Lily's POV

They need a horcrux? From me? But سے طرف کی Abby's smug look, I can tell that they're tactful planners. They must know that the Weasleys aren't going down with a fight: They've been expecting us. Suddenly I wish that I had listened to James, that I had just backed out of all of this. Tamara surely would do it, do this even better than I could.

I took a deep breath and answered them.
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Rose's POV

I'm almost afraid to go to the Great Hall. Face all those people. People who know me, یا Hugo, یا Al.. somebody that's linked to me. Why did Hugo have to go and screw everything up? Why couldn't he just be like people his age? Anger bubbles up inside me. Anger I never knew I had.
We all should've saw this coming, saw the warning signs. But were there even any? Did Hugo even دکھائیں any sign of feeling left out, disappointed? I suddenly feel guilty for missing them, if there were some.
But I push it out of my mind. It's not entirely my responsibility: Hugo isn't my priority, he's my parents. But they didn't notice either. So much for Hermione the brilliant.
All this is swirling around in my head, but suddenly a clear thought emerges. Christmas Holiday is coming soon. Maybe it's still mid October - but Christmas is around the corner. I don't even feel like saying 'Happy Halloween' to anyone, let alone 'Happy Christmas'. But suddenly there's a knock at my window. مزید like a tap.
I turn around, full aware that I'm almost late for breakfast, but I'm taking my time. There's an owl sitting on the windowsill, and I give it some food and it flies away. It's the same owl from my last letter, so I know who it is.

Dear Rosie,
I haven't heard from آپ in a while.. are آپ all right? Are آپ upset? Please tell me, Rose. I'm very worried. Your father is in a state too: All this news about Hugo has him in a mood. But you'll have good news for me, won't you? Just please reply, Rosie. Reply as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Mum

As I read, little drops of my tears splatter the parchment. The sad news is that I have no good news for my mother: Just a lot of things she'd rather not hear.

But I know that it's my duty to reply.
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Herbology - 9:00

Aimee and I are barely paying attention to Professor Longbottom's lesson - all we can focus on is tonight. Our family meeting. I'm mostly scared about all of it: Lily's going to have exclusive information, information that we both need and don't need to hear.
Aimee's mainly excited. She thinks that we can just solve our big problem today, یا سے طرف کی tomorrow, but she's far from right. If there's one thing I know about Hugo: He'll stop at nothing to get his way. He's stubborn, and arrogant.
Lizzie's still guarding the bracelet with her life, and all of us think it isn't necessary - if she leaves it in the Girls' Dorm, nobody can get it. Except Lily, and she's on our side. But Lizzie still thinks it could be in danger if she leaves it unattended. But Aimee tells me that Lizzie actually listened to us today - a first.

''She's finally دیا in,'' She says. ''I think her focusing on keeping it with her was affecting her grades یا something.''

But nonetheless, I'm happy she's left it. Because now she can get back to becoming normal again: Something she can do because she's not so involved with this mess. She is, but unlike me, she can walk out if it, and I can't.
The گھنٹی, بیل rings, and Aimee and I head to Transfiguration. We're walking up the pathway to Hogwarts, when suddenly we hear frantic yells.

''AIMEE! ROSE!'' Our heads whip around, trying to find the person who's calling our name - but finally we see Louis waving his arms, telling us to come.

''We can't go,'' I say. ''We'd miss class!'' But as I'm saying it, Aimee and I are running towards the Hut. But as we get closer, we see a sobbing Lizzie - and it puzzles me. What happened?

But suddenly I notice her saying words like ''bracelet'' and ''gone'' and I know.

The bracelet was stolen.
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Hagrid's Hut - 10:00

We get inside, and everyone from our family is there. Even James, Lily, and Al, because Lizzie got them on her way here. Lizzie can't even speak to us, she's just sobbing her eyes out.

''Lily,'' Louis says, obviously trying to contain his anger. ''What happened to her bracelet?''

''I don't know!'' Lily says for the 50th time. ''I really don't know! Maybe she misplaced it!''

''Lily. For the past three weeks, Lizzie has been guarding this thing with her life. آپ really think she lost it?!''

''She's a human, Louis! People are allowed to make mistakes!''

''Not now! Not now مزید than ever! I swear, Lily, to think you'd become a traitor-''

But Louis is cut off سے طرف کی a pissed off James. ''You really dare to call her a traitor? After all she's been through, and done for you?''

Louis actually laughs. ''James. What has she really done? Cry? Become a spy, and then go to their side? Steal Lizzie's bracelet? Sounds like a big فہرست of accomplishments.''

But James is just getting started. ''She has done everything for you. She has been your puppet, your mime, your twin. She takes orders from آپ because آپ scare her, Louis - آپ scare all of us.''

For a brief moment, there was silence. Louis looked around the room, eyeing each one of us very nervously. Aimee seemed to crumble under his gaze.

''Get out.'' Louis said, pointing at James. ''Out.''

''No, no please!'' Lily said, almost crying. ''It's not his fault, یا mine either! Please, I didn't do anything-''

''Oh, nobody cares.'' Louis says. His attitude is really annoying me. ''The three of you, out.''

