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chapter thirteen

"TO KILL A SALVATORE"

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     The first of November saw the Great Hall becoming a great mess of discussions, carelessly conversing about the murder of Rupert Salvatore by Augustus Monarda. Words of both the Monardas ("One of the big ones over in France — I heard their house there has been vandalised since they announced he's off to Azkaban...") and the Salvatores ("No, they're one of the big ones in Colombia — the dead one used to help out Grindelwald...") were dancing around the stone-walled room in different octaves and accents.

     On the Gryffindor table, a small group were speaking of it. The girl with her brown hair in two plaits, tied with violet ribbons, said, "The newspaper says Salvatore had been missing for two weeks..."

     Further down and across the room, a Ravenclaw boy chomping on a slice of toast was nodding to his friends. One looked interested, the other did not. "Yeah, so," he said, "Salvatore was back in the UK, apparently to get back into the swing of things. Probably to join Voldemort. He helped out Grindelwald, didn't he?"

     His friend, the uninterested one, stopped twirling her ginger hair around her index finger to mutter back, "He gave him advice and a hotel room to hide from the American wizards. That's all."

     "But it was enough to get him killed!" said a boy to his friends. Their little group wore green ties still a little too big for their first-year selves. But, like any first-year would, the school had a serious bombing of gossip, and of course, the first-years were excited to be there when it happened. "Apparently, Monarda's dad tried to hunt down Grindelwald. It was a whole thing."

     "I heard it's because Monarda's dad, right, got killed trying to stop Grindelwald, and Monarda took his revenge on Grindelwald's old ally," said a girl in Hufflepuff. She was in her final year of the school, and she shared a room with the granddaughter of the Salvatore murdered, just like the rest of their little group speaking.

     One of her friends, the one hiding a black eye with makeup, smiled. "Now, the real question is — how'd you think Emilia Salvatore and Dinah Monarda are going to treat each other? Considering Monarda's father killed Salvatore's grandfather."

     The answer to this was simple, and it began like this.

     One of the girls in question — the granddaughter of the man murdered, the one with blue hair and a frown on her face — joined her group of friends before they sat down at the table decorated in green. The other girl — purple hair, defeated expression — was walking in-between a girl with an afro, and another with straight brown hair.

     You would've thought the conversations about the two's relatives would die down. But, no. The conversations multiplied and quickly, the surnames Salvatore and Monarda could be heard at least twice a minute.

     "This is fucking ridiculous," said Em. The four girls were sitting at angles that cut off the other students around them. Dinah looked like all her strength had been knocked out of her. Emilia could feel her own heart and stomach twisting and falling to the pits of hell. "It doesn't concern any of these pieces of sh—"

     "Woah, there, Em," said Melanie.

     It was almost as if Emilia and Dinah had switched bodies; Dinah, once the hot-headed girl ready to fight anyone at the drop of a hat, was now quiet and observant. Emilia, once quiet and observant, was now the opposite. Her best friend was upset, and she could feel intense pain because of that. And it pissed her off, seeing this happen to her friend.

     Dinah was poking her spoon at a bowl of cereal. Carmilla, ever the mother of the group, sighed and told her, "Try to eat something."

     "I'm not hungry," said Dinah. Well. It wasn't so much said, but rather, mumble. Mutter. Murmur.

     "You'll feel better with a bit of food in you," said Carmilla. "Honestly, Di. I know you're upset, and that a lot of people lose their appetite when they're like this, but you need to look after yourself."

     "What I need is to see my father again," said Dinah. "And for him to be out of prison... He used a muggle weapon, you know? That's why it took so long for them to figure out what happened, once the body washed up. It was a knife. My father fucking stabbed an old man. And not just any old man. My best friend's grandfather. I'm so sorry, Em, I—"

     "You don't need to feel guilty for it," said Emilia. She held onto Dinah's hand from across the table. "You didn't kill him. It's not your fault anything happened."

     "But, still," Dinah said. She was frowning at her bowl of cereal. Slowly, but surely, she began to eat it, but it was obvious her mind was elsewhere. The milk dribbled off of the spoon and made a little puddle on the table. Melanie quickly stopped her miming of biting, trying to encourage Dinah to eat, to grab a napkin and clear the mess up. Carmilla discretely moved the bowl closer to the edge of the table.

     It was sad. It was heartbreaking. Her best friend looked empty, and Emilia knew that there was a good reason behind this, but she couldn't help feeling upset for her best friend. Dinah had pretty much lost her father now. He won't get let out of Azkaban. He's stuck there until he's dead. She's never going to see him again.

     Emilia began to tune into all of it. The conversations on the topic of Rupert Salvatore and the man that murdered him. It freaked her out, how this was the way it was being discussed. She could hear people speak of her uncle with admiration like he was this grand old man with the sort of success students should strive to achieve one day.

     Bullshit. Capulet got a good job because of his father. He was smart, but that wasn't why he got the job. He got it because of the blood in his veins. But that was ignored, and instead, people believed that it was his own hard work and dedication that got him to where he was.

     They forgot the rest. They forgot how he was so dreadful his own goddaughter was convinced he'd been the one behind Rupert's murder. They forgot how he loathed muggleborns — but they never knew that he never made that clear. It was something Em had figured out. There was a reason he treated Carmilla differently, and she knew that now. And it angered her.

     "Yeah! Capulet Salvatore, the old head of a top-secret department in the Ministry... They say it's like the men in black. Like, the real-life version of them."

     "I heard he once stopped a goblin uprising with nothing but an olive and a toothpick."

     "It's no wonder they sent Monarda to prison so quickly. He killed the father of Capulet Salvatore! Can you believe how stupid he is, messing with someone that powerful in the Ministry?"

