HELLO...ELLO...LO...OOO... Echoes are never good... Anybody still here? haha
Soooo, the computer got fixed and I'm back. And since you had to wait a while to get it, I've made it EXTREMELY long, so brace yourselves

It was Friday morning, and Emily dragged herself out of bed. She yawned and stretched her arms out in front of her. Emily groggily looked about the room. Pulling the covers off her body, she sat up and headed for the bathroom to get ready for the long day. After thirty minutes of beautifying, she gathered her books and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Walking in, Emily glanced down the table of Gryffindors. She saw Fred, George, and Lee huddled together at the other end and looked away from them. She saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione near the middle with Ginny not far away and decided that after Monday night, she better steer clear of them. She saw Cody with a few giggling girls and looked the other way. Oliver was talking to Katie and Angelina about Quidditch. Emily was just about to sit at the very end of the table, closest to the door, when Cedric caught her attention at the Hufflepuff table. He was alone, which was odd, and he was staring at her. He beckoned her once with his forefinger and a grin. She smiled and made her way over to him. A few people turned and stared, but she kept walking. She didn’t care what others thought at this point.

“Good Morning!” Cedric exclaimed with a smile.

Emily returned his smile. “’Morning,” she said. Cedric chuckled at her expression.

“Want some juice?” he offered, putting a cup of pumpkin juice in front of her. She nodded and took the cup graciously.

“Thanks,” she mumbled. She started piling crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, and buttered toast on her plate. Cedric, who had already finished eating, sat there with his elbows propped up on the table and a smirk across his face. Emily glanced at him.

“Hasn’t your mother ever told you that it’s impolite to have your elbows on the table and to stare?” she asked grumpily.

Cedric chuckled. “I guess I couldn’t help it with the second accusation, and the first is just simply a habit.”

“Mhmm,” Emily said as she chewed her bacon. She slowly started waking up as she drank her juice. She glanced around the Great Hall and noticed that quite a few people never stopped staring. Cho Chang was a little ways down the Hufflepuff table grimacing at her and Cedric. Emily glanced away quickly. She looked across the hall at the Slytherin table to find Draco glaring at the back of Cedric’s head. She could hear him now. So much for being alone, he would say. She sighed and then glanced behind her at her table. She saw George look away quickly, but not before she witnessed him blush. She looked away toward Ginny, who avoided eye contact and ignored her completely these days. Sigh. Then she noticed Oliver. As soon as he saw her look at him, he picked the conversation back up with his teammates. She saw that he was not too keen on her hanging out with Cedric. Emily turned back around, her attention back on her breakfast. Cedric picked up a piece of bacon from her plate and started eating. Emily finished her breakfast in silence and then pushed her plate away.

“Ready to go?” asked Cedric.

“Go where?” Emily asked as she pushed her sleeve back to look at her watch.

“For a walk,” replied Cedric as he stood up. He started walking toward the double doors. She watched him for half a second and then followed after him.

They walked out into the hall and Cedric turned left. Emily kept up with him easily.

“So, are you excited about your date?” Cedric asked, breaking the silence.

“Er, sure,” Emily said, looking at him. Her arms swung loosely at her side. Cedric chuckled and grabbed one of her dangling hands. He brought her closer to him as he made another turn into an empty corridor.

“When is it?” he asked.

“Tonight,” she said breathlessly.

Cedric led her up the hall and took a right. It was another empty corridor. Instead of walking down the hall, Cedric came to a stop. He dropped her hand and leaned against the wall, taking in her appearance. Emily leaned up against the wall opposite him. She put one of her feet against the wall. Her left hand loosely played with her red curls while her right hand rested across her stomach.

“That was some walk,” she whispered.

“I felt like stopping,” Cedric said barely above a whisper. He kicked off from the wall and walked toward her. Her hand dropped from playing with her hair. She gulped as he got closer and closer to her, not putting much distance between them.

“Too close for comfort?” he whispered. Emily shook her head. Cedric propped his hand against the wall, slightly to the right and above Emily’s head. Her hands reflexively moved back to grasp the wall. He extended his other hand to the wall space on the other side of her head. She was pinned there and she, surprisingly, wasn’t worried. She felt his hot breath against her cheek. His breath smelled of bacon. She smiled. He smiled back, but his smile wasn’t simply cute, it was seductive. Emily wouldn’t mind if he pinned her against the wall any time. He dropped his face to where it was merely centimeters from hers.

