A/N: Okay guys, I know that it's been FOREVER since I updated. But remember: I wrote an entire fic this summer and school's started and I was in three plays at once, and...okay, yeah, there's no real excuse. I'm sorry. Thank you for reviewing and returning to read anyway!!
Onward:
A Glimpse of the Hidden
~I pledge my Loyalty to Honor, Justice, and Hogwarts~
Part Four
"Valentine's Day," Harry declared loudly. "Is a confounded nuisance."
"Hey, at least you don't have to buy anything," Ron pointed out. Draco made a rude comment behind him, but Ron didn't say anything. He was becoming quite good at ignoring Draco.
"That's why it's to annoying," Harry explained, as if this were obvious. "It's only a week away, and I can hear you and Hermione now, being all lovey-dovey..." Harry made a face, and would've continued if he hadn't been interrupted.
"What about me being lovey-dovey?" Hermione demanded, smiling at the guilty looks on the boys' faces.
"Nothing!" Harry exclaimed, looking embarrassed. Ron laughed and stood up to greet Hermione...greet meaning kiss. She smiled up at him. He was acting more like himself lately, and she hoped he had gotten over his strange far-away stage.
"This is what I mean by lovey-dovey," Harry muttered, and Hermione laughed.
"Jealous, Harry?" She teased. He rolled his eyes and gestured to the homework about them. For once in her life, Hermione didn't want to do homework. She had thought that Harry and Ron being Defenders would give her more time with them, but in the end it just made them all more busy. She found herself longing for the days when the three of them could just sit down and play exploding snap.
Shaking her head, she pulled the Transfiguration book toward her. She could sense the boys rolling their eyes over her head, but they had to get this essay done in the next three days. They sat down and began to start cracking. Out of nowhere, Ron suggested something very helpful, which was totally out of character for him. Hermione raised and eyebrow, and noticed he was looking over at a space of open air off to his left. Maybe that stage hadn't gone away yet.
She sighed. Oh well, it was better than fighting. Unless Ron was mad at her. She prayed this wasn't the case. What could she have done recently to make him angry? She was so intent on thinking of this, that she had quit reading.
"Hermione...Hermione!" Ron was waving a hand in front of her. She turned to see his smiling face, and convinced herself she was just being paranoid. Maybe it was her that was off in la-la land!
"Sorry," She smiled, and continued reading aloud (because she knew neither of them would read it).
However, the next time she looked over, Ron was staring off with a glazed look in his eyes. Just when she was starting to get worried, she realized Harry was also staring off into space. It occurred to her that it was almost time to go to bed. She announced this, and both boys thankfully went upstairs.
Hermione gave Ron a kiss, and then turned to pick up her own books and go up to bed. It was then that she saw, on the floor near Ron's seat, a marble. She picked it up and looked at it curiously. It was gold in color, with a black drop of ink suspended in the center. Frowning, she studied it. It glowed softly in her hand, and as she looked, the color slowly shifted. Shrugging, she pocketed it to give to Ron tomorrow.
That night, she had a dream.
*~*
The woman seemed about her age, with shining red hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was in a dress, twirling and laughing. Happiness radiated from her.
Then a young man, kneeling on the floor of a common room...they Slytherin common room. He was staring at something, and through it he could see the happy woman. He was staring at a marble
A quill exploding, ink flying. The marble, lying there, soaking up just one drop of the ominous black liquid. One drop was all it took. Now he could see her.
A locket, a beautiful golden locket twinkling in the sunlight. Then darkness, and the marble in a hand. The hand belonged to a red haired man, who was clutching at it as he gazed into a crystal ball. Looking within, she saw her own face...
*~*
Hermione sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. Fumbling through her hangings, she found her bedside table. A brief investigation informed her the marble was safe. She fell back down, and into a heavy dreamless slumber.
Ron was tossing and turning when he woke up. It was the third time that night. Sighing, he absently reached for his marble. He carried it with him everywhere, finding it a source of comfort. It was after nearly a full minute of absentminded searching when he realized.
It wasn't there.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"What do you mean it's not there?" Draco exclaimed.
"It's NOT THERE!" Ron replied. "I've searched everywhere for it."
"Well, maybe you should just forget about it." Draco suggested; seeming to think this would be the best solution.
"NO!" Ron cried in horror.
