Chapter 1
It is mid-December, the busiest time in the empire. The Hogwarts estate is preparing itself for the Christmas ball in the next week and then the New Year fete. I, Lily Evans, am a servant for the Hogwarts Estate and wish I could be anywhere else. I sew all day long, the napkins having to be encrusted with diamonds and silver studs in the shape of snowflakes. Then I must clean and prepare for the meals for each royal family. The four royal families had a son, all 18 years old, who called themselves the 'Marauders'.
The first family are the Pettigrews. Peter, the 4th in line for the throne, is a small, stubby, shy boy and his parents, Alexandra and Bertie were the same. Peter spent a lot of time behind the other three boys and I considered him the slimiest. He was never strong and dependent, never being able to back himself up without the help of the other boys. He was and always will be the weakest.
The next family were the Lupins. Remus, the 3rd in line for throne, is the nicest, honest and sweetest boy you can meet. He is the most charming out of the boys and I don't just say these things because he is my best friend. He will always come down to the kitchens to spend time with me when he can and understands what it is like to be what you would call a 'peasant'. He spent a year in the slums 3 years ago to prove to the other royal families that they need more help. With this he gained the slums a warm meal for each person every day. He is beautiful, inside and out. I am so lucky to have met him at the last Christmas ball. Lyall and Hope, his parents, have the exact personality as Remus. Hope used to be a slave, the same as I, until she accidentally met Lyall in the cloak room when he was looking for his football kit and their romance blossomed from that moment on.
The Black family are next. Sirius, 2nd in line for the throne, is the player of the group. There isn't a girl in the estate that has not tried to have sex with. Only a few months ago he had tried to corner me in the cloak room. However, I refused to help him "practice a theatrical scene which involved nudity and maybe a mouth-to-mouth sequence". How stupid does he think I am? Once I said no he seemed shocked but I don't blame him. He hasn't stopped pestering me; I don't know why he hasn't given up already. There is nothing special to me than all the other slaves, but then again I am the youngest of them all. I haven't even eaten a proper meal for the past 3 weeks because of all the work we are being forced to do. Forgetting about the dickhead Sirius Black for a while, his family are completely disrespectful and the most disgusting people ever. Orin and Walburga are his parents and have the faces of a slapped arse. Then Regulus, Sirius' brother, is 10 times more of a sex addict than Sirius and plays every girl as if he was their dominant. Every slave girl that has come back from one of his "pleasure parties" they have received bruises, cuts and burns all over their bodies. It makes me feel sick to the bone. They treat the slaves and anyone out of the estate as if they were dirt on the bottom of their shoes. Sirius decides not to spend time with his family as much as he can and that is the only intellectual response from Sirius that anybody can see.
The last family is the Potter family. These are the richest of them all. The purest family around. Vincent and Maude, the King and Queen, are so loyal and heart-warming. They are the family I dream about. They care for all the Empire and try to fulfil everybody's needs, working 24/7 to keep the population satisfied. They only have one son, who of course is next in line for the throne, and I forever wish it could be someone else. James Potter is the kind of boy who girls swoon over. He has the perfect chiselled face and black hair that is annoyingly sexy even when messy. His dark eyes that would make your heart melt, if it wasn't for his dickhead personality. Since the day I left my 'beloved' family, more about that later, he has proven himself to be the complete prick I always believed him to be. On my first day of becoming a slave he always treated us to be worthless unless you were a girl who could fulfil his needs for that specific day. He would make girls feel special for the night and then dump them in the morning forgetting all about them. If I could have 1 penny for the amount of time I have walked in on him and a girl getting frisky in a cloak room or a supply closet I wouldn't need to be a slave anymore. He is also the leader of the Marauders who like to cause disruption between every boy they can find. The whole group believe themselves to be inferior in some sense and James is the main source of this.
Another family you are probably wondering about is mine. 11 years ago, at the age of 6, I was abused and forgotten about by my family, who are a wealthy part towards the Estate. One night behind the castle, at the entrance of the kitchens, I was found by Lucy. She was a maid who took me in to help me recover. Once I had recovered, an agreement was made by Vincent and Maude, who had been contacted at the incident, which said that I can stay at the castle with full protection and my family, would get a small amount of money every year and invites to every ball and fait. My sister, Petunia, the ugliest thing you could be, was ecstatic. Even though she is older than the Marauders, she always fancied James, most likely for his wealth and power. How typical. My mother Christine was not so happy. She lost her toy. However after a dinner with the Queen, she was most positive on getting rid of me, even though she insists on seeing me every night of the ball at midnight to punish me for a ridiculous reason, like not cutting the cheese thin enough even if it wasn't to do with me. Ridiculous, I know.
