"Are we going to Hogsmeade next weekend?" Emma asked, as she and Severus sat in the second-floor classroom studying. They spent more and more time there lately; seventh year was tougher than either of them was prepared for.
"Sure. Let's ask Lily as well, now that she's finally talking to me again."
"Lily's already going with –" She snapped her mouth shut, as it hit her what she was about to say. "Er... With someone else."
But it was already too late. Severus looked at her suspiciously. "With who?"
She hesitated, searching desperately for a way out. With a sigh, she conceded, "James Potter. I'm sorry, Severus."
His eyes widened until they all but bulged out of their sockets. "She's going out with Potter? You can't be serious!"
"Yeah, I said that too, but it's her decision."
"That bloody... That fucking..." With an angry growl, he threw his History of Magic book across the room, making Emma flinch.
As he buried his head in his hands, she deeply regretted telling him.
"Look, Severus –"
"Don't," he interrupted her. "Just don't." After a while he added, "I've truly lost her, haven't I? If she's going out with the likes of Potter... She'll never go for me, will she?"
"I don't know," said Emma honestly.
He pressed his hands against his eyes. "She never even gave me a chance. And now I've lost her," he muttered.
A few moments of painful silence followed, until Emma broke it. "Let's just stay here next weekend. I didn't really want to go to Hogsmeade anyway."
He nodded miserably.
With her hands in her pockets and her head down, Emma exited the Great Hall. Students pushed through all around her, some entering for breakfast, while others were already finished and on their way back to their dorms.
"Emma!"
She turned to see Severus march up to her. Terrible timing, Severus, she thought, forcing a smile to her face. "Morning!"
"Have you already had breakfast?"
"Yes, yeah, I was early today. Busy day." She smiled.
"Join me in my office later. We'll mark the homework together."
"Oh, actually, I was just going out." She gestured vaguely over her shoulder. "I have to take care of something. We'll do dinner tonight, okay?"
His eyebrows rose. "Oh. Alright. I'll see you then."
She smiled again, doing her best to convey that nothing was wrong, and waved him goodbye. At a brisk pace, she made her way to Hogwarts' front entrance.
As the heavy double doors fell shut behind her, she stopped, hesitating at the top of the steps. Was this really a good idea? Every bone in her body told her to turn around and go back inside, to get back to Severus and spend the day with him instead.
But she'd been preparing this for so long. Sending him letters. This was her chance. The Ministry was bloody useless. She needed to know.
For Aunt April.
She blew out a deep breath and continued on her way, across Hogwarts terrain, through the gates. At least it was nice out today; one of those days that showed summer was coming, with a warm sun high in the sky and chirping birds all around.
Too soon, she found herself pushing through the door of the Three Broomsticks. Jordan stood up to greet her immediately.
I can do this, she told herself.
"Hey, Emmy!"
He just wants to feel important. If I can make him feel important, I'll get anything out of him.
She smiled and gave him a quick hug, before sitting down opposite him.
"I'm so glad you could come."
Emma forced a grimace into a smile. Just do this. Get through it and go back home to Severus. "Of course. It's... It's been too long."
"My letters were convincing then? Do you accept my apology?"
His letters. They'd been crude at best, telling her that he knew it was wrong of him to cheat on her, but that things hadn't been going well between them and that he'd just needed some emotional support. Right. With your dick in someone else's –
"Yeah." Emma waved it off like it was nothing more than a pesky fly buzzing between them. "Let's not talk about that today, alright? I just want to have a fun day out with you."
Rosmerta brought them two butterbeers. Jordan held his glass up. "To us."
"Us." Emma nodded. There is no us. "So, what have you been up to lately? How's the hospital?"
Jordan sat back in his chair, a smug smirk plastered on his face. How he couldn't see that she'd rather be anywhere but here, she would never understand. "It's been busy, actually. We've had some... interesting cases. There was one man who'd grown an elephant's trunk on his face somehow. Wouldn't tell us what happened. We got it off him in the end though."
Emma laughed heartily along with him. "That sounds brilliant. I can't believe I missed that."
"Well..." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Your job is still up for grabs. You can always come back." With a wriggle of his eyebrows he added, "There's still space in the flat, too. I kept the bed warm for you."
Her stomach turned, but she forced herself to laugh again. She wanted so badly to bring up Genevieve, but she knew she'd get nothing out of him if she did that. "I have to finish the school year at least, Jordan. After that... Well, let's see what happens today, shall we?"
