---------------
Chapter 10: One Too Many Lies
---------------
Lily flopped back in her chair and sighed in vexation and covered her face with her hands.
"Oh my gosh, this is tiring work. I've never had this much trouble with anything in my entire life!" Julia let out a sound of frustration and threw her pencil across the room, hitting a first year in the head. Ignoring the 'hey!' that came from the eleven-year-old, she collapsed into a chair and put her feet up on the table. Blake was massaging his temples, eyes closed, trying to get rid of a headache. To everyone else, it looked like these three were trying to figure out a difficult assignment, but the topic that was giving them so much trouble was trying to figure out another plan to get Harry and Hermione together. After a while, Lily said,
"You know, what, screw it. We'll brew the potion, leave everything as it is, and hope that they'll get together on their own. I sick of their stubbornness, I just want to go home." Lily got up to go get the book from her dorm. Julia, staring at the floor, said quietly, so only Lily and Blake could hear,
"What's this? Lily Potter is actually giving up? That doesn't sound like her, sounds like something her brother would do." Lily, notwanting to be labeleda quitter,stopped and turned back.
"Hey!" Blake said in protest.
"Shut up, Blake," Julia said. Julia pulled Lily towards her and muttered in her ear,
"If we give up and go back now, who knows what kind of crap will be waiting for us when we go home. We started this; we need to finish it. We can't give up now." After Julia was done speaking, she let go of the arm of Lily's robes, and Lily straighten up, walked back to her chair and sat down. She leaned over the table again and said,
"Alright, here's what we can try…"
---------------
"What school did they say they went to?"
"They said they came from a school in America." Hermione shook her head.
"They're not from America. Not with British accents. There's only one wizarding school in America, and that's Salem Academy for Witches and Wizards. Come on, we need to go to the library." Once the three of them had gotten to the library, Hermione immediately went to a shelf for a book. She came back with a thick book in hand thirty seconds later. Harry said,
"That was fast."
"She spends all her time down here, Harry, she knows where all the books are by heart." Hermione glared at Ron and sat down at one of the tables, and the other two joined them. Hermione explained what the book was for.
"This book is the history of Salem Academy for the last hundred years. It has the enrollment lists in it also, and it was published four years ago. So if those three are from where they say they are, then they'd be in third year, and on this list." She opened the book to the enrollment pages, and flipped to the third year pages. Hermione scanned the list of C's for Carter.
"Carter, Amanda. Carter, Cole. Carter, Garrett. Carter, Kylie. There's no Julia Carter on this list." She flipped to the W's.
"Walker, Ashton. No Blake Walker. Walker, David. Walker, Leslie. No Lily Walker either. See, I told you they lied to us again."
"Then where the hell are they from?" Ron asked. Hermione shrugged.
"I don't know, but this is getting too extreme. I'm going to find out what's going on. Are you two with me?"
"What do you want us to do?" Harry said quietly.
"I'll do the research. You two try and get information out of them, see if they slip."
----------------
"Abort, abort plan. Ron and Harry are coming this way." Lily and Julia quick shuffled papers and notes around so it looked like all three of them were doing homework. When Ron and Harry reached them, Julia said sweetly,
"May we help you?"
"What are you up to?" Harry asked. It was the same kind of 'What are you up to?' question that he asked his son and daughter in the future. And Lily's response was in the same way she would've answered her father when pretended not to be up to something.
"Nothing."
"Nothing, really?"
"Well, we're just doing some homework."
"Yeah, the Potions essay is murder."
"Snape's essays are always like that." There was a small silence, until Julia broke it.
"Um, was there something you two needed?"
"Oh, we were going to ask you again, we forgot see, what school did you three attend before coming to Hogwarts?" Ron asked.
"Um, Salem Academy for Witches and Wizards."
"Really? Because you don't sound like three teenagers from America. Your accents sound British."
"We lived in England for a short amount of time before we went to school here, and it's hard not to speak this way when you live among others with this accent."
"Hmm. And what were your parents names?"
"James and Isabelle Walker. Julia's parents are Ted and Marissa Carter."
"Are you going to let them speak, Lily, or do you speak for them?"
"No, they can speak."
"What year were you three born?" Doing some quick math, Julia said,
"I was born in 1988, these two were born in 1987." (A/N: To make it easier for me, I'm just setting the stories in present day, I know the years are different, but I've heard so many different years that the Harry Potter stories take place, and I'm confused, so for the sake of saving my brain some thinking, it's just in present day.) Deciding that was enough questions for now, Harry said,
"So, you're working on your Potions essay. Since we don't have our done, we'll join you." They both left to get their homework, and while they were gone, Julia, Blake, and Lily all looked at each other with unease.
