Author's Note: This is a plot bunny that has been burrowing for about a year now, and only now have I found time to write it. I, in no way, own anything of JK Rowling's. Nothing at all.
Concerning the Story: There is not really anything that hasn't been revealed in the chapter. I have decided to make Lily a bit more of a teenager and not as much of a goody-goody as others might think she is. Don't get me wrong, she's not a Marauder, but she's not quite Percy Weasley either. After all, James fell in love with her for a reason, didn't he? Direct any questions in reviews, please.
Chapter One
I endeavor to be wise when I cannot be merry, easy when I cannot be glad, content with what cannot be mended and patient when there is no redress.
–Elizabeth Montagu
The real questions are the ones that obtrude upon your consciousness whether you like it or not, the ones that make your mind start vibrating like a jackhammer, the ones that you "come to terms with" only to discover that they are still there. The real questions refuse to be placated. They barge into your life at the times when it seems most important for them to stay away. They are the questions asked most frequently and answered most inadequately, the ones that reveal their true natures slowly, reluctantly, most often against your will.
--Ingrid Bengis
The cemetery had always been beautiful, even in its dreadful morbid nature. It was a place where one might have wanted to get married should it not have been a cemetery. In the spring, the flowers bloomed alongside the beautiful headstones in vibrant shades of the spectrum and the trees flourished with different pigments of green. In the summer, vivacious life radiated in every way possible, from the small birds flitting everywhere to the rabbits that burrowed in the sharp, chartreuse grass. In the winter, the snow always decorated the headstones, and the crystalline composition of the flakes caught the moonlight and refracted it brilliantly at night.
Aurelia liked to think that was why her mother had been buried there, liked to dream that the tranquility of the place had inspired her mother to ask her father in a romantic way to be laid to rest there, and that her father complied with the love he felt for her. It was okay to dream, wasn't it? It was never discouraged, by people she respected anyways. The truth of the matter was, it had been the cheapest, closest cemetery her father could find. It was the most effort her was willing to expend on her beautiful mother. But as Aurelia sat, cross-legged in front of her mother's cheap, ugly headstone, she liked to imagine her mother's story differently, and to imagine the stone was beautiful and served her mother's beautiful soul justice. It never hurt to imagine. At least, definitely not for her mother's sake.
She had been waiting for her seventeenth birthday since her first Transfiguration class, solely for this purpose. She slowly raised her mahogany wand and whispered, "Facio decorus."
The headstone transformed before her. The harsh grey stone morphed into a kind of glass marble, the script in which her mother's name was etched into the stone was turned into a delicate script, as well as the date of her birth and death. Satisfied with her work, Aurelia stood and brushed off the back of her jeans. "Para tí, Máma." To serve her justice.
Her jeans were wet with morning dew and clung uncomfortably to her skin. Aurelia pulled down her sleeves to cover her hands and crossed her arms over her chest. It was quite chilly, for September First. Her hand still tucked inside her sleeve, she pulled out her wand once again and conjured a beautiful wreath of flowers at the base of the polished headstone. She smiled to herself and walked awkwardly out of the cemetery and headed for home.
She opened the front door in silence and tiptoed into the hall. Hopefully he hadn't woken up. Hopefully he had had too much to drink last night. She walked carefully up the stairs, gripping the handrail so not to lose her delicate balance. She was clumsy enough as it was. She let out a sigh of relief as her hand twisted the doorknob to her bedroom. She opened the door and stopped short.
She had breathed too soon.
He was sitting there, on the bed. Waiting. "Where were you?" He asked quietly.
"Taking a walk," she said confidently. Never had she once faltered in front of him and she wasn't planning to start now.
"Did I say you could go for a walk?!" He yelled, jumping from calm to angry in two quick moments.
"That doesn't mean I have to obey you!" Aurelia said, rushed. She knew what she was getting herself into.
He laughed then. Her father laughed a sinister, forboding laugh. Aurelia cringed. "You think that your filthy talents make you better than I am, you little bitch, do you?!"
Aurelia resisted the urge to back down, and narrowed her eyes into slits as she balled her fists as her father yelled. "Well, do you?!"
She looked into her father's eyes. "Yes," she hissed defiantly.
She never cringed as his half-closed fist came down and struck the side of her face with enough force to make her see stars. She covered her head as he drew back for another blow, but he bruised her skin as he pulled away her arm to strike her once again, this time closer to her eye. She let out a cry of pain as he got a good swing at her back, which knocked her to the ground. She landed hard on her shoulder and hip, and curled into a ball as he kicked her in the side. She covered her head and waited for another violent blow.
And waited. Finally, she looked up to see him hovering over her, breathing heavily. He had unclenched his fists and his arms hung loosely at his side. "Be ready to go at ten-thirty. Leave this room spotless, do you hear me?" He said, half-yelling his last statement.
