Lily Potter And The Secret Bewitchment

Chapter Twenty-Six - The Two Notes

"So, someone's trying to hurt Lily?" Hugo asked in a hushed tone.

"Yes," Jayla said, shooting a sideways glance at her friend.

"I think someone's trying to do more than just injure her," Oli said quietly.

"Don't say that, please," Jayla said, looking frightened.

"It's the truth, Jayla," Lily said, sighing. "It's true and you know it. Oh, Merlin." Lily buried her head in her hands. "What does it all mean?" She groaned.

"Well, we know it means something," Hugo said, as Lily got out of her chair and began to pace.

"It's all connected somehow!" Lily said, frustrated. "Think about it. What's happened so far this year?"

"Jayla's aneurysms for one thing. Rita Skeeter forgetting for another." Hugo shrugged. "Oh, and St. Mungo's."

"Snowy disappearing was strange, and her turning up in your garden was even stranger," Oli added as he stroked Snowy, who was curled up on his lap asleep.

"Oh, the ghosts and the Quidditch," Jayla said, suddenly sitting up straighter.

"Didn't we say that Vic and Dom's fighting was weird as well?" Hugo interjected.

"And Scorpius Malfoy?" Oli questioned.

"No." George shook his head. "Malfoy's just a git. My parents talk about his family and they sound like complete-"

"Yes, thank you!" Jayla giggled. Lily joined in her brief laughter.

"Yeah, Malfoy's just Malfoy," Lily said.

"The dreams are obviously huge to solving this thing, but they're different," Jayla said.

"How so?" George asked.

"Well, they seem to be a product, or result, of Lily's actions rather than direct repercussions of this strange magic," Jayla said, as though this was perfectly simple.

"Do you know what?" Hugo asked, yawning loudly. "We should really go to bed, we have class in the morning."

"Agreed," Lily said.

"You agree?" George said with a mock shocked look on his face, "Merlin's beard, Lily must be tired!"

"Perfectly correct," Lily said, yawning at a greater volume than Hugo, which was an achievement in itself.

"See you in the morning then, girls," Oli said, heading towards the left staircase with Hugo and George.

"Eight-fifteen in here?" Lily asked. Hugo nodded. Lily and Jayla waved and then trudged up the stairs to their dormitory.

When they arrived, it was to Milly, Iona and Olivia all huddled around a sheet of paper. Deryn wasn't there, Lily presumed she had gone to the library.

"Hi girls," Jayla said, "What've you got there?"

"We think this might be the reason Deryn got so upset. We found her exam results under her bed." Olivia said, looking anxious.  We looked at her results, they were quite good, and then I turned them over and found this." Iona showed them the exam sheet's back.

"IT MUST BE DONE. WE ARE COMING FOR YOU" was written in black ink.

"That's awful." Lily gasped. "Has she reported it?"

"I don't know," Olivia said, looking around. "She seemed really upset yesterday when you were in the hospital."

"Do you two think something weird's going on around here?" Milly asked from across the room to Lily and Jayla.