     Em was fed up of this. She had had enough. She could feel her anger rising, and in the torches on the wall behind Dinah and Melanie, the flames were dancing higher than usual.

     So, she did as anyone would do. Em stood up, cleared a space on the table, and put one foot on the bench. Melanie and Carmilla looked at her in a what the fuck do you think you're doing? sort-of way. Dinah looked up, and her expression brightened slightly. Good.

     She stuck two fingers in her mouth. A loud whistle pierced through the air as Em stood on the table. Carmilla was shielding her eyes. The talking was decreasing, considering one of the subjects was standing on the fucking table.

     "HEY!" shouted Em. "The next person that talks about Dinah behind her back is getting skinned. Got it?" There was a pause. She heard Sirius whistle from the other side of the hall. But, she couldn't hear their names again, and that's what she wanted. So, Emilia smiled, and curtseyed, and said, "Thank you," before jumping back onto the ground, and sitting down on the bench.

     "What the fuck was that?"

     "I'm not being walked on, and I'm not having people stick their noses into business that isn't their own," said Em. Carmilla's eyes had widened to the size of saucers, and she blinked, and they went back to their normal size. She still looked shocked, though, as did Melanie. Dinah was eating at a normal pace.

     "Well, wow," said Melanie. "Good going, Em."

     Em grinned. She grabbed a slice of toast, and stood up again, noticing the time on Carmilla's watch. "I'll see you at lunch," she said, finishing the toast and walking off.

     The amount of conversations about herself and her best friend had died down, thankfully. A small smile danced on Emilia's face at that. Maybe, that would help cheer up Dinah. She knew that Dinah would be missing her father for the rest of her life, but she hoped that the decreased amount of people discussing Augustus Monarda would help a little bit.

     It was getting to her, only in a different way. It was getting to her in the way that it was pissing her off. It was getting to Dinah in the way that it was upsetting her because it was a constant reminder where her father's moved to and will stay for the rest of his life. It was getting to Em because people were speaking of her godfather like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. It was getting to Dinah because people were speaking of her father like he was beastly and disgusting.

     "Fuck, Salvatore!"

     Emilia turned around, the small smile still on her face. She stepped to the side of the room, as she said, "So, yeah, that's happened."

     "I heard," Sirius said.

     Emilia leant against the wall, and he stood in front of her.

     "I think everyone's heard," said Emilia. "Dinah only told me last night. She said she only just found out, and she explained everything she knew. She still doesn't know why he did it. I don't, either."

     "So, the thing about Grindelwald?"

     "That's not true," said Emilia. "Dinah's dad hated his father, he wouldn't have bothered avenging him..." She frowned at him. Her mind went back to a little while ago when he made that comment about Animagi. Emilia looked at Sirius, frowning slightly. "So, um, that thing you said, a while ago... About there being some Animagi in the school, and not on the register?"

     Sirius let out a laugh. "I forgot about that."

     "I didn't, Black," said Emilia. She raised her eyebrows. "So? Um? Care to comment?"

     "I'll tell you somewhere less public," said Sirius. Emilia's eyes narrowed, and he smiled back, evidently aware she didn't trust that. His hand leaned against the wall, and he was leaning closer to her. "I promise I will."

     "You better," said Emilia. "If you break a promise, a fairy dies."

     Sirius laughed. "This is coming from the girl that just stood on a table," he said. She winked at him, smiling proudly. "Say, forgive me if I'm wrong, but weren't you the one that told me off for doing the same?"

     Emilia smiled still. She tilted her head up. The space between them narrowed. "Different situation, though," she said. "I was defending my friend, you were being lazy."

     "I was being resourceful."

     "Lazy."

     "Resourceful."

     "Lazy."

     "How about, I agree, and you let me kiss you?"

     "Hmm." Emilia grinned at him. He leaned in closer, but she put her hand on his mouth, moving it to his shoulder when he looked surprised. "You were being lazy."

     "Resourceful!"

     "Lazy!"

     He barely managed to get the first syllable of resourceful out before she kissed him. She was pushed up against the wall, and her hands sat on his jaw, pulling him closer to her.

     And, then, she heard Carmilla's voice soothingly talking to someone — presumably Dinah, because that's who she addressed — and Emilia pulled back. Both Emilia and Sirius looked disappointed. But, the disappointment only sat on her face for a second, because it dawned on her. Carmilla only had that sort of stance when something had happened.

     Emilia smiled at Sirius, and kissed his cheek quickly, darting off in the direction Dinah and Carmilla were going. Outside. Felt like deja-vu.

     "Carm, what—?"

     "Some assholes in the hall. Mel's dealing with it."

     "Not on her own," said Em.

     It took a minute for both Dinah and Carmilla to realise what Emilia had said. But, by the time they had, she was already halfway back to the hall, a determined frown on her face.

     She found Melanie sitting next to Sampson, Gregory, Prince, and Laurence. Melanie looked up and spotted Em, pausing whatever threat she had been throwing as she did so.

     And, then, Emilia sank in the seat next to Melanie.

     "What seems to be the problem here?"

     Prince whispered, "Oh, shit!"

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this is a little shorter than usual but i hope you liked it!!!

also, part one and part two and kind-of being treated like two books, which is why em was re-introduced. (also it's taken four years but i think i'm comfortable with writing making out now?? so you are welcome i'm trying my best here)

let me know what you thought! :)

also, a quick lil note: when she's addressed as emilia, she's acting like she always would've done. when she's addressed as em, she's acting like she wouldn't have done back in chapter one. idk it felt cool to do.

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