Twilight to Dusk

Twilight To Dusk 3

Chapter Three

"Ema! Are you ready? Have you packed?"

"Nearly! Give me a second!" Ema shouted back, shoving underwear into her trunk.

"Define nearly," Harry shouted back and Ema heard the grin in his voice. "What have you got to do?"

"All my robes, my books, my socks, my broom, my teddy bear, my ..."

"Everything, you mean?" said Harry.

Ema looked up as he entered her room. "No," she said. "I've packed my underwear."

Harry laughed. "Thank God we decided to pack the night before for once," he said, crouching down and starting to help her pack her books with some order while she threw robes and socks untidily in.

Suddenly, Ema stopped, looking at a picture. It was a photo of her and Ari, taken with a Muggle camera. They were standing in front of Ari's house, a huge azalea plant behind them, grinning with their arms around each other. Ema remembered the day well. It was Ari's ninth birthday and she and Ema had just come back from the park, where they had both gotten soaked using a drinking fountain.

Ema was wearing a lime green tee shirt that was darker in places because of the water. Her hair was less red and more blonde than usual, except at the top where Ari had dunked her into the water. She was smiling toothily and had about four teeth missing.

Ema moved her eyes past her eight-year-old self onto Ari. Ari's sleek, shiny brown hair fell all the way down to her waist - Ema remembered that she used to be able to sit on it. Her hair, too, was a bit blonder than usual, and had a few very blonde streaks. Her dark blue eyes were laughing, as was her mouth, which had all of its teeth. She was wearing a white tee shirt with a large frog on it that said, "I eat all toads."

How happy they looked. So carefree. Nothing to worry about except what their next prank would be and whether their teacher had found the dead mouse yet. No troubles except for the inevitable time-out when Ema's parents found the mud in the coffee machine.

Why couldn't it have stayed like that? Ema wondered. There was no answer. At least, none that Ema knew. At least, none that she could accept.

* * *

Ari woke up at six o'clock on September first feeling half excited, half remorseful. Part of her brain told her that this was her last chance to make up with her mother until at least Christmas, if not later. The other part defiantly kept up the argument that if she gave in now, her mum would never learn.

I'm just helping her, really, Ari attempted to justify to herself, though she didn't really believe this.

She got out of bed, stretching her stiff limbs, and letting her muscles relax. She couldn't let her row with her mother get in the way of going back to school. Pulling some jeans and a sleeveless yellow shirt out of her closet, she began to get dressed. She was just pulling some yellow and orange striped socks on when her mum came into the room, looking nervous.

"Hi, Ari," she said. "Nearly ready?"

"Yeah," said Ari. She did not snap, and her voice was not cold, but weary. She couldn't fight anymore. But that didn't mean that she was giving in. "I've just got to pack a few more things."

Miss Parker looked immensely relieved that Ari's violent defiance had died out. "Right," she said awkwardly, glancing at her watch. "It's only six fifteen right now, should I make you some breakfast?"

"Sure," said Ari, shrugging.

"What would you like?" Miss Parker seemed very uncomfortable, as though she no longer knew how to act around her daughter.

"Whatever," said Ari. She turned away and began to throw a few more socks into her trunk. She heard the door close and stopped. When she was sure that her mother was downstairs, she closed her trunk, got up, and collapsed on her bed, tears leaking out of her eyes.

* * *

"Ema," Ginny shook her daughter gently, knowing full well that this would do nothing to rouse her daughter. "Ema, time to get up."

Ema rolled over in her sleep and muttered, "Green toads and fish."

"Yeah, me too," said Ginny randomly, grabbing one of Ema's extra pillows and gripping it tightly. "Ema, wake up." When Ema did not stir, Ginny brought the pillow down on her head causing a very weird sound to come out of her daughter. Something like, "Eurgoha".

"Up," said Ginny loudly.

Ema rolled over and sat up, looking dead. "Eh? Wassa matter?" she mumbled.

"It's time to get up," Ginny announced, slightly exasperated.

"What? Again?" asked Ema stupidly.

"Yeah, I know," said Ginny, laughing. "You had to wake up yesterday too. Of course, you don't have to go to school this year ..."

That got Ema up. She leapt out of bed but was still so groggy that she banged into her dresser and fell on the rug, looking at the ceiling. "I've never looked at the ceiling this way before," she said, yawning.

"Okay then," said Ginny. "You'll have plenty more opportunities to, I'm sure. In the meantime get ready." She rolled her eyes and strolled out of the room.

