The next day Lilly met up with her brother outside the Great Hall after classes were over. They walked in and sat with Luna and Ron. Demetri pulled out the new goodies he had scored from the Weasley twins and planned to use on some Slytherins that had been bothering his sister. He pointed out the trio of the usual green-clad suspects to both Fred and George who perked up at the idea of getting the three little snobs. Lilly closed the book she was reading, straightened up her tie, and stood up. She walked over to the goblet with her small piece of paper, crossed the age line, and submitted herself for judgment in the blue flames. The room clapped and her group of friends cheered for her as she walked back to them. Her brother hugged her and a bunch of other Ravenclaws came over for high-fives.
On the other side of the room, Draco sat with his usual crowd and watched Lilly go back to her friends. He was stunned that she had put her name in, especially since it was just her first year. Would you stop? Jeesus Malfoy, get your head on straight. It doesn't matter. Hell, if she died in that task it would just mean more sleep for you. He huffed in self-agreement and watched Lilly leave with her brother, he couldn't ignore the small jolt of fear he felt when Lilly dropped that paper in the goblet. Crabbe elbowed him.
"You alright mate? Awfully spacey."
"I`m fine." He shrugged his friend off and left the hall. Draco walked out to the grounds and up to the Quidditch field. He sat by himself high in the stands and put his head in his hands, trying to clear his mind. Why can't I get her out of my head!? She's just another stupid mudblood! He gripped his hands in his hair. Why did she try to help you then, huh? Ugh! Why do I even care! That idiot. No matter how hard he tried, his mind kept replaying the scene from yesterday in the bathroom. That look on her face. She seemed so concerned but he had been nothing but awful to her; and on purpose too. Why couldn't she just be like every other god damned Ravenclaw he had met? Why does she have to be so bloody weird and annoying and funny and beautiful and...ugh! What are you even saying! Listen to yourself!
"Draco? What are you doing out here?" His heart nearly stopped and he rolled his eyes so hard his head almost spun. It just had to be her. He lifted his head up to see Lilly in front of him in her Quidditch shirt and pads, obviously here to get in some practice time. "You alright?"
He stood up and shoved her out of the way, walking back across the field. The next thing he knew, his legs locked and he fell face first onto the Quidditch field.
"Now you listen here," she flipped him over and pressed her wand under his chin just as he had done to her. She had a furious but faint glow of gold in her blazing blue eyes and Draco actually was afraid of getting punched in the face for a moment. "I don't know what your gods damned problem with me is but I`m done taking your attitude. If you're stressed or something this isn't the way to deal with it. If you're sick, this isn't the way to cope with it. I don't know your story or why your such an ass to everyone outside of your house but if you push me one more time I`ll give you nightmares so bad Voldemort would be afraid to fall asleep." And with that she pushed him back into the sand. Draco stared up at the sky, shocked and flustered. That was twice that she had shut him down. Lilly put her wand back in her bag and offered him a hand. He resentfully took it and pulled himself up. Draco brushed off his shirt.
"Sorry." He said quietly but angrily. Lilly turned back around, surprised.
"Did you just apologize to me? You? Draco Malfoy? Maybe you really are sick."
He rolled his eyes and huffed off the field. He had to get away from her and pull himself back together. Though he was also surprised to hear himself say it, he truly was sorry.
The next day all the schools were gathered in the Great Hall. Lilly sat with her usual crowd. Dumbledore and Fudge stood in front of the goblet and quieted everyone.
"Students! It is time to select our three champions!" Dumbledore announced. He turned towards the goblet which shot a tall blue flame up to the roof and spat out a small piece of ruffled paper. He caught it and read "Our Beauxbatons champion is...Fleur Delacore!" A young blond stood up, her friends cheering for her as she happily walked over to Fudge and was escorted to a small room behind the great hall. "Our second champion..." He grabbed the next piece of paper, "Victor Krum!" a tall, strong-built Durmstrang student stood up and bowed slightly to Dumbledore before following Fleur to the back room. Lilly noticed Hermione blush slightly when he looked her way and he laughed. Hermione hit her shoulder.
"And finally our Hogwarts champion is..." he unfolded the last piece of paper "Lilly Knight!" Lilly stood up, all she could hear was excited cheering from her friends and the rest of the Ravenclaw house as she walked over to Dumbledore, excitement and adrenaline made her heart beat in her ears as she joined her fellow champions in the back room who greeted her nicely.
Draco stiffened as soon as her name was called and, though he was angry at himself for it, he was scared for her. Blaise laughed out loud. "Oi, I hope she goes in an interesting way. Mauled by a werewolf or strangled by Devils Snare." Draco punched his friends arm rather hard, causing some other Slytherins to look over in a questioning manner.
"Wassa matter, Malfoy, got a little soft spot for the newbird?"
"No." He said flatly, giving them a cold stare that left them rather unsettled and the matter was dropped.
As the ceremony was about to come to an end the goblet acted up one more time and spewed reddish flames and another piece of paper. The students fell silent as Dumbledore read off the name of a competitor who was not supposed to compete.
