A/N : This fanfic was started as part of a contest for a group I am in, and I liked the idea so much I decided to continue on it. The base plot outline credit goes to Eunice Fleur of The Pottermore Chosen Ones Facebook page :)
Disclaimer : I do not own/profit from HP or any of the characters, I just enjoy playing with them. Everything else however is from my imagination, which is a magically twisted place :)
Lily shrank against the rough wall, holding her breath, and listening hard. They were talking again in hushed tones and she knew it was about her. They never attempted to keep her from hearing them, though it was a very simple spell any first year could master. The never hurt her, they never let her go hungry, or unwatered. The only thing they refused her was to take off the blindfold shielding her vision and the ropes binding her wrists. At first she had struggled. She'd kicked, twisted, tried to scream and bite them men who had taken her from her home. Once she had calmed however she realized it would just waste energy. From what she counted there were about five that had abducted her and now she had heard up to thirty different voices speaking of her or to her.
She heard the crackle of a fire, the warmth almost reaching her, and the scuffling of feet on the soft earth. She knew her surroundings well, as she'd done all she could to figure out where she was in the first hours of her capture. From the rough rocks she'd been sat against, the crackling fire, the soft earth, and the distant sound of waves crashing she'd determined she was either on a coastline, or an island. Another thing she'd tried so hard to figure out was who had taken her. She listened closely to the voices for one she might recognize, any hint of familiarity, but found none.
They had stopped talking now, and she wasn't sure what they were doing, or if they were even still there. Of course they wouldn't all leave, there were always at least two posted to watch her, address her needs, and such. Focusing less on the people keeping watch over her, she tried to remember the details from her capture, to remember anything that might help her.
She'd been in bed, not asleep, just hiding in the warmth of her heavy covers, chin in hand, delving deep into a book she'd nicked from her father's library. A Diary of Depravation. The title had caught her interest immediately and she'd swiped it for later reading. Seeing as he had shelves full to the frame and scraping the ceiling, she didn't see how he'd miss this one book.
Despite Lily's upbringing and her mother's inherently angelic side of the family, she'd always had an interest in the dark arts that she felt would never be sated. She had found over time that asking her mother about it was a bad idea, and her step-father told her very little, though she knew he knew much more than he let on. So it was really their fault that she was forced to sneak into his library while they were entertaining guests and grab what she thought would be least missed. It was really their fault that she was hidden away in her room, a tiny bit of light emanating from her wand as she scanned the pages soaking up all the knowledge she could get.
She had been sucked into a particularly gruesome spell description, she wouldn't know if the Manor was on fire. She didn't have time to do anything, because she didn't see it coming. A gag went in her mouth, a blindfold over her eyes, and ropes bound her body simultaneously. She tried to bite the hand near her face and tried to do something with her wand, anything, but it was no longer in her hand. She heard some scuffling, her wardrobe being opened and closed, muffled voices.
"Hurry up, we don't have long. Get that, yes that! Do you really think she'll need earmuffs, Hendricks? Really?"
"Just grab some and let's go. You're such a bloody woman, Faehr."
"Make it look like she packed a bag and took off. No mess, personal effects come with, and grab that book."
Lily was in shock, but even if she hadn't been there wasn't much to be done. She was secured tight, couldn't see and it felt as if somebody was sitting on her legs. She heard the zipper on one of her bags, the shuffle of feet on her plush carpet, and then she was swiftly picked up from the bed and tossed over someone's shoulder as if she were a sack of potatoes. She was carried for some time before the atmosphere changed and she could tell she was no longer inside the Manor. The chill in the air bit at her bared skin due to her choice of pajamas. Clad in flimsy designer sleep shorts and a tank top, as she wasn't planning on leaving the sanctuary of her covers, she was less than dressed for the weather.
Lily was trying to express her displeasure at this around the gag in her mouth, when suddenly the sound of footfalls ceased as did she. She heard a few loud popping noises before the sickening spinning sensation took over her body. Her first thought being she hoped she didn't vomit with a gag in her mouth as that would be beyond disgusting. Her second thought being she hoped she didn't get splinched, as she'd read about it and it didn't sound at all pleasant.
Trying hard to keep her stomach down, she felt the sensation begin to ebb and knew it was almost over. Still slung over a rather broad shoulder she had no control over the landing, but she hoped the great lunk carrying her didn't stumble and crush her to death. Luckily, that didn't happen and she was hauled down and set rather gently against a rough feeling wall. It was hard and bumpy, so she was pretty sure it was some sort of rock, maybe a cave? Again she tried to yell around her gag, her harsh words however became muffled and lost in translation it seemed as nobody unbound her or took off the blindfold.
They weren't touching her though, or hurting her, she was relieved of that at least. After what seemed like an hour, she heard them walking, talking and then felt a hand on her shoulder as a deep voice spoke softly to her.
"Now, listen missy. If you can behave and bite that tongue of yours, I'll take that piece out of your mouth and get you a drink. Whaddya say?"
Obviously not the brightest of the bunch, Lily thought to herself, rolling her covered eyes. It seemed then that her captor had realized his mistake and added, "Course, can't expect you to speak yet though. Just nod your head if you agree."
Lily thought a moment and nodded her head slightly. She was thirsty from all her yelling over the gag in her mouth and maybe if she cooperated she could figure out where she was and plot a way to escape. She held very still as a hand pulled at the cloth that had been shoved in her mouth to stifle any noise she tried to make. Once it was out, she opened and closed her mouth a few times as it had been held open for a while and realized that she was utterly parched. Apparently her captors had anticipated this, because before she could speak, she found a straw at her lips. Still wary, she sniffed the contents and took a tiny sip. Maintaining it was harmless tap water, she took one long draw after another until she was quenched and the straw was withdrawn. She sat there for who knows how long listening to her captors talking over the lightly crackling fire. After a while, she felt a blanket drawn up over her form and despite her fighting, she fell into a deep sleep.
Lily pondered what little information she had to go on. She knew a couple of their names, she was on an island or coastline, they wanted to make it look as if she'd run off, and they didn't seem to want to hurt her. In fact, they had done very well to meet any need she had in the past 72 hours. Food, water, clothes all had been brought to her when she asked and done so kindly. She found it hard to believe that they would do such things for someone they planned to harm, or worse, kill.
Perhaps it had to do with her father? Not her real father of course, as he was in ST. Mungo's and had been for some time now. However her step father … he was a big name in the wizarding world. Had his hands in all branches of the government, and had made many enemies over the years. Maybe they wanted a ransom, that would explain why they were treating her so well. You can't get your money if you kill the person you kidnap. That had to be it! As she thought about this new realization and wondered how she could use it to her advantage, she listened to the two guarding her and they slurred out between drinks.
"Do ya think she's really who they say she is? Is that kinda stuff even possible?"
"I think – I think that we gotta do what they say and we'll find out. If she then well, but if she isn't whatter they gonna do with her?"
"I don't 'magine Macnair would be wrong and if she isn't I'm sure he's got ways to deal with her."
Lily's ears perked up at the name. Macnair .. she'd heard it before. He played a part in Voldemort's reign, was among the higher tiers of his death eaters if she remembered correctly. He had to be an old man by now though didn't he? He had a son, she was pretty sure he worked at the ministry. She'd heard her uncle Ron say the name before. Could it be the same Macnair?