Disclaimer: Hello! Not mine, not mine, not mine. Not even Emma is mine cos she's actually a friend of mine. If you're reading this Em, hello! Oh yeah, NOT MINE!

A/N: This is the second story in the chronicles of my friends, but since this one isn't really an original story, it can't go on fictionpress. So if you wanna read the other ones, give me a shout and I'll tell you where to find it.

Written for Emma, one of the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

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Summary: Let us start this tale where every tale of Hogwarts starts, on platform nine and three quarters with one very agitated, very nervous newcomer. Her name is Emma, and on top of all the fascinating facts she'll be cramming into her ditsy little mind this year, Emma is going to learn that love is all.

Set in Harry's last year, so yeah, expect me to try and write the final battle, this is totally AU so Harry is still in Hogwarts, Dumbledore is alive and that evil git, Snape still teaches DADA.

On with the show!

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Emma stood with her trunk by her knees, biting her nails out of nervous habit. She cast a frantic look around, watching with no little anxiety at the bustling crowd of black robed students and teary parents. Beside her stood her dark haired twin, smirking at his sister's agitation. With a careless laugh, he pulled both their trunks towards a flustered looking conductor, leaving Emma to follow behind.

With the trunks off his hands, Sam turned to his sister and smirked at her nervous expression yet again. Offering an insincere apologetic smile, Sam hugged her briefly and walked away leaving a thoroughly annoyed sister behind. She turned and stuck her tongue out at his retreating back.

"Thanks a lot traitor! That's fine! Leave me here! I'm fine!"

Sam turned back and smiled idiotically, laughing hysterically as he spotted the audience his sister's random outburst had drawn. Pertly he replied:

"Remember our agreement! We are not related!"

With that he turned to board the express, black robes billowing in his wake. Emma grinned, and muttered: "Believe me, that's more for my benefit than yours."

She took a shaky breath and turned towards the open carriage door, her eyes landed on a pair of curious brown eyes staring at her intently. The girl gave her a slight smile and stepped forward, her hand outstretched in friendly greeting.

"Hey, are you new? I'm Beck, Beck Lord. I'm a seventh year Gryffindor."

Emma smiled in relief and took the offered hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Emma, I guess I'll be a seventh year too."

"Cute accent. Australian?"

"Yep."

"Awesome, come on, I'll introduce you to the gang. But I'll warn you, they're a diverse bunch."

"What do you mean diverse? They're not slytherins are they? I heard they're not too nice to be around."

Beck spun around and gave her skeptical smile. "Yeah, some of them are little ferrets, but some of them are ok. You shouldn't believe everything you hear."

Emma returned her look with an inquisitive stare. "I thought Gryffindors and Slytherins didn't get along?"

"Like I said, don't believe everything you hear."

With that Beck tucked Emma's arm into hers and pulled her onto the train. Her English accent making her sentences seem almost incoherent to Emma's ears, but she listened anyway, nodding along, a bubble of mirth on the verge of her lips.

Beck guided her through the train corridor and towards the last compartment in the carriage. With little effort Emma was pushed through the compartment door and into the scrutiny of a bunch of curious girls.

Beck followed behind her, smiling manically as she took her seat on the bench, Emma sat carefully beside her and blushed as the looks pierced through her.

Beck smiled at her and waved her arms at the group of assembled girls.

"We have a pretty big group so I'm gonna give you a brief intro ok?"

Emma simply nodded mutely.

"Ok…There's Alyce, Gryffindor."

Emma nodded to her in acknowledgement, Alyce waved with manic glee.

"Umm…That's Emma Leipold. Yeah, another Emma. She's Hufflepuff. If you want a shoulder to cry on, she's your girl."

Emma Leipold smiled shyly and waved demurely.

"That's Steph. Gryffindor. A little on the insane side, but you get used to that."

Steph glared mockingly at Beck then turned and smiled politely at the newcomer.

"The blonde one over there staring at the photo of her boyfriend is Kim, Ravenclaw."

The said girl looked up and offered a cheerful greeting.

Beck moved on, her eyes landed on a dark haired girl. "And of course, there's Emily, Hufflepuff. A little on the ditsy side, but extremely funny."

Emily laughed at the description and waved.

Further along the same row, another red head smiled cheerily back at Emma's tentative smile.

"Oh and that's Jess, Ravenclaw. She's the mother of the group."

Emma's smile widened at the description. She looked towards Beck and said interestedly: "I thought you said there was a Slytherin here."

Beck laughed and gestured wildly at her. "Hold your horses, there is, she's right there."

Emma looked towards a small figure near the window, her figure was hunched over and her black hair obscured her face.

Beck laughed at her dozing friend and caught Steph's attention.

"Oi, Steph! Give Cindy a kick will ya?"

Steph grinned manically, and rubbed her hands together. She gave the girl opposite her a hard kick in the shin.

A yelp filled the compartment and a short Chinese girl looked up suddenly in agitation. "What the bloody…"

Beck smiled angelically and gestured towards Emma. "Now, now Cindy, no swearing! We have company." She turned to Emma and said: "and there's your Slytherin, our local over achiever. She's head girl this year, so hopefully she'll get us out of a few detentions. Oh and she's the seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team. Do you play?"

Emma shook her head and waved at the girl in the corner who waved back and promptly sunk back into her seat and closed her dark eyes.

Beck sighed and waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry, Cindy's always like that, she's practically nocturnal on the holidays, if she didn't venture out in broad daylight so often, we would swear she's a vampire."

"I heard that."

---

The group laughed and the conversation flowed on until they reached Hogsmeade station. Emma stared open mouthed as the carriages flowed smoothly towards the castle. In the eerie moonlight, the castle looked stunning.

Beck watched her in amusement and closed her mouth for her with a finger under her chin. "Wait till you see the inside."

The great hall looked stunning with the pseudo ceiling filled with stars; Emma stared as her new friends hugged her goodbye and pushed her towards the front of the hall where nervous little first years were gathered.

Emma felt hundreds of eyes fixed on her as she ventured towards a strict looking professor holding a tattered hat which had seen better years. Sam fell into step beside her, pretending not to feel the curious stares burning into his back. Emma sighed and ignored her twin, finally stopping in front of a three legged stool. The witch smiled tightly at Emma and Sam. Emma thought it had seemed almost comforting.

"Good evening and welcome to Hogwarts, Miss Cody, Mr. Cody. I trust you know that you shall be sorted into your houses and introduced to your schoolmates. I am professor McGonagall; I shall be teaching you advanced transfiguration. We expect you both to abide by school rules and to try your very hardest in all your subjects and thus be well prepared for your NEWTS."

Both newcomers nodded and professor McGonagall gestured for Sam and Emma to stand aside. Clearing her throat while she faced the crowd, the professor quieted the riotous students and spoke with a voice of command.

"Welcome back. This year, we have two new students transferring from Australia; they will be attending their seventh year here."

A sparse spattering of confused claps littered the hall. Glaring impatiently and the applauders, the strict witch continued. "As I was saying, they shall be joining us for the new year, so will you please make Mr. Cody and Miss Cody feel welcome."

This time, the applause was louder. Though still polite. Emma could hear the loud whistles of her new friends from the crowd and grinned as Sam rolled his eyes at her.

Professor McGonagall gestured impatiently at Sam who stood and stared stupidly at the irritated teacher. The stern witch sighed with agitation, placed her hands on his shoulder and directed him to the three legged stool. Sam felt himself being pushed onto the seat and the hat was jammed onto his dark hair.

With barely a moments hesitation, the sorting hat began to mumble causing the boy to startle and nearly slip sideways off the stool. Professor McGonagall glared at the sheepish boy while Emma repressed her giggles.

"Gryffindor!"

Applause erupted from the aforementioned house as they welcomed the new comer.

Meanwhile, Emma had perched lightly of the stool and sat with anticipation as the sorting hat muttered into her ear.

"Ravenclaw? No, no, not competitive enough. Slytherin? No, you don't have the cunning for it, get eaten alive you would. Hufflepuff then or maybe Grffindor. Grffindor!"

Emma sighed in relief and ran to join her brother on the table. She smiled at the girls who welcomed her openly. The butterflies in her stomach finally settled as she stared across the table at her twin who was chatting with a black haired boy next to him.

Suddenly Sam looked up just in time to spot his sister staring. She tried to look inconspicuously past his head, but Sam wasn't fooled. He smirked and tapped the black haired boys shoulder, directing his attention to the now blushing Emma.

Sam laughed as Emma's now crimson face and introduced the boy who now stared at her with emerald green eyes.

"Emma, this is Harry. Harry, this is my mentally deranged twin Emma."

Harry looked at her and offered her an awkward smile. "Hey."

Emma squeaked and grinned back. She cleared her throat and returned the greeting shyly.

After one last smile, Harry turned back towards his friends, leaving Emma staring dreamily at her plate. Alyce beside her pulled her attention away from her boyfriend Sebastian to grin at Emma.

"Ahh…five minutes at Hogwarts and you're already in love with the boy-who-lived. That's gotta be a new record."

Emma blushed and hit Alyce playfully. "I am not in love! It takes a lot more than five minutes to fall in love thank you very much." Emma's whispers fell on deaf ears as Ally spared her a skeptical look.

Emma directed her attention towards where the headmaster stood and signaled for silence.

