Harry Potter and the Emerald Dragon

Title: Harry Potter and the Emerald Dragon (10/?)
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 10: Confusion

It was Wednesday afternoon, and Harry was sitting in Transfiguration class, trying to transfigure a rock into a sheet of paper. He was working beside Hermione, who had successfully completed her task ages ago, and was now leaning forward on the desk trying to help Neville, who sat in the row in front of them. Harry kept turning his rock into wood, and had even gotten it to look like a small 2x4 - but still hadn't been able to produce a decent sheet of paper.

"Mr. Potter," came a voice from behind him. When he looked up, he saw Prof. McGonagall peering down at him. "You are very close, very close indeed. Just a few more tries and I am sure you'll have it."

"Thanks," he answered, still frustrated that he hadn't been able to do it again. He looked over at Hermione's sheet of paper, of which she had folded neatly into an origami crane.

"Might I have a word with you, after class?" the professor asked, leaning down so that only he could hear her. He could tell by her expression that it was important.

"I was supposed to go to practice early to go over some plays with Alicia, but I'll have Ron tell her I'll be late."

"Good. The headmaster will be pleased," she said, resuming her rotation around the classroom. He waited for her to travel up a few rows before he nudged Hermione, who turned around and took a look at his slab of wood.

"Honestly! You haven't been paying attention all class, this should be an easy transfiguration for you."

"McGonagall and Dumbledore want to talk to me after class," he cut in, keeping his voice down.

"About the wood?" Hermione asked, lowering her voice as well.

"No, Hermione!" Harry gasped. "Not about the wood."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Harry said, letting the weight of what he said sink in to her.

"So, are you going to tell them? About Em...the new girl?"

"I don't know."

"I think you should. I think you should have gone and told them last week after the Quidditch game."

"Yes, you've made that quite clear."

"You can't just sit around and do nothing Harry, she's dangerous."

"Maybe."

"No, not maybe," Hermione said, placing her hand over his. "She's working for the Dark Lord, Harry. She. Is. Dangerous."

Harry didn't respond. As much as he wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that Emily couldn't possibly be the person that she appeared to be, he couldn't. Somehow, he knew she was right. He just didn't want to admit it to himself.

"I know."

"Do you?" Hermione asked, peering at his face with a concerned look on her own.

"Yeah, I do," he answered. Just then, McGonagall dismissed the class, and everyone shuffled out of their seats and into the hallway. Harry remained, and as Hermione stood to go off to dinner with Ron, she squeezed his shoulder and whispered "Good luck."

Once all the other students had left, Professor McGonagall walked down the main aisle of the classroom and stopped next to Harry's desk.

"Shall we?" she asked. Harry nodded and then stood, following her out of the classroom towards the Headmaster's office. "Alligator Crunch," McGonagall said as they came to the gargoyle blocking Dumbledore's office. The stone creature immediately jumped to the side, allowing them to enter the passage.

The door at the top of the stairs was already open, and Harry followed McGonagall into the large office. The first thing that Harry saw was Dumbledore perched behind his desk, but then his eyes shifted to the visitor that was sitting in one of the three chairs that stood on the opposite side of the desk. The man had his back to Harry, but he recognized him just the same.

"Sirius!" Harry yelled, running over towards where the man stood. Sirius rose out of his seat, just in time for Harry to throw his arms around him and embrace his godfather.

"Hello, Harry," Sirius said, pulling away from Harry and inspecting him, "You've grown a lot since I last saw you." Harry smiled, and then turned to Dumbledore.

"Why is Sirius here?" he asked, but realizing how that might sound, he turned to Sirius and added, "Not that I'm not thrilled, it's just that you're supposed to be hiding."

"Why don't you have a seat, Harry," Dumbledore offered, motioning to the chair next to Sirius. Harry noticed that McGonagall had already taken the third chair, and was pouring hot tea into the four mugs that sat before her. Harry slid into his chair, and sat expectantly, looking at Dumbledore.

"So?" he asked, unable to contain himself.

"Well, we've stumbled across some information that pertains to your godfather's situation."

"That's great!" Harry cut in, beaming at Sirius.

"Yes, well, it was actually your friend, Ms. Granger, that supplied this information."

"Hermione?"

"Yes, she didn't realize the significance of it at the time, though I do fear that she was rather cross that I withheld the importance if it," McGonagall said.

"Do you mean about Emily's father?" Harry asked, confused about how that would have anything to do with Sirius' current situation.

"Earlier in the year, Emily's mother contacted us about accepting Emily as a mid-semester transfer student. She insisted that Emily was more then capable of handling the Hogwarts curriculum, and that the reason for the change was that she felt that Emily needed a stricter educational environment. We told her that, perhaps, she should look at some of the other schools in Europe, since enrollment at Hogwarts is decided at birth, and not through an admissions committee. She then explained that she wanted her at Hogwarts, since Emily's father had attended this school. This information threw us a little, I must admit. You see, Harry, we never had a Mr. Waters as a student here. When we informed her of this, she said that Waters was her maiden name, and that her husband's name was Peter Pettigrew."

