Deductions
Hippolyta went down and went to where Valerie and Sev were.
"Here comes your girl again, she's ready," said Valerie.
Sev turned and bonded with her. "Honey… how long have you made me wait…"
"I have been working for the summer, Prince, we will be able to make our astrological charts."
"What's that?"
"Don't you know what an astrological chart is?" Valerie asked him.
"Well no."
"Explain it to him, Hippolyta."
"It is a diagram of the sky, a wheel with all the signs of the zodiac on which the position of the stars is drawn on the date and time of your birth," said the girl. "It also serves to define your personality traits and your future."
"Wow… how interesting," he said.
"Of course, this summer we will make your astral chart and those of whoever you want, so I am already learning for when it is my turn to do it, although that is the fifth year of Divination syllabus."
"Wow, wow… great, Hippolyta. I would like you to also check Valerie's ephemeris after dinner."
"Of course. And those of Sirius and Remus, don't you want?"
"Okay."
"Well, I'll ask everyone at dinner their dates and times of birth," she proposed.
"I was born at noon, sweetheart," Valerie told her. "Between twelve and one on October 7th, '58."
"Okay, Valerie, I'll remember. Let's go, Prince?"
"Let's go," said Sev. "By the way, Valerie, if you go with Sirius to the Guard clearing this afternoon you are going to find Ariel and Shelley fighting there."
"Oh… great," said the older girl. "Then we'll do two against two, I'm sure the kids can beat us."
"I'm sure too, tell us later."
"See you for dinner, Valerie," Hippolyta said goodbye.
"See you for dinner, beautiful," said Sev.
"Until dinner, guys, have a great time," said Valerie.
They unbonded from Valerie. They left the house and went up to the ground floor.
"Are you not sleepy enough to take a nap?" he asked her.
"Nothing, Prince, we haven't gotten tired this morning."
"Well, if you get sleepy in the pond, you can lay there, I'll hug you."
"Brilliant."
"Have you already taken your snack?" he asked.
"Everything, Prince."
"Great."
"And you, the book of the Celtic horoscope?" she asked.
"Yes, I carry it in my pocket. Leave it, I'll carry the backpack, so I put everything in it. I'm going to take off my coat, it must be very hot outside."
"Take it off and I'll hold it for you in the meantime."
Sev took off his coat, took out his wand and the book, folded it carefully and put everything in the open backpack that Hippolyta handed him.
She closed it and gave it to him. "Take. Of course, that's why I only wore short sleeves, but I put the sweater in the backpack, huh? In case I get cold when I get back."
"Very well done, honey."
They left the castle and headed towards the Forest. As they crossed the meadow down the slope, Hippolyta said to him, "If you had let me train on May 15th, we would have trained here."
"True, you don't know how much I regret it. Next year we will do it, when we bathe in the Lake."
"With the Gillyweed."
"With the Gillyweed," Sev confirmed.
"Are you going to take it home?"
"I wasn't planning to do it, we won't be able to use them there."
"Why not? Yes, we can," said the girl. "I have dived with Gillyweed while at Hogwarts, my Dad buys them in Diagon."
"Wow… great… Then I'll take them to swim on the beach."
They entered the Forest, across the country.
"In the end you have not Summoned the jewels," she said.
"We'll do it in the pond."
"Where do you keep the jewels you Summon? In little boxes?"
"No, I wrap them in parchment," he responded.
"You have to do it in a jewelry box, or better, to transport them, in a velvet bag. Cecile explained it to me, that is where they are kept."
"I don't know what velvet is like. You Summon it, with the powers that I gave you yesterday, now you will be able to."
"Great, so I can help you too," Hippolyta agreed. "You'll see how many ideas I have for jewelry, my Mum really likes them even though she can't buy them, and she always looks at them in jewelry stores when we go to Muggle London. "
"Great, but better if they don't look too similar to the conventional ones, they sell better."
"What is conventional?"
"Typical, common. The ones everyone wears," Sev responded.
"Ah… no, no, I have many new ideas, you'll see. What do you usually Summon?"
"Pendants."
"Only?" very surprised.
"Well, and the diadem I made for you."
"Look, you're silly, Prince, pendants are what sells the worst, because no one sees them except in the summer, when you wear light clothes, and what women like to do is show them off. Indeed I'm going to give you ideas, you're going to need several bags to store them all."