"Good evening and welcome to another year at Hogwarts." His eyes twinkled. "I am pleased to welcome all the new students and will warn you that the forbidden forest is exactly that, forbidden. I am pleased to announce our head boy this year will be Draco Malfoy…"

Across from her Harry and his friends groaned in annoyance.

"…and our head girl will be Cindy Sun."

Near her, a bushy haired girl flushed with indignation and muttered something suspiciously along the lines of 'damn slytherins'.

Emma shook off her thoughts as food appeared before her. Piling her plate high with everything within her reach, she dug in admist the giggles of her new friends who openly welcomed her into their conversation.

After desert, the Gryffindor house chatted happily until the two new heads strolled into their line of vision. Harry instantly snapped his mouth shut and stared coldly at the blond boy.

Malfoy smirked smugly and threw an arm over Cindy's shoulders. Cindy rolled her eyes and shrugged off his arm. Instead, she handed a crisp piece of parchment to Hermione who yanked it with a little too much force out of her hands. The small Chinese girl raised an eyebrow but refrained from commenting. She smiled and handed the other slips of paper to Malfoy. The blond stared at her dazedly until she pointed to the other house tables with a meaningful look.

Cindy directed her gaze to Emma and smiled. "So, how did you like your first Hogwarts feast?"

"Umm…good. I think."

"Fair enough, I assume the girls will show you to Gryffindor tower and Hermione there has the password. Have a good night, don't stay up too late."

"No problem, I won't but I thought we didn't have class tomorrow."

"We don't, but I'll warn you now, the girls are hyperactive at night. They'll be gossiping till three a.m."

Emma smilingly replied: "Sounds fun!"

Cindy made a skeptical noise. "Yeah, fun until you have to wake up tomorrow morning."

A throat cleared and Cindy looked down to meet piercing green eyes. She smiled and greeted him. "Hello Harry. How were the Holidays? Dursleys still giving you trouble?"

"Naw… spent most of my time at the burrow."

"Good to hear, nice to see you."

Emma watched the interaction with interest; she tucked her curiosity away to question Cindy another time. Instead, she regained Cindy's attention: "So, being head girl and all, do you get your own dorms?"

"Yep, I have to share with Malfoy though."

Harry seemed to empathise with her while Hermione just seemed a little smug.

The great hall was slowly emptying of students as Emma watched. She barely stifled a yawn as her eyes became heavy and blurred from exhaustion.

Noticing this, Harry chuckled and tapped his friends; they rose at his indication and started walking towards the entrance. Hermione and Ron seemed to be embroiled within another argument in which Sam was cackling hysterically at the absurdities.

Emma watched with alarm as their voices rose to an almost impossible pitch, a deep chuckle interrupted her amazed observations. Peering in the direction of the noise, Emma met Harry's deep gaze which seemed to sparkle with mirth.

He sent her an almost sheepish smile as he waved towards the pair.

"Don't worry about them, they're always fighting, it's their way of expressing how much they like each other. It's pretty normal."

Emma blushed and snapped her open mouth shut with an audible snap. She responded only with a confused "Oh."

After a long silence, Emma glanced up again only to see him staring at her expectantly. He raised an eyebrow and asked in an amused tone: "Are you coming?"

"Coming? Coming where?"

Harry gave her an assessing glance. "To the Gryffindor common rooms of course. Where else?"

"Oh…umm…"

Harry grinned widely and said: "Hermione gave me the password and I think your friends are a little too distracted right now."

Emma took a quick look around at her fellow Gryffindors only to observe Alyce and Sebastian locked in a very heated staring contest. They almost seem to be attempting to pry into each others souls. Her glance shifted to Beck and Steph. They were bent over a plate, their fingers covered in mashed potatoes. An occasional giggle would break their frantic actions and Emma received a glance at the 'project' they seemed to be so immersed in. A grotesque mixture of food seemed to occupy the silver plate and Emma looked away in disgust.

Once again the same emerald green eyes met hers, this time on her side of the table. She started at Harry's close proximity and blushed as she jumped away.

Harry turned his eyes to watch her friends' actions and shook his head in disbelief. He smiled and offered his arm to Emma in good humor.

Emma stared at the proffered arm and spared him a wondering glance.

Rolling his eyes at her, Harry took her hand and tucked her arm into the nook of his and started pulling her towards the doors. She flushed crimson as his hand rested on hers. Glancing back at her friends, she was rewarded with the sight of both Steph and Beck grinning at her manically, waving with messy fingers. They gave her a conspiratory wink and looked back at their disgusting masterpiece. Further along the table, Alyce seemed to have pulled her gaze away from her boyfriend to stare at Emma with a sarcastic smile; slowly she raised one eyebrow in amusement. To Emma, her eyes sent a message loud and clear.

Not in love huh?

Looking back towards the boy next to her, Emma's blush deepened.

After a long awkward silence, Harry cleared his throat and attempted to make conversation.

"So…you're from Australia?"

"Yep."

"Transferring here for seventh year?"

"Yep."

"Sam is your twin is he? He says he's twenty minutes younger."

"Yep."

"Are you going to say anything other than 'yep'?"

"Yep. I mean…No! Yes! Umm…no?"

Harry laughed at her bewildered expression and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Not much of a conversationalist are you?"

"No, no. Usually I can talk non-stop for hours. It's just because I'm walking with…" you.

Harry raised an eyebrow and finished her sentence "…me?"

"No! I meant to say…I can't talk when I'm…when I'm…walking! That's it! I really can't focus when I have to…put…one…foot…in…front…of the other. Merlin that sounded stupid."

By this time Harry was chuckling loudly. Emma blushed deeply, her arm still wrapped in his. She could feel the deep rumbling chuckle vibrate through his chest and her heart leapt at the sensation.

A portrait stood before them. The fat lady within it took glanced at them with a wide smile and welcomed them.

"Password please."

Harry stopped chuckling for a second and offered Emma a wide smile.

"This is the entrance to our common room." Turning to the fat lady he said "dancing pixies"

Emma raised a questioning eyebrow; Harry simply shrugged in return and pulled her through the entrance.

The common room was a welcoming change from the cold stone walls of the hallways. Decked out in Rich maroons and golds, the fire in the corner and the soft looking armchairs beckoned her. Instead, Harry pulled her towards the stairway and gave her a small push up them.

Emma sent him a strange look. He must have read the confusion in her expression because he offered a small explanation along with another push.

"Your dormitories are up those stairs. Go on."

"Oh." Emma waved shyly and darted up the stone steps to arrive in a corridor full of doors.

"Damn. Which ones mine?"

"The third door on your right, miss."

Emma screamed, her head swung around wildly searching her surroundings for the source of the voice. Finding no one, Emma simply listened to her erratic heartbeat and irregular breathing.

"Ahem."

Emma's heart jumped as she emitted another scream. The voice interrupted her mid-scream.

"Down here miss."

Emma looked downwards to stare into a pair of eyes the size of tennis balls. She took a shocked step back and stared unabashedly at the house elf wearing an odd assortment of clothing and exceptionally eccentric socks.

"Who…who are you?"

"Dobby, miss."

"Oh…Oh, umm, I'm Emma. Umm, where did you say my dorm was?"

"Third door on your right, miss."

"Oh, thank you."

Casting one more curious glance at the house elf, Emma turned towards her door.

"Ahhh…no way! No way!"

Emma turned to the source of the voices only to spot two blondes darting towards her.

The taller of the two spotted her first. At first glance she seemed slightly orange; Emma wondered if she had some weird tropical disease which colored her skin until she realized it was simply a thick layer of makeup. The second blonde had caught up at this point and her skin tone seemed to suffer under the same condition.

In sync, they sneered at her. For a frightening moment, Emma thought their makeup might crack and fall off.

They seemed to read her thoughts as their faces suddenly smoothed out in an almost comical fashion. Fighting to keep their expressions as smooth as possible, the taller of the two opened her mouth a crack and bared her teeth at Emma.

"Ugh…look who the cat dragged in. That little Australian…Australian…freak."

Emma raised an eyebrow: "Is that the best you can come up with?"

"Oh shut up you…"

Another voice came up behind them: "Shut up yourself biatch. Now why don't you run along and go find a mirror, your makeup is flaking all over the floor and you're making a dreadful mess. Ok? Bye bye."

The blondes hesitated for a second before scurrying off to their own dorms. Steph's from emerged from the shadows and she gave Emma a wicked smile and promptly took her hand, dragging her easily into the room. Emma shook her head in amusement as she heard more giggles from the staircase.

---

The next three months progressed without mishap. Emma buried herself in her studies while the girls familiarized her with her new surroundings.

Christmas approached before she even realized as the weather chilled to an almost unbearable temperature. Living in Australia, she had rarely had the opportunity to observe the sparkling white marvel and one day before Christmas Eve, she found herself pushing away her books and venturing outside the castle doors.

The white snow flakes fell gently, covering her dark brown locks with a glittering crown. Giggling quietly to herself, she stuck out her tongue to catch the snowflakes. The white flakes melted instantly, filling her mouth with sweet, icy water.

Without warning, something cold hit the back of her neck. The compacted snow melted on her skin and flowed down her back, forcing out a shocked scream, Emma squirmed and whirled to face the culprit.

The breath caught in her throat as a pair of amused emerald eyes locked with hers. For a fleeting moment Emma felt a flash of irrational anger, but the moment did not last long. They say when you fall in love, time stops and your mind goes blank. What liars. What she experienced was heat, a desperate sort of burning which washed through her blood and left her finger tips tingling. Sparks flashed in her mind and her eyes watered with emotion. A faint blush spread across her pale skin as her breathing came in shallow gasps.

