Chapter 96
Normal Feelings never last
Note from J.M. Jackson: Sorry for missing last weeks update, life has been really hectic.
As Lily was preparing for the first Hogsmeade weekend, she felt excited to be able to have fun, and relax a little with her friends. The first stop was, naturally, the sweet shop. The group of friends stocked up their supplies, before the girls made their way to the nearby clothes store.
It sometimes felt strange to Lily, being able to go clothes shopping with the girls like everything was normal. She often felt like she should be more focused on preparing for the fights against Voldemort and his Death Eaters but, as Ginny often pointed out to her, if all she did was focus on training, strategies and the uncertainty of the future, she would burn out. It was okay to rest and to have some fun.
Lily giggled as she watched Ginny twirl in a new, red dress that Lily insisted she was going to buy for her.
"The colour definitely suits you, Ginny," Lavender complimented as she popped some jellybeans in her mouth. "I mean, look at it! It brings out your freckles and hair, and that's always a good thing."
"I think with the necklace you're wearing, it's perfect," Parvati added, grinning. She had picked out some new shoes and had taken a break from finding complimentary apparel to offer her opinion on her friends' choices.
"Oh, I agree," Lily said. "You look perfect."
"You'd say that even if I wore a rubbish sack," Ginny pointed out, smirking.
"Is it my fault that you're literally perfect?" Lily asked.
The girls heard a groan, and turned to face Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean. "You guys have been here for ages! Aren't you done yet?" Ron complained half-heartedly as he peered at the lack of shopping bags. He and the other boys had offered to carry the purchases despite Ginny pointing out that they were more than capable of managing. Lavender had then whispered to let them do it anyway because, out of them all, Lily needed a new wardrobe the most and it would be easier to let them fulfil their, quote, 'gentlemanly duties.'
"We've only just begun," Ginny told her brother before returning to the changing rooms.
Lily giggled as she placed some bras into her shopping basket. Thanks to the Femininus Draught, her womanly assets were growing in properly, and she needed more room up there. When her breasts had begun to develop, Lily had practically broken down in joyous tears. It did mean, however, that she needed new clothes to accommodate the growth.
"Seriously?" Dean spoke up as he watched the girls shift through the clothing racks. "How many outfits are you planning on buying?"
"Pretty much an entirely new wardrobe for all of us," Lavender told the boys as she dumped an armful of clothes into her basket.
Lily tried, and failed, to hold back a laugh as Dean and Seamus turned to slap Ron round the back of his head.
"Let's be gentlemen," Seamus mimicked Ron.
"Let's help the girls, we're strong men, they need us," Dean added.
"Oh, he was right. I'm sure us girls are too weak to carry so many dresses," Parvati cooed sarcastically, though she was grinning.
Ron rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it in a negative way," he said, looking suitably chastised. "I just wanted to do something nice, and it came out all wrong."
"You think?" Ginny asked as she reappeared from the changing room in her regular clothes, smirking. "We're just girls, what could we know about shopping?"
"I'm never living this down, am I?" Ron whined, sitting down on one of the nearby seats with a groan.
Lavender smiled, walking over to press a kiss to his cheek. "No, my love, you're not, but your intention was sweet," she soothed. "Saying that, you need to be a little less…"
"Stupid?" Dean and Seamus finished at the same time, high fiving each other when Ron glared at them.
"Pretty much," Lavender giggled.
"You can go, if you want," Lily broke in, feeling sorry for Ron. "We can magic this stuff back."
"No, it's fine, we did promise. Plus, it's kinda awesome, seeing how you all look in the dresses," Dean said as he sat next to Ron. "I'm sorta going out with Hannah Abbot, and it's giving me ideas of gifts and the like."
"That's awesome! How long has that been going on?" Lily asked, as she selected two dresses to try on.
"A few months, it began just before the end of last term," Dean replied with a dreamy looking smile. "She and I started studying together, and one day we just ended up kissing. I thought she was dating Ernie, but I was wrong."
"Well, don't mess it up. She's a sweet girl," Padma warned him, various shades of lipstick patterned across her hand. She dropped three colours in her already impressive pile.
"You don't need to tell me twice," Dean agreed, as Lily went into the changing room. She changed into the first dress she had selected before emerging, blushing as her friends whistled.
"Honestly, that's perfect," Ginny smiled, her eyes shining with love and adoration. "It hugs your curves in all the right places!"
"Ginny is absolutely correct," Minerva's voice came from nearby as she stepped into view.
"Aunt Minnie, I didn't know you were coming today!" Lily exclaimed happily before she hugged the older woman in greeting.