"Why not?"
"Because...because..." Actually, Ron couldn't explain why the thought of the marble missing was preying on his mind like it was. Lately, he had been thinking about it. A lot. More than school, more than Quidditch, more than food, more than Hermione! Day and night, the small spherical object haunted his thoughts. "Because Luna said it was powerful." He finished lamely.
"Yes, I knew that the moment I saw it," Draco retorted. "But I still think there's some kind of...darkness around it."
"You're one to talk," Ron muttered miserably.
"Hey, being a Malfoy, I have an uncanny knacks for spotting dark objects."
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, that will be enough from the peanut gallery!" Ron snapped, searching the common room yet again for any sign of the marble.
"I was just trying to give you the benefit of my knowledge," Draco replied haughtily. Ron rolled his eyes and continued on his search.
He didn't see a figure standing in the shadows of the girl's staircase.
The figure was Hermione Granger, who was staring wide-eyed into the common room. The scene she was watching was...indescribable. Her boyfriend was running around the common, turning over chairs and throwing cushions off the sofa. He was also talking...if the unintelligible stream of syllables coming from his mouth could be considered conversation. It seemed to be another language, hideous and frightening to listen to. Almost like hearing Harry speak in Parseltongue. Whatever it was, he seemed to be talking to thin air, waiting for a reply, and then talking again. She stared, not knowing what to do. Finally, when she could bear it no longer she called out a soft "Ron?"
Ron stood up and whipped around. He saw Hermione and smiled.
"Good morning, Hermione," He said. "Have you seen a marble lying around, by any chance?"
Hermione felt somewhat offended by this. It was like 'Hello Hermione, have you seen my marble? Yes? Okay then, see you later!' However, she decided not to voice this. She was annoyed, but not angry.
"As a matter of fact, I have." Hermione replied. Out of her pocket she pulled out the marble. She suddenly felt strangely reluctant to see it go. She looked down at it, and saw that it was now a light green in color. She wondered what would've happened if she hadn't told Ron about it.
However, she didn't have much time to wonder, since Ron grabbed it out of her hand the moment it was in sight. He looked at it greedily, and then put it in his pocket. For a moment, Hermione swore she had seen a gold light flicker in his clear blue eyes. Then he turned to her with a smile, and she was relieved to see he was his usual self...in a sense. There was still something... something she couldn't quite place.
"Let's go get some breakfast, shall we?" He asked, smiling. Hermione nodded, returning his smile and convincing herself he was still the same old Ron. She decided against asking Ron about his odd, one-sided conversation in a mysterious language.
It was probably the single biggest mistake she ever made.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Day of St. Valentine was always interesting at Hogwarts. Not so much for the younger students, but the older ones always made a big deal out of it, and it was always fun to see the way different couples reacted.
It was also a horrible day for Ginny Weasley. All she could think about was Draco. What if he were alive? What would they have done for Valentines? She found herself watching Hermione and Ron bitterly. They didn't know what this was like, what this pain was. They still had each other.
Draco himself had left Ron alone with Hermione for the day, much to Ron's surprise. For some reason, it seemed that the two of them had reached a silent understanding. Ron was the only living person Draco could talk to, which was to be expected. After all, he was an intangible and Ron was the only necromancer in the country at the time, if not the world. However lately it seemed to Ron that there were certain times when he could only talk to Draco. He had tried on several recent occasions to tell Harry and Hermione that he was a necromancer, but while his mind would form the words, his lips would say something else. At first Ron thought it was denial, but now it seemed stranger than that. More powerful. More frightening.
However, it was Valentine's Day, and he didn't care about anything but Hermione at the moment. Neither of them noticed Ginny's jealous glares. Ginny didn't notice Harry.
Harry Potter had lately been in constant torment. There was no denying his feelings for Ginny, but how could he ever hope to reach her while her mind was constantly with Draco Malfoy? He wanted so much to reach out to her, but nothing seemed to work. She was aloof, above the world. Far above Harry. He knew he didn't deserve her, and that he probably never would.
Trying to push these thoughts from his mind, he went upstairs to his dorm. He pulled out the photo album Hagrid had given him back in first year, and flipped through its now worn out pages. He smiled sadly, and lost himself in thought when a pounding came from the window. He leapt up and let the owl enter. It dropped a parcel on his bed, and then flew out again.
