Emily Potter - Book 5 - Order of the Phoenix

Chapter 50 - Return to Oxfordshire

Meanwhile in Oxfordshire...

"What happened to your bracelet?"

A shot of adrenaline rushed down Emily's spine, surprised to hear Eleanor's voice from behind her. She looked at the mirror of her vanity and saw the girl walk in her room and close the door behind her, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine."

"You didn't answer my question, though," Eleanor said as she jumped on Emily's bed, staring at her. Emily glanced at her bare wrist, taking note of how foreign it looked without the bracelet Harry had given her during their first Christmas together. She told her the story of its loss, of how Percy had bugged it long ago and kept spying on her. Eleanor was shocked to say the very least, it seemed like it was the most scandalous piece of news she heard all year long. But then again, she lives in a suburb now – Perhaps she was bored out of her mind.

"What a parasite..." Emily heard her mutter under her breath, "I also see that you're wearing your ring again. That's good."

"I need to keep in contact with Ginny."

"Just Ginny?"

Emily stared knowingly at Eleanor through the mirror, finally turning her chair around to face her. "I know about Draco. I know you running away from home to here was not a spontaneous thing – I know everything." Eleanor didn't seem fazed or confused as to how or why she knew if anything, Emily read from her face that she was relieved. "Draco finally told you, thank Merlin! I hate keeping secrets."

"You would not last long under torture, then." She joked, moving from her vanity chair to sit on her bed opposite Eleanor, "How's Muggle life? Aunt Minerva told me that Mrs. Weasley visits regularly."

"She's such an angel, Em." Eleanor gushed, throwing herself on the bed now completely lying there, "We are distant relatives, apparently. Molly comes over with food to make sure I don't dry up like a twig, and while we eat she tells me all sorts of stories about her kids – especially you and Harry. On other notes, I've given her a list of names of wizards and witches all over Europe, Africa, and the Middle East that would be perfect for the Order."

There wasn't a dull moment all morning when Emily was with Eleanor. All throughout making her bed, getting dressed and eating breakfast, Eleanor was filled to the brim with stories of what had occurred for the past few months. Once everyone had left to go back to Hogwarts, she mostly spent her free time reading books from Aunt Minerva's study, having sleepovers with Ella from next-door (Ella, who never seemed to be out of questions about magic), and experimenting with cooking with Molly whenever she kept her company.

"She taught me how to bake a pie!" Eleanor gushed with a grand sparkle in her blue eyes, "I should make one soon – Oh, and fudge! She makes this delightful pecan fudge, it's absolutely divine." Emily smiled at her expense, wildly amused to see that her friend wasn't totally bored out of her mind.

"Are you waiting for something?"

"Hmmm? What makes you say that, El?"

The 17-year-old looked at the window and then at Emily, "I reckon you're waiting for an owl? I don't blame you, Em. I'd want a bit of news if I were in your situation – "

"But you are in my situation," Emily reasoned, her tone turning out harder than anticipated, "We've both turned away from our homes. We're stuck here until someone else says otherwise." Eleanor frowned at her, reaching for her hand to show her support. "I turned away from a house, not a home. I'm afraid I never had a home. You, on the other hand, were just kicked out from your home, shipped off away from your friends. You can't go anywhere because you're only 15. I'm already of legal age and go anywhere I want – "