[[TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of abuse]]

Leave Out All the Rest

Chapter 30: Unholy Scenes

POV: Nia & Rose

When mentioning my name people would automatically think, 'oh, that bitch,' or their eyes fill with fright as my face would emerge into their head, haunting them until they could replace it with a better memory. Sure, other people would be upset about being connected to such foul perception, but I didn't mind. People were idiots after all. I couldn't help that they infuriated me, that I couldn't stand their idiocy, could I? I just wasn't built that way.

Everyone in and out of Gryffindor knew me for my short temper, one that should never be messed with. People didn't talk to me unless I spoke to them, fearing that I'd chew their heads off if they so much as waved a hello to me. As enjoyable as that rumor was, it was all a bunch of rubbish. I mean, sure, I'm annoyed easily, but if someone's friendly and I like them, I'm a bloody jelly-bean.

However, I doubt anyone is ever going to see me in my sweet-as-candy phase, especially not by the murderous look currently on my face—which a group of Gryffindors happened to stumble upon bright and early before I stormed out of the common room.

It had been about twenty minutes of storming in and out of rooms, shoving people away, shouting at ghosts, threatening Peeves that I'd make sure he died all over again if he didn't clear the corridor that he stacked with cauldrons to barricade a group of Hufflepuffs, when I finally turned into the library. It was too early for most of the studious dweebs to even begin to fill in, but I was hoping I'd find what I was looking for.

Madam Pince was at her desk, organizing the new Defense Against the Dark Arts textbooks that had arrived for next term (even though she had already done so last month, but everyone refused to listen to me when I told them the old bint's memory was starting to go), two Ravenclaws were searching for something in the Herbology section, and Dominique Weasley was sat at her own table, banging her forehead repeatedly on her stack of opened books. 

I cursed under my breath. What I was looking for wasn't here.

"Hello there, my pretty. You sure are up early."

I turned away from Potions aisle I had poked my head in to inspect, meeting brown eyes and a ridiculous grin right behind me. I frowned instantly. 

"Trying to get started on that Potions quiz, huh? I heard Nott's going to demolish it."

"First of all," I hissed, "don't you ever call me 'my pretty' again, Finnegan. Understand? Or I'll rip your throat out. Secondly, Nott is only going to demolish the classroom out of anger when I show everyone just what an idiot she is. She'll be eating toad intestines by the end of the night, mark my words."

Saar Finnegan, fellow Gryffindor with a reputation of being a complete and utter troll with a wand (or, when I was in a good mood, a decent, funny dimwit), let out a loud, dramatic sigh. "Oh, come on, Harper, you still can't be mad at me, can you? I said I was sorry—and I helped pay for the repair. Your Firebolt is good as old again."

"I will take my Firebolt," I started, giving him a shove on the shoulder that made him stumble, "and stick it so far up your arse, Finnegan, you'll never sit right again. And I'll have you pay for the damage again."

Finnegan gulped, his brown eyes wide as he looked down at me as I now drilled my finger into his chest. "I'm joking," he said with an undertone of a plea, "you know I am, Harper."

"Do not begin to piss me off," I warned him. "I am not in the—"

"Getting beat up by a girl again, Saar?" Arriving just in time before I lost control of my restraint, two familiar, blonde twins appeared at the end of the aisle where I was harassing Finnegan. "I'm sorry, gender doesn't matter, I know, but he seems to get shaken up by more girls than blokes," said Lysander Scamander when I glared at him.

"I like tough love," said Finnegan with a careful chuckle.

I rolled my eyes, shoving him in the direction of his best friends.

"You're up early," Lysander pointed out as Lorcan helped steady Finnegan, giving him a roll of his blue eyes, too. "Brushing up on Potions before your wager with Evanna?"

"She doesn't need to," Lorcan said with a smile at me. I could almost smile back, but I did not want to be nice to him (or anyone) at the moment. "Nia's better at Potions than even Rose."

"I am," I assured confidently as Lysander raised a brow in curiosity, "which proves why Nott is an idiot for challenging me."

