Emerson Wilmore was an exemplary Ravenclaw student, known for her unwavering dedication to academics and an unyielding moral compass. However, things took a twisted and deviated turn in her life after her boyfriend, Cedric Diggory, was murdered by L...
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The air in the Ravenclaw dormitory was quiet, save for the soft hum of a record spinning on Olivia's record player. It was crackling with the pleasant melody of a Muggle jazz song Olivia had stolen from her dad's collection. She was only killing time until she had to meet with Theo and Enzo for their night of mixing and drinking eggnog together.
She sat cross-legged on her bed, idly flipping through an old issue of Witch Weekly, barely reading the words about Celestina Warbeck's latest heartbreak. It wasn't realistic, at least not to her. It was all manufactured drama and ridiculous speculation.
Real heartbreak didn't come with tragic and glamorous headlines. It was quieter. More real. It crept into the corners of your day when you weren't expecting it, in the way you hesitated before reaching for something that wasn't yours anymore.
She exhaled sharply and turned the page.
The familiar click of the bathroom door caught her attention. Olivia glanced up, knowing Emerson was in there, but she'd spent awhile showering tonight. Immediately, she did a double take.
Emerson stepped out, her dark hair styled effortlessly, cascading down in soft waves. Her makeup was flawless yet natural, bringing out the sharpness of her features. There was an undeniable elegance to her, and Olivia's jaw nearly dropped.
"What the hell?" Olivia blurted out, sitting up straight.
Emerson paused, blinking at her in confusion. "What?"
"Why are you glammed up?" Olivia demanded, gesturing at her. "You look like you're about to step onto a red carpet. Do you have a date or something?"
Emerson raised a single brow, arms crossing loosely. "I'm going to Slughorn's Christmas party."
Olivia's mouth opened and closed before she found words. "I thought you said that you weren't going?"
Emerson shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal. "I changed my mind."
"Why?" Olivia pressed, still thrown off. They never discussed Slughorn's party since Emerson received the invitation. She merely assumed she wasn't going.
"Harry has to go," Emerson explained, stepping over to her bed and grabbing a bracelet from her nightstand.
"Harry?" Olivia echoed, still stunned. She sounded like an owl, questioning Emerson at every twist and turn of their conversation but she didn't care in the slightest. She was still trying to get over this sudden revelation, which Emerson hadn't mentioned all week.
"Yeah. His little fangirls were trying to spike his drinks with love potion so he would take them as his partner. Figured I could help lessen that chance by sticking with him all night," She gave a half-smile.
Olivia blinked, processing that. "You're going as his bodyguard?"
