Many weeks had passed and Emrys had grown more accustomed to the modern day uses of magic. He loved being able to use magic so much so that as the adults taught him what he needed to know for a fifth year at Hogwarts, he advanced in his studies quite quickly. Even after all the ecstasy he felt before, he could not contain his excitement at the thought of going to Diagon Alley, which his friends had described as nothing short of heaven. This excitement and instinctual happiness blared through in his ridiculously wide grin that never left his face.
Contrary to the original plan Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would bring Emrys along with them to get school supplies, whilst the other students would continue their packing. Emrys had no idea what was happening to Mrs. Weasley that made her go about the house smiling more than she ever had in his presence muttering every other minute about Ron being prefect. He didn't know what this meant, so Emrys instead resigned himself to remaining ignorant and being happy for his friends all the same.
Emrys' mood dampened slightly as he and the Weasley's stepped into the green fire, remembering the conversation he'd, 'accidentally' heard the night before. Since it was technically his first year at Hogwarts he'd need to get items that everyone else already had, and the new books fifth years needed. He felt guilty that he didn't remember anything from his past, so he could not know whether he did indeed have money of his own to use, which meant he would have to encroach on the people who'd already given him more than he deserved, in his opinion.
The melancholy feeling disappeared in an instant, retreating to the back of his mind at the sight before him when the fire of the Floo network subsided. Shops lined a cobbled street selling, to his eye, anything under the sun. Bright colors and sweet smells assaulted him and he relaxed at the feeling of general ease about him. Quickly Mr. Weasley held his elbow and guided him with Mrs. Weasley towards a tall white and crooked building ahead.
"Gringotts, it's the wizard's bank Emrys." Mr. Weasley whispered to him. Emrys stared at the imposing building with wide eyes. Before he could study it more he was whisked away and passed through several layers of security. There was an inscription on two big doors, but again he was moved away too fast to read it. They entered a tiled room that held many small creatures moving about busily. Emrys frowned and looked at Mr. Weasley for answers.
"They're goblins Emrys. They manage the money." Emrys nodded though he felt uneasy. Something about goblins and gold drew a feeling of dread from him. However he distracted himself from the feeling by focusing on Mrs. Weasley in front of him. She approached a desk and said,
"Weasley's vault, for a withdrawal." The goblin in front of her narrowed his eyes and studied her, then Mr. Weasley and Emrys in turn. When Emrys felt the gaze of the goblin upon him, he felt nervous and tried to look anywhere but the goblin.
"And does Mister Emrys wish to make a withdrawal as well?" he asked in a raspy voice. Emrys froze and paled. How did this creature know him? He forced himself to study the goblin, though nothing seemed familiar.
"How do you know me? Have we met before?" Emrys asked in a rushed and urgent tone. Perhaps now he'd find something out. The goblin looked slightly shocked at his reaction, and instead studied him more closely. Realization flashed into the goblins eyes, before he hid it behind a mask.
"Indeed" he seemed to mutter, before scooting out from his desk and leading the way to some carts. Emrys hesitated to follow, unsure why the goblin was now so stoic. Mr. Weasley's eyes flashed between goblin and wizard, trying to piece together the same puzzle Emrys was. Settling in the cart Emrys opened his mouth to ask more, but shut it when he saw the Weasleys shaking their heads. Though he could tell they were just as confused as he they seemed to want to drop the matter. The cart ran fast along rails Emrys wasn't too sure were stable enough for the speeds. Despite this he couldn't help but smile at the exhilaration. The Weasley's didn't seem to enjoy the ride as much as he. They stopped in front of a vault, and before anything else happened Mrs. Weasley exclaimed,
"This isn't our vault." The goblin just nodded to her and gestured for Emrys to join him. Confused the boy did as he was asked and approached the tall looming frame of a door in front of him.