"I hope I'm not imposing, but I knew you were clothes shopping, and wanted to take a few pictures," Minerva explained as she embraced Lily back. "Plus, it's been a while since we had some time together outside of the school."
"You're never imposing, Aunt Minnie," Lily replied, giggling as she saw Ron, Dean, Neville, and Seamus stiffen up slightly. "Relax, she's not Professor McGonagall right now, she's my aunt Minnie."
"I… no offence Lily, but it still feels weird, seeing Professor McGonagall outside of Hogwarts," Dean admitted, not to subtly trying to brush off some crumbs on his clothes.
"Are you implying, Mr. Thomas, that I have no life outside of Hogwarts?" Minerva asked, glaring at him. Dean immediately shrunk back, causing all the girls to burst out laughing. "You may relax, Mr. Thomas. All evidence to the contrary, I do enjoy spending time away from the school with my niece, and her friends."
"You really like this dress, Aunt Minnie?" Lily twirled again.
"I think it's beautiful. Just like you, sweetheart," Minerva smiled at her, cupping Lily's cheek. "It'll be perfect for any date nights you and Ginny have, or formal occasions."
Lily beamed at her aunt, before going to change into the other dress, emerging a few moments later. It was a pale pink summer dress with a white stripe across the waist, and on the arms. It was decorated with white dots covering it, similar to the one she'd found when she was six.
"That's the same as the one you told us about when you were six, isn't it?" Minerva commented, her eyes shining as everyone paused to check out the dress again.
Lily nodded, her hand gently smoothing down the soft fabric. "I wrote to the shop owner a while ago, and asked if they could make me this dress," Lily confirmed, knowing she had a silly, soft smile on her face but not caring. "I wanted one for ages, for obvious reasons. Finding the dress when I was 6... well, it started my entire journey."
"It suits you perfectly," Hermione complimented.
Ginny took Lily's hand and held it for a moment. "I love you, Lily," she said softly. "And I'm glad you're enjoying today."
"Honestly, this is one of the best days I've had in a while," Lily told her, almost forgetting the others were there as they shared a few sweet kisses.
"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Parvati cooed before linking her arm through Neville's, who had remained practically silent for the whole trip. "What do you think?"
"You're not wrong," Neville said quietly.
"Neville, are you okay?" Lavender asked, coming around to his other side with a look of concern on her face.
"I just… it feels a little… strange, I guess, doing all this. I've never done anything like this, and I don't really know what to think of the clothes. I always just pick whatever fits, and go with it," Neville admitted with an awkward shrug.
"Neville, there's nothing wrong with wearing what's comfortable for you," Ginny pointed out, her arm curled around Lily's waist. "We love new clothes, but that doesn't mean you have to. You can wear whatever you feel happy in."
"And you don't have to compliment or like what we choose, you know. That's the beautiful thing about having an opinion, it's your opinion and can be whatever you think or believe," Parvati added. She then tapped her chin in mock thoughtfulness. "Well, unless you believe that Snape is attractive... keep that to yourself!"
The group groaned and Lily noticed her aunt resisting the automatic correction of the title Professor Snape. She was, however, grinning.
"In that case, I think you look beautiful in that teal coloured dress, Parvati," Neville pointed to the first dress his girlfriend had tried on that she had been unsure about buying or not. "It makes you look like a model."
"That's so sweet of you to say," Parvati beamed at Neville, before she squealed and peppered kisses on his bright red face.
"That's our man, a hit with the ladies," Dean cheered before he, Seamus and Ron patted him on the shoulder.
"Feeling any better?" Lily asked when Parvati's kiss attack had finished. Neville nodded, looking slightly bewildered but pleased. "Good. This is about having fun Neville, so relax a little, okay? We wanted you here with us because you're our friend, and we value your opinion."
Despite their earlier teasing, they didn't take much longer choosing additional outfits and, upon paying, the boys hoisted the bags on their arms with grace.
"Lunch, then?" Minerva said as they left the store minutes later, having magically lightened the bags for the Gryffindor boys.
"Definitely. What were you thinking?" Lily asked.
"Oh, I arranged a little lunch buffet at the Three Broomsticks," Minerva replied as she led the way.
Lunch was, as it always was at the Three Broomsticks, delicious. Lily didn't know how Madam Rosmerta managed to always make the food so tasty, but it was just as good, if not better, than what they had at Hogwarts. Not that she would tell Dobby or the other house elves that...
