Chapter Two:

Lewis didn't get the letter he was waiting for until a week later. Elizabeth had just finished pulling on her dress and headed into the kitchen, pulling her hair back into a ponytail, when she saw Lewis and her mother at the table. Lewis was staring at a letter in his hands, his face pale. Grace was next to him and she grinned when Elizabeth sat at the table.

"Your school list came in today," she said, pushing a couple of letters to Elizabeth, "And one of your friends wrote."

Elizabeth took the letter and grinned brightly. It was from her friend, Harry. The past few years, he hadn't been able to write over the summer. After their first year was because a house elf had been stealing Harry's letters. And the last year, Harry's aunt and uncle had kept Hedwig locked away so Harry couldn't reply to letters sent to him. This past summer, however, unusual events led to Harry having a lot more freedom at the Dursleys.

Harry's godfather just happened to be a well-known Azkaban fugitive, Sirius Black. Elizabeth had learned only recently that Sirius was completely innocent of his supposed crimes, but to the rest of the wizarding world—and Muggle world—he was a criminal. Dangerous and on the loose. Because of this, Harry was able to have more freedom to write others, with the threat of a visit from his 'dangerous' godfather if Harry wasn't happy. Elizabeth had to admit, it was nice to get letters from him like she did with her other friends.

Elizabeth put down the letter and looked up to see Lewis was still staring at his O.W.L. results letter, it still unopened.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Elizabeth said, snatching the letter away and opening it herself.

"Hey, give that back!"

"Elizabeth, give Lewis back his letter," Grace said sternly. Elizabeth sighed, handing the enclosed parchment back to her brother.

"Just sitting there staring at it won't change the results, though," she said. She really hoped she didn't act like this in two years...

Lewis sighed, finally pulling out the piece of parchment inside the envelope. He started to look over his scores and Elizabeth watched his face slowly relax. Then, he began to frown and slumped back in his chair.

"What's wrong, Lewis?" Grace asked.

"Acceptable in Charms and Transfiguration," he said, "Poor in Potions. I won't be able to keep taking those classes..."

"Oh..." Elizabeth said slowly. Lewis had always been set on working at the Improper Use of Magic office, but someone needed N.E.W.T. level grades in those classes to be able to get a job there. Lewis not getting those grades meant he wouldn't be able to work where he'd been wanting to...

"I'm sorry, Lewis," Grace said softly, "I know how much you were counting on those grades. I'm sorry to say, but not everyone is cut out for their first choice in career. I'm sure if you take in the O.W.L.s you did get, and concentrate hard in your N.E.W.T. years, you'll get a job you love. Maybe it'll surprise you and you love it even more than the idea of your first dream job."

Lewis frowned. It was clear he didn't quite believe that, but he got to his feet, grabbing a piece of toast.

"I'm going to go write Cedric," he said.

"Don't take too long," Grace said, "I won't have a day off for a while, so we're going to go today to get your school supplies."

On that, Elizabeth looked down to her school list, still enclosed in its letter. She opened it and scanned over, finding the list about the same as normal. There was a new book for Defense Against the Dark Arts—as she expected, since they would have a new teacher this year—and there was The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 4. Though at the bottom of the list was something Elizabeth didn't expect.

"Dress robes?" she read out loud, having to look over the words several times to realize they really were on her list. Dress robes. The only special occasions Hogwarts ever had were the start-and-end-of-term feasts, and the Halloween feast. They never had to wear dress robes for them. Why were they suddenly on her list?

"What?" Grace reached out and took Elizabeth's list, looking over it. She sighed and took Lewis's unopened list on the table and checked it as well. "He has dress robes on his, too...It's going to be a bit of a strain this year. I have to get Lewis N.E.W.T. year books for all his classes, there's your books, you both need new robes, you've been outgrowing yours...And now I have to buy two sets of dress robes?"

Elizabeth's family wasn't exactly poor, not like her friend Ron. Of course, he was part of a family with seven children, four of which were still in school and one had only just finished his education. That tended to put a strain on money. Elizabeth often found herself grateful for how her family was when she thought about how the Weasleys lived.

Usually, the list wouldn't be so daunting. But in the past month, Grace already had to buy both Elizabeth and Lewis new clothes—they were both outgrowing theirs.

"Do you think the robes you wore to Ginger's wedding still fit?" Grace asked, looking to Elizabeth, "I remember they were a bit too long on you before, maybe they'll fit easier now. It would save some galleons."

Elizabeth resisted the urge to groan. It wasn't so much the dress robes. She had actually liked them—despite being a bit long and too heavy for a summer wedding. It was more the situation around them. After all, Elizabeth had her first date, and first kiss, in that dress at her aunt's wedding. It could have been sentimental, but the relationship had ended very badly. Elizabeth pretty much avoided Tobias Marsh when she could, and they rarely, if ever, spoke.

Hogwarts never had big events, never anything where they needed dress robes. So for it to be on the list, it had to be something huge. And to think of wearing that dress, and Tobias seeing her in it again...Elizabeth knew it was shallow, and selfish, but she found herself hoping the dress robes in her wardrobe were beyond hope fitting on her.

"I can go try them on before we head out," Elizabeth said.

"I already know Lewis' won't fit," Grace said, "I swear, that boy had to have grown half a foot in the past year..."

Elizabeth sighed, getting up and heading to her room, taking her letter from Harry with her. She put it on her bedside table, pinning it under her lamp to keep Cream, her Siamese cat, from knocking it off while they were gone.