"It reacts to the touch of Magic." The goblin whispered to Emrys. Not knowing what this statement meant he instead placed his hand on the handle less door, and felt rather stupid. How was this door going to open without handles? He got his answer as he was about to remove his hand when he heard an ominous click from inside. It had unlocked. Emrys jerked back as the door, rather than open, slid up into oblivion. What was revealed made his eyes bug out, and he heard a gasp from behind him. In the small room piles of gold, silver, and bronze lay about among other things. What seemed to be artifacts lined the walls, ranging from staffs to crystals. What drew Emrys' attention however was a beautiful red cloak that hung on the far wall. A golden dragon emblem blazed upon it, while a kings crown hung above it. An empty space was next to it in a shape that seemed suspiciously big enough to hold a sword. In front of the cloak was a piece of faded red cloth folded in beautiful style that held upon it a small carved wooden dragon.
Emrys didn't know what to make of the room or its occupants before him, but he felt drawn to it inexplicably. Ignoring the riches in front of him, he quickly made his way to the red cloth and wooden dragon. He clutched the dragon and placed it in his pocket subconsciously, before gently touching the small red cloth. He held it reverently and clutched it to his chest. The whole scene before him screamed Arthur, though he could not tell why, and for it he was bitter. He glanced at the cape once more before grabbing a handful of coins to put into his pockets and exited without another the word. The heavy door slid back down and locked with an echoing bang.
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Despite what Emrys knew some believed he was not as unobservant nor idiotic enough to miss the not so sly glances the Weasley's had been giving him since Gringotts. He elected to ignore them and not ruin a beautiful day, instead he tied the red cloth, which he'd come to find out was a handkerchief, onto his neck without a second thought to the action and focused on its presence about his neck. For some reason it felt . . . right.
He fingered the dragon figure nervously in his pocket as he and the Weasley's headed to get his last instrument needed for Hogwarts, his wand. They entered a small shop called Ollivander's, and Emrys felt the tensity in his body ease, sensing a calming magic of sorts. An older man with pale blue eyes shuffled to the front of the store. When Emrys looked at him he felt even calmer, some how.
"Ah, hello mister Emrys. Come for a wand I s'ppose?" Emrys wondered how this man knew his name. It was becoming a regular occurrence. Instead of asking questions he knew would not be answered he instead nodded. Mr. Ollivander smiled and disappeared for a moment, before returning with a heavily dusted and narrow box. He opened it and drew out what, in any description, was indeed a stick. However Emrys felt the power radiating from it and watched it, not taking his eyes from the item.
"I believe this is the one you want. Eleven inches, whippy, good for charm work, birch, with dragon heartstring core." The wand was placed in Emrys' hands and he felt a warm glow spread through his body. The wand let out a small spurt of fire, before settling into its masters new hands.
[This wand was made especially for you, Emrys. It holds great power, so I will again grieve you with my warning from all those years ago, use it wisely.]
Emrys glanced up in shock having heard Mr. Ollivanders voice though the man had seemed not to have moved. The man smiled knowingly, and took a few galleons before shuffling back somewhere deeper into his shop. Despite the strangeness of the day, Emrys did feel happy as they returned to Grimmauld place. He knew he was ready for fifth year at Hogwarts, though it would be his first time attending. He lay awake that night still fingering the wooden dragon, and took peace in knowing it was there. He soon fell into a restless sleep, with dreams that plagued him of swords, and monsters, and the red of blood on the red of a certain dragon bearing cloak.
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Emrys looked at the big black dog that seemed to be following he and the others. if he focused hard enough, instead of seeing a dog he saw Sirius Black. Hesitantly he smiled at the dog, who in return wagged his tail. He saw Sirius grin, thinking he had fooled Emrys into believing he was just a stray. Emrys smiled coyly,
"Nice transformation magic, Black." The dog almost stopped his trotting when he heard Emrys' proclamation. The canine tilted his head at Emrys, who in turn shrugged,
"What? I'm not that stupid." He turned and continued walking now fingering the red cloth that hung from his neck. It was a habit he'd picked up since attaining the handkerchief. At first he'd been questioned about his choice of fashion, but other than a noncommittal shrug nobody ever got an answer out of him. He'd been close to telling the twins about Arthur after a day of them seeming to be seriously curious and wanting to help, but every time he'd open his mouth to say it he'd immediately close it again and think another time.
