Please. Ebony Black

Chapter Fourteen

I stood atop the cliffs as the wind grew stronger and colder, the sea salt doing horrible things to my hair. I'd finally finished Hogwarts, I was an adult in all senses of the word yet I still felt like a child trapped in this body. The sea swelled up into waves and slowly eroded the cliffs beneath my feet, the urge to run and jump was incredible, not in a suicidal way in a purely naturalistic way. The urge to be part of the landscape was overwhelming.

It probably wasn't the safest of idea's to be so far out into the wilderness, but at the same time any potential death eaters wouldn't be in the Cornish countryside they'd be in London or another big city. I'd kicked up such a fuss the other night Tonks and Uncle Ted had been forced to telling me just how dangerous this whole Harry Potter thing actually was, and according to them it was only going to get worse.

And I couldn't do a single bloody thing about it; Ebony Black is a wanted person. I have to stay as far out of trouble as possible until the last push when I'll really be needed. But they still won't tell me why I'm a wanted person, or who told them I was such! I would like to interrogate them myself, under torture if possible.

Bet its Dumbledore.

I jumped out of my skin as a large owl landed on my shoulder; I smiled and saw that it was Smokey, Charlie's owl. I grinned and took the letter from his claws as he spied some mouse like creatures and went for a hunt.

Eb,

Please listen to them, I couldn't bare it if I opened the paper and saw your face in the obituary. Not that I'd recognise it straight away, how old are you now? 50?

Noir is a beautiful owl, and wasn't very impressed with me when I let her out the window, apparently the dragons snapped at her tail and she dove straight back and pecked at me fingers until I shut the window and opened Smokey's cage for her to hide in.

How are you, feeling like a true adult?

I miss you, yesterday I got hit with a quaffle and then went on to bore the other guys with my praise on your mad skills, they might try and kill you should you ever meet, or challenge you to a game.

Have you thought about careers or are you still planning on being a primary school teacher or whatever you called it?

Think I've just received another scar, the baby horntails jumped me as I went to feed them and a tail caught me right beneath the chin – don't worry I'm all in one piece it wasn't so close as to decapitate me. I know you Eb, that's exactly what you were thinking.

I might be able to escape sometime this summer if you want me; also thought now you've finished Hogwarts you'd like to spend Christmas here with me.

Love C.

As I read I hadn't realised the size of the smile that had formed on my face until Uncle Ted commented on it, to be honest I hadn't realised I'd made it all the way home I must have re read the last few sentences a hundred times, I was a good three miles from home.

"Who are you writing too?" he asked trying to look over the top of shoulder as he followed me through the house to the stairs. "Have you got some kind of boyfriend you're not telling me about?"

"No Uncle Ted, it's just a friend I've not seen in like three four years." I smiled shoving it into the envelope.

---

I sighed as I screwed up the letter I'd been writing to Ebony, it got harder every time yes I knew her still through the constant stream of letters but I didn't know her anymore. Of course I remember how she liked to keep her nails perfectly symmetrical and that strange twitch of her nose but what now?

I can't even remember the sound of her voice or how she felt in my arms. Why did I do this to myself, a few months of being together for years of the opposite, I know why, but I need to be reminded.

"Hey Charlie, I don't think we're gonna be able to get time off this summer." Harry sighed falling onto the kitchen table beside me. "The horntail and the Fireball are both breeding; we'll be needed pretty much all year."

"Even Christmas?" I asked sighing and he nodded shutting his eyes and leaning back against the wall.

"You told Ebony already?"

"Yeah, she won't be too impressed to say the least." I groaned, "It's been two years since I saw her."

"Sorry dude." He yawned. "That's commitment though. She's been with you since she was 16 and not even looked at another guy though she hasn't seen you pretty much since."

"Don't remind me, I feel bad." I sighed running a hand through my hair.

"That's marriage material right there, if she gets rid of you point her in my direction my mum's always nagging at me to get a wife."

"No chance, now excuse me while I break the news as nicely as possible. I'm not gonna get a letter for a whole month now." I groaned turning my back on him and writing hating myself as I did so. "I can't even remember how tall she is dude."