"A matter of honor," Lysander said with a laugh. "You know that. Everyone knows that."

"Why honor?" questioned Lorcan.

Fuck.

Lysander and Finnegan exchanged looks that ended up on me. I was a lot of things, but I was not oblivious. I knew how Lorcan Scamander felt for me (everyone did). He was smart, observant, thoughtful, but only with things he could read out of a book or solve on paper. Lorcan missed real events in real time. 

He did not know about Al. He did not know of the disaster his relationship with Evanna Nott had caused.

If I was honest with myself, that was one of Lorcan's characteristics that I most fancied. I did not have to worry about the world around me when I was with him. Details did not matter. Heartache and joy did not matter. With Lorcan, it was all about facts and security. He was serenity, a balance I could never achieve on my own.

He knew, though, that a shadow followed after me, that fueled my anger, but he never tried to take it apart to analyze it. He just made me look at the mechanics behind something, like what made the stars burn, like why the grass was green, until I forgot about everything I carried on my shoulders. 

"I'm actually looking for Emily," I muttered, clearing my throat as my glare turned to a plea directed at Lysander and Finnegan. "Have any of you seen her?"

Lysander had all but forgotten about his brotherly loyalty. "What do you mean? She isn't ill?"

"Ill?" I asked, dread kicking up the rate of my heart because his always-smiling face now looked concerned (and the Scamanders were never concerned about anything). "Why would she be ill? Did she tell you she was ill? I'll go check the Hospital Wing—"

"She didn't show up for Astronomy last night," Lysander cut across my babble. "Emily doesn't miss lessons, so I figured she might have been ill. I heard your light had been on most of the night, so I assumed you and Rose were taking care of her."

"My light was on all night because she didn't come back to our dormitory," I whispered to him. Lorcan left Finnegan's side to be by mine. I usually recoiled from physical comfort, but this time I let him take my hand, his fingers lacing with mine until they were squeezing. I swallowed the knot in my throat, looking at Lysander. "She always comes back at midnight."

He did not say anything, but he didn't need to. The same worry I was sure could be seen on me was loud across all his pale features. 

"It's okay," Lorcan said gently to me, forcing me to look away from his brother. He squeezed my hand again. "She's okay, Nia. I'm sure of it."

"I'm not," I told him, starting my march out of the library.

Lorcan was still attached to my hand.

"This is who you are," he said with a quiet laugh. "Saar always says it's your outside beauty that has me chasing after you, but it's the beauty on the inside. You care about people more fervently than anyone else I've ever met. It's protective and dangerous."

I looked at him from the corner of my eye. "How do you know that? You don't pay attention to people."

"I pay attention to you," Lorcan said calmly as he stopped me after we turned another corridor. The Great Hall was only a few steps away, it was where I needed to get to, but my feet did not respond when he moved around to stand before me. He wasn't taller than me, but his proximity made it feel like he was towering over me.

The air was scarce in this cage.

His left hand touched my chin gently, tipping it up so our blue eyes could meet. Fear ran up my spine at the adoration I saw in his gaze. It was genuine. It was kind.

Lorcan started leaning in, but his lips did not land upon mine. He pressed a feathery kiss on my nose. 

"Breathe," he murmured. "'Sander and I will look for Taylor in the upper levels until class starts. You check with your friends if they've seen her."

I did smile this time, closing my eyes as I drew in a breath. When I reopened them, Lorcan was gone.

I felt guilt and a certain longing, but I shook them out of my head as I made a beeline for the Great Hall. I saw a group of giggling Hufflepuff girls in my way, but I knew they were disperse when they saw me heading for them. One of them noticed me and the terrified separation was happening, but I was halted by another frantic girl. This girl was my own.

"Rose," I grunted when her hands gripped my forearms. "What is it? Did you find Em?"

Her brown eyes filled with tears. "I didn't look for her."

"What do you mean? What the hell were you doing all this time?" I demanded, even though I reached over to wipe away her tears.

