Harry Potter and the Emerald Dragon

Title: Harry Potter and the Emerald Dragon (7/?)
Author: CPoe
Author email: [email protected]
Category: Romance, Adventure
Keywords: Harry, Emily, Hermione, Draco, Ron
Spoilers: All four books
Rating: R (to be on the safe side)
Summary: It's Harry's sixth year, and he meets a new girl that comes along with a lot of baggage. Romances are budding, confusion is all around, and the threesome's life is going to become a little hectic.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Harry Potter and the Emerald Dragon

Chapter 7: Making Decisions
Harry sat in his seat in the Great Hall, staring down at his plate of half eaten food.

"I don't think she's coming, Harry," he heard Hermione say. He looked around the room, realizing it was practically empty, save a group of studying Ravenclaws. Ron and Hermione were sitting across from him with concerned looks on their faces.

"Maybe her father took her out for dinner?" Ron ventured, shrugging his shoulders a bit.

"Maybe," Harry answered, but he seriously doubted it. She hadn't left in the kind of mood that would suggest a nice meal with the family. He had heard her mention her father occasionally, but always negatively.

"Are you going to come back to the common room with us?" Hermione asked gently.

"No, I think I'll wait around."

"Harry, you can't sit in the dining hall all night waiting-" Ron began, but was cut off by Harry's next remark.

"She said she'd meet us at dinner," he responded, grasping the bag of candy on his lap that he had bought for her. "I have her candy."

They both looked at each other before slowly getting up, and leaving.

Harry sat there, alone. The Ravenclaw students had left just before Ron and Hermione. He was torn between two conflicting thoughts. One was worry that something had happened to her, and the other was that she had just decided to blow him off. Neither seemed promising.

* * * *

"I'm worried about him," Hermione said as she walked down the hallway next to Ron.

"He'll be fine," Ron responded.

"Not just that she never came to dinner, he could handle that. I'm worried about him, and his relationship with her, in general. I think that man, her father, is the same man Ginny and I saw the other morning with her."

"I never did find out why you and Ginny--"

"Oh, come off it Ron!" Hermione snapped, hoping he wouldn't press the issue. He'd been conveniently bringing it up to her ever since they mentioned it the other week. She hated lying to him, but she had promised Ginny. "Anyway, were you able to get a look at him before he left?"

"No, did you?"

"No. Just that he's medium height, and a little on the pudgy side."

"Yeah, I guess."

Just then, they walked around the corner and saw Draco Malfoy come out of the charms classroom. The three of them stood there for a moment, glaring at one another. Hermione glanced down, and saw that Draco was holding a book, and a very old one at that. She shifted her weight and was just barely able to read the title that ran down the spine. It was in Latin, and it read "Ancient Rituals". Draco seemed to sense she was looking at the book, because he pulled it up closer to him, placing an arm over the spine. Hoping to stall him a bit, and get some information out of him as to the nature of the book, Hermione decided to engage him in some conversation.

"Interesting book," she said as pleasantly as she could given this was Malfoy.

"You are a nosy little mud-"

"Mudblood. I know. I've heard it a thousand times Draco. When are you going to get some new material?" she responded, hoping to throw him off a bit. She momentarily saw his face recoil, but he recovered quickly. Ron on the other hand looked astonished.

"What do you want, Granger?"

"What makes you think I want something?"

"Call it an inkling."

"Well, now that you mention it. Where'd you get that lovely book?"

"The library," he answered casually.

"I don't think so. I've looked at, if not read, all the books in the school library, and I've never seen that one."

"Did I say it was from the school library?"

"So where'd you get it then?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I'm an obsessive bookworm and the thought of a book existing that I haven't memorized makes me cringe," Hermione responded, vaguely aware of the weak noises coming out of Ron's now gaping mouth. She wanted to tell him that she was just playing along, trying to throw Malfoy off guard so he'd inadvertently reveal something. But she couldn't just then.

"Well in that case, I have no idea where it came from," he answered. Hermione thought for a moment, and was about to ask if she could see the book, when Draco suddenly added, "You want to see it, don't you?" She nodded. "Because you think it will hold the information you've been looking for all these months?" Hermione was temporarily stunned, but didn't show it outwardly.

"Let me see it then," she said, holding out her arms for the book.

"I don't think so," Draco responded before adding, "Nice try though."

"You can't even read Latin," she said, though she really didn't know if this was true.

"Are you sure about that? Because I'd beg to differ." His voice was challenging, and she decided to just go ahead and take the challenge.

"You know what the Emerald Dragon is, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes, I know who the Emerald Dragon is," he responded.

"Then give me that book!" she demanded, drawing her wand out of her pocket. Ron seemed to finally react to what was going on, and withdrew his wand from his pocket as well. But just then, someone came walking out of the classroom they had just seen Draco come from ...

It was Emily.

"That's enough," she said, coming up to stand in front of Hermione, blocking her wand from Draco. Hermione was frozen in place. What was going on? Were Draco and Emily in that room together? Alone? Hermione shifted her stance such that her wand was pointing directly at Emily's face.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione demanded, "With him?"

"We were talking," Emily answered.

"Talking?" Hermione responded, not believing her for a second. "Do you realize that Harry is sitting in the Great Hall, waiting for you to show up?" Emily looked over at Draco, and then down at the ground. Without looking up, she responded in the coldest tone Hermione had ever heard a woman speak.

"So what?"

"So What? So What? Are you kidding? Ron, do you hear this?" she asked, turning to Ron, who was frozen with his mouth gaping open again. Great, big help he is! She turned her attention back to Emily, who was still refusing to meet her eyes.

"It's not my fault he's so obsessed with me," she said. Hermione could hardly believe her ears. She could feel her blood pounding through her veins. Suddenly, she couldn't control herself anymore.

"You foul little BITCH!" Hermione cried, lunging forward onto Emily. They both fell to the floor, kicking and swatting at each other. Hermione could hear Draco and Ron yelling at them, but she didn't care. She was going to kill this girl with her bare hands! She grabbed Emily's hair and pulled as hard as she could. In response, she felt Emily swing her arm and slap her soundly across the face.

