"How does it feel?"
Emma couldn't take her eyes off Severus' cheek, which moments earlier had been bright red with blood and torn open by a massive gash.
He lifted his hand to rub the sore spot. "Not too bad now. A little numb and tingly still, but the pain is gone."
He sat back on the hospital bed, rubbing his thumb absentmindedly over the drop of blood in the sheets that Madam Pomfrey had missed when she cleaned him up.
"I'm glad you're okay," Emma muttered. "It must've really hurt."
Severus nodded. "I've been training, but it wasn't good enough. I need to work harder. I need to get better."
She opened her mouth to respond, but the door slamming open interrupted her.
"Sev!" Lily, face tear-stained and eyes wide, came running into the hospital wing. "Oh my gosh, I was so worried! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Madam Pomfrey had it fixed in minutes."
Emma noticed his cheeks reddening as they always did when Lily fussed over him. She ignored the pang in her chest that was becoming so familiar.
Lily sat down on the bed beside him and placed her hand on his arm. Tears glistened in her eyes. "I told Professor McGonagall what happened. They'll be punished for what they did to you, don't you worry." Severus smiled at the thought of the Gryffindor boys finally getting what they deserved. "Oh, but Severus, you need to be more careful. You shouldn't have provoked them."
His face fell.
"What?!" The word slipped out of Emma's mouth before Severus had a chance to say anything. "Lily, did you not see what happened? He did nothing to provoke them, all he did was walk past their table."
"No, I know, I just mean he shouldn't –"
A scoff escaped her. "He's allowed to walk there, Lily! This castle isn't Gryffindor property."
Lily's face brightened, eyes widening even further. "No, let me finish! I just mean to say that it's for the best if he keeps his distance from them."
"What's he supposed to do, tiptoe around the castle so they won't notice him? This is his home too, you know! You should be telling them to keep their distance, not Severus! Severus is the one who got hurt, he always is. How can you stand there and say he did something wrong?"
Lily gasped and jumped up from the bed. "I... I just..." She glanced from Emma to Severus and back, let out a sort of sob and sprinted out of the hospital wing.
Emma stared after her. Her shoulders sagged as her frustration faded. "I shouldn't have said that..."
She looked up when Severus chuckled. "Probably not. But thanks for defending me," he said, beaming at her.
"And don't forget your homework! Read chapter one and answer all ten questions."
The third-years didn't seem to hear her, already halfway out the door. Emma smiled and shook her head, wiping the blackboard clean with a wave of her wand.
Day two and she already felt like she'd never done anything other than teaching. Besides, Hogwarts felt like home, as it always would.
Her stomach growled as she tidied up her desk. Deciding to finish it up later, she locked the door behind her and went down to the Great Hall for dinner.
The Hall was already bustling with both students and teachers alike. Two red-heads stood on the bench by the Gryffindor table, saying something that made everyone around them burst into laughter. A tiny Hufflepuff girl bumped into her, sputtering a quick, "Sorry, Professor!" before hurrying off towards the dungeons.
On her way to the High Table, Emma spotted Severus in his usual place, wolfing down his dinner. With a little more spring in her step, she approached the table and sat down next to him. "Hey, Severus."
Glancing up, he nodded. With one more bite his plate was empty and he stood up. "I was just finished. Goodnight."
Emma stared after him, her gut churning as she watched him retreat from the Hall. Just finished? He didn't even have dessert!
"Is something going on between you two?" Charity leaned forward from two seats down.
Still trying to process what just happened, all Emma could utter was, "Huh?"
"He usually stays longer. Makes sure the students don't misbehave. Are you two fighting?"
"I... Not that I know."
"Oh." Charity shrugged. "Maybe he just wasn't hungry then. Stew?"
Yeah. Maybe, she thought, letting Charity fill up her plate.
"So, how have your first couple of days been?"
Relieved by the change of subject, Emma forced her mouth into a smile. "Not bad. I'm adjusting quickly. There are a few troublemakers in some of the classes, but nothing I can't handle."
"Good. My advice, don't be afraid to take points away. For some students, that's all they respond to."
"I'll remember that." Emma chuckled. "Pumpkin juice?"
Just as she leaned over to fill Charity's glass, a few dozen owls flew in through the open window above their heads. One of them, a small screech-owl with black and white feathers, landed right beside her plate. It stuck its foot out proudly, to show the letter attached to it.
Emma untied the envelope from its leg and rewarded the chipper little bird with a bit of cold sausage. As the owl flew off, she folded it open and read:
Dear Emma,
That is big news indeed! How are you holding up? I never liked Jordan much. He didn't deserve you. Don't worry, darling, you'll find someone better in no time.
Congratulations on the new job! I bet you're a brilliant teacher. You're great with kids and you've always been good at explaining things. I can still remember you sitting right here at the kitchen table with Severus, helping him work out some arithmancy problem during Christmas break.