She ached to touch him, but she held back. Instead, she scooped up a handful of snow.

Smack. Harry sputtered as the freezing snow hit him square in the face. Emma's laughter rang through the white blanketed field. She watched mirthfully as Harry wiped the snow off his glasses. Giving her an incredulous glance, he leapt towards her.

She screamed playfully and darted away from his grasp. Adrenaline rushed through her blood as she weaved through the thick snow. She giggled as she heard him growl behind her. Her heart was racing with the excitement and her eyes sparkled as she chanced a look over her shoulder at him. Jumping unexpectedly to the left, Emma eluded his grasp and raced towards the frozen great lake.

Harry found his arms disappointedly empty but smiled all the same as he raced after her retreating figure. Chuckling deeply, he watched as her well clothed form darted onto the ice.

Emma glanced backwards once more as she slid precariously on the solid ice. Petulantly, she stuck her tongue out at him and slid towards the centre of the great lake. Beneath her, shadows of creatures flitted under the ice, causing the water to seem multi-colored. Laughing with wonder, she slid to a stop and the center and smiled teasingly as the black haired boy scrambled with little grace onto the ice.

The ground seemed to slip out from underneath him. His back hit the freezing cold ice with a thud; the velocity of his fall propelled him towards her. His body slid to a stop mere meters away from her.

Emma was clutching her sides with riotous laughter.

"It's not funny." He grumbled, his cheeks flushed a charming shade of pink.

Emma responded with a solemn nod. She kept her face carefully neutral while her eyes twinkled in amusement.

Harry watched as her mouth twitched as she fought to restrain herself. His lips twitched unceremoniously in response. This seemed to be the wrong thing to do as the action seem to break her self control and a flood of tinkling laughter drifted out.

Emma attempted to calm herself, but one glance at him still collapsed on his back sent her into peals of laughter yet again. Her ribs ached as another wave of mirth rolled through her veins. When once again silent, her eyes sought his.

He seemed resigned to his position on the ice as he lounged on the ice staring patiently at the grey clouds above his head. When he finally recognized the silence, he turned his head and raised a quizzical eyebrow at the blushing beauty a few steps away.

Giving him a mischievous smile, Emma quirked her head and gave his form an assessing glance. He was well built to be sure, broad shoulders with the lean wiry form of a seeker. His legs looked long and well muscled underneath the black slacks and his arms ended in long graceful fingers. For a split second, she wondered what it would feel like to have those quidditch calloused fingers run across her skin.

She blushed at the thought and shook her head clear of the thought. Her face burned as her eyes averted from his. She stared determinedly at her black school shoes until she heard a deep chuckle interrupt her thoughts. Her head snapped up to stare at the boy, her eyes flashing precariously with frustration.

Harry gave her a strange look and smirked playfully.

"See anything interesting?"

Emma flushed with indignation and turned away. She crinkled her nose at him and turned away.

"Nope, rather ordinary scenery if you ask me." She answered with seeming nonchalance.

Harry growled at her reply and attempted to leap to his feet. He succeeded only to slide an inch or two closer to her.

Emma's expression broke into yet another mirthful smile as he scowled like a petulant child.

From her peripheral vision Emma noticed a flash of red racing towards her. Gasping in surprise, she took a wobbly step back as the spell hit the exact spot she had stood before.

Her eyes stared into a pair of equally shocked green eyes. Both startled into silence, turned their eyes to stare and the barely scratched surface of the icy lake. Emma almost smiled at the ridiculous thoughts running through her head at that moment. She once again searched for Harry's eyes and met them with a mild expression of surprise and relief.

She took a tentative step forward and heard a sickening crack beneath her feet. Staring downwards cautiously, she heard it again.

Crack.

Eyes widening in panic, she looked frantically towards the boy opposite her. Harry's once smiling face seemed serious as he stared at her feet. He held up his hand and gestured for her to stay still.

Emma's heart struggled to her throat; her lungs seemed so constricted in fear. Slowly, he reached his hand towards her.

"Just carefully take my hand. Don't step forward, just grab my hand."

Nodding meekly, Emma's arm stretched out towards his. A wave of relief washed through her body as her fingertips brushed his.

Crack.

Emma emitted a startled scream. Her fingers barely gripped onto his when the hideous noise repeated itself. Emma's eyes darted downwards. Her gaze followed the crevices in the ice as it searched out more ground.

With little warning, the ice gave way. With one last thunderous crack, the once solid ground seemed to disappear beneath her feet. The murky dark waters opened its mouth to swallow her.

Bone chilling cold consumed her as water flooded around her form, the only source of warmth was from the hand that still gripped Harry's. Even in her panic, she noticed that Harry seemed unnaturally pale as he extended his other hand to grip her arm.

She was already chest deep in the water. The cloak and robes that had warmed her a mere moment ago now were drenched with icy cold water and the under currents pulled her downwards.

"Hang on. Just hold on." Harry's grasp tightened brutally.

It did not help. The ice offered little grip as he slipped forwards, his hands still held her tightly, but Emma could feel the water touch her neck, then it engulfed her.

She struggled vainly; the water was over her head, its frigid nature numbing her. Her mind clouded with panic and fear.

With little warning, she broke the surface of the water. Gasping from the glacial wind, she greedily gulped in air and coughed violently. Harry pulled her towards him. Her clothes were so amazingly heavy and she could feel them dragging her downwards.

But something was wrong. Even with the currents of the water and the weight of her clothing, the pull should not have been that strong. Something else was yanking her downwards mercilessly. The water level once again rose to her face. Tears pricked her eyes, memories and visions flashed before her. She was fully submerged by now, only her hand, still clinging to his remained visible above the water.

Fool! A voice hissed in her mind. Was it her mind; was it her own fear speaking? But the voice sounded foreign and harsh. Twisted.

FOOL! The voice pounded the barriers of her mind. It was stronger this time, spiteful and angry. Emma's already clouded mind cleared for a moment. Something tugged at her legs, bound them together and pulled. She tried to struggle but the force tightened. Even in her numb state, her legs ached with power of the pull.

FOOL! Do you hope to escape this icy hell? Let go!

She screamed only to swallow a mouthful of icy bitterness.

Let go! Are you to drag that pathetic boy to his death as well? You will not escape me! Let go and he will live.

She hesitated.

SELFISH CREATURE! You insist he die with you, I am not adverse to an extra visitor!

Emma instantly loosened her grip on Harry's hand. Above her, his eyes widened in shock, his hand attempting to regain the grip but the icy water had already numbed his fingers and made his precarious hold slippery.

In an instant, she slipped through his fingers. His arms dived randomly into the water, but he grasped nothing but cold liquid. Emma's vision blurred from the lack of air as the light from the surface slipped away from her at alarming speed. Her arms dragged above her sinking body. With one last look downwards, she resigned herself to her fate.

Her world darkened.

---

A blur of light.

A shifting shadow.

Her head pounded.

Her eyelids fluttered. With excruciating effort, she pried open her eyes and surveyed her surroundings.

They were unfamiliar. In the corner, a cheerful fire crackled, by its side, a soft armchair faced away from her. Her vision was still blurred, but she noticed a shift, some movement. As her vision cleared, she could differentiate a separate figure from the chair before the fire. It moved towards her, the light of the fire against its back shadowed its face.

The memories flooded her.

Harry.

The red light.

The cracking ice.

Drowning…

Her mouth seemed uncooperative and dry as she tried to speak. Her voice seemed hoarse and unused even to her own ears. "Is this…is this death?"

She could make out its face. Old. Masculine.

The figure laughed, but something was wrong with the situation. She couldn't figure out what. Then she gasped. The voice. Fool. FOOL. Fool…

The mans lips did not move as he laughed. His whole face was passive. The laugh, it was in her mind. It couldn't have been her imagination. It couldn't.

No. This is not death. This is my home.

"Where is here? Why…why am I here?"

So filled with impetuous youth. Patience, mortal, patience. You have been through much, sleep now and you may ask you questions later.

"But…" Darkness.

---

Hogwarts gleamed in the wintry sunset.

A solemn mood settled on the castle on the cold blistery Christmas day. Within, a great hall housed hundreds of quiet students and somber teachers.

Dumbledore stood before the grave faces. His eyes, once glittering with life and humor, now were a dull sky blue as he surveyed the mournful couple before him.

Samuel stood by his parents, the rim of his eyes red from stress and tears. His twin sister Emma was gone. Two days now. Lost beneath the ice of unforgiving cold. His glance flickered to a raven haired boy who stood with his eyes cast downwards at the Gryffindor table. His lips were pressed into a thin line. His pale visage only emphasized the lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

Suddenly, he glanced upwards and met Sam's eyes. Harry's heart wrenched. Those eyes. Sam's eyes, filled with enough anguish to burn him. Just like Emma's. So like Emma's. He silently pleaded for Sam's forgiveness. He didn't know if the message had been accepted or even seen as the other boy turned away to face the front.

Sam turned his head away. He felt the urge to hit him. What were they doing out there, on the ice? Was it his fault? Did Harry let my sister die?

For Merlin's sake. It was Christmas day. He should have been ripping open his presents not standing here, thousands of eyes fixed on him, watching his every move, every expression while he attended his twin sister's memorial.

He could feel their pity.

He didn't want it. He hated it.

