Estella only caught sight of her grandfather four times over the next few weeks. He invited her to his office for a sit down to discuss the future, but nothing he's said makes sense. It didn't help the fact he wouldn't touch her, whether it be a hug or handshake, he avoided all touch. He was most certainly hiding something from her and Estella could tell it had something to do with his decaying hand, if that was a strong enough word for it.
Halfway through October came their first trip of the term to Hogsmeade. Estella had wondered whether these trips would still be allowed, given the increasingly tight security measures around the school, but was pleased to know that they were going ahead.
Estella awoke early on the morning of the trip, which was proving stormy, and spent the time leading up to breakfast finishing her Transfiguration essay.
Within an hour, Estella and Hermione set off to the Great Hall for breakfast, dressed in waterproof and warm clothing. Ron excitedly relayed a story of the events that transpired in the boys' dormitory.
"...and then there was another flash of light and I landed on the bed again!" Ron grinned, helping himself to sausages.
Neither Hermione nor Estella cracked a smile.
"Was this spell, by any chance, another one from that potion book of yours?" asked Hermione.
Harry frowned at her.
"Always jump to the worst conclusion, don't you?"
"So it was?" said Estella.
"Yeah, but so what?"
"So you just decided to try out an unknown, handwritten incantation and see what would happen?"
"What does it matter if it's handwritten?" said Harry, dodging the question.
"Casting a spell without knowing what it does is extremely dangerous, especially when you don't know what type of person wrote it," said Estella.
"Can't forget that it's not Ministry of Magic-approved," said Hermione. "And also," she added, as Harry and Ron rolled their eyes, "because I'm, Estella too though she doesn't want you to be mad at her, am starting to think this Prince character is a bit dodgy."
Both Harry and Ron shut her down at once.
"It was a laugh!" said Ron, upending a ketchup bottle over his sausages. "Just a laugh, that's all!"
"It could've done worse, Ron. I don't think you understand that," said Estella.
Dangling people upside down by the ankle?" said Hermione. "Who puts their time and energy into making up spells like that?"
"Fred and George," said Ron, shrugging, "it's their kind of thing. And, er-"
"My dad," said Harry.
"What?" said Ron and Hermione together.
"My dad used the spell," said Harry. "I-Lupin told me."
Estella knew that it was the spell his father had used on Snape.
"Okay, so he did use it," said Estella, "but he's not the only one. We've seen a bunch of people use it, just look at the Prophet. Dangling people in the air. Making them float along, asleep, helpless."
Harry stared at her and Ron came to his aid.
"That was different," he said robustly. "They were abusing it. Harry and his dad were just having a laugh. You don't like the Prince," he added, "because he's better than the two of you at Potions-"
"Oh, Ron, don't be stupid. I do pretty damn well without a book telling me what to do. It's stupid to experiment with spells when you don't know what they could do. For all you know that spell could've done a lot worse. As I said, it depends on the person who wrote it and neither of you knows who wrote it, meaning you don't know their intentions or the type of person they are. For all you know, it could've been a Dark spell or a spell that tickles you!" said Estella, annoyed.
"Anyone who names themselves 'Prince' doesn't seem too nice to me," added Hermione.
"I don't see where you get that from," said Harry heatedly. "If he'd been a buddying Death Eater he wouldn't have boasted about being 'half-blooded,' would he?"
"The Death Eaters can't all be pure-bloods, there aren't enough pure-blood wizards left," said Hermione stubbornly. "I expect most of them are half-bloods pretending to be pure like Voldemort. IT's only Muggle-borns they hate, they'd be quite happy to let you, Estella, and Ron join up."
"There's no way they'd let me be a Death Eater!" said Ron indignantly, a bit of sausage flying off the fork he was now brandishing at Hermione and hitting Erie Macmillian on the head. "My whole family are blood traitors. They'd probably take Estella cause of her abilities, though. But blood traits are as bad as Muggle-borns."
"Any they'd love to have me," said Harry sarcastically. "We'd be best pals if they didn't keep trying to do me in.