The weather had been bad when the group had set out that morning, but now the snow had fallen heavily and settled. Lily wondered if there was someone who could magically control the weather; it felt like the snow hadn't been falling for that long, although she had been distracted heavily when clothes shopping. Lily still loved the magical clothing stores; the witches there were so talented, they could make any clothes and style they wanted, and quickly, yet it looked so perfect. The wizards working there were just as skilled.
"You're telling me three hours isn't actually a long time to be in a clothes shop?" Seamus asked, as they were walking back to the castle. Katie Bell and her friend Leanne were ahead of them, and Lily could tell they were arguing about something. Lily sighed; she hated to see her friends fighting.
"Oh, believe me Mr. Finnegan, during the summer, the girls spent six hours in a single store, and were still invigorated and wanted to do more shopping," Minerva replied, chuckling. Lily laughed with the group as she saw the look on Seamus's face.
"That's insane!" Dean exclaimed. "Lily, you were in a shop for six hours?"
"Why is it insane? No offence, Dean, but when we girls are clothes shopping, we're very picky," Lily replied.
"You were definitely never meant to be a boy if you can enjoy being in one shop for six hours," Dean said, still looking shocked.
"Oh, yeah, ignoring how much time you can spend in Zonko's –" Lily began to reply before a blood curdling scream pierced the air. Lily's hand was instinctively at her wand, her heart in her throat. Her friends reacted the same, Aunt Minnie immediately stepping in front of the group as their eyes found the source of the screams. It was Leanne, the girl hysterical as Katie began to float in the air in a sick facade of a levicorpus spell. Her face was contorted in pain.
"Stand back!" Minerva shouted as she waved her wand at Katie, slowly bringing her back to the snow covered ground. Leanne was alternating between sobbing and shrieking, her trembling hand darting between her friend and a bundle on the ground.
"What's that?" Ron asked as he took a step towards the bundle.
"Don't touch it," Lily exclaimed, something inside her screaming be careful at the sight of it.
"She… she came out… of the bathroom with it," Leanne choked out, shaking like a leaf. "Said… she had to deliver… deliver it to someone."
"Did she say who?" Minerva asked, sending a signal into the sky before she used her wand to open the bundle, revealing an innocent looking necklace. Leanne shook her head, crying as Hermione and the girls crowded around her, trying their best to comfort her.
"We should ask Professor Snape about it," Lily surprised herself by saying. "He might have an idea about it, he's well versed on dark objects."
"I agree," Minerva said. "Lily, use your magic to wrap that thing in the bundle again, and then bring it with us. I'll carry Miss Bell; we need to get to Madam Pomfrey right away."
Lily nodded, and immediately cast the needed spells. She ensured the necklace was in a summoned box and wrapped up securely. Slowly, the group plus a still crying Leanne and an unconscious Katie resumed the slow trek back to the safety of the castle.
"You were right, Miss Potter, to bring this to my attention," Snape said, as he magically held the necklace in front of himself, studying it. "It is, indeed, cursed. It's… fortunate that Miss Bell only touched it through a small tear in her gloves. Had she held it with no protection… she would now be dead."
"How could someone have given that to her? Katie isn't exactly known for being careless, is she?" Ron asked, eyeing the necklace with suspicion.
"Indeed," Snape agreed as he used his wand to place the necklace back into the box that Lily had summoned earlier. He was frowning at it. "And where could it have come from? No shops in Hogsmeade sell anything of this kind."
"I know where it's from. I've seen that before," the voice of Draco Malfoy spoke up from behind the group.
Lily turned and saw Draco standing at the door to Snape's classroom.
"You have?" she checked.
Draco nodded as he approached the group. "I was speaking with Madam Pomfrey when Bell… when Katie was brought it," he explained, looking uneasy as everyone stared at him. "Professor McGonagall told me what had happened, so I wanted to see if I could help. My father… he had a lot of dark items, and I know some things."
"Where did you see this?" Snape asked, the frown never disappearing from his face.
"A few years ago, I went with my father to Borgin and Burkes. It was there, on sale. I was more interested in a hand of Glory, which my father purchased for me the year after, but I saw it, and asked about it. Apparently, it's an old, cursed item, from about a hundred to a hundred and fifty years ago," Draco explained with a barely concealed look of unease on his face. "It was created by a Muggle hater who ensured it had a number of muggle owners, killing them all. It was supposed to have been destroyed decades ago."
"So how did it come to be in Borgin and Burkes? And who brought it here?" Lily asked, looking at the necklace once more.
"I'd say ask Borgin, but he'll never tell. If there's one thing he's good at, it's keeping his mouth shut," Draco replied. "He won't reveal who purchased it, when, or why. He just wants to line the pockets of his robes with galleons."
