The Unlikely Rose

Anxiety

Emra sat in the Great Hall at breakfast, pushing her eggs around on her plate. She felt a ball in the pit of her stomach and a lump in her throat. She didn't feel like eating anything. Nellie watched as she sulkily shoved a small bite of eggs into her mouth and chewed very slowly.

Emra sat there with those eggs in her mouth for quite a long time. She was worried about the dream she had last night, but she didn't want to tell anyone, because she wasn't entirely sure what it meant herself. But she knew it meant something. The dream was too real not to mean anything. And what was Bobbie trying to tell her at the end.

'"I-!" I what? I can't lose my friend? I see you as a sister?' Emra thought of one thing 'I love you? No, no, no! He doesn't like me like that! Does he?'

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The question of 'Does Bobbie love me?' stayed on Emra's mind for a while. She couldn't do anything school related without thinking about it. And every once in a while, she thought she walked passed a pair of great dark oak doors, but she never went close enough to get a good look.

Emra had been so caught up in schoolwork and worrying about the dream, that she didn't realize until Headmaster Dippet announced it that Hogwarts was nearing the Christmas holidays and those who were going to stay at Hogwarts should sign their name on a slip of paper in the Great Hall. Emra sat there and watched as Carson put his name on the piece of paper. Her siblings stopped Emra quite a bit in the halls; talking about what they're going to do when they see their parents again.

Emra was coming out of the library, when Carson walked up to her. Emra tried to walk away from him, but he stopped her "You've been avoiding me. Why?"

Emra turned pink and ducked under his arm "I don't want to talk about it."

Carson grabbed her wrist "Come one, Emra! Please tell me what I did wrong!"

Emra wanted to say 'You left me to die!' but realized that was only in her dream and it didn't happen in real life, so she faltered; her mouth hanging wide open. 

Eleanor walked passed them and laughed "Troll! Make sure to be gently! Remember, you're the deformed rose in the field!"

Carson looked over at Eleanor, which gave Emra enough time to duck into the girls' lavatory. She sat down in the corner and cried. She wanted to go to her sister. Lilith would know how to comfort her, but she couldn't find her anywhere and she was probably in class.

At that very moment, Jenn Ashington came out of a stall and saw Emra crying in the corner. She sat down to her "Hey, Emra? Are you alright?"

Emra, who was excepting a hug from anyone at the moment, leaned close to Jenn. She said into Jenn's robes "Do you think I'm like the deformed rose in the field?"

Jenn, unsure how to respond, ran her hand over Emra's curls "Shh. Emra, no. If I did, I wouldn't have gotten you a tryout for the Quidditch team."

Emra looked up at Jenn, her eyes were red and puffy, there was snot coming out of Emra's nose "Wh-what? But the Quidditch season has already started. Don't you already have a Keeper?"

Jenn gave Emra a smile "Yeah, but his terrible and his grades will get him kicked off the team." she squeezed Emra around the shoulders "After the holidays, you have a chance of getting on the team."

Emra smiled through tears. Jenn smiled back as Dilly poked her head out of Emra's pocket. Jenn smiled at the tiny bowtruckle as she climbed onto Emra's shoulder to get a closer look at Jenn.

Emra gave Jenn a tight hug and whispered "Thank you."

Jenn and Emra sat huddled together in the lavatory corner for quite a while before Jenn stood up and said "I better get to class, Emra."