Harry could hardly believe his ears! Peter Pettigrew was Emily's father! Peter Pettigrew! He suddenly remembered the day when he was talking to Emily by the greenhouses, and about how she had heard the name Sirius Black mentioned around the house.

"I can tell that this comes as a shock to you," Dumbledore continued, reaching across the desk and taking two cups of hot tea from in front of Professor McGonagall and handing them to Harry and Sirius. "It was why we allowed her to start school here, in the hopes that perhaps her presence would draw out Mr. Pettigrew."

"He was here!" Harry suddenly found himself yelling, he then turned to his godfather, "Sirius, he was here, in Hogsmeade."

"Yes, that was what Hermione had told me," Professor McGonagall said.

"Rachel Waters was his wife. Not many people knew he was married. She's from America. He went over there for some business once, and came back with a wife," Sirius moved uneasily in his chair for a few moments before continuing, "Rachel became pregnant a few months after coming here, and then Emily was born. She was a handful, I'll tell you that. The only time she seemed to calm down was when you two used to play together."

"We played together?" Harry gasped.

"Oh, sure. Back then we were all very close, except maybe Moony, but that's another story." Harry still couldn't believe any of this.

"So, why am I here?" Harry asked.

"We wanted to know if you knew anything else about her father. Hermione mentioned that you two used to-"

"Not anymore," Harry said with a scowl.

"Well, perhaps she mentioned something when you used to talk - "

"She rarely talked about him," he said, aware that he wasn't being very helpful.

"Harry, any information about - "

"Look, I don't know anything about her father. Perhaps, if I had known who he was, then I could have pumped her for information. But as it stands, I didn't know, and so I never asked."

"Well maybe now that you do know, you could speak with her and - "

"We don't talk anymore."

"But surely - "

"We don't talk anymore!" Harry repeated, aware that he was close to yelling. The three adults in the room looked at him patiently. He could tell that they were surprised by his outburst.

"Perhaps now isn't the best time to discuss this," Dumbledore offered, taking a sip from his tea. "I've arranged for Sirius to live in the staff quarters under the pretense of Professor McGonagall having decided to get a dog. We shall talk again another time, perhaps when you are a bit calmer," Dumbledore said, looking straight at Harry. "But should you discover any information in the meantime, come and find me straight-away. It isn't safe for Sirius to be here, and I would like for this to be taken care of as soon as may be." Harry nodded his head, and stood from his chair, aware that Sirius had done the same.

As soon as Harry got to the staircase, he felt Sirius' hand on his shoulder.

"If you need to talk, you know where to find me. The staff quarters are located on the fourth floor, behind the statue of Julius Caesar. The password is 'Potions.'" Harry nodded, and then descended the stairs. Though he hadn't thought it was possible, he left Dumbledore's office even angrier with Emily then he had been over the past few weeks.

* * * * *

Emily walked out onto the grounds and over to the Whomping Willow just after the sun rose above the forest. It was freezing outside, and the grass crackled as she crushed it with her footsteps.

"You're late," her father said as she approached him. "You were supposed to be out here at five-thirty."

"No, you said at sunup. Yesterday the sun came up at 5:30, today it came up at 5:40."

"It's 5:45 now, so either way, you're still late."

"Come off it, I'm here now, so let's get this over with."

"Do you have any clue how much I risk coming here every morning?"

"So stop coming, don't worry, I won't mind." At that, he stepped forward and grabbed her robes.

"You will mind when the Dark Lord summons you and you don't appear," he responded. Emily closed her eyes, realizing he was right. He released her, quickly changing into a rat and scurrying over to the knot on the tree that made its limbs stop flailing about. She then followed him into the hidden passageway.

"How long did it take you to learn to become a rat?" she asked. She secretly thought it was the perfect animal for him to transform into. So appropriate. After scurrying ahead a bit, he quickly transformed back into his human form, and took up walking beside her.

"Three years," he answered. "It's a very difficult transformation to learn. Especially when you have no guidance but three boys who know no more than you do."

"How'd you learn then?"

"We found a book," he responded, though she could tell by the tone in his voice he wasn't going to reveal very much to her. Just then, she noticed that there was a slight light up ahead.

"Now, you stay here. I'm going to go up and into the foyer of the house, and I want you to Apparate over to me."

"We did that yesterday."

"Consider it a warm up, then."

"Fine," she said, stopping where she was and watching him continue to walk towards the house. As soon as she saw him disappear behind the trap door to the house, she started picturing in her mind how it looked at the spot she wanted to Apparate to, and then 'pop'. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in the foyer, and her father was just walking into the room.