Speaking of – he's at Hogwarts with you? That's great news. I've always wondered where that boy would end up. Never thought he'd end up back at Hogwarts, mind you. I'm glad to hear he's doing well. Give him my regards, will you?
I'm currently working on a top-secret case, so "catching some dark wizard" is accurate – if I manage to catch him, that is. I can't tell you much, of course, but please be careful. The world is a much more dangerous place than you realise. Watch your back. Have Severus watch your back, too.
I would love to see you for Christmas, darling, but I need to finish this assignment first. It's going to be a long one. I'll let you know if it works, alright?
I love you, Emma.
Your Aunt April
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in!" Emma closed Croak's cage as the door of her office opened.
"Mr Potter," she welcomed him, making no effort to hide the surprise in her voice. She took her place at the desk and gestured for him to do the same. "Come, sit down. What can I do for you?"
Harry shuffled towards her desk, slumping in the old dark-wooden chair and dropping his book bag to the floor. "I, uh... I was hoping I could ask you something."
Noticing his discomfort, she leaned forward with a kind smile. "Of course you can. What is it?"
"It – It's just..." His voice trailed off, making Emma all the more curious.
"Is it the lesson material? Are you struggling with one of the questions?"
"No. No, it's not that. It's... What you said a few days ago. During our first lesson?"
Emma frowned, nodding for him to continue.
"You said... About my mother..."
"Oh!" she exclaimed, finally understanding where he was going. "You have some questions about your parents?"
"Yeah, if... If that's okay."
"Of course it is! I know you were just a baby when you lost them. I'd be happy to fill in some of the gaps. What would you like to know?"
Harry sat up eagerly, his eyes flashing with yearning. "What were they like? My parents, were they... They were good people, right?"
Emma had to stop herself from dropping her jaw. What were they like? His first question was what were they like? Did the boy know nothing about his parents? Nothing at all?
Her stomach turned as she watched his eyes overflow with longing. How could he not know? She was sure someone had told her a family member had taken him in after his parents died. Why had his family not told him anything?
She swallowed the heartache down. Focus, she thought to herself. Just answer his questions. The rest will come later. She glued a smile to her face and exclaimed, "Are you kidding? They were great people!"
Harry's face lit up at her words. "Really?"
"They were wonderful," Emma acknowledged. "Your mum was one of my best friends when I went to school here. She was a Gryffindor – they both were – while I was in Hufflepuff, but that didn't matter. She'd always invite me to come join her for breakfast, or in whatever game she and her friends were playing. She would be there if I needed a listening ear, always understanding, always supporting me."
A memory-filled smile spread across her face. Harry leaned forward with his eyes wide, savouring every detail, every word.
"And my father?"
Emma hesitated for a short moment, remembering all the times his father and her best friend had gone head-to-head. "I didn't know him as well," she admitted eventually. "Lily was my friend, James less so. What I do know, is that he was a great husband to her. They loved each other more than anything. Indeed," she added, "they loved you more than anything."
The boy fell silent, letting her words mull over in his mind. Then, suddenly, he jumped up. With a quick "Thanks" he swung his book bag over his shoulder and rushed to the door.
"Harry!" Emma called before he could disappear.
He turned around in the door opening, his eyes glazed over with unshed tears.
"You can come and talk to me whenever you need it. Ask me any questions you have, whenever you have them. Alright?"
Harry nodded, then bolted out of the office, slamming the door shut behind him.
Emma paced back and forth in front of the door. A whole week had gone by and Severus still hadn't talked to her, so she'd decided to go see him herself. But now that she was down here, in the dungeons, standing in front of his office, she'd started to doubt herself. Was this a terrible idea? She'd been trying to stay away from him all of last week, and now here she was, seeking him out. What was she doing here, really?
No, she told herself. This has gone on for far too long. We're friends, and he...
She sighed heavily, then knocked on the door before she could stop herself.
"Come in!"
His office was larger than hers, but not by much. He'd filled it with shelves upon shelves of potion ingredients, until it was so full that the room almost looked smaller than hers. All of these jars and vials were labelled and stacked neatly in rows. Even his desk, she noticed, was tidier than her own.
Severus turned his back to her as soon as she entered. "I'm busy. You should go."
For a few moments, Emma hesitated. They hadn't spoken all week. Was he really kicking her out?
More importantly, was she going to let him?
Shutting the door behind her, she stepped into the room, ignoring the glare Severus shot at her before returning his attention to the scroll in his hand.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"I said I'm busy, Emma."
"Rubbish." She marched through the room until she stood in front of him, her hand on the scroll to get his attention. "You've been avoiding me since before the students arrived. Why?"
"Emma..."