Rose sniffled loudly once more before trying to pull herself together. "I know why Em is gone. It's my fault, actually. I should've told you, but I was just so embarrassed and angry and sad about how I reacted, I couldn't face you. I can't face her. I'm so stupid—"

"I swear to Merlin, Rose Weasley," I interrupted her unusual spouts of self-loathing, "if you don't start explaining to me what is going on, I'll frame you for cheating in our next exam."

"Remember how Lucy asked me to make sure Artie made it back to the Hufflepuff headquarters?" I nodded. Poor Lucy; she had exams to study for and a demon as a little brother to take care of. She was almost in tears when she asked Rose for help. "On my way back I saw Emily and Scorpius...and they were..."

"Snogging?" I raised a brow.

"No!" She looked horrified. "I heard him tell her he loves her and I..."

See? People were idiots. All of them. Without exception. 

I sighed. "Merlin only knows why Em loves that git, but her terrible choice in who she considers brothers is on her. She has never been interested in Malfoy in any way that was not familial. You know this, Rose."

"I know," she practically yelled at me. "I know, Nia. Fuck," I almost laughed at her curse, but the next words stopped me from doing so, "but I had always been jealous of the type of love they have, how close they have been from the beginning, that I didn't think it through. I confronted her as she headed to Astronomy. I didn't let her explain, I just implied that she could have Scorpius if she wanted him."

"You are stupid," I told her, my glare returning. "A typical stupid girl, with stupid jealousy over a boy, no less. Oh, fuck," I clenched my fists together. Now was not the moment to realize things, but I did. Fuck off, brain. "I'm a hypocrite. I can't say any more without insulting myself. It is not my place to forgive you for it, so let's find Em so she can do it, okay?"

A stray tear fell down her cheek, but Rose still nodded. "How, though? Classes are about to start and Filch will be scanning the castle. We need an easier—"

We both looked at each other and in unison we both exclaimed, "James!"

She reached for my hand as I did for hers and we charged past the group of giggling Hufflepuffs, clearing a path to the Gryffindor table. 

I elbowed a younger boy from my way, one that looked to be taking an order from James, Freddie, and Louis. They all glared at me. 

"What?" demanded James. "Can't you see we were discussing business?"

"Give us the map," Rose was the one to say before I could. 

James scoffed at her just as Freddie and Louis laughed mockingly at their cousin. "How daft do you think I am, Rosie? I'd never give you the map. You'd surely hand it over to McGonagall the second I did. Do you even know what this map can do? It shows everyone at any minute of—"

"Yes, I know what it can do," Rose slapped him upside the head, desperation in her eyes. "But we need it."

"We need the map and all of you," I cut across their argument, turning eyes on every familiar face on that table. "Emily is missing."

Malfoy stood from the table instantly, knocking Al's goblet on his way up. "What do you mean she's missing? I saw her last night."

Rose looked up at me, another wave of tears in her eyes. I avoided them as I told him, "She just never came back to the dormitory. Look, I'm scared, okay? This isn't like her. So could you all please stop being aresholes and help us look for her?"

James' previous irritation had gone away. The same look of dread we were all feeling was on him—by a tenfold. He pulled out the map from the pocket of his robes. Freddie and Louis leaned into his sides, a sign of solidarity. 

He tapped his wand three times on the old parchment, saying, "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."

X

We were a blur of black robes with the occasional flash of ruby or emerald. We were running, pushing past people I typically would have a polite excuse me for.  As I ran with my cousins and friends, my calves and lungs burning from the physical strain I was putting them through, I felt like my life depended on me getting to Emily first. 

I needed to explain. I needed to tell Emily that I was sorry for reacting so recklessly.

"Was she upset when you left her?" I could hear Freddie ask Scorpius just a few paces before me. They were following James who was on the lead, his eyes constantly transfixed between the Marauders Map and the grounds. "What did you say to her?"

"No, Weasley!" Scorpius growled out, his beautiful, sharp features red with an anger I could not explain. "She wasn't upset!"

