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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 108: Time With Lily
The road to Hogsmeade usually takes around ten minutes of walking to reach the entrance gates to the village.
They were almost there, and Lily hadn't said a single word since they left the castle.
Usually, James would enjoy the silence, but he was getting an uncomfortable feeling, as he could tell that Lily was very nervous.
"Do you actually have something that you want to buy from the village, or do you prefer to go directly to a pub?" He decided to ask something and hopefully get her to relax.
"Oh, yes, I do have to buy some things," Lily said. "I've been looking for a book on ancient tombs from the Middle East and South America."
"Ancient tombs? That's certainly not a topic that would be covered in school. At least not in our year," James pointed out.
"I know, but it's something that began to fascinate me last year when I started studying ancient runes. Most of the transcripts that we see in our school books were originally found in some of those tombs...or the ones in Egypt," Lily explained.
"Mmm… I didn't know you were interested in that," James said as they crossed the gates into the village.
"I suppose it's a more recent thing, but… after reading about it, I just thought that curse breaker could be an interesting career. I mean, you get to travel all over the world and explore places that haven't been touched for centuries… who knows what you could find there?" she said with excitement. The awkwardness from before had disappeared.
For a moment, James thought back to Hermione Granger. Lily certainly reminded him a lot of her. They both seemed to be in their element when talking about some academic subject.
"I'm sure it's an exciting profession, but it's also incredibly dangerous," he said.
He knew this from personal experience.
Although he had never properly become a curse breaker, he had joined some expeditions during his travels and got to know many veterans in the trade, as well as delved into several ancient magical sites.
"I know there's danger to it. I'm not that naive," Lily responded.
"You know what you've read from the school library, but I doubt those books get the message across properly. Most of the time, the only thing they find in those tombs is… death. In the pre-Ministry era, there were no regulations on what curses could be used to protect property, so magical folk used the most deadly ones they could think of… very nasty stuff."
"You seem to know a lot about the subject. Before this year, I would've sworn that your only interests were Quidditch and pranks…" Lily commented.
James shrugged. "I know a bit of everything. But if you want my advice, try talking with an actual curse breaker about their job before making any serious decisions on that career."
"I haven't really decided yet… we're still in fourth year, so it's just an interest among many. I just find everything about the magical world so… incredible." She glanced at him. "I suppose it must be different for you, since you're a pure-blood wizard and not a Muggle-born like me."
"Not at all. No matter how much I've lived in this world, it will never stop being interesting to me. So I understand how you feel," James told her.
Lily had a bright smile on her face. "Ah! That's the bookshop I wanted to visit. I hope they have the books I've been looking for."
The shops were just opening their doors as students ventured into Hogsmeade.
James and Lily were the first ones to enter the bookshop, and Lily showed the list of books she had been looking for. But unfortunately, the shop didn't have a single one of them.
"Not even one…" Lily exited the shop with an expression of disappointment.
"It's not that strange. This is a small shop, and books that delve deep into the topic you're researching aren't something many students will be interested in… you'd have more luck in Diagon Alley."
"Right, but then I'd have to wait for the next break…I wanted to read it now." Lily pouted.
"Mmm… I may know about a shop that could have what you're looking for." James was very familiar with Hogsmeade, as he had visited the place countless times in the past.
"You do? But this is the only bookshop in Hogsmeade," Lily pointed out.
"Most students are only familiar with the businesses on the main road, but there are a few lesser-known shops on the outskirts of the village. Also, this shop I'm talking about isn't specifically a bookshop, but it has all sorts of old trinkets."
"An antique shop? I love those! Where is it?" Lily asked with interest.
"I'll take you there." James offered her his hand, and Lily gladly took it.
This time, she didn't feel awkward at all, as she was having fun.
They walked for several more minutes, leaving behind the main road and the crowd of students there.
As they got away from the center, the houses started to look a lot more humble. Some of them were in dire need of repair, while others were simply abandoned.
"I've never seen this part of Hogsmeade…" Lily looked around, and James felt her grip on his hand becoming stronger.
"There's nothing to be concerned about. This is still Hogsmeade and completely safe… it's not like we're going to Knockturn Alley. The reason it looks like this is because the houses here are cheaper, so they're typically bought by magical families who are struggling for coin...or by old folk who can no longer work or use magic properly to keep their homes from decay."
"I guess it makes sense that the magical world would also have neighborhoods like this. I've only seen the more glamorous side until now."
"It's not that bad. Look, there's the shop I was talking about." James pointed ahead. At the end of the road they were walking on, there was a wooden sign hanging from the side.
"Mysticarum Antiquities." Lily read the name out loud.
"Indeed. I think you're going to like it." James guided her inside.
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