"What's going on?" Emeline's sleepy voice echoed in the long hallway as she stumbled into the side wall.
A family portrait they'd missed taking down shouted something to her about being a wild beast before Remus silenced it as he rushed forward, grabbing her shoulders.
"Harry and the rest of Dumbledore's Army are in a great deal of danger, Emeline. We are going."
She jolted her eyes the rest of the way open and shook her head as she peered around to Tonks who was running up behind Remus, followed by Kingsley and Alastor.
It was them, we, not Emeline and Remus, we.
"Let's go!" Moody shouted gruffly, apparating on the spot.
Kingsley followed him alongside a few other members.
Tonks took Remus' hand quickly and gave Emeline a sad glance.
"Pup, we have to go. You're safe here. I love you."
She couldn't believe her eyes when they both disappeared.
She looked up and down the hall, her anxiety spiking as she moved to rush into the kitchen.
Sirius bounded into the hall then, running into her. Molly was bringing up the rear with widening eyes.
"Don't you dare think about it, Sirius!" She shouted shrilly. "You heard them!"
"Voldemort has enticed Harry because of me! There is no bloody way I'm not going." He turned on his heel and Emeline didn't need to hear or say anything further.
She gave Molly an apologetic glance before grabbing Sirius arm in the nick of time, and next thing she knew, they fell forward onto the London pavement with a thud.
Her chest was heaving and her head spinning as her stomach lurched into her throat.
"Bloody hell, Emeline!" Sirius shouted angrily, grabbing her up and taking her hand to run toward the phone booths. "You've done it now," he yelled as they jogged. "Your father is going to mount my head for this one!"
•
When they arrived at the door to the Department of Mysteries, Emeline could hear the hurried whispers of the other members and Lucius and Harry bickering about something regarding the prophecy.
She glanced at Sirius who quickly raised his wand over them.
Nothing looked different to Emeline, however to the outside world they couldn't be seen.
They stepped forward quietly to the door and slipped inside unknown to anyone else, much like the rest of the Order had.
Once inside and walking down halls of hundreds of thousands of glistening broken orbs, Emeline couldn't help but let her mouth fall open in amazement as she followed close behind Sirius.
Finally, they came to a second door, and he wasted no time shoving her inside, following after her to fall in, too.
This feeling was even worse than the apparating and Emeline felt like she could be sick at any moment.
Sirius grabbed her wrist in assurance as he listened intently to the rest of Lucius' conversation with Harry, watching the other students under the grips of Death Eaters. One, he noticed immediately, was his raging monster of a cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange.
Emeline clutched her stomach as she watched the scene before her.
Unseen in a corner, Remus' stomach churned and his face fell in despair.
Tell me you're not!
I'm sorry
Their communication was sharp and he could tell her answer was weak in tone.
She had no explanation for coming besides crippling fear, which was the worst reason to get yourself into a situation such as the one unfolding before them.
His heart dropped into his belly as he thought of his little girl who could hardly hold her own anymore in dueling amongst many different facets and foes.
She was too rusty.
He had to get her out.
Before either of them could protest the other, Sirius unveiled the two of them and stepped toward Lucius unexpectedly.
"Get away from my godson!" With a swift hook to the face, he knocked Lucius down and the prophecy shattered to the floor as he grabbed Harry.
In similar fashion, Remus grabbed her as the rest of the Order appeared and they both drew their wands as the Death Eaters twisted up into clouds of black smoke in the air and whirred around them.
Remus was pulling her by the shirt now, urging her to follow him toward Tonks. Bent over and out of breath, she clutched her wand as she slowly fell into hyperventilation, struggling to keep up with the sick feeling in her stomach.
"Dad, I'm going to be sick. I can't-"
"Emma! There's no time."
Hot tears stung at her eyes as she ran with him, curses flying and things shattering all around them. Loud pops and bright bursts were ringing through the air as she followed him, keeping eyes fixated on his coat and not much else.
If she was with him, she knew she was safe.
When she did finally avert her vision, she saw Sirius dueling Bellatrix near a watery looking structure.
It was curious to her, moving water suspended in thin air inside the arch.
She tugged at her dad's sleeve, but he stopped dead and shouted something she'd never heard before, entering into a duel with another Death Eater Emeline couldn't place.
She realized then why it was so sudden: he was aiding Tonks who was currently fending off three.
She backed up slowly as she watched her father, who was simply expert at the craft.
Her mouth hung slightly open again as she desperately tried to steady her breathing, wand gripped tightly in her sweaty palm.
One Death Eater was down now.
Two to go.
Stay close.
But his words came too late.
Emeline turned then to see Sirius was celebrating with Harry; congratulating him on a hex he had thrown and calling him James by mistake.
He didn't see Bellatrix towering above him on another jutted stone, wand at the ready.
Something snapped inside of Emeline as she poised her wand quicker and threw the first curse at Bellatrix she could think of.
Remus turned at the sound of his daughter's scream.
She couldn't have.
His mouth hung open as did Tonks'; they both thought they'd finished the last of their duel.
Sirius' face was white as he realized what had happened and Harry grabbed his arm tightly as the rest of Dumbledore's Army crowded in.
Dolohov was not down, unbeknownst to the group, and as they all stood staring ahead at Bellatrix crumpled on the ground, he shot a curse hurling toward Tonks' back, another dark spell Emeline had never heard out loud.
"Tonks!" She screamed as instinct kicked in.
She could have been the one hit by the curse herself the way she felt it in her soul and knew it was Tonks.
Remus fell to her side and pulled her against his chest, screaming for Sirius. Tonks was already completely unconscious and the Order flooded in around them as Emeline grabbed her hand and Dolohov disappeared.
The fear in her father's eyes terrified her and she felt an unfamiliar feeling from him deep in her spirit.
In the chaos, she nearly forgot that she had just killed a woman.
•
Emeline was slowly losing her mind as she waited on the opposite side of St. Mungos this time.
The waiting room was cold and eerily quiet.
They were the only family there this evening and she felt painfully alone.
Despite Sirius snoozing at her feet as a faux emotional support pet, she was left to her own devices.
It was then she unraveled all of the thoughts fighting for first place in her brain.
Was Tonks going to survive?
Sirius almost just died.
How had she just killed someone?
Everyone almost just died.
Would her father ever recover if Tonks died? Would she?
She could have just died.
She let out a shallow breath and hung her head, covering her ears with shaking hands as she tried to stop the voices in her mind.
She felt Sirius nudge her knee and let out a soft whine, but she couldn't take it any longer. She stood hurriedly and opened the waiting room doors, ready to demand Tonks' room number, when something else caught her eye entirely.
Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes narrowed.
It couldn't be.
But the smell… his smell, was unmistakable.
She picked up a brisk walk down the corridor so as not to lose sight of the man, who was being aided in walking by a young healer who appeared kind and chatty.
They rounded the corner before her and she picked up pace, her heart thumping and completely forgetting she'd just left Sirius in the dust.
When she approached, the old man stopped and turned slowly to face her.
The healer didn't waiver in her smile, but rested a hand on his back.
She spoke softly, but it was loud and clear for Emeline.
"Lyall, stay focused. It's time to get you back to your room, dear."