Emily Potter - Book 5 - Order of the Phoenix

Chapter 7 - Just Another Day

I sat on my own bed in the 3rd floor, staring at the peeling wallpaper of the wall opposite me. I couldn’t help but reconstruct 12 Grimmauld place in its glory days that is if it had any, but then again they were proud of their blood purity and considered themselves as Wizarding royalty.

Images of haughty, darkly clothed wizards roamed my imagination as I began to picture how this place was before Sirius left his family. Sirius’ mother who apparently was the screaming hag in the portrait would be gracefully placed in the drawing room, hosting some pretentious afternoon tea. Regulus would have probably studying the Daily Prophet for any stretch of news of Voldemort, and also devouring various Dark Arts textbooks.

I succumbed to the idea of royal life, although my life is more than comfortable in Oxfordshire I keep wondering what my life would be if I had lived in a life of finery like a proud pureblood family. The Malfoy Manor rambled in my mind, mahogany tables, marble floors, grand staircases, ballrooms, queen sized beds, majestic eagle-owls... Perhaps if my parents lived, if Voldemort hadn’t existed at all, Harry and I would have never tasted poverty and oppression in our childhood. The Potters were an old, respected pureblood family, and unlike the Blacks, they were kind.

During the first year of being Draco’s girlfriend, I fantasized somewhat often of our future together. It’s only natural, right? Besides, he was already spoiling me by the time, just imagine how he would treat me if ever we were married. My 3rd year self pictured 20-something year old me with a simple yet elegant string of pearls at my throat, a grand diamond and emerald ring on my finger along with a golden wedding band, a dark green evening dress for our annual charity balls, and Draco’s arm laced with mine. Funny how the future does things differently than what you had in mind, but then again maybe it has something else grander than what you wanted.

“Emily?”

Reality swept me back up on my own two feet, making me fully aware that Bill had his head sticking out halfway by the door. I motioned for him to come in, he did so ever so silently it made me realize that he was trying to keep quiet during his visit in my room. Bill sat in the worn velvet chair opposite my bed, and I faced him, eager of what he came here for.

It was only then I recognized the features he shared with Percy. The luminescent blue eyes that always made my insides flutter, the fiery red hair that was the Weasley trademark, the dashing nose that I so often pinched when we got into a light conversation... Everything of him reminds me of Percy, and it pains me to even think of that since it is possible of him to be acting as a double-agent for Fudge.

“When did Percy inform you of his promotion?” Bill asked, knotting his fingers together. Percy did that as well when he started conversation. I shook off the feeling of nostalgia, keeping track, “I don’t remember the exact date but it was a few days before the third task.” Then, it had occurred to me that maybe from that moment onwards he was already spying on me for the Minister of Magic. Nauseated by the thought, I asked Bill who only thought the same.

I could tell he was trying his best not to make me turn against his brother, but the evidence lead me to believe otherwise. I adore Percy, maybe even love but it’s too soon for that, but thinking that he would fake a relationship with me in hopes of me leaking to him information of some kind...But then again, our entire relationship was built on the hopes of driving Lucian away because Blaise had suspected him being a psychopath.

But Percy willingly devoted himself to being my boyfriend because he was concerned about me. He cared for me, he cares for me. But what if it was only a golden opportunity for him? What Percy had this planned all along? What if this is all a part of his plan, a plan to get close to me and get me talking about all of the complications Harry and I have with Voldemort, a plan for him to rise to success so that he could be the future Minister of Magic, and Blaise coming up to him to ask if he could cover as my boyfriend was his open window...That would have been a brilliant plan.