Little did Harry know, it was the same owl that delivered the mysterious parcels to Hermione, Ginny, Cho, and Neville Christmas night.
Harry knew the package was probably from some Hufflepuff first year begging him for a date or something because of his fame, but he opened it anyway. The first thing he caught was a glimpse of gold. Curious, he brought the item up to where he could see it.
It was a locket. A pretty gold locket that glinted in the winter sun. His curiosity mounting, Harry opened it. There was nothing inside. He shut the heart shaped locket again, frowning. Not knowing what it was or where it had come from, he considered just ignoring it. However, something told him it was special. So he decided to ask Sirius.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sirius Black could not even sit still. Valentine's Day. His mind was flooded with memories. Memories of school days, and after graduation. Memories of Lily and James. Memories of Luna.
Luna. His mind had been on her constantly for the last fifteen years, and now she was only a call away. And still he couldn't bring himself to...
To what? His relationship with Luna, whatever it was, had always been shaky. Now it was almost awkward. He had no idea how she felt toward him, and he was in love with her. Point blank period.
He remembered Valentine's Day of sixth year. He had been dating Luna then. He remembered being happy. He wondered if he was ever truly happy these days. He had forgotten what the feeling was supposed to be.
Restless, Sirius stood up and began to pace. After a few moments, this became too little for him, and he opened his door and began to wander the halls. Before he knew what was happening, he was standing in front of Luna's door.
For a moment, he considered walking on as if he hadn't noticed. But then he sighed. Maybe he would feel better if he talked to her. He knocked on the door.
"Sirius!" Luna smiled. "Come on in."
"Happy Valentine's Day," Sirius said.
"You too," She smiled. There was a moment of awkward silence. After a moment, Sirius couldn't stand it anymore. He opened his mouth to say something...ANYTHING...when-
Two knocks on the door.
"I'll get it," Luna said hurriedly. She threw it open a bit too eagerly, and found Harry Potter waiting on the other side.
"Harry?" She asked confusedly, blinking a few times.
"Hey Luna, have you seen Sirius around?"
"Right here," Sirius said, waving.
"Come on in," Luna gestured. Harry nodded his thanks and followed her suggestion.
"What is it Harry?" Sirius asked in concern. Harry shuffled his feet nervously.
"Well..." He muttered. Then he sighed and blurted it out. "I got an anonymous package today."
"Oh, Harry's got a secret admirer!" Sirius grinned. Harry rolled his eyes.
"If this is from a secret admirer, then they sent it to the wrong person," Harry replied. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the golden locket.
Sirius's eyes widened, and Harry head a sharp intake of breath from Luna.
"You recognize it?" Harry asked after observing their reactions.
"Yes," Sirius replied, after looking over at Luna. She didn't reply. Her mind had traveled back in time; back to the very first time she had seen that necklace...
Lily Evans had never missed a class in her life. That was why Luna Starlight was so worried. She looked around the Transfiguration room nervously. However, when the bell rang, there was still no Lily. McGonagall began talking, but Luna, for once, wasn't listening.
Lily had become her best friend at Hogwarts in last year. Now second years, one of Lily's favorite hobbies was preaching to the younger kids who skipped. She hadn't been at breakfast either.
When Lily hadn't turned up at lunch, Luna decided it was time to take drastic measures. Herbology was her next class, and by far the easiest. When she was sure all her fellow students were gone, she fled up to the Ravenclaw common room.
When she arrived, she found it deserted. Quietly, and feeling very guilty and afraid she would be caught, Luna tip toed through the room, then ran up the stairs to her dorm room. She was about to barge in, but then she heard something.
Crying.
Now alarmed, Luna pushed the door open silently. Lily was sitting on her bed, her whole body rocking with violent sobs. Luna couldn't see her friend through a curtain of matted and tangled fiery hair. She was completely dressed, with her books at her feet, but other than that she looked nothing like the Lily Luna had seen just yesterday.
"Lily," She said quietly. Lily's head snapped up, parting her hair so that Luna could see the face hidden beneath. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were tearstained.
"What?" She snapped.
"Er...are you okay? You didn't come to class," Luna said cautiously, approaching her friend.
"Do I look okay?" Lily snapped in response. Luna flinched.