Finally, Ron and Draco managed to pull them apart.

"Hermione!" Ron gasped, holding her body in such a way that she couldn't advance forward. She was breathing heavily, trying to regain composure. She wasn't going to gain anything by beating the crap out of this girl. She needed answers. She tried to move her arms to no avail. Ron was gripping them tightly. But then, she realized that she still had her wand. She looked up at Ron, and mouthed what she wanted him to do, hoping beyond hope he could understand what she was trying to tell him. And then, she acted. Throwing her arm forward and pointing her wand at Emily, she yelled the first thing that came to her mind:

"Stupefy!"

She watched as a white beam flashed forward from her wand, in the direction of Emily, who raised her hands up in response. But, before she knew it, the curse had been deflected, and the white light was now coming back...towards her. She felt it strike her chest, and then the world spun, and dissolved into darkness.

* * * *

Harry waited ten more minutes before finally deciding she wasn't going to show. He stood up from his seat, leaving his half eaten food behind, and walked out of the great hall, his thoughts floating around him. As he passed the archway that lead down to the dungeons, he resisted the urge to turn down into them. He wanted more then anything to run to the Slytherin common room, bang on the door and demand to see Emily.

He instead found himself meandering down the hallway towards his common room. He wasn't paying attention, and he didn't hear the shouts until they were loud and deafening. He looked up, but didn't see anyone ahead of him. He began to jog towards the noises. He thought he recognized them. It sounded like Ron, and perhaps Malfoy. He came to the end of the hallway, and ran around the corner, and was confronted with a horrifying scene. On the ground was Hermione, Ron was kneeling next to her, and Malfoy was holding Emily, who was standing above them.

"What's going on?" he demanded, taking in the scene at length. Hermione was out cold, and Ron appeared to be glaring at Draco. Or was it Emily. He couldn't tell. Emily, he suddenly said to himself. She was here. She was safe.

"Harry!" she cried, but Draco held her tightly. She seemed to steady herself, pulling away from Draco, and straightening out her robes. "What are you doing here?" she added coldly. Harry didn't know how to respond. He looked down at Ron, who was busy holding up Hermione.

"Emily, what do you mean? Where have you been?" he asked, staring straight at her. She averted her eyes from his.

"The Mudblood got a little too nosy for her own good. You should keep a better watch over your friends, Potter," she responded before turning to Draco. "Let's go," she said, grabbing his arm. Harry watched her as she walked past him, unable to grasp what had just transpired. They turned the corner, and he could hear their footsteps as they walked down the hall towards their common room. When they faded away, Harry fought back the urge to run after them, and instead turned back around, and looked at Ron.

"What happened?" he asked, kneeling down on the ground next to Hermione. Ron didn't respond. He instead pointed his wand at Hermione, and said "Enervate." It took a few moments, but Hermione eventually opened her eyes, looking around. They focused on Ron, then onto Harry, and then back to Ron.

"Did you get it?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper. Ron shifted his weight a little, and removed an old looking book from the floor next to her. "Thank God!" she said, finally sitting up and massaging her head with her hand. She promptly took the book, and flipped through it, eventually opening it to a page where half of it had been torn out. "I knew it!" she said, pointing at the ripped page. "Harry, did you see Malfoy on the day when you got that letter, the one in Latin that you had me translate?"

Harry looked at her for a second, unable to form words. What the hell is going on? he kept saying to himself over and over again.

"Harry, did you hear me?" she asked, leaning forward and peering into his eyes.

"Yes, I saw Malfoy," he answered. "I ran into him in the library."

"Did he do anything? Like go through your books or something?" she asked.

Harry looked at her, remembering how Draco had fingered through his books, and even picked up one of them. "Yes."

"This is all making sense now," she said, running the tips of her fingers along her brow line and out to her temples.

"Sorry, Hermione, but what is making sense?" Ron cued in. Harry couldn't have said it better.

"Malfoy must have slipped that page into Harry's books when he conveniently ran into him in the library. And that page came from this book. And Malfoy knows about the Emerald Dragon," she said, before adding, "and I think I have a pretty good idea about it, too."

"You do?" Ron and Harry both asked in unison.

"Well, it was something he said. I asked him if he knew what the Emerald Dragon was. And he responded that he knew who the Emerald Dragon was. All this time we've been thinking that it was a thing, some sort of magical creature. But it's really a who, a person that would otherwise seem normal," she explained.

"You mean..." Ron said, looking away from Hermione and over at Harry. Hermione looked at him also, and he knew what was coming.

"Emily."

* * * *

"I can't believe I just did that!"

"I know, it was rather amazing," Draco responded, unlocking the door to his room and holding it open for Emily to follow him. "How did you know you could deflect that curse?"

"Not that! I can't believe I just did that to Harry."

"Oh," Draco said, is she on about that again? "I thought we discussed this."

"I know, but talking about it and actually doing it are two very different things," she sighed, sitting down on his bed and looking down at her hands. She held them in front of her, turning them palm up.

"Look. You made your decision. Now stick to it," he responded, hoping she wouldn't revert to the state he had found her in earlier that afternoon. He had spent the last two hours talking to her in the charms classroom, and the thought of having to do it all over again made him nauseous. This was far beyond his original agreement to watch her while she was in school, now he was forced into playing 'best friend and confidante', with the purpose of leaning her towards the right decision, the decision to work with them, as an ally. This was supposed to be Wormtail's role, but he had failed miserably, owling Draco as soon as she left the shrieking shack for assistance in the matter. I had better be rewarded for all this shit! he thought to himself.

"This is like a nightmare," she whispered, burying her head into Draco's pillow. How can someone that powerful be so god damn emotional? And she's ruining my clean sheets!

"Emily, it's not so bad," he said, sitting down on his bed next to her now heaving body. She was crying again, for the hundredth time today. He didn't know what to do with her, so he put his hand on her back, and began moving it in little circles, like he had seen Professor Sprout do last year when Goyle had gotten too close to the venomous tentacula. It seemed to be doing the job, because her heaving subsided a bit, and she began to sit up.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked.