He nodded, leaning back again. "Whatever you need, Emmy."
Stop calling me that.
"What about you? How have you been doing?"
Just the question she'd been waiting for. She pulled her face into a sad frown. "Oh, you know... I'm getting by."
"You're not enjoying it at that school as much as you hoped then?"
"No, no, it's not that!" she said hastily. Wrong conclusion, you idiot! "It's just that it's been really difficult, losing my aunt like that. I've been to her grave a lot, but I just wish I could talk to her, you know?"
Jordan placed his hand over hers and nodded empathetically. "I understand. That must be hard for you."
"It is." She sighed. "And the Ministry are just useless! They still haven't got a clue what happened. All I know is what you told me last time."
He sat up straight, the smirk resurfacing. "I'm glad I could help."
"You've been a tremendous help!" She hesitated. Am I laying it on too thick? When he nodded along to her words, smiling, she realised he was eating it all up. She leaned forward, entwining her fingers with his just for the extra effect. "I was wondering... Is there anything else you can tell me? About what happened that day?"
He thought for a moment. "I think I told you everything. I told you about the wounds, didn't I?"
"Yes, you said that." She closed her eyes for a moment, until that horrible image faded. "But surely you know more. You know everything that goes on there! That's one of the things I like so much about you." She added a wriggle of her eyebrows for the sake of it, and he squeezed her hand, his smirk widening. "So what about... Who brought her in?"
"Oh, nobody did," he said happily. "She came in by herself. Which was pretty impressive considering how much she was bleeding."
Another image forced its way onto her retina. She swallowed the bile down. "Alright, well... Did she maybe say something? Before she died?"
"Her last words?" His eyes lit up.
Of course that would make him feel important.
"Yeah, she did say something. Let me think..." He scratched his chin, staring over her shoulder. "What was it again?"
"Please, Jordan. It's very important to me."
"Oh, that was it! She said your name!"
Emma's eyes widened, as her throat tightened. "She did?"
"Yeah! Your name and help. Over and over. The only two words she could still utter." He sighed sadly. "She was pretty far gone by then."
A lump formed in her throat as she stared into her butterbeer. Aunt April had been calling out for her as she was dying. An exorbitant amount of guilt and sadness stole her voice and left a bitter taste on her tongue.
Was this really worth it? I wasn't there when Aunt April needed me most. Is that what I came all the way to Hogsmeade for? I should've just spent the day with Severus instead.
When Emma finally got back to the castle, she felt sick. Meeting with Jordan had only brought her pain, and she didn't even have any new answers about her aunt to ease the hurt. She spent the rest of the day in her bedroom, with the doors locked. It wasn't until she was already lying in bed that she realised she'd missed her dinner with Severus.
She got up early the next morning, going straight down to breakfast so that she wouldn't miss him this time. Minutes went by as she nibbled on some bacon and eggs, then half an hour, then an hour and he still hadn't shown up. The hall filled up with students and he still wasn't there.
The post came and Emma barely looked up, until a great grey owl swooped down on the table in front of her, knocking over her tea in the process. With a sigh and a swish of her wand, she cleaned up the mess, before taking the envelope from the bird's paw. It flew away immediately.
The Ministry.
The parchment almost ripped as she tugged it open with trembling fingers. Could they finally have something? Why would they write to me unless they finally have something? As she folded the letter open, it occurred to her that yesterday had been all for nothing, if they finally caught Aunt April's killer.
Dear Miss Moore,
This letter is to inform you that we are releasing April Moore's house to you. While the investigation is still ongoing, we are of the opinion that the house is no longer pivotal to its continuation.
Thank you for your patience. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Yours sincerely,
Rufus Scrimgeour
Head Auror
Emma laid the letter on the table, going over it again and again until she knew it by heart. The house... They're giving back the house. But at what cost? They still hadn't found anything. If they weren't looking into the body or the house, where were they looking? Had they stopped searching altogether?
Had they given up?
While the investigation is still ongoing... Sure it was. Officially, they couldn't close it.
As a surge of anger rushed through her, she jumped up and hurried out of the Great Hall, the letter clutched in her fist. She burst through the heavy double doors and rushed across the Hogwarts grounds. As soon as the metal gates fell shut behind her, she apparated to Castle Comb, Wiltshire.
