The biting wind of a true Scottish winter whipped around the students as they ventured outside, crunching through the fresh snow that lay thick across the Hogwarts grounds. Echo, Lily, Severus, Amos, and Frank were a colorful anomaly against the pristine white landscape. Lily, her cheeks already rosy from the cold, twirled gleefully, catching a delicate snowflake on her tongue.
"Don't you just love winter?" she asked, her voice light and cheerful.
Echo, huddled deeper into his admittedly thin robes, shivered violently. "Speak for yourself, Lily-Flower," he croaked, his teeth chattering. "I think my toes are actively trying to detach themselves and migrate south."
A loud thwack echoed from a little distance away, where Amos and Frank were engaged in a spirited snowball fight. Frank, ducking behind a snow-covered bush, popped his head out to lob a perfectly aimed snowball at Amos.
"He might enjoy it more if he actually wore some winter clothes!" Amos shouted, wiping snow from his face, a wide grin spreading across his features.
Echo sniffed indignantly. "I don't have any."
The snowball fight abruptly ceased. Amos and Frank exchanged bewildered glances, then looked at Echo, as did Lily and Severus. A stunned silence descended.
"You… you don't have winter clothes?" Lily asked slowly, her brow furrowed in concern.
"How have you survived all the previous winters, then?" Frank chimed in, a snowball still clutched in his hand.
Echo shrugged, a gesture that made him shiver even more. "Normally, I just wear a scarf. And these robes." He gestured to his flimsy attire.
Severus, who had been observing with a detached air of superiority, stepped forward, his expression now one of genuine alarm. "Echo, that is completely insufficient. You need far more than a scarf."
"Well, what I do," Echo began, his voice dropping conspiratorially, "is go to the Forbidden Forest, find Wick's cave, and after feeding her a nice, plump cow carcass, I have her breathe fire on me."
All four of them stared at him, their jaws slack.
"You… you do what?" Severus finally managed, his voice a disbelieving whisper. "How are you still alive?"
Echo rolled his eyes. "I take on Wick's aspect of being fireproof, obviously. Then I'm all nice and toasty for the rest of the day. Warmest I've ever been."
Frank, still struggling to process this information, stammered, "But… but what about your clothes? They're not fireproof, are they?"
Echo waved a dismissive hand. "Nah. I just use Reparo on what's left of them afterward."
Another profound silence. Lily looked as though she was about to faint.
"I hate to ask this," Lily finally said, her voice strained, "but what about Shimmer and the cold? He's from India, and that long fur doesn't protect him from Scottish winters!"
As if on cue, Shimmer's silver head poked out from the back of Echo's shirt collar, his large black eyes blinking owlishly at the group.
"I thought that huge thing on your back was a hump!" Amos exclaimed, pointing.
Lily let out a long, suffering sigh. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Right. That's it. Echo, you are going to grab some money. We're going to Hogsmeade, and we're getting you proper winter garments. And extra ones, since you probably have two left after your…well, everything you do on a daily basis."
Echo gave her a shaky thumbs-up. "Just have to make a withdrawal from the First National Bank of Sniffles."
Immediately, a disgruntled Sniffles popped out of Echo's robe pocket, having heard his name and the mention of his treasures. He tried to let out a ferocious, dragon-like roar of anger, but it only came out as one long, indignant squeak. Echo simply pushed him back down into his pocket.
After a brief wrestling match with Sniffles, from which Echo emerged victorious (and slightly poorer), they made their way to Hogsmeade. The main street was bustling, and they soon found themselves in front of "Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions," which, despite its name, also catered to winter wear.
A portly, cheerful man emerged from behind a rack of heavy cloaks, his face beaming. "Mr. Echo! Welcome, welcome! One of my best customers, I daresay!"
Lily looked at Echo, a hint of suspicion in her eyes. "You come here often?"
