Miss Quinn

10 ~ Back to Hogwarts

When Christmas break was over, Emma said goodbye to her mum on Platform 9 3/4. Then she boarded the train and searched for Venus and Hermione. She found Venus first, sitting alone in a compartment. Emma set her stuff down and hugged Venus.

"You're wearing your necklace!" Venus exclaimed when they pulled out of their hug.

"Yeah, it's really pretty, thank you so much." Emma said.

"Yours was pretty too," Venus said, pulling a chain out from under her robes. It was a locket with pictures of them in it.

"You're welcome." Emma grinned.

"What's that?" Venus asked, reaching for Emma's hand. Venus held Emma's hand in hers, studying the ring on her middle finger.

"It's beautiful, who gave it to you?" Venus asked.

"My dad. He sent it from America." Emma said.

Venus's eyes widened, "He gave that to you?"

"Yeah, wanna see what else it does?" Emma asked. Venus nodded and Emma pressed the stone. The bow appeared in her hand, arrows on her back.

"Oh my gosh! That's so cool!" Venus said, her eyes bulging, "I wish my dad gave me stuff like that."

Emma changed the bow back into her ring, smiling sadly.

Just then, Hermione entered the compartment and sat down across from them.

"Have a good Christmas?" She asked.

"It was great, you?" Emma replied.

"It was magical." Hermione smiled.

After a while of chatting and telling stories, Emma left the compartment to use the restroom. On her way, she ran into Pansy Parkinson, her least favorite person in the world.

Pansy was laughing her signature laugh that sounded like a stereotypical witch's cackle. Another Slytherin girl was with her, but Emma didn't know who she was.

"Oh, look who it is, little miss smarty pants." Pansy cackled.

"Awe, I'm glad you admitted I'm smarter than you, Pansy." Emma shot back.

Pansy scowled and shoved past Emma, almost slamming her into a wall. Emma chuckled to herself and continued on to the bathrooms.

Draco watched Pansy enter the compartment, fuming.

"I hate her." Pansy said, crossing her arms over her chest and plopping down across from Draco.

"Who?" Blaise Zabini asked.

"That Emma Quinn girl. She always has comebacks for my insults, I don't like it." Pansy said.

"She's just like that, Pansy." Draco said, shrugging, "You can't change her."

Pansy glared, "Sounds like you're taking her side."

Draco narrowed his eyes, "No, trust me, if I could either agree with Harry Potter or Emma Quinn, I'd take Potter." It was a flat out lie, of course, but Draco didn't want to make Pansy suspicious. It worked though, Pansy smirked and rambled on about Emma.

Draco did too, though it was in his head and not as negative as Pansy. What was up with Emma? Why was she so powerful? How was she so powerful?

Emma sighed with relief when she got off the train. It was nice to be back at Hogwarts. She let Shadow out of his cage and watched his black body sore across the snow-covered town of Hogsmeade. Shadow disappeared into the distance when Emma and her friends walked to the carriages.

Harry and Ron were waiting for them in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Have a good Christmas?" Harry asked.

"Yeah it was great, did you find anything on Nicholas Flamel?" Hermione asked.

"No, nothing." Harry replied, frowning, "But we did find a mirror that shows our hearts' greatest desires."

"Really? Where?" Emma asked, eyes widening.

"You won't be able to find it now, Dumbledore moved it." Harry said.

"Bummer, I wanted to see my greatest desire." Emma said.

"I bet it would be me as your sister," Venus teased, poking Emma on her side.

"Or maybe being in a seventh year potions class by next year!" Ron said, joining in with the teasing.

"Or it could be Pansy Parkinson being expelled." Venus said, laughing.

Emma felt herself blush, then joined in with the laughter. Hermione was the only one who seemed to not be amused.

"Yes, well whatever it is, I'm sure you'll find out sooner or later." Hermione said. Her seriousness only made the others laugh harder. Soon all four of them were laughing uncontrollably and could not even breathe. Hermione stood, scowling at her friends and tapping her heel. It was the perfect picture of an angry professor. Emma laughed at the thought.

"Stop acting like children," Hermione said.

"Stop acting like an angry professor." Emma laughed.

Hermione cracked a smile. Maybe there was a way to crack open her serious physique.