This made Ron and Estella laugh; even Hermione gave a grudging smile, and a distraction arrived in the shape of Ginny.
"Hey, I'm supposed to give you this."
It was a scroll of parchment with Harry's name written upon it.
"Thanks, Ginny...It's Dumbledore's next lesson!" Harry told them, pulling open the parchment and quickly reading its contents. "Monday evening!"
"Ginny, do you want to go with us?" asked Estella, as they got up from the table.
Ginny shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm going with Dean and then meeting up with Luna-might see you there," she replied, waving at them as she left.
Filch was standing at the oak front doors as usual, checking off the names of the people who had permission to go into Hogsmeade. The process took even longer than normal as Filch was triple-checking everybody with the Secrecy Sensor.
"What does it matter if we're smuggling Dark stuff OUT?" demand Ron, eyeing the Secrecy Sensor with apprehension. "Surely you ought to be checking what we bring IN?"
His cheek earned him a few extra jabs with the Sensor, and he was still wincing as they stepped out into the wind and sleet.
The walk to Hogsmeade was not enjoyable. Estella wrapped her scarf over her lower face; the exposed part felt both raw and numb. The road to the village was full of students bent double against the bitter wind. Estella made sure she walked beside Harry, as his taller figure blocked a good amount of wind from her and he didn't even know it. More than once Estella wondered whether they might not have had a better time in the warm common room, and when they reached Hogsmeade and saw that Zonko's Joke Shop had been boarded up, Estella took it as confirmation that this trip was destined not to be fun. Ron pointed, with a thickly gloved hand, toward Honeydikes, which was mercifully open, and the three of them staggered in his wake into the crowded shop.
"Thank God," shivered Ron as they were enveloped by war, toffee-scented air. "Let's stay here all afternoon."
"Estella, Harry!" said a booming voice from behind them.
"Ugh," groaned Estella as Harry muttered, "Oh no."
The four of them turned to see Professor Slughorn, who was wearing an enormous furry hat and an overcoat with matching fur collar, clutching a large bag of crystalized pineapple and occupying at least a quarter of the shop.
"That's three of my little suppers you've missed, Harry, and two for you, Estella!" said Slughorn, poking Harry genially in the chest. "It won't do, I'm determined to have you both! Miss Granger loves them, don't you?"
"Yes," said Hermione helplessly, "they're really-"
"So why don't you come along, Estella?" said Slughorn.
"Well, the first two times I had meetings with my grandfather," she said, secretly grateful for those meetings.
"And you, Harry?" demanded Slughorn.
"Well, I've had Quidditch practice, professor," said Harry, who'd been scheduling the practices whenever there was a "party."
"Well, I certainly expect you to win your first match after all this hard work!" said Slughorn. "But a little recreation never hurt anybody. Now, how about Monday night, you can't possibly want to practice in this weather..."
"I can't, Professor, I've got-er-an appointment with Professor Dumbledore that evening."
"Unlucky again!" cried Slughorn dramatically. "Ah, but Estella should be able to make it, right?"
He looked expectantly at her.
She nodded. "Yup, I'm free," she said, Ron sniggered behind her and she resisted the urge to elbow him.
And with a regal wave, he waddled out of the shop, taking as little notice of Ron as though he had been a display of Cockroach Clusters.
"I can't believe you've wriggled out of another one," said Hermione, shaking her head. "They're not that bad, should be better now that Estella's coming. Ian won't blow this one off again since he knows you're coming. This should be fun..." She quickly changed the subject. "Oh, look-they've got deluxe sugar quills-those would last hours!"
Hermione and Ron hurried to the shelf.
"I can't believe you're leaving me to go by myself," said Estella, glaring at him.
Harry couldn't help the smile that was brought to his face. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have fun."
She huffed. "I'm forcing Ian to go. I don't care if he doesn't want to," she said, not noticing Harry's sour expression and clenched jaw.
Now he wished he could go.
"Where do you want to go, Ron?" asked Estella, moving toward the shelf where he and Hermione were talking.
He merely shrugged, certainly moody.
"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks," said Harry. "It'll be warm."
