Chapter 14: Lily's Note
"How did you manage to get out of that with no detention?" Celeste asked in an awed voice later that night.
"I'm a fast talker, what can I say?" I replied knowing fully well that my fast talking had in fact saved me from three weeks of detention, "Besides, I don't think Professor Longbottom really wanted to give me detention."
"I don't think I'll ever understand him. One minute you think he's going to do one thing and the next minute he's off doing the completely opposite," Celeste sighed and took a seat in the good armchairs by the fire.
"Logan, did you figure it out yet," I whispered as I walked by the table where he was working in the Common Room.
"No, and don't you even think about telling me the answer!" Logan replied.
"Riley, come here. I need some help with this homework and you've been done with it for ages," Wood called across the Common Room.
"Are you leaving things until last minute again? I'll help but only for a little while, I've got Quidditch Practice," I walked over to the table that Wood was sitting at by the window and sat down.
"This passage makes no sense. It's contradicting what the line right before it is saying," Wood pointed out a couple of lines in the book and I leaned over to get a good look, glancing out the window as I did so.
"Oh, bloody hell!" I exclaimed rushing over to the window and yanking it open to let my injured owl into the Common Room. I caught her just as she fell towards the ground.
"What's wrong?" Celeste asked as she hurried across the Common Room to intercept me on my way downstairs to see the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Cockatrice.
"Someone attacked Zandra," I fumed, "Look at her! She's got a broken wing and she's all bloody!"
"Who did you send her to?" Lauran asked, joining the conversation.
"Nobody, that's the weirdest thing, anyone could have done this," I replied as I remembered that I had been going to take Zandra to Professor Cockatrice.
"Not anyone," Celeste replied softly pulling off the letter attached to Zandra's leg and placing it in my hand, "I bet this will tell us who attacked her and hopefully why they did."
"It was Lily," I replied suddenly, almost inaudibly, "I know it was. She attacked Zandra because she's angry that I got away."
I didn't wait for a reply (and it's a good thing I didn't because no reply came) but instead went out of the Common Room and hurried towards the Staff Room to find Professor Cockatrice.
"She'll be just fine, that's a fighter that one. But do you have any idea who might have done this to her?" Professor Cockatrice asked as she scratched Zandra on the head.
"No, I don't know," I lied shaking my head, "I have no idea who might do that to her."
"Hmm," Professor Cockatrice replied, not believing me for a second, "I'll watch her for the next few days and make sure she heals properly. You can run along now."
"Thanks Professor," I replied quickly and turned to go, suddenly remembering the letter that Zandra had been carrying was still clenched in my hand.
I hurried out of the Staff Room and down to the Quidditch pitch. I shut myself in the Captain's office and sat down to rip the note open. It read as follows:
Sister,
I know that you know more about things then you let on. Don't forget, my Eyes are always watching.
The note wasn't signed, but it really didn't need to be. Once again I wondered who XJ was and how they knew so well exactly what was taking place in Hogwarts.
