Forget Me Not

To me going home didn’t mean the place where the people of my blood were. Because when I was there, I felt more alone than ever before. My mother, a pureblood, like to remind me of the mistake of her youth where she married my mudblood father and was (I'm quoting her directly) “forced to have a child, whose blood would always be stained black with impurity.” And there you have it, world’s greatest mom.

But she was a great mom, not to me, no. but to my half-sister Kim she was everything a mother should be. Kim was mom’s little princess because of her pureblood father, who also was a descendant of Ravenclaw herself. There for Kim was a living heir to Ravenclaw and had access to a great deal of money and people were practically lining up at the door begging to meet the next Rowena Ravenclaw.

One of these guests was here now actually; that Rita Skeeter person rung this morning asking to interview my mother and sister. I, like the embarrassment my mother thought me to be, was hiding in my room passing the time by reading a new Muggle book. This one was about a girl who transformed into a dragon and how she fell in love with the dragon slayer who may have killed her father years before. It was better than that silly vampire novel but still had a certain sense of absurdity.

“I wonder if he’ll kill her” I pondered aloud. “Or if she’ll do the right thing and kill him…” the door to my room opened and I jumped back, startled by the sudden intrusion, my book landed on the floor with a loud thud.

“Fuck” I hissed staring at the traitorous noise maker. That’ll get me an hour with the collar for sure. “What the hell?” I whispered looking up to see who had opened the door and paused. A little house elf was standing in the door way, looking at me threw his big childlike eyes. Normally I wouldn’t have stared at him for as long as I did but this house elf wasn’t like the others I’d grown up with.

He was wearing… cloths.

“Dobby has come to rescue Miss Raven” its little voice squeaked.

“Rescue?” I hissed. “What- who sent you?”

“No time to explain” he said jumping towards me and slamming the door shut. I winced again, that’d be four hours, at least. “Take Dobby’s hand”

“Wait- did you say Dobby?” I asked looking at him again. “As is the one Harry freed?”

“Yes” he nodded, my mother’s footsteps echoing down the hall now.

“This had better be good” I hissed lunging forward to take his hand. There was a pop and I felt myself being stretched threw what almost felt like a rubber tube until there was another pop and I found myself standing on a deserted street. Dusk was falling over the little suburban town and I spun around trying to find out where I was. The houses all looked the same, hell everything about each and every property looked almost identical to the other ones.

“Dobby?” I inquired looking down at the little elf. “Where am I?”

“It’s the day” he said looking up at me with those wide childlike eyes. “He was very clear that Dobby was to bring you here today”

“Who was?” I asked the little elf. “Where am I Dobby?”

“That” he nodded directly ahead of us. “Is Harry Potters’ house. He said to bring you here because it was the only gift he could give you” and before I could ask him anything else he was gone with a bang and I was left standing in front of the one house I never thought I'd see. Pulling the wrinkled letter from the back pocket on my jeans I walked up to the door.

A round boy answered when I knocked. His beady eyes giving me the once over before a greasy grin spread across his face. “Helo” he said, only speaking half English apparently. “Who you?”

“I- um” I stammered eyeing his repulsive stature. “I'm here to see Harry?” his grin dropped and a confused frown took its place.

“’Arry?” he asked. “Why ‘Arry?”

“Is- is he home?” I asked trying to look around him into the house.

His eyes went wide, “you’re one o’ them freaks!” he exclaimed. “Wit’ the magic”

“Yes,” I nodded raising an eyebrow. “I'm Emily Raven”

“Raven?” Harry’s voice emerged from behind the boy and he frowned in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

I shifted, uncomfortably. “Dobby brought me here-“

“Dobby?”

“-someone, I'm not sure who, sent him to bring me here” I tried to explain. “Just in time too, my mother was about to put to collar back on me…” I trailed off cringing. I forgot, Harry didn’t know about the collar, that’d be an awkward conversation latter.