They bundled their scarves back over their faces and left the sweetshop. The bitter wind was like knives on their faces after the surgery warmth of Honeydukes. The street was not very busy; nobody was lingering to chat, just hurrying toward their destinations. The exceptions were two men a little ahead of them, standing just outside the Three Broomsticks. One was very tall and thin, who Estella recognized as the barman from the Hog's Head. As Estella, Harry, Ron, and Hermione drew closer, the barman drew his cloak more tightly around his neck and walked away, leaving the shorter man to fumble with something in his arms. They were barely feet from him when Estella recognized who the man was.
"Mundungus!" called Harry.
The squat, bandy-legged man with long, straggly, ginger hair jumped and dropped an ancient suitcase, which burst open, releasing what looked like the entire contents of a junk shop window.
"Oh, 'ello, 'Arry...Estella," said Mundungus Fletcher, with a most unconvincing stab at airiness. "Well, don't let me keep ya."
And he began scrabbling on the ground to retrieve the contents of his suitcase with every appearance of a man eager to be gone.
"Are you selling this stuff?" asked Estella, watching Mundungus grab an assortment of grubby-looking objects from the ground.
"Oh, well, gotta scrape a living," said Mundungus. "Gimme that!"
Roh had stooped down and picked up something silver.
"Hang on," Ron said slowly. "This looks familiar-"
"That's because it is," said Estella, grabbing a familiar locket from the pile.
"Thank you!" said Mundungus, snatching the goblet out of Ron's hand and stuffing it back into the case. He moved to grab the locket from her hand but she jumped away. "Gimme that-OUCH!"
Harry had pinned Mundungus against the wall of the pub by the throat. Holding him fast with one hand, he pulled out his wand.
"You took that from Sirius's house," said Harry, who was almost nose to nose with Mundungus. "That had the Black family crest on it."
"I-no-what-?" spluttered Mundungus, who was slowly turning purple.
"What did you do, go back the night he died and strip the place?" snarled Harry.
"I-no-"
"Give it to me!"
"Harry you mustn't!" shrieked Hermione, as Mundungus started to turn blue.
There was a bang, and Harry's hands flew off Mundungus's throat. Gasping and spluttering, Mundungus seized his fallen case-CRACK-he Disapparated.
Harry swore at the top of his voice, spinning on the spot to see where Mundungus had gone.
"COME BACK, YOU THIEVING-!"
"There's no point, Harry."
Tonks had appeared out of nowhere, her mousy hair wet with sleet.
"Mundungus will probably be in London by now. There's no point yelling."
"He's nicked Sirius's stuff! Nicked it!"
"Yes, but still," said Tonks, who seemed perfectly untroubled by this piece of information. "You four should get out of the cold."
She watched them go through the door of the Three Broomsticks.
The moment they were inside, Harry burst out, "He was nicking Sirius's stuff!"
"I know, Harry, but yelling won't get it back," whispered Estella, as heads turned in their direction. "Go sit down, I'll get you a drink."
Harry was still fuming when Estella returned to their table a few minutes later holding three bottles of butterbeer and one bottle of pumpkin juice.
"Can't the Order control Mundungus?" Harry demanded of the three in a furious whisperer. "Can't they at least stop him stealing everything that's not fixed down when he's at headquarters?"
"I'd be annoyed too, I know it's both of your things he sealing-" Hermione began, looking around to make sure nobody was listening; there were a couple of warlocks sitting close by who were watching Harry with great interest, and Zabini was lolling against a pillar not far away with Ian.
"Yeah, it's our stuff!" he said. "No wonder he didn't look pleased to see us! Well, I'm going to tell Dumbledore what's going on, he's the only one who scares Mundungus."
"Good idea," whispered Hermione. "Ron, what are you staring at?"
"Nothing," said Ron, hastily looking away from the bar, but Estella knew he was trying to catch the eye of Madam Rosmerta, for whom he had long nursed a soft spot.
"Is nothing in the back getting more firewhisky?" asked Estella.
Harry laughed, Hermione glowered at Ron, and Ron ignored the jube with a small glare to Estella, who stared back, drinking her pumpkin juice.
