River's POV
"Are you sure you can do it?" Draco asked, holding the package close to himself. We stood in the room of requirements before I had to meet Harry and the others for our trip to Hogsmeade. I signed, rolling my eyes. We had been fighting about this package for the last fifteen minutes.
"Yes, I can do it! Just hand it over Draco," I said, for what felt like the tenth time.
"Maybe I should do it, I'm the one that has to kill Dumbledore anyway," he said, I shook my head.
"Draco, you have detention with Professor McGonagall," I said. He pursed his lips, annoyed.
"But if you open the, even by accident-"
"I'll die, I understand," I said, cutting him off. Draco scowled, still looking unconvinced his hands shaking as he tried to hand me the package again but hesitated still.
"Maybe-"
"Draco!"
"Fine!" He hissed, carefully handing me the package. I hid the package in my bag before heading out of the room of requirements.
---
"And then there was another flash of light and I landed on the bed again!" Weasley said as we waited for our turn into Hogsmeade.
I don't need anything funny; I need actual information.
I thought as I pretended to giggle. Granger scowled,
"Was this spell, by any chance, another one from that potion book of yours?"
"What book?"
I looked between the three, trying to figure out what the three were arguing about. The boys getting defensive as Granger shook her head.
"It was a laugh! Just a laugh, Hermione, that's all!" Weasley said, trying to calm her down.
"Dangling people upside down by the ankle? Who puts their time and energy into making up spells like that?" Granger rolled her eyes.
"Fred and George did, and er- " Weasley said, trying to think of other people.
"Our dad," Potter said,
"What?" The three of us said, confused.
"Er-Lupin told me." He said, rubbing his neck awkwardly.
"Maybe your dad did use it, Harry, but he's not the only one. We've seen a whole bunch of people use it; in case you've forgotten. Dangling people in the air. Making them float along, asleep, helpless." I Pursed my lips and looked away. They were talking about death eaters and didn't know that they were standing and joking around with one right now.
"That was different," Weasley said sternly.
"They were abusing it. Harry and his dad were just having a laugh. You don't like the Prince, Hermione, because he's better than you at Potions —" Weasley said. I stifled a giggle as Granger glared at Weasley.
"It's got nothing to do with that! I just think it's very irresponsible to start performing spells when you don't even know what they're for and stop talking about 'the Prince' as if it's his title, I bet it's just a stupid nickname, and it doesn't seem as though he was a very nice person to me!"
"I don't see where you get that from. If he'd been a budding Death Eater, he wouldn't have been boasting about being 'half-blood,' would he?"
"The Death Eaters can't all be pure-blood, there aren't enough pure-blood wizards left, I expect most of them are half-bloods pretending to be pure. It's only Muggleborns they hate, they'd be quite happy to let you and Ron join up." I cleared my throat nervously. I didn't like the way this conversation was going.
"There's no way they'd let me be a death eater!" Weasley yelled loudly.
"My entire family are blood traitors! That's as bad as Muggle-borns to Death Eaters!"
"And they'd love to have me. We'd be best pals if they didn't keep trying to do me in." Ron and I couldn't help but laugh as Ginny Weasley approached the three of us.
"Hey, Harry, I'm supposed to give you this." She handed him a scroll that had his name written on it. He opened it quickly before smiling.
"It's from Dumbledore...it's his next lesson!" He whispered.
"Next lesson?" I asked. They froze apparently just remembering I was there.
"Well, it's just lessons he has with Dumbledore. He teaches him about how to protect himself. Different spells and things like that." Hermione said. I nodded in understanding.
"Oh alright, that makes sense." I said,
Finally, something!
"Want to join us for Hogsmeade Ginny?" Potter said, trying not to sound a little to hopeful.
"I'm going with Dean — might see you there," she said, before waving and walking away. Potter frowned, as his eyes followed her as she walked away.
---
"Wait, Sirius Left you something?" I said, as we sat down at the three broomsticks, taking off our jackets, hats, and scarfs.
"Yeah, Dumbledore came by that last week of summer to tell me. Did he not come to see you?" He asked. I felt myself getting angrier, knowing my face was turning red.
"I was with Draco the las week, that's probably why," I lied.
"Ron, what are you staring at?" Granger said, as Weasley flushed, looking away from the counter that Madam Roesmerta usually was standing out.
"I expect 'nothing's' in the back getting more fire whiskey," She snapped, as I stood up.
"I'll be right back. I have to use the bathroom," I said. They nodded as Granger and Weasley kept bickering. I grabbed my bag and walked to the bathroom, pushing the door open and ran into an empty stall, locking it. I pulled out the package Draco had given me and waited.
