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Ellery K: Thank you so much, I'm glad to hear you're captivated! I hope I do this fic justice for all the people I've gotten hooked. You're awfully sweet, thanks so much!

- Chapter Four -

Lost

Mr and Mrs Evans hurried outside in the January snow to see that Lily and Tenebrus had indeed both vanished, and a fresh layer of snow had completely covered their tracks, making it absolutely impossible to tell which direction they had gone in. Distressed by this disappearance on top of all else she was struggling to deal with, Mrs Evans headed back into the cottage and burst into tears.

'I'm sure she's fine,' said Mr Evans reassuringly, putting an arm around his wife's shoulders. 'Lily's sensible; she probably went for a little trot just a few minutes ago.'

'If she had left just a few minutes ago, we would still be able to see the hoof prints!' Mrs Evans exclaimed, drying her eyes hastily. 'She's gone off with a Thestral, Rowan, don't you realise how much trouble she could be in? They're very dangerous creatures! Classified so by the Ministry themselves!'

'Maybe we could contact the carriage man to see if he could help us possibly?' Mr Evans suggested tentatively. 'He'll have dealt with missing Thestrals a lot in his career, I'm certain of it.'

'And how do you propose we do that,' Mrs Evans began quietly, 'without the Thestral who brought us here take us back?'

'Auntie Iris,' Marlene piped up, playing with the end of one of her sleeves nervously, 'I'm sure we can send a speedy owl over there, it wouldn't take long at all –'

'I can't just sit here and wait, dear,' Mrs Evans sniffed, 'when I don't even know if I'll be getting a reply or not.'

'The only reason you came by Thestral is because of Petunia, right?' said Marlene slowly. 'Uncle Rowan and I can just Apparate to Hogsmeade. We don't need a means of transport.'

Mrs Evans bit her lower lip anxiously and looked at her husband.

'I think Marlene is suggesting it might be best if you stay here,' said Mr Evans quickly to his wife, 'in case your mother needs anything or if her condition changes. Yes, I can go by myself.'

'I can come too,' Mary joined in.

'No,' said Marlene flatly. 'You can stay here. Uncle Rowan and I will go.'

'Fine,' said Mary sulkily, crossing her arms.

'Make sure you wrap up in warm clothes,' Mrs Evans instructed to Marlene. 'And don't forget to tell your parents where you're going.'

Marlene nodding, throwing her aunt a reassuring smile, and was ready within five minutes, the hood of her deep jade green cloak covering her ears from the biting cold. She and Mr Evans stepped out of the warmth of the cottage and into the darkness where Marlene could see her breath rising and falling unsteadily in the air in front of her.

'Ready?' Mr Evans asked.

'Ready,' Marlene replied determinedly.

Mr Evans took his niece's hand and turned on the spot. In an instant, Marlene felt an invisible force tightening around her chest as she struggled to breathe; she thought she could feel her eyeballs being pushed back far into their sockets and her eardrums were about to explode, and then it was gone almost as quick as it had come. She gasped for breath in where she knew was Hogsmeade – she could see light from the torches outside shops and the lights from the shop windows.

Mr Evans led the way with Marlene following close behind, stumbling in the snow occasionally, her eyes focused mostly on the shop displays, which had all disappeared after about a minute of walking. Swallowed in darkness, Mr Evans raised his wand and muttered, 'Lumos.' Marlene imitated, and after not long at all, they arrived at an archway in front of what looked like, in her very limited vision, a tunnel. Perplexed, Marlene decided not to say a word.

'What can I do you for?' A plump man about a head shorter than Marlene seemed to pop up from nowhere. He pulled a stubby hand out of his pocket and waved his wand and several torches were lit to reveal the tunnel wasn't a tunnel – but a stable holding several Thestrals.

'You might remember we were here earlier …' Mr Evans began slowly.

'Of course, of course, sir,' he replied fervently, nodding. 'Hope you had a lovely journey – where is the Thestral?' He looked around as if expecting the Thestral to pop out from nowhere, rather like himself.

'It's gone missing,' Mr Evans answered. 'With my daughter. I was hoping to enlist your help in finding the pair of them.'

'I'm afraid there's nothing I can do,' said the man, pulling a pitiful face. 'I'm sure they'll both be back soon, he wasn't really a vicious one.'

Marlene saw Mr Evans pale slightly and intervened. 'You must know something about the Thestral or – can't you track it down somehow? Nothing? Anything?'