“So, how much pleading would it take for you to go out with me?” he whispered.

“Not much,” Emily whispered back.

“Well, then, will you go out with me?” Cedric asked, his breath still creeping across her face.

“On one condition,” she said.

“And what’s that?” he asked, his head moving even closer to her.

“Promise me that you will not, I repeat, will not, talk about Quidditch even once,” she said. She looked deep in his eyes as he chuckled.

“I promise, Emily James Remus Amelia Sirius Black,” he whispered slowly. His forehead was now touching her forehead. She closed her eyes, and he moved in. His lips gently brushed against hers. He pulled his mouth back, his forehead still resting against hers.

“How’s tomorrow night?” he whispered.

“Perfect,” she sighed. He chuckled at her dream-like state.

“You can tell me all about your date with Wood,” he snickered.

“I don’t think I can, because then I’d break the rules. We can’t talk about Quidditch, and I have a feeling that’s all I’m going to be doing tonight,” she said, clearly unhappy.

Cedric moved his hand up to her cheek. He brushed the back of his hand across her jaw bone and gently moved his forefinger over her lips. “Don’t worry, tomorrow will have nothing to do with Quidditch. It’ll just be you and me,” he promised. “I’ll meet you in the Entrance Hall at seven-thirty,” he said.

Emily nodded against his forehead. He moved his head to the right and kissed her cheek. He brought his lips back to hers and gently kissed her full on the mouth. He sighed and then backed off. He kissed her forehead once and then set off down the hall without her. “See you tomorrow,” he said as he walked away.

Emily stayed rooted to the spot for about five minutes before she could even move. Her heart finally slowed down enough for her to think. Emily blinked repeatedly, trying to figure out what just happened. Cedric kissed her and it felt amazing. He gave her butterflies and made her heart melt. Could I really be falling for him? she asked herself. The answer: yes.


Emily’s classes for Friday passed by in a daze. It was six o’clock, and Oliver and she had decided on six-thirty. She stood looking at her wardrobe with her head cocked to the side. She couldn’t figure out what she wanted to wear. She wanted to be comfortable, but she didn’t want to look lazy. She finally fished out some purple jeans and a white shirt. She put her brown rain boots on since it was wet outside. Waving her wand, her hair smoothed out of its frizz and she pulled a purple headband through her hair. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. She hadn’t been getting any sleep for the past week and it was noticeable. There were light purple shadows under her eyes. Her lids drooped a bit, but she managed to keep them open. Let’s get this over with, she thought.

In the Common Room, Oliver was waiting near the portrait hole. She smiled at him slightly and he returned it with a wide grin.

“You look beautiful,” he said when she was closer to him.

“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself,” Emily responded. He turned around for the portrait hole and led the way outside. Emily followed after him in silence. She had no idea where he was going to take her, and she didn’t bother asking. He took a left when he reached the second floor and then a right into an empty classroom. She looked around at what he had set up for them. Two of the desks were pushed together and there was a chair on either side. There were candles in the middle of the table and two plates on top. Oliver turned and smiled at her.

“This looks really nice, Oliver,” she smiled politely.

“Mmmm” was his reply. He held out a chair for her to sit in and she sat. He went around to the other side to be seated. He took off the lid to the platter that was in the middle of the table and revealed two baked potatoes and teriyaki chicken. She breathed in the delicious scent as Oliver placed two tenders and one of the baked potatoes onto her plate. He then dished himself his share. He pulled out two Butterbeers from a cooler off to the right.

“Alright, are we all settled?” Emily asked with a smile.

“Yes, ma’am,” Oliver said in a horrible Southern accent. Emily giggled and he grinned.

“This looks really delicious, Oliver,” Emily said as she buttered her potato. Oliver cut a piece of his chicken off and raised it to his mouth.