"Lily..."
"I'm sorry Luna," Lily replied, taking in a shuddering breath. "It's just...just..." She broke into sobs anew. Luna rushed forward and pulled her friend into a hug.
"It's going to be okay," Luna muttered, stroking her friend's messy locks.
"No it's not," Lily replied through her choking sobs.
"Lily, what is it?" Luna pried her friend off and looked deeply into her bright green eyes. Shaking, Lily handed her friend an envelope. Luna took it, and after casting a curious glance at her friend, opened it.
Miss Lily Evans,
We regret to inform you that Kara and Stephen Evans, your parents, were found dead in their home at 2:36 this morning. The cause of death was the killing curse. Dark wizards or witches unknown are suspected responsible. We send our regrets.
Norman Whitecastle,
Minister of Magic
"Oh Lily..." Luna whispered. In response Lily started crying again, and Luna pulled her into another hug.
"Here, I'm being silly," Lily muttered, pulling away and wiping her tears.
"No you're not!" Luna cried, unable to believe that crying over the death of one's parents could be considered silly.
"They also sent me this," Lily continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. She reached under her vest and Luna saw a twinkle of gold. It was a locket in the shape of a heart, hanging on a thin gold chain around her neck.
"It's beautiful," Luna murmured, taking it carefully and examining as close as she could without choking Lily.
"It was my mother's," Lily explained. "It was given to her by a friend."
"Who?" Luna asked. The story seemed to be keeping Lily occupied.
"Um...I think Mom said his name was Tom," Lily replied. "Tom Riddle."
"Luna..." Sirius voice interrupted her reverie. Luna shook her head, and turned away as she realized she had been crying. Tom Riddle. She had never pieced it together. Voldemort had that locket to Lily's mother, who had in turn given it to Lily. Voldemort had murdered Lily's parents, then Lily and James, and was now after their son.
Who was now holding that cursed locket.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked in concern. Luna composed herself, and tried to smile.
"Then you know what this is?" Harry asked, lifting the locket. Luna nodded.
"Yes, Harry. It was your mother's, and your grand-mother's before her. It was given to your grand-mother by a good friend of hers."
"Who?" Harry asked curiously. Sirius was giving her the same look. Luna took a deep breath.
"Tom. Tom Riddle."
Onward:
A Glimpse of the Hidden
~I pledge my Loyalty to Honor, Justice, and Hogwarts~
Part Four
"Valentine's Day," Harry declared loudly. "Is a confounded nuisance."
"Hey, at least you don't have to buy anything," Ron pointed out. Draco made a rude comment behind him, but Ron didn't say anything. He was becoming quite good at ignoring Draco.
"That's why it's to annoying," Harry explained, as if this were obvious. "It's only a week away, and I can hear you and Hermione now, being all lovey-dovey..." Harry made a face, and would've continued if he hadn't been interrupted.
"What about me being lovey-dovey?" Hermione demanded, smiling at the guilty looks on the boys' faces.
"Nothing!" Harry exclaimed, looking embarrassed. Ron laughed and stood up to greet Hermione...greet meaning kiss. She smiled up at him. He was acting more like himself lately, and she hoped he had gotten over his strange far-away stage.
"This is what I mean by lovey-dovey," Harry muttered, and Hermione laughed.
"Jealous, Harry?" She teased. He rolled his eyes and gestured to the homework about them. For once in her life, Hermione didn't want to do homework. She had thought that Harry and Ron being Defenders would give her more time with them, but in the end it just made them all more busy. She found herself longing for the days when the three of them could just sit down and play exploding snap.
Shaking her head, she pulled the Transfiguration book toward her. She could sense the boys rolling their eyes over her head, but they had to get this essay done in the next three days. They sat down and began to start cracking. Out of nowhere, Ron suggested something very helpful, which was totally out of character for him. Hermione raised and eyebrow, and noticed he was looking over at a space of open air off to his left. Maybe that stage hadn't gone away yet.
She sighed. Oh well, it was better than fighting. Unless Ron was mad at her. She prayed this wasn't the case. What could she have done recently to make him angry? She was so intent on thinking of this, that she had quit reading.
"Hermione...Hermione!" Ron was waving a hand in front of her. She turned to see his smiling face, and convinced herself she was just being paranoid. Maybe it was her that was off in la-la land!
