✔️ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 → ℎ. 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦

04 | F E U D

go on and try to tear me down,
I'll be rising from the ground
like a skyscraper.

"THESE ARE OUR tents?", Harry muttered at Ember, both standing in front of two tiny tents, not even big enough for one single person. Ember tilted her head, watching the scene curious. The Weasleys on the other hand did not seem to bat an eye on the fact that all of them had to fit in what seemed like a dog kennel.

"Maybe it's just to keep our feet dry", Ember replied, the corners of her mouth twitching. "Time for some snuggle!" She wrapped her arm around Harry's neck, pulling it down to ruffle his hair. Obviously she caught him off guard, but not enough, because just one second later he freed himself and she was lifted head over his shoulder.

"That's unfair", she pouted, nudging his back, while her feet were dangling in the air. She could hear Fred and George laugh, raising the finger in the direction the amused sounds came from.

"So, come in, come in", Mr Weasley said, holding open the tents front. Harry turned around and Ember was faced with the crowded campsite.

"Hey, let me down, you evil prat!", Ember cried, wriggling her legs even more. "Harry James Potter, let me down, I'll kick you!"

"Wanna see you try", Harry snarled, bowing his knees to stick his head through the tent's opening. He froze mid motion, leaving Ember in a terribly uncomfortable position. "Woah", he breathed. "I love magic ..."

Ember was still faced with what was going on outside, an angry growl leaving her throat.

"If you won't leave me down, Potter, I'll bite your back", she hissed, clicking her teeth. Harry carefully placed her back on the ground, and she shot him a death glare, before she turned around. "If you'll ever do this again, I - wow!"

To call this a tent was a dishonour to the place Ember found herself in. It was a house. A tiny house, okay, but big enough for a whole family as big as the Weasleys to live in. Eight beds were placed in this room, in one corner was a kitchen, and as Mr Weasley showed them around, there even was a tiny bathroom with a shower, a sink and a toilet in a separate room. The only disturbing thing in this tent was a biting cat smell in the air, and Ember crinkled her nose.

The girls' tent was a bit smaller, but didn't smell that strange. After that, they all met at the fireplace, where Mr Weasley desperately tried to lit a fire in the muggle way, finally managing it with a tiny - well, not so tiny help from Harry, after he had wasted almost every single match stick he got; but he was so happy with it, that Ember considered giving him another hundred as a Christmas present, if she didn't fear he'd burn the Burrow down.

"Ah, seems like it's time to go", Bill finally said, and Ember's head turned around to follow the oldest Weasley son's gaze. The masses on the campsite had started moving like a big colourful creature with a million legs, heading to the forest. And the Weasleys, Ember, Harry and Hermione joined them.

The first glance on the arena was breathtaking, its golden color shining in the setting sun like something not from this world. Ember didn't have to look at Harry to know he was stunned as well, his Quidditch heart bursting with excitement. The tickets Mr Weasley got them were just perfect, prime seats.

"Ouch", Ember coughed halfway up the way too high stairs, as she bumped straight into the person in front of her. Her eyes had stuck to the steps all the way up, being afraid to miss one of them and fall down. Now she looked up and her hazel eyes met a pair of icy grey ones.

"Look where you're walking, you wandering piece of ugly disgrace", Draco Malfoy hissed through gritted teeth, and Ember could feel Harry's and Ron's muscles tense right behind her.

"Needs one to know one, right Malfoy?", Ember snorted, watching the boy with narrowed eyes.

Draco Malfoy never missed a chance to get Ember's blood boiling; mostly by the way he treated her friends, but the way he was talking to her, whenever he condescended to waste a word on Ember, wasn't even better. From the first day on, even before Harry and Ember had set a toe onto the grounds of Hogwarts, Ember had already had the pleasure to find out, that Draco Malfoy was the impersonation of a big itching pain in the arse. And nothing had ever changed since that little incident in the Hogwarts Express.

"What's up, why do we stop?", Fred's voice sounded from behind Ember, a couple of steps below her.

"Oh, I see, Emmie almost slipped on some slime on the stairs", George called, causing Draco's eyes to turn to small slits, but not tiny enough to hide the burning hatred in the depths of this frosty irises.

"Draco, what are you doing?", a blonde witch spoke from above, undoubtedly Draco's mother. She had the same face, the same snobbish expression, as her eyes flickered over the crowd of Weasleys. "Come on now."

Draco kept on staring at Ember for another brief second, until the girl in an amused voice snarled: "Listen to Mommy, Draco, you surely will, do you?"

The glare he shot her could have easily killed Ember, but she kept her eyes locked with his, not even blinking, as long as Draco finally turned around and went on climbing the stairs.

"Slimy git", Ron muttered right behind her, and Ember moved on as well, after Harry gave her back a soft push. Whatever this year would bring, Ember was deadly sure about one thing: She wouldn't let Draco Malfoy hack her off. This year whatever he will throw at her, he'll get back double. So her eyes pinned on his ridiculous bleach blonde head as she made her way further up, she wished nothing more than making it explode midair.