Ember. It means fire. Ember was never safe. Even before she was born she was coverted. Hunted. She's the last of her kind. Once there were many. Once there were four. Four families. One for each element. Air. Water. Earth. Fire. Every other family e...
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Harry could feel the Felix Felicis wearing off as he and Ember creeped back into the castle. The front door had remained unlocked for them, but on the third floor they met Peeves and only narrowly avoided detection by diving through one of their shortcuts. By the time they got up to the portrait of the Fat Lady and pulled off his Invisibility Cloak, they were not surprised to find her in a most unhelpful mood.
"What sort of time do you call this?"
"We're really sorry - we had to go out for something important -" Ember apologised.
"Well, the password changed at midnight, so you'll both just have to sleep in the corridor, won't you?" The Fat Lady said.
"You're joking!" said Harry. "Why did it have to change at midnight?"
"That's the way it is," said the Fat Lady. "If you're angry, go and take it up with the Headmaster, he's the one who's tightened security."
"Fantastic," said Harry bitterly, looking around at the hard floor as Ember groaned in frustration. "Really brilliant. Yeah, I would go and take it up with Dumbledore if he was here, because he's the one who wanted us to -"
"He is here," said a voice behind Harry and Ember. "Professor Dumbledore returned to the school an hour ago."
Nearly Headless Nick was gliding toward Harry and Ember, his head wobbling as usual upon his ruff.
"I had it from the Bloody Baron, who saw him arrive," said Nick. "He appeared, according to the Baron, to be in good spirits, though a little tired, of course."
"Where is he?" said Harry, his heart leaping.
"Oh, groaning and clanking up on the Astronomy Tower, it's a favorite pastime of his -"
"Not the Bloody Baron - Dumbledore!" Ember said.
"Oh - in his office," said Nick. "I believe, from what the Baron said, that he had business to attend to before turning in -"
"Yeah, he has," said Harry, excitement blazing in his chest at the prospect of telling Dumbledore he had secured the memory.
Ember and Harry grinned at each other before they wheeled about and sprinted off again.
"Thanks, Nick!" Ember called over her shoulder as they ran, ignoring the Fat Lady who was calling after them.
"Come back! All right, I lied! I was annoyed you woke me up! The password's still 'tapeworm'!"
But Harry and Ember were already hurtling back along the corridor and within minutes, Harry was saying "toffee eclairs" to Dumbledore's gargoyle as Ember panted out of breath, which leapt aside, permitting Harry and Ember entrance onto the spiral staircase.
"Enter," said Dumbledore when Harry knocked. He sounded exhausted.
Harry pushed open the door. There was Dumbledore's office, looking the same as ever, but with black, star - strewn skies beyond the windows.
