Wild Magic - Chapter 30

Emily dropped to her knees and emptied the contents of her stomach on the cobblestone street of Hogsmeade. A couple of passing witches gave understanding looks as they passed by. Apparation was known to cause that for the first few times.

"What the fuck was that?" Emily yelled.

"Apparation." Tonks replied. "Kind of like teleportation, but not."

"What?" Emily stared at Tonks for a moment.

"Well, you know in movies when they teleport they disappear in one place and show up in another?" Tonks didn't wait for an answer. "Apparation is like that, but instead of vanishing and reappearing, it opens a tunnel from one point to another and pulls you through. That way you don't have to worry about accidentally sending yourself into space or landing in a spot that's already occupied."

"I don't think that's what she meant." Harry rubbed a hand along his face.

"Oh." Tonks stared at the girl for a moment then shrugged.

"Magic." Harry helped Emily find her feet. "Magic is real. I'm a wizard, you're pregnant, and there's a very good chance that our baby will be magical as well." He paused. "That and there's a murderous mad-man that wants to kill me and it's easier to protect you here."

"What?" Emily yelled.

"An evil wizard killed my parents and wants to kill me." Harry explained. "You would be in danger if word got out that you're having my baby."

Emily took a step away. She put her hands on the back of her head to make deep breathing a little easier. Her gaze travelled around the town as she let the information settle. She desperately wanted to find something that she could use to explain this as a bad joke. Unfortunately for her, everything pointed to the fact that she was nowhere near where she had just been. It was still daytime, but the weather was noticeably colder. Then there were the people. Every single person in the town were dressed like it was Halloween and the only costume allowed was a witch.

She closed her eyes and felt the world shift around her. Strong hands caught her before she could fall. It had only been a single encounter, but she recognized Harry's touch. Maybe it was magic.

"Let's get her to Hogwarts." Nym said. "The carriage ride will do her some good."

Harry led her over to a carriage that was waiting nearby.

"When did this get here?" Harry asked as he helped Emily step up.

"No one can Apparate into Hogwarts." Nym explained. "We could either pop in at the edge of the wards or come here and take a carriage."

Harry was the last one in. He wasn't sure how Emily was doing, but he didn't think it was a good idea to try to sit beside her. She looked like she needed space.

"There aren't any horses." Emily idly commented.

"It's actually pulled by creatures call Thestrals." Nym explained. "Only people who have seen death can see them. It sounds scary, but they are actually really shy. Sweet too once they trust you."

"Oh." Emily leaned back in the seat.

"I'm sorry about all of this." Harry gave her a shaky smile. "I didn't think I would have to drag you across the country and then melt your brain." He paused. "Wait. Nym, can she go to Hogwarts? There are anti-muggle wards."

"Got it covered." Nym pulled a bracelet from her pocket and slid it on Emily's wrist. "Think of this as a magical hall pass."

Emily held up her wrist to examine the piece of jewelry. She dropped her arm back beside her and closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed to a steady pace. She wasn't asleep, more like she was trying to calm herself down. After a moment she opened one eye. Her shoulders slumped.

"This is real." She muttered. "Magic is real?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "I only found out a few years ago."

"And you go to a magical boarding school, not St. Brutus'." Emily sighed. "Were the stories you told me true at all?"

"All of them, actually." Harry chuckled. "I had to change the magic parts to fit."

"Oh?" Emily raised her eyebrows. "Like what?"

Harry spent the rest of the ride re-telling the stories. This time he included all of the magical aspects. Emily had plenty of questions, as did Nym. Both young women stared at him in shock as his story finished. Nym looked like she wanted to jump him right there while Emily was still in shock.

"And you brought me here to keep me safe?" Emily finally spoke. "You've practically died every time you've come here! What makes you think I'll be safe?"

"To be fair." Harry winced. "It's usually only me that gets hurt."

"That doesn't make this any better!" Emily yelled.

"Magical babies are known to have moments of accidental magic." Nym spoke before Harry could say anything more. "Obviously, it's too early for anything like that to happen yet, but you will notice around the second trimester. The frequency can increase once they are born depending on how strong their magic is. Baby Potter is certainly going to be a beast with Harry as the daddy."

"A beast?" Emily gasped.

"Not literally." Nym waved away the question. "Harry is a powerhouse, any of his kids are likely to have a lot of magic too." She settled a hand on her belly. "Our bundle of joy is going to be a terror."

"Why are you so sure the baby will have magic?" Emily asked.

"The baby usually has magic if one of the parents has it too." Nym explained. "That's how it works. Even a squib can have magical children."

"What's a squib?" Emily asked.

"A witch that can't do magic." Nym replied. "Want to know a dirty secret of the magical world?"

"Sure?" Emily replied.

"There are no half-blood squibs." Nym smiled brightly. "Purebloods don't want people to know, but almost all of them come from older families. Magic can only do so much with a shallow gene pool."

"In-breeding." Harry clarified.

Emily curled her lip in disgust.

"No one looks twice when cousins get together." Nym explained. "Immediate family is frowned on."

"Well, that's something." Emily rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry." Harry chuckled. "My family tree actually has branches."

"A few more now, thanks to you." Nym teased.

"Is this normal?" Emily motioned from herself to Harry and Nym.

"No." Nym bumped Harry's shoulder with her own. "Harry here is the last of a family line, there are some rules to help keep Ancient and Noble Houses from vanishing. Plus, he's famous, so no one is really going to argue if he starts giving the magical world a bunch of green-eyed babies."

"You're famous?" Emily asked.

"Remember that mad man that wants to kill me?" Harry didn't wait for an answer. "He tried to kill me when I was a baby. I survived, he didn't. Well, he did, but it's a long story."

"The war ended that night." Nym took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "That made him a hero."

"Wow." Emily let out a long breath. "This is a lot."

Harry nodded.

"Want to see something cool?" Nym asked.

Emily raised her eyebrows but didn't answer. Nym waved her wand to open the privacy curtains on the carriage. Their approach provided an amazing view of Hogwarts. It wasn't as awe inspiring as riding a boat across the lake at night, but it was still beautiful.

"Wow." Emily whispered.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Nym smiled at the muggle.