What use was pity? It could never bring back his sister, his only sibling. The stares continued to burn into his back and he felt bile rise in his throat. He wanted to yell, scream, rip apart anything. But he restrained himself. This was Emma's day. Her final day. He would let her have it.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, even that slight noise seemed somehow mournful. He gestured for Sam.

The boy strode forward with confidence he did not feel, he took his place behind the wooden platform and stared with hard eyes at his fellow school mates.

"Many people have approached me during these last two days. They all say 'I'm sorry for you loss.' Loss, why do they call death, loss? No matter how hard we search, a life cannot be found again so why is it called loss? Emma is not lost, she is gone. She was only seventeen. She hated no one, she harmed no one. She didn't de…"

His voice faltered. His eyes glazed.

"She didn't deserve the hand fate dealt her. She had too many things she left undone, unaccomplished. Her death, it is not our loss, it is hers. She lost her chance to finish school. She lost her chance to grow up. She lost her chance to fall in love and get married. She will never watch her children grow up. Never grow old with her soul mate. My loss? What is my loss compared to hers? I never told her much, but I loved her. She was a wonderful sister and a brilliant friend. I know I am selfish to want her back for my own sake, but I cannot help it. Even for a moment, a split second. Just enough time to tell her all the things I was too selfish to tell her in those seventeen years. Just to say goodbye. One more moment, just one more."

His voice shook. A single tear caressed his pale skin; it glittered eerily in the candlelight.

"I don't believe death is the final step. I believe, for her, death is not the end. It is only the beginning."

Sam stepped wearily down from the platform. He did not spare a glance for anyone. Not his weeping mother. Not his grave father.

Not Alyce who had buried her head in Sebastian's shoulder.

Not Steph or Beck whose eyes glittered with agony.

Not Emma Leipold or Emily who wept openly.

Not Jess or Kim who leaned against each other for support.

Not even Cindy whose eyes were dry and her expression blank and passive.

He did not spare a glance for anyone.

---

Something bitter and slimy burned a trail down her throat.

She coughed and spluttered, trying to turn away from the goblet that was pressed to her lips. Groaning, she opened her eyes only to see the flames of the fireplace mere inches away from her face.

It was stifling hot as she turned away to face the holder of the goblet.

It was the same man as before. Wrinkles lined his face and gold eyes gave his face an eerie surreal quality.

She took a deep breath, coughing at the dryness of her throat. A goblet was offered to her. Before she could refuse, the voice spoke within her mind.

It is water.

Drinking greedily from the plain silver cup, she peered at the man whose face seemed to be forever without emotion. When her thirst had been quenched he offered her a small loaf of bread. Taking it in her hands, Emma tore off a chunk a placed it cautiously in her mouth while still eyeing the man before her. For the first time, she saw a glimpse of humanity in his face as his eyes crinkled with humor.

I did not poison it.

"Who are you?" She whispered.

You do not need to know.

"Then why did you bring me here?"

To give you something.

"I…I don't understand."

You do not need to.

"Was it you, who…who dragged me down?"

Yes.

"Why?"

I need to give you something.

"Did…did you break the ice?"

Yes.

"Why did you make me let go of Harry?"

I only needed you.

"But Harry…"

The boy, Tom Riddle's enemy, his absence would be noticed too keenly.

"What…what…"

You have been missing for three days now. Your people presume you dead.

"No…no…"

Yes.

"Will you let me go back?"

Yes. Once you have received what it is I intend to give you.

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out an item and held it out for her inspection. Emma gasped as she read the inscription.

It wasn't possible. It simply couldn't be.

As if he had read her mind, he answered.

It is.

---

The group lounged in the room of requirement, each immersed in their own seemingly depressing thoughts.

Beck sighed and stood to pace the well lit room. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she observed her friends. Each seemed forlorn and worn out. Red rimmed eyes turned to face her. Their gazes expressing torment with stark clarity. Only one did not seem in the same frame of mind.

Cindy sat in the corner, isolated from her friends staring pensively into the roaring fire. Her eyes danced with the flames as if she found a vision within the burning depths.

Unlike her friends, her eyes were dry, without any signs of sorrow. When she turned towards the restless group, what they saw infuriated them.

Her eyes held no grief, not the slightest bit of sadness. Instead they just held a hint of sleepy boredom. Only the dark circles underneath her eyes showed any sign of her fatigue.

Alyce stood from her seat and advanced towards her.

"You aren't the least bit upset over this are you?"

"No." Came the bored answer.

Beck pushed Alyce to the side and stared with disbelief at the Slytherin.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you have a heart?"

Cindy cocked an eyebrow. "I'm a Slytherin remember, we generally lack hearts or any sentimental emotions." The sarcasm in the remark made the group flinch. The caustic tone was carefully noted.

Jess frowned slightly and replied with an even tone: "We didn't mean it like that."

"You were all thinking it."

Emma Leipold sighed in frustration.

"Well, you can't blame us. You haven't shed a single tear since this whole…thing…began."

Cindy's eyes flashed in fury.

"I am not wasting my time mourning for a friend who is not dead!"

The assembled girls stared at her in disbelief. Kim was the first to find her voice.

"Are you mental too? Harry was there when she drowned. Why in the name of all hell would he lie?"

Rubbing her eyes wearily, Cindy waved away the thought of the boy wonder lying.

"Harry isn't lying. He honestly thinks Emma died."

Emerging from a dark corner of the room, Sam stepped forward. His steps blazed with rage.

"My sister is lying at the bottom of a frozen lake and you want to play games with us? What the hell is wrong with you? You…you Slytherins! I knew you couldn't be trusted."

Cindy eyes turned slowly towards his shadowed form. She bared her teeth and hissed with a frosty tone.

"I am not playing games. She is alive."

"The hell she is! Last time I checked, Emma wasn't able to breathe under water or survive in freezing temperatures!" Sam screamed.

"Have you so little faith?" She spat. "I would not say something that is not true! Emma is alive. She will return by the new year."

With that said, she threw a cold glance at the shocked crowd and stalked out of the room, her black robes billowing behind her in true Slytherin fashion.

---

She continually rubbed her eyes, her incredulous expression plastered on her face.

She read the inscription upon the orb again and again. The brief words already familiar to her.

Her eyes were unblinkingly focused on the metallic silver ball. It was no bigger than a tennis ball; the intricate design of vines along the surface seemed impatient to move over the smooth façade. The vines, however, moved beneath the clear words. Two artful R's, entangled, remained solid on the orb.

Rowena Ravenclaw.

Emma's eyes darted upwards to meet the golden eyes which matched hers stare for stare. It was impossible. No artifacts of Ravenclaw had ever been found. History says she destroyed them.

"Is that…is it her music orb?"

Yes.

"But, she…she…they said she had destroyed it."

They lied. The mortals who wrote that history sought this treasure for themselves.

"How did it come into your possession then?"

Because the one whom you call Voldemort entrusted its secret to the depths of this lake.

Emma's eyes landed on the orb once more. Taking in a shuddering breath, she asked a weary question.

"Is it true? Is it truly indestructible?"

Yes.

"Why…"

You are my messenger. Bring this to the great wizard. Tell him my debt is paid.

"What? Who…who…"

Dumbledore.

He offered her the object and pressed it firmly into her hand. He pulled her to her feet with a firm grip and offered nothing more than a curt nod.

"I…I don't understand."

You do not need to understand. Keep it safe. Give it to the wizard immediately.

Emma breathed with hesitation and stored it carefully in the pocket of her robes. She squeezed her eyes shut with anxiety. She waited, she expected him to take her somewhere, send her off. Her eyes opened again. She still stood in the windowless room. Still faced the man who stared at her with the same inert expression.

She began to speak but he cut her off. His hand extended once more. Within his hand, he offered her another orb.

Staring wearily, Emma dared not touch it. It was made of seemingly fragile crystal. She peered closely into the faceted clarity and saw movement. She drew back with a shocked gasp. Overcome with curiosity, she looked once more into the translucent globe. Within, masses of sparks swirled with enthusiasm. Yellow, red, blue. An array of colors made the sphere sparkle with life. She had never seen anything so exquisite in her life.

The mysterious man pressed it into her empty hands.

For you.

"What is it?"

The ending.

Emma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The ending. The ending to what?

Keep it with you always.

"Wh…why?"

It is the ending.

He offered nothing more. The man gently took her arm and pulled her towards the roaring fire. Emma placed the crystal orb into her pocket.

Do not forget. Tell him my debt is paid.

With that he gave her an unceremonious shove. He was unnaturally strong and Emma instantly lost her balance and fell backwards. Her last feeling was panic as the orange flames licked at her form.

---

New years eve. The students who had all remained for the holidays celebrated in a hall lit with thousands of enchanted floating candles. The mood was warm and merry. It was hard to imagine that a mere week ago, the hall had been darkened with misery. The few people whose lives had been briefly touched by her stared with melancholy at nothing.

However cheerful the decorations, the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables seemed heavy with sadness. Only the Slytherins remained unaffected. They celebrated like no other year. The head boy and girl were Slytherin, they had drawn even with Gryffindor in competition for the house cup and the quidditch cup. Best of all, the boy who lived was downcast with misery. What more could they ask for?

They did not care if some petty Gryffindor had drowned out of her own weakness. Nothing could bring them down from their euphoric high, not even the withering glare of professor McGonagall.

