Scattered Pieces

Chapter 28

+Emma+

Now that she'd started crying, Emma couldn't stop. Everything from the night before came crashing back, and she couldn't handle it. Ron, in a very un-Ron-like act, kept his arm around her for the remainder of the funeral, comforting her. When everyone finally began to leave, they five friends stood as well, making their way to the edge of the lake. When they got there, Ron finally relinquished his hold on Emma, and she immediately rushed into Harry's open arms..

She hated crying, because she hated feeling weak, but today she didn't care. Her heart was too broken for her to care. Harry's warm, familiar scent made her feel safe, and her sobs slowly subsided as she calmed down a little.

She was suddenly yanked from Harry's arms as Hermione pulled her into a tight hug. Emma hugged her back immediately. "I'm so glad you're back." Hermione whispered in her ear. "I was beginning to worry about you."

Emma pulled away to look at Hermione's face, which had sadness written clearly all over it. She suddenly felt very guilty. Not only had her friends had to deal with the tragedy of Albus, but they also had to worry about her and the mini coma she had slipped into.

Her eyes began to water again. Albus...

"I'm sorry, you guys." she apologized, hugging Ginny and Ron as well. "I'm not quite sure what happened...I guess I just didn't want to deal with it quite yet."

"Well at least you're back now." Ginny said, obviously trying to cheer everyone up. "And you won't have to go through this alone, Emma. We're all here for you."

Ginny's attempt to cheer her up only made Emma more upset. "I deserve to go through it alone." she whispered, her lip trembling with the effort of holding back tears. "It's my fault."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Harry asked, taking her hand comfortingly.

Emma pulled it back. "It's my fault! Albus is dead because of me. It's my fault."

"You didn't cast the spell, Emma." Ron pointed out. "You didn't kill Dumledore."

"Just because you're not on stage doesn't mean you aren't part of the show." Emma compared. When everyone stared at her blankly, she elaborated. "People who work backstage at a play are just as much a part of the production as the star of the show. I may not have killed Albus by my own hand, but I worked behind the scenes."

"I still don't understand." Hermione said.

With a sigh, Emma explained about the vanishing cabinet and Draco's lie to get her to help him repair it. She told them the cabinet's purpose was to get Death Eaters into the school to back up Draco as he killed Albus, then safely escort him out. Of course, Severus killing Albus hadn't exactly been in the Death Eaters' plan, but the cabinet had still fulfilled it's purpose and had been as much a part of killing Albus as Severus had been.

"Emma, this is in no way your fault." Hermione assured as soon as Emma stopped talking. "Malfoy deceived you, you didn't do this by choice."

"Yes, but-"

"There's no 'but's." Harry cut her off. "This isn't your fault, and we definitely don't blame you for a single thing."

"Well, except for that whole spacey bit, where you wouldn't respond to anything and scared the living daylights out of us. I sort of blame you for that." Ron muttered. There was a brief silence before everyone began to laugh. Once the started, they couldn't stop, but they were alright with that.

Sometimes, when things seem darkest, a good laugh can make all the difference in getting through it.

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Ok, wow. Sucky chapter. I'm sorry. Definitely a filler. Ewh, I'm sorry. But now that this is out of the way, ONE CHAPTER AND AN EPILOGUE LEFT!!!! Oh my gosh. I just. I can't even. My baby. What. My emotions.

With a little bit of luck, this story should be done by the end of the week! Probs the end of next week at the VERY latest.

Heyyy, I made a tumblr! Yay tumblr! Still trying to figure out what exactly I'm doing, but you can check there for updates on how my stories are coming, stuff like that. Sooooo, yeah. I should probs give you the link. www.thatwritergirl88.tumblr.com Come check it out! Follow me there and on twitter too. If I get some Wattpad peeps following me on twitter I can keep you updated on how my stories are coming along on there as well.

Thanks so much for reading!! Prepare for the end! What do you think is gonna happen? Drop me a comment!

Love,

<3Emzebra<3