They ate in almost silence. Between bites, Oliver talked about anything to do with Quidditch. It was either “Over break, my neighbors and I played a round of Shuntbumps, in which I dominated. I knocked everyone off their brooms…”

Or it was “My mum bought me a new broom kit package. It came with a solid gold Snitch. It was awesome to play with, but I’m no Harry Potter, it took me forever to catch it…”

Or even “We fixed up our miniature pitch. We got rid of the baskets from the old days and got new hoops. They’re amazing to throw the Quaffle through; so slick. But my dad was quite fond of the baskets, so we have them in storage in our garage. You’ll have to come and see them some time…”

And then there was “Some fouls are the nastiest. And I’m sure the Slytherin team will be seizing opportunities to foul when the Ref isn’t watching. I mean they are always blogging, blatching, cobbing, and bumphing! It’s completely ludicrous!”

And then he went into how he “finally perfected the Double Eight Loop over break” and can’t wait until he shows his team.

Throughout the Quidditch conversations, Emily nodded, smiled, and giggled when necessary, but other than that, she was completely bored. She sat there, finished with her food, as Oliver droned on and on about Puddlemere United. She felt like she was in the most boring history class on earth. Quidditch was supposed to be fun, something to share and enjoy with friends. She suddenly wanted to chuck her broom in the trash and never play again.

“Emily? Emily, hello there, are you listening?” Oliver’s voice broke her thought process. She stopped circling her finger around the top of her Butterbeer and smiled apologetically at Oliver.

“Fred told me you like to play in your free time,” Oliver was saying.

“He did, did he?” she said through clenched teeth. Oliver nodded.

“So, I was thinking that maybe some time, you could help me go over a few plays and what not. Hey! I know! You should try out for the team next year!” Oliver exclaimed.

“I could, but I probably won’t, Oliver. I don’t have a lot of time for it. Besides, I’m not that good,” Emily said, shrugging her shoulders.

Oliver tried to argue, but she shook it off. She glanced at her watch. It had been five minutes since the last time she checked it, but it felt like it had been hours.

“Oh, it’s getting pretty late, and I still need to go over the plays we’re doing at tomorrow’s practice, so we better get going,” Oliver said.

“Right, okay,” Emily said enthusiastically as she stood up quickly. She pushed her chair in and Oliver waved his wand, making everything on the desks disappear.

When they got back to the Gryffindor Common Room, Emily went straight to her dormitory while Oliver lingered by the fire with his Quidditch charts. Emily kicked off her boots and collapsed on her bed.

“You okay, Emily?” Hermione asked from her own bed.

“Mmmm,” said Emily.

“Okay, spill,” Hermione said as she crossed the room and jumped on the end of Emily’s bed.

Emily sat up and crossed her legs. She looked down at her lap before meeting Hermione’s curious eyes. She glanced around to make sure they were alone. The others must still be downstairs at dinner, Emily thought. “So, I just got back…” Emily let it hang there, waiting for Hermione to pounce.

“Back from what?” Hermione asked.

“Back from my date with Oliver Wood,” Emily sighed.

“What?” Hermione squealed. She was bouncing up and down on the bed. Emily giggled at her enthusiasm.

“Yeah, he asked me out on our way back to school,” Emily explained through giggles.

“No way!” Hermione giggled. “How was it?” she asked.

“Well, put it this way, I know all of my facts about Quidditch,” Emily groaned.

“Is that all he talked about it?” Hermione asked.

“Uh huh,” Emily said.

Hermione and Emily both started laughing. They talked about all of the boys at school until their other roomies joined them.

“So, have you talked to Ginny?” Hermione asked in a whisper. Their laughing died down and Emily’s eyebrows knitted in frustration.

“Not since Monday,” Emily said, her eyes darting to her bed sheets.

“I’m sorry,” said Hermione as she grabbed one of Emily’s hands, squeezing it.

“Me too,” Emily whispered. Emily stood up, no longer able to take sitting still and moved to her wardrobe. She pulled out some shorts and an old T-shirt. She pulled the curtain closed around her bed, Hermione still perched on it, and changed.

“I guess it is bed time,” Hermione sighed. She pulled herself off the bed and climbed into her own bed.

Emily pulled the covers over her head, trying to drown out the giggling Lavender Brown. She is so obnoxious, Emily thought. Emily thought about everything that had happened this year, skipping over the too painful memories. She thought about her departure to Ginny and the fight that occurred on Monday. She wanted to go to Ginny right now and gush about Cedric, tell all about Oliver, and cry in her arms about George. But she couldn’t do that because Ginny won’t talk to her, because Ginny told her she hated her, and because Ginny and her are no longer friends—they’re not even acquaintances. Emily cried silently into her bed sheets, trying hard to not make a noise that would signal the others. Getting claustrophobic, Emily threw the covers off of her and tiptoed to the door.