They arrived at Kings Cross Station about ten minutes later and before Emrys knew what was happening Harry and Sirius had seemed to fall into a wall. Emrys almost cried out as they disappeared, but as he focused on the wall he immediately saw through it to view a gleaming scarlet steam engine. This must be the Hogwarts Express. Emrys felt himself smile as he approached the wall with Mrs.Weasley and pass right through it. Wizards sure were ingenious, he thought to himself. Hide a whole train platform for wizards inside a popular and well known muggle train station. They had more gall than him, that he was sure of. He entered a carriage with the others, who had just arrived with their own guard of sorts, and waited as every student in the station boarded before the train started to roll out. He saw Sirius run alongside the train till it rounded a bend and his friends families were gone.
Hermione and Ron left soon after, something about prefects carriage and being sorry. Harry seemed a little depressed but otherwise alright. Emrys smiled at him reassuringly. The black haired boy had seemed to take a rather liking to Emrys, seeming to find comfort in his silent but constant presence and support. The fact that he didn't treat Harry like a celebrity or someone much better than everyone else certainly helped. Emrys treated everyone the same, even if they were supposedly higher in authority than him. It was one of his many endearing qualities.
Harry and Ginny started down the corridors with Emrys close behind. A rather round faced boy suddenly popped up in front of them seemingly glad to have found them. He hed astuggleing toad in one hand as he greeted Harry and Ginny. He turned to Emrys,
"Errhm, hi, I'm Neville. What's your name?" His open face showed curiosity and an innocence Emrys found rather familiar. It had nothing to do with Arthur himself, but perhaps someone Arthur was close to? He shook out of his reverie as everyone stared at him. How long had it been?
"Oh, um, sorry, my name's Emrys. Pleased to meet you Sir Neville." With that Emrys looked into the compartment that was in front of them. There was only one person in it, a girl who was reading a magazine upside down.
"Is this where we're sitting?" Emrys asked Ginny, who nodded. He slid the door open and entered quickly. He heard the other three murmuring behind him, but elected to ignore them. He sat down opposite the girl and looked at her magazine. The Quibbler. An odd name, Emrys thought, but then again the girl seemed rather odd what with a Butterbeer cork necklace and her wand behind her left ear.
"Luna, is it alright if we sit here?" Ginny asked. The girl, Luna, looked up from her reading and looked over them all with pale eyes, and nodded staring at Harry unblinkingly. The other three put their trunks up and sat down. Harry sat next to Emrys, but started to regret it as Luna stared at him more.
"You're Harry Potter." She said in a dreamy voice. He frowned at her. Yes he knew he was Harry Potter. Before anything else could happen Emrys spoke up seeming to try and save him. Harry was grateful.
"Hello Lady Luna, I'm Emrys. Pleasure to meet you." Luna turned her gaze on him for a moment.
"Nobody's ever called me a Lady before."
"Oh, s-sorry."
"It's fine." Emrys looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment. He turned to Harry,
"Have I started again?" Harry nodded and Emrys cursed silently. During his stay at Twelve Grimmauld Place Emrys had picked up a rather annoying speech form in that he referred to everyone as Sir or Lady and their names. They'd tried very hard to break this spell of sorts and finally got him to stop. It seemed however that now faced with the pressures of meeting new people he reverted back to it as a safety blanket. This time Neville came to the rescue of silence in the compartment.
"I got the best thing for my Birthday this year can you guess what?" He asked excitedly. Harry and Ginny shrugged, while Emrys looked on in humble curiosity. Neville procured a small cactus like plant. He said it was called a Mimbulus mimbletonia, and that it had great defences. Everyone in the compartment watched with rapt attention as Neville prodded the plant sharply with a quill. Immediately green goo shot from every pore of the plant. Ginny raised her hands in time to protect her face, while Luna's magazine protected her from most of the sap. Harry, who'd been holding Neville's toad, got a faceful, and Neville who'd been holding the plant had his whole torso covered. Emrys had been quick enough to mumble a shield spell and been saved from the stinksap. He laughed loudly at everyone elses appearance, and they couldn't help but smile as well. Neville muttered apologies, though he too was grinning widely.
The compartment door suddenly slid open and a very pretty girl stood in the frame. Harry looked up at her as she struggled to say his to him, before closing the door blush rising to her face. Ginny mumbled a spell and the sap disappeared as soon as it'd come.