Snape opened his mouth when more movement from the door stopped him. "Professor McGonagall. How is Miss Bell?"
Minerva sighed, her lips a thin line of worry. "She has been sent to St. Mungo's. Madam Pomfrey couldn't stabilise her condition. Do you know what the necklace is?"
Snape informed her of the discussion, Minerva shooting Draco an appreciative look. "Thank goodness that Miss Bell didn't fully touch it," she said. "Mr. Malfoy, thank you for providing us with that knowledge. Whilst Borgin might not want to tell us, it gives us an avenue to begin an investigation."
"Anytime, Professor McGonagall," Draco replied. He was standing slightly away from them all, tall yet somehow looking small and unsure as everyone else also expressed their gratitude, like he wasn't sure how to respond.
"You should all go and rest. Miss Bell should be okay, but it's been a trying day," Minerva then directed, effectively dismissing the students.
As Lily led the group out, she turned to Draco and smiled at him. "Thank you, Draco, for helping us there."
"Pot… Lily," Draco began, looking at her. "I know… this isn't easy, for either of us, but if I can ever help… I want to." He straightened his spine, resolve clear on his face. Lily nodded in response, ignoring the shocked looks on everyone's faces. "If I were you, I'd look at Zabini. Since I moved out of Slytherin, from what I've heard, he's been hanging around with Crabbe and Goyle. Now he seems to be the new… shall we say leader, of Slytherin."
"Makes sense. The question is, how would he get into the girl's bathroom of the Three Broomsticks? Not exactly easy to not be spotted in there, is it?" Lily pointed out, her mind whirling with ideas and theories.
Draco hummed his agreement. "Either someone managed to steal some Polyjuice potion from Professor Slughorn, or one of the girls here has been put under the Imperius curse. I'd check that girl who was with B… Katie."
"That makes sense to me," Hermione concurred. "Leanne said that Katie was going to deliver the necklace to someone."
"We should head to the Room of Requirement to discuss this in private," Lavender suggested as the group turned a corner. A few dozen students were hanging around in the great hall, carrying bags from their own shopping trips to Hogsmeade. It didn't seem like anybody else was aware of what had transpired earlier.
"Good idea. Draco, will you join us?" Lily asked.
Draco blinked at the sudden question but after a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "I would like to bring Pansy along as well, if that's acceptable to you all. She may be able to offer some more information."
"Alright, we'll meet in the room of requirement in half an hour." Despite the sombre mood between them all, she attempted to lighten it as she turned to the Gryffindor boys. "Our pack mules can lighten their load, plus Leanne will probably be in the common room. We can ask if she wants to join us as well."
As the Gryffindors made their way back to the common room, Dean took Lily's elbow. "Are you sure you can trust him?"
Lily found herself smiling. "If he's willing to help, then surely this shows he's serious about changing his ways?"
"Alright, let's look at what we know so far. First, Leanne, you and Katie go for lunch at the three broomsticks, and everything's normal. Katie says she needs to use the bathroom, just before you're about to head back to the castle, and then she comes out and practically ignores you?" Lily recited.
Leanne nodded; she had managed to stop crying, thanks to Madam Pomfrey giving her a calming drought, and she had agreed to help. "She… she seemed to be so determined," Leanne recalled, still looking miserable and upset with her eyes red rimmed.
McGonagall patted her shoulder. "Sounds like Katie had been imperiused," she said. "Did you see her eyes?"
"I… I didn't get a good look, no," Leanne replied, holding herself in a makeshift hug.
"Let's assume someone did Imperius her for a moment. That mean they'd have had to have done it in the girl's bathroom at the Three Broomsticks," Pansy spoke up for the first time from Draco's side. They were sat on a loveseat; the room having provided ample seating spaces for them all.
"I know it was busy there, but someone would have noticed if a man went in, so we're looking for a woman," Padma pointed out.
"Agreed," Lily replied. "Alright, so what do we know about this so far?"
"We know the target's at Hogwarts," Lavender said. "And for once, it isn't Lily."
"How do you know that?" Pansy asked, curious.
"Because Lily was right behind Katie, and she even passed her," Ron answered, shooting the two Slytherin's a somewhat suspicious glance. He was finding it harder to believe that Malfoy could change, given the animosity that had existed between the Weasley and Malfoy bloodline for generations, but he was trying his best to be civil. Lavender had his hand held in hers.
"We know whoever did this was sloppy. If Katie hadn't touched the necklace, Mr. Filch would have detected it when she returned to Hogwarts; remember those probes?" Ginny reminded them all.
