Look Alive, Sunshine
Chapter 1
Emma Harker pulled the shirt over her torso to relieve some of the stinging pain. Her stomach still showed the burn mark from where her coworker’s jinx hit her. Sitting in the small holding cell eight hours later, the young Auror still didn’t know what any of that was about. Maybe she screwed up while trying to do her work, and endangered some muggles. It was the only thing she could think off. She followed her orders to a note. Apparating in the forest, leaving the cloak to confirm her landing, going under concealment, acquiring intelligence whenever possible; and most important, not reporting back until the Ministry contacted her.
It seemed simple enough, yet was sufficiently urgent for the most renowned Auror to personally hand it to her. Alastor Moody himself gave Harker the assignment. Keeping her composure was hard when she saw Mad-Eye limp into her office; and all hope of him thinking of Emma Harker as a respectable, mature witch was thrown out the window as she yelped when he informed her on her new job. But that just added to the excitement. Assuming Moody was involved, she put her all in the mission to impress him.
She pinned as many dark wizards as she could, followed them around, and waited in silence. And after months the Ministry finally came for her, just not in the way she expected.
She heard the hit wizards come in first. Their movements were barely audible, something that only those trained for it would be able to pick up. Assuming something was wrong, Harker drew her wand and prepared for orders. Then she saw it, a bright blue orb beaming towards her. Theventusjinx. She deflected it and fired back instinctively. Three different hexes were shot in her direction. She took off, avoiding the hexes and leaving a white gust behind her. Only six feet after, she felt a sudden powerful pang in her stomach, so hot it felt cold. The burning sensation turned electric and traveled through her as she hit the ground, causing her muscles to stiff in awkward positions. She blacked out after that. Never saw who hit her; though, safe to assume it was an Auror. When Harker awoke, she was as now: shackled to the wall, with prison clothes.
“What happened to you child?” At the sound of Gladeous Burt’s voice, Harker’s head snapped up. He walked into the cell, and took the free chair in front of her.
“Sir,” she spoke urgently, “what’s going on? Why am I here?”
“You abandoned post, ran for the past four months, resisted arrest, and were found in the possession of a death eater mask,” Burt spoke sternly. “Tell me, Harker, why shouldn’t you be here?”
Harker’s head began to spin. Surely there was a mistake. If anyone was going to be left out of workings of floor 2 in the Ministry, it wasn’t Gladeous Burt. “Sir I was given an order,” Emma Harker rambled, “talk to Moody. He gave me the order. He’ll explain everything-”
“Mad-Eye just testified, against you. The high witches and wizards are deliberating as we speak.”
Tears formed in the girl’s face, her cheeks flushed, and a tight knot formed in the back of her throat. How could everything get out of hand so easily, without even the smallest hint? She just graduated the Auror academy; where they really going to throw her in prison just like that?
“But they haven’t even taken my statement.”
“Officers who are found with overwhelming evidence against them don’t get a statement,” Burt said as a matter a fact. He felt sorry for the Harker. “What compelled you to act like this?”
“I didn’tact like this!” Emma screeched out of desperation, “I didn’t do anything! Youmustbelieve me. I would never do such a thing. You trained me Burt, youknowme. Whatever they’re accusing me off, I didn’t do it!”
Gladeous exhaled heavily, trying to make sense of the whole thing. He got up, and opened the door to exit the holding cell. “What you say and what I believe are two things that make no difference in this matter.”
Burt was right. Minutes after his exit, they summoned Emma into the large auditorium, and sat her in a small wooden chair in front of all the high witches and wizards. This was the first time she heard what she was being held for: conspiring against the Ministry, and accessory to the murders she wasn’t even aware occurred during the World Cup. The wizards in black each gave their verdict. It was unanimous. Guilty on both charges.
“Your wand has been revoked, as well as your Auror lisence, and you are thereby sentenced to spend the rest of your days in Azkaban prison, starting immideately,” spoke the head judge. Emma tried to speak, but she had no voice. She tried to stand, but her legs failed her. As she was dragged out by the guards, she could hear the whispers, all of them saying the same thing “traitor”. Her stomach tied up. Azkaban had a malicious reputation. Known to be unforgivable to any who entered, it had a special and insatiable appetite for those like Emma. Those that pretended to be something they were not, that acted as the embodiment of good, only to further their evil nature, those were the ones dementors hungered for the most. Emma confirmed this within minutes of her life long stay in her new home.
When the wizard said immediately, he meant it. Using floo powder, her and the squad that transported her, reached the infamous prison in a blink. The innkeeper already had a cell waiting for her; a dark, moldy, cemented whole she’d learn to call home. Moans and groans could be heard from all over, and sentenced witches and wizards would extend their bony limbs from the cell wholes, trying to grab onto whatever their could as Azkaban’s newest member made her way through. The squad of wizards made no effort to exchange words with her. They just threw her ragged body in, locked the door, and left.