"Because I hate seeing you so miserable and..."

"You don't give a shit about how anyone else feels Draco," she interrupted, shrugging his arm away from her. "They sent you, didn't they?" Draco was a bit surprised by her statement. Am I so transparent?

He didn't respond, however. He instead just stared back at her. He couldn't very well tell her that they had, in fact, sent him. But what else could he say that would make him seem like he was genuine? She suddenly sat up straight, and briskly wiped the tears from her face. "You know what?"

"What?" he asked, not having the slightest clue.

"I'm being pathetic," she said. He of course couldn't have agreed with her more. "Do you know that I never cried when I was young? Never. I would fall down and skin my knees, and wouldn't shed a tear." She then jumped up from his bed. "I've always prided myself on being a strong, independent person. And here I am, falling apart, when I should be celebrating." Her eyes lit up, and she reached out her hand, her bag flying off the floor and into her grasp.

"Ok, now you're scaring me."

"Look, I don't have a choice, do I?" she asked, looking directly at Draco.

"No, you don't."

"Well then, since I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't, I might as well not wallow in it." She was rummaging through her bag, and finally brought out a little silver container. "You smoke?"

"Er..."

"I was trying to stop because I could tell it bothered Harry," she said, trailing off a bit as she mentioned his name. She then shook her head and looked back up at Draco, her voice strong again. "But, I suppose that doesn't really matter all that much anymore, now does it?" Draco was about to respond, but she had turned around, opening the door to his room and practically disappearing behind it. Just before the door closed, she peaked her head back in. "Coming?"

Draco sat there for a moment, trying to decide what to do. She didn't seem to be quite so emotional anymore. He didn't smoke. But, hey, why not? He grabbed his cloak, and followed her out the door and down the hallway.

"Were you serious about your offer this morning to play Quidditch for the house team?" she asked, cocking her head to the side as he caught up to her.

"I am the captain," he responded.

"Well, were you serious?"

"I think you'd be a great asset to the team."

"You mean, my powers would be a great asset to the team," she corrected him.

"Something like that. You, your powers, same thing."

"Isn't that cheating?"

"We're Slytherins, Em, we always cheat," he pointed out.

"Right. In that case, when do I start?" she responded, a look of determination in her face. However, Draco hesitated.

"You do realize who we're playing our first game of the season against?" he asked, wanting to make sure she knew what she was getting herself into.

"Are you insinuating that I'll have a problem playing against Harry?"

"I just want to make sure you won't choke up and throw the game."

"Is that what you think I'd do?" she asked, speeding up her steps a bit, staring in front of her, her face hard and her emotions blocked.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking."

"Well, you let me know whether you want to slowly beat the crap out of them, or if you want to quickly get it over with like a swift kick to the ass," she said, throwing her hands out in front of her and causing the great doors to fly open, allowing them to easily walk out onto the grounds. Draco considered her for a moment, and couldn't help but smile. Now this is the Emerald Dragon I was envisioning.

* * * *

Harry spent the next few days avoiding everyone. In fact, Hermione couldn't remember the last time she had seen him outside of class. He'd come into class, sit down, and not say a word. Then, as soon as class was dismissed, he would get up and leave.

It was now Tuesday afternoon, over a week since the incident, and Hermione was sitting next to Ron in transfiguration class. Harry was somewhere in the back of the room, sitting by himself. Everyone was working on transfiguring their cloaks into Muggle jackets. Towards the end of class, Prof. McGonagall came up to Ron and Hermione, and asked if Hermione would see her after class was over. Hermione nodded in agreement.

"I thought we were going to try to ambush Harry after class," Ron whispered to Hermione after Prof. McGonagall had left.

"I couldn't very well tell her no, now could I!"

"I guess not, but, do you think I should still do it?" he asked, a look of uneasiness evident in his eyes.

"It may be better if I weren't there, you know, for some guy talk," Hermione suggested.

"Yeah, but, how do I say to him 'Oh, sorry your girlfriend turned out to be the ultimate manifestation of powerful dark-magic'?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find a way," Hermione said, patting him on the back and giving him a sly smile. Just then, Prof. McGonagall dismissed the class. "You'd better run, he's quick," said Hermione, pushing Ron up and out of his seat. She watched as Ron ran out of the room after Harry, who had already probably made it halfway down the hall. She then turned her attention back to the classroom, and walked past all the students as they were heading out.

"You wanted to speak with me?" Hermione asked as she approached her favorite teacher.
She looked up from the parchment she was working on, and smiled at Hermione.

"Yes dear; have a seat," she said, transfiguring the wastepaper basket to the right of her desk into a comfy armchair. Hermione settled down, and waited for her professor to continue. "The truth is, Hermione, I wanted to speak with you about Harry." This didn't surprise Hermione; of all the teachers in the school, she would have expected Prof. McGonagall to notice his strange behavior. While she rarely showed favoritism to her students, Hermione knew that Harry held a special place in McGonnagall's heart.

"What about Harry?" Hermione asked, not sure if she really wanted to reveal all the details about his strange mood to her professor.

"Just that he seemed distant today, and I've noticed he eats alone in the dining hall, well after the other students have finished eating." So that's when he's been eating, Hermione thought to herself. She and Ron had been wondering if he'd been starving himself as well. "I just wanted to know if you had any idea why he's been acting this peculiarly." She paused for a moment before adding, in a hushed voice, "His scar hasn't been bothering him lately, has it?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Hermione answered.

"Oh good," McGonagall responded, letting out a sigh of relief. "I just wanted to make sure he wasn't keeping us in the dark about any information he may have about the activities of he-who-must-not-be-named," she then added, taking a deep breath and sitting back in her chair. Hermione fought back the urge to tell her about Emily, and instead decided to broach the topic a little differently.

"I was surprised that the prefects weren't informed about a new student being allowed to attend Hogwarts mid-semester," Hermione said, hoping to gain some information about Emily, and to see if perhaps the staff already knew about her true identity.

"Yes, well, it was all very sudden. And, we couldn't very well decline her access to the education that was rightfully hers," Prof. McGonagall answered, though Hermione could tell that she wasn't telling her everything.

