Black Roses

Almost Pretty

"Crucio! Crucio! AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The body of a girl, still spasming with torturous pain, flopped to the ground, ignored in the confusion of battle. Wild-eyed and mad, the tall woman who had killed her swirled around, screaming curses and sending sparks flying from her wand in all directions, some hitting their target, others glancing off walls and rubble.

Three schoolgirls, bloody and caked in mud and sweat, ran fearlessly towards her, sending curses of their own flying through the air. Red sparks met green as they clashed, duelling with the desperation that only those faced with death feel.

But the woman was powerful, and sure to beat them, sure to overpower them.

Sure enough, a curse just glanced one of the girls, the red haired one, knocking her over. Sprawled on the floor, she was powerless...

Another woman ran in, older than the girls, with the same red hair as the unconscious one, brandishing her wand like a sword, wielding it with maternal ferocity.

"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

The air was thick with dreadful curses now, both women fighting to kill. Someone ran forward, trying to help, but were thrown back by a flick of the redhead's wand.

Finally, a curse hit the taller woman in the chest, killing her. Her eyes bulged and she screamed as she toppled over, dying an agonising death. Her body writhed on the floor, before dissolving into nothing.

Gasping for breath, I awoke, clinging to my sheets with white knuckles. I was drenched with sweat, and immediately threw the covers off to get some air. Just a bad dream, I told myself. Just a bad dream.

Trying not to make a sound, I swung my legs out of the bed and onto the cold flagstone floor. I padded slowly to the bathroom, wand in hand. I, of all people, knew better than to go anywhere without a wand.

I splashed my face with cool water from the tap, removing all traces of sleep from my eyes as I did so. After drying my face with a blue flannel, I glanced at the mirror above the sink.

My hair was black as midnight and shone with ethereal purple lights. My dark eyes were hooded and my figure slender and tall, and my skin smooth but painfully pale. I almost looked pretty.

And if it weren't for the fact that I shared my striking looks with a murderous Deatheater and ardent worshipper of the Dark Lord, I might even have ventured as far as to say that I was beautiful.

Angrily, I slammed down the towel and made my way back to bed, making sure not to bump into any of the beds on the way back. I almost tripped on Lavender's slippers that had been discarded in the middle of the room, but I caught my balance just in time.

Snuggled under the covers, I closed my eyes, but couldn't sleep. Instead, I gazed out of the window above my bed.

From my angle, I could just about see another window, with another bed beneath it, and a lump sleeping in the bed that could only be one person.

------------------

"Rise and shine, lazybones!"

I had, it seemed, finally managed to get to sleep, only to be awoken by Parvati Patil throwing a slipper at me. On closer inspection, it turned out to be the one I had almost tripped over last night.

Groaning, I tumbled out of bed, unfolding my long limbs like a spider. Parvati and Hermione were the only girls left other than me in the dorm.

Sleepily, I rubbed my eyes.

"What's the time?" I asked.

Hermione frowned at me.

"Honestly, Em, I thought you were supposed to be like me. Organised." She gestured to her perfectly arranged dressing table, tiny clock in the centre taking pride of place as the only vaguely muggle contraption that worked in Hogwarts.

"Not organised, 'Mione, clever. I can match your brains, but never your organisational skills." I stood up. "And now I am awake. You two can go now."

Both witches looked to the floor awkwardly. I raised an eyebrow.

"What did I miss?"

Hermione cleared her throat, but no speech followed, taking me by surprise. Hermione always had something to say.

Eventually, Parvati spoke.

"Well, we thought you might want some support from your friends," she said, carefully considering each word before she said it. "Before, you know..." She trailed off.

Hermione finished for her. "Before you go downstairs and see Seamus."

An awful silence followed. Parvati started shuffling her feet nervously, and Hermione fiddled with her robes.

This time, I was the one who broke the silence.

"And why would I need support?"

Incoherent mumbles were the response I was given. Rolling my eyes, I stepped forwards and enveloped them both in a hug.

"Thank you," I said. "But just let me get dressed first, okay?"

The two witches nodded, clearly relieved. They may have been some of my closest friends in the world, but my curses were still a force to be reckoned with, as any Slytherin could have told you.

But still, as I turned away from them to change, I couldn't shake the strange feeling in the pit of my stomach that appeared whenever his name was mentioned.