The moment Harry drained the last drops in his bottle Hermione said, "Shall we call it a day and go back to school, then?"
The three nodded; it had not been a fun trip and the weather was getting worse the longer they stayed. Once again they drew their cloaks tightly around them, arranged their scarves, pulled on their gloves, then followed Katie Bell and a friend out of the tub and back up the High Street.
"When are we having our next date?" asked Harry, taking her gloved hand into his.
"I don't know. You haven't exactly asked, have you?" quipped Estella, smiling under her scarf.
Harry's eyes raised. "Ah, my apologies. Estella, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the-"
Harry grew silent as they rounded a corner in the lane to see Katie rising gracefully into the air, her arms outstretched, as though she was about to fly. Yet there was something wrong, something eerie...Her hair was whipped around her by the fierce wind, but her eyes were closed and her face was quite empty of expression. The four Gryffindors halted in their tracks, watching.
Then, six feet above the ground, Katie let out a terrible scream. Her eyes flew open but whatever she could see, or whatever she was feeling, was clearly causing her terrible anguish. She screamed and screamed; her friend, Leanne started to scream too, and sized Katie's ankles, trying to tug her back to the ground. Harry, Ron, Estella, and Hermione rushed forward to help, but even as they grabbed Katie's legs, she fell on top of them; Harry and Ron managed to catch her but she was writhing so much they could hardly hold her. Instead, they lowered her to the ground where she thrashed and screamed, apparently unable to recognize any of them.
Estella looked around; the landscape seemed deserted.
"Stay here!" she shouted at the others over the howling wind. "I'm going for help!"
She began to sprint toward the school; she had never seen anyone behave as Katie had just behaved and could not think what had caused it; she hurtled around a bend in the lane and collided with what seemed to be an enormous bear on its hind legs.
"Hagrid!" she panted, disentangling herself from the hedgerow she ran into.
"Estella!" said Hagrid, who had sleet trapped in his eyebrows and beard, and was wearing his great, shaggy beaverskin coat. "Jus' bin vistin' Grawp, he's comin' on so well yeh wouldn'-"
"Hagrid, someone's hurt back there, or cursed, or something I don't know-"
"Wha'?" said Hagrid, bending lower to hear what Estella was saying over the raging wind.
"Someone's been cursed!" bellowed Estella.
"Cursed? Who's bin cursed-Harry? Ron? Hermione?"
"No, it's not them, it's Katie Bell-this way..."
Together they ran back along the lane. It took them no time to find the little group of people around Katie, who was still writhing and screaming on the ground; Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Leanne were all trying to quiet her.
"Get back!" shouted Hagrid. "Lemme see her!"
"Something's happened to her!" sobbed Leanne. "I don't know what-"
Hagrid stared at Katie for a second, then without a word, bent down, scooped her into his arms, and ran off toward the castle with her. Within seconds, Katie's piercing screams had died away and the only sound was the roar of the wind.
Hermione hurried to Katie's wailing friend and put an arm around her.
"It's Leanne, isn't it?"
The girl nodded.
"Did it just happen all of a sudden, or-?"
"It was when that package tore," sobbed Leanne, pointing at the now sodden brown-paper package on the ground, which had split open to reveal a greenish glitter. Estella and Ron drew closer, Ron's hand outstretched, but Harry seized his arm and pulled the both of them back.
"Don't touch it!"
"I was just looking," said Estella.
An ornate opal neck was visible, poking out of the paper.
"That's the necklace that was on display in Borgin and Burkes that we looked at, Mione," said Estella, staring at it. "The label said it was cursed. Katie must've touched it."
"How did Katie get hold of this?" asked Harry, who had turned to look at Leanne, who had started to shake uncontrollably.
"Well, that's why we were arguing. She came back from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks holding it, said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it. She looked all funny when she said it...Oh no, oh no, I bet she'd been Imperised and I didn't realize!"
Leanne shook with renewed sobs. Hermione patted her shoulder gently.
