Emily Potter- Book 4 - Goblet Of Fire

The Beginning of the End

"He suffered very little then," she said, when Emily had told her how Cedric had died, "And after all, Amos ... he died just when he'd won the tournament. He must have been happy." When they got to their feet, she looked down at Emily and Harry and said, "You two look after each other, now."

Harry seized the sack of gold on the bedside table, "You take this," he muttered to her. "It should've been Cedric's, he got there first. It belongs to you, take it –"

But she backed away from him, "Oh no, it's yours, dear, I couldn’t . . . you keep it." Then they left without another word. Emily grinned at her brother, hugging him, “At least it’s over for now, that’s all that matters.” When she released him from her arms, she excused herself to her dorm room in Slytherin tower to pack up her trunk. Emily advised him to do the same.

Harry and Emily returned to their respective houses in the afternoon. From what Blaise and Luna told her, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Harry and Emily alone, that nobody should ask them questions or badger them to tell the story of what had happened in the maze. Most people, she noticed, were skirting her in the corridors, avoiding her eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as she passed. Emily guessed that many of them had believed Rita Skeeter's article about how disturbed and possibly dangerous she and her brother was.

Perhaps they were making up their own theories, much like a twisted childhood tale, about how Cedric had died. She found that she didn't care very much. She liked it best when she was with Blaise or with Ginny and Luna, talking about other things or else letting her sit in silence while they played chess.

Emily felt as though all of her closest friends had reached an understanding they didn't need to put into words; that each was waiting for some sign, some word, of what was going on outside Hogwarts – and that it was useless to speculate about what might be coming until they knew anything for certain. The only time they touched upon the subject was when Blaise told Emily about her staying with the Weasleys during the summer.

“Yeah, I overhead Dumbledore saying that you should stay put with McGonagall for a week or so before going to the Weasleys.” Blaise said, playing Wizarding chess by himself, “You can stay with me if you want, Merlin knows my mum would love you more than me.” He said jokingly, watching the Queen smash her chair on the King’s head. Emily smiled, shaking her head, “Thanks for the offer.”

Blaise nodded, quitting Wizarding Chess and instead planned the chess pieces to killing each other off on the board, “Right, I forgot. Your boyfriend can visit you while you’re with the Weasleys; since he did live there...I reckon you two have plans.” He said winking suggestively. She scoffed, hitting him with a pillow, “Don’t be such a little worm, Zabini.”

“All right, I’ll stop. But in all seriousness, you two doing okay, I mean you two aren’t fighting and shit, right?”

“No, why do you ask?”

He shrugged, chucking the broken chess pieces into the fireplace, “Nothing – “

Emily punched his shoulder, smiling, and then said, “Spit it out, Blaise. Come on, out with it.” Blaise sighed, “Don’t you dare bloody laugh or I swear I will fill your shampoo bottle with Flobberworm mucus. All right, my mum read this book about this man who had some kind of freaky fetish for girls between the ages of 9-14. He spends his time lurking around parks, pretending to read books just so he could spy on little girls. Then he found this particular girl who he soon drugs with a sleeping pill so that he could –“

“Your mother read Lolita?” Emily said, boggled, “Oh, sweetie – “ Blaise stood up from the carpet, his arms in the air, “That is the thing I am talking about! Don’t oh sweetie me! I am scared for you, Emily. I really am, and it’s not just about what happened in the tournament, it’s everything! Percy, my school work, Jalia, Draco, and even your goddamn brother.”