Now Albus looks offended. ''What have I done? All I've been doing is listening to you! And you're kicking me - us - out?''

Louis just gave them silence and a smug look. This particularly pissed me off.

''Louis, chill. You're not the boss of us. Our parents aren't here. And besides: Without Lily, what do آپ have? Who is going to be the spy?''

He started to say ''Tamara'' but I cut him off. ''You really think that Lily's friend would help us with something that Lily isn't involved in?''

Louis gave me a cold hard stare. I gave him one back, not backing down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw James, Lily, and Al looking at him with smug looks.

''Fine,'' Louis spat, and the Potters sat back down. Lizzie wiped her tears, and began to tell her story.

''I asked to go to the bathroom, but went to my dorm...to check on the bracelet...but..it wasn't there..and I just ran here..I- I don't know..'' She put her head in her hands and cried more.

None of us spoke. Victoire just kept looking at the ground, and everyone else just looked at something other than Louis یا Lizzie. It wasn't her fault, we knew: But Louis' reaction was really uncalled for.

''We can still go on with the plan,'' Aimee said. ''Hugo, Abby, Blake - do they know about this? No. We actually don't even know if Lizzie's bracelet is the one they want - we just assumed. The only problem is, thanks to Louis', Lily might want out.'' What she says is true. We always just assumed that ''bracelet'' was assumed with Lizzie. Who else would have a bracelet that they would want?
But Aimee's also right about Lily. I'd be surprise if she was still up for all of this, and even if she was, I doubt James would let her.

''I'll do it,'' Lily says. ''I'll be the spy - the big hero. But آپ know just one thing, Louis: If anything happens that آپ pin on me, again, even if آپ piss me off just a little: I will leave.'' She looks at James with a smile, at then turns to Louis again. Louis stands there with shock, disbelief. He can't believe that ''little'' Lily has showed him up!

We all knew it would happen someday.
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Dinner, The Great Hall - 7:00

Nobody feels like going to the Family Meeting tonight. We all had our fill of each other this morning: But we have to go. It's a routine now. James keeps eyeing the Slytherin table, eyeing Lily. She shows no sign of being with us today: She has the sarcasm that we lack.
But for a تقسیم, الگ کریں second, while the others are preoccupied, she looks at us. With a look that says, Am I doing okay?

We nod, and she just looks relieved. ''I can't believe she didn't walk out though - if it was me, I would.''

''I think Lily is stronger than all of us,'' Aimee says. ''No offense, but: She's been bossed around سے طرف کی everyone. Everyone in your family is older than her. She knows how to stay strong.''

We agree, completely. But James is like me: He doesn't feel like going to the meeting. ''We just had one today, this morning! Why do we have to go again?''

''It's a routine,'' Albus says, and that's the end of the conversation.

But when the گھنٹی, بیل rings, and everyone goes to their Common Rooms - the six of us walk to Hagrid's Hut.
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The Family Meeting - 8:00

Dear Mum,
It's honestly too hard to explain to آپ in just one letter. All I'm going to say is that I was right, sadly: Hugo is in danger. Wait, scratch that: He's caught up in it already.

''ROSE!'' Louis roars. ''Are آپ even listening?''

Lily's holding in a laugh. We've been here for an گھنٹہ now and he's just noticed I'm not paying attention but writing a letter. ''Louis, don't start.'' I say. ''It's important.''

But I set my parchment and ink away and listen to his important speech. ''Anyway, we're trying to find out a way to discover who took the bracelet. Any ideas, clues?''

Lily starts off. ''Well, 1: It had to be a girl. Boys can't get into the Girl Dormitories. 2: It had to be someone that knew where Lizzie was keeping it, because she hid it, right? 3: It had to be someone that was in touch with Hugo's team, nobody would take the bracelet on accident.''

''Then it was Abby!'' Lucy says. ''It had to be!''

''No, Lucy,'' Louis says impatiently. ''She couldn't have gotten in - she's not a Gryffindor. Besides, how could she possibly know where it was?''

Lucy shrinks back into her seat. All of this reminds me of something that happened to our family years ago-

Once, Albus had this chocolate frog card of Harry, and he wanted to keep it محفوظ because, apparently - ''it was special.'' And he hid it in a special place, but one day, it was stolen, and we all had to figure out who did it, and eventually we figured out it was James - but Lily was helping him, because she saw Albus hide it under a loose panel in his flooring. Both James and Lily were grounded for a month.
So I try to apply this to our situation. ''Well..'' I say. ''Think about it, Abby could have stolen it: But she needed someone to help her get in, someone from their side that's a Gryffindor, besides Lily. I'm thinking..''

I trail off, but suddenly the same comes to my mind. ''Kendall! She could've helped them, think about it! She's helped them before, when she and Hugo were 'playing Chess' merely a diversion!''

Louis looks at me with a look of sheer glory. But then he says something that really makes me nervous.

''Maybe we should invite Kendall to one of our meetings.''
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Author's Note: So, how was it? Good? Okay? So-so? 1/10? I'm curious. And because I'm a weirdo: Who's your پسندیدہ character, hmm? Come on, there has to be someone آپ like. xD یا somebody that آپ just hate? Just curious, again. :P Like, comment, save! <3