"Great. And what other types of jewelry are there?" he asked.
"Rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches, necklaces all made of stones to wear with your evening dress... In addition, you can make sets of matching necklace, ring, bracelet and earrings, so the rich women buy everything at once."
"Sure…"
"But what you have to do most, a lot, are engagement rings," she suggested.
"What's that?"
"The ring that a boyfriend gives to his girlfriend when he asks her to marry him. It's the only real jewelry my Mum has other than wedding rings. Can you Summon diamonds?"
"If I could Summon emeralds, I guess so," said Sev.
"Well, engagement rings are usually made of diamonds, gold and a single diamond, cut in a very beautiful way, and it is the most expensive precious stone."
"But I have never seen one, I will not know the shape."
"But I'll show it to you with the Bond, like the one my Mum has," the girl proposed. "Besides, you made great the emeralds, I'm sure you'll make them great. Then you just have to make them with different widths of the gold ring for different finger sizes, and with more or less large diamonds so that both those who have little money and those who have a lot can buy them."
"Sure…"
"I already told you that I was going to give you many good ideas. And I'm sure Lauren can give you too tonight, she has a lot of money and understands jewelry. Summon jewels for a while with her too."
"Sure…"
"You'll see, you'll have plenty of money for everything," she encouraged him. "Cecile has also told me that her Mum will also take them to sell at jewelry stores so that Lily's Mum doesn't have to do everything."
"Great. I will also give gifts to your Mum and Cecile's Mum."
"For my Mum I already know what. A necklace and bracelet set for her to wear with the beautiful black evening dress she has, made of silver and rubies. The one she wears now is imitation jewelry, fake precious stones."
"Okay."
"And I also have an idea for Cecile's Mum, a set of silver or gold earrings and pendants with some musical symbol," Hippolyta suggested.
"The treble clef or an eighth note. I can also make her a bracelet with charms."
"Well, I don't know what they are, but if you know them, okay. Have you given Lily's Mum a gift?"
"Yes," he responded.
"What did you do for her?"
"A pendant that was a violet. Her name is Violet."
"Did she like it?" she asked.
"A lot."
"Do you remember what it was like?"
"Of course," Sev confirmed.
"Then make her the set, earrings, ring and bracelet."
"Sure."
"And give it to her the first night you go to see her," the girl suggested.
"Of course."
"Have you given Lily's sister a gift?"
"Yes, also a pendant with a petunia, her name is Petunia," he answered.
"All three have the name of a flower. Then make them the set too and the same thing, you give it to them when you go to see them."
"Of course."
"Have you given Lily's Dad a gift?" she asked.
"No."
"Well, there are also jewelry for men. Cufflinks to close shirt cuffs and tie pins."
"But I don't know what they are like," Sev objected.
"But I do. You can also make them with a musical symbol, if he likes music that much."
"Sure."
"You make them matching too, made of gold," Hippolyta suggested.
"Of course, he was the one who told me that my soul had passed through the alchemist's crucible without being burned, that it had been transmuted from lead into gold. His passed too."
"He is going to be very excited."
"True."
"Have you given Lauren a gift?" she asked.
"Yes, I did it on her birthday."
"Give her another one tonight, a farewell gift. Of the ones you have, the one she likes the most, let her choose it."
(And also for her parents, Lucius, Narcissa and Andromeda, let them pass them off as gifts from them,) he thought. "Sure."
"And have you given Cecile a gift?"
"No, not Cecile."
"Well, make something for her too, another musical symbol different from her Mum's, made of gold, Gryff, and give it to her the first night you sleep together, a welcome gift," the girl suggested.
"Sure…"
"Have you given Valerie a gift?"
"Neither," Sev responded.
"Well, make her one too, give it to her tonight. I already have an idea for her."
"Tell me."
"Some dangling earrings in the shape of silver brooms," she proposed. "With her hair up they will look very good."
"What a good idea."
"Of course, haven't you noticed that she has the holes from her earrings and isn't wearing them?"
"Yes, yes, I had noticed," he responded.
"Make earrings for Cecile too, she also has the holes."
"Sure."
"And do something to Genevre and Alice too. Do they have holes?" asked Hippolyta.
