Call me Squib

First Days

Chapter Nine: First Days

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"GEORGE!" The redhead's eyes snapped open at the sound of his twin yelling in his ear.

"What the bloody hell were you trying to do, make me deaf?!" George practically growled at Fred as he begrudgingly sat up in his bed.

"Trying to get you to shut up," Fred smirked at his brother. It was only then that George noticed Lee standing behind his twin, a wide grin filling his lips too. "You wouldn't quit talking in your sleep."

"Oh," George were cold at the news, realizing just why the other boys were looking at him the way they were. All night George had been dreaming about the mysterious brunette that had grown close to his family over the summer, just as he had been most nights since she'd arrived at the Burrow. There was something about the girl that just drew the boy in, making him want to wrap his arms around her and never let her go.

"Seems as if a certain ginger has a crush," Lee teased as George got up to get ready for classes.

"Shut it, Lee." George hissed as he slipped into the bathroom and changed into his school robes, splashing some water on his face to fully wake him up. He didn't understand what was going on with him. He hardly knew the girl yet he was dreaming about her? He didn't even know her real name! He tried to shake the dream from his mind as he left the bathroom and headed down the stairs, finding Lee and Fred talking with Ron and Harry while Ginny, Lu, and Hermione were all off to the side talking together. George pushed away his curiosity and walked over to the other boys as they headed towards the portrait.

"Come to breakfast?" Harry called to the girls as Lee and Fred wiggled their eyebrows at George, earning a glare in return.

"Yeah," Ginny smiled as she and Hermione grabbed their bags and walked over to join the boys, but Embry stayed put.

"Aren't you coming, Lu?" Fred asked.

"I have to go meet with someone before our first class," Embry shook her head, keeping her eyes trained on the piece of parchment in her hands. George glanced towards his sister for an explanation, but Ginny only shrugged before leading the others out into the hall.

Embry waited a few minutes after the common room had cleared before she gathered her things and slipped out into the hall. When she had woken up that morning she had found a note under her pillow, asking her to meet Dumbledore in his office before breakfast. Her nerves ran wild as she made her way to the man's office, the hidden stairs having already been left open for her.

"Come in," Dumbledore's soft voice called from inside when she reached the door. She chewed on her lip as she opened the door and looked inside. The office was amazing to her, various items strewn around, but it was the old man that her gaze settled on.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" She stayed near the door, prepared to run at a moment's notice.

"I simply wished to speak with you before your first lesson, Miss Dobbs." He tried to assure her with a smile, but it did nothing to calm the girl's nerves. "How was your first evening here?"

"Fine," her voice was a whisper as piece of her long dark hair fell from where it'd been tucked behind her ear. "May I go to breakfast?"

"Of course," he nodded. Embry didn't waste another second before escaping the room, hurrying through the corridors until she reached the Great Hall, easily finding an empty seat beside Ginny.

"Where've you been?" Ginny questioned the brunette between bites of her pancakes.

"Nowhere," Embry lied as she took a piece of toast from one of the platters. "When does class start?"

"Ten minutes." Embry nearly jumped out of her skin as the twins appeared behind her with Lee in tow. The boys only laughed at her reaction as George grabbed her bag while Fred and Lee pulled Embry from her seat. She didn't hesitate to pull herself from their grasp, snatching her bag back from George.

"Sorry," George apologized, though it did little to ease the girl's nerves. "Ready to go to class?"

"Sure," she shrugged, allowing the boys to lead the way out of the Great Hall. Their first class of the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Lupin. The twins had told her the previous night about how the position was cursed, all of the previous professors having never lasted more than a year. When they reached the room others were already inside and sitting at their desks, along with the fifth year Hufflepuffs.

Fred and Lee rushed towards one of the empty desks to sit together. Leaving George glaring at the back of their heads as he and Embry took a seat at the desk in front of them. It wasn't five minutes later that an older man walked into the class. He had brown hair with matching eyes that had slight bags under them. Embry frowned at his sickly composure, though that didn't keep the man from smiling at the tens in front of him.

"Hello, my name is Professor Remus Lupin!" He greeted everyone. "Today we won't be in here for the lesson, please gather your things and follow me."

"I wonder what we're doing," George mumbled to himself as everyone grabbed their bags and followed Professor Lupin out of the room. He led the way into the next room where a shaking wardrobe had been placed at the front.

"Can anyone tell me what a boggart is?" Lupin questioned, causing several hands to shoot up in the air.

"They're a creature that lives in the dark, no one really knows what they look like since they take shape of the viewer's greatest fear." A Gryffindor girl answered when the professor had called on her. At the girl's explanation, Embry could feel panic spreading through her. She couldn't manage to focus on her professor's words as she stared at the wardrobe, dreading the idea of ever having to face a boggart.

"Lu, are you okay?" Fred asked the class started to form a line, Professor Lupin having explained that they would all take turns facing the creature.

"Lu?" George's voice snapped Embry from her thoughts. She looked down at where her nails were digging into her arms from fear. If it weren't for her robes she had no doubt that her nails would have pierced her skin already.

"Mr. Weasley, you're up." Lupin told Fred after a while, most people having already taken their turn in facing the boggart. Everyone watched as Fred stepped forward so he was clear in the boggart's view. The boggart morphed into George, dropping to the ground in a pool of blood, forcing Fred to face to the image of his twin dying.

"Riddikulus!" Fred's voice trembled as he aimed his wand at the bleeding George. He repeated himself before the boggart George jumped up and started to dance around as the blood morphed into a banana peel the the boggart slipped on. Laughter filled the room, but Embry remained silent, too scared to laugh at the sight.

"Miss Dobbs," Lupin called on the girl.

"It's okay," George whispered at Embry took a small step forward. She was shaking at the boggart's attention fell upon her. Everyone watched as the boggart started to morph before their eyes yet again. A wand appeared first, a hand slowly starting to form around it, but that was all that appeared, the boggart taking on no face. But the sight of the wand was all it took for Embry's shaking to worsen, panic setting in at the sight of the serpent ring that rested on one of the fingers.

"Lu!" George yelled when Embry collapsed before his eyes, her world turning to black.