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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Ten minutes later, the Room of Requirement hummed into existence around them, the air thick with tension before anyone even spoke.
The door sealed itself shut behind the last arrivals of the D.A., the shelves shifting and the walls settling into their familiar configuration. Everyone was packed into the space far more tightly than usual, voices overlapping in low murmurs. Fear had a sound to it, Emerson thought. It lived in the way people whispered instead of spoke.
Everyone was present except Mattheo and Theo.
Emerson stood near the centre of the room with Enzo and Olivia flanking her and Blaise hovering just behind them like he was afraid that if he stepped away for even a moment, Luna would vanish for good. His hands were shaking. He tried to hide it by clenching them together, but Emerson noticed anyway. It made her heart ache sympathetically
Neville and Ginny stood at the front of the room, talking in hushed voices.
Ariel, eager and excited, sat cross-legged on the floor beside Eric, her hands folded neatly in her lap. She looked far too small for the weight of the room, but the smile on her face never vanished as she chattered to Eric about their lessons the next day. Darcy hovered near Elena, who looked unimpressed but kept glancing in Emerson, Enzo, Olivia and Blaise's direction.
Emerson checked the door again.
"They said they'd be right behind us," She muttered.
Enzo scoffed in amusement. "Right behind us, he says. That was ten minutes ago. What kind of detour takes ten minutes?"
Olivia shrugged. "Mattheo said they needed to set something off."
Blaise looked up in surprise. He had barely spoken or engaged in conversation since they left Ravenclaw Tower. "Set what off?"
Emerson hesitated, then shook her head. "He didn't say. Just—," Her mouth curved faintly in amusement. "He said it was pre-meditated arrangements that he put in place in the case of emergencies."
"That's comforting," Enzo deadpanned. "Terrifying, but comforting. He's probably set up some medieval trap in the Entrance Hall for the Carrows that'll chop off their thumbs."
Neville finally took a breath and stepped forward. The room gradually quieted as people realised the severity of this meeting.
"Luna was taken at King's Cross earlier today. It was right after we crossed through the barrier. There were Death Eaters waiting. They separated us. I tried to fight back but—," His voice broke, just slightly. "They stunned me. By the time I came to, she was gone."
Blaise made a strangled sound. It was the first time that someone had actually fully confirmed that Luna was taken. Emerson felt it beside her before she saw it: his knees buckling and Enzo catching his arm just in time. Blaise dragged a hand down his face, breathing hard.
