Our Choices Define Us

A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers, you guys rock and while I don’t respond to many, each and every one is appreciated. Many thanks to my beta, badluck, for fixing my mistakes and catching an important error. Hmm, I’m just wondering how many people read the top a/n, so if you leave a review, can you please have almonds somewhere in there, thanks. Well, since I only got one idea for Harry’s animal, I’m going to use it, with a spin.

Chapter Nine

“So where should we start?” Blaise asked.

“How about the beginning? Which, by the way, is how Harry had to wear cast offs.” Emily said, still angry at Harry’s relatives.

“Do I have to?” Harry asked. He didn’t really feel like sharing his home life with them. As much as he hated the Dursleys, he didn’t wish for them to die.

“Yes, I’m afraid you do.” Emily said a little harshly. She took a deep breath. Being bitchy wouldn’t really help the situation.

Harry looked at Emily, Draco, and Blaise, each in turn. Do you really want them to know what you went through with those dammed people? Do you really want to share the humiliation that you endured? He asked himself. He looked again at his friends, and seeing their support, he decided. Yeah, I do. It will probably be good that they know. I mean, they actually care, unlike my old 'friends' who just asked if they treated me right and gratefully ate up my lie. Who knows, it might be good for me... He folded his hands in his lap and focused on them as he began his tale.

"Well, as you guys know, I was forced to live at my aunt's house when my parents were killed. I was never welcome there, something I learned at an early age. When I was about four Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon said I had to start 'earning my keep'. This meant cooking breakfast and dinner for them, which I barely ever got to eat any of, doing long lists of chores, this along with everything else I already had to endure. Like wondering why they didn’t care for me whenever I saw them doting on Dudley, or receiving only Dudley's old and worn-out cast offs, or the constant verbal abuse." Harry got a far away look on his face and scoffed a little. "Yeah, Vernon always liked to tell me what a freak I was, how nobody wanted me, and how worthless my parents where." He shook his head and took a minute to gather his bearings.

"Dudley and his gang constantly played a game they called Harry Hunting. They basically chased me around and when they caught me, which was rare, they would beat the crap out of me. Vernon and Petunia never did anything about it. Vernon actually congratulated Dudley on 'putting the freak in his place'.

"They never did really hit me, only a blow to the back of the head to get me moving or when I really 'screwed' something up.

"And I was forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs until the summer after first year. It was only then that they allowed me out of there was because they were afraid I would tell my freaky friends that they were mistreating me. But they didn't have to worry about anything. Dumbledore knew I was mistreated. I mean, come on, my Hogwarts letter was addressed to Harry Potter, Cupboard Under the Stairs! And let's face it; I was a thin scrawny little kid, more than could be just waved off as being small for my age.

"I think that's what gets to me the most when it comes to our dear Headmaster. He knew I was abused by those wretched people. He knew and yet, he did nothing. How cold hearted can you be to know a mere child was abused by people he was supposed to call family and let it continue?" He looked up for the first time since he began. Draco and Blaise wore expressions of disbelief and horror.

"I never knew. I always assumed you were treated like a king, waited on hand and foot." Draco said, shaking his head at his own stupidity. The sign were hard to miss, once you knew what you were looking for. Blaise nodded his head sadly in agreement. None of them noticed it, but this had just strengthened their newly formed friendship to a level that few friends achieved.

Harry turned to Emily to see silent tears running down her face.

She got up and enveloped him in a fierce hug. "I swear to fucking god I’m going to make those people and that fucking bastard pay for what they did to you." she whispered, her voice thick with tears, into his ear.

Harry gave a small laugh. "Just don't kill them. They're not worth being sent to Azkaban for." he replied and let her go.

She took a step back and smiled sweetly at him. "But, Harry dear, I don't plan on getting caught. Muwhahahahaha" she laughed manically. If Harry hadn't known her sense of humor better, he would have sworn she was seriously going to kill his relatives. Her little display effectively shattered the somber mood in the room.

"Okay, with that out of the way, it's Em's turn to spill." Harry said. He couldn't wait to see Blaise and Draco's reaction to Emily's little oddity.

"Alrighty then, if you guys are really that curious..." Emily said slowly.

"Em, you're stalling." Harry pointed out with a smirk.

"So?" Emily pouted. "What if I am? Whatcha gunna do about it? Huh? Huh?" Emily put her arms out, playfully challenging Harry.

Not rising to the bait, "Just get on with it, Em."