"Back off, Freddie," Al warned our cousin. "This is no time for you ill-timed jokes."

"I wasn't making a joke," Freddie told them harshly. "All I know is the girl is gone and my best friend looks like he's going to die of concern. I need all the facts, that's all."

"She's my best friend!" Scorpius stopped, slamming a hand on Freddie's chest that forced him to stop, too. I almost collided into them. "I don't give a damn if Potter fancies her or not. I care about her. I always have. She's my sister, so don't you fucking dare imply that I sent her running." 

I ruined everything. 

I knew how much Emily loved me and how honorable Scorpius was. This is why they meant so much to me. They were individually great people—honest people. Emily loved with her heart on her sleeve and Scorpius showed his affection in actions, which he had done with me.  Neither would ever do anything to hurt me, this was something I could bet my life on. 

Yet, jealousy was a poison I fed myself.

"We're close!" James shouted, turning back to look at us. Louis was by his side, as was Nia. "Over by the trees!"

When his finger pointed at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, everyone started running again. 

"What is she doing there?" Nia demanded. "She knows better!"

Al has surpassed those at the front, running with more determination than the others. He'd known from our parents how dangerous the forest was, we all did, and I thought that's why he gained momentum, but he stopped, picking up something from the ground.

It was a wand.

"This is hers," Al said, turning worried, green eyes at us. "It's nibbled at the tip, see? Crookshanks did that two years ago, remember? Aunt Hermione was so embarrassed she wanted to buy her a new wand, but Em refused."

I recognized the hawthorn wand, but I also spotted something Al might have thought to be rubbish. I gulped, my hands and legs shaking as I made my way over. From the mud I picked up rags that once had been robes.

My heart stopped at the clawed Gryffindor crest.

"No," James muttered, shaking his head as he balled the map in his hands. "No."

He pushed past me, leading the run again. But just as it had started, it was over.

The map fell from James' hands onto the mud beneath our feet. We were standing by a cluster of boulders First Years usually used to stand on and get peeks of the Forbidden Forest, hoping they would catch a glimpse of the monsters in their storybooks. 

There was a horror scene, but not from those bedtime tales. This was one out of our worst nightmares.

There was a gasp, a scream, and a sob.

One of those came from me.

I almost fell to my knees, but Louis was there the next instant, holding me up before he did the same for James. 

Scorpius moved from behind us, his movement slow and afraid. 

"Emily," he breathed, broken and rough, hands shaking at his sides. 

There she was, our friend, pressed against a ragged boulder, knees brought up to her chest. She was naked, her long, dark hair covering only bits of her as she buried her face into her kneecaps. She was mostly covered in mud and leaves, but what was not was red and sliced. Faint whimpers came from inside her self-made cage. It was something mixed between agony and terror. 

Scorpius braved another step and James tried to do the same.

"Em," James cried. 

Emily looked up at the sound of his voice, her black hair falling away to her back. Her emerald gaze was shattered, surrounded by purple and blue rings, gashes on her cheeks. They ran down to her neck, disappearing into places her arms covered from our view.

She had been destroyed.

There was another sob in the background I knew came from Nia.

Scorpius arrived beside her when James had lost his courage, devastation forcing him to the ground, bringing Louis down with him.

"I'm here," he whispered to her, "I'm here, Em. I've got you." 

Emily looked at the hand Scorpius was extending for what felt like a lifetime, but she did not take it. Instead, she forced herself upright. Her legs shook, mud dripping down to gather at her feet. She tried to take a step to us, but her body was weak. 

Sunlight shone on her, exposing more of her wounds. Blood trickled down her stomach, mixing and solidifying with the dirt on her. Finger-shaped bruises and teeth marks became more prominent, too. 

"Help me," she said to us before a heartbreaking sob escaped her split lips. 

Scorpius gathered her in his arms, lifting her up from the ground, cradling her into her chest as she cried. Nia ran forward to them, throwing her own robes over Emily's naked body to hide from our outrage. 

We still noticed the trail of dried blood between her thighs.