✔️ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 → ℎ. 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦

11 | T U R N I N G P A G E S

secrets don't sleep
until took to the grave.

So Ember told them, Lucius Malfoy's words still ringing in her ears. "You think the Dark Lord is dangerous for your brother, Potter? It is you, who's the real threat. You feel it, don't you? The anger. The hate. The darkness ..."

"Don't know what you're talking about", Ember had told him, her heart beating faster; here in this hidden alleyway with a Death Eater only inches away from her, she knew she was as close to death as she was weeks ago in Fake-Moody's office.

His lips wore a sufficient smile, as he answered, "You can lie to me, but you can't lie to the shadows, my naive little girl."

"See, I don't have the nerves for you talking in riddles. Spit it out, or leave it and let me go!"

"Fine. You will do as we command", Malfoy had hissed, eyes narrowed and grin replaced by a frightening mask. "You will stay away from your brother, until we tell you different."

"Why should I even consider doing what you tell me?"

"You're drawn to the dark side, little Potter. You're ours, you've always been. The Dark Lord knows about this, and soon you will, too. There are forces sleeping under this skin -" The icy touch of his cold, London finger still lingered on her jawline, "- things that you already got your taste of, didn't you? It'll grow stronger, Potter, and you'll be ours in no time." He lifted her chin, so she had to look straight into those mercyless blue eyes. "But til this time will come, we need an other way to show you where you belong."

"Blackmailing, yeah?", she almost laughed, "You know I could go to Dumbledore the second you let me go, and you would never find out."

"Say, Potter, did you know that there's a link between your brother and the Dark Lord ... ?"

"Well that's a real big fish", Hannah whispered after Ember had finished her story.

"That's a fish big enough to swollow the Giant Squid like a peanut!", Susan exclaimed, and Hannah immediately shushed her. "Calm, Abbott, okay?" Then she turned back to Ember. "Okay, but where does it come from? If it's a curse ..."

"Dumbledore didn't clearly say it's a curse." Ember shook her head. "It is powerful, I assume that's why Fake-Moody wanted to blow out my lights in first step."

"But why would they now want to work with you?", Hannah asked, her voice merely a breath.

"Easy", Susan relied. "Ember against the Death Eaters wouldn't be that pleasant for them, so they obviously rather have her dead. Having her forced to work for them now is a different story."

"It's crap, because I obviously can't control it", Ember replied. "It's like being a stranger in my own mind. I know that it's me, but it isn't me at the same time. Does that sound weird?"

"No", said Hannah, the same time Susan snorted, "Yes."

"Let's just focus on the important part of this", Hannah said, sharply glaring at Susan. "You have an absolutely breathtaking power, and you should learn to use it for your fortune."

"I don't want to use it", said Ember. "It's dark, it's threatening and I feel it's evil."

"Of course it's dark. It's darkness, Emmie!", Susan replied, and even in the pale moonlight Ember could see her rolling her eyes. "You just don't know how to control it. And I think you should tell Dumbledore what Malfoy and his bitch of a father has told you."

Ember shook her raven coloured hair. "I can't."

"Then we need to find out how you can control it", Susan said, determination swinging in her voice, but Ember's eyes wore nothing but doubt as she looked at her. "What? See, I get that you're afraid of this, but I'm sure it isn't nothing but terrifying. At least they wanted to murder you, so that means they are afraid of it, does it? Well, let's give them a reason to be scared!"

·

Erebokinesis - Ember jerked in her fluffy yellow armchair, when with a loud thud an old, leathery book met the table plate in front of her. The word was written in letters of the darkest shade of black Ember had ever seen.

"What's this?", she asked, looking up at Susan.

"A book."

"No shit!" Still staring at the book cover, Ember stretched out her fingers, but hesitated inches from the leather, as the shadows seemed to move. "This is from the restricted section, isn't it?"

Hannah's eyes grew wide, but Susan just shrugged. "Madame Pince was busy shushing first years, what would you have done?"

"I wouldn't have stolen a book!", Hannah hissed.

"I haven't stolen it, I'll bring it back", said Susan and took an empty seat in front of the fireplace. "But it's exactly what we've been looking for, just listen!" She opened the book, revealing yellowish parchment and letters that looked like a different language at first glance. "According to this, you can manipulate darkness. Any kind of darkness. Shadows as well as dark energies. If this is what you are, then you can do loads of funny things when you just learn to control it."

"Erebokinesis, yeah?", Ember said, staring at the blackness of the words.

"The child has a name now, yes."

"What makes you sure that this is what we're looking for?", Hannah asked, throwing a sceptical look at the pages.

"The side effects are kinda fitting like her own skin." Susan flipped some pages, then pointing her finger at the one she had been looking for. "Mood changes in the first step, growing stronger when growing up, then the loss of awareness about your own actions ..." Like hypnotized, Ember kept staring at the book as Susan spoke. "It's said darkness doesn't know a side, is neither good nor bad. But evil is drawn to the shadows, so when your shadows are taking over, and you won't deliberately take control, something else will do it for you and turn you over. That's probably why you're sometimes feel the urge to act like a bloodthirsty bitch."

Ember's eyes still fixed on the book, the girl felt her insides twisting. "So Lucius was right, yeah? It sooner or later will make me ... evil?" She finally looked up. "How do I control it?"

Susan smirked. "I'm glad you asked. Turn to page 394."

-

a/n:
yes, that's Snape's line.
couldn't resist. stop whining. (;