"Right, so they were hoping that either Mr. Filch would miss it, or that he would assume Katie wouldn't be bringing in anything bad seeing as she was in the clear after being checking before going out," Ron confirmed.
"Which means it has to be a student; I doubt it's common knowledge that Mr. Filch was doing the surprise checks. Maybe someone could have guessed it, but for something like this, they'd not leave anything to chance," Hermione stated, frowning in a way that told the group she was thinking hard to problem solve.
"Are they always like this?" Draco whispered to Minerva, who had remained standing.
"More often than not," Minerva replied, just as softly. "They make an effective team, and it's how they've gotten so strong." She gave him a side glance. "They listen to each other and adapt depending on the situation and the clues that they're presented with. They're not just friends of housemates; they're more of a community. Communities grow when they work together."
Draco was silent for a moment, his grey eyes glancing over the other students. "So I see, Professor..." he said quietly, and Lily could hear that his was impressed from the tone of his voice.
"Alright, so what do we do?" Ron asked the group. His elbows were resting on his knees as he leaned forward, Lavender's hand now resting on his lower thigh in a show of support. "We can't let someone be doing this around Hogwarts, and if they've tried to hurt someone once, they'll do it again."
Lily felt a rush of pride. Hermione was the brains, logical and methodical. Ron, however, was definitely a strategist with his own form of rationale. Lavender, Parvati and Padma acted as the voice of reason and diplomacy. Ginny, with her quick way of connecting dots others may have overlooked, complimented them all.
"For starters, we need to remain vigilant, as Moody keeps telling us," Lily said, breaking out of her train of thought when she noticed some eyes turn to her. "I know we can't do much at the moment, not with what little information we have."
"Not until Katie is able to tell us who gave her the necklace in the first place," Dean then pointed out. He was the artist, able to see outside the box. In another world, Lily could see him and Ginny getting together with how their abstract minds worked.
Seamus was barely able to resist shaking his head. "If she survives." The Irish half blood was perhaps more of a... cynic, Lily thought to herself as there were cries of denial and some half-hearted punches thrown his way. He held up his hands in apology, scrabbling to explain what he meant. "You don't go to St. Mungo's unless you're in critical condition. I pray to Merlin she survives, of course I do, but if a tiny touch could render her to her current condition... plus dark artifacts are feared for their unknown outcomes, right?" He looked to Draco for support, who nodded at suddenly being addressed.
"Most are, yes," he agreed. "But as I explained earlier, the necklace was cursed to bring death to muggles. Bell is a half blood, right? Perhaps the intention of whoever gave her the necklace was to inflict harm on those who aren't pureblood... though I'm unsure what effect it would have on purebloods." He turned to Pansy, looking at her for support.
"There are a few people I can talk to. I have a younger sister in Slytherin, she can give me any information she hears," Pansy offered after a moment. "The more we know, the better, right?"
"Brilliant, thank you Pansy. Tell her to be careful though, I don't want anyone being hurt," Lily said, sending a smile in her direction. Pansy waved off the thanks with a self-conscious tinge of pink to her cheekbones.
"I'll keep you all updated in Miss Bell's condition and will find out what I can regarding Mr. Borgin," Minerva said. "I'll talk to your uncles, Lily. I'm sure they can be persuasive."
"I don't mean to sound… well, negative, but is this really a good idea?" Draco asked, his hands clenched into tight fists. "Cursed artifacts are extremely dangerous and if the person responsible finds out that we're trying to work out their identity, surely it puts us in harm's way?"
"That person hurt one innocent bystander already," Lily told him. "I hear what you're saying but to stop others from being hurt, or worse, something needs to be done to stop them. I know you and Pansy are both in a precarious situation with the rest of the Slytherins and I, for one, appreciate all the information you've given us. But what your behaviour says to me is that you want to help in some way, even if it means being in danger. I'm not saying or expecting you both to shout out your aid because it could paint a more prominent target on your backs, and I also know you're not foolish enough to intentionally put yourself in harms' way if you can help it." She offered the two Slytherin's another small smile. "But you're both here, willing to help. That means we," she indicated to her friends, "will do our best to ensure you won't be harmed."
Minerva chuckled. "What you should also know, Miss Parkinson and Mr Malfoy, is that once Lily sets her mind on something, it's nigh on impossible to stop her."
"Hey, I blame you and Uncle Sirius for that," Lily said with a giggle. "You both taught me the importance of doing the right thing. And I want justice for Katie and the person who she was supposed to give that necklace to."