Emily Potter - Book 7 - The Deathly Hallows

Chapter 20: Tidal Wave

At the scalding touch of the morning sun, upon realizing that she could no longer ignore it and stay idle, Emily opened her eyes and saw one of the lenses of her glasses had cracked upon her fall. The girl had always refrained from prolonged exposure to the sun as much as she wanted, but after being imprisoned in someone's basement for Merlin knows how long and after being tortured as the seasons shifted from winter to spring, Emily didn't mind a sunburn.

Water soaked her shoes and pant legs with each wave that crashed into her body, upon her first few seconds of arriving at the shore, Emily's hands wandered around her blindly, almost pleasantly bewildered to touch sand between her fingers. She finally held herself up with her upper body being supported by her elbows perched behind her. Emily looks beyond the seaside and sees a glistening ivory cottage on a small hill, hope sprouting in her heart.

A small, continuous line of coughing shot up from beside her; Emily's eyes looked for the source and found within an arm's throw, a heavily splinched body bleeding out to the sand. With wobbly legs and a slightly nauseated sensation in her throat, Emily hurried to Draco Malfoy's aid. The girl dragged him out from the sea's reach with all her might, exhausting every drop of magic she had left in her to heal him.

"The bandages... They won't hold for long, I have to get you to that house before you bleed out. Okay?" Emily said, nearing the totality of her healing abilities. When she had finished wrapping the gushing wounds on his leg and arm, Emily urged Draco to stand up with her acting as his crutch. The pair wobbled together as they headed for the rest of the group that had formed a loose circle a few yards away from where they ended up.

What on earth –

Emily's eyes landed on a silver hilt of the dagger lodged deeply within Dobby's chest. The house-elf laid comfortably within her brother's arms, his small face looking up at Harry in the well-known adoration he always had for him.

"I told you not to save my life anymore – I told you." Harry muttered miserably, his hands stained with blood. Dobby's pale green eyes wandered around the many faces surrounding him, his mouth forming into a weak smile as his focus fell on the sight of the crystal blue sea. "Anything for the Potters..." He said fondly. "Dobby is happy to be here – Happy to be with friends."

His eyes remain frozen, looking at the roaring waves until his dying breath.

The nauseating lump in Emily's throat grew more pronounced now, triggering her to tremble terribly that even Draco was affected. Daphne, whose back was facing the pair, looked to her left and saw the unmistakable sight of the exposed sea floor. With her head still turned to the phenomena, Daphne whacked Hermione and Ron who stood in front of her, alerting them of what was about to come.

The water receded from the shore, showing everyone glistening white sand and scattered shells; Draco looks instead at Emily who was now holding herself back from cowering over herself in pain. She continued to take in as much air as she could, unsure if she could carry Draco any longer. "Go."

"Emily – "

"Run!" Her voice cracked menacingly, reaching a high screech at her exclamation. Ron and Daphne urgently took Draco to their arms as soon as they saw her state, yelling at everyone to follow them to the cottage.

What once began at her throat radiated to the back of her head and the core of her stomach, Emily trembled under the fear and anger that boiled inside her body; she looked onward to the sea, frightened of the wild waves thrashing before her, beginning to form into something larger than herself. With clenched fists and grit teeth, Emily tries to fight back the urge of screaming, of unleashing this dark magic from hurting anyone else around her.