"Sorry," She smiled, and continued reading aloud (because she knew neither of them would read it).
However, the next time she looked over, Ron was staring off with a glazed look in his eyes. Just when she was starting to get worried, she realized Harry was also staring off into space. It occurred to her that it was almost time to go to bed. She announced this, and both boys thankfully went upstairs.
Hermione gave Ron a kiss, and then turned to pick up her own books and go up to bed. It was then that she saw, on the floor near Ron's seat, a marble. She picked it up and looked at it curiously. It was gold in color, with a black drop of ink suspended in the center. Frowning, she studied it. It glowed softly in her hand, and as she looked, the color slowly shifted. Shrugging, she pocketed it to give to Ron tomorrow.
That night, she had a dream.
*~*
The woman seemed about her age, with shining red hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was in a dress, twirling and laughing. Happiness radiated from her.
Then a young man, kneeling on the floor of a common room...they Slytherin common room. He was staring at something, and through it he could see the happy woman. He was staring at a marble
A quill exploding, ink flying. The marble, lying there, soaking up just one drop of the ominous black liquid. One drop was all it took. Now he could see her.
A locket, a beautiful golden locket twinkling in the sunlight. Then darkness, and the marble in a hand. The hand belonged to a red haired man, who was clutching at it as he gazed into a crystal ball. Looking within, she saw her own face...
*~*
Hermione sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. Fumbling through her hangings, she found her bedside table. A brief investigation informed her the marble was safe. She fell back down, and into a heavy dreamless slumber.
Ron was tossing and turning when he woke up. It was the third time that night. Sighing, he absently reached for his marble. He carried it with him everywhere, finding it a source of comfort. It was after nearly a full minute of absentminded searching when he realized.
It wasn't there.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"What do you mean it's not there?" Draco exclaimed.
"It's NOT THERE!" Ron replied. "I've searched everywhere for it."
"Well, maybe you should just forget about it." Draco suggested; seeming to think this would be the best solution.
"NO!" Ron cried in horror.
"Why not?"
"Because...because..." Actually, Ron couldn't explain why the thought of the marble missing was preying on his mind like it was. Lately, he had been thinking about it. A lot. More than school, more than Quidditch, more than food, more than Hermione! Day and night, the small spherical object haunted his thoughts. "Because Luna said it was powerful." He finished lamely.
"Yes, I knew that the moment I saw it," Draco retorted. "But I still think there's some kind of...darkness around it."
"You're one to talk," Ron muttered miserably.
"Hey, being a Malfoy, I have an uncanny knacks for spotting dark objects."
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, that will be enough from the peanut gallery!" Ron snapped, searching the common room yet again for any sign of the marble.
"I was just trying to give you the benefit of my knowledge," Draco replied haughtily. Ron rolled his eyes and continued on his search.
He didn't see a figure standing in the shadows of the girl's staircase.
The figure was Hermione Granger, who was staring wide-eyed into the common room. The scene she was watching was...indescribable. Her boyfriend was running around the common, turning over chairs and throwing cushions off the sofa. He was also talking...if the unintelligible stream of syllables coming from his mouth could be considered conversation. It seemed to be another language, hideous and frightening to listen to. Almost like hearing Harry speak in Parseltongue. Whatever it was, he seemed to be talking to thin air, waiting for a reply, and then talking again. She stared, not knowing what to do. Finally, when she could bear it no longer she called out a soft "Ron?"
Ron stood up and whipped around. He saw Hermione and smiled.
"Good morning, Hermione," He said. "Have you seen a marble lying around, by any chance?"
Hermione felt somewhat offended by this. It was like 'Hello Hermione, have you seen my marble? Yes? Okay then, see you later!' However, she decided not to voice this. She was annoyed, but not angry.
"As a matter of fact, I have." Hermione replied. Out of her pocket she pulled out the marble. She suddenly felt strangely reluctant to see it go. She looked down at it, and saw that it was now a light green in color. She wondered what would've happened if she hadn't told Ron about it.
However, she didn't have much time to wonder, since Ron grabbed it out of her hand the moment it was in sight. He looked at it greedily, and then put it in his pocket. For a moment, Hermione swore she had seen a gold light flicker in his clear blue eyes. Then he turned to her with a smile, and she was relieved to see he was his usual self...in a sense. There was still something... something she couldn't quite place.