Without waiting for a reply, he walked out and slammed the door. Aurelia forced herself into a sitting position on the hardwood floor. After a moment, she stood, and immediately walked over to the full length mirror in the corner of her room. She brushed her dark disheveled hair out of her face and inspected two blue bruises on her face; one just under her right eye, and the other on the opposite cheekbone. She pressed down on each, ignoring the resulting sharp pain. You couldn't just hold your damn tongue for one minute, could you? Now everyone's going to ask you what happened, you daft idiot.
She turned around and lifted up her shirt, revealing the dark bruises on her back, and twists her neck around to see them. No one will notice, though. They'll believe whatever lie you tell. It'll go unnoticed. One had started to form right above her tattoo, the one she had gotten three weeks previously in Diagon Alley, an early birthday present from Lily. The flowery design flourished from her right hip bone and wove around her lower and middle back in black ink. Lily had paid handsomely for it, but she agreed it had been worth it. It had also been worth it to see Lily get one for herself; the look on her face at the finished dragonfly on her right shoulder blade was absolutely priceless. Aurelia forgot about her git of a father for one moment and smiled as she looked at the tattoo. She laughed to herself and dropped the hem of her tee shirt.
She walked to the other side of the room and began throwing things into her trunk. Along with the tattoo, she had also gotten her school materials. She threw the textbooks and uniform into the trunk sloppily and also threw in some Muggle clothes and forced the trunk shut before going to shower and dress.
Aurelia and her father rode to the train station in silence, barely acknowledging each other's presence out of hatred for the other. As she pulled her trunk out of the backseat of the car, her father asked forcefully, "You won't be coming back to the house, will you?"
Aurelia looked up at him through hateful eyes. "What the hell makes you think I want to ever come back to your house?" His face screwed up in anger and before he could manage out one syllable, Aurelia slammed the car door and briskly grabbed a trolley to cart her trunk to the Platform.
Upon arriving on Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters, she immediately loaded her trunk onto the train with the help of a strange man. Just as she was thanking him, someone tapped her on the shoulder. "Aurelia!"
Aurelia threw herself into a hug with Lily. "Oh, ow, you idiot! That's my right shoulder, you loser!" Lily yelped.
"Oh that's right, isn't it? Eh, suck it up. A little pain will do you good, Lily," Aurelia replied cheekily.
"Oh well how would you like it if I just slapped your lovely design on your back, just like th—"
"OUCH! All right, all right, point taken!" Aurelia half-laughed, half-yelled.
"C'mon, let's go find a compartment. I just might have to kill myself if we have to share with Potter again," Lily laughed as Aurelia was still wincing over the weak hit. She grabbed her wrist and dragged her onto the train, the both of them laughing as they searched for a compartment. It wasn't long before they found an empty one and shut the door, both collapsing on the opposite benches with laughter.
Lily stopped, suddenly, and a look of concern spread across her face, enveloping her smile, and Aurelia knew what she had noticed before Lily had to say anything. "Damn, Aurelia, what happened to your face?"
Fuck, Aurelia thought to herself. She had been hoping that Lily hadn't noticed the bruises, that they really weren't that bad, or that they could pass as a bad acne breakout. Oh, stop deluding yourself, she criticized. Lily just hadn't gotten a good look at your face yet.
"Oh those? I-I just fell down the stairs on my way out this morning. Hurt like a bitch, but it doesn't matter," Aurelia explained away.
"Are you sure, I mean, they look like they hur—"
Lily was interrupted by the sliding door of the compartment being slammed open. Aurelia flinched; too many doors had slammed this morning for her comfort. She looked up, to see James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew entering into the compartment. "Oh, sod off, Potter. No one invited you!" Lily said, completely exasperated.
Sirius opened his mouth to speak before Aurelia cut him off. "And no, Black, that does not mean that you are invited in place of him."
"Damn, she's a smart one," Sirius grinned, but stopped suddenly as he got a good look at her face. When his expression froze, Aurelia inhaled sharply. "Well damn, Antonia, what happened to your face?"
Aurelia rolled her eyes and allowed a small smile and playfully corrected him, "Well first off, Black, my name is Aurelia. Say it with me, Ah-rel-ee-ah."
"Nah, I prefer Antonia. An-toh-nee-ah."
"Oh, sod off, the lot of you," Aurelia said loudly, but lightheartedly. Sirius Black had been calling her Antonia since the beginning of time, saying that Aurelia didn't suit her whatsoever. Aurelia rose, getting up to push the four of them out the door.
"Not 'till you tell us what happened to your face, Antonia," Sirius said mischievously as he grips her upper arms and pushes her into the compartment.
"Oh, what business is it of yours, you idiots?" Lily snapped, but there was a hint of amusement under her voice.