Echo shrugged, a faint flush rising on his cheeks. "Normally, for things on my outfits I can't fix with magic, like making them bigger, or magical burns, or tears."
"Well, not today, Echo," Lily declared, her hands on her hips, a determined glint in her eyes. "Today, we're getting you some proper, new clothes." She turned to the beaming shopkeeper. "We need a full winter wardrobe for him, please. And some extra robes for year-round."
The shopkeeper, accustomed to the eccentricities of Hogwarts students, merely nodded enthusiastically. "Right this way, Mr. Echo! We have the finest, warmest dragon-hide coats, enchanted wool cloaks, and self-warming gloves this side of Hogsmeade!"
Echo groaned, but Lily, with a firm hand on his back, steered him towards a rack of voluminous, fur-lined garments. Severus, meanwhile, had found a comfortable, slightly dusty armchair in a quiet corner, already engrossed in a thick tome on Advanced Potions. Amos and Frank, however, were proving less amenable to the sober task of shopping for clothes.
"Hey, Echo!" Amos called out, reappearing from behind a stack of scarves, a long, fluffy hat perched precariously on his head. "Look! I'm a mountain troll!" He let out a surprisingly accurate, booming growl.
Echo, momentarily distracted from the torture of trying on a particularly scratchy wool sweater, grinned. "Nah, you're too pretty to be a troll, Amos. More like a very fluffy house-elf." He then grabbed a brightly colored scarf and playfully tried to lasso Frank with it.
Frank, laughing, dodged and retaliated by pelting Echo with a handful of soft, enchanted socks from a display. Soon, a mini-brawl of fabrics and laughter erupted, with Echo occasionally joining in, momentarily forgetting his chilly disposition. Lily, however, kept him mostly on task, holding up various cloaks and tunics for his inspection.
"This one's nice, Echo," she'd say, holding up a dark, forest-green cloak lined with a rich, soft fur. "It matches your eyes when they're… less glowy."
Echo, surprisingly, agreed. "Yeah, that's not bad. Not too… prissy."
After what felt like an eternity, they had amassed a small but respectable pile of winter garments: a thick, dark green dragon-hide coat for Echo, several warm wool robes in various shades of grey and deep blue, sturdy leather boots, and an assortment of scarves and gloves. They even picked out a few regular robes to supplement his perpetually worn-out collection.
"And what about these little ones?" the shopkeeper asked, gesturing to Shimmer, who was peeking out from Echo's shirt, and Sniffles, who had managed to acquire a shiny button from a nearby display.
Lily's eyes lit up. "Oh, yes! Shimmer gets so cold!"
Soon, Shimmer was outfitted in a tiny, powder-blue sweater, complete with miniature gloves for his delicate hands and feet, a small, knitted hat that nestled perfectly between his large ears, and a long, slender sock that stretched comfortably over his prehensile tail. He looked utterly adorable, if a little bewildered by the extra layers. Sniffles, ever the pragmatist, was less enthusiastic. Still, even he tolerated a custom-made mitten with a few strategically cut holes for his paws, which Lily insisted would keep his digging claws warm.
Finally, their shopping was complete, so they approached the counter. The shopkeeper, after a series of rapid calculations with an enchanted abacus, announced the total. "That will be 14 Galleons, 7 Sickles, and 3 Knuts, Mr. Echo."
Echo reached into his pocket with a flourish and pulled out a small, jingling velvet pouch. He untied the drawstring and, with a confident plop, emptied its contents onto the counter. A glittering cascade of gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts, along with a few suspiciously shiny buttons and what looked suspiciously like a miniature, enchanted spoon, spread across the polished wood.
The shopkeeper's eyes widened, then narrowed slightly as he prepared to scoop up the impressive, if haphazard, pile.
"Echo, wait!" Lily interjected sharply, her hand shooting out to stop his. She looked at the chaotic mound of coins, then at Echo, who was beaming innocently. "You… you just dump it all out?"