"Let's go get some breakfast, shall we?" He asked, smiling. Hermione nodded, returning his smile and convincing herself he was still the same old Ron. She decided against asking Ron about his odd, one-sided conversation in a mysterious language.
It was probably the single biggest mistake she ever made.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Day of St. Valentine was always interesting at Hogwarts. Not so much for the younger students, but the older ones always made a big deal out of it, and it was always fun to see the way different couples reacted.
It was also a horrible day for Ginny Weasley. All she could think about was Draco. What if he were alive? What would they have done for Valentines? She found herself watching Hermione and Ron bitterly. They didn't know what this was like, what this pain was. They still had each other.
Draco himself had left Ron alone with Hermione for the day, much to Ron's surprise. For some reason, it seemed that the two of them had reached a silent understanding. Ron was the only living person Draco could talk to, which was to be expected. After all, he was an intangible and Ron was the only necromancer in the country at the time, if not the world. However lately it seemed to Ron that there were certain times when he could only talk to Draco. He had tried on several recent occasions to tell Harry and Hermione that he was a necromancer, but while his mind would form the words, his lips would say something else. At first Ron thought it was denial, but now it seemed stranger than that. More powerful. More frightening.
However, it was Valentine's Day, and he didn't care about anything but Hermione at the moment. Neither of them noticed Ginny's jealous glares. Ginny didn't notice Harry.
Harry Potter had lately been in constant torment. There was no denying his feelings for Ginny, but how could he ever hope to reach her while her mind was constantly with Draco Malfoy? He wanted so much to reach out to her, but nothing seemed to work. She was aloof, above the world. Far above Harry. He knew he didn't deserve her, and that he probably never would.
Trying to push these thoughts from his mind, he went upstairs to his dorm. He pulled out the photo album Hagrid had given him back in first year, and flipped through its now worn out pages. He smiled sadly, and lost himself in thought when a pounding came from the window. He leapt up and let the owl enter. It dropped a parcel on his bed, and then flew out again.
Little did Harry know, it was the same owl that delivered the mysterious parcels to Hermione, Ginny, Cho, and Neville Christmas night.
Harry knew the package was probably from some Hufflepuff first year begging him for a date or something because of his fame, but he opened it anyway. The first thing he caught was a glimpse of gold. Curious, he brought the item up to where he could see it.
It was a locket. A pretty gold locket that glinted in the winter sun. His curiosity mounting, Harry opened it. There was nothing inside. He shut the heart shaped locket again, frowning. Not knowing what it was or where it had come from, he considered just ignoring it. However, something told him it was special. So he decided to ask Sirius.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sirius Black could not even sit still. Valentine's Day. His mind was flooded with memories. Memories of school days, and after graduation. Memories of Lily and James. Memories of Luna.
Luna. His mind had been on her constantly for the last fifteen years, and now she was only a call away. And still he couldn't bring himself to...
To what? His relationship with Luna, whatever it was, had always been shaky. Now it was almost awkward. He had no idea how she felt toward him, and he was in love with her. Point blank period.
He remembered Valentine's Day of sixth year. He had been dating Luna then. He remembered being happy. He wondered if he was ever truly happy these days. He had forgotten what the feeling was supposed to be.
Restless, Sirius stood up and began to pace. After a few moments, this became too little for him, and he opened his door and began to wander the halls. Before he knew what was happening, he was standing in front of Luna's door.
For a moment, he considered walking on as if he hadn't noticed. But then he sighed. Maybe he would feel better if he talked to her. He knocked on the door.
"Sirius!" Luna smiled. "Come on in."
"Happy Valentine's Day," Sirius said.
"You too," She smiled. There was a moment of awkward silence. After a moment, Sirius couldn't stand it anymore. He opened his mouth to say something...ANYTHING...when-
Two knocks on the door.
"I'll get it," Luna said hurriedly. She threw it open a bit too eagerly, and found Harry Potter waiting on the other side.
"Harry?" She asked confusedly, blinking a few times.
"Hey Luna, have you seen Sirius around?"
"Right here," Sirius said, waving.
"Come on in," Luna gestured. Harry nodded his thanks and followed her suggestion.