James Potter turned to Lily and sat beside her, taking her spoken word as an invitation. "Well, see, if I'm ever going to get a date with you, I have to gain your friends' approval, don't I? Isn't that like, a girl rule or something, Sirius?" James grinned.
"Why, yes, James, I do believe it is!" Sirius laughed, still standing and examining Aurelia's face.
Silence hung in the air for a moment as Peter shifted his feet uncomfortably. "Well?" Remus drew out his pronunciation of the word, denoting everyone's impatience.
"I don't see how it's any of your business," Lily said loudly as she pushed James away from her. "Any of you," she added in Sirius' direction.
James ran a hand through his hair as he looked at Lily. "Aw, fine, Evans. C'mon, guys, let's go."
Pettigrew moved follow James, but Remus and Sirius stood right where they were. Sirius was still looking expectantly at Aurelia for an answer, and Remus was watching Sirius carefully. Remus laid a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "C'mon, Sirius."
Sirius ignored him and Aurelia noticed the look of realization and seriousness on his face. No. No. No. No! NO! I have worked so hard all these years to hide it! Only for an over-attentive Black to discover!
"Look, Black, I just fell down a flight of stairs. It's not that big of a deal." Aurelia lied, trying to make her voice as smooth as possible. She even added a smile.
"All right, then. See you, Lily, Antonia," Sirius said, his playful grin returning to his face. Aurelia rolled her eyes and pushed all four boys over the threshold, sliding the compartment door after them.
"Finally," Lily said. "Now we can get to Hogwarts in peace."
"What, no rant on how much you hate Potter?" Aurelia asked, knowing full well she was pushing her best friend's buttons.
"Well this year, I think I'm going to ignore his presence completely. It'll make life so much easier," Lily stated, although her voice betrayed some kind of self-convincing note to the statement.
Aurelia snorted. "You said that last year, in case you forgot, Lily. And the year before that—"
She was cut off by a rapt slap across the back of her head. "Well, really, now!" Aurelia laughed. "In all seriousness, you have been saying that for three years now, Lily, and has it worked at all?"
"Oh, don't tell me even you think I have feelings for Pinhead Potter?" Lily threw her head back and whined.
"Well…"
"Oh damn you all to hell! He has done nothing but make my life miserable since I got to Hogwarts!"
"Oh really?"
"Yes! He successfully, single-handedly, ruined a good friendship of mine, scared off every bloke I have shown a remote interest in, and, to top it all off, got Head Boy!"
Aurelia sighed. "Well first off, Snape was a slimy git, and Potter helped you realize that. As for the other blokes? What other blokes? The only guy I ever hear you talk about is Potter, regardless of whether or not its praise or insult. As for Head Boy, there's nothing he can do about that anyways, so there's no use in blaming him for that."
"Oh, fuck all," Lily groaned.
"Hey, I'm only telling you—"
"What you see. I know, I know. Can we just drop it?" Lily replied.
-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
"Mate, do you think I have a shot with her?"
Sirius looked up. "Huh?"
"Do you honestly, truly think that I have a shot with Lily? Really, do you? Tell me, honestly."
Sirius cracked his knuckles absentmindedly. "Mate, didn't you see her not insult you? I think you're growing on her."
James' face broke into a grin. "You're serious?"
"Well, the last time I checked my name was Sirius, but I don't know…"
"God, your puns are terrible," Remus said loudly. "Does that Sirius-serious thing ever get old?"
"Not as old as your mum!" Sirius replied, challenging his friend with his eyebrows.
"Oh really, Padfoot? Because I wasn't complaining about your mum's age last night," Remus retorted, laughing hysterically.
"Well shit, Moony, if you're into bestiality…"
All three boys burst into immature laughter. Remus slapped Sirius on the back and looked around him. "Where's Peter?"
"Went to the loo, I think, right, Sirius?" James replied, looking to his best friend.
Sirius seemed to be deep in thought again. "Earth to Sirius?" Remus said, flicking his friend on the ear.
Sirius was jerked to reality. "Ow, Moony, what was that for?"
"What's the matter with you lately? Ever since we came from Evans' compartment you've been all, dare I say it, serious," Remus said, a slight hint of amusement underneath his accusatory stare.
"It's nothing," Sirius replied, starting up with another grin.
"It has to be something, otherwise you wouldn't be thinking," James prompted.
"Oh, sod off, the two of you. I told you, it's nothing," Sirius said.
"All right, mate, but if you commit suicide…"
"I'll be sure to come back and haunt the both of you for being the worst friends alive," Sirius replied haughtily.