The bathroom door opened a couple of minutes later. I pulled my wand close to my chest, and jumped out the stall, pointing my wand at the... Katie Bell. She jumped, turning around.
"Imperio!" I shouted at her. I could tell the second she was put under, her eyes becoming dull.
"Bell, I need you to deliver this package to Dumbledore, and only Dumbledore. No one else can touch it. Do not open it and you won't remember anything of this. Understand?" I asked,
"Yes, I understand. Only to Dumbledore. Do not open."
"Good, I will go out first. You wait. Alright?"
"Yes," she said, before I walked back to the table.
"Shall we call it a day and go back to school, then?" I asked. They agreed, standing up and putting their jackets, scarfs, and hats back on.
---
"It's nothing to do with you, Leanne!" I heard the familiar voice of Katie Bell yell as we all turned a corner. Leanne tried to grad the package from Katie, they started tugging at it.
Oh, no! It's going to rip the package!
And just like I thought, the package ripped, falling to the ground, Bell started hovering. When she reached six feet, she let out a horrible scream. Something inside her was hurting her, just like it was supposed to hurt Dumbledore. Her friend grabbed her ankles, screaming, trying to force her down. Potter, Weasley, and Granger all tried to force her down. As I stared at Bell, growing angry.
She had to do one thing! One thing! One stupid thing!
I signed and grabbed her arm, trying to force her down and not pull off her arm off in the process. We managed to get her to the ground, where Weasley and Potter tried to force her to the ground. She thrashed and screamed.
"Stay there!" Potter shouted,
"I'm going for help!"
"Get back! Lemme see her!" Hagrid yelled as he and Potter came back a couple minutes later. Hagrid scooped her up, as Granger comforted Katie's friend. Weasley leaned down about to grab the necklace.
"Don't touch it!" Potter shouted.
"I've seen that before. It was on display in Borgin and Burkes ages ago. The label said it was cursed. Katie must have touched it." He turned to look at me.
"You were there that day with Malfoy. What was he doing in there?" I pursed my lips, pretending to think.
"Well, we just went in there for a second, looking at a necklace. He said it was for his mother, but he already gave it to her, from what Pansy told me so it can't be him," I lied. Potter furrowed his eyebrows but nodded.
"She didn't say who'd given it to her, Leanne?"
"No... she wouldn't tell me... and I said she was being stupid and not to take it up to school, but she just wouldn't listen and... and then I tried to grab it from her... and — and —"
"We'd better get up to school. We'll be able to find out how she is. Come on..."
---
"What happened?" McGonagall asked after she led us to her office. Leanna explained what happened as best as she could to McGonagall who nodded understandingly.
"Go up to the hospital wing, please, Leanne, and get Madam Pomfrey to give you something for shock." Leanna nodded and walked out of the office.
"What happened when Katie touched the necklace?" She asked, turning to look at us.
"She rose up in the air and then began to scream and collapsed. Professor, can I see Professor Dumbledore, please?" Potter asked.
"The headmaster is away until Monday,"
"Away?"
"Yes, away! But anything you have to say about this horrible business can be said to me, I'm sure!" Potter hesitated before shouting.
"I think Draco Malfoy gave Katie that necklace, Professor."
"That is a very serious accusation, Potter. Do you have any proof?"
"No," he said, starting to explain how he followed me and Draco to the Borgan and Burkes.
"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 —"
"But Harry," Granger interrupted,
"Borgin asked him if he wanted to take it with him, and Malfoy said no —"
"Because he didn't want to touch it, obviously!" Potter yelled.
"Well, he would look a bit of a prat carrying a necklace," Weasley said quickly.
"Oh, Ron, 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 —"
"I was there with him! He took we nothing, he asked about something for his Mum and something he wanted to fix but wouldn't tell me what! That's it!" I explained.
"Well, there you go Potter," McGonagall said.
"Potter, I appreciate you telling me this, but we cannot point the finger of blame at Mr. Malfoy purely because he visited the shop where this necklace might have been purchased. The same is probably true of hundreds of people and in any case, we have put stringent security measures in place this year. I do not believe that necklace can possibly have entered this school without our knowledge-"
"But-"
"and what is more, Mr. Malfoy was not in Hogsmeade today." Potter gaped at her. I bit my lip trying not to smile.
"How do you know, Professor?"
"Because he was doing detention with me. He has now failed to complete his Transfiguration homework twice in a row. So, thank you for telling me your suspicions, Potter, but I need to go up to the hospital wing now to check on Katie Bell. Good day to you all."