Instead of dwelling on my excuse of a family, back to the present. After sewing over 1000 napkins for the ball and fete, I have to continue preparing for all the meals. Because it is my 18th birthday in the next month, it is now time for me to begin aiding the meals in the same room as the Royals. I am scared of the thought of being in the same room as all of them at the same time. Who wouldn't be? I am intimidated just talking to Remus, and I consider him to be my best friend. It doesn't help that the boys are already 19 and everybody in the room will be considerably older than me. I am the youngest of the slaves; this will make me stand out even more than usual and makes me more vulnerable to the four sets of eyes of the disgusting boys. Replacing Remus with Regulus of course. My bright red hair also doesn't help me not be noticed, contrasting against my green eyes, making me a glowing mess in front of everyone. Luckily, nobody has never properly noticed as I usually only take part in the activities behind the scenes for the Estate. I considered myself extremely lucky for this but that is all about to change. I can feel it.
Before setting off for my work for the meal, I look down at my uniform to make sure everything is in check before anybody sees me. It is seen as a sin towards the policies of the Estate to look messy and disrespectful. I am part of Gryffindor in the estate which you have to show pride and power in everything you do. I promised the King and Queen I would live up to their expectations if I was placed into the house that is full of the royals. Being placed into Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin didn't entitle much. This was just a form of organisation and tradition for Hogwarts Estate. My uniform consisted of a white collared capped short-sleeved shirt, a black pleated skirt, black knee length socks with a red and gold coloured bow at the top, showing the Gryffindor colours, and black brogues. The uniform was in some way similar to the school uniforms however being the only young slave; my lessons consisted of a 3 hour session with one of the teachers from the Hogwarts School on a Sunday. The rest of the children in the Estate wore the most elegant uniform, for Hogwarts School, compared to my thin, revealing uniform.
Hogwarts School takes ages from 3-21 years old. Whereas schools in nearby districts separate children 3-11years, 12-18 and then 18-21. Within the last few years at Hogwarts is where you learn all about the job that you will continue for the rest of your life. I've always excelled in all my lessons and have luckily caught up with all students that are my age at the actual school. The Queen consistently tells me my grades are higher than all the students at Hogwarts School which is lucky considering my chosen job to hopefully partake in in the future is a teacher for slave or deprived children.
Walking down the small hallway that leads to the private cloakroom that keeps all the napkins and sheets I have sewn for the past few weeks inside, I start to contemplate what it would be like to be a rich, wealthy student. This had become a regular train of thought for the past year when I realised that slavery was most likely the only thing that will take place in my life. I would never be able to become a teacher, even if I was smarter than 99% of all the students. I dropped the thought as I went to enter the small room; however on the other side I heard the low groan of a boy. I knew exactly who this would be, James Potter. He usually brought his victims into this room as he believed it to be most private. Nevertheless, I have caught him in the action nearly every single time. I would usually walk away and wait but today was different; I desperately needed to get ready for the meal. I waited for ten seconds and then knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked louder this time, making sure he heard me. I heard a groan before hearing James shout "Occupied". The clock on the clock read 19:37, I had 3 minutes to get to the kitchens and gather all the cutlery and set them on the table for the eight 'o'clock dinner. I impatiently knocked on the door, this time it went silent afterwards. I then heard James' groan again. His footsteps became clearer as he walked towards the door. He swung it back with such forced I cowered back a few steps. His gaze was intense; if looks could kill I would be gone six feet under. I felt like I had shrivelled up, every bone in my body went weak. I forgot he was the inferior one.
I knew I needed to get to kitchens quickly, so this wasn't the time to show my cowardice. I was put into Gryffindor for a reason. Once I looked up to James again, he looked impatient. His hair ruffled, eyes narrowed and clothes crumpled. I breathed in and stood taller. I hated this guy, time to show it.
"I need to get into the closet."I said, with too much harshness in my time. I forgot this was the future King in front of me. He looked startled by the tone of voice but his emotions were soon covered with a smirk on his face that would have melted the other hundreds of girls wanting to worship his feet.
"When I say occupied, it means it is occupied. On your way slave." He mumbled. I Was already used to degrading comments but I always fought back because how dare he? I do not care if he is the prince; I am still a human being. I could feel myself go bright red; my rage was flowing through my head intensely.
"Fine then," I forced the napkins into his chest, "You place these on the side and I will go to prepare your fantastic meal. Your highness." The sarcasm in my words was well noted with my actions when I curtsied and quickly turned on my heel to walk down the hall. I heard a grunt and a door shut. I wish I could have seen his reaction instead of walking away from what I had just done. Hopefully he will not recognise me in the meal, even though I highly doubt he will miss the only 17 year old slave. I knew I had just got myself into a lot of trouble; I wasn't looking forward to it.
I made it to the kitchens just in time to prepare. I gathered the cutlery and walked through the large double doors entering the dining room. The large, long table spread out in a square around the room. Only recently had it changed instead of a line stretching out a good hundred meters down the centre of the room. The square table now gave a more "friendly feeling", however this meant that the slaves work was now harder and we would now have to sometimes stand in the middle of the table and serve drinks while the Black family would comment on what you would look like, your posture and the way our uniforms were worn. As the youngest, I will not have to take part in this. Therefore, Lucy will most likely have to take part in this nonsense tonight. I would rather it be me who takes the criticism. I will forever owe my life to Lucy for making everything better for me.