"Rightfully hers? But she's from America," Hermione responded.

"Her mother lives in America, but asked that we admit her here since it was her father's alma mater." So, her father was a Hogwarts student. Interesting.

"Where does her father live now? In England?"

"He used to..." McGonagall said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "But he passed away nearly 16 years ago." What? Passed away? But...

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, aware that this must sound like a completely uneducated question in the context of their conversation.

"Ms. Granger, the private lives of students are really not something that we should be discussing."

"Prof. McGonagall, this is actually very important and has a lot to do with why Harry has been acting so strangely lately," Hermione said, now deciding that telling her professor what she knew was worth it if it meant she could find out more about Emily's father.

"Please explain, Miss Granger."

"Well.... they've been.... dating...." Hermione began, noticing a bewildered look come over her professor's face, "Or rather, were dating, until last weekend."

"So his melancholy behavior is because of some girl?"

"Yes and no," Hermione said, and sat there for a few moments trying to figure out exactly how to put this. "Have you noticed that Emily doesn't exactly seem like, well, your average witch?"

"She's a stellar student, much like yourself Miss Granger, but I don't see how this has anything-"

"Well, she's more powerful than you think," Hermione cut in.

"Does this have to do with the incident in Professor Snape's class the other day? Because he assured me that she simply made the potion-"

"She made it correctly!" Hermione burst out, aware that she had raised her voice to her professor. She quickly took some breaths before adding in a more controlled tone, "I don't believe she made the potion poorly. I think it was an accurate measurement of her magical ability."

"That's impossible, I heard she was..." McGonagall began, but then trailed off, having realized that Hermione was serious. "What else do you know, Miss Granger?"

"The other weekend, we all went into Hogsmeade together, and when she was at the three-broomsticks, she got a letter from a hooded man, delivered by Madame Rosmerta. Emily said that the letter was from her father."

"Her father!" Professor McGonagall gasped. "He's here, in the town?"

"Yes, and I believe I've seen him on other occasions also. Ginny Weasley and I saw him meeting with Emily early in the morning." Professor McGonagall seemed to consider her for a second, and Hermione hoped she wasn't going to ask her about why she was up to see such a meeting so early in the morning. "Who is her father?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, but I'm going to have to cut this conversation short."

"Oh no, Professor McGonagall, I told you what I know, you have to tell me-"

"I most certainly will not be helping you in your investigative habit, Miss Granger. You are here at Hogwarts to be a student, not play detective." Hermione was taken aback by the insult.

"But-"

"But nothing," Professor McGonagall said strictly. She looked down at Hermione and softened a bit. "The information you have provided me with is very useful, and I thank you. However, I think it is in your best interest, considering the darkening times we are facing, to dedicate your time to your studies rather than issues such as this."

"How can I ignore all this when it is so closely linked to the life of one of my best friends?" Hermione gasped.

"I understand, Hermione. Don't think I don't understand. I am simply trying to help you."

"I won't let this alone. You know I'll figure out who her father is. You can't stop me." Hermione found the words coming out of her mouth.

"I do realize this, Miss Granger. Which is why I hope you take my warning seriously and forget about this whole thing. These people are not to be trifled with."

"But they're after my best friend, and I don't see how studying for History of Magic or Herbology can possibly be important when his life is in danger." Hermione saw Professor McGonagall shake her head and mutter something about "Gryffindors."

"Harry couldn't have asked for a better set of friends: you and Ron," she began, stepping up from her chair, "I am sorry I can't help you Hermione." She then transfigured into a cat, and walked out of the classroom.

* * *

"Harry, wait up!" Ron called, hurrying down the hallway after his friend. Harry neither turned around, nor slowed his fast pace. Ron ran up beside him and grabbed his shoulder, swinging him around. "Harry! Will you stop this!"

Harry simply stood there, and stared at his friend. No emotion, no movement, no nothing. It was like Ron was looking at his body and only his body.

"Harry, I've neither seen nor spoken to you in over a week!" Ron said, hoping his concern was evident on his face. He was suddenly aware of how much he desperately wished Hermione were here to help him with this. But, after a few moments, Harry finally spoke.

"I just need to be alone," he answered, still looking blankly at nothing in particular.

"This isn't healthy," Ron said, no longer yelling and quieting his voice a great deal. "You're beating yourself up, and there's no reason for it."

"I don't even know what to think anymore," Harry said, emotion finally springing to life on his face as if the floodgates had been opened. He looked sad, angry, nervous, uncertain. Everything, all at once. "I don't know what to believe. I don't know if those few weeks we were together were real, or just a game. I didn't know anything about her, and yet, I felt so...I don't know...."

"Connected?" Ron offered.

"Yeah, connected," Harry said, looking down. "And now, when I see her and how cold she's become--I just can't believe it."

"As many doubts as I had about her before, I never thought it would be like this!" Ron responded. They stood in the hallway in silence, neither of them particularly focusing on anything. Ron kept trying to imagine what it would be like if Hermione turned into some sort of demon, but he realized that he couldn't envision it; it was impossible. There was no way it could ever happen. He then realized that that was exactly what had happened to Harry; the impossible had happened and flipped his whole world apart.

Harry suddenly shook his head, and turned his attention back towards his best friend.

"You're right though, I can't just keep avoiding everyone all the time," Harry said.

"Yeah, I mean, what would people say if the great Harry Potter was defeated by a girl?" Ron mused, hoping Harry would take the joke in stride.

"Would be pretty pathetic," Harry said with a smile.

Just then, Hermione came bustling down the hallway.

"Honestly!" she said, exhaling an obviously frustrated breath. "People had better stop getting into my way, because before you know it, I'm going to crack and just start hexing them uncontrollably!" Harry and Ron started at her, and then looked at each other. Hermione was furious, and Ron wouldn't have been surprised if steam came shooting out of her ears any second now.

"Bad talk with Professor McGonagall?" Ron mused.

"She had the nerve to withhold information from me!" she fumed, clenching her hands at her side. "Even admitted that I'd probably figure it out sooner or later, and still refused to tell me!"

