Before attending a ball, both men and women had to dress up. The men wore formal suits and ties, while the women wore evening gowns adorned with splendid jewelry.
After removing the Black Swan pendant, Severus put the repaired Slytherin's Locket around her neck.
After being struck by the Sword of Gryffindor, the Dark magic on it was gone. Having absorbed the Basilisk's venom, the sword had become as lethally poisonous as the creature itself.
It was just an ordinary locket; it was not even heart-shaped. Pomona sat before the dressing table, looking at herself wearing it, and found it all terribly unreal.
Especially after Severus fastened the locket around her neck, then rested his head against hers as they admired it together. The snowflake earrings enchanted with Dark magic grew scorching hot at his approach, reminding her of the Dark Mark. It was said that the mark heated up when Voldemort was nearby or when he wished to summon his servants.
"Do you like it?" he asked gently.
Pomona held the locket and pried it open with her fingers. It opened with ease, and there was nothing inside, but she felt as if she could hear the rustling hiss of Parseltongue.
People usually kept pictures or photographs of their family members, or those important to them, inside a locket. Voldemort, however, had placed his soul inside it. Perhaps it was only her imagination, but she felt that the lingering Dark magic was still affecting her.
"This box should be able to hold the Resurrection Stone," a voice in her head said. "They both belong to Salazar Slytherin."
The Resurrection Stone came from after Salazar's time. The Gaunt family had most likely acquired it elsewhere.
But Pomona did not dare resist.
During the Battle of Hogwarts, she had had no