Emily sighed resignedly. "Fine! But, if you two," she gestured to Draco and Blaise, "don't want to be associated with me, I understand." She stopped for a minute, thinking about where to start.

"Well, I suppose I should start off with saying there's a prophesy about me. It basically says the, well I guess the only word is requirements, for my 'lovely' gift and it explains why I can do what I do.

"Alright, well y'all are gunna have to hear about my home life to understand everything so, please, bear with me. My family is like oober Dark. Even more so than Draco's." Draco got a strange look on his face, knowing of only one couple that were stronger supporters of the Dark Lord and Alarice sure as hell wasn't their surname. Emily didn't notice and continued. "My parents originally came from England. But, yeah, my parents were like Moldy's strongest supporters and when they found out I was a prophesied child, they naturally told Moldy. He suggested that I learn everything there was to know about all types of fighting, my 'gift', spells, both Dark and Light, and all that good stuff, taught all by Moldy. Before I could actually get old enough for Moldy to start molding me into the perfect little Death Eater, Harry here killed him, thank god.

"And my parents being known as extremely strong supporters of Voldemort," she ignored the flinches from Blaise and Draco. "Fled to America and changed their last name to Alarice. After some digging, I found out what my true last name was, Minos." Everyone turned to Draco who had gasped and let his mouth fall open in a very unMalfoyish fashion.

"You're the daughter of Desdemona and Vasilis Minos?!" Draco exclaimed.

"Yeah, and flies, Draco, flies," Emily smirked as Draco colored slightly and shut his mouth.

"No offense, but your parents have some out-there names." Harry said, still pondering the names.

Emily laughed a little. "Both my grandparents gave my parents very fitting, Greek names. I'm like oober Greek. But anyways, my parents went to America and changed their name and appearance and lived in one of the many Manors that we have, this one in Indiana.

"When I saw around three, my parents carried out Voldy's wishes and trained me in like fricken everything from the Unforgivables to ballroom dancing. I stayed there until I was ten.

"One day, I remember it was in October because it was unusually nice out and I was by the pond near our house, enjoying the weather, my mother came to me and told me we had to talk. So I followed her inside to her sitting room. She sat me down and told me that I was promised to a boy in England from a respectable Pureblood family. I wasn't upset by this, I knew it was coming and I was happy that I was going to continue the Pureblood line, that wasn't the shocker of the conversation. Desdemona then told me about how filth, Muggles and Half-bloods, needed to be removed from the Wizarding World, again no big deal. She then told me that it was time I saw what happened to filth. She took me down to our dungeons. Apparently, they still continued Voldemort's work. Down there I saw some horrific sights. People covered in all types of injuries, all in different stages of death. I even saw a girl no older than I was at the time, being raped. All the while she was telling me that this is what they deserved and bullshit like that. I kept my horror to myself, but that night I packed all my stuff and ran away. The rest is a totally different story.

"Now, my 'gift'. I'm what the prophesy calls the Singer's Pride. I can basically use magic with just the inflection of my voice, but it works best when I sing. I can like sing and what I want to happen, happens. The drawbacks are: one that I can't say any part of the spell that does what I want to happen and two using a wand screws it up. And before you ask, I passed my O.W.L.s by doing what they wanted me to do after setting up an illusion that I was doing it with a wand and speaking the incantation. And I really do blow at Transfiguration; I just can't get stuff to do what I want it to.

"And both my parents and Voldemort are actively looking for me. They're not about to let me go. I'm too valuable. I'm surprised that my parents haven't stormed in here yet, but when they do it won't be pretty. When I was in Washington they found out that I was attending the magical school there and when they came for me, four hundred people died including my really close friends. They made it a point to make sure they died." Emily stopped here, tears welling in her eyes for a second time that night. She looked up gratefully at Harry who had pulled her into a one armed hug.

"So, yeah, I think that's basically it. I'm going to bed now."

Before she could go anywhere, Harry grabbed her around the middle and dragged her back onto the bed. "You're not going anywhere."

"Fine! But it's too crowded here; let me go so I can get back on the other bed." Harry warily let her go, ready to retrieve her again if necessary. She needed to stay here to see that no one had any intention of deserting her.

Emily plopped down on the bed. “Hmm, Harry’s life, check. My life, check. My oddity, check. How me and Harrister met, uncheck. Oh, this is going to be fun to tell.”

A/N: Please review, I love them to death. Ideas, complements, and constructive criticism are always welcome.