"Genevre no, Alice I don't know. Also, I think they aren't much for jewelry. Alice is from a good family and she doesn't wear anything, like Deborah."
"Then you just make them a pendant."
"And what can you think of for them?" Sev asked.
"Do you know their Patronuses?"
"I don't."
"Then ask them tonight and make them the animal of their Patronus," she suggested.
"Alice in gold, Gryff, and Genevre in bronze, Rave."
"Sure."
"Make cufflinks and tie pins for Remus and Sirius too. Even if they don't wear suits yet, they should have them for when they are older."
"Of course. And your Dad wears a suit?" he asked.
"Yes, when he goes out to dinner from time to time with my Mum."
"Then I'll do them to your Dad too."
"Silver, Sly, matching my Mum's," the girl suggested.
"Sure. And what do I do for you?"
"You already made me the diadem, Prince."
"But you can't wear the diamdem out there."
"I'm not into jewelry either, huh? It seem silly to me."
"Then just a pendant," Sev proposed.
"Then do whatever you want, give me a surprise the next night we sleep together."
"Okay, I know what."
They reached the pond, fought for more than an hour and bathed while playing, Hippolyta now shirtless, having a great time, with no embarrassment to touch each other. They even gave each other pecks underwater, they had already lost count.
They went out, Hippolyta had brought a small hand mirror to teach Sev how to dry his hair so that it looked the way they both liked. He also took the opportunity to cut it, since he wasn't going to be able to do it for another two months and it was already longer than he liked.
"Ugh… my hair is disgusting today, I haven't washed it since Saturday," he said.
"Don't believe it, yesterday's sea salt will have dried it out, I'm sure it's not that oily and it will last until tomorrow. My Mum also has oily hair, and in summer, when she bathes at the beach, she handles it much better."
"Wow… great, I'll wash it tonight anyway, to be with Lauren."
"That seems very good to me. Do you know what happens to me with the sun?" she asked.
"Tell me."
"That my hair becomes clearer."
"Wow… how nice," commented Sev.
"That's why I told you last night that if I tan in the summer I'll be very pretty, with lighter hair and golden skin. Surely not for you, because you have it black as a raven's wing."
"I never heard that expression, I love it."
"You have beautiful hair, and your eyes, eyebrows, nose, everything, you are perfect," the girl said.
"Thanks love. It does me a lot of good that you tell me those things, because it has always seemed to me that I am very ugly."
"But you have a very interesting face, very special, there is no other like you, you are very attractive. I prefer that to simply handsome, without personality, and most of us girls prefer it, you have already been able to see it for yourself."
"You're right," he agreed.
"Sirius is also like that, he has a face with a lot of personality, and you have already seen the success he has."
"True."
"I'm already learning to cut my hair like you by seeing you," she said. "Do you know? This morning, in your dream, when I was older, I had my hair shaved, very short, and I thought I was very pretty, I loved it. I already know that I want to wear it like that as soon as I come of age."
"Great."
"I'm sure my head will be very soft, like Ariel's kitten."
"Of course… how wonderful… I'll spend my time caressing it," said Sev.
"And until then I'm going to leave it as I wear it now, to give my parents one less displeasure and to wear it the same way you do."
"Don't you want to try the boy-style anymore?"
"No, no, all the boys wear it the same, too many people," said Hippolyta. "I prefer to look like you than them, it reflects my personality better."
"I think it's great."
"Tonight dry it as I am going to show you for Lauren. With your hair freshly cut and dried like this she will be amazed by you, she will realize that you have got handsome for her, she will love it. It won't cost you anything to convince her to do it with you."
"Sure."
"Like when my Dad gets handsome on Saturday nights to go out with my Mum," she said.
"Do they go out a lot?"
"No, once a month at most, think that they don't have much money either."
"Sure."
"But if they don't go out, we always have a special dinner at home, and on Sunday we go to my Uncle's house or he and my grandparents come to ours and the six of us have lunch or dinner together," explained the girl.
"Sure."
"What I was telling you, a very united family. On Sunday you are invited, so you know everyone."
"Wait until you ask your parents, honey," he objected.
"There is no problem for my parents, you saw what they responded to me in the letter, they were delighted, and so were my Uncle and my grandparents. You are the hero of the Wizarding World."
"Thanks my love. But I'm going to put them in danger too if the slut reads them, and you."
