Lily Potter and the Shadows' Misfortune

Chapter Nine

After the long feast and an hour-long welcome back celebration in the Gryffindor common room, unlike the majority of the Gryffindors, Lily and her friends were still wide awake and sitting near the crackling fireplace. Lily still hadn't told Hugo, Eli, and Rudolph about what was on her mind, and now that the room started to empty, she was nearly prepared to tell them.

"Is it empty enough to tell us yet?" Hugo groaned with a yawn. "I'm tired and don't want to wait up for your little mystery, Lil."

Lily glanced around the room. There were a few stragglers still up chatting around the common room, "I'm not sure yet. I don't want anyone to hear."

"Just tell us, please," Eli sighed, rubbing his eyes. "We've been in suspense since dinner, and it's probably past midnight."

A grandfather clock in the corner of the room clanged and confirmed that it was indeed midnight.

"Will you please tell us, Lil?" Rudolph asked. "I want to get some rest before classes start tomorrow morning."

Once more, Lily eyed up the remaining Gryffindors sitting around the common room. All of them seemed too raptured in their discussions to listen in on Lily's revelation.

"Fine," Lily said in the quietest of whispers. "Please keep this between us though."

"Who else would we share it with?" Hugo asked with a laugh. "The only other friends we have are Cassie and Nora. Do you think that, as soon as we're finished here, I'm going to go run down into the Slytherin dungeon and share this confidential information with our good pal, Scorpius Malfoy?"

"Very funny, Hugo," Lily said, her eyes narrowing at her cousin before she corrected him. "This is serious and no time for jokes.

"Everyone's a critic," he yawned, putting his legs up on the sofa and flipping upside down.

"Does this have to do with Cassie and Nora?" Eli asked, following Hugo's lead and turning himself around so his long legs gangly draped the sofa.

"No," Lily answered, shaking her head. "I'm going to tell them tomorrow morning, but I'm telling you three now. During the summer holiday, I went into Diagon Alley with-"

"Oh my Merlin," Hugo gasped, putting his hands over his mouth. "Diagon Alley! Why, that settles it all, now doesn't it?"

"Not funny," Lily said, elbowing him in the stomach and causing him to roll backward onto the floor.

"I resent that," he sputtered, sitting back up. "I'm actually hilarious."

"Anyway, I swear I saw those two Sanger twins there. They were leaving Olivander's wearing these black, winter cloaks with these weird pendants."

"Lil, not to burst your bubble, but wizards do tend to go into Diagon Alley before school starts. I don't really see what the mystery is."