Cindy's face was devoid of emotion. She cast dry looks at her fellow classmates who laughed cheerfully around her. She was waiting. She usually had little patience, but she sat still now. She twisted the ring of her finger as she met the angry eyes of her friends.

They hardly noticed her strange behavior as they all averted their irate gazes. To them, she was a cold blooded traitor. Slytherin through and through.

Only Draco Malfoy seemed to note her façade of calm. He watched her discreetly and curiously. He asked no questions and mentioned it to no one, his only intent was to observe. He stored away his curiosity and settled in to wait with her till she stopped twisting the ring on her finger. It was the only sign of anxiety.

Cindy's head darted upwards as the voices of the hall raised in excitement.

Sixty seconds till new years.

As if pulled by an invisible force, she jumped out of her seat and sprinted towards the front doors of the castle. She was met with a gust of frigid wind. The clear sky offered a clear view of the stars but her eyes were focused elsewhere.

---

Emma's eyes fluttered open. Her back was freezing cold. Propping herself up on an elbow, she discovered herself lounging on the once again frozen surface of the lake. She wondered briefly if it had been a dream. Her numb fingers reached into her pocket and met with one smooth orb and another larger one engraved with moving vines.

It was not a dream. She pulled herself upwards and slid precariously to the edge of the ice. Climbing off the frozen lake surface, she felt her feet sink a little into the fluffy snow. In the distance, she heard the faint voices emanating from the well lit castle.

As she neared the large stone building, she began to understand what the voices were screaming. It must have been New Years Eve. It was a countdown.

Twenty! They screamed.

A figure approached from the open door. Squinting carefully, Emma could see the silver-green scarf of a Slytherin flitting in the chilly December wind. The figure was female with long dark hair.

Nineteen!

The figure continued to approach, but now their steps seemed more cautious.

Eighteen!

The Slytherin stopped and raised a hesitant hand in a gesture of greeting. Emma hesitantly raised hers in return.

Seventeen!

Emma recognized the figure. With a relieved scream, she launched herself into Cindy's arms as the other girl hugged her back with equal fierceness.

Sixteen!

Emma sighed in relief as she pulled away. Her eyes watered as she breathed with harsh gasps.

Fifteen!

She spoke in a frantic manner. "Oh my God. I thought I'd never get back. I thought…"

Fourteen!

"…I was dead. The ice just broke without warning. God it was cold…"

Thirteen!

"…but when I woke up, I was in this strange room. A man, he was there…"

Twelve!

Cindy placed a hand over Emma's mouth when she continued to ramble. She sent the girl a silencing look in the moonlight and pulled her towards the entrance doors.

Eleven!

"Don't explain now Emma! Did you get the Ravenclaw sphere?"

"Yes…but how'd you…"

Ten!

"We'll talk later. Get it to Dumbledore now! Come on!"

Emma seemed to read the urgency in the other girl's tone as her pace picked up once more and she darted towards the shadowy front doors.

Nine!

Emma didn't know why, but a surge of foreboding flooded her stomach. Her steps became even more pressing.

Eight!

From the shadows, a chilling voice addressed them. They were only a few steps away from the beckoning doors of the castle.

"Well, well, well. Back from the dead I see. Was it a pleasant trip?"

Seven!

Cindy stepped forward. She instantly recognized his voice.

"Hiding in the shadows again Malfoy? I expected little more from you."

Six!

His white blond hair glinted in the moonlight as he stepped forward. His face was calm, devoid of its usual sneer. He surveyed the extraordinary scene before him and took threatening steps towards the petite girl. His eyes flashed dangerously as he stared at her.

Five!

"What the hell do you want Malfoy?"

"An explanation. It's not everyday a chit can crawl out from a frozen grave."

Four!

"You don't need an explanation."

Draco launched himself forward and grabbed Cindy's arm with an almost harsh grip. His eyes burned her as he hissed in her ear.

"No one is going anywhere until I get a proper explanation."

Three!

Emma attempted to sidestep the blond, but he would have none of it. He stopped her in her tracks with one glare. "Now!" He hissed with impatience.

Two!

Cindy glared back with equal ferocity as her grip on Emma suddenly loosened. "Get out of our way!"

"No." came the bitter answer.

One!

Cindy growled with rage as she fisted her hands in his robes and tugged him towards her until he was a mere inch away.

Zero! Happy New Year! The screams sounded from the hall.

Cindy's glance flickered with thought. Without warning she pulled him down and pressed her lips fiercely against his. Behind them, Emma watched with alarm. Realizing her chance, she sprinted quickly past the couple and into the doors of Hogwarts.

Cindy's mind whirled. It screamed at her to back away but her body did not respond. The blood pounding in her ears blocked out every noise. She simply abandoned logical thought as she allowed herself to be pulled closer. It was warmer this way anyhow.

---

Emma's breath caught in her throat as the sight of the great hall fluttered into her view.

The students were cheering with enthusiasm as the teachers wished each other a prosperous new year. No one had even looked her way let alone notice her. Forgetting the orbs in her pocket, she searched the Gryffindor table.

Her brother came into view first. His expression seemed strained and his smile fake as his neighbors wished him a happy new year. His expression only seemed to darken as the greetings went on. He did not notice her gaze as his eyes swept the hall with impatience.

Sam was waiting. Cindy had said she would return by new years but where was she. It was foolish to even entertain the notion that Emma could survive the accident especially in these glacial temperatures. He should have known better than to heed the words of a Slytherin, but it had been the only source of hope and he had been eager to cling to it.

Emma's eyes traveled further down her house table and landed on a dejected looking Harry Potter. His eyes seemed riveted to the table as he refused to acknowledge anyone around him. Hermione and Ron simply stared at him wearily and left him well alone. The dark mood seemed to permeate his surroundings. She sighed in relief to be back. Her gaze sought her friends among the crowds. They all sat quietly at their house tables, their celebrations tame and disheartened. Only Cindy was missing from her table but Emma already knew why.

The hand by her side fingered the two cold orbs in her pocket and her mind kicked into gear once more. She started towards the teachers table, he eyes focused on the headmaster whose gaze had suddenly swung to meet hers.

With alarm, Dumbledore stood from his seat slowly and stared with a look of shock. His reaction was nothing compared to professor McGonagall who had also spotted her. She let out a startled shriek and stood with enough force to knock over her chair. The bang from the fallen item of furniture stunned the students who all turned to watch the astonished teachers.

Their eyes, however, did not remain long on the head table, screams and cries of fright immediately filled the room as their eyes locked onto her form. Emma forced herself to remain calm as she ventured without fault towards her goal.

By this time, Sam's eyes had already found her. He held his breath as he followed her progress. He hardly dare believe the image before him. He could have been hallucinating but from the reactions of his fellow classmates, this apparition was all too real. Near him, Alyce, Beck and Steph had climbed onto the table to look over the heads of many standing students. They could scarcely bring themselves to believe their eyes. After several painful pinches, the situation was finally deemed real enough for them to emit several cries of happiness as their friend weaved her way towards the front.

Meanwhile, Jess and Kim had done much the same from the Ravenclaw table and watched with astonishment. Emma Leipold and Emily were equally stunned but chose instead to knock over whoever stood in their line of view.

Emma sprinted up the steps toward the headmaster who had schooled his expression into one of mild surprise. He offered her a tentative smile as she arrived before him with an expression of forceful determination. From her pocket she fished out the silver orb and held it before her.

Dumbledore felt a stab of shock and anxiety as his eyes rested on the object before him. Pushing it towards her immediately, he gestured for her to conceal it while he spun to face the pale transfiguration professor beside him.

"Minerva, please find Mister Potter and meet us in my office immediately."

When he turned back towards the hall of students, he raised his voice with unquestionable authority: "SILENCE!"

The hall quieted almost like magic as the students turned to their unwavering headmaster. Convinced of their full attention, Dumbledore spoke again, this time with a tone of quiet command.

"Please resume your seats and finish out the nights celebrations. I must kindly wish you all a happy new year and remind you that the feast ends at two o'clock. Thank you."

The final words were said with an air of finality. He took Emma by the arm and guided her towards a door behind the teachers table and gestured for her to walk through. They emerged in an unfamiliar hallway as Dumbledore gently guided her towards the left. After several mind boggling turns, they stopped before a sinister gargoyle.

"Lemon drops." He muttered.

Instantly, the gargoyle sprang aside, revealing a staircase which winded into the dark passage.

Leading her gently, Dumbledore ascended the steps before her with a steady pace until they reached a heavy looking solid oak door. As if it weighed nothing, the headmaster effortlessly opened it and pulled her through the doorway.

Emma's gaze explored the unfamiliar environment. From the walls, portraits of former headmasters and headmistresses stared at her with unabashed curiosity and flitted from painting to painting whispering in hushed tones. A vibrant phoenix stood on a perch near the blazing fireplace and miscellaneous items littered the shelves and tables around the room.

Without notice, Emma was engulfed in a crushing hug. Her eyes widened as she stood motionless in the person's arms. Slowly she inhaled the scent from the back robes and raised her arms to snake around the person's waist. Whoever it was, they smelt rather nice.

Emma could feel the deep breaths within their chest and snuggled her exhausted body into the warm embrace, not caring who it was or why they had not yet pulled away. Savoring the moment, she rubbed her nose against their chest and closed her eyes and mind to the world around her.

She could feel whoever it was sigh and rest their head on hers. As far as she could tell it was a guy, that or a totally flat chested girl who was a good six foot something.