"Very good," he said. "Now, Avery is upstairs in the drawing room. Apparate to him."

"Avery is here?"

"You have to learn to Apparate to a person, not just a location. You remember what he looks like from the other day, don't you?" Emily nodded. "Then picture him, instead of the location. This is more difficult, so make sure you have a clear picture before you try anything."

Emily closed her eyes again, picturing as best as she could the person that she had met at her initiation last week, and then 'pop'. When she opened them, Avery was standing in front of her, and she was inside a large room, with broken furniture strewn around it.

"Hello, Emily," he said.

"Hello, Avery," she responded.

"You're doing well, already Apparating to a person. That usually takes months to learn."

"Thanks," Emily said, aware that she had said it sarcastically without even meaning to.

"Very well then, I'm going home." He 'popped' out. Realizing she was alone in the room now, she closed her eyes, and apparated back to her father.

"Done."

"Now Apparate to Malfoy manner."

"To where?" Emily burst out angrily. "But I don't even know where Malfoy manner is. I've never even seen it before. It's hundreds of miles away - "

"You don't need to know where it is, there are other ways to guide yourself."

"Other ways? Well, do you feel like clueing me into one of them?"

"You're a smart girl, who obviously doesn't need my help, you figure it out," her father said, looking at her sternly.

"Fine, but when I splinch myself, I'm sure the Dark Lord isn't going to be very happy about it."

"You're not always going to know where you're Apparating to. In fact, you'll rarely know where. Think of another way that you can Apparate"

"Like?"

"Like Apparating to a person," he said with obvious frustration in his voice.

"Oh," Emily responded. Right, a person. She thought for a few moments, and then began to clearly picture Lucius Malfoy in her head. She closed her eyes, felt a slight rush, and suddenly realized it was no longer cold around her. She slowly opened her eyes.

She was standing in a darkly lit room, decorated with large sofas and a massive fireplace that she felt she could easily stand in without hitting her head on the mantle. She looked around, and saw that Lucius was sitting at a desk in the corner.

"Hello, Emily," he said, not looking up from whatever it was he was doing at his desk.

"Hello," she responded, still looking around the room. The walls were lined with books - thousands of books. This must be the library, she thought to herself.

"Your third day and you're already Apparating over hundreds of miles, to places you've never seen," he began, still not looking up from his work. "Very impressive. My son says you have a knack for things."

"I suppose."

"The Dark Lord speaks very highly of you. You were the youngest recruit to ever be initiated as a Death Eater. Did you know that?"

"My father mentioned it."

"Yes, well," he said, rising from his chair and walking over to her. "Considering this, it makes me wonder why you seem so indifferent to it. I would expect a loyal Death Eater to be very pleased by this fact." Emily could tell that he was observing her distrustfully.

"This whole thing is just such a shock to me," Emily began, making sure to keep her voice steady so he wouldn't see through the lie, "I haven't had time to react yet."

"I'm sure," Lucius said. He was only a few feet away from her now, and she instantly saw how Draco had inherited his sunny disposition. "You can return to your father now, I'm certain he is getting impatient." Emily didn't move. Instead, she decided to try to read his thoughts. Concentrating hard, she was finally able to tap in: ... understand why Voldemort chose Wormtail's kid. Draco was born just after that Potter boy, and would have made a much better choice. But no, he wanted someone close to the Potters to be the one to put an end to them. Thought it would be ironic, the daughter of their best friend their eventual downfall.... Emily instantly closed her link, finding herself unable to breath. She then instantly pictured her father, and the next thing she knew, she was back in the Shrieking Shack. She hadn't even realized she was trying to Apparate, but nonetheless, she was glad to be away from Lucius and his thoughts.

"That took you long enough; and I see you didn't splinch yourself," he said, irritation in his voice. Emily, however, couldn't respond. She was still reeling with what she had just overheard Lucius thinking. The daughter of their best friend their eventual downfall... "Emily, did you hear me?"

"You were friends with the Potters?" Emily found the words coming out of her mouth.

"What?" he asked, "What did Lucius tell you?"

"Well, were you? Were you and mom friends with them...before he killed them?"

"I don't know where you're getting these - "

"Just answer me!" Emily yelled.

"No, we weren't friends."

"You're lying."

"Then why did you ask if you already know the answer?"

"Because I want to know why? If they were your friends..."

"We were friends when we were in school. After we graduated, things changed. And, once I became a Death Eater, I just kept up appearances, acting as a spy for the Dark Lord. It was quite pathetic, they practically handed themselves over to him - "

"You betrayed them?"

"Watch yourself. I didn't betray them. I handed the information I knew about them over to the Dark Lord, as any loyal Death Eater would have done. I betrayed no one."