“Why are we standing around with the door open?” another voice thundered. “Get out there with your freak friend boy!” Harry was then shoved out onto the sidewalk where I stood. He collided with me and I grabbed his arms to keep from falling back so we were locked in a sort of odd embrace.

“s-sorry” I said letting go of him and taking a step back. “For making them angry with you, I know that you don’t exactly get along with them”

“Understatement of the year” he said with a tense laugh. “So now that we’re out here why don’t we go down to the park and you can try to explain to me what on earth is going on” I smiled and nodded, fallowing him down the now dark street. As we walked I explained the strange story of Dobby appearing in my room and bringing me here.

“Before…” he started, sitting in one of the swings; I sat next to him. “You said something about a collar?”

I nodded and sighed before pushing my hair up over my shoulder to expose my neck. “You see my scars?” I asked running my fingers along them to point them out. “My mom bought this collar that is typically used to force Hippogriffs into submission. She has used it on me every time I disobeyed her”

“And you’re still living there?” he demanded. “That’s torture!”

“Where would I go?” I asked him. “I have no aunts or uncles where I would be treated any better-“

“What about your dad?” he asked and I froze, my gaze falling to the gravel below my feet.

“He-“ I said slowly, my voice shaking slightly. “He’s not around. I haven’t heard from him since I was eight”

“I'm sorry” he said softly and I looked up at him. “I had no idea”

“No one does” I sighed. “I never told anyone” that wasn’t true actually I’d told Harry this before. But it was long ago, in our second year at Hogwarts. It was before last year when I became the ghost I was now.

“Do you know where he went?” he asked and I turned my head to look at him sideways.

“Canada” I muttered. “At least that’s what I was told, but who knows if that’s true or not. Honestly Harry I'm jealous of you”

“Jealous?” he asked looking confused. “Why?”

“You’re parents loved you” I said softly, knowing I was treading on fragile surfaces. “They loved you so much. My mother despises me and I guess my father does to, or he wouldn’t have left”

“My parents are dead” he said bluntly.

“I know” I sighed, standing up and stretching my arms out above my head. “But you will live on knowing without a doubt that they loved you will all their heart. I will never have that”

“I suppose its two different kind of curses” he sighed and I turned back to look at him.

“An excellent way of putting it” I nodded. Something behind me caught Harry’s eye and I turned to see my mother watching us from the edge of the park.

“You look just like her” he said.

“Not sure if that’s a compliment” I mumbled.

“You look like her” he said. “You don’t act like her, you look like her. And honestly she’s very pretty” I blushed and looked away.

“Well-um-thank-“

“Emily” my mother’s cold voice slithered out from the darkness and I turned to see her standing right behind me. “It’s time to go”

I paused, “yes- yes ma’am” I said bowing my head before turning back to Harry. “Goodbye-“

“Don’t waist words on a boy who lies” she growled grabbing my arm. “We’re leaving!”

“Ouch- hey!” I winced as her nails dug into my skin. “Harry! Catch!” I shouted throwing him the folded piece of paper that he caught easily. My mother disapparated then and I found myself in my basement. My mother walked over to the wall where the giant metal collar sat on a table.

“you get five hours” she said picking it up and walking towards me. “for the ruckus you cause during your sisters interview and for disappearing like that”

“I know” I said as she fastened it around my neck. “Mother” I said just before she left. “do you know what today is?”

“June 16th” she said not looking back at me. “Why?”

“Just wondering” I said. “Thank you” she didn’t say anything but walked up the stairs. And I sat, motionless as she activated the collars magic and it began to tighten. I blinked back my tears knowing that they only made it tighter if they fell onto the cold metal. She didn’t know, June 16th, she didn’t realize I guess. And why would she? She’s made it very clear by her treatment towards me that I am no more than a problem she’s been burdened with.

And as I sat there, hating my life and the hardships that I was always left to face alone, June 16th passed and a new day began.

June 16th, my fifteenth birthday, was over.