"I'm sorry." He said.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Why were they apologizing? She was being enfolded in the best hug ever and they were apologizing? She attempted to shake her head but she could barely move while enveloped in his arms. However, he seemed to sense her meaning because he rebuked her for denying it.

"No, it was my fault. I just let you slip from my hands. How…how did you survive? I was… I was so sure…you…"

He could not bear to go further. Emma shook her head once more not caring what he said, she had to suppress her giggles as she felt his deep resonating voice vibrate through his chest with every word her uttered. Each word made her more lightheaded and she was extremely reluctant to relinquish her hold on him when he started to pull away.

Instantly, she felt the loss as his body back away from hers. She raised bewildered eyes to his face and promptly launched herself back into his arms.

"Harry! Oh Merlin it's nice to see you."

Harry had no qualms of recapturing her and they stood like that lost in their own thoughts until someone cleared their throat amusedly behind them.

Albus Dumbledore watched the young couple with affection and even professor McGonagall seemed slightly teary as the side of lips quirked upwards. However, they had discuss something of importance, so with reluctance he interrupted what only be aptly called a "moment".

Pulling away reluctantly from his hold, Emma attempted to identify his scent. Perhaps a mixture of…was it light cologne and something else…she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was something distinctly unique to him, fresh and definitely male.

She blushed at her thoughts and promptly diverted her eyes towards the headmaster. Once again recalling her mission, Emma pulled out the silver orb with the moving vines and placed it into the hands of a very intrigued headmaster.

Slowly turning it in his fingers, professor Dumbledore studied the ornately carved 'R's' and watched with deep fascination as the vines moved over the flawless surface.

A memory suddenly came to Emma's mind. Tell him my debt is paid.

Somnolently, she cleared her throat and spoke to the headmaster.

"He said to tell you his debt was paid."

Dumbledore looked up from his inspection and stared at her. He seemed to contemplate the words for a moment before he accepted them with a nod of understanding.

Near them, both professor McGonagall and Harry had looked at them both with expressions confusion etched in their eyes, but they did not question them further. Dumbledore however seemed much more curious for the story that Emma had left out.

"Is he well?"

Emma thought for a second and crinkled her nose in thought. For a moment, Harry thought she looked quite adorable with that expression.

"I couldn't really tell, he was really abrupt and he…he didn't actually go into any specifics."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he listened.

"Hmm…yes, that does seem like him. Tell me, did you enjoy your visit?"

Emma looked at the headmaster and for a lasting moment she wondered if he was insane. Being stuck with a strange creature after she had nearly drowned in a frozen lake was not part of her to do list but she answered anyway.

"I really couldn't say, I think I was either unconscious or dumbfounded for most of my 'stay'."

Dumbledore laughed as he muttered: "Rightly so, rightly so."

He slowly lowered the orb onto his desk and took his wand from his purple robes. Gently he tapped the orb with the wand. When it touched, sparks shot from the point of contact and then…

Nothing. The orb did nothing. Emma felt it was disappointingly anti-climatical and sighed with slight impatience.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Yes. Most definitely it."

Professor McGonagall seemed anxious for an answer and she stared with trepidation at him.

"Is it the fifth one Albus?"

"Yes, I believe it is Minerva."

Silence seemed to reign in the room as Emma sunk into deep confusion. Slowly, as if fearing the answer, she asked the question which was foremost on her mind.

"The fifth one? The fifth one of what? Why did I have to deliver it to you?"

Dumbledore stared at her for a second. He turned away and met the tense of gazes of McGonagall and Harry as if pondering how to proceed.

He seemed to have resigned himself to telling her the truth when his fingers ran over his eyes in a gesture of fatigue as he waved her toward a chair.

"Miss Cody, you must swear that what we speak of tonight will not leave the room. It is of utmost importance that you understand this."

Emma nodded mutely.

"Very well, but before we delve into this story, I would like an account of what happened at the lake. If it does not trouble you too much."

She nodded again and attempted to recall the blurry memories of those frightening moments. She had a feeling this was more for Harry than for anyone else, so she strived to remember what she could.

"I remember the ice…it cracked and I…fell in." It seemed disconcerting to mutter those words.

"I remember Harry holding on to my hand so I wouldn't be pulled under…" He gulped as the memory flooded his mind.

"Then…then I heard this angry voice in my head…I…I thought it was my imagination at first, but it kept speaking to me…"

She breathed deeply and looked up when she felt a comforting hand placed on her shoulder as she lounged in the armchair. She looked up gratefully at a somber Harry and was glad for the imposing protective nature he held in his eyes.

"Then…then it said…that if I didn't let go of Harry, then he'd drag him down as well…so…so I let go and then everything went dark."

She felt his hand tighten.

"…I woke up and he gave me that and then he just sent me back."

The headmaster nodded. He offered Emma a small comforting smile and said with patience. "Yes, does seem like him. Abrupt as always."

He sobered now, his smile fading.

"Miss Cody, as you might have already guessed, this is Rowena Ravenclaw's music orb. It is the fifth Horcrux and I must thank you for bringing it to us."

Emma tilted her head in confusion. "Horcrux?"

"Hmm…a Horcrux, it is like a portion of your soul. When you kill someone, it gives you the opportunity to sever a part of your soul. The wizard who does so will then store it in a vessel of some sort. Should they ever die, they would be given a second chance in life as another piece of their soul is still earth bound."

Emma stared wearily at the man before her. The idea of splitting your soul was a disgusting thought, though not entirely impossible. Picking up the orb from the table, she inspected it with dread.

"The orb you now hold in you hands contains one seventh of Voldemort's soul."

Emma gasped and dropped it as if it had burnt her. It landed with a thump and rolled across the carpet to stop at Harry's feet. He picked it up with no little disgust and held it with the tips of his long fingers. He continued the story.

"Voldemort, you see thought the idea of housing pieces of his soul within treasured objects of Hogwarts' four founders would be a brilliant idea, and thus he…well he did this." He waved the orb slightly.

Emma thought for a second and said cautiously: "I thought there were six."

"There are. Objects from the four founders, a diary which represented his past and the ring which symbolized his heritage."

"So…so this is the fifth? Which one haven't you found yet?"

Harry frowned slightly: "We're missing Gryffindor's object, but we have no idea what or where it could be."

"But…but why do you need them?"

"We need to destroy these Horcrux's before we can attempt to kill him."

"Oh."

Clarity swept over her until her mind snagged on another problem. "But, that man, he said the orb was indestructible."

Dumbledore peered over the top of his half moon spectacles and smiled.

"Well pointed out Miss Cody, but we do not need to destroy the orb, we only need to open it. Whatever spells and enchantments Voldemort used to force it open are lost to us, thus we must attempt to do this another way."

Harry stared at the headmaster and asked curiously: "Another way sir?"

"Indeed my boy, legend states that the daughter of her soul will be able to open it."

The assembled group fell silent. With this silence, they could hear banging on the outer door. Frowning in annoyance, professor McGonagall walked stoically towards the door and pulled it open with unnecessary force.

A dark haired boy stumbled inside, his face slightly flushed with exertion.

"Sam!" Emma was ecstatic as she fell into his arms and enveloped him in a rib crushing hug. He returned the favor with equal eagerness. Relief washed over both of the reunited siblings as they pulled apart.

Albus Dumbledore smiled and advised them to get back to their dormitories as they were all out past curfew. With one last twinkling look, he sent Harry, Sam and Emma off to the Gryffindor common rooms.

---

The silence in the darkened hallway seemed somewhat eerie. The awkwardness between the three seventh years was almost palpable as the air seemed to grow thick with tension.

Emma sighed in frustration. Tugging impatiently at her hair, she glowered at both boys who refused to speak with each other. She grimaced as she fingered the lock of hair, she hadn't washed it in days and she was accumulating enough grime to put a beggar to shame.

She emitted a sigh and stopped dead in her tracks. She whirled to face both boys and scowled at their reluctance.

"Ok, you can both get over whatever it is that you two are so hung up on."

Harry looked somewhat bashful that she had picked up the tension but Sam just seemed agitated.

Samuel pivoted to face the black haired boy. "You let my sister slip through the ice! She could've died! You're damn lucky that by some miracle she didn't!"

Harry looked down. He said nothing.

Emma looked shocked for a moment: "Sam…"

He was rambling now: "What the hell were you doing on the ice anyway?"

"We were just hanging out…"

"What? Why the hell were you doing that?"

"BECAUSE WE'RE FRIENDS!"

Sam snapped his mouth shut and contented himself to glare.

Harry sensed the hostility and felt his temper flare.

"Look. I apologized to Emma and she accepted it. I apologized to you, but you just have to hold on to your righteous anger don't you? I'm sorry I let her slip, do you honestly think I did it on purpose?"

Sam seethed for a moment. He hated being bested in an argument but he had to hand it to the boy, he was right. Reluctantly, he took a breath to calm himself.

"Alright, fine. Fine. You're right. But don't drop her again you hear me."

Harry acknowledged the joke as a gesture for truce as Sam continued.

"Emma could always use another big brother to look out for her."

Sam gave Harry's back a friendly slap and walked away.

Emma glared at his back: "Where are you going? The common rooms are that way!"

Sam laughed and yelled something back along the lines of food.

She let out an exasperated sigh. Another big brother indeed. She fumed quietly while she followed Harry. He too seemed disturbed by something and remained silent for a long moment.