"But they trusted you - "

"Emily, you choose whom you're loyal to, and you remain loyal," he said, glaring at her. "I'm a loyal servant of the Dark Lord, as are you."

Is that why you've been hiding for all these years? Because you're a 'loyal servant to the Dark Lord'? Because your stupid pledge to a psychopath means more to you then your own family. These thoughts ripped through her head as she stood there staring at her father, realizing exactly what she had agreed to become. A heartless monster.

"You're right," she said, "The Potters had to go, and, you did the right thing." He looked at her suspiciously. "I'm sorry I got all worked up about it."

"One of these day's you'll actually believe that," he said, turning around and starting to walk to the back of the house where the passage that led to Hogwarts was located. "Until then, I just hope you keep in mind that the Dark Lord is your master now. One I wouldn't suggest disobeying."

"I would never disobey him."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it."

* * * *

Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table, spooning pudding into her mouth. Ron was sitting across from her, and Harry next to him. She had spent the better part of her free afternoon in the library, researching all the former students of Hogwarts and cross-referencing them with the death certificates she found in the government section. She had come up with a list of four possible candidates that could be Emily's father. One of which she felt more strongly about then the others.

She had decided until now not to mention that she was researching this information to Harry. She wasn't exactly sure how he would take it, whether it would just dishearten him more to think of something new about Emily, or whether he would realize how important this information was. But, as soon as she realized who her father might be, she had decided that she didn't really have a choice in keeping this from him, she had to tell him as soon as possible.

"Harry?" she said, looking up at her friend across the table. He looked up from his pudding with his green eyes and ruffled hair. Oh, I hope this doesn't kill him, she thought to herself. "I've been spending some time in the library lately," she began.

"Big surprise there," Ron cut in. She chose to ignore his remark.

"I've been looking up some of the students that graduated from Hogwarts, trying to figure out who the new girl's father is." Hermione braced herself for his reaction, but was surprised when if finally came.

"I already know who he is," Harry responded, looking back down at his pudding and taking another spoonful.

"You do?" Hermione asked, looking over at Ron who seemed to be equally surprised by the information.

"Dumbledore told me," Harry mumbled through his pudding.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ron asked.

"Didn't come up in the conversation," he responded, but Hermione could see that wasn't the truth. He probably just didn't want to talk about it, understandably so.

"Peter Pettigrew?" Hermione asked as gently as she could. "There are three other possibilities, but I guessed it was probably him."

"Peter Pettigrew," Harry said flatly. Hermione gasped, as did Ron.

"Wormtail is her father?" Ron practically yelled. Hermione kicked him under the table.

"Quiet, do you want everyone to hear?" She growled at him.

"Yup. Wormtail's her father. Apparently we used to play together, Emily and I. That was before he betrayed my parents and had them murdered, of course. Talk about coincidences." Hermione could tell that the very thought of this was killing him.

"Did you tell Dumbledore about how...the new girl... is the Emerald Dragon?"

"Will you stop calling her the new girl," Harry hissed under his breath.

"Sorry," Hermione responded, hating more then ever the look Harry now had on his face. Nobody should have to deal with what he has had to deal with, she thought to herself. Nobody.

"No, I didn't tell him."

"Why not?" Ron asked.

"Because I have to figure some things out for myself," he responded, looking up at them. "I know you guys think I'm losing my mind," he said, and Hermione noticed that Ron nodded his head. Stupid Ron! "But I just need some time."

"But, Harry, how much time do you have?" Hermione asked as gently as she could. "What if something happens? She's in the castle, Harry, she shares classes with you. She has more than ample opportunity to...to..." But Hermione couldn't bring herself to say it.

"To kill you!" Ron finished her sentence without much sagacity.

"Smooth Ron!" Hermione hissed. Just then, a school owl flew into the Great Hall and swooped down onto the back of the chair next to Harry, lifting its leg and revealing a parchment that was attached to it. Harry reached over, retrieved the letter, and the owl flew off again immediately. Hermione watched as Harry carefully unrolled the parchment, and read his letter. "What does it say?"

"Oh nothing," he responded, folding the letter back up and placing it in his rucksack. "Have you guys finished your paper for Flitwick yet?" he asked, dramatically changing the subject.

"Yeah," Hermione muttered. "I finished it yesterday."

"You, Ron?"

"Still have a few feet to go."

"Well, I think I want to go and finish mine up, now. Guess I'll see you guys in classes tomorrow," Harry said, starting to get up from his seat.

"That's it then?" Ron asked. "You're just going off to study and we'll see you in the morning?" Harry didn't respond, he just continued packing up his stuff

"Goodnight," he said, ignoring Ron completely and walking up the Gryffindor table and out of the Great Hall.

"He didn't even bloody acknowledge me!" Ron said under his breath.

"I'm really worried about him," Hermione said, turning back to her half-eaten pudding and pushing it to the side.