"Well, she is a Professor."

"Ronald, if you ever want to come near me again I would not sympathize with the professor at the moment," she growled. Note to self: don't EVER get on Hermione's bad side, he thought with a smile. "And what are you smiling about?!" she nearly screamed.

"Just that you really are adorable when you're mad," he said with a shrug. He watched some of her anger melt away. Thank God! It worked.

"Uh, I just get so frustrat-" she started, before stopping mid-word and turning towards Harry. Now, Ron saw that there was no longer a trace of anger on her face. "Harry!" she beamed, "Are you back from whatever other world you've been in for the past week?"

"Yeah, I suppose I am," he said, checking his watch. "If you're done throwing a temper tantrum, I'm starved and would really like to eat with some company for a change." Ron saw Hermione turn a bright shade of red before both boys were overcome with a fit of laughter.

"Oh, ha, ha. Make fun of me, go ahead," Hermione said, crossing her arms in fake protest. Within seconds, she too was overcome with laughter, and the three of them started to make their way to the great hall.

* * * *

Harry entered the full dining hall, and suddenly began to think that perhaps this wasn't the best idea after all. He tried his best to divert his eyes away from the Slytherin table. The last thing he wanted was to see her.

They went over and took seats at the end of the Gryffindor table, Ron and Hermione immediately helping themselves to the food that was laid out on the table. Harry just sat there, starring at his empty plate. As much as he wanted to just snap out of the self-induced coma he had been in for the past few days, he couldn't, and knowing that she was probably sitting on the other side of the room didn't help matters.

Suddenly, Hermione heaped a spoonful of food onto his plate.

"Eat!" she commanded, picking up his fork and placing it into his hand. He allowed his fingers to wrap around it, but didn't move other then that. "Don't tell me we're going to have to force-feed you Harry!" she continued with a giggle. He didn't respond. He just kept replaying her cold face, and rehearing her cold words, like thunder through his brain.

Just then, Alicia Spinnet came over and leaned up against the table, knocking Harry back to reality.

"Emergency practice today after dinner," she said, turning her attention towards Ron, "And, after that you're going to have to stay behind to practice with me and Angelina."

"What! Come on Alicia! We've been going over our strategy for the game tomorrow over and over - I don't know if I can take-"

"There's been a change in the Slytherin lineup, we'll have to reconsider everything," she explained, throwing her hands up in the air. She then turned her attention towards Harry. "You are going to show up today, right?" she asked sternly. He'd felt guilty about not attending practice yesterday and the day before, but just couldn't bring himself to go. "Harry, did you hear me? I'm going to need you to be at your best tomorrow."

"Blimey, Alicia!" said Ron, "You'd think there was actually a chance we might lose tomorrow! They couldn't possibly change the line up that much!"

"They have a new player, and from what I've heard-"

"A new player?" Harry interrupted Alicia, looking up from his plate for the first time.

"Yeah. They kicked Bloddock off the team and replaced him with that new girl, what's her name? Oh damn, I hate it when I can't rememb-"

"Emily?" Harry offered, feeling his stomach turn over onto itself.

"Right, Emily," Alicia said, looking up the table and seeing the twins enter the hall. "Oh, must run. Come down to the pitch straight after dinner," she said as she hurried along to inform the twins of the changes.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said, obviously trying to sound comforting. Harry, however, was no longer in the mood to be comforted.

"We're going to lose tomorrow, you realize that right?" he said, taking his fork and jamming it into his plate of food, shoving a heaping amount into his mouth and chewing forcibly.

"That's not true. You said so yourself, she's never even played Quidditch before," Ron responded, though Harry could detect that his friend was thinking the exact same thing he was.

"You've seen her fly, we don't stand a chance."

"Harry, you're the best flyer..."

"I was the best flyer," Harry said, taking another heaping forkful and shaking his head. "Not anymore."

* * * * * * *

Emily sat in the Quidditch locker room, acutely aware that she was the only girl on the Slytherin house team. The rest of the team members were all half clothed, beginning to pull on their Quidditch uniforms. She, however, just sat there, still fully dressed in her Hogwarts robes. Deciding that this situation was completely ridiculous, she stood up, and proceeded to remove her cloak. The room was suddenly quiet. She looked around, and realized that everyone was staring at her.

"Do you have a problem?" she asked in her most threatening tone. The boys just stood there. "Oh, come on! I'm not about to get naked for you. I'm sure you can deal with a girl in a tank top!" she yelled, pulling her long-sleeved shirt up over her head. They were all still staring. "You know, you all need girlfriends," she said, grabbing her Quidditch top and sliding it over her head. She then quickly changed her pants, and turned back to the boys, all of whom were still staring at her. Audibly grunting, she swung around, closed her locker, grabbed her new racing broom, and went over to stand in the front of the room, nearly bumping into the person that was entering the locker room at the time.

"Are you ready?" he asked. He was already changed.

"Yes, except, Draco, you're going to have to do something about them!" she said, pointing back to the rest of the team, still frozen in place and staring at her. Draco took in the situation, and then leaned in closer to her, his voice a whisper.

"You changed in front of them, didn't you?"

"Well, I couldn't very well play in my school robes, now could I?" She noticed a smile creep across his face.

"Come on, finish dressing!" Draco yelled, snapping the team out of their trance. He then turned back to Emily. "You all right?" he asked.

"About what just happened, or about the game?"

"Well, I'm sure you're used to situations like what just happened."

"I'm fine about the game."

"Sure?"

"Draco, if you keep asking me that, I'm going to rip your head off."

"Fine, fine," he said, putting his hand up. "I want a long, painful game."

"I know, I know. Beat the crap out of them, I get it. I just don't understand why you won't let me be the Seeker. I would be able to control the game much-"

"What, and let you steal my position?" he interrupted, raising his eyebrows. "Sorry."

"Fine," she said, moving forward. The rest of the team had joined them, and they were all lined up, waiting to fly out onto the field.