The hallway was littered with windows; Emma's eyes were fixed on the moonlight that flitted against his dark hair. She sighed quietly and he turned to her with an inquisitive stare.

"What's the sigh for?"

"Nothing."

Harry stared with an incredulous look. Slowly he walked towards her with an unreadable expression.

Emma lounged against a window and stared out to the empty quidditch pitch. She heard him speak to her with an almost reverent hushed tone.

"You're bothered by Sam's comment aren't you?"

"What comment?"

"He said you needed another brother. You don't like the fact that he implied we have that sort of relationship."

Emma stared resolutely out the window, refusing to acknowledge his approaching figure.

"Look…I don't know what you're on about…"

"Emma…"

She liked how he said her name, like it rolled off his tongue and mingled with his gorgeous English accent. She cut him off mid sentence.

"Really, I have no clue what…"

She refused to look at him as she spoke and plowed on ahead heedless of the frustrated boy who stood mere inches away from her.

"…you are trying to say. I wouldn't mind having you for a brother, I mean who…"

Harry closed the distance between them and tilted her head up with his hand so that she would meet his eyes. His calloused fingers rested gently against her neck and she shivered as she watched emotion flicker across his face.

"Do you really mean that?"

Emma couldn't think straight, she couldn't remember what she had said that she was supposed to have meant so she stayed obediently silent. Harry continued, his voice lowered to a rumbling whisper.

"Do you think of me as a brother?"

Emma's mind screamed as she watched him. She couldn't read him; his eyes no longer met hers. Instead, his emerald green eyes wandered lower. They traced her lips with his burning gaze. He watched for her answer. Slowly, she forced her tingling lips to form her answer.

No.

A slow smirk spread across his lips as he read the silent response. With excruciating slowness, he leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips against hers.

Emma breathed in shallow gasps as he teased her lips apart. Gently, he pressed his burning lips to hers once more and lingered for a breathtaking moment.

She pressed herself closer to him, reveling in the heat radiating from his body. She could feel his other hand resting lightly against her hips as he nudged her closer.

His kiss was stronger now as he parted her lips with gentle passion. She could taste him as his tongue danced tenderly across hers. She whimpered quietly and the noise seemed to trigger something within him.

With little resistance, he pushed her against the cold window pane and pinned her there with his body. His tongue swept unmercifully into her mouth and made her weak with emotion. His left hand buried itself within her long locks of hair and tugged her head back to allow him deeper access.

His other hand was pressed against her back, pushing her until she arched into him. He expertly ravaged her mouth and pulled away to trail burning kisses down her neck. He lingered where her neck met her shoulder and softly nipped her flawless skin, his tongue gently soothing the bite.

She pulled his lips back to hers and pressed herself desperately against him.

Harry pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. His breath came in short breaths as he stared at her with undiluted ardor. His eyes darkened further as her eyes burned into his.

He lightly kissed her lips once more before he laced his fingers with hers and pulled her away.

---

She had settled into the quiet routine of school once more with one exception, Harry Potter.

Her boyfriend.

Emma felt giddy every time the thought occurred to her. Though initially against the idea, Sam had learned to deal with idea and left the couple well alone. The reaction from the girls was much more unexpected.

It was New Year's Day as Emma made her way to the room of requirement. The girls had promised to meet her there. She yawned as she had barely gotten more than a few hours of sleep.

Entering the room, she was greeted with eager hugs and slightly teary 'welcome back's. Though Cindy did not offer any tears or hugs, she smiled smugly at Emma while she lounged in the corner in a Slytherin colored chair. Abuzz with curiosity, Emma settled herself by the Chinese girl and asked in a hushed voice:

"How did you know about the orb?"

"Instinct, sources…blah, blah, blah, does it matter?"

Emma eyed her inquiringly but decided to drop the subject, instead she took up another subject which seemed just as tender.

"So…you and Malfoy…"

For the first time, Emma watched as Cindy blushed to her roots and looked away, slightly perturbed.

"I was just distracting him…"

"You were doing a very good job of it. Tell me how long did you distract him for? A minute, two, all night?"

Emma could have sworn Cindy's blush darkened a shade or two. She swatted Emma with a half hearted effort and looked away slightly. Suddenly her dark eyes glinted as she spotted something. Cindy smirked as she pointed towards her neck.

"Who were you distracting last night?"

Emma flushed and muttered very quietly: "Harry."

The group of girls erupted in screams when they heard and the screams didn't stop until dinner.

Emma laughed at the memory and shook her head, that had been four months ago. Four whole months, she could barely believe how the time flew. Beside her Harry looked up from his breakfast to stare inquiringly at her. She offered a smile and waved him back to his breakfast. Shrugging carelessly, he pecked her on her cheek and went back shoveling forkfuls of bacon into his mouth.

With one last bite, Harry fare welled his friends and took her hand, pulling her to her feet.

"I'll walk you to class."

"Damn, and I was going to meet my other lover this morning." She quipped.

Harry growled quietly and pulled her into his arms with little effort. His kissed her insistently in the hallway until a voice forced them to pull apart.

"Oh Merlin Potter, get a room."

Emma and Harry looked towards the great hall only to see a very smug Draco Malfoy pulling Cindy behind him. She paid him no attention as she was busy finishing off the piece of toast in her hand.

Once finished with her breakfast, Cindy seemed to concur with Draco's thoughts.

"Yeah, I don't need these mental images of you Gryffindors you know."

The blond boy laughed and pulled her in for a fierce kiss. "That's my girl." He said when he pulled away.

Both Gryffindors exchanged perturbed looks and walked off.

Once out of sight, Emma asked the same question she asked Harry every morning.

"Have they managed to open the orb yet?"

"No. Even Dumbledore's getting worried now. Oh, I nearly forgot, he asked to see you. Come on, I'll take you now."

Emma stared at her boyfriend anxiously. "What for?"

Harry shrugged casually. He honestly did not know.

Arriving before the gargoyle, Harry muttered the password (another muggle candy) and pulled Emma into the headmasters office.

Albus Dumbledore welcomed the young couple into the office and waved Emma to the seat before his desk.

He stared silently at her for a moment before he stood abruptly and moved to the cabinet behind him. From within, he withdrew something and laid it before her.

Emma stared at the familiar silver orb and looked back at the man before her. She raised a questioning eyebrow.

He smiled. "Miss Cody, I am sure Mr. Potter has told you we have not yet found a way to open the orb." Emma nodded mutely. "Thus while I was contemplating why all the Ravenclaw's failed to open it, an idea hit me. Why who would be better to open the orb than the discoverer, you."

Emma's eyes widened in disbelief. "Sir, I'm not a Ravenclaw…"

He waved away the thought instantly. "That matters little."

"…and I've held it before and it never opened."

"Did you ever tap it with you wand?"

"No…no…but…"

Dumbledore quickly silenced her and gestured for her to pull out her wand.

Harry took it from her pocket and tightened her fingers around it. Giving her a gentle push forwards, he found himself holding his breath as she ventured forward.

Emma licked her dry lips and pointed her shaking wand at the orb. With the lightest of touches, she tapped the silver orb.

Nothing.

Emma felt a stab of disappointment until her eyes noticed something. The vines, the forever curving vines had stopped. For a breathtaking moment, the ornate 'R's glowed. With a clean click, Emma could see the crevices in the once flawless orb. As if it were a flower, the orb unfolded itself before their eyes revealing swirls of silver within which seemed to play the eerie tune resonating from it.

Suddenly a white mist erupted from it.

Dumbledore leapt to his feet and pointed his wand at the swirling nothingness. Instantly, it was enveloped by a film of sparks and flames. With a screech, the apparition disappeared.

The headmaster watched the seventh years with a weary eye and sat down with fatigue. Just one more to go.

Quivering from the experience, Emma sat down once more and breathed a sigh of relief. Beside her, Harry leant down and gave her a congratutory kiss.

---

NEWTS were obviously invented to torture seventh years. There's no other explanation for it. Having just walked away from her first exam, Emma felt a sense of dread for all the others yet to come. The girls who took advanced potions with her were all standing dejectedly beside her, each sure of their failure. Alyce was comfortably ensconced in Sebastian's arms, quietly whimpering as he chuckled. Her eyes searched for Harry but instead found a very amusing sight a few paces away from her. Cindy was half wrapped in Draco's arms, hyperventilating in a very dramatic manner while Draco laughingly ran his hands up and down her back in an attempt to comfort her. He must have said something wrong because he earned a hard smack across his chest as she glared.

Not finding her boyfriend anywhere, Emma shrugged and headed towards the library.

He was there. Perched on a bench, his eyes racing over a dusty book. Emma giggled quietly to herself and sneaked behind him. Snatching his glasses from his eyes, she whispered into his ear: "Guess who."

Harry looked thoughtful for a second and replied playfully: "My other girlfriend."

Emma huffed and hit him lightly, returning his glasses with an air of indignation. Harry laughed and leaned down to kiss her.

His lips never touched hers.

BANG! Screams, shouts. Somewhere down the stairs. More screams.

Emma met Harry's eyes with a shocked gasp. He grabbed her hand, wand in the other and ran towards the door of the library. The sight that greeted them as they looked down the flight of stairs was one that was truly unforgettable.

---

Chaos. That was the first word that came to Emma's mind. Black robed students raced in all directions as screams littered the air. The deceptively cheerful sunshine which filtered through the stone arches of castle illuminated hundreds of dark figures. Death eaters.