"Why won't he just snap out of it!"

"I don't know. But, for once, I agree with you," Hermione responded, turning her head to look at the Slytherin table. Emily was sitting alone at the end of the table. "I hate her."

"Yeah, me too."

"No, I really hate her. I don't think I've ever really hated anyone this much."

"What about Rita Skeeter?"

"Oh yeah, forgot about her."

* * * * *
It was nearly ten o'clock, and Draco was sitting in his room catching up on the work he had fallen behind in while staying in the hospital wing. His parchments and books surrounded him and pages scattered to the floor when his door suddenly flew open to reveal Emily standing in the hallway.

"She let you out!" she gasped in surprise, her voice a little shaky. She was still holding onto the doorknob, as if it was supporting her.

"Yup, clean bill of health," he said, watching her take a few uneasy steps into his room and then flop down on his bed.

"I see she didn't let you keep that adorable orange turban," she said with a little pout of her lower lip. "What a shame!" she burst out, leaning forward and laughing hysterically.

"You seem...happy," he said, though a better description would have been 'extremely hammered'.

"Oh, I am," she said, bringing her hand up to her heart and sighing deeply. "My bestest friend Elizabeth...have I ever mentioned my friend Elizabeth?" Draco shook his head. "Oh, she's great! Simply great! Such a great gal. Really, really great!"

"Oh, let me guess...is she great?"

"You're making fun of me!"

"Yes I am."

"Anyways," she said, steadying herself on his bed and continuing with her story. "Elizabeth sent me a care package today."

"Was it complete with all the comforts of Smirnoff?"

"No, Jose Cuervo, but Smirnoff would have been nice. I'll have to owl her to let her know to send that next time."

"You do that."

"Oh, Draco, I've been so miserable without you here in the dorm. It's just no fun being a closet Death Eater without someone to share it with."

"It's so nice to know you were thinking of me."

"Oh!" she gasped, her eyes opening wide. She then leaned forward, lowering her voice to a rather loud, drunken whisper, "I almost forgot why I came down here."

"Lost your way to the loo?" he whispered back.

"Oh, no, silly!" she said, batting her hand at him. "I came up with a great plan to kill Harry!"

"Oh," he responded. That, he wasn't expecting.

"Yeah, you wanna hear?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

"Then shoot."

"Well, I'll seduce Ron, and we'll get married, and I'll have his child. And then, now here's the kicka', are ya listenin'?" Draco reluctantly nodded his head. "I'll force our child into killin' Harry. That way it will be...oh what's the word...oh, yeah...ironic...that he was killed by the daughta' of his best friend."

"Wonderful plan, though, I think it's been done before."

"Yeah, you're right," she answered, her mood quieting substantially. After a few moments of quiet, she lifted her head, and her voice came out barely above a whisper. "I shouldn't have come down here."

"No, it's fine. Do you need me to walk you back up to your room?"

"No, I think I can make it," she said, trying to get up off the bed, but then falling back over again. "Ok, maybe a little help." Draco got up from his chair, and walked over to her, putting his arm around her back and helping her stand up. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

* * * * *

The next morning, Emily got up as she had been for the past four mornings, got dressed, and starting heading out of her dorm room. She was remarkably surprised that she didn't have a hangover from the night before, considering she had gotten drunk enough to require Draco's assistance. As she tried to recall dim memories from the previous evening, she realized that he almost had to carry her back to her room.

She made her way out of the castle and onto the grounds. She followed along the side of the castle, heading over to the Whomping Willow, where she was scheduled to meet her father. She glanced down at her watch, and realized it was 5:35. Good, she thought to herself, I'm early.

She walked over and stood just beyond the thrashing arms of the tree in the stale, morning air. She stopped about twenty feet from the Willow, wanting to stay as far away from it as possible. She looked around but didn't see any sign of her father.

She paced about a little, thinking of nothing in particular. It was one of the first times in a long time that she was able to just allow her mind to wander without horrible images popping up into it. She felt oddly relaxed. Hmm...guess I was long overdue for a good hammering.

After about five minutes of pacing, she heard footsteps approaching. She didn't look up, not really wanting to have to look at her father until she absolutely had too. But as she walked back and forth, staring down at the ground in front of here, she realized something. The footsteps weren't coming from the direction of the Forbidden Forest; they were approaching her from the castle.

Panic suddenly overcame her, and she drew up her head just in time to see him walk up to her.

"Harry!" she gasped, taking in the sight of him, "What on earth are you doing here?" She asked, looking around to make sure her father wasn't in sight.

"Er..." he began, giving her a look as if to question her sanity. "You asked me to meet you out here."

"No, I didn't," she said, taking a step away from him. Whatever was going on, she suddenly had a feeling that something wasn't right. His face suddenly changed, and she could tell that he was angry. He hates me, she thought to herself. I've made him hate me. She then quickly cleared those thoughts away, and replaced them with: No, I hate him! I hate him! I hate him!

