Before long, winter turned into spring, bringing with it the lively sound of birds, and blooming flowers with aromatic fragrances everywhere.
The skies were mostly clear blue, with a few clouds here and there, and the trees began sprouting new leaves in preparation for the following year.
Animals had come out from their state of hibernation, and Emery spent majority of her time outdoors feeding them.
Spring seemed to do her well, and she flourished in the gorgeous weather, becoming healthier and fuller.
Sirius had noticed a change in Emery too.
She seemed to have a glowing complexion, and her cheeks were constantly pink. She had changed her style of clothing too, Sirius noticed, and he found himself wanting to kiss her now more than ever.
Emery dressed mostly in light colors, mainly whites, and beiges. She wore different types of hats everyday, and she always looked the epitome of perfection.
Boys seemed to take an interest in her as well, and Sirius even hexed Bertram Aubrey's head to enlarge to twice its size, something that got him a double detention.
On Saturday, a lovely spring morning, Emery and Cecilia were lying in the grass, making daisy chains and telling each other stories.
They were joined by a laughing Marlene McKinnon, who said she was running away from Lily Evans.
Emery invited Marlene to sit with them, since she got along quite well with her, seeing as the two were similar in a number of ways.
Cecilia was comfortable with Marlene, as they were both potion partners during class.
"So," asked Cecilia, turning to Marlene. "Why were you hiding from Lily?"
Marlene giggled. "I may or may not have used a muggle camera to record her sleep talking," she hummed, with a nonchalant shrug.
"What was she saying?" asked Emery excitedly.
Marlene grinned mischievously. "She was confessing her love for Potter," she said wickedly. "And I threatened to show it to him."
"AHA!" exclaimed Emery. "I knew it! I knew she fancied Potter."
Marlene nodded. "You and me both, Em, you and me both."
Emery smirked. "You know what this is good for?" she asked with a grin.
"No," replied Marlene, a smile forming on her face. "What?"
"Bribing material."
They burst into peals of laughter, discussing what they could bribe Lily Evans into doing.
A while later, the topic switched to Sirius.
"Emery likes Sirius, doesn't she?" asked Cecilia out loud.
Emery immediately turned red, her cheeks flushing. "Err-" She cleared her throat. "What gave you that idea?" she stuttered.
Marlene gave her a knowing look. "Honey, it's obvious you think of him more than friends," she drawled lazily, picking flowers from the ground and weaving them into Emery's hair.
"I- I don't," she said, defending herself.
"Emery's new to these feeling, Marlene," sighed Cecy. "She doesn't know what to do with them."
Marlene winked at Emery. "I see." She took a flower and picked the petals off, one by one. "You'll realize in time, darling, don't worry."
Emery just smiled, her head spinning at the thought.
Could she actually fancy him? Or was it just a temporary crush?
Not being able to wrap her head around the thoughts, she stood up and turned to head back into the castle, leaving Cecilia and Marlene talking about girl stuff which she hardly any interest in.
"Where are you going?" asked Cecy, holding her wrist.
"To feed Marco," Emery replied.
Truth be told, she just wanted to spend some time alone, and using Marco as an excuse was the best way.
She reached her common room about twenty minutes later, then changed into something warmer, and began looking for Marco in the dormitory.
"Marco," she called, looking for him all around.
She didn't hear him quack back.
She looked under all the beds and even in the bathroom, until she saw him sleeping inside her bedroom slipper.
When she picked her slipper up, it was half pecked into pieces.
"Naughty duck," she muttered.
She left him sleeping in her duvet, then decided to go to the Owlery, hoping to write a letter to her father.
She reached the owlery, then sat on the wooden floor, staring at the majestic scenery below. She could see the lake, and the trees of the forbidden forest, as well as the Shrieking Shack in the distance.
She paused her quill at the top of the parchment.
Dear Papa,
How are you doing?
I miss you very much, and I can't wait for the Easter Holidays so I can come see you. This month has passed incredibly slow, despite me writing to you every week.
Marco has grown big now, he's got half feathers. He's in my dormitory right now, sleeping. He chewed off my bedroom slippers. He's following me everywhere as well.
How is Mama?
Give her my love.
I don't know what else to say, besides the fact that I miss you.
I love you, Papa.
Love, Emery.
Emery was coming down from the astronomy tower when she heard voices.
Very familiar voices.
She pressed her ear close to the door, feeling the sudden urge to listen.
"So you fancy her?" asked James.
"Yes, Prongs, I've told you that before many times," replied Sirius, a hint of frustration in his voice.
"And Marlene knows?" inquired James.
"Yeah, she does. She's trying to help me make it work."
Emery was beyond shocked. According to what she just heard, Sirius and James were having a conversation about Marlene.
From what she heard, Sirius fancied Marlene.
Emery gasped, her mouth wide open. She slapped a hand onto her mouth, preventing the cry that escaped her lips.
Then, she ran back up to the owlery, her heart beating a hundred times faster.
She sat on the floor, then finally allowed the tears to spill down her cheeks, the ghost of what she heard still echoing repeatedly in her mind.
"So you fancy her?"
"Yes, Prongs, I've told you that before many times."
"And Marlene knows?"
"Yeah, she does. She's trying to help me make it work."
She let the sobs engulf her, feeling betrayed, yet saddened at the same time. She felt angry at Sirius, and pain that he never felt that way about her.
But one thing remained unsolved in her head, and it was only when she did some serious pondering that it finally made sense.
She let all her emotions out, hugging her knees and crying her eyes out, not even caring that she was missing dinner. Loads of times Sirius was with other girls, but she never felt any sort of emotion before. Why all of a sudden?
Her knees were wet with tears. She lifted her head up, and leaned it against the wall.
She wiped her tears, and let out another gut-wrenching sob, tears pouring down her face. If Sirius fancied Marlene, then why did she care?
Why was she crying? It was bound to happen, sometime or the other, but why was it shocking her now?
She was upset that Sirius fancied Marlene because-
"I love him," she finished out loud.