"Prince, don't think about that anymore, I'm going to have an escort. If we thought about that all the time we wouldn't be able to move from home, and she roams freely wherever she wants, even though everyone knows that she is a criminal. We can't be afraid of her like that."
"You're right."
"They will feel very important to know you."
"Thank you, my life," said Sev. "You are making me very happy and giving me a lot of self-confidence."
"Of course, silly, you'll see, when you go to Diagon they won't leave you alone in the street."
"True, but maybe I won't go all summer, huh? The books are already left to me by Andrew, the checks from St. Mungo's will be bearer ones, someone else can cash them, and they can also buy the material for me. In fact, I barely need any material, I can Summon almost everything."
"Andrew can't leave you all the books, you need the NEWT Arithmancy and Runes books," she objected.
"But I asked for those and they have been granted to me."
"Wow… they have also granted me all the ones I asked for, you're just going to have to leave me the Runes one. In the end I will bring my trunk empty."
"Great."
"And aren't you going to go for your uniform?" asked Hippolyta.
"No, let them take my size and bring it to me as well."
"Ugh what a shame. I wanted to meet you one day in Diagon and see how people treat you on the street."
"But it's better not to take that risk, honey, or risk the escort," he said. "Imagine that I find myself face to face with the slut. It would make her so angry that she would surely attack us."
"Of course, of course…"
"People could die accidentally and I would feel very guilty."
"Of course, you don't have to be reckless," she agreed.
"In any case, I could go some morning on a weekday in July, when there are still not many people in the alley, first thing in the morning, before eleven, because she never gets up early. Sirius told me that she spends her nights at his Death Eater parties."
"Of course, in her orgies, the slut."
"How do you know about orgies?" very surprised.
"Because I listened to the conversations at home, you know, and I knew Orson, the maefic seventh-year Beater, and he had been in some of them. During Easter he was there and told the other malefic elders."
(Ugh… Lauren has shared a lover with the slut, she's going to be so angry when I tell her,) Sev thought.
"Oh… you are better informed than me, and I read them all the time."
"Indeed, but you didn't read everything, there were too many."
"Sure."
"But I know you had help," said the girl.
"Of course you know."
"Lauren read them too. Long before you, that's how she knew there were more malefics at school."
"How smart you are, Hippolyta. How did you know that?"
"Deducting it. You've only been reading since December, you sat in your corner and read surreptitiously."
"True."
"I knew for sure because one night in January I approached you and saw the Legilimency book," she recalled. "The Saturday after we returned from Christmas holidays. Lauren also stayed until the last minute in the Common Room and she was sitting in front of you, looking at you."
"Of course… that was the night I contacted her."
"Sure. You confirmed it to me before when you said that you gave her a gift for her birthday, in February. And I also deduce that you saw each other at night secretly in your corner of the Room, Disillusioned and with the Muffliato, because yesterday you told me that you had only slept three nights together."
"You are extraordinary, Hippolyta."
"It was she who taught you Legilimency and Occlumency, wasn't she? At night, with that Stimulant potion that you also told me about yesterday."
"Yes lady."
"You didn't know anything about everything I suspected about Lauren because I also occluded it when you read me," the girl explained. "That's also very dangerous for the slut to know."
"Of course. What else do you suspect?"
"If it was she who taught you to read and occlude, someone had to teach her too. You can learn to read alone, but not to occlude."
"Very well deduced," he approved.
"They had to be her parents, they are only sympathizers, they are infiltrated in the other side."
"Bravo, Hippolyta."
"Can you tell me her story? Why did it take you so long to sleep with her?"
"Because I was with Lily and I didn't want to cheat on her."
"What a waste of time," she said.
"No, honey, we had our process."
"I would like to know everything in detail."
"I'll tell you little by little, little one, because there is a lot to tell," said Sev. "Last night it took me more than an hour to tell Sirius everything, and I didn't let him ask me any questions."
"Sure… just one question. Since when does she love you?"
"Since the night she met me, in our Sorting."
"Wow… that's a long time, five years already," commented the girl.
"Well yes."
"More time than me."
"Because she knew me before you," he said. "Poor girl spent our entire first year trying to become my friend and I didn't even pay attention to her."
"If you had paid attention to her instead of stupid Lily, you would have done much better."
"We will never know that, little one."