"I don't know what you're playing at," he said, rummaging through his robes and producing a folded piece of parchment. "Is this some kind of joke?" he asked, handing the slip of creased parchment to her. She took it, and unfolded it carefully. Written in neat handwriting that was very similar to her own was a brief note: Harry, I need to talk with you. Meet me by the Whomping Willow at sunrise. And it was signed Emily.

She read it twice, before looking up and into his eyes. Standing before her was Harry. Harry. And then, she suddenly found herself saying the only word she could think of at the moment. "RUN!"

"What! Emily..." he stammered, but she ran to him and stopped him mid-sentence.

"Run, Now! Don't ask why, just get the hell out of here," she yelled. But he didn't move an inch. "Harry, just go!" she said, shoving him away as hard as she could, he stumbled and caught himself.

"I don't understand," he started, but then she noticed he was distracted by something in the distance behind her. She swung around, and saw three hooded figured emerge from the forbidden forest, flying on broomsticks. Shit! She thought, swinging herself back around to Harry.

"You learned cushioning charms in class last week, didn't you?" she asked frantically. He nodded, but didn't look at her; he was staring at the three wizards speeding toward them. "I'm sorry!" she said, which made him finally look at her - but she had raised her hands towards him and a shot of blinding purple light shot from them, sending him flying high into the air and in the direction of the castle. The look on his face was one of terror, and she hoped he understood it was her only option.

Just then, she heard footsteps approaching her from behind.

"What the bloody hell was that?" asked one of the hooded men. She instantly recognized the voice as belonging to Lucius Malfoy. "You went and messed - "

"He was onto us," she said, rounding on Lucius. "I didn't know what the fuck was going on. He showed up and pulled his wand on me." Lucius looked temporarily startled.

"He knew?" chirped another hooded figure. That was Avery.

"Yes, he knew!" Emily bellowed, glaring at Avery. "What the hell were you guys trying to pull?"

"We were sent to collect him, but we still weren't sure..."

"If I was a loyal Death Eater" She finished his sentence as dramatic as possible. "Instead, you chose to keep me in the dark and spring an armed wizard, whom the three of you are scared to death of even if you won't admit it, on me unprepared!" She glared at them.

The third wizard stepped forward in what looked like a comforting manner. She jumped away.

"Dad! How dare you!" she screamed. He took off his hood, and looked at her.

"You're right. We should have prepared you."

"God damn right you should have fuckin' prepared me!" she screamed. Though, she was aware that a weight lifted off her as she realized they believed her story in its entirety. She then decided to add in a bonus. "Now, look what's happened. I'm sure he scrambled away unharmed!" This was, of course, what she hoped had happened, but she made sure her voice dripped with accusation and false disappointment.

"Don't worry, it wasn't your fault," her father responded.

"You're right," she said, looking directly into his eyes. "It's your fault."

"Now, Emily."

"Keep me in the dark again, and the Dark Lord will have to find someone else to do his bidding."

* * * *

Hermione and Ginny were just leaving the castle for their morning run when something came plunging out of the sky and hurdled right into the rose bushes to the right of the entrance. Ginny looked over at Hermione briefly before running over to see what it was.

She approached the bushes cautiously, aware that Hermione was right behind her. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Hermione had her wand out - and Ginny decided to do the same.

As they approached, Ginny saw a tangle of black fabric in the bushes. She then saw a leg, and an arm, and another arm. It was a person, a boy. She got closer, and as she did so, the boy moved. Ginny and Hermione both froze in place. The boy shook his head a little, and then turned around to face them.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed, pushing past Ginny and running over to him. "What on earth..." Ginny ran over too, and helped move him from the rose bushes and onto the steps.

"What happened?" Ginny asked again, brushing twigs and leaves off of his cloak.

"Not now, we have to get inside," he said, steering them both into the castle and starting to head back towards the common room. Ginny was surprised he was able to walk without difficulty, not even a slight limp.

"You're not hurt," Hermione said, most likely noticing the same thing Ginny had.

"No, I'm fine," he said, approaching the Fat Lady and saying the password. It wasn't until they were all safely in their common room and sitting around the fireplace that Harry began to tell his story. He proceeded to explain how he had received an owl yesterday during dinner from Emily asking him to meet her out by the Whomping Willow this morning.

"And you actually went?" Hermione interrupted his story in a tone that obviously expressed disapproval of his decision.

"I, ER, was curious," Harry answered, looking down at his hands uncomfortably. "But, I'm glad I did it."

"Why? Because you finally realized she's a horrible person who's trying to kill you?" Hermione said in her most sarcastic tone.

"No, because I think she just saved my life."

