Damaged (A Marauders Era story)

First Year, Part 6 (The Haunted House)

Saturday passed by quickly, and before I knew it, I was waking up to Sunday. The sky only just starting to brighten outside. It must've been five or six in the morning.

I dressed quietly, careful not to wake any of the girls and went straight down to breakfast.

As I neared the Great Hall doors, I noticed a large crate outside the doors.

As much as I wanted to look at the costumes, I needed to get breakfast first. I was starving.

Sighing, I pushed open the doors and went to sit at the Gryffindor table.

The whole hall smelled like baked pumpkin and cinnamon. There were only a few students awake, and they were mostly Ravenclaw. There were no Gryffindors, I noticed. If I hurried and ate, maybe I could get to the costumes before anyone else.

I shoveled down eggs and toast and drank a large glass of pumpkin juice. When I finished, I hurried to the crate full of costumes.

I wasn't sure what kind of costume I was looking for as I dug around them, but stopped when I came across a pirate costume.

The pirate costume had a black eyepatch, a sword, a red bandana, high black boots, and it even had a fake wooden leg with it. I wouldn't need that, though.

There was one problem with the pirate costume. It was meant for a boy.

After rummaging around the crate some more, I could only find two other pirate costumes. Only one was a girl's one, but it was meant for a much older girl. Maybe I could adjust it.

Then I had a thought. Who said I couldn't go dressed up as a boy?
A series of thoughts went through my head at that moment; I could put a beard on my face, covering it more than just an eyepatch would. No one would guess who I was. Unless I talked, then they would know I was a girl. But, maybe I could find a spell to charm my voice, so it was more like that of a boy. I could also make my hair look different.

I tucked the costume under my arm and hurried back to my dormitory, I hid it under my bed and then went straight to the library.

I needed to find the spells required for changing the costume a bit and a voice deepening spell.

There were only a few Ravenclaws in the library. They glanced up as I went by, watching me go.

After only a few minutes of scanning the shelves, I discovered the two books I was looking for and I sat down in one of the red-cushioned chairs. I browsed through the books until I found the spell I needed.

I jotted down the directions to each spell. Folding the paper with the instructions on it, I placed it in my bag.

As I passed the Great Hall on my way back to the dormitory,
I could see a group of Gryffindors clustered around the crate.

I spotted Frank among them, laughing loudly at something James had just said. The two were fooling around with the costumes. It looked as if they had made up
.
I made my way up to the girls' dormitory.

Lily Evans and Alice Fortescue were the only ones in the room as I entered. They both glanced up as I entered. Alice smiled slightly in greeting and went back to tying her shoelaces. Lily also smiled, but it was more genuine than Alice's smile had been. I smiled awkwardly back at them both, even though Alice wasn't paying attention.

I made my way over to my bed and lay down.

A moment later, Alice and Lily left for breakfast.

I practiced the spells and the counter spells I would use on myself for the party. By the time I had mastered the spells, it was lunchtime.