* * *

Ema stayed on the ground for a few minutes watching an ant strolling nonchalantly across the ceiling. Then she stood up wearily and walked to her dresser. Once there, she pulled out a pair of old ripped jeans and a purple tee shirt that her mum had tried to throw away on countless occasions because it clashed with Ema's hair. She put it on anyway, with a white zip up sweat shirt to balance it out, pulled on the jeans and made some appearance of combing her hair, even making a valiant but failed attempt to pull it back.

When she appeared in the kitchen fifteen minutes later, Ema was slightly surprised to see Ari sitting at the table.

Ari looked up as Ema entered the room and Ema saw that her face was tear-streaked and her eyes red. She was drinking a cup of tea and every once in a while she would blow her nose.

Ginny glanced up at Ema with a tense expression on her face.

Ema looked back at Ari. "Is it, erm, too insensitive to ask what's wrong?" she said tentatively.

"I'm coming to King's Cross with you," said Ari in a surprisingly calm, if rather choked, voice. "Like usual."

"Oh," said Ema. "So, um, why ...?"

Ari burst into tears. "I never made up with her!" she wailed. "It was my last chance to tell her that I do love her and that I want to come back over the summer and that I've been selfish and insensitive and all that other stuff but I didn't! I couldn't bring myself to do it! And now I won't s-see her again un-until at least C-Christmas and w-what if something happens to her when sh-she's having the baby? What am I going to d-do?" She put her head in her arm and started crying in earnest.

"You know," said Ema, stroking Ari's long brown hair, "it's not too late for you to run back there now and tell her."

Ari shook her head. "I c-can't, Ema!" she yelled, startling Ema so badly that she knocked her milk over. "I c-can't bring myself to do it! I'm still too angry."

Ema was generally bad at understanding emotions and this one had her in a tizzy. If Ari wanted to make up, how was it that she was still angry? Why didn't she just do it? She opened her mouth to say so when Ari cut her off.

"I know what you're about to say," she snapped. "But I don't think you can talk, considering how you and Ronnie acted towards each other last year. I heard a wild rumor that you wanted to make up with her but that you couldn't bring yourself to do it."

Ari had stopped crying and now she looked angry.

"I'm sorry," said Ema, who had not remembered this episode in a while, but she realized that Ari was right. "Look," she said. "If there's nothing we can do about, let's just ...just get ready to go. You'll always be able to write to your mum whenever you're ready."

A spasm of anger crossed Ari's face and Ema was sure she was about so say, 'I don't want to write to her, I don't want to forget right now!' But she didn't.

Instead, her face fell. There were no more tears, there was no more anger, it was as though all the emotions of before had been sucked away leaving only a tired hopelessness that seemed to consume her body.

And Ema couldn't help thinking that the spirit of Arwen DeLingues was dying.

* * *

Platform 9 1/2 was packed with Hogwarts students, parents, pets, and, in one case, a stray armadillo that was begging for cheese in a squeaky voice.

"Don't give him any," said Ginny. "Never trust talking animals."

"Have a good term," said Harry. "See you at Christmas?"

"Maybe," said Ema, glancing at Ari.

Ginny seemed to understand. "Right. Well, you guys want to get on now, I'll bet, to find a good compartment."

"Behave," said Harry. "No more owls, hear?"

"I heard, but if I obey is something else," said Ema.

Ginny laughed and gave her a playful push towards the train. "Get out of here, you rascal," she growled.

* * *

Ari and Ema dragged their trunks along the hall, looking into compartments for either an empty one or one with Jamie or Ronnie. The empty one was found first and they trumped into it, struggling with their heavy loads, with Ema's owl, Star, hooting dolefully as though this was the most depressing experience in her owl life.

Ema shoved her trunk into the luggage rack and helped Ari with hers as well. Ema seemed to be all skin and bone but she was very strong and played beater on the Ravenclaw house Quidditch team, a position usually reserved for big, muscly players in fifth year or above.

The girls were just sitting down opposite each other when Ema saw, out of the corner of her eye, a black haired girl coming to the compartment. "Hi, Jamie!" said Ema.

"Wow, you're a bit off, Potter," said a bemused voice.

Ema looked up. "Ronnie!" she exclaimed, seeing the thin blonde girl in the doorway. "I could have sworn you had black hair!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Ronnie. "You need your brain checked."

Ema laughed but was still confused. "I'll swear by it!" she exclaimed. "You had black hair."

"Potter, get a grip," said Ari with a very small smile. But a small smile was better than no smile. "Ronnie couldn't have changed from blonde hair to black hair and back in that amount of time."