Knock, knock

Emily lightly knocked on the door to Fred and George’s dormitory. A red haired boy peeked from a crack in the door. He opened it wider, noticing who it was.

“Hey, Ems, Anything I can do for you?” George asked.

Emily was tongue tied for a split second, and then she recovered. “I actually came to speak to your brother. Is he available for a late night chat?” Emily asked.

“Anything I can help you with?” George asked.

Emily hesitated before shaking her head. “No, I think Fred better take this one, George.”

George frowned at her before turning around. “Oy, Fred! Emily wants to talk to you,” George yelled across the room. All of the boys stuck their heads out of their curtains and stared at Emily. Her cheeks burned and her feet shuffled awkwardly.

“Thanks, George,” Emily whispered. Instead of answering, George went back to his bed and closed his curtains.

“Hey, Ems,” Fred said as led her down the stairs to the Common Room.

“Hey, Freddie,” Emily said.

Fred sat down on the couch and Emily sat beside him. Tears started spilling out of the corners of her eyes, but she didn’t care. Fred scooted over to her and placed his arm around her shoulder. She snuggled up into his side, her head on his chest.

“It’s going to be okay, Ems,” Fred soothed.

“But how do you know?” Emily asked.

*“Ems, there are things that we don’t want to happen but have to accept. There are things we don’t know but have to learn, and there are people we can’t live without but have to let go,” Fred said.

Emily leaned up from Fred’s chest and looked him in the eye. “Are you saying I need to let him go?” she asked quietly. He didn’t answer, but instead just stared at her. She nodded, answering her own question. “I don’t know if I can,” she whispered.

“Sometimes…letting go is hard, but it’s easier than holding on to something that isn’t there, Ems,” Fred whispered.

Emily nodded and then sobbed into his chest. *“I guess some relationships are like glass. Sometimes it is better to leave them broken than to hurt yourself by trying to put it back together,” Emily choked out between sobs. Fred held her tightly into his body and let her cry her soul out into his shirt.

*“Close your eyes, Ems, clear your heart, and let him go,” Fred whispered against her hair.

“Freddie,” Emily sobbed.

“Shhh, Ems, everything’s going to be okay,” Fred whispered.

Emily and Fred stayed like that for a long while; maybe minutes, maybe hours. Emily couldn’t tell because time moved differently when you were in pain. It moved like the wind through your heart; it couldn’t be seen and you never know when it is going to wash through you, but you can always feel it.


Emily faintly noticed someone sit beside her and Fred on the couch. The person grabbed Emily’s hand and squeezed it. Emily lifted her head from Fred’s chest and glanced at the new addition to the room. Her eyes were blurry from crying and her nose was pink. Between tears, Emily made out a mane of red hair and a nightdress. It was Ginny.

“Ginny?” Emily asked.

“Yeah, it’s me. Don’t worry, Ems, I’ll always be here for you,” Ginny whispered.

“Like you were on Monday?” Emily asked.

“Right, sorry about that. Listen, Ems, I didn’t mean it. I was being stupid, and I was still upset, but no matter what I say or do, I will always be your best friend. I’m so sorry,” Ginny said.

Emily nodded, not knowing what to say. She leaned back into Fred and squeezed Ginny’s hand. Emily fell asleep into the wee hours of the morning. Fred taught Ginny the levitating spell and had her levitate Emily’s body back to her own bed. And Emily slept a dreamless and peaceful sleep, a few tears occasionally finding their way down her cheek.

Emily awoke around ten next the day. She groggily rubbed her eyes. She felt their puffiness and groaned. Tonight was her date with Cedric, and she didn’t want to look like a complete slob. She felt her cheeks, which had a few tear stains that had made paths down to her neck. Emily opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Sighing, she finally rolled out of bed and headed for the shower.

“It’s a new day,” Emily whispered to herself.


*So, if you see an * that means that I got that quote from a bumper sticker off of Facebook. I just made it work with the sentence and situation... And all of the Quidditch terms and what not during Emily and Oliver's date is all factual from Quidditch Through the Ages. Okie dokie, let me know whatchya think