academic curiosity

"Let´s just outline this situation one more time..." said Dale as he stood up from the library table after Lily had been done relating all she had to tell her friends.

They had been sitting in the library under the pretext of studying for the upcoming exams. The library in fact had never been so packed as it was then. Mostly though it was OWLS and NEWTS students, so a small group of insignifigant first years was hardly noticed at all.

"Yes, might as well just go over it again." Alia nodded agreement in a business-like manner.

Lily said, "Well... I think that the owl with the strange letter must have come from... You know, one of THEM. Some bloody Slytherin witnessed Petunia the frog´s 'resurrection' and now they think they'll have a go persuading me into demonstrating this completely fictional power that I could never possibly even have..."

"But!" Ada protested, a little cross-eyed from all that Lily had just said. "The skeletons! From the secret dungeon we found!"

Lily had never told Ada about her conversation with Dumbledore after that incident. She didn´t figure it would make much difference to her now as Ada generally chose a belief and stuck to it through thick and thin. A perfect example of this was her loyal devotion to the Death Eaters, which didn´t wane as even The Daily Prophet began mentioning it´s name under headlines about explosions and kidnappings.

"Look Mac Fusty," Alia began straightforwardly, "Lily is a great student and very nice." She smiled nervously as Ada stared back at her stonily. "But she CANNOT raise the dead. It´s not even possible for that to happen. Souls can´t come back into the long deceased body."

"What about zombies, huh?" Ada replied stoutly.

Dale made a face at the girls as if to say, 'Let me have a go.' He turned to Ada. "Well, yeah, sure. Zombies are neat too. But zombies are just living dead." He stuck out both hands and made a gargling noise. "See the difference?" Dale explained delicately.

"No. My damned frog is no living-dead! She´s just as squishy and lovable as ever." Ada looked around at each of them as if she was on trial, accused for a crime she did not commit.

As Lily cut in Ada looked completely perplexed.

"Okay, Ada. But is it possible that Petunia wasn´t dead in the first place?" She was avoiding the part of the explanation where Snape´s potion came in. Lily wasn´t particularly fond of the little know-it-all but she didn´t want to see him become Ada´s new punching bag.

"I´m not following you," Ada sighed impatiently. She tapped her foot under the table fretfully.

"Well, I guarantee you I can in no way, shape or form raise anything from the grave. That being said, we need to think of a way to convince these Slytherins of that before school lets out and they run home and tell their parents."

"Their parents... Who are likely the Death Eaters," Dale added stonily.

"Don´t you think that´s a bit presumptuous?" Alia asked suddenly. When Dale and Lily shared a confused look she continued tartly, "I mean, to assume that it´s only the Slytherin´s parents who are involved with Voldemort?"

"Well who cares who it is?!" Dale moaned. "Besides maybe the letter isn´t from some student. Maybe it´s from a REAL Death Eater. Think about it. Why would a student WAIT until you went HOME for Christmas to owl you? They would have just left you a anonymous message at school! It makes more sense that it´s someone outside of Hogwarts!"

"Well, if that´s the case then I´m dead!" Lily cried letting her head drop on the table miserably.

"Maybe not!" Alia chirped.

As they all turned toward her she shrugged. "Maybe they´ll forget?!"

"Or maybe you could make the best of it!" said Ada as she crunched on a candy she had pulled from the pocket of her robes. "If it were me in you´re place I´d use it to meet The Dark Lord or something like that. Just think, this is like an all-access pass to the Death Eaters! Besides, the message didn´t sound all that threatening. In fact, it sounds like a job offer to my ears!" She scoffed as if they were all idiots, "And those Slytherin Black brats are just spoiled richies. Old blood but not an ounce of class to share between any two of em! So of course they weren´t very nice! If they even are in the know they're probably jealous!" Ada laughed heartily and then got up and left. "I gotta do my homework."

Three mouths hung open as she left. "She´s either mad or brilliant!" Dale sighed, lovelorn.

"All-access pass to the Death-eaters??" Lily spoke incredulously. "Don't kid around, Dale. I´m just trying to get through the end of the year exams!"

"Ada´s right though!" Alia replied, cleaning away her workspace as she too went to leave them in favor of her studies. Seeing Lily´s look she grinned. "I´m not saying you should do it! But it still helps to see this in the right perspective."

"I should be talking to McGonagall right now," Lily sighed, ignoring her.

