The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

The Sentence of Druella Black

The Sentence of Druella Black

Lily was asleep when she woke with a jolt, the plane landing on the tarmac in Orlando. She sat up and pressed her nose to the window to see palm trees off in the distance and quite a lot of sunshine glowing down on her. She blinked rapidly - it was just so very, very bright! She reached over in her excitement and nudged Petunia. "Tuney, look," she begged, "Look. It's Florida, it's really Florida. We've made it, look Tuney!"

Petunia opened her heavy eyelids and peered past Lily to the window and the sunlight and she groaned and turned over in her seat, covering her eyes.

Lily frowned and turned back to the window.

Everything seemed new and exciting and overwhelming. Lily looked about with wide eyes as they made their way through the airport to the carpark where a taxi cab, all painted yellow with black checkers, drove them to the hotel they were staying at. There were statues of Mickey and Minnie Mouse with Walt Disney out front of the hotel, and inside they had large paintings of Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland. Lily used her first photograph on a magically enhanced Polaroid camera that Ali Prewitt had loaned her for the trip to snap a picture of the life-size Bambi statue in their hotel lobby. "Wow," she whispered, shaking out the little square of developing film.

Lily couldn't understand how Petunia wasn't amazed by everything they saw when Lily herself felt as though her breath had been stolen right from her chest with every turn. "Isn't it amazing, though, Tuney?" she asked eagerly when they walked into their room and she pulled open the curtains to reveal a beautiful curved balcony with a view of Cinderella's Castle far off in the distance. "Oh come now, Tuney, even you can't pretend this isn't incredible."

Petunia shrugged.

Petunia wasn't any more excited the next day, either. Every time someone referred to the park as The Magic Kingdom, Tuney would flinch and scowl. Lily felt like telling her to stop acting like such a baby, since real magic wasn't a thing like they said in the Disney films, but Tuney's attitude just kept getting worse and worse until she was sitting with her arms crossed and pouting aboard the WEDway, which had just opened that very week, even as it brought them along on the smoothest train-ride Lily had ever felt and Mr. Evans pointed out the exciting new Space Mountain ride that had only opened months before. Lily couldn't imagine being so sour that one would ever dream of not smiling at the rides or the costumed people walking about - like the Dapper Dans that tried to serenade Petunia, only to receive hardly any reaction from her at all. Lily did take a wizarding photograph for Tuney of it, though, just incase she decided later she would like to remember it happening.

In the gift shop, Lily purchased mouse ear hats for each of the Marauders, plus Frank and Ali, and a Robin Hood tea cup for Remus. She bought postcards for each of them, too, and one for Professor McGonagall. She also got herself a music box, lined with soft blue velvet inside, which played Little April Shower in tinkling music with a little Bambi that popped up when the box lid opened. It was instantly one of her most precious treasures and she carried the bag very carefully through the park.

Petunia said she didn't want anything, but Mrs. Evans bought each of the girls Minnie Mouse ears and made them stand together in sight of Cinderella's Castle to take a photograph. Lily handed her the Polaroid camera and told her how to do it so the photographs would move when they developed and Petunia turned her nose up and in the picture her figure sneered and rolled her eyes repeatedly.

DRUELLA BLACK, SENTENCED TO THE DEMENTOR'S KISS, TO BE PERFORMED THURSDAY
Judge Bartemius Crouch, the third in command of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement sat on the trial of notorious potions mistress Druella Black Monday morning. Druella, who was being tried for the mass murder that occurred in the Chamber of the Ministry for Magic just two months ago. Druella Black will be administered the Dementor's Kiss in her holding cell at the Department for Magical Law Enforcement Thursday by midday.