* * * *

Hermione crawled into her seat in the stands, sitting between Ginny and Neville. The game was about to start, and she realized how much she missed having Ron next to her during the games to explain to her what was going on. But, she reminded herself how much this meant to him, and quickly put her selfish thoughts out of her mind. She was looking down at the field when someone brushed past her and took a seat next to Ginny. She looked up and was nearly frozen as she recognized who it was. She then noticed the look on Ginny's face, which, if possible, looked even more surprised than her own.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione heard Ginny ask under her breath.

"Watching the game," he responded, turning his head towards her and smiling a crooked smile that Hermione was instantly captivated by. As much as she hated to admit it, she had always been somewhat aware that she was, as was the rest of the female student body at Hogwarts her first few years, slightly attracted to Oliver Wood. There was something about him that she just found so charming. Maybe it was his Scottish accent, or the way he would tilt his head and give a crooked smile. Whatever it was, he was dreamy.

"Hello, Hermione," she heard him address her, "Nice to see you again."

"Hello, Oliver," she responded, hoping the rosy glow she was sure had suddenly appeared on her cheeks could be blamed on the cold air. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Truth be told, Madame Hooch is taking a leave of absence from Hogwarts next year, and Professor McGonagall has been actively pursuing me to fill in for her while she's away." Hermione was aware that, as he was speaking, he was paying very little attention to her, and a great deal of attention to Ginny. Hermione glanced at the younger girl and was amazed at what she saw. Maybe it was because she saw Ginny every day or because she never really took the time to look at her closely, but Hermione had never noticed how beautiful she really was. She had grown her brilliantly red hair down to her mid-back, and today had it pulled up in a half-pony tail, with small wisps that hung around her face. Her features seemed older now, no longer the little round face of 'Ron's little sister'. Instead, her face was thin and well defined, even her freckles seemed perfectly placed. She was smiling as Oliver spoke to them (or rather, spoke to her), obviously aware of his increased attention towards her. "I haven't quite decided if I'm going to take her up on the offer."

"I'm sure everyone here would be delighted to have you back at Hogwarts," Hermione responded. He didn't take his eyes off Ginny. Oh, for heaven's sake! Hermione thought to herself, before turning her attention back towards the Quidditch pitch. She could hear that they had struck up another conversation, but wasn't listening to its topic. Instead, she just kept repeating to herself: I have Ron now, I have Ron now, I have Ron now...

A few moments later, both teams came flying out of the locker rooms and circled around the pitch before taking up their starting positions. As Ron flew by, he waved at Hermione, and then his expression changed as he saw Ginny chatting it up with Oliver Wood. He shot Hermione a quick look, and she shrugged, before he swung around and joined the rest of the Gryffindor team.

Next, the Slytherin team flew out. Draco led them, followed closely by Emily.

"I didn't know that Emily played Quidditch," Wood exclaimed, pointing out onto the field. Both Hermione and Ginny turned their heads towards him.

"You know her?" they both asked in unison.

"I met her with Harry the last time I was here. She was nice," he paused and took his eyes off the field and shrugged his shoulders, "for a Slytherin."

"Was nice is right. Now, she's taken on her full range of Slytherin qualities," Hermione said under her breath, though she could tell that Wood had heard her because he gave her a puzzled look. "It's a long story."

Just then, they heard Madame Hooch blow her whistle and the game was off. Ron instantly took possession of the Quaffle and began racing down the field, flanked by Alicia and Angelina, and followed closely by two Slytherins. As he neared the goal posts, he passed the ball off the Alicia, but it never quite made it to her. Instead, the ball took a strange curved path, and managed to fly back into one of the Slytherin's grasps. As soon as the player caught the ball, he swerved around and raced back towards the other goal.

"A bad pass by Weasley places the Quaffle in Slytherin possession," Lee Jordon said unenthusiastically. Hermione watched as the Slytherin tossed the ball to his other teammate, who instantly lobbed it up the pitch. The two Slytherins hung back, watching the ball fly straight as an arrow to a seemingly empty space on the pitch. But then, from out of nowhere, Emily went swooping down, grasped the Quaffle and flew straight for Dean Thomas.

"Damn, she can fly!" Wood said as Emily did a spiral in the air to avoid having her head taken off by a well-aimed Bludger from one of the twins. As she righted herself, she drew back her arm that contained the Quaffle, and rocketed it straight through the goal post.

The Slytherins all cheered in response, while the rest of the school simply watched as Dean recovered the ball and tossed it back to Alicia, who was now flying up the pitch.

Hermione took her eyes momentarily off the Chasers and looked up to see Harry and Draco flying figure eights above all the action. They both seemed to be intently scanning the pitch for the Snitch. Suddenly, Lee announced another Slytherin goal.

Ron now had the ball, and passed it back and forth between himself and Angelina as they flew up the field. As Angelina tossed the ball, Emily rocketed up between them, grabbed the ball, and flew back in the other direction. Hermione could just make out Ron's angry face as he swung around and went barreling after her, Angelina doing the same. They were right on her tail, and Hermione was relieved to see that one of the twins had shot a Bludger directly at her, which even Hermione knew would cause her to do some fancy maneuver to avoid it, or she'd be struck, and hopefully drop the ball. As the Bludger approached Emily, Hermione saw her curl her legs around the broom and raise the hand that had been grasping the handle. With a swift sideways flick of her palm, the Bludger immediately changed direction and struck Angelina, almost knocking her clean off her broom. She then took the Quaffle with both of her now free hands, drew if back over her head, and launched it up the field. The ball flew with amazing speed, straight through the goal post.

Dean again recovered the Quaffle, and tossed it in to Angelina, who had quickly recovered from her Bludger incident. But, as soon as she caught the ball, it went flying out of her hands, and into the hands of one of the Slytherin chasers. She merely sat back on her broom, staring at her now empty hands as Slytherin scored yet another goal.

"She's cheating!" Hermione gasped, unable to believe her eyes.

"Who's cheating," Wood responded, leaning forward on his hands, supporting himself with his elbows that were firmly planted on his knees.

