The Carnival ⌁ Draco Malfoy [1/4] ✔

22

The Holiday had ended and the children, much to their dismay, had to leave Grimmauld Place accompanied by Tonks and a man Emma had just met named Remus Lupin. He, too, recognised her immediately. Ron and Emma were both excited to have been taking the Knight Bus to Hogsmeade for the first time, but when the trip was over they both seemed to have been embracing the fact that the ride was over, and fought their way out the doors.

"I've changed my mind," Ron muttered fearfully once the Knight Bus took off again with Tonks and Lupin. "I never want to ride that thing again."

"I think I'm going to be sick," said Emma, losing her balance and tripping over her trunk, landing face first into the snow.

Fred and George laughed loudly while Hermione shot them disapproving looks.

When they reached the castle, the first thing Emma noticed was the lack of Christmas decorations, and she could feel the jolly good spirit being sucked out of her immediately at the sight of all the teachers walking by. The others were just making their way toward the marble staircase for Gryffindor Tower.

"Good luck with your Occlumeny tonight, Harry," Emma said before disappearing down into the dungeouns with her trunk banging against the stairs the lower she got.

She continued to shake the snow out of her hair as she made her way down the stoned corridor, and, taking a left, entered the Slytherin common room.

"Emma - what the hell!" A loud voice screeched, Emma almost walking back into her trunk and tripping over it again.

Sabrina shot up off the black sofa and stormed over toward Emma. There was no telling what mood Sabrina was in; she looked worried, angry, happy, and confused all at once. She furiously threw her arms around Emma, and pulled away almost immediately.

"Pansy told me what happened the night of the party," Sabrina explained when she let Emma walk toward the dormitory stairs. "Said Snape and McGonagall ruined it just to get you to Dumbledore, and said you never returned even when the Holiday started. What happened?"

Tucking her trunk carefully against her bed and unzipping her snowy jacket, Emma threw herself on her bed and groaned loudly. "This is the life..."

"Emma," Sabrina snapped.

"Nothing," she replied. "There was an emergency. I had to leave early. Did you end up going back to Draco's over Christmas?"

"Huh? Oh - yeah," Sabrina mumbled, fiddling around with the tips of her hair. "It was fun."

"What did you do?"

"Oh, you know...presents...snow...good food," Sabrina replied, walking slowly over to her own bed to sit down on. Emma furrowed her brows and sat up immediately at the sound of Sabrina's deflating use of voice. "That sort of stuff - the usual. It was great."

"If you say so," said Emma, unsure of what to ask or say about what she, Sabrina, did over Christmas.

The door banged open and in stormed Daphne, her face fixed in a scowl and her cat crushed in her arms. She rounded the beds and stood directly in front of Emma.

"Have a great night, did you?" she spat, eyes narrowing into slits. Emma raised her eyebrows; were all these girls upset that she'd left early? "Not to mention you ruined my jumper! And it was my best one, too! It was the last thing my deceased grandmother left for me."