The house lay remote, a small, three-bedroom building with a thatched, pointy roof. Away from the rest of the little town and protected with dozens of charms, some of which Aunt April had crafted herself. For a short moment, Emma wondered if that's why it had taken so long; how long had it taken the Ministry to even get into the house?
Emma pulled out her wand and blanketed a few spells over the house, to let it know she was no threat and turn off the safeguards. Once she was finished, she opened the door and stepped inside.
It was silent inside. Dark. The curtains were drawn and the lamps turned off. But it smelled like home. Emma closed her eyes for a few moments, just standing there, taking in the fact that she was finally home again. Then, taking a deep breath, she flicked her wand and drew the curtains.
The Ministry had left it tidily. The pictures of her and Aunt April still stood proudly on the mantelpiece. The clock on the wall ticked away happily and even the flowers in the vase on the coffee table still lived. Nothing seemed out of place or rummaged through, though Emma didn't doubt that they'd gone through every little thing.
Right, she told herself. Focus.
Slipping the crumpled letter onto the kitchen table, she went up the stairs. There were four doors upstairs: the master bedroom, Emma's old bedroom, a bathroom and the smallest room by far was Aunt April's study. The study was her place to think, it always had been. And her habit of jotting down words and phrases while her brain worked, might just come in handy now.
The study was messier than the rest of the house, but Emma supposed the Ministry had simply left it the way they found it. There was a single cabinet, its drawers half-open, in the corner of the room. In the middle stood a heavy, oaken desk, facing the only window.
On the desk lay several scraps of parchment, each and every one of them written on. One was a grocery list, although the words Send letter to Hogwarts! stood out. The second was a half-finished letter, addressed to Emma.
Dear Emma,
School Counsellor? That's brilliant! I'm so happy you're settling in your new job.
It's good to hear you and Severus are becoming friends again. I remember how hard it was for you when you had to leave him. Do you think he'll want to join us over Christmas? We can all catch up again. Feel free to invite him if you like.
Do me a favour and be
The letter broke off mid-sentence, leaving Emma aching for more. Aunt April's last words, along with those Jordan had given her. In a corner of the parchment, Aunt April had written Back at Hogwarts. Emma chuckled. Well, obviously.
She sniffed and put the letter back on the desk. Focus, she told herself again. If there's anything in writing about her latest case, it will be here.
The other parchment scraps were all smaller, with only a few words written on them. These were the ones that pertained to the case, Emma knew. These were the ones that she'd jotted down while her brain worked.
Overseas, one of them read.
Dark Arts.
The word Death Eater had a strike through it.
There was even one that said, Two-faced. Emma shook her head with a grimace. Yes, Aunt April, dark wizards are always two-faced.
Either way, Aunt April was on someone's trail. It just didn't clarify who. Or why.
Then her eye caught a crumpled up piece of parchment. She unfolded it and found a scratched-out word, with a question mark behind it. Emma peered at the word, but it was difficult to make out underneath all the ink. That's an S, she thought, squinting. That might be an A... Or an E. And then a V. Wait a minute...
A gasp escaped her when she puzzled the word together. It was Severus. Aunt April had written Severus? on one of her notes. But why? Did she suspect him of whatever it was she was hired to figure out? Was he still doing Death Eater things?
No, Emma thought, throwing the parchment back on the desk. It was scratched out; she must've discarded that theory. Yeah. That must be it.
But it was the last piece of paper on the desk. The last clue Emma had to finding out what had happened to Aunt April.
A sinking feeling filled her gut as she lowered herself to the floor, her back against the wall and her arms around her knees. What had she expected, really? If the Ministry couldn't even figure it out, why did she think she could? At least the Ministry knew what her mission had been. Emma knew nothing.
Perhaps it wasn't here at all. Perhaps the Ministry had already taken the real clues out of here, and these were all just meaningless snippets of Aunt April's thoughts.
Emma rubbed her hands over her face, exhaustion taking over. I wish you were here, she thought, not for the first time. I wish I could talk to you.
When she raised her head, something caught her eye. There was a little piece of paper stuck beneath the leg of the desk, sticking out by only a millimetre. Her curiosity piqued, and she tapped the desk with her wand to levitate it and plucked out the scrap of parchment from underneath it. Her eyebrows knotted together at the words.
Troll + broom = stone
Emma stared at it. What the hell does that mean? Is that some kind of code? She groaned and dropped herself back onto the floor. She would never figure out her aunt's random brainwaves.