Echo nodded. "Yeah. Sniffles sometimes helps me find the really good ones. The shiny ones." He gestured to a particularly gleaming Galleon.
Lily took a deep, shaky breath, her eyes flicking between Echo's guileless face and the pile of uncounted currency. Severus, from his armchair, looked up from his book, a faint, knowing smirk on his lips. Amos and Frank, having temporarily ceased their antics, were watching with keen interest.
"Echo," Lily began, her voice strained. Do you know how to count money?"
Echo blinked. "Count money? Why would I need to count it? I just… give it to them." He gestured to the shopkeeper, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
A profound silence descended, broken only by Sniffles, who, having successfully retrieved his spoon, was now attempting to polish it with a corner of Echo's new coat. Lily slowly, deliberately, turned her head to glare at the shopkeeper, who suddenly found the ceiling intensely fascinating.
"Right," Lily said, her voice dangerously quiet. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Echo, darling, why don't you go over there with Amos and Frank for a bit? Go… fool around. Play with the enchanted mannequins. Whatever you do."
Echo, sensing the shift in her tone but blissfully unaware of the true depth of her exasperation, nodded agreeably. "Okay, Lily-Flower!" He patted Sniffles back into his pocket, and, with Shimmer now fully visible in his sweater and hat, waddled off towards Amos and Frank, who immediately began testing the elasticity of a pair of enchanted suspenders.
Lily watched him go, then turned back to the counter. Her usually warm eyes were now blazing with a fierce, protective fire. The shopkeeper visibly swallowed, sensing the storm that was about to break.
"I'm a bit curious, you see," Lily began, her voice deceptively sweet as she reached out, her fingers closing around the shopkeeper's tie. With a swift, almost imperceptible tug, she had him by the neck, pulling him forward until his face was inches from hers. The shopkeeper, a man not easily rattled, suddenly found his cheerful demeanor replaced by a look of wide-eyed apprehension. "Initially, I chalked up Echo being your 'best customer' to his usual, overly friendly self, always coming in after some chaotic, accident-prone escapade that magic couldn't quite fix. But now," her voice dropped, becoming a dangerous purr as she tightened her grip on his tie, pulling it taut against his throat, "now I see it's because you've been thoroughly swindling him."
The shopkeeper spluttered, his hands flying up to clutch her arm, his face turning a sickly shade of purple. "M-Madame! Please! I… I assure you…"
"You assure me?" Lily hissed, her eyes blazing with a fierce, controlled fury. Her grip tightened further, cutting off his breath. "You had the absolute gall to swindle a boy who doesn't even know the difference between a Knut and a Galleon, let alone their value! And you dare to smile at him, to call him your 'most loyal customer' when you've been picking his pockets dry every time he walks through your door?"
The shopkeeper gasped, his eyes bulging, his feet kicking weakly. "Mercy! Please, just… let me go!"
Lily's smile was chilling, devoid of any warmth. "Oh, I'll let you go, alright. Straight into the afterlife." With each word, her grip became a fraction tighter, the tie cutting deeper into his flesh.
"Lily," a calm, measured voice cut through the tense silence. Severus, now standing just behind her, his book forgotten, had a strangely detached expression on his face.
Lily snapped her head around, her eyes still burning. "What, Severus?!"
Severus merely raised an eyebrow. "If you want to ensure it's fatal, you need to go a half-inch lower. The carotid artery is just below the jawline. It's much more efficient."
A slow, predatory smile spread across Lily's face as she turned back to the shopkeeper, who promptly began to sweat profusely, his eyes darting frantically between her and the impassive Severus. "Why, Severus," Lily purred, her fingers adjusting their grip, sliding down precisely as instructed, "what a brilliant idea."
Lily's grip, following Severus's precise instruction, tightened with chilling efficacy. The shopkeeper's face purpled, his eyes bulging as he clawed at her hand. "M-Madame… please… you… You can't…" he croaked, his voice a desperate, strangled whisper.