"Who was that?" Emrys asked.
"Cho Chang." Harry said with a soft groan. Emrys raised an eyebrow at his green eyed friend. Apparently someone had a crush, though he decided not to say so aloud and embarrass him. Ron and Hermione finally arrived back in the compartment hours later. The lunch trolley had already come and gone.
"Guess who got to be Slytherin Prefects?" Ron asked Harry in a dark tone.
"Hmm, Malfoy I presume." Harry said in an equally dark tone. Emrys looked between the two wondering who this Malfoy was.
"Draco Malfoy, Emrys, is the most annoying little git on the planet. He's in Slytherin so I wouldn't worry too much about him." Ron informed him. Emrys tried not to judge this Draco by his friends words alone. He liked to get his own impression of people before he judged them, but the hat with which his friends spoke of the boy made it hard for Emrys to not think of him as some big bully.
Emrys also tried to ignore the fact that his friends had already picked out his house at Hogwarts. They had decided he would most likely be in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor with them. He didn't really know what that meant bu they'd described the houses to him as Gryffindor for brave, Ravenclaw for clever, Hufflpuff for loyal, and Slytherin for cunning. They'd said cunning but he knew enough to know they meant evil. Instead of relying solely on their opinions, Emrys had read up on the four founders and made his own decisions about each house. Gryffindor remained brave, while Ravenclaw turned cunning, Hufflepuff meant kindness, and Slytherin was loyal. He had decided not to share these opinions with everyone else as he felt for sure they would deny it and ignore him.
The rest of the train ride he stared out the window and ignored everything, turning his thoughts to Arthur and trying to piece together any clue he could find for the puzzle. He was so deep in thought he missed the encounter with Draco Malfoy the others had and did not come out of his stupor till Ginny prodded him in the shoulder. He blinked at her.
"C'mon were putting out robes on. We'll be at Hogwarts soon." Emrys nodded and quickly threw the black cloak over his clothes like everyone else had. Ron and Hermione disappeared as the train stopped, something about Prefects duty. Emrys would have volunteered to carry either Crookshanks or Pigwidgeon the two pets left by Ron and Hermione, but he had his hands full with his own trunk and owl cage. He'd gotten a lovely barred owl and named him Aithusa. He didn't know where he'd gotten the name, but Aithusa seemed to like it. As they exited the train Emrys heard a cry for first years and turned to Harry.
"Does that mean me?" Harry looked toward the voice before shaking his head,
"No I don't think so. Where's Hagrid?" He asked turning to Ginny who shrugged I don't know before the crowd separated them.
"Who's Hagrid?" Emrys asked Harry hurrying to keep up with his friend.
"He's a friend of ours and the Professor for care of Magical creatures." Harry answered before turning away. Emrys walked next to Harry holding Aithusa tight. They stopped in front of some carriages which were being pulled by some dark horse like figure. Emrys thought they looked beautiful and stared at them intensely not noticing Harry's double take on the coaches. Ron and Hermione appeared out of the fray with Ginny, who had Crookshanks, and Luna who had Pigwidgeon following shortly. Harry asked Ron about the horse creatures pulling the carriage, and Emrys listened with attention wanting to know as well. Ron looked at Harry like he was mental. There were no horses, Ron said, but Emrys knew there were. He was staring right at them. Harry seemed to drop the subject and instead followed his friends into the carriage. Emrys glanced at the horse creature once more before joining them.
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The entrance hall to the great castle, in Emrys' eyes was grand. He stared at it in wonder shocked by the enormity and grandeur of the entire school. He was quite happy to realize he'd bee staying here for the rest of the year.He was broken out of his trance by a tall witch in green cloak. Her black hair held up in a tight bun.
"You are Emrys, I presume?" She asked him tartly. He nodded.
"I'm Professor McGonagall. Since it is your first year here you need to be sorted as well. Follow me." Emrys looked to his friends who nodded for him to follow, before setting Aithusa down and following the Professor. She stopped abruptly and turned to him.
"Wait here. You will come and be sorted after the first years. I will fetch you in a bit, so please don't get into trouble." Emrys smiled at her and nodded. As soon as she left he turned to the paintings on the walls. They were moving and he saw them studying him.