"Emily!" Hermione and Ginny both said together. Hermione could tell that Ginny was about to turn to explain this to Wood, when suddenly they all froze in place, watching as Harry suddenly went into a dive, followed immediately by Draco. The two of them torpedoed down towards the ground, and then pulled parallel. Hermione squinted her eyes, and could just barely see the snitch zooming about a foot beyond Harry's grasp. You can do it Harry! Hermione cheered in her brain, end this game before it gets ugly. But just then, two Bludgers came zooming down at Harry from out of nowhere, making him feint to the side.

"Look!" Ginny yelled, pointing up above where Harry and Draco were now slowing down, both having lost the Snitch because of the Bludgers' distraction. Hermione cast her eyes up, and saw that Emily was hovering a little bit above them, her hand outstretched down towards the boys, and those Bludgers! Hermione scooted over closer to Ginny, and spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

"She's using her powers," Hermione said, watching as Slytherin scored yet another goal. The score was now 70 to zero.

"I know," Ginny whispered back. "She's controlling the balls."

"Unless Harry catches the snitch, and soon, we're going to lose."

"It's impossible. I doubt she'd let him get close enough to catch it. She nearly took his head off with those Bludgers to keep him from it." Hermione nodded in response. As she did so, she heard Madame Hooch's whistle, and realized that Alicia had called a time out.

* * * *

"What the hell is going on?" Fred roared as he joined the rest of the team that had formed a small huddle on their side of the field.

"I don't know," Angelina said, turning to George, "Why don't you ask him. He nearly took my head off with his carelessness!"

"Angelina, it wasn't me!" George protested.

"What, it was you that rammed that Bludger at me?" she asked, swinging around towards Fred. "How could you?"

"Angie, it wasn't me either!" Angelina gave him a stern look. "Well, I was the one that hit the Bludger," he confessed, but quickly added once he saw the look of dire hatred that spread across Angelina's face, "but it should have rammed Emily, sweetie, not you!"

"All our Bludgers are going astray," George piped in.

"Quiet!" Alicia bellowed, and the bickering came to an immediate stop. "We are all playing terribly!" Alicia said, throwing her hands up into the air. "After all our practicing, after all our work, you are all letting it go to shit out there."

"But Alicia..."

"But Alicia nothing! You all need to focus. We're getting our arses kicked out there by a bunch of Slytherins!" she said, her last word rolling off her tongue like an ultimate insult. "Angelina, hold on to the Quaffle why don't you? You've let it slip through your fingers a thousand times. And Ron," she said, glaring at him, "Can we actually aim the ball when we pass it. You've caused six turnovers that resulted in Slytherin goals. Fred and George..." she said, and now her voice rose in both pitch and amplitude, "What the hell are you guys doing out there? You're supposed to be aiming at the opposite team, not us!" Fred and George looked as though they were going to protest, but never got a chance, because Harry suddenly jumped into the conversation, having decided exactly what needed to be done.

"We have to take her out of the game!" he said, stepping forward. Everyone stared at him. "If we can somehow get rid of Emily, we'll be fine."

"Harry, I don't know what in god's name you're talking about," Alicia responded, "Why don't you just concentrate on catching the Snitch and leave the strategy to me!"

"No, listen. She's cheating. She's controlling the balls. That's why all the Bludgers are re-aiming themselves at us. And that's why the Quaffle keeps getting plucked out of our hands like we've got butter on them."

"Cheating, I agree. But controlling the balls, Harry that's impossible! She's-"

"Don't ask me how, but she's doing it. She doesn't need a wand or anything. And she's being very discreet about it, making it look like we're just blithering idiots."

Madame Hooch then approached the huddle, informing them they had one more minute. Harry glanced over at the Slytherin huddle, which seemed to be more of a 'pat Emily on the back' party then a strategic meeting. They were all laughing, and cheering, and Emily was in the center of it all.

"We have to take her out," Harry said, still staring at the Slytherin team. "Fred and George, just keep whacking Bludgers at her. It doesn't matter if she has the ball or not, she can't control all the balls at once, or at least I don't think she can anyways. Dean, just do what you've been doing. Angelina and Alicia, pass the Quaffle as little as you can, and grip that ball for dear life, it will be harder for her to control it if you're firmly attached to it." Harry now turned towards his best friend, "Ron, you are going to cheat."

"I'm gonna what?" Ron asked, giving Harry a very uneasy look.

"Cheat. Any sort of foul you can think of to commit against her, do it! Maybe Hooch won't notice. Knock her off her damn broom if you have to, just keep her busy." Harry was a little shocked that he could say something so horrible about Emily, but then he heard her cold voice, and saw her cruel looks, and he instantly went back into war mode.

"Harry, what are you going to do?" Alicia asked, apparently accepting his authority at the moment.

"I'm the seeker, and I'm going to get that Snitch and put an end to this game," he said, surprised at how confident he sounded. The rest of the team mounted their brooms and flew off, resuming the game. Harry flew high over them and watched as they took on their new roles. Fred and George immediately pummeled two Bludgers at Emily, who diverted them off course before they struck her, but this took her attention away from the Quaffle, allowing Angelina to score. Emily now had the Quaffle, and the two Bludgers again came streaming down at her, just as she was about to deflect them, Ron flew up in front of her, the tail of his broom hitting her broom handle, causing her to lose balance. The Bludgers then struck her, making her to drop the Quaffle, which was quickly taken up by Ron and passed off to Alicia, who, along with Angelina, went flying up the field. Ron lagged behind though, keeping a close tail on Emily.

"What do you think you're doing Potter!?" Harry suddenly heard a voice from just above him. It was Malfoy.

"Just enjoying the game a bit, taking a little break from my seeker duties."

"That was a blatant foul by Weasley against my player."

"Oh, surely you aren't talking about that itsy, bitsy tap Ron gave Emily-the-ball-controlling-hag."

"Nice to see you've gotten over your little crush on her so quickly," Malfoy responded, flying down next to Harry. "It was a rather pitiful sight." Harry was just able to control himself as he clenched the handle of his broom, causing his knuckles to turn white. "All the time I was wondering what such a bright, beautiful, and powerful witch like her was doing with a loser like you. But, I'm sure you've figured that out by now." He flew off, continuing his figure eight pattern. Harry just hovered in mid air. He was right. Malfoy was right. The only reason she was ever interested in me was because I was her target. It was all just a game, a big, bloody joke. She wanted to get close to him to learn his weaknesses, and then she did what everyone else Harry was ever close to had done: she left him all alone.

