The Other Half

Chapter 7

Emilia felt her stomach drop, how could she have been so stupid. She'd noticed him in her potions class, but she hadn't even registered he would be here. Lily must have thought the same thing because they locked eyes with each other, worry etched across her face.

Under the table Emilia reached over and squeezed his hand firmly. This seem to bring him back to reality, and he turned from Regulus.

Last Christmas Sirius had fell out of the floo powder system right onto their living room floor. He had a terrible fight with his parents, nothing like ever before. His mother, Walpurga, had used the cruciatus curse on him when he wouldn't swear allegiance to the Dark Lord and stop defending Dumbledore. He wouldn't say it and eventually she had left him locked in his father's study still reeling from the pain. Sirius had been lucky and smart, and used the floo powder system to get himself to the Potter's. Realizing later where her son had probably gone, she had sent a howler to the Potter residence telling him he had been disinherited and they would not welcome him back in. He had been to afraid to go back, though he tried not to show it, until this summer when McGonagall had chaperoned him.

While on this had happened Regulus had stood and watched. Sirius had begged and begged him for help. But Sirius had recounted how his father had whispered something to Regulus and Regulus had left Sirius all alone.

The rest of the marauders and the girls had vowed to never speak to Regulus again and do everything in their power to see him pay.

Lucky for Sirius, Regulus and his date were parked at the very other end of the table. Sirius had become all faux grins and laughs, seemingly ok and not wanting to prod to make a scene, Emilia tried to let it go and continued with the party. But she didn't manage as much as she hoped. Her eyes darted to Regulus Black at the end of the table, his solemn face nodding as others told stories. He look so much like Sirius. They were twins after all, not identical, just similar. He had the same high cheekbones and sharp jawline as Sirius, though he was skinnier and taller than Sirius. His dark eyes and face were gaunt, he reminded Emilia too much of a ghost. She had noticed over the past few years that he'd lost his smile, the life inside of him. He had been such a wide eyed first year when they first met, now he looked like a corpse, those big eyes, just empty.

Sensing something, he turned his head and they locked eyes. She furrowed her brows and looked away. She wasn't afraid he'd caught her looking, she hoped he could read her mind and know that she hated him for what he'd done to Sirius, what he'd let happen.

Emilia turned her attention back to her friends and they continued on chatting throughout the evening. By the end everyone was stuffed and talked out. Saying goodbye, their group headed for the door.

"I've just got to ask Slughorn a question. I'll catch up with you guys," Emilia called out as she hurried back to where the professor was having a cheery conversation with a Slytherin boy.

Once they were done Emilia said, "excuse me Professor?"

"Yes Miss Potter?"

Might as well have out with it, "I was wondering why you put me in this class? I've never been a top student in potions. Why this?"

Slughorn shrugged and smiled as if he'd been expecting this. "No,  Emilia you've never been a top student but that's not just what I'm looking for. You're creative and you have drive, you are going to do great things one day and I'd like to be there to see it."

Emilia nodded, quite taken aback by such a sincere compliment. "Thank you," she said and turned to follow her friends out the door.

Back in the dormitory, and in her pjs, Emilia found her mind wandering. She had a book in her hand which usually would be her entire focus but her mind couldn't stop thinking about Regulus. How much he infuriated her. Her thoughts snowballed and she couldn't help it. She started to think about this Dark Lord, the one that made her friends scared for their lives. Of the horrible names people who liked this Dark Lord had called Lily, what Snape had called her last June. What happened to Sirius when he wouldn't pledge his allegiance, what unspeakable thing his mother had done and that she had gotten away with it. It made her crazy that there was a war on the horizon but she was just a kid. It infuriated her that she felt helpless like she couldn't do anything to stop it. Her rage was getting the best of her and she needed to walk it off.