Pranksters United

46

Lily reached her home safely. She was very cautious, knowing that the deatheaters might come anytime. Her sister, Petunia was always irritated with her but this time, she too, was sensing that something was wrong whit the amount of negative energy around Lily. Her parents tried to ask her about what was troubling her, but she was not telling anyone of her family member, that a war was looming overhead.

Day and night, she constantly thought about the information Dumbledore had told her. Being the curious girl she is, she had visited Dumbledore again, without telling James. Together, they had listed all the Horcruxes. The one they knew for sure were: The ring, Locket, Hufflepuff's cup, Nagini, The diary and Voldemort himself. They sure that the remaining was Ravenclaw's diadem.

In these 7, they only knew the location of the ring, hufflepuff's cup, diary, and Voldemort. When Lily asked the location of locket and Diary, Dumbledore somehow convinced her that if she knew too much, suspicion might rise. Now Lily felt that maybe she had argued, she would have at least an idea.

Dumbledore had given her only a single task. Try and find any information about the lost Diadem of Ravenclaw. She had done her research with the help of a fellow Ravenclaw. When asked, the girl had said 'No one alive had seen it. And whoever has seen it, is not alive. It was lost thousands of years ago. From what I've read is that it was lost even at the time when Rowena Ravenclaw was dying. No one has seen it since then. And if they have, they are not alive.'

Sighing to herself, Lily had gone back to the common room. Now that she was at her home, safe and away from everything else, she could do nothing else that think back to the lines the Ravenclaw had told her.

Lily became more and more restless. She knew that searching these Horcruxes was very important. If what Dumbledore said was true, then it was utterly important to find the object.

One evening, as she was sitting in her living room with a glass to tean in hand, her hair tied messily in a bun, and her green eyes fixed at no point in particular, her mother came and sat beside her, her soft hand patting Lily's head.

"Your worries will be less if you share them, you know" Mrs. Evans said.

"I can't, I told you already. Dumbledore has made me promise to not to tell anyone." Lily said in earnest.

"But I am not forcing you to tell me the whole story, just tell me what worries you and maybe you will get an opinion of a non-magical person. You know, different perspective helps us look at the situation more clearly" Mrs. Evans said smoothly. She knew that her daughter would not participate in any dangerous activity, so she was not much scared.

Lily sighed. "Ok...let's see. I want to search an object which is very old. It belonged to one of the founder of Hogwarts and Hogwarts is more than thousand years old." Lily started letting out as less information as possible. Mrs.Evans nodded in encouragement.

"I asked one of my friend and she said that it was last sighted a few days before its owner died, which too, was thousand years ago. The girl said that no man alive has seen it and anyone who has seen it is probably dead, because even in wizarding world, no one can live thousand years" Lily finished.

Mrs. Evans looked expectantly at her daughter. Though after no reaction at all, she exclaimed. "You must be really stressed to see the answer to this, Lily. Are you ok?" Mrs. Evans added jokingly. Though Lily was in no mood to joke.

After a look from Lily, Mrs. Evans put her hands up. "Ok. Let me give you a hint. Whoever has seen his object is dead. So why don't you ask dead people from your school, the one's you wrote to me about in your 1st year" Mrs. Evans said.

"Wha-?? Mom, how can talk to...." Though Lily did not complete the sentence as the realisation struck her "Ghosts..." Lily whispered.

Mrs. Evans smiled fondly at Lily. "Exactly" Lily's face turned from stressed to gleeful. "Thanks mum, you are the best" Lily said and got up quickly.

Getting up, Lily kissed her mother's cheek and ran to her room to write a letter. "Lily...." Mrs. Evans called out but Lily was long gone.

..............................

Going to her room, Lily drew out a parchment and pen and sat on her table.

Bending over the desk, she touched the pen to the paper, though stopped for consideration. Times were not good, Owls maybe be intercepted. It was not safe to send letters right now, Dumbledore had warned her about it. She needed to ask someone to whome she would not have to send an owl.

Her only option was Mary, but Lily doubted if Mary knew much about ghosts. Her other option was Severus, that is if he still had the phone with which they used to talk until their 5 year. Deciding to try Mary, she returned to the living room.

Dialling Mary's number, she waited patiently as the phone rang. After 5 rings, the line started and a very familiar voice spoke. "Hello, McDonald's household, who is speaking, please?"

"Mary, it's Lily, have you got a minute or two, I wanted to ask you something"

"Oh hey Lily, sure. Go ahead" Mary said nonchalantly.

"What do you know about the ghost of Ravenclaw?" Lily asked, now excited.

Mary's eyebrows furrowed. Now she was sure that Lily knew something she didn't. Even on the train, Mary noticed Lily looking at Sirius' direction once in a while, though she kept her mouth shut"

"I don't know much about it. She is a female and very shy. And I hardly see her, she is mostly by herself. And she is very beautiful" Mary said.

"She is beauty-? When did you see her?" Lily asked.

"I was wandering the castle, in the north tower I guess, and she was just floating there, looking out of the castle. Why do you ask?"

Lily hesitated "I... I am doing a chart about whatever I remember about Hogwarts to show my parents."Lily lied.

Mary knew that Lily was lying, because from their first year, she had seen Lily write a letter alternate day explaining different things about Hogwars to her parents. Mary said noting except an 'ok and see you soon' and they hung up.

Sighing to herself, Lily sat on the couch where her mother was still sitting and reading paper. "Well, I got all the information I could get, the rest, I can't work on it till I am at Hogwarts. Want to have the talk you so longed for?" Lily asked jokingly and the two women talked for hours.

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