Little White Lies | Book 4

Chapter 13: The Cursed Necklace

It was finally Winter time at Hogwarts, meaning Christmas was coming up. Our last Hogsmeade trip before Christmas break had finally arrived, and I was pretty excited. Harry was taking me, of course, and I believe Ron wanted to take Lavender. Hermione decided she'd go with a few other girls.

I made sure to dress nicely that morning, no matter how badly I really didn't want to. I wore a simple grey sweater, black leggings, and a white scarf and beanie. "You look really nice, Riley. Harry's gonna be head over heels for you." Padma told me. "He already is," Hermione said, making me hit her arm. "I knew I'd regret dressing up." I muttered to myself.

As soon as I was ready, I headed down to the common room, where I found Harry waiting for me. "Don't you look gorgeous!" He greeted me, loudly. "Stop!" I whined, covering my red cheeks with my scarf. He laughed, slipping an arm around my waist, and kissing my temple. "Ready to go?" I nodded. "I suppose," We walked out of the Portrait Hole, and made our way outside. Snow covered the ground, and crunched beneath our feet as we walked. 

"So, where shall we go first?" Harry asked me. "Well, I planned on finishing up my Christmas shopping. Then we could head to the Three Broomsticks if you'd like." I replied. He groaned, making me laugh. "Christmas shopping? If it's for me, you're not going, you know that, right?" I smirked at him. "Well, that's too bad, because it's not for you. It's also for Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Besides, I know for a fact you haven't finished shopping either, have you?" He sighed, and looked at me. "I got you something. Can that be enough?" I rolled my eyes, and kissed him. "No, you have to get everyone something, just like every year."

He decided not to argue with me any further, as we had finally arrived in Hogsmeade. "So, should we split up?" I asked. "Nope, you're not leaving my side. Where are we going?" I looked around, and spotted Honeydukes. "Since we both need gifts for Ron, let's go to Honeydukes and buy him all those candies he likes. Then we can stop by the bookshop for Hermione, and finally Zonko's for Ginny. Sound like a plan?" He only laughed, pulling me into his side. "You had this whole day planned out, didn't you, love?" I felt my cheeks heating up, as I nodded my head. He kissed my cheek, and grinned. "Well, I think it's adorable. Let's go then,"

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Finally, our shopping had come to an end. I bought a book about rare magical creatures for Hermione, candy and Quidditch gloves for Ron, pranking items for Ginny, a brand new broom polishing kit for Harry, and a Slytherin pin for Draco. Apparently, it was supposed to always protect you, and keep you safe. I figured he'd like it. Of course, I didn't let Harry know I bought it, nor did I let him know what I got for him. Hopefully, they'd like their gifts.

As promised, we went to the Three Broomsticks afterwards. Harry bought us each a Butterbeer, and we sat down at a table. "I wonder if Malfoy's here with that Gryffindor girl. I'd like to see who'd be crazy enough to date him." He said, automatically putting me in a state of panic. "Has no one forgot about that yet? I thought people would let it go by now." I told him, casually. "Everyone's talking about it, actually. I think they're all trying to find out who it is. Rumor has it she had brown hair. I'm just hoping it isn't someone he could drag into his scheme."

"Harry, you're basically obsessed with the boy. You always check to see where he is on the Marauder's Map, you listen in on his conversations whenever you get the chance, and you seem pretty desperate to know who he's dating. Who cares? He's no different than the rest of us." He frowned at me, and raised his eyebrows. "You know, every time I mention his name, you get all worked up. Did something happen over the summer that I don't know about?" My heart was thundering in my chest, as beads of sweat formed on the back of my neck. "What do you mean?" I squeaked.

"He didn't hurt you, did he? I swear, Riley, if he laid so much as a finger on you, I'll kill him!" I felt a bit relieved that he wasn't suspecting what was really going on, but now, I was worried that he'd take this too far. "Quiet down, would you? No, he didn't hurt me. We argued sometimes, and a few nasty things were said. But, it's over now, and I think we should just move on. We're here to enjoy ourselves, aren't we?" He looked into my eyes, as if he were searching for lies. Finally, he sighed, and nodded. "Right. So, are you excited for Christmas?"

"Yeah, I am. It'd be nice to be able to spend time with everyone again. Plus, I get to give you your gift, which I'm dying to do right now." He chuckled a little, reaching over, and giving my hand a squeeze. "Well, you still have about a week left to wait, so I hope you're not dead by then. I'd also like to give you my gift, you know." I grinned squeezing his hand back. "Then you'd best start praying that I live."

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When we left the Three Broomsticks, we decided to head back to the castle. Katie Bell walked in front of us, with one of her friends. The two of them seemed to be arguing. "Wonder what their deal is." I muttered lowly, making Harry shrug. "Dunno,"

We continued walking behind the two girls, as we made our way back to Hogwarts. The cold air blew against my face, making my nose go numb. Harry held my hand, keeping it warm, while I kept the other in my pocket. We stayed quiet, looking around at the snow, and the few Christmas decorations that had been strung outside shops.

Suddenly, Katie's body hit the ground. She was jerked left and right, as if some invisible person were dragging her. Then, she completely left the ground, and was now hovering a few feet above us. She was screaming in agony, stretching all of her limbs outwards. Her friend was crying loudly, while I grabbed Harry's arm in panic. Finally, she was dropped back to the ground, but left unconscious. I noticed a necklace beside her, which was partly wrapped in brown paper.

I released Harry, and walked over to it. Just before I could pick it up, I felt him grab my wrist. "Don't touch it. I think it's cursed." Quickly, I removed my scarf, and cautiously wrapped it around the necklace. Harry took it from me, worried that it'd hurt me. That was when Hagrid came along, and lifted poor Katie off the ground. He carried her off to the Hospital Wing, while Harry took Katie's friend to find Professor Dumbledore. That left me to go find Draco.