"Saved your life?" Hermione gasped. "Harry, since when is sending you flying through the air a way of saving your life?" Harry took a few breaths before continuing with the story he had began before she had interrupted him.

"When I showed up, she looked utterly surprised to see me there. When I showed her the letter, she told me to run."

"She what?" Ginny asked. Harry turned towards her.

"She told me to run. I didn't, though; I didn't understand what was going on. She just kept screaming for me to get out of there. Then I saw them fly out of the Forbidden Forest."

"Who?"

"I don't know, three men on broomsticks flying right at us."

"I'd bet one of them was Wormtail," Hermione said.

"Wormtail?" Ginny asked. Her brother had explained to her a while back about how Scabbers had really been Peter Pettigrew, who also went by Wormtail, all those years. But, how does Pettigrew fit into all of this.

"Wormtail is Emily's father," Hermione whispered to Ginny.

"Uh, I should tell Sirius!" Harry suddenly gasped, sitting up straight in his chair.

"Sirius is here?" Hermione asked. "Nearby?"

"He's in the staff wing," Harry answered. "He's hoping to catch Wormtail so he can clear himself."

"Well, I'm sure they're long gone by now," Ginny offered, rationalizing that a wanted wizard would want to spend as little time as possible on the Hogwarts grounds.

"Probably," Harry responded, sinking back down into his seat. "But, as soon as Emily saw them she got this horrible look on her face and asked me if I knew cushioning charms. I nodded, and the next thing I knew she was muttering an apology and sending me flying off in a flash of purple light."

"Harry, it sounds an awful lot like she was trying to kill you," Hermione said, placing her hands on her hips.

"That's just it. I don't think she was!" he said looking between the both of them. "Don't you see? She made sure I knew cushioning charms before sending me: so I wouldn't be hurt. I don't know exactly what is going on, but she didn't want to hurt me," he explained, looking more alive then he had in days. Ginny wanted to believe him more then anything. But, it didn't add up. If she didn't want to hurt Harry, if she wasn't playing for the Death Eaters and Voldemort, then why was she treating Harry so horribly?

"You don't think she's just playing along, do you?" Ginny asked, making sense of what he had just said.

"Ginny, she's been the world's biggest pain in the -" Hermione started, apparently not convinced. But Ginny interrupted her quickly.

"I bet she doesn't have a choice," she said, getting up and pacing in front of the fire, trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. "Especially if her father is a Death Eater, already. She's acting this way because it will be easier for her."

"Easier?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. If you found out you had to kill me, and you didn't have a choice in the matter, what would you do?" She asked him.

"He wouldn't do it!" Hermione answered for him.

"Hermione, he doesn't have a choice," Ginny reminded her.

"Well, he still wouldn't do it, right Harry?" Hermione asked. He nodded. Sensing that this train of logic wasn't going anywhere, Ginny decided to try another angle.

"Who would you rather kill, someone you like or someone you hate?"

"That's easy, someone I hate," Harry responded.

"See?" she said. Hermione looked at her, then at Harry, then back at her. And Ginny finally saw understanding spark in her. Wow, sure took her long enough. And she's supposed to be the smart one.

"So you think she's just acting? Like a coping mechanism?" Harry piped in.

"Ginny, there's no proof that that's what she's doing," Hermione responded.

"Oh, but it kind of makes sense!" Ginny insisted. "She suddenly stops talking to Harry, for no good reason at all. She's partnered up with Draco, who makes 'Harry Hating' seem like an old wizarding pastime," she paused here, catching her breath "And before that, she seemed emotionally unstable. You remember how Ron said she asked him about being born evil and all that. Oh course," Ginny said, imagining her brother's response, "She chose to ask Ron, of all people, a question like that! Knowing him, he probably just spit out some horribly biased answer."

"But, Ginny, there's no proof that that's what she's doing!" Hermione interrupted. "What if you're wrong?"

"But what if I'm right?" Ginny asked.

"It doesn't matter, she's still dangerous to Harry."

"But she just saved his life!"

"We don't know why she did that, maybe it's all just part of their plan!"

Harry jumped up now, and Ginny could tell he was really beginning to grasp the whole idea of it.

"The day she drank the Luminas potion - she said something to me. At the time, I had no clue what it meant. She must have had an idea of what was going on to have said it."

"What'd she say?" Ginny asked, giving Hermione a pointed look.

"She told me to always believe in her." He shook his head. "She made me promise. All this time I've been thinking she's a horrible person."

"Harry, what were you supposed to think?" Hermione said incredulously.

"I promised, Hermione. I should have known."

"For Merlin's sake! If you ask me, her little moment of weakness was probably all a part of their plan too!" Hermione burst out.

"Oh, Hermione come off it!" Ginny hissed. "You've never liked her! You've always been suspicious! For once, can you just stop being so fact-obsessed and just accept that maybe, all along, Harry's been right? He knew her the best, after all." Ginny was breathing heavily now, having exhausted herself with emotion. Hermione was one of her closest friends, but she was being so stubborn!

