The Necklace
Authors Note- Thank you for the reviews, and I swear this will be good. I'm sorry about the confusion, hopefully this chapter will clear it up, and if not, please let me know.
Chapter Two
The hype of Alina Duvall died down immediately after breakfast, and the endless conversations throughout the Great Hall on her part.
Despite Lily's friends' long lines of gossip and several ` I knew she was one of them, I always knew it!', she was quiet. Occasionally, she'd look down at the end of the Gryffindor table, watching James Potter and Sirius Black hexing students from other houses who they overheard saying harsh things about Alina.
" At least now they have some what of a practical reason to be casting those" Leah had said after following her eye path to where James had just hexed Jessica Hawthorne so that her earlobes grew to the length of the floor. " But they're stupid enough to do so with the staff table right there".
She smiled to herself, but the second Sirius merely made eye contact, she quickly looked away and returned to her eggs and bacon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was the same thing every time an incident identical to this occurred. A mud-blood was removed, then the next day a hearing was held with all the staff members and the child's parents, so there were no classes that day.
Lily sat with her legs crossed in one of the arm chairs in the common room, her Transfiguration book opened across her lap. This time, she immediately knew it was James when he sat down in the chair next to her. She shifted her position and attempted to remain casual. What was it about him?
" Hey Evans" she looked up at his whisper, which wasn't necessary, " do you have a quill I could borrow?".
At his polite request, Lily reached into her shoulder bag which rested on the floor at her side and retrieved a shortened quill then handed it over, " give it back when you're done?".
James smirked, making him look at least five years younger, " not a problem" she let him take it, " thank you".
She continued her reading and was just about to review on how to change her pet rat into a saucer, when something sparked in her mind. " Hey James" he looked up, " um, about earlier. I've got nothing against Mud-Bloods, nothing at all. Actually, I don't know what I was trying to tell you".
" Don't worry, around here you're treated just the same for not offending them too, but that shouldn't stop anyone. However, when it strikes as close as your form room, I wouldn't blame you for saying that".
It's like he had already had these sayings stored in his mind, waiting to use them. But he was so casual and soft spoken, at least, in the dew times she had ever talked to him, this being one. It just seemed like it was a permanent trait of his.
" Did you ever notice Alina mouthing off about Mud- Bloods?".
Simple and sincere as his question was, her bright eyes widened. He didn't know her secret, he couldn't have, no wizard could do that- not yet at least. " Uh, no, actually. Whenever the conversation would go in that direction, she would never say a word".
A smile crept across James's mouth, " what about you Evans?" she wasn't too sure if he had that question aimed at something in particular.
" Bloody hell Prongs, going on about the Muggle born?" Sirius Black, who was widely known as James's best mate, strolled over from the porthole. He plopped down on James's lap, causing a groan, and grinned at her, " sorry, but I hate that term that goes around about them. Honestly, you'd think this guy is in love with them".
" I am not" James struggled to speak, then shoved Sirius onto the floor, " I just think its fascinating, to be born in such a common world and discover you have a unique power, and then be in a place like this" once again, he eyed Lily.
Sirius snorted, " yeah, Azkaban Prison".
James kicked his shin, " bite it will you, that's going to be your home soon enough, bloody womanizer".
He ran a hand through his short brown locks, " I'll escape" and James chuckled,
Lily leaned onto her knees, " wait a second, kids who are Muggle born go to Azkaban? Isn't that a bit extreme?".
James shrugged, " obviously not to them. There's a dungeon somewhere in the school, not sure where, but its where they keep the Mud…Muggle born kids that they catch, it's until the dementors come, after the hearing that is. Alina's probably there now".
" And the longer Muggle born has been in the Wizarding world, the longer the sentence" Sirius added.
Her eyebrows narrowed, " hang on, how do you two know all this?".
The two took a moment glancing between one another before muttering " random places" in union.
" You know, I still don't get it" Sirius began fondling with his shoelaces, " they're not even dangerous, if anything we could harm them".
James nodded, " you mention something like a mandrake to a Muggle, and you get an odd look".
" I mean, there's worse things running around this world- like werewolves, no offense to Remus or anything…I overheard that little trait back in our third year".
Sirius chuckled, " Moony's only dangerous to himself".
Lily gleamed at him, " didn't you use to fancy Alina?".
" Dated is more like it" James muttered.
" Yeah, and she told me she was Muggle born right after I kissed her" James mumbled ` dementors kiss' under his breath after Lily's eyebrows flared, " that's completely coincidental".
Lily bit at her bottom lip, " you weren't the one that ratted her out were you?".
It took him a moment to formulate her words, " oh, of course not, no I'm not even close to being that thick headed. She knew it was safe with me, and I'll take it to the grave whenever that may be".
" Then who?".
" Probably Malfoy, he's got a knack for running peoples lives. His dad works in the Ministry, apparently they've got a list of all the Muggle borns hiding here, in alphabetical order so they can look important.
Immediately, in the confusion of the two before her, Lily gasped, nearly screaming, or crying. Alina Duvall, D. If there was a list, and she believed there was, that meant that E was next in line……….Evans.