"Oh, but I can," Lily purred, her gaze unwavering, cold as ice. "Wizards often believe the Avada Kedavra curse is the most terrifying way to go, for both the caster and the victim. But I've always believed that all spells are just Avada Kedavra with extra steps. Just like this. Each tightening of my grip, each gasp for air, is just a step closer to the same outcome, wouldn't you agree?"
The shopkeeper whimpered, tears starting to stream from his eyes. "No! Please, I beg you! I swear on my life, I'll never do this again! Never again, I promise!"
"A promise?" Lily scoffed, a dark amusement in her eyes. "I'm afraid I'll need more than a promise, my dear shopkeeper. Promises, much like your prices, tend to be rather inflated, wouldn't you say?"
The shopkeeper, his mind reeling from the lack of oxygen, could only shake his head weakly, completely at a loss.
Severus, ever practical, stepped forward, his voice cutting through the tension. "Perhaps, then, a more tangible form of compensation is in order. You have clearly taken advantage of Echo's… financial naivete. It would only be fair if these clothes, and perhaps a few more, were to be gifted to him, as a form of credit for your ill-gotten gains."
The shopkeeper, managing a weak, choked laugh despite his predicament, rasped, "Gift them? Who's swindling whom now?"
Lily's eyes flashed, and with a swift, almost imperceptible movement, her grip tightened so severely that the shopkeeper's face turned a horrifying shade of blue. He gurgled, his eyes rolling back in his head.
"Alternatively," Severus interjected, his voice still calm, "we could simply report you to the Ministry for knowingly swindling minors. I believe the penalty for such an offense, particularly when it occurs repeatedly, is rather…severe. Or, you could simply let Lily finish what she's currently started. The choice, I assure you, is entirely yours."
The shopkeeper, truly believing his life was about to end, gasped out, "No! No, please! The clothes! Take them! All of them! For free! Just… please…"
Lily, with a final, disdainful look, finally released him. The shopkeeper crumpled to the floor, gasping for air, his hands flying to his throat, coughing and wheezing as he slowly regained his breath.
Lily, her expression now perfectly serene, turned and picked up the pile of winter clothes. She walked over to where Echo, Amos, and Frank were still amusing themselves, now attempting to balance enchanted top hats on Sniffles's head.
"Echo, darling," Lily said, her voice sweet and unruffled, as if she hadn't just mentally (and almost physically) throttled the shopkeeper. "All settled. Your new wardrobe awaits."
Echo, narrowly avoiding a flying top hat, looked up, a bright grin on his face. "Oh, really? Awesome! So, do I need to pay for these now? I think Sniffles has some more shiny bits for him." He gestured towards his still-jingling pocket, where Sniffles was attempting to swallow a miniature golden thimble.
Lily chuckled, a light, airy sound. "No, no, not at all. It seems our kind shopkeeper here," she glanced back at the pale, still-gasping man on the floor, who managed a weak, involuntary shiver, "appreciates your…loyalty so much that he decided to gift them to you. A token of his gratitude, you understand."
Echo's eyes widened, then beamed. "Really? Wow! That's so nice of you, Mr. Malkin! Thank you!" He turned and gave the shopkeeper a blinding, genuinely heartfelt smile.
The shopkeeper, still struggling to sit up, forced a strained, wobbly smile in return. "Y-you're m-most welcome, M-Mr. Echo," he stammered, his voice hoarse, trying desperately to regain some semblance of composure. "Always… always a pleasure to… assist a loyal customer."
Echo, oblivious to the man's terror, was already pulling out his magical satchel, a wide, excited grin on his face. He began to shove his new dragon-hide coat, wool robes, and various accessories into the satchel with unrestrained enthusiasm, Shimmer poking its head out from his shirt collar to inspect the new garments.