"I still -"

"Alright, alright!" said Ari. "We know what you thought you saw. It still remains that this is Ronnie, not ...Jamie!"

Jamie had just entered the compartment, followed by Sarah who was looking as hyper as ever.

"Hi," said Jamie, storing her luggage and helping Sarah and Ronnie, both of whom were rather weak, in getting theirs up too.

"Look," said Sarah, going straight over to Ema and holding out her arm on which was perched a small blue parakeet. "Daddy got her for me. Her name's Sapphire and she's the Ravenclaw colors, see? Except without the bronze. I'm gonna be in Ravenclaw, did you know that? It's going to be so much fun."

Ema was not at all sure about that last statement. She liked Sarah very much but there was just no getting rid of her. She seemed attached to Jamie.

"Erm, Sarah," said Ema. "I'm not sure you will be in Ravenclaw. You never know until the Sorting Hat decides."

"Yes, but it will put me in Ravenclaw," said Sarah, a bit of a pout on her face.

"Drop it, Ema," said Jamie.

"Well, Sarah, I think you might want to find some first years," said Ari. "You're not going to be able to be with us every second you know, and the train is the best time to make friends."

"Okay!" said Sarah with much more vigor than Ema had expected. "Jamie, come with me."

"Oh, Sarah," said Jamie exasperatedly. "You're old enough to walk down the corridors by yourself. Scoot."

Sarah skipped off obediently.

"Sorry about her," said Jamie, looking embarrassed. "She's always been that way, attached to me. She really doesn't have to be with me, she just likes it. Anyway, how've you all been?"

They all shrugged. Ari looked out the window but not before Ema saw tears gathering in her eyes.

"Ari, you okay?" asked Jamie, scooting sideways so that she was sitting on the same seat as Ari and putting an arm around her.

"She's been a bit down," said Ema carefully.

"What's wrong, Ari?" asked Jamie as tears began to leak out of Ari's eyes.

Ari just shook her head.

"She, um, didn't make up with her mum," said Ema quietly while Ari buried her face in her hands. "She just wasn't ready. She feels bad."

"Oh, Ari, it's okay," said Jamie. "Your mum knows you love her, I'm sure. You'll put things right when you're good and ready."

"Thanks Jamie," said Ari, accepting the tissue that Ronnie handed to her. "Don't mind me. Sometimes I just randomly start crying."

"You're going through a hard time," said Jamie and Ronnie nodded in agreement. "When my parents divorced I did the same thing - cried, I mean. It's natural."

"Whatever," said Ari, wiping her eyes. "I don't really care that it's natural. Sorry, Jamie, it has nothing to do with you. It's just embarrassing to me."

They were all quiet for a time, staring at anyone but Ari. Jamie and Ronnie got into a staring contest for a time and then suddenly all four of them burst out laughing.

* * *

The food cart came by at about noon as usual and, as usual, Ema bought enough food to sink a ship. "A big cruise one, too," said Ari.

To Jamie's horror, Sarah chose that exact time to skip through the door with two other girls.

"Oh, Sarah!" Jamie cried in dismay. "Can you give us a little peace?"

Sarah pouted. "But I wanted to meet you my friends!" she whined.

"You mean that you wanted me to meet your friends," said Jamie. "And that's fine, Sarah, but Ema bought this food with her own money so you can't eat it all."

"Fine," snapped Sarah.

"Okay, who are your friends?" asked Jamie, looking at the two nervous looking girls. One was taller than Sarah, indeed almost as tall as Jamie, very thin, with long curly hair that was auburn in color with gray eyes. The other was also taller than Sarah but only by a couple of inches. This girl had dirty blond hair that reached all the way down her back past her waist.

"This," said Sarah, gesturing to the auburn haired girl, "is Amy Clearwater. Only she thinks she'll be in Slytherin."

Ema stared at her. "I know you!" she said suddenly. "You're my ...um ...second cousin or something, right? Are you Marie Clearwater's daughter?"

"Yes," said Amy looking very embarrassed. "You're Artemis, right?"

"No, that's my cousin. I'm Ema."

"Oh, sorry."

"No problem," said Ema, smiling. "You only met me once. And, of course, there are thousands of red headed girls in my family. You being one of them." She grinned. "Slytherin, eh? You're in a family of all Ravenclaws, right?"

Amy nodded but lifted her head defiantly. "Yes, I am. But I think I'm quite within my right to be in whatever house suits me best," she snapped.

Ema raised her hands in the position of surrender. "Wasn't saying anything against it!" she said. "I'm from a family of Gryffindors, after all, and I'm in Ravenclaw."

