The Alchemy Necklace

After lunch, they sat in the living room and chatted.

The first time Anna had visited Lily's home, she had taken the initiative to tell Mr and Mrs Evans about wizards and Hogwarts. After two years of knowing her, they could be said to understand wizards very well, and they were even very fond of Anna.

"A Hogwarts professor came by this morning. She thought it was strange that we weren't surprised or curious."

Lily smiled as she spoke, then took out her own acceptance letter and unfolded it to show Anna.

"Congratulations! In a little over a month, we'll be schoolmates.

"Oh, right, I brought gifts."

Anna pressed her hand against her storage ring and channeled magic into it. Several beautifully wrapped gift boxes appeared.

"Oh, you really shouldn't have."

Europeans were not as reserved as people from China. They were delighted to receive gifts, and sometimes opened them on the spot to show how much they liked them.

"This is a skin-care serum. You're already very beautiful, but I believe it will make you even more charming."

That was for Mrs Evans. Judging by how red her face had turned at the compliment, the gift seemed to be just to her liking.

"This is an owl. Lily will be living at school from now on and will only be able to come home for the holidays, so you can use this owl to write to her, Mr Evans."

The owl was medium-sized, with inconspicuous gray feathers, making it well suited to delivering letters.

"Thank you, Miss Anna."

Mr Evans nodded, and the owl seemed to know who its owner was. It spread its wings and flew onto his shoulder, drawing a flurry of exclamations from the two little girls beside him.

The owl had come from a small bag she carried with her, which had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it. After all, Chinese storage rings could not hold living creatures, but, remarkably, a small bag with an Undetectable Extension Charm could.

"These are photographs taken on the moon. I asked someone to bring them back from the United States for you, Petunia. I believe that even if they aren't wizards, ordinary humans can do things that even wizards can't."

Although getting these photographs from secret archives in the United States had been somewhat difficult, money could do anything. Even without money, they were wizards and could use magic.

"Is this Earth? Oh my goodness, it's so beautiful. I love it. Thank you, Anna."

The first photograph Petunia saw when she opened the box stunned her. It showed Earth as seen from the moon. Amid the vast sea of stars, the blue planet was beautiful and breathtaking—a sight from a world entirely different from magic.

She had no magical talent and had always been jealous of her younger sister, but over the past two years, Anna had talked her into following a different path. Now she dreamed of becoming a scientist.

Anna sincerely hoped her dream would come true.

"And Lily, congratulations on receiving your Hogwarts acceptance letter."

Her gift box was the smallest. Inside was a simple silver necklace, set with a clear, ice-blue gemstone shaped like a teardrop.

"Oh, it's so beautiful. Wait, this must be very valuable. Anna, I can't accept it."

Lily shook her head and pushed the gift box back.

Snape, sitting nearby, could sense the powerful magical fluctuations coming from the ice-blue gemstone. It was an alchemical product with extremely powerful protective properties, capable of withstanding at least three Killing Curses, including the Killing Curse.

Lily was right. The necklace was very valuable, worth roughly a fifth of the Prince family's assets.

Thinking of the contract he had made with her back then, Snape did not know how to feel.

She really was taking Lily's protection seriously and faithfully fulfilling the terms of the contract.

"It's all right. It's just a pretty color; it isn't a particularly expensive gemstone.

"A few little spells have been placed on it. It can bring you good luck and protect you from some minor hexes.

"Promise me you won't take it off, all right?"

Anna spoke lightly as she took out the silver necklace and fastened it around Lily's neck herself.

What she said was still a lie.

Snape knew very well that an ordinary gemstone could never serve as an alchemical product capable of carrying such powerful protective magic. It had to be made with a rare gemstone of exceptional purity and an exceptionally high capacity for magic.

Snape set down his teacup, his face betraying nothing. Where no one could see, his fingernails dug deep into his palm, leaving a distinct red mark.

The feeling of having someone take a promise to him seriously brought an ache to his heart.

It was a strange experience, a feeling he had never known in his previous life.

After chatting for a while longer, the two said goodbye to the Evans family, saying it was getting late and they had to go home.

As they walked back, Snape suddenly spoke up.

"When did you prepare that thing?"

"Huh? You mean the necklace?

"After we signed the contract, I had someone find a Goblin to make it. The Acolytes and I can't stay by her side and protect her every moment, after all. With this, I'll be much less worried."

Anna smiled.

"Was it only because of your contract with me?"

Snape stopped beside her and turned his head to look at the girl.

Dark clouds covered the sky, and a fine rain began to fall, filling the street with a hazy mist. Yet the girl's face remained clear.

"Of course that wasn't the only reason, Severus. Lily is my friend too.

"I want her to live out her life safe and sound too. That doesn't conflict with our contract."

Anna gave him a puzzled look, then stepped to the side and continued walking beneath the eaves.

The fine rain drifted down, carrying away the stifling summer heat.

"Thank you."

A quiet voice came from beside her, the words of thanks quickly carried away by the wind.

Thank you for taking this promise seriously, and for sincerely becoming Lily's friend and bringing her even more happiness than before.

Even the family troubles that had plagued Lily for so long had been easily resolved. It was something he had never been able to do in his previous life, no matter how hard he tried.

"Oh, Merlin's beard!

"How rare! I actually got to hear Professor Snape say thank you. Oh my goodness, say it again! I didn't hear you clearly just now!"

Anna's blue eyes went round with disbelief. She grabbed Snape's hem and tugged it a few times, looking at him expectantly.

"Shut up!"

"Severus, say it again! I really didn't hear you clearly just now!"

"Let go of my clothes! And shut up!"

"Hmph, fine, don't say it. Either way, those words are already etched in my heart. Once I learn Legilimency and find a Pensieve, I can replay them whenever I want. Hehe."

"I suggest you forget them, Miss Anna."

"I won't!"

"..." (Angry and speechless.)

The two walked side by side, receding into the rain until they disappeared at the end of the street.