"They suspect us."
--------------
'Where can I go to find out stuff about those three?' Then it hit her. The Room of Requirement would give her some information; she just had to think hard enough about it. She put the books she pulled out of the shelves back and left the library, heading up to the third floor, not stopping until the door appeared to the Room of Requirement. She opened it, and it didn't give her much, but every little bits counts, she thought. A book was left open on changing appearance. How to change color of hair, how to change color of eyes, and how to change color of skin. Hermione thought for a bit, and knew she needed Lily's wand. She figured she was the one who cast the spells. She needed Harry or Ron to steal Lily's wand for her, but how would she get back there and tell them without someone realizing what she was up to? Then it came to her. She snapped her fingers and said,
"Dobby!" And Dobby appeared. He saw who had called him and a grin broke out on his face.
"Miz Hermy! Harry Potter's great friend. The one who is trying to free us house elves!"
"Dobby, I need you to do me a favor."
"Anything Miz Hermy."
"Go to the Gryffindor Common Room and tell Harry that I need him to steal Lily Walker's wand for me, but don't let Lily, Julia or Blake know what's going on. Do you know who those three are?"
"Yes, yes, Dobby is wise and knows these things!"
"Ok. Will you do that for me?"
"Yes Miz Hermy!" He bowed and disappeared.
--------------
Dobby appeared out of nowhere in the common room a few seconds later. There was a commotion about a house elf that was not in the kitchens. When Dobby saw Harry he flung his arms around Harry's knees and hugged him.
"Harry Potter sir!"
"What are you doing here, Dobby?"
"I's come with a message, sir from Miz Hermy!"
"From Hermione?"
"Yes, that's what I said, Miz Hermy!" Harry smiled a little and said,
"What does she need?"
"She needs…" He stopped when he saw Lily, Julia and Blake watching. He dropped his voice to a whisper so Harry had to lean closer to hear it. While Harry was talking to Dobby, Blake leaned over and muttered to Lily,
"Isn't that our house elf? The one that gets paid for what he does?"
"I think it is." Dobby said to Harry,
"Miz Hermy tells me to tells you that she needs Miz Lily's wand."
"What for?"
"She not tells me, Harry Potter, sir. Just to tells you that."
"Did she say how I'm going to steal it?"
"No, just to tells you that." Then Dobby had a sudden idea.
"Harry Potter sir, I has an idea!"
"What is it?"
"House elves are good at sneaking and not being seen. I's could steal it for you, and bring it to Miz Hermy."
"Where is Hermione?"
"Room of Requirement, sir."
"Ok, Dobby, Ron and I will distract them and you steal the wand and bring it back to Hermione." Dobby nodded and disappeared. Once he had, Harry straightened up in his chair and picked up his quill again. Lily asked,
"What was that all about?"
"Oh, nothing. Dobby's a friend." Lily didn't like the answer she got, but didn't push the matter. She didn't realize that Dobby had reappeared and had stolen her wand that stuck out of her pocket of her robes. She would never know it was gone.
-----------
Dobby reappeared with Lily's wand in hand. He handed it to Hermione.
"Here you go, Miz Hermy. I's had to steal it, I was sneaking." Hermione smiled and nodded.
"Well, thank you so much, Dobby."
"Is Miss needing anything else?"
"No, thank you, Dobby." Dobby bowed and disappeared with a 'crack'. Hermione took Lily wand in her left hand, and her wand in her right and pointed her wand at Lily's.
"Prior Incantato." A few spells came back, first the conjuration of a flower, which Hermione thought was weird. Then a few little spells, and finally the spells that she did to change appearance. The last one she did was one changing the color of the flesh. Probably for Julia, since she was the darkest one there. Then to change the color of hair to blonde. That would be Julia's hair. The room provided a picture of Julia, Lily, and Blake, and Hermione changed the color of Julia's hair in the picture in a reverse, so it was the original color. Red. Not just plain red. Weasley red. And blue eyes. Hermione set the picture aside and took the one of Lily. The next thing Lily conjured were two pairs of contacts like muggle ones that would turn her eyes brown, and Hermione assumed the second pair was for Blake. She reversed the spell on the pictures of the twins and their eyes turned green. A bright green she had only seen on one person. Then the hair color, for Blake. Brown to black. After she had reversed the spell on the Blake in the picture, Hermione looked at it and gasped.
"Oh my God."
A/n: Hee hee!! A cliffie for you all. I had to put one in somewhere, but I'm sure you all know what she sees. Anyways, please review!!!
Husker-fan-2006