CHAPTER 7- A Horcrux and A Snitch
Lily didn’t like missing her school lessons at the best of times-especially because of injuries. But this time it was completely unbearable. Two days in a bed right next to James Potter’s was not her idea of a ‘chance to relax and forget her traumatic experience’.
The first day was not so bad; she had had the small Natalie for comfort but then she too had left. She had a feeling she could stand him if he really was in need of treatment but he had openly confessed to her that he was completely cured-apparently there were many benefits in staying at the Hospital wing. Now why she had not told anyone that he was in fact restored to health was beyond her. But then again he had saved her from an Unforgivable Curse. And he was not that annoying. Actually, if it hadn’t been for him and his stupid, but witty, remarks she would have screamed to get out of the room. The only exciting thing that had happened at the Hospital wing was Professor Dumbledore’s visit and when Sirius presented them with the front page of the Daily Prophet, in which they were the headline:
HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED AND SUPPORTERS
ATTACK HOGWARTS STUDENTS
Yesterday, November 1st, in the village of Hogsmeade, an unprecedented attack on students was provoked by supporters of the wizard who styles himself as a Lord. At approximately twelve of that day’s morning, three underage students were unjustly attacked both verbally and physically by unknown masked wizards. A Muggle born, Natalie Pattinson, thirteen years of age, was the first victim of this unjust attack as one supporter found it amusing to display his power over a yet unqualified witch. Eye-witnesses report that, if it hadn’t been for the drastic action of the Head Girl and Boy of Hogwarts, the thirteen year old student might have suffered more injuries and even taken to St Mungo’s Hospital.
At the announcement of this attack, newly appointed Minister for Magic, Millicent Bagnold was said to have called an urgent meeting of all Department Heads, involving the action needed to be taken. It is rumoured that the Ministry will soon openly show its opposition to the views He Who Must Not Be Named has been promoting and will seek security measures for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
“Parents are therefore asked to remain calm and not be led into extreme and desperate actions. Already, the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts has informed us of at least five students who have been withdrawn which is most definitely not the correct course of action(cont.pg12)
“Hey, Evans. I just went to Madam Pomfrey and she said we’re leaving tomorrow,” Potter sighed sadly, as he flopped on his bed.
Lily looked up from the newspaper and hid it from view. She had been humiliated enough from Potter who had persisted in reading the article at least ten times.
“She didn’t sound too sorry, to tell you the truth. But I should be grateful. Gryffindor’s first match is on Saturday, so I’ve only got three days for practice. Against Hufflepuff, though-it should take us about a minute to win.”
“Is that all you people care about? Quidditch? I mean, when Alice gets all…well…quidditchy on me…it’s like…Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde…Honestly!” Lily said exasperatedly. James looked at her incredulously.
“Lily, you know a lot-that’s why we love you-but Quidditch is definitely not your area.” James shook his head resignedly.
“Well, at least I don’t have to wait for the results of a match to know whether or not I can show my face in the Common Room for a month!”
James shook his head again and grabbed the latest issue of Which Broomstick, muttering something about ‘girls’. Lily pulled a face and in turn searched in her schoolbag for a small dictionary and a piece of parchment that had lain forgotten for the last couple of days. Since her accident she hadn’t given the ancient text she’d copied a single thought-Potter was too much of a distraction.
After an hour of mutual silence, Lily hadn’t had much progress on the Ancient Runes. Most of the text was easily translated but she couldn’t make out the meaning. And there was one word that kept repeating itself…one word that had been underlined many times on the book…but she hadn’t ever seen it before…she couldn’t even read it properly, for goodness’ sake!
She shut the dictionary with a snap. Potter, who must have been dozing of, jolted in his bed.
“What the effing hell is going on?”
Lily checked her watch. It was half past eleven, nearly midnight. The matron would be asleep, so no one would see her. She threw the covers of her and sat on Potter’s bed. He looked as though Christmas had come early.
“Don’t get any ideas, Potter. I just need your help.”
He looked a bit disappointed but nodded, bewildered. Lily shoved the Ancient Rune text under his nose.
“You need help with homework?” he raised an eyebrow.
“If it was homework, I would have asked Professor Marchbanks, not the Head Boy of Hogwarts who has a knack of being the most infuriating person in the world, especially when it comes to me.”
“Ah,” was all Potter could reply.
“It’s-well-it’s from-now, don’t go and tell anyone, because I will be convicted of your murder-but it’s from the Restricted section of the library.” Lily whispered with a heavy conscience.
“Am I about to find out why Lily Evans, Head Girl and model student, was wondering around the library at eight in the morning, when not a decent soul was around?” James grinned.
Lily, ignoring his jubilant expression, continued. “Decent meaning you? Never mind. I was in the library, checking something about Boggarts, when I heard someone else there, too. After the Peeves thing, I found this book in Ancient Runes and I copied this, before-well-before Dumbledore took it away.”
“Oh, God, this is priceless.” James was laughing hysterically.
“Shut up or Dumbledore will come down and find this! Now, don’t get cocky on me, but can you help me with this word? I can’t translate it-or read it, for that matter. You’re good enough at Runes. Try.”
Potter didn’t stop his silent, stupid giggle but took her paper. After a while, he put it down and said, smiling:
“I have no idea what it means but the word is either read O-c-r-u, with this rune silent, or-,” he studied the paper again, “or it’s H-o-r-c-r-u-x. Horcrux.”