Suddenly the light in the hall turned an eerie green. Looking above them, near the high arched ceiling was the dark mark. Floating jarringly. Harry's grasp on hers tightened as his breaths came in deeper gasps.

They shared one last look before both sprinted down the stairs and threw themselves into the chaotic crowd. As soon as Emma reached the mass of panicking students, she lost sight of Harry. Brushing aside the thought quickly, she aimed her wand before her and shouted STUPIFY at the nearest death eater.

Before his body even fell to the floor, Emma was already weaving past. Tears pricked at her eyes as she desperately searched for her friends and her brother.

She spotted them in the thick of the fight, the most highly ranked death eaters dueling passionately against them.

Fear filled her lungs as she watched. Kim had a bleeding gash across her face and her hair was matted with blood. She looked pale but unwavering. Behind her, Jess fired spells at the death eater who approached her, tears streaming down her face.

Looking around once more, she found Emma Leipold lying against a wall, her face pallid as she clutched at a wound by her side. The death eater advanced.

Feeling a sudden surge of fury, Emma pointed her wand directly at him and fired a silent curse. It hit him dead on his back. He fell back screaming. The red head smiled gratefully and struggled to her feet, launching herself into the mass of students once more. Swiveling to face the destruction, she shot down another death eater and walked through, picking up first years and sending them away from the heat of the battle.

Emily came into view almost immediately. She seemed more furious than Emma had ever witnessed her to be, cursing the death eater across from her with rapidity and rage.

Beck and Steph stood back to back, a level above the fighting. They aimed into the crowd and methodically shot down death eaters from their superior vantage point. Even in the mess of bodies, their aims were true and deadly with the cold demeanors of seasoned snipers.

"Rictusempra!" The nearest death eater fell away from her path.

She spotted Sam, dueling with merciless swipes at the black robed figure before him. Finally fed up with the childish spells, Sam threw a powerful jet of silver light which hit the masked man square in the chest. He was thrown backwards with such force that he hit the wall with a sickening crunch and slid lifelessly to the floor. Sam did not seem to acknowledge the death in the heat of battle, he only moved onwards to his next opponent.

Emma gulped at the sight and turned towards a flash of silver blond hair. Draco. She thought.

She ran towards the source but stopped to see Sebastian fending off three death eater with surprising skill. She shot stunning spells at the back of one, then another, leaving the third which Sebastian disposed of without problem. He nodded his thanks to her and ran for the next man.

Half panicked; Emma heard a shrill, unnatural voice screech above the anarchy.

"They are just school children! Can't you even handle these brats? Kill them, kill them all!"

Bile rose in her throat. She swung her head around and ducked a flash of green light just in time. Firing back a STUPIFY, Emma ran towards the burning entrance. On the verge of these steps Alyce stood, she was dueling with a dark haired woman. Emma recognized her, Bellatrix Lestrange.

Beside Alyce, Neville fired every spell he could think of at the woman who tortured his parents. She was laughing hysterically; it turned into a pained scream when Neville focused all his hate into one well aimed CRUCIO.

She saw the flash of silver blond hair again and ran towards the grass. She saw Malfoy, wandless, he was being held by the neck by his very father who pointed his wand at his own son who screamed as wave after wave of crucio's hit him. Cindy was standing across from them.

She was flushed in fury, her wand pointed directly at Lucius Malfoy. She feared any action as she could hit Draco, but her eyes were growing wilder by the second as rage enveloped her mind.

An enraged scream ripped from her throat as the elder Malfoy laughed as he tortured his son, stepping forward, Cindy screamed: "Sectumsempra!"

It hit Lucius Malfoy square in the chest. He released his son immediately as blood gushed from the slashed across his chest. Draco stumbled away from his father and watched with little emotion as Cindy stood above the elder Malfoy and whispered coldly: "Avada Kavadra."

A bolt of green light enveloped him and his struggles ended. Draco smiled cruelly at the man before him; he picked up his wand and entangled his hand with Cindy's as he pulled her away into the fight.

Emma had to swallow a wave of nausea as she watched the couple cast killing spells on whichever death eaters crossed their paths.

There were so many bodies now. Hogwarts students, unknown wizards and witches and death eaters. Their now lifeless bodies strewn the ground like discarded rag dolls.

Emma was scared. Her eyes focused on a pair of duelists standing apart from the rest.

Harry and…Voldemort.

They were deep in concentration, spells and curses going back and forth. From the look of things, Harry was using the killing curse as well.

Voldemort was taunting him; she could hear the jeers now as she approached.

"…Join your mudblood mother…"

"…Unworthy to be my opponent…"

Harry said nothing, his eyes blazing with hatred as spell after spell was aimed at his enemy.

Emma stopped a short distance away. Her breathing hitched as she watched the fierce duel. Harry screamed in agony as an unforgivable hit him, but he rolled away just in time to avoid the killing blow. He stood up once more and resumed his determined stance.

"…your mother was weak…your father no better…"

Harry didn't respond.

Voldemort suddenly turned. His disgusting face contorted in triumph as he spotted Emma near them. He aimed at her.

"Avada…"

Harry screamed as Emma closed her eyes, waiting for the killing blow.

"…Kavadra."

The blow never came. Her eyes cracked open to see an exhausted Harry, his wand still aimed at the still figure of Voldemort.

Emma gave a cry of relief and ran towards him. She was a few paces away when he doubled over, clutching his robes while gasping for breath. Near them, she saw Voldemort twitch. How was this possible? He was supposed to be dead.

But no. Voldemort seemed to slowly regain his strength. Then it hit her, the final Horcrux! They never found it, they never destroyed it! But why was it affecting Harry.

Oh God.

It all came flooding back to her. Harry telling her about the scar. How he could feel Voldemort's emotions, how he could sometimes see his dreams. Oh God, Voldemort gave Harry the ability to speak Parseltongue.

Oh God.

The final Horcrux. Gryffindors Horcrux. It was under their nose all this time, they never had to search for it, and it was there all along.

Harry Potter was the final Horcrux.

When Voldemort tried to kill Harry, he had become the final Horcrux, the powers, the connections, it all made sense.

Harry was dying to save Voldemort.

As if realizing her thoughts, Harry whispered weakly: "Destroy the final Horcrux!"

But Emma did not know how. She knew it was a spell of some sort, but she didn't know what it was.

With each second she hesitated, Harry was growing weaker and Voldemort was growing stronger, she was losing time.

Suddenly her fingers clutched her robes. The object inside her pocket. With a gasp she pulled out the crystal orb and held it to her eye. The sparks inside. They looked just like the ones that enveloped the Horcrux in the music orb.

It is the ending. Something within her whispered and it all clicked.

With one last fleeting glance into his eyes, Emma threw the crystal ball with all her strength at the hardened summer ground.

The orb shattered near Harry's feet. The sparks escaped from the shattered crystal and rose upwards. Rapidly, the swirl of sparks and flames enveloped Harry. He screamed and so did Voldemort.

Harry's emerald eyes met hers once more before the he shattered. Emma could see something break within the eyes that she cherished so much. With an explosion of sparks, the light from that gaze faded and both Harry and Voldemort fell to the ground lifeless.

Emma's heart stopped, she closed her eyes and sunk to her knees. She crawled to his side and ran her fingers through his dark hair. Laying herself gently beside him, Emma closed her eyes.

---

The tears flowed down her face as she ran her fingers over the smooth white tombstone.

Harry James Potter.

She let out a strangled sob as she collapsed before the grave.

God she missed him so much. Everything, she missed everything. Nothing had been the same since the final battle, so many of her friends had not survived.

Alyce was in a state of madness; Sebastian had thrown himself in front of her to take the killing curse himself. She had watched and let the fury overwhelm her, killing Bellatrix with crucios instead of one quick spell.

Steph and Beck had not survived. Killed when they were protecting children.

Emma Leipold's body had been found, vampire like teeth marks on her ashen skin.

Emily had seen so much death; she had survived but had disappeared straight after the battle. She never came back.

Jessica and Kim. Alive but lost. Their minds shattered to pieces.

And Cindy. Feared among the wizarding world along with Draco. They had killed many without remorse; somehow they had changed forever during that final struggle.

Emma, Emma had changed too. She could no longer remember the sensation of happiness; she no longer smiled or laughed and reserved her tears for when she stands before his grave.

Sam was worried about her, she barely ate anymore. She would sit and stare at nothing for hours on end refusing to sleep or eat. She was wasting away, a mere shadow of what used to be.

She had exhausted her body, so as she lay down by his grave and closed her eyes, she did so for the last time. Never would her eyes look upon the mortal world again.

---

The mist swirled around her. She blinked to clear her vision but it would not clear. Fuzzy images flitted before her.

When finally she could see clearly her eyes landed on a face she thought lost forever.

Beck. She smiled and gently helped her up.

Another hand took hers and pulled her towards the mist. Steph.

Further along, Emma Leipold, her hair vibrant in this world just like in life waved at her merrily and pushed her firmly toward the mist.

A hand emerged from the haze. Long, quidditch calloused fingers reached for her. Stifling a cry, her hand reaches forward and grasped onto the fingers. Emerald eyes emerged and met hers.

His lips opened: "Hello Emma."

She smiled.

---

The End

---

A/N: Well there you have it! What did you think? A tad bit long? Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and please REVIEW! Even if you want to flame me, though I really prefer you didn't. For you Em.

Luv C.