This, of course, stimulated banter between the three of them. Sirius, however, stopped his verbal abuse of his friends after a few minutes, and Remus and James took no notice. Sirius, however, looked out the window at the passing lake. The water was like glass, still as it could possibly be. He had always been friends with Aurelia, from the first day of their First Year at Hogwarts when he had helped her with her trunk on the Platform. They weren't the best of friends, no, but they were halfway decently close. He didn't know her deepest, darkest secret but he knew her well enough to know that there was no way in hell that Antonia—Aurelia—had fallen down a flight of stairs. No way in hell. He knew what she looked like when she fell down the stairs—the klutz did it every other day—no, and those bruises were most definitely not caused by a slight tumble down the stairs. The way she shifted her eyes when he asked her…
No. Most definitely not a clumsy accident. In fact, didn't she always have bruises on the first day of term? Definitely not to that magnitude, but Sirius vaguely remembered the scratches on her face on the first day of term last year, and yet more bruises the year before that. "Look, Black, I just fell down a flight of stairs." Sirius drew in a deep breath and let it out. He knew that her relationship with her dad was shaky, but never….No. There was no way. He knew her: she would have reported her father or defended herself if that was the case. Why do I care so much? That's probably exactly what happened. She's always been clumsy.
"Padfoot, don't tell me you're still thinking about Smith's bruises."
Sirius was jerked from his thoughts. "What?"
Remus repeated himself. "You're still thinking about Smith, aren't you?"
Sirius looked up at James. "Oh, no, definitely not."
James interjected. "You sure, Padfoot? You've always had a soft spot for her—"
"No, Prongs, just drop it. I'm just thinking about last summer is all," Sirius snapped.
James shut his mouth quickly. Sirius had been referring to his final escape from his parents' after a big blowout fight. "Oh, sorry, mate…"
Sirius clapped his friend on the back and smiled. "Don't worry about it. So, did you see the way Malfoy strutted down the damn train, looking like he owned the place? Looked like a ruddy peacock," Sirius stimulated. This restarted the banter between the three friends once again and Sirius did not return to his thoughts once again that train ride.
-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
The Great Hall was decorated as it always had been for the First Day of Term feast. Even the most mature Slytherin couldn't walk into the Great Hall without drawing in a sharp breath in awe at its wondrousness. Naturally, of course, they would shift their eyes in suspicion and exhale quickly, so as not to show their other friends their weakness. And no one would notice.
The bewitched night sky was the color of onyx, the white stars like glittering diamonds against the canvas. The Hall looked the same as it had always been: the four House tables were arranged parallel to one another and perpendicular to the staff table. All the same professors sat at the head of the hall, Dumbledore at the center. A small wooden stool stood on a platform halfway between the House tables and the staff table.
All of the students had changed on the Hogwarts Express and took seats at their respective houses. Aurelia took a seat on a bench beside Lily while James Potter took a seat across from her. Aurelia laughed silently to herself as Lily rolled her eyes and nudged her friend, bringing to Lily's attention their previous conversation. Lily let out a small growling noise and pinched Aurelia's thigh, causing Aurelia to swear loudly and stand up, tilting the table a little bit, just as Sirius clambered onto the bench beside her.
"Well now, Antonia, there's no need to stand in my honor," he laughed as Aurelia slapped Lily on the arm.
Aurelia didn't acknowledge Sirius until she sat down again. "Don't kid yourself, Black," she said mordantly as Lily laughed at her. She hoped to Merlin that Sirius wasn't going to ask any more questions about her bruises.
Sirius was just about to open his mouth in a retort when Professor Dumbledore rose and silenced the hall with a mere wave of his hand. Everyone's heads turned in his direction as he began his speech. "Welcome back, to everyone!" He started with a small smile.
Aurelia's attention was diverted with a whisper. "Oi! Antonia! On guard!" There was a sharp jab in her side, right on top of her new bruise. She flinched and whirled around.
"Damn you to hell, Black! That hurt!" She chastised.
A look of confusion spread on his face. "I didn't jab you that hard," he said reproachfully, but still holding his wand in a fencing position.
Aurelia grinned at his challenge and slid her wand out of her robes pocket. She met his wand with her own, and proceeded to poke his side with her free hand. "Hey! No fair!"
The two continued to fence throughout Dumbledore's speech while James sniggered amusedly and Lily snorted with laughter. "Do you two realize how immature you are?" She whispered incredulously while she laughed.
"Yep."
"And proud of it!"
"…and I, myself, during these dark times, wish to share in the morale and happiness that Mr. Black and Miss Smith seem to be sharing at this moment in time."
Aurelia and Sirius looked up to find the whole of the school looking directly at them and froze mid-parry. Professor Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling in their direction. Sirius and Aurelia tried to hide their smiles as Professor McGonagall looked sternly in their direction. "Sorry, Professor!" Sirius said loudly.
Dumbledore simply shook his head amusedly and continued on with his speech while Sirius and Aurelia slyly sheathed their wands back in their robes. Aurelia turned to watch Dumbledore but Sirius paid him almost no mind, occasionally grasping onto a few of his words here and there.
No, he thought to himself. She's fine. She's too happy to have been hurt that badly. She's all right.