Damn money

Hello Moonies! Yesterday we were in Diagon looking for books on Druid Magic, and we discovered by chance two other ancient magics, the Magic of Love and the Magic of the... Moon. Wow! What do you think? Painted for you.

We have not yet studied the books, in the next one we will tell you more. We couldn't write to you yesterday because we were very busy. Don't think wrong… We went shopping all day. That's why we sent you this one with Puck, keep him if you want to answer.

We also got travel guides to magical places all over the UK and Ireland, where to perform more Druid Magic rituals. At the weekend we are going to take a trip with my parents to one of them.

"Oh really?" Sev asked excitedly. "Where?"

"Oh… surprise…" Lily said.

"And you call me mysterious. I want to know."

"You will know in time."

"Well… Come on, keep going."

We also bought a Pensieve. Did you know that it also serves to see memories in it? I found out yesterday when that silly Sev…

He nudged her.

…always playing the mysterious…

He nudged her again, Lily laughed.

…passed it off as a gift for my parents.

They both laughed.

Do you know that they have bought us a desk so that we can study together and they have put a latch on my bedroom door?

"Ugh, Lily, don't tell them that."

"They also told us what they do on the couch."

"Yeah, well… nothing happens. But the details, only to Cecile, girly secrets. Let me get on with the serious topic, now that you know, let Cecile find out too."

Lily and I are going to abandon all contact when we get back to the castle, a critical situation is going to happen at any moment. We've already been lucky they haven't caught us so far and we mustn't tempt luck any further. She will tell you in more detail, but as soon as the commotion occurs, which is going to be big, I ask you please, not to be separated from her at any time and that Potter and Black also accompany you. I will never be able to thank you enough for everything you are doing for me, my wolf friends.

In exchange for what I ask of you, I am going to offer you something valuable and that I think you need. Wolf, you and I will meet up the first night you can, where we always say goodbye on the fifth floor, have Cecile make the sign to me as always at dinner. Oh! And don't do your Arithmancy homework yet, I'll send it to you next time.

"The Fidelius?" Lily asked.

"Sure, but I'm not going to conjure it up. I'm going to teach him how to do it and he can try it out with Cecile, so he can be their own Secret-Keeper."

"Are you going to do it also in the fifth floor?"

"It seems to me the best place in the castle," Sev answered. "There are plenty of empty classrooms, it is remote, rarely visited, dark and with two exits. But they don't have to hide like we do and Remus knows the castle well too. Maybe he prefers another place, we'll do it wherever he wants. Well, say goodbye and let's send it over, otherwise they might not be in the Common Room anymore when it gets there. Let me write the postscript."

I hope you continue to have a good time, and don't be overwhelmed, little wolf, by the moon. Thursday afternoon you'll be already fine and you still have another four days of holidays to go. I wish there were more, we don't really want to go back to school, just to see you. For me, I would stay here with Sev forever.

He kissed her.

We love you very much and we miss you. In summer we all have to meet up to go somewhere together.

Hugs of four.

The Princes

"That was supposed to be a secret between us," Sev said.

"They already read it when I showed them your letter in the Express."

"Yeah, it's true, Jack also guessed my nickname. I thought it was very original but it is not so much."

"It isn't. It's pretty obvious," Lily said.

"Well, the postscript."

PS: Don't forget to protect the letter with the spell that appears in the book of warding spells, and burn the envelope.

They put the letter in the envelope.

"Oh! I just thought of a little gift for them. Do you have berries?" he asked.

"Yes, I always carry them just in case."

"Then give me a pair. They are going to hallucinate."

He took out the letter again and added:

PS 2: A little secret of the Forest, take them when you are very comfortable, better let the Moon pass. Then you tell us.

They put the letter and the berries in the envelope and sent Puck out the window.

"Well, we missed the morning," Sev said. "We haven't studied, but I think it has been well spent."

"What time will you come?"

Mum will already have food ready when I arrive, but she doesn't leave the house again until three. An hour to go and back to Gringotts and back to here.

"Around four o'clock," he replied.

"Is it a errand for your Mum?"

"Yeah."

"Do you need money?" she asked.

"No, I have enough."

"But you did not change your Galleons. You're going to have to go back to Diagon."

"Yes, but by Floo it's a moment," Sev said.

"I'll change them for you, so you can come earlier, this afternoon we have a lot to do."

Okay, that yes. So I give Mum the money now and she can go shopping before going to work.

"Okay," he agreed. "I have this Muggle money left. How much more will she need to buy herself something decent at yesterday's store? It's so she won't be so embarrassed to come to dinner."

"That's enough for it, but she also needs shoes and maybe a coat."

"Yeah…"

"How much do you have left in Galleons?" Lily asked.

"Still enough."

"You shouldn't have bought me anything yesterday, that store is very expensive and the gifts you Summon are more beautiful."

"I didn't tell you, but yesterday I sold them some that I Summoned," Sev said. "I didn't get much, I'm sure they'll sell them for double or more. They are profiteers."

"Well, you shouldn't have left them, the things you do are unique, I try and don't get like you do. You are an artist and you should value yourself more. If you didn't play mysterious and have let me go with you, I wouldn't have let them buy them for so little. You have to learn how to haggle also for that."

"Well, at Hogwarts I will Summon and in summer you'll help me sell them."

