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 fire burned down to embers by the time Emerson stirred awake the next morning. Her neck ached from the position she slept in while curled against the couch cushions. For a fleeting moment, she thought she dreamt it all: healing Mattheo, his exhaustion and the way he clung to her before sleep claimed him. But as her hand brushed over the blanket draped across her legs, the memory returned in full.
Mattheo was gone.
Emerson's heart sank.
The couch was empty and the cushions still faintly warm where his body was. No jersey, no track pants or any sign that he was there at all except the faint indentation of his body on the cushions. He must have left before the common room stirred, silent and careful as ever. Emerson's chest tightened as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, her mind echoing with his words from the night before. Everything felt unreal, and yet it weighed on her shoulders like stone.
The truth sat heavy inside her. None of Mattheo's actions lately were rejection. It was a prison he was forced into. He hadn't been refusing her; he hadn't been able to feel anything. Emerson pressed her hand against her mouth, guilt welling sharp and relentless. The Astronomy Tower came back to her again. God, she was so furious and betrayed when he couldn't tell her how he felt. But he couldn't. He literally couldn't. And still, he tried to protect her last night and so many other times, even when it cost him everything.
Footsteps padded down the dormitory staircase, pulling her from her thoughts. Emerson glanced up just in time to see Luna descend, her pale blonde hair tumbling in soft waves around her face. Her wand was tucked loosely behind her ear. She looked perfectly unbothered by the early hour, her expression dreamy as always.
"Oh," Luna exclaimed, her wide eyes drifting to Emerson curled on the couch. "You're down here. I thought I'd find you in your dormitory, dreaming about dirigible plums or something nice."
Emerson forced a small smile. "I couldn't sleep up there last night."
"Oh." Luna's expression brightened with curiosity. "That must have been nice, to sleep by the fire. I imagine the stars would envy you, falling asleep with flames so close."
Despite herself, Emerson let out a small laugh. "Something like that."
Luna tilted her head, considering her for a long moment before she crossed the room and plopped down beside her, robes bunched around her ankles. "Sometimes the air feels heavier in the dormitory, doesn't it? Especially when there's so much... Chaos in the castle."
Emerson gave a quiet laugh, though it lacked real humour. "That's one way of putting it.
Luna's expression grew more thoughtful, though her tone remained light. "The Carrows make everything feel... Darker. They remind me of wrackspurts, but far less harmless. Always poisoning the air. And Headmaster Snape... Well, I think he's trying to balance on a knife's edge. I don't envy him."