"Ehem!" said Sarah. "As interesting as this discussion is, I think it's quite time it was cut short. I have not finished with my introductions!"

"You're absolutely right, Sarah," said Ema, standing up and springing into a smart solute. "My despicable conduct was unexcusable and I accept that punishment will come swiftly and may include one or all of the following: Death, destruction, decapitation ..."

"Shut up, Ema," snapped Sarah.

"Sarah!" scolded Jamie. "Be polite, please!"

"Fine!" said Sarah. "Anyway, this -" she gestured to the blonde girl "- is Joanne Lovegood. Jo, Amy, this is my sister Jamie, her annoying friend Ema, her nice friend Ari, and her quiet friend Ronnie."

Jamie watched her friend's faces change to looks of indignity.

"Excuse me, but I am not nice!" snapped Ari. "I'll prove it, too!"

"Did someone call me annoying?" asked Ema. "Because that someone is not going to be alive much longer."

"Anyone who calls me quiet needs to learn a bit about me!" shouted Ronnie at the top of her lungs.

Then the three of them burst into laughter. "Oh, Sarah," said Jamie, giggling in spite of her self. "There you go. Bet you're really regretting having said that now."

"Yeesh," said Sarah. "You guys are weird."

With that, she and her friends stalked out of the room. But in the corridor the Ravenclaw Four could see them giggling as well.

"Wow, you guys scared them away," laughed Jamie, feeling a giddy sort of happiness that she couldn't explain to herself.

"So that was your second cousin?" asked Ari interestedly.

"Yeah, or something like that. Daughter of my aunt's sister. My aunt not being blood related. That's right, right?"

"I dunno," said Jamie. "I've never understood family treeish things."

"Me neither," said Ronnie."

"How is she?" asked Jamie curiously, turning to Ema, who shrugged.

"I've only met her once, and she seemed okay. Kind of snappish though. But she's a Slyth, what else would you expect?"

"What house do you reckon Sarah will be in?" asked Ari wonderingly.

Jamie felt a plunging sensation in her stomach. "You honestly think she might not be in Ravenclaw?"

Ema looked at her oddly. "Well, she just doesn't strike me as the Ravenclaw type."

"Of course she'll be in Ravenclaw!" snapped Jamie, feeling sick. She couldn't imagine her sister not being in the same house as her.

Ari looked taken aback. "It's still a possibility that ..." she began, but Jamie cut her off.

"No. It's not a possibility. It's just not. She's going to be in Ravenclaw. She won't survive without me!" Jamie felt her eyes tearing up but she blinked them back, determined to pull herself together.

"Jamie! What's wrong?" asked Ronnie, looking alarmed.

Jamie took a couple deep breaths to steady herself and said in as calm a voice as she could, though she sounded like she had a head cold, "I just don't think she'll do well in a house without me. Besides, what else would she be?"

"Look," said Ema, "we don't have to talk about this. It's my fault, I shouldn't have brought it up. Sorry, Jamie."

"No, I want to know what you think she'll be," said Jamie coldly. She knew she was being unreasonable but at the moment she couldn't help it. She had to challenge Ema to prove her wrong.

"Fine," said Ema defensively.

Ari and Ronnie looked between them. It was clear to Jamie that they were nervous about their two friends getting into a row.

"Fine," said Ema again. "She doesn't seem like a Ravenclaw because Ravenclaws are crazy and she's not. I mean, she is, but not purposely. And when we act like ...well, like us, she calls us weird. Ravenclaws don't state that fact out loud. I also can't see her working that much -"

"Like you, you mean," snapped Jamie.

"Will you let me finish?" said Ema indignantly. "Anyway, she's definitely not a Gryffindor because Gryffindors are idiots. Okay," she said, catching the look on Ari's face, "They're not idiots, I just have something against them because my whole family was in it. Anyway, I don't see her as a Hufflepuff either because she's not that nice, not that I don't like her. She's a Slytherin, if you ask me." Ema's eyes locked into Ari's and Jamie thought something passed between them, like an understanding that no one else would ever understand.

"She is not a Slytherin!" said Jamie in a choked voice. "She can't be."

"Jamie, c'mon! You asked and I answered. I'm really sorry," pleaded Ema.

Jamie shook her head and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, looked up and smiled slightly. "You're right," she said weakly. "I'm sorry too, I guess we just have to wait, and there's no point in arguing now."

But whatever she said to the contrary, Jamie felt empty inside and wished that she could just know now what house her sister was in. But since when had it been possible to take the easy way?