✔️ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 → ℎ. 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦

01 | R E C O V E R Y

sometimes the worst place you can be
is in your head.

   "WHOA THERE, PUT that thing down!"

   Emerging out of a black cloud, Fred Weasley stared at her in shock. His hand held a tight grib around his wand, the breath stuck in his throat at the view of what appeared right next to the chicken coop. The bucket full of corns he was about to feed the animals had slipped out of his fingers, rolling over the ground.

   "E—Emmie?!", he stammered, his wand still raised, pointing at her pale face, fixating the point straight between her hazel eyes.

   "Someone else you know who can appear out of a dark cloud in the brightest sunlight?", she snorted, straightening her back. "Really, you can put your wand away, I'm unarmed."

   "Well, last time I saw you, you were trying to kidnap Harry and were running along with Dumbledore's murderer, so excuse me if I'll have my wand up a little bit longer."

   Fred's mind was racing, counting the possibilities. This could be Ember, cute innocent Ember, the little girl he knew for seven years now, not able to harm a fly. Chances, though, after all that happened, were rather small. This also could be the dark Ember, the dangerous killing machine, having escaped Remus' prison, and was now here to seek revenge. Or this wasn't Ember at all, but a Death Eater on Polyjuice.

   "You used to be cool, what happened?", she scoffed, throwing her long black hair back, and Fred couldn't but admire the young woman she had become. Her face suddenly softened, and she took a step closer. "It's me, I swear. I have it under control, but I don't know for how long, and I need help."

   "Can you prove it?"

   "Are you dead yet?"

   "You have a point there", Fred chugged, "but still that's no proof, because you obviously might be unable to murder such an extraordinary good looking bloke like me, even not on your worst behaviour."

   "What do you want me to do?", Ember asked, putting her hands on her hips.

   "Oh, there's a lot of stuff I would love you to do, but for now", Fred said, watching her cheeks turning crimson under his cheeky gaze, "this adorable blush of yours is more than enough to proof who you really are."

   Tucking his wand behind his ear, Fred crossed the space between them in not more than two wide steps, wrapping his arms around Ember. A small gasp escaped her lips, as he pulled her close, and shyly she lifted her arms to return the embrace.

   "You — erm — might better wait here", Fred then said, rubbing his neck. "Remus is in there and let me tell you he maybe is a little pissed that you threatened his wife."

   Ember nodded with a lump growing in her throat. Panic threatened to overwhelm her in a cold wave, and she shivered in the summer heath, as Fred walked through the backdoor. Seconds turned to what felt like hours, as Ember stood frozen next to the chicken coop.

   Her eyes fixed onto the chickens, observing their movements to give her mind something to do, she flinched as the backdoor banged open, smashing against the wall of the crooked house.

   "Incarcerus!", Remus barked, his wand pointed straight at Ember and ropes wrapped around the girls ankles and wrists.

   "Stop stop stop!", she heard Fred yell, and a second later he and George followed Remus running out of the house as well. "It's her! She's okay, don't —"

   "How did you get out?", Remus snapped at Ember, completely ignoring Fred. The rest of the Weasleys entered the backyard, Mr Weasley's hand also around his wand.

   "It's not like your cell would have worked if I didn't fight to stay in there, Remus", Ember said, trying to keep her voice calm. "But as you ask ..."

   Vanishing in the black fog-like cloud she had arrived through, Ember a second later found herself right next to a gasping Remus, and his wand immediately was pointed at her throat.

   "It's okay, if you want you can lock me up again", she said, raising her hands in defence. "But I came here without a wand. I am without any defence. I'm myself, Remus. I got it under control." She watched him looking at her sceptical. "I need your help."

   "Prove it", Remus whispered.

   "I can't", she said, hanging her head. "At this point you need to trust me. And if — if I lose control about it, you need to do whatever it takes to stop me. Okay?"

   The wand in Remus' hand started to tremble, before he slowly lowered it, but his eyes kept fixated on her face. He didn't even blink, like Ember was a Hippogriff, and she refused to move her eyelids as well.

   "Oooo—kay, what about we all calm down now and go inside, telling little Emmie what we know about her creepy black eyes and be a happy family?" Fred stepped forward, pushing himself between Ember and Remus.

   "A wonderful plan!", George chimed in, nudging Remus shoulder. "Could have come straight out of my mouth!"

   "Yeah, see, all this tension isn't good for all your old backs", Fred added, laying an arm around Ember, "so let's take a deeeep breath and —"

   "We got it, boys", Remus sighed, running his fingers through his grey strained hair, before he turned back to Ember. "Tonks is okay?", he asked.

   "Of course", said Ember, cracking a smile. "So the thing Fred was talking about ... What do you know?"

   "Not now. I — we need to make sure you got it under control. If what you said is true, and there's a link between you and Voldemort, we can't risk that he's getting that information."

   "Fine, but you can help me to keep it under control?", Ember asked, shifting on her feet.

   "Well, you obviously already found a way", Remus replied with a weak smile on his face now. "We can work on that. How did you do it?"

   And involuntarily, for the first time since the Weasleys had entered the backyard, Ember's eyes fell on Ron, her ears turning hot as she felt her cheeks enlightening, when hazel eyes met sapphire blue, and a comfortable warmness spread through her veins, leaving no room for a dark spark.

—