✔️ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 → ℎ. 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦

06 | R E S E A R C H

lost in darkness, you're my focus.
love me hopeless.

   EMBER'S EYES FOUND Ron's staring into hers terrified. The music abruptly stopped, being replaced by the yells and cracking noises of people disapperating in panic.

   "Ron -"

   "Listen, I have to find Harry and Hermione", Ron fiercely spoke, grabbing her shoulders.

   "I'll help you, I -"

   "No", he said in a voice filled with certainty. "No you will - Fred!"

   The rushing by twin stopped immediately, his wand clenched in his fist. His eyes flickered from Ron to Ember and back.

   "Take her away", Ron told his brother, shoving Ember into Fred's arms. "Take her somewhere safe."

   "Ron -" Ember's voice was cracking under the heavy weight of anxiety, but Ron's eyes were scanning the crowd for his two friends.

   Things were happening incredibly fast by now. Fred had his fingers wrapped around Ember's wrist, when the first black hooded figure appeared in the tent, and it didn't remain alone for long.

   "Ron, please -"

   But her voice was muffled in a sudden; Ron's hands cupped her face, his lips crushed onto hers with such force, she couldn't hold back the upwelling tears for even a second longer.

   "It's fine, everything will be okay, just go with Fred", he whispered, his forehead pressed against Ember's. "I'll take care of him. I'll bring him back, I promise. We will all come back, do you hear me? It will take a while, but I promise I will bring him back to you." His thumbs wiped away the tears running down her cheeks, as she frantically nodded.

   "Ron!", Ember heard Hermione scream, and she herself pushed against Ron's chest.

   "Go", she breathed, and with a last kiss on her forehead, the warmth of Ron's presence was taken away, as he turned on heels and sprinted towards Harry and Hermione.

   In a blink, they were gone.

   "C'mon Emmie, we have to g-"

   "Protego!", she boomed, and the curse aiming straight at Fred's head was bursting into an invisible wall. Next thing she felt was the uncomfortable sensation of being sucked into a tiny pipe, as Fred took her away without another second of hesitation.

·

   "No." Remus had crossed his arms in front of his chest, the look upon his face a stern mask, deep wrinkles covering his forehead.

   "But I can't just sit here and do nothing, I will come with -"

   "No", Remus replied, entangling his arms to grab for his travelling robe. "I don't know what's awaiting me there. All I have is a guess they're there, and a guess isn't enough to be certain you'll be safe."

   "I would be with you, how much safer could I be?", Ember pleaded, grabbing his arms, so Remus couldn't just vanish into thin air.

   "Ember, Grimmauld Place is no longer protected by Dumbledore. If just on of the Order members slipped a word about it, the place will be crowded with Death Eaters. I won't take you there, and this is my last word!" He threw a look over her shoulder. "You two will make sure, she won't follow me", he told Hannah and Susan, both still sitting by the kitchen table. "If there's just the glimpse of a hint that someone's invading the house, you won't stay here and fight. You will take Ember and bring her to the Burrow."

   "You know I'm standing right in front of you, do you?", Ember scoffed, and Remus' eyes flickered back to her. "And I'm not deaf, neither are those two my nannies."

   "Emmie ..."

   "If you'll find them -" She took a deep breath, "- tell them to be careful. Tell them to not risk their necks unless it's unavoidably necessary. Tell - tell them I need them back. And I need you back as well ..." Her voice broke, and Remus pulled her into a hug, not saying a word, before he took a step back and was gone.

   Swallowing hard, Ember just stood there for a couple of seconds, neither Hannah, nor Susan did speak, nor move. Then she twirled around, crossing the room with huge steps, before she harshly pushed the kitchen door open.

   "Emmie!?", she heard Susan and Hannah gasp unison, but she was already halfway up the stairs.

   "What are you doing?" Susan was the first to arrive her, pulling her back by her wrist, before Ember could open the door she'd aimed for.

   "Just because Remus wants me to be safe, doesn't mean I will be useless", Ember said, wriggling her hand out of Susan's grip, pushing the door open.

   She stepped into a small room filled with books and strange objects on high shelves. In front of the window there stood a shabby desk, covered with parchment and more books. Ember stepped closer and fetched one of them.

   "Erebokinesis", she read the title in a whisper. "I knew it." Turning around, she looked at her friends. "He's doing research for months now, but he didn't tell me a damn word about what he found out." She threw the book back onto the table. "Dumbledore said, I will be saved if I will find who did this to me ..." Her eyes wandered over the chaos on the small desk; Remus really had put an effort into this subject. It was sheer impossible he didn't find out anything useful. All she had to do, was finding it.

   Whatever it was ...

   "Don't you think, he's keeping this a secret for a reason?", Hannah asked in a quiet voice.

   "Of course", Ember snorted. "He doesn't want me to find out anything to not do anything dangerous." She rolled her eyes.

   "But Emmie, Dumbledore's words are very vague", Hannah said. "We don't neither know who has done this to you, nor what this is ..."

   "I guess he was talking about the way they always regain control over my shadows", Ember said, shaking her head. "I don't know, but I won't sit around here and do nothing. I want to know what this is, and who's arse I gotta curse to stop it -"

   Susan slowly stepped forward, grabbing for a small black book, her eyebrow raised as she turned it in her hands.

   "I guess I've just found the what", Susan said, handing Ember the book.

   She threw her friend a sceptical look, before she turned her gaze on the book's back, reading, "The Art of Raising Darkness - How to conjure and plant the greatest of all gifts".

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