Lily took the paper. She tried to remember her lessons on Rune pronunciation. ‘The Runes of the medieval time and onwards are more complex to read, but more simple in understanding, as many letters are omitted for the sake of them being more enchanting to the ear. Any words and phrases from before that time are read exactly as spelt…’ Lily weighed Potter’s options. Somehow the word Horcrux sounded right, but she had never heard that word before, never in English.
“But, Lil, what is this thing? I mean, your translation’s accurate enough, but the whole thing is weird…‘such a deed means only murder…the soul of one who is ignorant of his purpose…three times the bells need chime, for the curse to fully bind…’ I don’t know but it reminds me too much of Dark Magic…” His voice betrayed his anxiety for her.
“Oh, don’t worry, Potter, I’m sure I’m much more in danger from you. Anyway, I was just interested that’s all. Thanks, though. Night and don’t let anything bite.” She winked.
Potter took his chance.
“Is that an invitation, Evans?”
She scowled.
“Grow up. And don’t even think it!” She threw her pillow as he threw his own. An hour of this and Madam Pomfrey was in the ward, shouting her head of, until she separated Lily from the sniggering James, with one of them in one far corner of the room and one in the other.
“Oh-my-God, she’s HUGE!”
“Look at those muscles. She must be strong.”
“You’re telling me, I had to shake hands with her!” James was massaging his hand, as he watched Bridget Smyth, Hufflepuff’s Beater and Captain talking to her team (or at least that’s what it looked like-they couldn’t seem to see much but Bridget’s backside).
“Isn’t there some kind of limit to the-size-of a player?” said the correspondingly small Florence Finnigan.
“Can’t we petition for a rematch or something? Because I don’t fancy my chances with her throwing the Bludgers.” Sirius was watching the Beater apprehensively.
“Coward,” Avery muttered, though he looked shaken too.
“Yeah, and you wouldn’t want Luna seeing chicken out, eh, Sirius?” Alice grinned.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Vance?” Sirius retorted, distracted from his customary waving at the adoring fans.
“That you and Lu fancy each other to the point of nausea. And anyway, what is it with all of you calling me Vance whenever I annoy you people?” Alice ignored Florence’s warning cough.
“Must hear it often then…” Sirius said scathingly.
“Er, excuse me-”
“Sirius for Captain!”This was from the crowd.
“Now, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Erm, James?-”
“Just what you know it does, Vance.”
“James!”
“What?’ James was too interested in listening to Sirius and Alice to pay attention to Nat and Florence.
“We should have been in the air five minutes ago!”
“WHAT?! Quick, on your brooms, now! Good luck, Florence! You two! Stop acting like a couple of idiots and get up here!”
James mounted his broom and soared in the air, feeling the thrill of the match. He did a loop just for show and then hovered near Madam Hooch and David Gerrard, the opposing Chaser. Then the match begun with James catching the Quaffle spectacularly and speeding steadily towards the goalposts. There he met with the determined Bludger that Bridget had evidently sent. Not too sure he could avoid it he passed the ball to Alice, who was flying underneath. The girl did an amazing zigzag formation (that Lily would hopefully recognize as the Woolongong Shimmy) and entered the scoring area to give Gryffindor its first ten points.
“And the quick-thinking Alice Vance, a promising Quidditch player, scores the first goal of the game, giving the working hard Gryffindor team a good lead!” Liam Kingsley, a third year of Ravenclaw, shouted from the commentator’s podium, though his voice was drowned from the shrieks of Gryffindors. James distinctly heard Lily, Luna, Katie and Shirley conducting the cheers.
Ten minutes later, Gryffindor was still in the lead with sixty points to ten, Florence making great saves and only failing the last because the intimidating Bridget had thrown a Bludger directly to her head.
“And it seems as though Adrian Bennet of Hufflepuff has finally caught sight of the Snitch near the Gryffindor goalposts! Yes, he’s speeding to scrape a win with Nathaniel Pattinson tailing him from a distance. The game seems to have stopped for the rest of the players as we all watch to see whether Bennet can do last year’s miracle, when he landed his team at second place for the Cup! Finnigan has gone out of the way and is leaving all the space she can for Pattinson who looks as though he’s gaining speed. They’re practically neck to neck! Oh! That has GOT to HURT!”
James watched from afar as Nat and Bennet crashed on the same goalpost. He flew to his Seeker, to see if he was fit to fly when a sudden roar erupted in the stadium. He looked over at the concussed Seekers and found himself yelling with the Gryffindors at the sight of Nat raising a woebegone Snitch.
The team fell happily to the ground, yelling madly. Sirius thumped James on the head and even Remus got a little wild. As they joined the crowd of celebrating Gryffindors (including the mad Jorkins sisters), James felt an arm entwine with his.
“I’m feeling pretty quidditchy myself, Potter. Good goals.”
Lily winked at him and went over to congratulate Nat, leaving James the happiest person on earth.
A/N: Hi, everyone! Long time, no see, as they say, but this summer is dedicated solely to exam-preparation and re-reading (again and again and again and...) Deathly Hallows. As I’ve said, I altered a little in the story to fit with DH but, thankfully, I wasn’t far off in my plot-actually I guessed some facts pretty well!
A bout this chapter, well, I honestly enjoyed doing the Quidditch match-J.K. must have really loved doing them. And there was no Quidditch in Deathly Hallows! So disappointed, but I’ll try and make mine as exciting. Obviously, the Horcrux thing’s important.
I’ll write soon! (you’ll adore the next one!)