"What is it Harry?" Sirius asked in concern. Harry shuffled his feet nervously.
"Well..." He muttered. Then he sighed and blurted it out. "I got an anonymous package today."
"Oh, Harry's got a secret admirer!" Sirius grinned. Harry rolled his eyes.
"If this is from a secret admirer, then they sent it to the wrong person," Harry replied. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the golden locket.
Sirius's eyes widened, and Harry head a sharp intake of breath from Luna.
"You recognize it?" Harry asked after observing their reactions.
"Yes," Sirius replied, after looking over at Luna. She didn't reply. Her mind had traveled back in time; back to the very first time she had seen that necklace...
Lily Evans had never missed a class in her life. That was why Luna Starlight was so worried. She looked around the Transfiguration room nervously. However, when the bell rang, there was still no Lily. McGonagall began talking, but Luna, for once, wasn't listening.
Lily had become her best friend at Hogwarts in last year. Now second years, one of Lily's favorite hobbies was preaching to the younger kids who skipped. She hadn't been at breakfast either.
When Lily hadn't turned up at lunch, Luna decided it was time to take drastic measures. Herbology was her next class, and by far the easiest. When she was sure all her fellow students were gone, she fled up to the Ravenclaw common room.
When she arrived, she found it deserted. Quietly, and feeling very guilty and afraid she would be caught, Luna tip toed through the room, then ran up the stairs to her dorm room. She was about to barge in, but then she heard something.
Crying.
Now alarmed, Luna pushed the door open silently. Lily was sitting on her bed, her whole body rocking with violent sobs. Luna couldn't see her friend through a curtain of matted and tangled fiery hair. She was completely dressed, with her books at her feet, but other than that she looked nothing like the Lily Luna had seen just yesterday.
"Lily," She said quietly. Lily's head snapped up, parting her hair so that Luna could see the face hidden beneath. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were tearstained.
"What?" She snapped.
"Er...are you okay? You didn't come to class," Luna said cautiously, approaching her friend.
"Do I look okay?" Lily snapped in response. Luna flinched.
"Lily..."
"I'm sorry Luna," Lily replied, taking in a shuddering breath. "It's just...just..." She broke into sobs anew. Luna rushed forward and pulled her friend into a hug.
"It's going to be okay," Luna muttered, stroking her friend's messy locks.
"No it's not," Lily replied through her choking sobs.
"Lily, what is it?" Luna pried her friend off and looked deeply into her bright green eyes. Shaking, Lily handed her friend an envelope. Luna took it, and after casting a curious glance at her friend, opened it.
Miss Lily Evans,
We regret to inform you that Kara and Stephen Evans, your parents, were found dead in their home at 2:36 this morning. The cause of death was the killing curse. Dark wizards or witches unknown are suspected responsible. We send our regrets.
Norman Whitecastle,
Minister of Magic
"Oh Lily..." Luna whispered. In response Lily started crying again, and Luna pulled her into another hug.
"Here, I'm being silly," Lily muttered, pulling away and wiping her tears.
"No you're not!" Luna cried, unable to believe that crying over the death of one's parents could be considered silly.
"They also sent me this," Lily continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. She reached under her vest and Luna saw a twinkle of gold. It was a locket in the shape of a heart, hanging on a thin gold chain around her neck.
"It's beautiful," Luna murmured, taking it carefully and examining as close as she could without choking Lily.
"It was my mother's," Lily explained. "It was given to her by a friend."
"Who?" Luna asked. The story seemed to be keeping Lily occupied.
"Um...I think Mom said his name was Tom," Lily replied. "Tom Riddle."
"Luna..." Sirius voice interrupted her reverie. Luna shook her head, and turned away as she realized she had been crying. Tom Riddle. She had never pieced it together. Voldemort had that locket to Lily's mother, who had in turn given it to Lily. Voldemort had murdered Lily's parents, then Lily and James, and was now after their son.
Who was now holding that cursed locket.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked in concern. Luna composed herself, and tried to smile.
"Then you know what this is?" Harry asked, lifting the locket. Luna nodded.
"Yes, Harry. It was your mother's, and your grand-mother's before her. It was given to your grand-mother by a good friend of hers."
"Who?" Harry asked curiously. Sirius was giving her the same look. Luna took a deep breath.
"Tom. Tom Riddle."