harry potter: the twins who lived

chapter thirty-four.

The next morning emma had been writing a letter to remus, knowing well, that harry would be writing to sirius. They had made their way down the steps, heading towards hagrid’s hut, silver and hedwig having flown above them as they walked. A shrill sound catches the twins attention, looking over into the sky, as something had been flying down into the forest. Slowly they make their way into the forest, ruth having appeared from emma’s shadow in his dog form, as they walked further stopping in their tracks when they looked around. The creature that they had seen before,grew in numbers, resting or standing within the forest. Luna lovegood was there with the creatures, having been stroking one of them, as emma realized that the girl had been bearfoot.
“ hello harry and emma potter,” she greets without looking at them.

“ your feet,” said harry, “ aren’t they cold?”
“ bit,” luna said with a nod, “ unfortunately all of my shoes have mysteriously disappeared.”
“ i suspect nargles are behind it,” she explains as she looked at the twins.
Emma nodded to luna with a smile, her eyes looking over at the creatures, as the one that luna had been petting walked away from them.
“ what are they?” she asked.
“ they’re called thestrals,” said luna, “ they’re quite gentle really but people avoid them because they are a bit..”
“ different,” the twins chorused looking over at a baby thestral.

“ but why can’t the others see them?” asked harry.
“ they can only be seen by people who have seen death,” ruth, now in his human form explains.
“ so you’ve known someone who died then?” emma asked looking at luna.
“ my mum,” said luna in affirmation, “ she was quite an extraordinary witch but she did like to experiment…and one day one of her spells went badly wrong.”
“I was nine.”
“ i’m sorry for you loss,” emma said with a small whisper to the blonde.
“ i’m sorry,” said harry.

“ yes it was rather horrible,” she adds, “ i do feel very sad about it sometimes but i’ve got dad.”
“ we both believe you by the way,” the twins looked at her, “ that he-who-must-not-be-named is back and you two fought him….and the ministry and the prophet are conspiring against you and dumbledore.”
“ thanks,” said emma, “ it’s seems that you’re about the only ones that do.”
“ i don’t think that’s true,”luna  rolls an apple towards the baby thestral as she spoke, “ but i suppose that’s how he wants you to feel.”
“ what do you mean?” asked harry.
“ well if i were you-know-who..i’d want you to feel cut off from everyone else...” luna looks at harry, “...because if it’s just you alone….you’re not as much of a threat.”
Luna smiled at them as she took out something from her bag, tossing it onto the ground, as the baby thestral skids over to eat it.

They walked into the great hall, emma catching the sound of hermione’s voice, as she had been reprimanding ron for his eating again.
“ harry, emma,” she greets when she noticed the twins.
“ can we join you?” asked emma.
“Pardon me professor,” the echo of umbridge’s voice catch their attention, “ but what exactly are you insinuating?”
“ i’m merely requesting that when it comes to my students..” said mcgonagall who had been walking with her in the halls, “ you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices.”
“ so silly of me but it sounds.. As if you’re questioning my authority in my own classroom...” umbridge frowns as she took a step on the stairs, “ minerva.”

“ not at all dolores,” said mcgonagall who had been shaking with anger, “ merely your medieval methods.”
“ i am sorry dear,” said umbridge, “ but to question my practices is to question the ministry...and by extension the minister himself.”
“ i am a tolerant woman..” she adds, “ but the one thing i will not stand for is disloyalty.”
“ disloyalty,” said mcgonagall as she stood down from a step.
“ things at hogwarts are far worse than i feared,” said umbridge for all to hear, “ cornelius will want to take immediate action.”
A cold feeling rose from the pit of emma’s stomach, as by the next day when filch had been attaching something to the wall, a plake read: “ dolores jane umbridge has been appointed to the post of hogwarts high inquisitor.”