Elizabeth went over to her wardrobe, digging through to the back where simple, red dress robes made of heavy velvet. She changed into it, holding her breath and guiltily hoping it wouldn't fit...

But it did. Barely. The dress had been too long a year before, but the length was fine now. The sleeves just came to her wrists, and the hem brushed slightly against the floor. The only thing was that the dress was now a bit tight around her chest, making it slightly uncomfortable.

Elizabeth glanced at herself in the mirror nearby, frowning. She just kept thinking about the last time she wore this, a year ago...The date with Tobias, how badly the relationship went...She suddenly had the wild idea to cause an 'accident' to destroy the robes...

There was a knock on the door and Elizabeth looked up to see her mother had leaned in.

"Oh, it still looks so lovely on you, Elizabeth," she said, coming on in and looking Elizabeth over.

"It's kinda tight," Elizabeth muttered, looking down, "A bit hard to breathe."

"I'm sure Ginger can let it out some," Grace said, "And you'd never notice the difference."

Elizabeth sighed a little. She knew her mother was right. There was no point in going and buying new robes when she had a pair that worked perfectly fine with a bit of work. She just wasn't so sure about wearing a dress linked to a relationship that ended badly...

"Get changed," Grace said, "And then we'll head off to Diagon Alley to get your school supplies."

Elizabeth nodded, watching her mother leave before she changed back into her dress from earlier. She headed on into the kitchen, where she saw Lewis had reappeared. He didn't look any happier than earlier, however. Elizabeth hoped he would cheer up soon. The Quidditch World Cup was just a couple weeks away...That'd probably help.

She also found herself wishing she wouldn't have to go through the same thing in two years. It had been her dream to be a Healer, like her mother, for as long as she could remember. She'd never even considered anything else. But, like Lewis, Elizabeth wasn't all that great in Charms...What would she do if she got her O.W.L. results and she failed Charms?

'You have two years to think on that, you can improve your Charms,' Elizabeth thought. For now, she just needed to focus on the present.

xxxxx

The rest of August past slowly and normally for Elizabeth, though she constantly found herself watching for any notice from Ron about the Quidditch World Cup. Thankfully, her answer came in the last week of her summer vacation, just days before the Quidditch World Cup would happen.

Lewis—who had become a bit more cheerful the closer the Quidditch World Cup came—was currently packing to spend the last bit of summer with Cedric, since they were going to the World Cup together. Elizabeth had been cleaning up the dishes from breakfast while her mother read the Daily Prophet. Elizabeth had just put away the last of the dishes when she noticed something small and brown flying around overhead.

"Pig! When'd you get here?" Elizabeth asked, reaching up to try and coax the little owl towards her.

Pig—short for Pigwidgeon—was Ron's owl. Apparently, Ginny had been responsible for the name, though Elizabeth thought it was cute.

Elizabeth finally got the owl to come to her and took the letter from him, quickly opening it. She was eager for any update on whether his father had gotten the tickets to the Quidditch World Cup...

Elizabeth,

We're going to the Quidditch World Cup! Dad got the tickets yesterday! We're going to leave on Saturday. Can you come over before then? We're going to go get Harry from those Muggles Friday. Mum said you can stay at our place for the rest of the summer. We're inviting Hermione, too. And Harry will stay, of course. There's no way we'd let him stay with that aunt and uncle of his.

Let us know!

Ron

"Mum!" Elizabeth turned quickly to her mother still at the table, "Ron's dad got the tickets! He wants to know if I can come stay at his place for the rest of the summer. Can I go today?"

"What?" Grace looked up, then sighed, "Of course. Lewis will already be leaving soon for the Diggorys, I guess it'll be fine for you to leave, too." Grace grinned. "Plus, a little peace a bit earlier would be nice."

"Very funny," Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes, "I'll write Ron. Is Aunt Ginger still coming today with my dress robes?"

"Yes. You should get packing. I'll make sure we have enough floo powder still and send you to the Weasleys this afternoon."

Elizabeth nodded, heading to her room and grabbing a piece of parchment.

Ron,

Mum says I can stay the week! I have to pack up quickly, but I'll be over around four today. See you then!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth rolled up the parchment, chased down Pigwidgeon, then sent the little owl off out the window. She grinned, watching Pig fly away, then she rushed back to her room to pack. She was going to the Quidditch World Cup!

Elizabeth was just getting the last of her school books into her trunk and was about to start on her robes when there was a knock on the door. She looked up to see her aunt had come in, carrying something wrapped in cloth in her arms.

"I got your dress robes finished," she said, "Want to try them on? Make sure they fit well now?"

"Good idea," Elizabeth said, "I'm leaving for a friend's in a few hours."

Aunt Ginger nodded, putting down the bundle on Elizabeth's desk.

"I want to see you in it before you pack it up," she said, heading out of the room.

Elizabeth looked to the bundle and sighed, figuring she might as well get this over with. After all, her aunt had to have worked hard on this, in between taking care of Ursula...

Slowly, Elizabeth unwrapped the dress robes and changed into them. She could already tell they fit better. They hugged against her, but didn't squeeze her. She smoothed down the red fabric, then blinked. The hems of the sleeves now had a type of swirling silver design sewn into it that hadn't been there before...

Elizabeth went quickly to the mirror to study herself, and noticed that the same hemming was now around the neckline of the dress robes. She reached up, running her fingers along the design. It seemed her aunt was trying to help distinguish the robes a little...Elizabeth grinned a little. It wasn't much of a change, but it was still there. Maybe she really could do this. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad wearing the same robes around Tobias again...