"Who might you be, young lad?" An older gentleman in a portrait asked.
"I'm Emrys, nice to meet you." The mans eyes widened and before Emrys knew what was happening all the paintings were talking about him. The conversations grew louder until they almost seemed echo around the whole castle. Emrys looked around panicked. What if their noise was interrupting something? He felt like Professor McGonagall was about rush through the door and screech at him for making this raucaus.
"Shh, please be quiet! I hope I didn't offend you! Please, I'm new here, and I don't want to get in trouble!" Emrys whisper shouted to the paintings. Somehow they heard him, and immediately shut up. Emrys let out a small sigh of relief.
"Thank you." He said to them. They smiled to him and nodded, going back to whatever it was they had been doing before. What seemed like an eternity later McGonagall returned and grabbed Emrys walking briskly down a new hall.
"Have you chosen a last name Emrys?" She asked rather suddenly. He stared at her.
"Umm, no."
"Well you have about ten seconds to think of one." He swallowed at this statement, and hurriedly blurted out the first word that came to mind.
"Dragoon, I can be Emrys Dragoon." She nodded and then opened a door in front of her leading out to the great hall. Emrys hid his wonder and awe as best he could so as not to look a complete idiot in front of what he now saw as the entire school. His hand found his way to his pocket where the little wooden dragon was. He felt calm the moment his fingers brushed its smooth surface. He looked out and found the faces of his friends in the crowd. They smiled at him encouragingly, and he felt even better. McGonagall gestured for him to sit on a stool that was in front of her. Slowly he walked to it, eyeing a brown tattered hat that sat upon it.
"Dragoon, Emrys is a new fifth year student. He will be taught at Hogwarts this year." McGonagall said to the crowd of curious students. She picked up the hat and placed it on Emrys' head once he had sat on the stool. He felt a presence and immediately tensed.
'Emrys, eh? Hmmm, strange you are not blocking me as you usually do but I cannot see anything. Your mind is blank. Interesting. Still I know the exact house to put you, I did do it all those years ago after all . . .
Emrys felt the voice leave his mind as it shouted for all to hear,
"Slytherin!" The hat was removed and Emrys walked to the table that cheered the loudest. He glanced over at the Gryffindor table to see the shocked faces of his friends. He turned away not wanting to see them. Instead he focused on his own table in front of him. A blonde boy grinned at him and gestured to a seat next to him. Emrys took it gladly.
"Draco Malfoy." The boy said in greeting. Emrys nodded and smiled at him. So this was the famous Draco. Dumbledore stood and started to talk, before he was interrupted by a short pink toad. Wait, Emrys thought, that's a teacher never mind. He felt blush rise to his cheeks, happy he hadn't said anything about a big pink toad in high heels. He didn't really pay attention to what she said as listening to her voice gave him a headache. However after several boring minutes the witch sat down and Dumbledore smiled at her before continuing. As he finished his speech food filled the table and Emrys looked at it in wonder.
Thankfully with the help of Mrs. Weasley, Emrys had been able to get back an appetite and eat like a normal person. Emrys was extremely thankful now as he selected delicacies he could only guess at naming. Draco made jokes in his ear all night, some of them actually being funny. The Slytherins were very welcoming and seemed to grow very attached to their own, however new or odd they were. If you had been selected into Slytherin then they considered you one of them, even if you din't yourself. Emrys smiled slightly as he realized his assessment of the four houses was correct.
As the feast came to a close, Emrys found himself being led out by Draco towards the common rooms. Upon entering the dark common room adorned in green and silver, Draco continued past the tables and chairs and walked up into their dormitories. Emrys made sure to stay close not wanting to accidentally go into the girls rooms. Emrys found Aithusa and his belongings brought up and next a bed. Quickly he unlocked Aithusa's cage and drew the owl out. He stroked his feathers absentmindedly. Emrys looked at the room before settling on the silk covers of his bed.
"This really is amazing." He said aloud. Draco looked at him and asked quite suddenly,
"So, what are you? Pure, mud, half?" Emrys looked at him confused.
"What?"
"Blood type. Did your parents both have magic?" Emrys tried to think why this was important. He knew that the others had made sure he told everyone he was half-blood since it seemed to be the safest to say, but he still didn't know why there was such urgency in it.