As I finished with the cutlery, the glasses and wines were starting to be served. I hurried out of the room before any of the Royals could enter. I was not going to satisfy them by making a fool out of myself, not today. This was my only chance to prove my Gryffindor traits. I am ready.
I waited patiently in the kitchens before I was called to serve the first few starters. I quickly glanced in the mirror before leaving with the two heavy plates in my arms. They carried the small salads and a range of different dips on each plate. As I walked through the doors I saw the Royals all talking away with each other, another dispute I guessed. I walked towards the King and Queen first, returning a small smile to Maude quickly as she caught my eye. I knew what she expected of me, I could see it in her dark eyes. The hint of pride shone for me. I was not going to let her down.
I placed the two plates in between the King and Queen and James and Sirius. Nobody other than Maude gave me a second glance, so far so good. Setting down the plates became very difficult as the space became smaller between the less royal families. I leant over Remus, he didn't notice until I was about to leave. He gave a small "Hello" but he was cut off suddenly by Walburga.
"Don't talk to that peasant redhead Remus. I hear from her mother that she is no good. She doesn't deserve to be alive after her run away from home. How disgraceful." she spat. I couldn't believe what she had just said. I knew my mother hated me for what I had become, a slave, but how could she tell people it was my decision. She was the one who forced me to leave. My face flushed warm and I knew that i was about to cry from the blurriness of the room around me from the tears. That was until I heard an angelic voice.
"Excuse me Walburga, Lily was forced to leave. I do not know what her mother has said but Lily was abused at home. It was not her choice." The Queen was a blessing, she was a goddess. That surely caught everybody's attention, usually in disputes like this the queen was to stay quiet. I was standing behind Remus now, who gave me a small smile, hope. I looked over at Walburga, on the other side of the table, who too now looked red in the face. She was angry and I became scared. It was silent, you could hear the faint calls of the cooks next door and I didn't know what to do. I should have left but I couldn't. Everyone's eyes were on me and they kept my body in shutdown. That was until Regulus spoke.
"Maude, my highness," he begun, with a voice so sweet it was sickly. But his words reminded me of James, I took a quick glance over at him. He was looking at his empty plate, I felt a jolt of disappointment but that was quickly forgotten when I listened to the rest of Regulus' speech. "Surely you cannot believe that Mrs Evans would abuse Lily. Look at her, she looks like a slut. She probably got abused on the street selling her body to the local perverts."
His words stung, they hit me pretty hard. My eyes widened and everything went blurry again for a moment. I saw Remus springing to his feet to confront Regulus, Sirius joining him when Regulus moved towards him about to hit. The King and Queen were on their feet in a heated discussion with Orin and Walburga. The Pettigrews tried to stay out of it and Remus' parents too. I felt ashamed; I had just ruined a Royals dinner. This was the end. That was until I felt a hand on my shoulder. A husky "come this way" brought me to my attention. The owner of the hand led me through the doors to the courtyard. As I heard the doors shut and the commotion quietened, I turned around. What I didn't expect was to find James Potter looking down on me, standing particularly close. I moved back a few steps from fear at the proximity of us both.
"Thanks but I was perfectly fine." I mumbled. He must have known I was lying, I was dying in that room and it was clearly obvious.
"Oh yes, of course because your face was the colour of tomatoes and your eyes filled with tears. Well done for being perfectly fine." He smirked. I sensed the sarcasm; I sensed his power over me. I am not going to let him walk all over me again.
"Wow, no need to be a jackass. But since I am a slave, I better be on my way." mimicking his words back at that damned closet. At this point I looked at him. He was wearing a beautiful tuxedo that shone under the moonlight. His hair looked soft, perfectly messy as always and his face looked concerned but his eyes showed uncertainty. As I turned to walk away, I was jolted back by James' hand on my wrist.
"I didn't mean what I said in the closet. You caught me at the wrong time." He chuckled, as if it was a kind of joke. His eyes bored into mine, he didn't care. He was a prince and I am filth.
"Obviously," I replied. "That is why every day this week I have caught you in the same closet at the same time with most likely the same culprits. It always seems to be a bad time with you."
"I-"he tried to reply but I cut him off. I needed to let this out.
"Thank you for bringing me out here but it doesn't change that you still think of me as a worthless worker of yours. I am nothing to you. You achieved nothing bringing me out here. It is just a pathetic chance of you trying to get in my pants."I scolded; I turned away and walked three steps before I heard his scoff. I spun around immediately, wanting to know what he had to say.
"You were everything Regulus had to say, you're a slut. I don't even know why I tried to help you. You are nothing compared to me." My eyes watered immediately, I felt my cheeks become wet but before everything blurred I walked towards him and smacked my hand across his face. It sounded like it hurt but his faced showed nothing but regret and it should. I went to run but his hand grabbed my wrist once again. He tried to pull me back; I just shook him off. I ran around the side of Estate building, the cold wind hitting my face. Furiously, I tried to stop my eyes from watering. I blinked viciously as I ran to the back door. The same door I was found 11 years ago. I sat in the same spot, beside the door, as the last time.