder, you say?''
''Yes. It's hard not to forget such thing. It was more like lightning''
''No doubt about that...'' Emmeline whispered, frowning deeply. ''I hear from a close friend that your husband used to collect rare items, am I correct?''
''Yes. He also had a collection of swords that his father had left him. They were old''
''There goes the sword'' Emmeline mumbled to herself.
''Excuse me?'' Lule frowned.
''Did he collect crowns too?''
''Crowns? No, he didn't''
''Are you absolutely sure?'' Emmeline asked frustrated. The woman nodded.
''I am. If not I would take you to them'' smiled Lule. ''What else would you like to know?''
Emmeline stayed silent, trying to think of a way to let her know what it was that she wanted. The woman didn't know her family crest or what it was that her husband had to do with it. Truth was, neither did she. She looked up at Lule and shook her head slowly. ''If there's anything I need to know, I'll come by. Expect my visit during the summer, Lule'' Emmeline grinned softly at her as she stood up. Lule stood up, looking up at her surprised, yet glad.
''That would make them very happy. The kids of the village don't like my children. They would love some company. Thank you'' Lule said, taking Emmeline's hand into both of hers.
''I wish you well''
... ... ... ...
Fred stood next to George among everyone in the Great Hall. He had hoped she had been back by now, but there was anything but signs of her. He had tried to look for excuses just to talk about her. Lame ones, actually. Things that Alicia or Hermione would ask like 'Does the headmaster know she's out?', 'What about her homework?'. 'She'll miss half the term if she isn't back', 'Where is she?', orr things that Neville or Harry would ask like 'Is she alright?', 'How come is she not back yet?', 'Have you heard anything of her?', even things that Katie or Angelina would ask like 'Who is she staying with?', 'Will she actually come back?'. and even 'I'm worried, aren't you?'
Lee had been the first to start worrying about Fred's sudden burst of care for Emmeline. But only George understood how it hadn't been so sudden.
Ever since that day in the owlery Fred talked to George until he fell asleep. Not like they hadn't done that before, or every day. But he always either started or ended the conversation talking about her. Except when she was the entire conversation.
Fred had even talked to Harry about her when he was at the hospital wing after that rough Quidditch game. He had a hard time ignoring Harry's boneless arm, but managed into talking to him about how she would probably freak out and never leave the hospital wing if she had been there. Harry had, of course, been curious about why Fred had done it. Especially since he had only been talking about her. It was almost something he couldn't avoid. Mentioning her name accidentally when calling one of the girls, absent-mindedly asking about her when the boys were alone, start having those girl conversations with George where he only talked about Katie while Fred only talked about Emmeline and still they would understand what the other said...
It was madness, he knew it. He had even taken the time to write to her again, asking where she was, what she was doing, how much everyone missed her, or asking about three times why she hadn't replied or how strange it was that she wasn't around. Usually dropping here and there hints that he did miss her with stupid lines like 'I need someone to throw all these goblin piss we've taken'' or ''You should've seen the look on Filch's face when Mrs. Norris started leaving her chocoballs all around'' and he even dared say ''My foot is aching from not kicking your arse at pranking''. George had read that one and still couldn't control his laughter every time he remembered it. Fred still was in denial, of course. He constantly reminded George how he didn't care for her at all. But George would just roll his eyes and keep rambling on and on about Katie and how she looked like sunshine.
Fred never let go of that one either.
The twins were behaving more and more like girls. It started to worry Lee, who overheard the two of them one night and after that he was dragged into the conversations. He himself starting to ramble on and on about Angelina's chocolate hair and how he wanted to dig his teeth into it and eat it all. That was one that the twins swore never to let go of.
It was on the second week of December, a night where a blizzard began, that everyone stood in the Great Hall, watching how the two 'volunteers', Draco and Harry, practice during the Dueling Club. ''I said disarm only!'' Professor Lockhart's voice took Fred from his Emmeline-trance. He nudged George and Lee with his elbows, taking them off theirs. The three of them looked up and started laughing as they watched Malfoy sunk to his knees. Harry had hit him with a Tickling Charm, and he could barely move from all the laughing. Fred went back to his own trance but was awoken once again, this time by George's elbow nudge on his ribs.
''Oi!''
''If I let you miss this, Freddie, you would never forgive me'' George chuckled. Fred shook his head and looked back up.
Professor Lockhart counted to three and Malfoy raised his wand quickly and yelled, ''Serpensortia!''. Everyone gasped and moved backwards as a black snake burst from Draco's wand and landed heavily onto the floor. It hissed violently, raising itself, all ready to strike.
''You're right. I wouldn't have'' Fred mumbled. There were several screams and panic began to spread around the Hall. Katie hid behind George and Fred would've laughed at George's blushing if they hadn't been in such kind of situation.
''Don't move, Potter,'' Snape said. ''I'll get rid of it...'' He was clearly enjoying himself far too much.
''Allow me!''
''Oh no,'' Katie groaned at Professor Lockhart's attempt. The snake did not vanish; instead it flew ten feet in the air and fell back onto the floor with a loud smack. It was full of rage. Angrier than before. Fred watched it fearfully along with the rest. The snake, besides being entirely black, had black eyes with red slits as pupils. Before he knew it, a similar hiss as the snake's came not so far from where it slithered. Fred looked up incredulously to see Harry speaking to it, ordering it to attack. But somehow it didn't feel as though he was doing such thing. The snake, turning from Justin Finch-Fletchey to Harry, rose itself even higher. It looked around from Justin, to Neville, who stood next to him, and back at Harry, not sure of who to attack first. But before it had a chance, the doors of the Great Hall, which had been closed and unnoticed until now, were slammed open and someone walked inside.
Harry's hiss had seemed angelically compared to the one that filled the Great Hall. It was a venomous, dangerous, and scary hiss that made George flinch next to Fred and almost everyone around started trembling in fear. Fred looked at the black snake, which started to lower itself fearfully, as if being hurt by the sound that was heard by everyone around there. The hiss grew louder and the snake seemed to get smaller. Yet, instead of walking away from the hiss, the snake seemed to crawl closer. The snake let out a painful hiss. It vanished out of thin air, leaving nothing but a sense of fear among the students and the two Professors that stood in the middle. Fred let out a shaky breath and looked up. He felt his heart bounce all the way down and jump back up as he recognized who had made such noise.
''Ms. Warmsley... about time'' Professor Snape snapped.