Lilly and Fleur sat talking in the champions' room when the door opened and Harry of all people walked in as the fourth champion. Lilly tried to act shocked. "What are you doing back here?" She asked.
"Exactly what I want to know." Harry replied, seeming just as nervous as Lilly was.
Fudge entered, shouting accusations of Harry tampering and cheating before Dumbledore calmed him down. "He must compete. The cup is Harry shoud refuse to participate he will die." Lilly swallowed rather hard and Harry sank into the couch. She sat next to him and offered a comfort hug.
"The first task will be in three days. Meet back here to be escorted to the arena." And with that the champions were dismissed.
That night after dinner Lilly and her friends went to Hagrids to tell him the news, he brought both Lilly and Harry into the Forbidden Forest to a clearing deep in the woods.
"Hagrid, why on earth are we…" Harry was cut off by a thunderous roaring and a bright blast of orange. Lilly moved aside a wall of bushes and there sat four gigantic cages each with a different, starving dragon. Lilly was shocked.
"We have to fight those?" Harry asked, seemingly growing increasingly angry that somehow his name was pulled from the cup.
"I don't know if I can morally kill a dragon." Lilly commented, looking at the caged creatures. "…but at least I know what I`m up against." She muttered something about training with Demetri and spending the next three days in the library.
When they got back she said goodnight to Harry, promising to meet up with him tomorrow to research together, and headed to the library to see what she could find about the dragons tonight. As she made her way down the hallway she heard a rather loud bang from the 'out of order' girls bathroom and decided to see who was snooping around (aside from her) that late at night. She used some of her…different…talents to sneak into the bathroom using the shadows from the doorframe to travel in and stay hidden where she could still watch. And there, yet again leaning over the sink, was Draco. He seemed to be in a considerable amount of pain and, from behind, it looked like he was trying to scrub something off his forearm.
Lilly separated from the shadows behind him. "Draco..?"
He whipped around, his grip on the sink slipping having been caught off guard and he stumbled slightly, struggling to pull down his sleeve. His eyes were red as if he had been crying again or rubbing them too much. Lilly reached forward and grabbed his forearm far too fast for him to even react and she pushed his sleeve up. His arm was red and covered in little cuts that seemed to have been from his fingernails but what shocked her was the Dark Mark smack dab in the middle of his forearm. She looked up at him but he wouldn't look at her. He didn't fight her; he just stood there in shame, all disheveled and sickly looking. She sighed and took her sweater off, setting it on the floor and she had him sit on it. She grabbed a small cauldron from her bag, filled it with warm water, grabbed an old cloth, and sat in front of Draco. She took hold of his arm and her eyes glowed a slight shade of gold and the cuts healed themselves and the pain in his arm ceased.
"How did you..." He asked rather quietly and slightly surprised.
"I told you earlier," she rolled his sleeve back down and re-did the buttons on the cuff, "I'm a good healer." She said calmly, giving him a tiny smile.
"Why are you helping me." He asked flatly, with an undertone of anger.
Lilly took the little rag and dipped it in the water before proceeding to clean off his forearm. "Because. I see the little fronts you put on. That's not really you. When you push kids around? You're covering up. And now I know why." She pointed to his arm. "I can help you, you know. I don't think you're really as bad as you act." She paused, stood up and flattened out her skirt, then got something out of her bag.
"You can't help me."
"Yes, actually, I can." She sat back down. "I can get you out of this but you have to let somebody help you for once." Draco didn't know what was happening to him but he felt a small drop of water run off his cheek. Lilly shook her head, laughing a tiny bit. She wiped the tears off his cheeks before turning back to her cleaning job. Here was the girl he hated for printing herself on the inside of his eyelids, sitting in front of him, offering him a way out of hell. He felt pathetic and more vulnerable than he ever had in his entire life but he felt like he was completely safe with this girl in the room.
"How can you help."
"You just have to trust me. I know that's asking a lot from a 'pathetic mudblood'." She imitated his voice, giving him a little look. Draco let out a breath and went over his options in his head. Despite his social obligations and his fear of what Voldemort would do to him if he found out, he couldn't help but feel safer with this girl around. "Ok."
"Ok what."
"Ok I trust you…"
She gave him a little smile and helped him to his feet. "Then take this," she handed him a small vial of what looked like tea leaves, "and brew one cup every day until it runs out. It will help with the arm pain."
"Why don't you hate me." He asked quietly, shocked that she wasn't going to fight him or turn him in. Lilly turned around.
"A tattoo doesn't define a person. A soul does. I know a thing or two about souls, Draco, and yours can be saved." She seemed to vanish into thin air and there was this faint sound of a bird flapping its wings that Draco shrugged off as a bat. There he stood, alone in the dark with the moonlight shining thinly through the dusty stain glass window, staring at the tiny vial in his hand. He closed his fist around it, feeling the lingering warmth from being in Lillys hand. For the first time in months, he slept for a full night.