Hermione looked as though the wind had been knocked out of her. She just stood there, staring at Ginny. It took her a few moments before she finally spoke.

"I just don't trust her," she said, looking over at Harry, "I want to, really I do! But you haven't seen yourself for the past few weeks Harry! You haven't seen what she's done to you!"

Nobody said anything for a little while after that. Ginny was going over every detail of what had happened with Emily over the past few weeks, and was trying to find a way to somehow rationalize all of it as a coping mechanism. The more she thought about it, the more she began to think she was right.

"I have to talk to her," Ginny suddenly heard Harry say from across from her. "I have to find out."

"But Harry," Hermione started, but then stopped herself.

"What if she is being forced into doing this? What if she doesn't think she has a choice?" he asked, obviously knowing that Hermione was going to protest his idea of going to see her. "If she really is the Emerald Dragon, then she's undefeatable! She could defeat Voldemort!"

"You don't know that Harry," Hermione said.

"I still need to talk to her," he responded.

"Fine, but we're coming with you," Hermione said, standing up from her chair and putting her hands on her hips.

"What, right now?" Ginny asked, snapping herself out of her slight comatose state and standing up also.

"No, not right now," Hermione snapped at her, but then softened her face a little and smiled briefly before adding, "Whenever he decides to go."

"I think this is something I have to do alone," he said, not getting up out of his chair like the rest of them had.

"We don't have to be in the room with you, we'll be outside like..." Hermione trailed off here.

"Bodyguards," Ginny offered, but then had to giggle to herself at the thought of the two of them acting as Harry's bodyguards. Harry muffled a laugh also.

"Bodyguards?" he said, his skepticism clearly evident in his voice. "You two?"

"Hey, don't look at us like that. We happen to be lean, mean, fighting machines!" Hermione said with a little giggle of her own.

"I'm sure you are," Harry said, shaking his head, but then agreeing to allow them to come along when he decided to have a chat with Emily.

* * * * * *

Emily decided not to go back to the castle after her little incident that morning. She skipped breakfast and went straight to Hagrid's hut, since her first class was going to be Care of Magical Creatures. Her mind was even more confused then ever. While the Death Eaters, and hopefully the Dark Lord, were none the wiser concerning the fact that she had saved Harry's life, she was still a little uncertain about the consequences of her actions. Had she done the right thing? Should she have simply waited until they came out to get him, let them take him away to whatever castle they would meet up with Voldemort in? Why had she thought it necessary to save him?

And then, it was as clear as water. It was exactly what she had been dreading all along, and now she knew it was so. No matter how hard she tried to distance herself, and no matter how hard she wanted to hate him, she couldn't force herself to do so. Draco was right. She could tell them she was on their side, but she would never truthfully be on their side.

"I thought I'd find you out here," came a voice from behind Emily. She didn't need to turn around, she knew exactly who it was. And of course he'd be able to find her out here, he'd probably been watching the whole incident this morning from some hiding spot just beyond her plane of vision.

"You knew about what they were planning this morning, didn't you?" she asked, turning around to face him.

"Yes."

"He almost killed me," she said, running with the lie she had told the others earlier.

"So I've heard," he responded, taking a seat on the rock next to her. "But he didn't."

"No, he didn't."

"I didn't think you could do it," he then added, leaning back against the rock and looking up at the sky. "I'm still a little shocked that you did."

"Did what?"

"I didn't think you had it in you to actually hurt him," he said with a smile. "Even after all the times you assured me you were working for us, I never believed it. I always thought you'd fall apart at the last minute and..."

"And save his life?" she offered, trying to call his bluff. She expected him of all people to be able to see through her lie.

"Yeah, something like that. But you didn't, you actually did it," he said without a trace of sarcasm. In fact, as she looked at him, she noticed that he seemed more at peace with himself then he'd been in weeks. She concentrated hard, and delved into his thoughts: ...really shaping up to be who they say she is. My dad's going look like a fool after what he planned today. She's going whip that boy's....

"'Bout time you started believing in me," she said, still a little shocked that he did.

"Took you long enough to start showing some loyalty," he responded. She turned her head towards him, and suddenly felt something else besides shock, something in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't quite identify. Something strangely similar to guilt. But why should I feel guilty about Draco believing that I'm a faithful Death eater?, she asked herself. But, she answered her question immediately, Because I'm not.

"So, when's it really gonna happen?" she asked turning away from him. "When is the real thing going down?"

"Soon. I don't know for sure, my dad's out of that loop. Only your father and the dark lord are involved in planning that," he said, before adding. "And you, after your little performance today."

"Hopefully," she responded, realizing that at least one good thing had come out of what happened that morning. At least now she would be prepared.

* * * *