"Why don´t you?" Dale said through a yawn. "You won´t be able to see her this Summer. They may send another owl during vacation... Or worse!"

"I suppose..." Lily mumbled but she saw that Dale had already gotten up from the table and left.

She thought about what the benefits of telling her Head of House would be. Well, thought Lily, McGonagall would probably take away the letter, then tell Dumbledore. She would be put on lock down until they found out who wrote it and when (or if) that person was caught they would know she told... Then Dumbledore probably wouldn´t let her come back to school next year as it would be not just dangerous for her but for the other students as well. Even if this wasn't a student´s doing. It would be even worse, in fact, if it were some Death Eater...

Despite her better sense she began to contemplate Ada´s suggestion. What would be the benefits of getting access to the Death Eaters? Well... She could find out secrets, maybe even identities and narc on them!

Oh, there's a great idea! she thought sarcastically. Was she trying to get herself killed in the most fantastic way possible?! But still...

*

During the last week of school, after exams had finally been completed everyone seemed to turn not to the typical outdoor games and trifles but to the Daily Prophet. It was highly unusual for the population of Hogwarts to be interested en masse in the doings of the political world. But the headlines were also very unusual.

MAGICAL CREATURES UNION FIRE! `DEATH-EATER´ GROUP SUSPECT! Under this headline was a photo of teamsters running hither and yon, water shooting out of their wands in a last ditch effort to save what was left of their offices... A chunky black mass.

The United Federation for Magical Creatures local offices in Surrey were completely destroyed yesterday early morning following a fiery blitz attack from unknown parties reportedly concealed in dark hoods.

Although all members of the union were to be at the office yesterday night for an election on admitting Trolls, all declined going in after the alleged apparition of what was said to be a large and rather threatening glowing green skull with what one UFMC rep referred to as having a "slithering tongue." Whether this mysteriously described insignia oft recognized as the official calling card of the self-made Lord Voldemort was really there or not, just the talk of it frightened people back to their homes. Ministry spokesman Herman Hermits scoffed at the possibility of the strange skull marking. "It sounds like a lot of poppycock to me! Even if it really happened it was likely just a copycat marking, to draw false conclusions and distract from the real perpetrators. I think this stinks of those hippie lib terrorists who are always parading around in their under wears! Lord Voldemort is a most odd figure indeed and I don't completely trust him myself but that´s no reason to blame every crime on him just because these things are happening just as he reemerged back into England!"

Despite Hermit's declarations, which mirror the general opinion of most the officials at the Ministry, the Minister For Magic refuses to put off Voldemort´s party as possible suspects though she hasn't moved forward in an investigation against the Death Eaters. Possibly she is worried about coming elections, as Lord Voldemort gains respect with the old houses. Rigel Black, patriarch of the Black house and a avid Lord Voldemort supporter took the news in good humour yesterday saying to this reporter, "It seems to me that the UFMC destroyed itself... To gain attention to their insane notions! If they had their way, imagine the chaos! House elves and trolls having wizard rights? What next? Leprechauns!?"

When asked why the Minister calls the roguish group the Death Eaters number one suspects Auror Steve Evets simply shrugged. "They left their name written in blood in the pavement outside. So we figured, what the hell, could very well be them."

"This is unbelievable!" Dale cried, throwing down the morning edition with disgust.

"Yeah, I know... House elf rights?" scoffed Ada with a laugh.

"Do you think it was Voldemort?" Lily said, ignoring her comment.

Ada appeared to think this over for several seconds before replying, "Nah... I mean, makes sense what that Hermy Hermit guy was saying. About someone just trying to make it look like the Death Eaters. Why would they make it so obvious if it really was them, huh?"

"Because they want people to fear them," Dale answered. "This is exactly what Chuck Pedagogue was saying would happen!"

"Merlin´s Beard!" Ada scoffed, "Who on earth is Chump Pentagon?"

"CHUCK Pedagogue. C-H-U-C-K!" Dale huffed. "He´s a member of the Minister's Cabinet. He´s new... He came from Egypt a few years ago and before that he studied in South Africa and Argentina and Korea and all sorts of fascinating places. He knows all about corrupt politics and things. Taking power through intimidation!" Dale sat up from where they had been long lounging on the hill overlooking the languid-looking lake.

"Jeez... Settle down, willya? It was just a question! Talk about `intimidation!´" Ada laughed and went back to her Witch Weekly magazine.