"No...she wouldn't tell me...and I said she was being stupid and not to take it up to school, but she wouldn't listen and...and then I tried to grab it from her...and-and-"
Leanne let out a wail of despair.
"We'd better get up to the school," said Hermione, her arm still around Leanne. "We'll be able to find out how she is. Come on..."
Estella set off with Hermione and Leanne while Harry stayed back, pulled his scarf from around his face, and carefully covered the necklace in it, and picked it up.
"Malfoy knows about this necklace. It was in a case at Borgin and Burkes four years ago, I saw him having a good look at it while I was hiding from him and his dad. This is what he was buying that day when we followed him! He remembered it and he went back for it!"
Estella said nothing so Ron filled the silence.
"I=I dunno, Harry," said Ron hesitantly. "Loads of people go to Borgin and Burkes...and didn't Leanne say Katie got it in the girls' bathroom?"
"She said she came back from the bathroom with it, she didn't necessarily get it in the bathroom itself-"
"McGonagall," Estella said warningly.
She was hurrying down the stone steps through swirling sleet to meet them.
"Hagrid says you five say what happened to Katie Bell-upstairs to my office at once, please! What's that you're holding, Potter?"
"It's the thing she touched," said Harry.
"Good lord," said Professor McGonagall, looking alarmed as she took the necklace from Harry. "No, no, Filch, they're with me!" she added hastily, as Filch came shuffling eagerly across the entrance hall holding his Secrecy Sensor aloft. "Take this necklace to Professor Snape at once, but be sure not to touch it, keep it wrapped in the scarf!"
Estella and the others followed Professor McGonagall upstairs and into her office. The sleet-spattered windows were rattling in their frames, and the room was chilly despite the fire crackling in the grate. Professor McGonagall closed the door and swept around her desk to face Harry, Ron, Estella, Hermione, and the still sobbing Leanne.
"Well?" she said sharply. "What happened?"
Haltingly, and with many pauses while she attempted to control her crying, Leanne told Professor McGonagall how Katie had gone to the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks and returned holding the unmarked package, how Katie had seemed a little odd, and how they had argued about the advisability of agreeing to deliver unknown objects, the argument culminating in the tussle over the parcel, which tore open. At this point, Leanne was so overcome, there was no getting another word out of her.
"All right," said Professor McGonagall, not unkindly, "go up to the hospital wing, please, Leanne, and get Madam Pomfrey to give you something for shock."
When she had left the room, Professor McGonagall turned back to the four Gryffindors.
"What happened when Katie touched the necklace?"
"She rose up into the air," said Estella, when no one else spoke, "and then began to scream, and collapsed."
"Professor, can I see Professor Dumbledore, please?" asked Harry, ignoring the odd looks he received.
"The headmaster is away until Monday, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, looking surprised.
"Away?" Harry repeated angrily.
"Yes, Potter, away!" said Professor McGonagall tartly. "But anything you have to say about this horrible business can be said to me, I'm sure!"
Harry hesitated before saying, "I think Draco Malfoy gave Katie that necklace, Professor."
Ron rubbed his nose in apparent embarrassment, Hermione shuffled her feet as though quite keen to put a bit of distance between herself and Harry, and Estella avoided eye contact with McGonagall and Harry.
Leave it to Harry to drop such a large statement.
"This is a very serious accusation, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, after a shocked paused. "Do you have any proof?:
"No," said Harry, "but..." and he told her about following Malfoy to Borgin and Burkes and the conversation they had overheard between him and Mr. Borgin.
When he had finished speaking, Professor McGonagall looked slightly confused.
"Malfoy took something to Borgin and Burkes for repair?"
"No, Professor, he just wanted Borgin to tell him how to mend something, he didn't have it with him. But that's not the point, the thing is that he bought something at the same time, and I think it was that necklace-"
"You saw Malfoy leaving the shop with a similar package?"
"No, Professor, he told Borgin to keep it in the shop for him-"
"Can't forget that Borgin asked him if he wanted to take it with him, and Draco said no-"
"Because he didn't want to touch it," snapped Harry, and Estella's eyes narrowed.
"What he actually said was, 'How would I look carrying that down the street?'" said Estella.