As Echo busied himself, Lily's gaze flickered back to the shopkeeper. Her warm smile remained fixed on Echo, but her left hand, out of his line of sight, slowly rose. Her index finger pointed directly at the shopkeeper, then, with a deliberate, slow motion, she drew her thumb across her throat in a clear, unmistakable slashing gesture. The shopkeeper, still recovering, saw it, and his eyes widened again in renewed terror, a silent plea for mercy in their depths. But when Echo happened to glance back over his shoulder at her, Lily's hand was instantly at her side, and her smile was just as sweet and innocent as before.
"Come on, Echo! Let's get these on and go out into the snow!" Lily chirped, her eyes sparkling.
Echo, still buzzing with excitement, rapidly shed his old, thin robes and, with Shimmer peeking out curiously, quickly changed into his new, thick dragon-hide coat and a forest-green wool robe. He pulled on the sturdy boots and gloves and wrapped a long, warm scarf around his neck, feeling an unprecedented warmth spread through him. Shimmer, now fully bundled in his tiny blue sweater and hat, chirped happily from his perch on Echo's shoulder, clearly enjoying the newfound coziness.
"Ready!" Echo declared, flexing his now-warm fingers.
With a final, lingering glare at the shopkeeper (who, at this point, looked ready to faint), Lily ushered Echo, Amos, and Frank out of the shop. They emerged into the crisp Hogsmeade air, now completely outfitted for the winter, the snow crunching delightfully under their new, warm boots.
"Oh, wow," Echo said, exhaling a plume of warm air that instantly dissipated in the cold. "This is… actually really nice. I can feel my toes again! I can feel all my toes! And my fingers! I could get used to this." He wiggled his gloved fingers, a look of genuine wonder on his face. "Alright, now that I'm not actively freezing to death, what should we do first? Snowball fight? Build a snow fort? I'm open to suggestions!"
"Snowball fight!" Amos and Frank shouted in unison, already scooping up handfuls of pristine snow.
"Yeah! Snowball fight!" Echo roared, a wild grin spreading across his face. "And I'll chase you both down on Helga's back! You won't stand a chance!"
"Whoa, hold on there, Echo!" Amos interjected, holding up his hands. "No creatures! That's cheating! Just us, fair and square."
Echo groaned dramatically, his shoulders slumping. "Aw, come on! But chasing you around on Helga would be so much fun!"
"No dragons, no griffins, no giant snakes," Frank said firmly, though a mischievous glint was in his eye. "But… Shimmer can join. He's tiny."
Echo's eyes lit up. "Really? Shimmer? Okay, I can work with that! Shimmer, you hear that? We're going to wreak havoc!" Shimmer, sitting on Echo's shoulder, let out an excited chitter, already attempting to gnaw on one of his new gloves.
"Hold it, hold it, everyone!" Lily said, stepping forward, a firm, no-nonsense look on her face. She put her hands on her hips, her gaze sweeping over the excited boys. "Before we do anything else, Echo, there's something very important we need to do."
Echo paused, his excitement dimming slightly. "What's that, Lily-Flower? Is it about proper snowball-throwing technique? Because I assure you, I'm a natural."
Lily sighed, a long, suffering sound. "No, Echo. It's about money."
Frank and Amos groaned, their earlier enthusiasm vanishing. "Aww, Lily, do we have to?" Amos whined.
"Yes, we have to," Lily said, unwavering. "We are going to teach Echo how to count money properly, so he doesn't overpay for things ever again."
Echo, surprisingly, beamed. "Hooray for learning!" he cheered, completely missing the looks of despair on his friends' faces.
Severus, who had remained silent throughout the shopkeeper ordeal, stepped forward, a faint, sardonic smile on his lips. "Echo," he drawled, "did you, by any chance, always pay for your… acquisitions in the manner you just demonstrated?"
Echo nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I just dump all of Sniffles's shiny bits on the counter and let them pick out what they need. It always works!"