* * * *

"Look at Harry!" Oliver yelled, pointing up above the game. After the time out, it seemed that their team had finally caught on about Emily's cheating, and they were making some progress. The score was now 180 to 50, which meant they could still win if Harry managed to get the snitch. But, what the hell was Harry doing?

"Why is he just sitting there?" Ginny asked, unable to grasp what he could possibly be doing. He wasn't scanning for the Snitch, wasn't watching the game, he was just staring off into space.

"He was talking to Draco, and then he just never resumed playing," Oliver said, shaking his head.

"Oh, no!" Ginny heard Hermione gasp from next to her, Ginny quickly looked over at Hermione, and followed her line of vision. "I don't believe it!"

In the middle of the pitch was a most disturbing sight. Ron had nearly leapt off of his broom, and was now gripping onto the tail end of Emily's. She was wriggling about, trying to throw Ron off, but he was holding tightly. He then released her broom, throwing himself back onto his broom, but causing her to lose balance and swing around upside down, just barely able to keep a grip with her legs. Her upper body hung from her broom, her arms flailing about. And then, the strangest thing happened. She relaxed her body, allowing her hands to fall straight out over her head. She hung there for a moment, and then released her legs, bringing them into her body as she fell through the air. Her hands then jerked up and her broom came flying down to her. Doing a quick reversal back onto her broom, Emily then flew off as fast as she could. She approached Ron from underneath, coming up right from under him. She grabbed a hold of the front end of the broom, and yanked it down causing Ron to go into a spiraling dive towards the ground. Ginny felt herself jump up, and realized that Hermione had done the same. They watched as Ron managed to pull his broom out of the dive but was then plummeted by two 'stray' Bludgers.

And then, it happened. From out of nowhere, Draco streamed across the field and, as simple as can be, plucked the Snitch from the air, holding it high above his head.

Lee Jordon didn't even announce the final score. The Slytherins all cheered, and the rest of the school began filing out of the stadium. Hermione, Ginny and Oliver didn't move. The three of them sat there and watched as the Slytherins joyously entered the locker rooms, and the Gryffindor team slumped down onto the pitch, each about five meters from the next, Harry included.

Finally, after a few moments, the three of them stood up and made their way out to their fallen comrades. Ginny wasn't sure exactly what she would say to Ron, or Fred, or George.

"Hey," Hermione said, kneeling down next to Ron who was sitting in a lump on the ground. "Are you all right?"

"I think I dislocated my shoulder," he responded, wincing a bit as he tried to rotate it.

"Bludgers?" Wood asked sympathetically.

"Bludgers," Ron responded, wincing again as he began to get up with some help from Hermione. The rest of the team was also slowly beginning to get up, as if they were all climbing out of their graves. They all commenced talking small talk about the various injuries they had suffered, the many ways the Slytherins had cheated, and the valiant effort they had all attempted to do in order to win. Harry was very quiet as the team started heading back to the locker rooms; even Ginny could tell he was beyond himself with anger. Or was it Anger? It didn't really look like anger, actually; it looked more like sadness.

"Harry, are you all right?" she asked, walking up next to him.

"I'll be fine Gin," he responded, not taking his eyes off the spot on the ground directly before his feet.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked. She then saw his eyes flick up ahead of them, and when she saw where he was looking she instantly wished she could jump in front of him and shield his eyes from view. For coming out of the Quidditch locker rooms were Emily and Draco. Ginny didn't notice him heading towards her at first, in fact, she didn't notice it at all until he had nearly run her down as he stormed over to the two of them.

"Can I have a word?" he asked Emily, clearly enunciating his words. She didn't respond, but instead looked over at Draco.

"She doesn't have anything to say to you Potter," Draco responded. Emily then looked up at Harry, who was staring back at her.

"What do you want?" she asked after a few seconds.

"I'd like to speak with you, without the entourage," he said, nodding his head in Draco's direction.

"We have nothing to talk about."

"Oh, I think we have a lot to talk about."

"Why don't you just get over it and get on with your life?" Emily asked. Ginny noticed her voice crack a little mid-sentence. They both stood there for a moment, glaring at each other, before Draco pulled Emily around, and they both walked back up to the castle together.

"That was ugly," Ginny heard Oliver whisper into her ear. She nodded, not taking her eyes off Harry. "I'm gonna have to hear that long story you and Hermione alluded to earlier." Ginny nodded again. "Are you doing anything now that the game is over?" Ginny nodded, but then stopped.

"What?"

"Where you listening to me?" he asked.

"Yes," she initially responded, but then corrected herself, "sort of."

"I was wondering if you were doing anything right now. There's still some time before it gets dark and I wanted to know if you would take a little stroll with me, maybe fill me in on this whole Emily character. Sounds most dramatic." Ginny was momentarily taken aback. Did Oliver wood just ask me to walk around the grounds with him? To gossip? Did he really just sit through the entire Quidditch match next to me? Is he really looking at me right now with those incredible eyes of his? Am I actually awake, or am I just dreaming? She raised her left arm and discretely pinched the forearm of her right. Ouch!

"I'd love to," she responded. Did I just say the word love? "One second; just let me tell Hermione where I'm going," she added, reluctantly leaving his side and scurrying over to Hermione.

Who was right next to Ron. Damn.

Ginny sidled up next to Hermione, and whispered as quietly as she could.

"I'm going for a walk, I'll be back later."

"A walk?" Hermione said in a full voice, she then turned around and spotted Oliver. "Oh," she responded, dropping her voice to a more reasonable whisper. "You're going for a walk with Oliver." Hermione turned and looked at Ron, and then back to Ginny. "He's not going to like that much," she said. Ginny stared at her, hoping the pleading was evident in her eyes. "Which is why I'm not going to tell him anything." Thank you Hermione!

Ginny swung around and rejoined Oliver.