"Take this, Sev, don't change what's yours, you might need it at school, you'll give it back to me in the summer, now you've found a job," she said. "Even if you don't get the potions thing, you're going to earn money. How many did you sell yesterday?"

"Four, one from each House."

"Jo… and you didn't show them to me."

"Yeah…"

"Well, it doesn't matter, you'll tell me what they were like. Surely when they see the success they have they will want more. So now you have one more thing to do to be entertained until the summer."

"Ugh… work is piling up," he said. "Well, I leave the backpack here. I have brought the book of Defense, and Potions so that you can copy the annotations that you are missing. Is it enough for the afternoon? Or do I bring something else?"

"The fifth year Arithmancy book. I'm almost done with the fourth one. So while I copy Potions, you do your homework and then leave it to me."

"Wow, Lily, you are a wonder. You are going to take out in a year and without having gone to class what it has cost me three."

"You know I've had a lot of help from you both," she said.

"Well, with that and looking at what we bought, I think it will be enough. Thank you very much for the money, Lily."

"Don't tell your Mum that I gave it to you. Tell her you got it by selling your presents. Did you do any to her?"

"I didn't," he replied.

"Jo, Sev. Well, as soon as you get to Hogwarts, send to her the first thing you do."

"Yeah… and also to your Mum."

I'm dismayed, now it seems to me that I have wasted my talent. In order to get a few Galleons, I have lost the opportunity to make two people I love very happy.

"Come on, nothing's wrong," Lily reassured him. "It's just that you're a newbie and you don't value yourself, but you'll learn how to do it. Give me kisses."

It was one o'clock. Sev and Lily had lunch at the same time, each at their home.

When Sev finished eating, he washed the dishes so that his Mum could rest for a while. Then he sat down with her on the couch.

"Mum, I'm going to give you something and I don't want you to protest. I earned it myself, selling gifts I Summon yesterday in Diagon. You need to buy some clothes to go visit the Evanses, and also shoes and a new coat. So take."

"But Severus, if this is much more than what I gave you…"

"I already told you not to protest. You need it, and I have found a way to make a living. The pity was that I did not do more, otherwise I could have given you and Lily's Mum something. Do not buy second-hand clothes, go to a store in the city center called 'Remnant', they have very cheap new clothes. And if you have anything left over, buy Violet something so you don't arrive at their house empty-handed. If it isn't enough for something else, take her flowers, see that all three have flower names."

"Thank you very much, son…" Eileen hugged him crying.

. . . . . . . . .

This time Petunia came downstairs to have lunch, but she didn't open her mouth or look at her mother or her sister the whole time.

When they finished, Violet said to her, "Tuney, before you start studying, clear the table and wash the dishes, please." She didn't reply and went to it, Lily and her Mum looked at each other. Violet raised her eyebrows with a satisfied smile.

While Petunia was in the kitchen, they sat in the living room for a while until Sev arrived. "Has she bothered you today?" her Mum asked.

"Nothing at all. At mid-morning we have gone downstairs to have a tea and eat something, we have crossed her and she has not said a word."

"Great. Have you been comfortable, then?"

"Yes Mum. We have used the time well." Indeed... we've done everything except study.

"Is he coming this afternoon too?" Violet asked.

"Yes of course. We still haven't looked at the books we bought yesterday, and he also wants to spend some time with Dad."

"Great, so you tell us more things."

"What day will we invite Eileen to dinner?" Lily asked.

"I already told her to come whenever she wants."

"But it's better that we tell her when, maybe she'll be embarrassed to propose it herself."

"Yeah… then it would be good if she came on Thursday," her Mum said. "Dad leaves work early and the next day is a holiday. That way she can come as soon as she's done and we'll have an after-dinner, we'll have more time to chat."

"Okay, I'll tell Sev. Oh! By the way, do you know that he has found another way to earn money?"

"Really?"

"We already told you that we can Summon natural objects, well, he does it in a way that unique things come out, which do not exist in nature," Lily explained. "He mixes various ideas in his mind, colors, shapes, he thinks about who they are for and beautiful things come out. I try too, but I can't get it like him."

"He is an artist of magic."

"Yeah. Look what he got me for my birthday."

Lily showed her Mum her pendant.

"Wow... it's true, precious and unique." Violet was tactful not to mention that the chain was made of hair.

"Well, yesterday, without telling me, he sold some in Diagon's gift shop. He is silly, because he was paid little, if he had gone with me he would have gotten twice as much. I think he spent more on the gift he gave me than he got for them."

"Yeah... but it's normal, honey, if it was the first time, that he doesn't appreciate the true value it has. And selling them to a store is never the same as if you do it directly to people, because those in the trade also have to take part of it. Too bad you can't do magic here, I could offer them to my co-workers."

"Really?" Lily asked.

"Of course, this is impossible to buy in the Muggle world. It's very special, I'm sure they'll like it."

"He has been sad because he sold all that he had and did not keep any to give to his Mum and to you."

"Oh... nothing happens, honey," Violet said. "It's normal, your friend has been through a lot of poverty. We were aware of it and should have offered to help him much sooner, but we were afraid of offending him. Don't you remember that when you were little we always wanted to invite him to a snack and he almost never accepted?"

Violet's eyes were watering and Lily's were too. They embraced.

On both couches in both rooms, both Mums and their children hugged each other crying over the damn money.