The toothless innkeeper, on the other hand, peeked into the cell, through the bars. “Well, we have a pretty one don’t we?” he mused to himself, “look alive, sunshine. You have a few visitor’s who’ve beendyingto meet you.”
For the first time since her life came crashing down, Emma Harker gave signs of consciousness by snapping her head up. And just as her eyes widened, the temperature in the room plummeted and all feelings of hope left.
It seemed simple enough, yet was sufficiently urgent for the most renowned Auror to personally hand it to her. Alastor Moody himself gave Harker the assignment. Keeping her composure was hard when she saw Mad-Eye limp into her office; and all hope of him thinking of Emma Harker as a respectable, mature witch was thrown out the window as she yelped when he informed her on her new job. But that just added to the excitement. Assuming Moody was involved, she put her all in the mission to impress him.
She pinned as many dark wizards as she could, followed them around, and waited in silence. And after months the Ministry finally came for her, just not in the way she expected.
She heard the hit wizards come in first. Their movements were barely audible, something that only those trained for it would be able to pick up. Assuming something was wrong, Harker drew her wand and prepared for orders. Then she saw it, a bright blue orb beaming towards her. Theventusjinx. She deflected it and fired back instinctively. Three different hexes were shot in her direction. She took off, avoiding the hexes and leaving a white gust behind her. Only six feet after, she felt a sudden powerful pang in her stomach, so hot it felt cold. The burning sensation turned electric and traveled through her as she hit the ground, causing her muscles to stiff in awkward positions. She blacked out after that. Never saw who hit her; though, safe to assume it was an Auror. When Harker awoke, she was as now: shackled to the wall, with prison clothes.
“What happened to you child?” At the sound of Gladeous Burt’s voice, Harker’s head snapped up. He walked into the cell, and took the free chair in front of her.
“Sir,” she spoke urgently, “what’s going on? Why am I here?”
“You abandoned post, ran for the past four months, resisted arrest, and were found in the possession of a death eater mask,” Burt spoke sternly. “Tell me, Harker, why shouldn’t you be here?”
Harker’s head began to spin. Surely there was a mistake. If anyone was going to be left out of workings of floor 2 in the Ministry, it wasn’t Gladeous Burt. “Sir I was given an order,” Emma Harker rambled, “talk to Moody. He gave me the order. He’ll explain everything-”
“Mad-Eye just testified, against you. The high witches and wizards are deliberating as we speak.”
Tears formed in the girl’s face, her cheeks flushed, and a tight knot formed in the back of her throat. How could everything get out of hand so easily, without even the smallest hint? She just graduated the Auror academy; where they really going to throw her in prison just like that?
“But they haven’t even taken my statement.”
“Officers who are found with overwhelming evidence against them don’t get a statement,” Burt said as a matter a fact. He felt sorry for the Harker. “What compelled you to act like this?”
“I didn’tact like this!” Emma screeched out of desperation, “I didn’t do anything! Youmustbelieve me. I would never do such a thing. You trained me Burt, youknowme. Whatever they’re accusing me off, I didn’t do it!”
Gladeous exhaled heavily, trying to make sense of the whole thing. He got up, and opened the door to exit the holding cell. “What you say and what I believe are two things that make no difference in this matter.”
Burt was right. Minutes after his exit, they summoned Emma into the large auditorium, and sat her in a small wooden chair in front of all the high witches and wizards. This was the first time she heard what she was being held for: conspiring against the Ministry, and accessory to the murders she wasn’t even aware occurred during the World Cup. The wizards in black each gave their verdict. It was unanimous. Guilty on both charges.
“Your wand has been revoked, as well as your Auror lisence, and you are thereby sentenced to spend the rest of your days in Azkaban prison, starting immideately,” spoke the head judge. Emma tried to speak, but she had no voice. She tried to stand, but her legs failed her. As she was dragged out by the guards, she could hear the whispers, all of them saying the same thing “traitor”. Her stomach tied up. Azkaban had a malicious reputation. Known to be unforgivable to any who entered, it had a special and insatiable appetite for those like Emma. Those that pretended to be something they were not, that acted as the embodiment of good, only to further their evil nature, those were the ones dementors hungered for the most. Emma confirmed this within minutes of her life long stay in her new home.
When the wizard said immediately, he meant it. Using floo powder, her and the squad that transported her, reached the infamous prison in a blink. The innkeeper already had a cell waiting for her; a dark, moldy, cemented whole she’d learn to call home. Moans and groans could be heard from all over, and sentenced witches and wizards would extend their bony limbs from the cell wholes, trying to grab onto whatever their could as Azkaban’s newest member made her way through. The squad of wizards made no effort to exchange words with her. They just threw her ragged body in, locked the door, and left.
The toothless innkeeper, on the other hand, peeked into the cell, through the bars. “Well, we have a pretty one don’t we?” he mused to himself, “look alive, sunshine. You have a few visitor’s who’ve beendyingto meet you.”
For the first time since her life came crashing down, Emma Harker gave signs of consciousness by snapping her head up. And just as her eyes widened, the temperature in the room plummeted and all feelings of hope left.