"Well, he would look a bit of a prat carrying a necklace," interjected Ron.
"Oh, Ron," said Hermione despairingly, "it would be all wrapped up, so he wouldn't have to touch it, and quite easy to hide inside a cloak, so nobody would see it! I think whatever he reserved at Borgin and Burkes was noisy or bulky, something he knew would draw attention to him if he carried it down the street-and in any case," she pressed on loudly before Harry could interrupt, "Estella and I asked Borgin about the necklace, don't you remember? When we went in to try and find out what Malfoy had asked him to keep, we saw it there. And Borgin told us the price, he didn't say it was sold-"
"Well, you were being obvious, he probably realized what you were up to within about five seconds, of course, he wasn't going to tell you-anyway, Malfoy could've sent off for it since-"
"That's enough!" said Professor McGonagall, as Hermione opened her mouth to retort, looking furious. "Potter, I appreciate you telling me this, but we cannot point the finger of blame at Mr. Malfoy purely because he visited the ship where this necklace might have been purchased. The same is probably true of hundreds of people-"
"-that's what I said-" muttered Ron.
"-and in any case, we have put stringent security measures in place this year. I do not believe this necklace can possibly have entered this school without our knowledge-"
"But-"
"-and what is more," said Professor McGonagall, with an air of awful finality, "Mr. Malfoy was not in Hogsmeade today."
Harry gaped at her.
"How do you now, Professor?"
"Because he was doing detention with me. He has failed to complete his Transfiguration homework twice in a row. So, thank you for telling me your suspicions, Potter," she said as she marched past them, "but I need to go up to the hospital wing now to check on Katie Bell. Good day to you all."
She held open her office door. They had no choice but to file past her without another word.
It was obvious that Harry was angry with Estella, Ron, and Hermione, but he still joined their conversation.
"So who do you reckon Katie was supposed to give the necklace to?" asked Ron, as they climbed the stairs to the common room.
"Who knows, there are so many people Death Eaters would want to give it to in Hogwarts," said Estella. "But whoever it was got lucky since no one could have opened that package without touching the necklace."
"Dumbledore, they'd love to get rid of him, he must be one of their top targets. Or Slughorn-Dumbledore reckons Voldemort really wanted him and they can't be pleased that he's sided with Dumbledore. Or-"
"Or you," said Hermione, troubled.
"I don't think so," said Harry, "or Katie would've just turned around in the lane and given it to me, wouldn't she? I was behind her all the way out of the Three Broomsticks. It would have made much more sense to deliver the parcel outside Hogwarts, what with Filch searching everyone who goes in and out. I wonder why Malfy told her to take it into the castle?"
"Harry, Malfoy wasn't in Hogsmeade!" said Hermione, actually stamping her foot in frustration.
"He must have used an accomplice, then," said Harry. "Crabbe or Goyle-or, come to think of it, another Death Eater, he'll have loads better cronies than Crabbe and Goyle now he's joined up-"
Ron, Hermione, and Estella exchanged looks that plainly said There's no point arguing with him. No one was as stubborn as Harry once he had his mind set on something.
"Dilligrout," said Estella as they reached the Fat Lady.
The portrait swung open to admit them to the common room. It was quite full and smelled of damp clothing; many people seemed to have returned from Hogsmeade early because of the bad weather. There was no buzz of fear or speculation, however: Clearly, the news of Katie's fate had not yet spread.
"It wasn't a very slick attack, really, when you stop and think about it," said Ron, casually turfing a first year out of one of the good armchairs by the fire so that he could sit down. "The curse didn't even make it into the castle. Not what you'd call foolproof."
"Whoever did it was probably desperate," murmured Estella, pushing Ron onto the floor and offering it back to the first year.
"But since when has Malfoy been one of the world's great thinkers?" asked Harry.
Neither Ron, Estella, nor Hermione answered him.
Hi guys, hope you liked the chapter. Vote and comment. I love reading the comments!
Double update because why not!
I made cinnamon pretzel bites and it took 2 hours but they are good so!
Hope you have a good day.