"No, answer me. What did I do to deserve the silent treatment?"
Finally, he lowered the scroll, taking his time to roll it up and place it on his desk. "You did nothing. This has nothing to do with you."
"If it didn't have anything to do with me, you wouldn't be avoiding me. What's going on, Severus?"
Still, he didn't respond. He just stared at her with his lips pressed into a thin line. He didn't like being challenged; he never did. But she didn't like being ignored.
"Fine." She stepped back, a surge of anger rushing through her veins. "Fine, don't tell me. You're always keeping things from me, it's nothing new."
"Excuse me?" Severus growled.
"You could have at least told me Lily's son would be studying here this year. You could've prepared me for that. But even that was too much effort, wasn't it?"
She stomped off, but Severus grabbed her arm, an incomprehensible mix of emotions swirling in his pitch-black eyes. "I thought you knew. Isn't that why you came here?"
"No, Severus, I had no idea!" She ripped her arm from his grip. "And when I found out, you wouldn't even look at me!"
He stepped back, his eyebrows pulling together. "I haven't seen you for ten years and you just happen to show up at the same time the boy does?"
"I didn't plan it this way. I swear I had no idea. Is that why you were upset with me?"
"No." He averted his gaze. "It doesn't matter. I'm not upset with you."
Laying her hand on his arm, she said, "Severus, please. You're my best friend."
The lines above his eyebrows deepened and he closed his eyes. Her heart thrummed in her chest as she waited patiently for him to find the right words. "I'm not upset with you. The boy..." His voice came out hoarse. "He reminded me of... Of everything. All the things I've done. And suddenly I just... Understood."
"Understood what?"
"Why you left." The words came out in a whisper, so softly that Emma wasn't entirely sure she'd heard it right. And yet, somehow, each syllable sliced her heart like a severing charm.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm a Death Eater, Emma. I've hurt people. I've broken every law wizard-kind has ever had. When you arrived here, you did not realise that I would be here. You wished I wasn't, that's why you were so cold to me, isn't it? That's why you wouldn't talk to me at first."
Her heart sunk. No. This isn't what I wanted.
She'd had a very clear reason for leaving him all those years ago, but this wasn't it. She would've stuck with him through thick and thin. No matter what he grew up to be. No matter how many people he hurt. She would've spent the rest of her life trying to get him back on the right track. Hell, she would've died for him if that's what it took.
But she would not have abandoned him. Not for making the wrong choices. And yet, that was exactly what he thought.
Emma blinked the upcoming tears from her eyes. She took a deep breath, then snorted, earning her a glare from her best friend. "As always, you've got it all wrong," she grinned, though she could still feel the burning of tears behind her eyes.
He looked at her expectantly, curiosity overtaking annoyance.
"Listen," she said, placing a hand on his arm. "I know you did those things and I don't like it. But you're still my best friend. You dolt."
"I– I am?"
"Of course you are." Emma smiled, playfully punching his shoulder. "I stayed, didn't I?"
For a few seconds Severus just stared at her. Her gut churned. He won't believe me. What will he do if he doesn't believe me? Will he ever speak to me again?
Then, all of a sudden, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. Emma's stomach exploded with butterflies. She leaned against his chest, breathing out a shuddering sigh of relief.
When he stepped back, he turned away from her before she could see his face. He tidied the scrolls on his desk and said, "Have you had breakfast yet?"
She shook her head, only to realise he couldn't see that with his back turned to her. "No. No, I haven't. You?"
Severus shook his head once, before gesturing towards the door. "Will you join me?"
A chuckle escaped her. "Yeah. Of course."
The pair walked up to the Great Hall together. Though silence hung like a cloud between them, it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Emma had her best friend back, and one day she would learn how to deal with that. For today, she was just content that they were talking again.
Charity waved them over when they approached the High Table. "Morning, Emma, Severus. The post arrived just now. There was a letter for you."
"Oh, thanks." Emma accepted the envelope, turning it over in her hands. She hadn't responded to her aunt yet, so it couldn't be her. She recognised the handwriting, but couldn't put her finger on it.
As she took her place next to Severus, she tapped her wand on the envelope and the letter floated out, unfolding itself.
Shock shot through her at the sight of the sign-off at the bottom of the letter.
You have got to be fucking –
He has the nerve to –
That damned bastard!
"Emma. Emma?"
Startled out of her thoughts, Emma crumpled the parchment to a ball in her fist. "What?"
"I was asking if you'd like some tea."
Ignoring the strange look Severus gave her, she stashed the crumpled letter into the pocket of her robe and forced a smile on her face. How dare he demand that I come to Hogsmeade to talk. "Yes, please."
How dare he demand anything from me, after what that prick did to me!
As she thanked her best friend, she promised herself she'd burn her ex's ridiculous letter as soon as she got back to her office.