Amos slapped his forehead. "That explains so much! That's why you'd always come back with those massive bags of chocolate! I thought you just had a serious sweet tooth, but they were probably just giving you all sorts of extra stuff because you were paying them so much."
"Yeah," Frank chimed in, a thoughtful look on his face. "And that's probably how you got so… chunky last year, too."
Echo's face flushed a furious red. "I am not chunky! I've been slimming down recently! I have!"
"Of course you have, pudgy," Frank retorted, unable to resist a final jab.
Echo growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Pudgy?! Oh, you are so going to regret that, Frank Longbottom! Come here, you little— I'll show you who's pudgy!" And with that, Echo lunged, shedding his new gloves and scarf in his furious pursuit, chasing a shrieking Frank through the freshly fallen snow, a new kind of warmth radiating from his outrage.
Lily, hands on her hips, let out a long, theatrical sigh. "Boys! Enough! We have a lesson to conduct!"
Severus, leaning against a snow-covered lamppost, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk playing on his lips, retrieved a small, leather-bound pouch from his robes. "Indeed. And I believe I have the perfect teaching aid." He untied the drawstring and, with a flick of his wrist, a neat stack of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts, all meticulously sorted, appeared in his outstretched palm.
Echo, still panting from his chase, skidded to a halt, his eyes widening at the sight of the gleaming coins. "Whoa! Where'd you get all that, Sev? Did Sniffles rob Gringotts again?"
Severus merely rolled his eyes. "No, Echo. These are mine. And we are going to learn, in precise detail, the value of each one." He held up a shining gold Galleon. "This, Echo, is a Galleon. It is worth seventeen Sickles." He then held up a silver Sickle. "This is a Sickle. It is worth twenty-nine Knuts." Finally, he produced a small, bronze Knut. "And this is a Knut. The smallest denomination."
Lily, nodding approvingly, took over. "Now, Echo, let's practice. If you want to buy a chocolate frog, which costs one Sickle and five Knuts, how would you pay for it?"
Echo scratched his head, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. "Hmm. Well, I'd probably just give them a Galleon and let them figure it out."
Lily groaned, but Severus, surprisingly, chuckled. "A valiant effort, Echo. But inefficient. Very inefficient."
For the next half-hour, under Lily's watchful, exasperated eyes and Severus's subtly amused gaze, Echo was put through a rigorous, if rudimentary, lesson in wizarding currency. Amos and Frank, initially eager to escape the lesson, found themselves drawn in by Echo's spectacular inability to grasp the concept of monetary value.
"So, if I have two Sickles," Echo mused, holding up two silver coins, "and I want to buy three Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, which cost two Knuts each… that's… six Knuts, right?"
Lily beamed. "Yes, Echo! That's it!"
Echo grinned triumphantly. "So, I'd give them… a Galleon, and tell them to keep the change?"
Lily buried her face in her hands. "Echo! No!"
Severus, however, interjected, a rare smile touching his lips. "Actually, Lily, given his propensity for carrying an entire Niffler's hoard, perhaps the 'dump it all out and let them figure it out' method is simply… his brand of chaotic efficiency."
Lily lifted her head, a look of utter defeat on her face. "You know what, Severus? At this point, I think you might be right." She turned to Echo, a weary but loving smile on her face. "Alright, Echo. Just… try your best, alright? And maybe, just maybe, let me handle the money when we're shopping."
Echo, sensing the lesson was ending, instantly brightened. "Deal! So, snowball fight now? Please? I have a sudden urge to get Frank back for calling me pudgy!"
Frank, who had been attempting to melt into a snowdrift inconspicuously, suddenly sprang up, a look of mock terror on his face. "You wouldn't dare, you big brute!"
Echo roared with laughter, already scooping up a handful of snow. "Oh, I would, Longbottom! I absolutely would!" And with that, the Hogsmeade street was once again filled with the joyous sounds of laughter, shouting, and the satisfying thwack of snowballs.