"Don´t listen to her," Lily told Dale. "She still thinks her frog is a reincarnation of Queen Victoria!"

"Does she even know who Victoria was?" Dale asked with doubt written all over his face.

"She was a royal monarch," Ada sniffed, pronouncing the last two words carefully.

"Yeah and she was a Muggle," Lily added, "a real big one. But any ways, how do you think you did on Slughorn´s essay?"

Dale grinned sheepishly. "Oh, I suppose I did well. He does grade on a curve and that creepy Snape was absent..."

Snape had been gone for the exam because Alia had confided to Ada who had poisoned Petunia the frog and Snape subsequently spent the following three nights in the infirmary. Lily looked out by a looming tree in a secluded area by the lakeside. She could see Snape sitting between the roots and paging through a small book. He seemed such a lonesome little creature she thought wistfully.

"I feel badly for him. Nothing ever seems to go his way!" Lily mumbled.

"WELL!" Ada suddenly looked up from her magazine. Lily hadn´t realized she had been listening. "Maybe if he spent less of his time over those filthy dark arts books and more of it being NORMAL and talking to people he would have a better go of it!"

"Maybe he´s shy!" Lily argued.

Ada was stubborn and devoid of courtesy but she was right a shocking amount of the time. "´Maybe he´s shy!'" she mocked in a high pitched voice, though Lily´s voice was lower than her own. "Why don´t you go down there and ask him out on a date then? Why don´t you MARRY Snape, Lily?!" Ada cried and pointed a accusing finger so quite a few people turned and laughed.

"ALL RIGHT! I will then!"

Lily ripped up some grass and threw it in her friend´s face. Laughing, she stood up and was about to go down the hill to do just this, well except for the marrying and dating part but Dale grabbed one of her legs and dragged her back.

"No! That will just embarrass him! Sit down and shut up all of you!" he hissed and waved his hands in the air. "Before the whole of Hogwarts hears you!"

Dale gave Ada a severe look and she folded her magazine and cleared her throat, though still smiling mischievously. Lily too sat back down, smiling innocently she said, "Do you think he would even date ME?" she meant it as a complete joke but the response was a bit unprecedented. Ada hurled herself on to the ground and cracked up. As she rolled over on to her back Lily could see she was crying from laughing so hard. Dale was holding his stomach desperately and had a weird straining look over his face that made Lily suspicious.

"What?" Lily asked but this just caused Dale to lose control and Ada´s tears to come streaming down her face.

*

Lily hadn´t worn her street clothes since before she boarded the Hogwarts Express. She made a point to wear them now, so her parents would recognize her. She folded her robes up lovingly, though, in her trunk and met her friends in the front hall. The last day had crept up on her fast and she was a bit jarred to be leaving. Her only consolation was a big one. She would be coming back in just two months. And she would be a second year!

"Will you Owl me, then?" Ada asked Lily. She was trying to shove her own bulky school robes back into her bag after she saw that both Lily and Dale were in Muggle clothes.

"Sure I will... Maybe we can even visit? I can talk my parents into vacationing up North again!"

"Excellent!" Ada sighed, clapping her hands together. "Hey, did you ever figure out what to do with that..." she lowered her voice considerably, "evil letter?"

"Um, yes," Lily lied.

"Oh, good! So you told McGonagall then!" Dale remarked, his doubt etched on his face clearly.

Lily made a point not to answer and conveniently Alia approached with Joe Leary.

*

At King's Cross Dale and Lily waved goodbye as Dale´s mother came by. She was small and continually sniffling. She clutched her son´s arm as soon as she saw him and looked about herself in a state of near-panic.

Dale leaned over and whispered to Lily in her ear, "Mum´s a Muggle. She knows about wizards though because she says my dad probably was one. But she still worries about it..." They said their adieus then and his mum waved distractedly and seemed to carry Dale off through the crowd warily.

Lily waited for about a half hour before she saw her parents in the melee. They had been there a long time as well and seemed impatient.

"My god, there she is. What IN THE...?!" Her mother, a medium-sized figure hovered over her a moment, blinking with disbelief.

"WORLD? She´s A GIANT!" her father continued. Lily was always embarrassed when her parents finished each other´s sentences. And when they exaggerated. And when they did all this in front of large amounts of people her age.

Lily let them whisk her away, she more than occasionally turned back to look at the last of the Hogwarts faces pass away from her view. Two more months....