"Half, my dad had magic, and my mum knew about it but didn't have it herself. However I didn't grow up in the wizard's world as my mum wanted to avoid it and I grew up with her. My parents split up." He explained the rehearsed story. Draco studied him.
"Yeah all right. As long as you weren't muggle born I s'ppose." Emrys bit his tongue from retorting knowing that prejudices ran deep. Still he felt he would need to break that prejudice as it was tearing the school apart. Just from the feast he'd seen the glares Slytherins and Gryffindors shared while the other two houses tried to stay neutral. He knew of the centuries old feud between Slytherin and Gryffindor. He'd come across it while reading of Hogwarts history.
"I'm going to bed. G'night Draco." Emrys said before setting Aithusa down and crawling into bed. Draco had simply nodded to him before sitting on his own bed. Emrys thought over the entire night trying to think of ways to show everyone Slytherin's didn't always have to be evil.
---------------(P.S. Here's where it starts to go REALLY AU)---------------------------
Emrys woke with a start his heart pounding. He'd been dreaming about something, a battle. He still heard swords clashing for a moment and saw a red sky. He blinked the fear away and looked around the dark room. It must be near midnight he thought judging by the utter darkness.
"You all right Emrys?" A voice whispered.
"I'm fine Draco, why?" He answered back.
"You were whimpering in your sleep." He said back matter of factly. Emrys waved his hand wanting some light and a small blue sphere appeared in his palm. It let off a faint glow just bright enough for him to see Draco's narrow face on the bed next to him. He too was sitting up.
"Bad dream too?" Emrys asked him. Draco shook his head.
"Just . . . thinking." He muttered back. Emrys slowly slid out of his bed and tiptoed to Draco.
"About?" He asked, setting himself at the foot of Draco's bed.
"Childhood." Came Draco's terse reply. Emrys waited for him to tell more, but Draco just sighed. As Emrys was about to go back to his bed Draco spoke if possible even more softly,
"Truth's and lies. What's right and what's wrong. Honestly I don't really know anymore. I mean I've been told all my life I'm better than everybody else and that I should act that way, just because of who my parents are. I swear sometimes my friends are just friends because they want something, or their parents told them to be. Potter and his gang were the only ones to tell me their mind without sugarcoating it, and what do I do? I go and make them enemies. I act like a jerk to them because that's how I'm supposed to act. That's what I was thinking about Emrys."
Draco said this with such sincerity it shocked Emrys slightly. The words he said again reminded him of Arthur, but Emrys pushed that name away focusing on Draco completely.
"Well, I can't lie to you and say that that's all false, but I can't say it's all true either. All I know is right now your my friend, and I'll stay by you." Emrys said smiling slightly. Draco looked at him quizzically.
"What do you mean?"
"The world . . . can be crazy, where you have no control over anything and can get lost easily. In those times everyone needs something, anything really, to be constant and strong where everything else is moving about and flimsy. If you need me to I'll be that constant, I'll be beside you when you need me, understand?" Draco looked at him and nodded.
"You're a strange one Emrys. I thought you were just a goofy kid, and now all of a sudden you're showing off wisdom and loyalty. You are . . . strange." Emrys grinned at him again.
"And you're a prat. Glad we've got that covered. So are you done sulking so you can go to bed? I heard that fifth year is supposed to be gruesome, so we might need all the rest we can get." Draco shook his head and chuckled lightly. Emrys left to his own bed and his ball of light faded out. Right before Emrys closed his eyes he heard Draco whisper,
"Thanks idiot."
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Hey, so very AU I know, but trust me it's going to get even worse. Anyway if anything I wrote sounds too close to Mrs. Rowlings book I apologize and all of it goes to her. Just saying.
I'm wondering what people thought Emrys' house was going to be, and if anyone was surprised by my choice.
Oh, and this is not a return fic, you'll see. Also I'm using things from the books, sorry to those who only watched the movies. (This is my way of saying, read the dang books!)
If I were to do every single chapter of the book this short story would not be so short, so I'm only using scenes and stuff that I need to get the idea across.
God bless,
Sereh
Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and Merlin belongs to the BBC