The man shook his head apologetically. 'He wasn't even one of ours.'

'What do you mean by that?' Marlene demanded, fear rising in her chest.

'Exactly that,' the man replied, betraying a hint of impatience. 'We didn't own him, he just happened to be here today. I noticed him lurking for days actually, with that regal-looking collar around his neck – must belong to someone. He seemed keen for this job specifically – to take you wherever you wanted to go – so I reckoned we could use him today and rope him into the business when you returned. Shame he's gone though, I had hopes for him.'

Mr Evans's hand curled into a ball upon hearing how awfully the man's priorities were sorted out. Marlene, noticing this, quickly thanked the man for his help and dragged her uncle out of the stables by his arm.

'The nerve of him!' Mr Evans ranted, outraged.

Marlene had rarely seen the normally laid-back man so angry, and decided to keep quiet as they Apparated back to Mrs MacDonald's cottage where they were to break the news to Mrs Evans that they wouldn't have any help trying to find her youngest daughter, and would simply have to wait for the young girl's return.

'What do you mean the Thestral wasn't theirs?!' Mrs Evans demanded upon hearing how the encounter went. Marlene couldn't quite tell if she was more angry or anguished.

'The man said the Thestral didn't belong to them,' repeated Mr Evans calmly. 'He said it was just hanging around for a while, almost as though it was waiting for us to come by.'

'If the Thestral wasn't his, who did it belong to?' Mrs Evans enquired.

Marlene and Mr Evans shrugged. The former spoke up, 'He said it was wearing a "regal-looking collar", so it must have come from some wealthy family.'

'No one's wealthy in Hogsmeade,' Mrs Evans pointed out. 'The whole of the wizarding world is facing an economic crisis. Who in the world could have money to own and maintain a Thestral?'

'You'd have to be rich like the Queen of England …' Marlene said, thinking out loud. 'The wizarding world doesn't have a monarchy, does it?'

Mrs Evans clicked her tongue. 'Don't be ridiculous, Marlene. There are no wizarding kings and queens, and there never have been.'

'It was just a thought …'

Mr Evans put a hand on his wife's shoulder and gently said, 'Lily isn't silly. She won't go getting herself in trouble. She's old enough to know better; wiser, more mature … she'll be fine and back here in no time.'

'I'm not worried for her specifically,' sniffed Mrs Evans. 'But rather what the Thestral might do to her. They're dangerous creatures. If I've told her once, I've told her a thousand times …'

'You can save all of that for when she gets back, Auntie,' said Marlene quietly, barely suppressing a smile.

*.*.*

Her head was throbbing. She could see light behind her eyelids, and wondered if she had died and gone to heaven. Her faith was always rather shaky, she was ashamed to admit, but if there was an afterlife, this couldn't be it – she was hurting far too much to be dead. Sharp pains constantly shot through her abdomen and her legs and her arms, but she refused to wince or gasp or give in to them.

She could feel her back lying against something soft. She allowed her fingers to gently stroke the surface to find it was made of a soft sort of fabric. A bed. She was lying on a bed.

Lily opened her eyes carefully, and regretted it instantly – everything was too bright, too white, and her eyes took a while to adjust. Maybe she was in heaven after all, even if her brain felt as though it was trying to jump out of her skull. When her eyes adjusted, she took in the scene: the walls were made of stone which was reflecting the golden sunlight pouring in through the large, open windows; she was surrounded by several empty beds with what looked like white metal headboards; each bed had its own ivory sheets and pillows, looking cold and untouched as though they had never been slept in. There were two rows of beds, both rows against opposite walls. On one adjacent wall were large, oak double doors with ornate carvings, and on the wall opposite was another much smaller door; both doors were shut, and Lily didn't want to think what might be behind them.

She was lost, without a clue where she could possibly have ended up. And worst of all, she could hardly move. Lily tried moving a few fingers, and then her hands and her wrists, but the progress was painfully slow. How long she had been lying there unconscious, she had no idea. But these people – whoever they were – must be extremely kind and hospitable to have given her a bed and nursed her to consciousness.

Lily tried foolishly to sit up, but her stomach began hurting even more painfully, and she laid back down immediately after a loud exclamation of pain. The small door at the far end of the room suddenly opened, and Lily became frightened.

A woman walked towards Lily. She looked like a matron with a long white headdress. She looked quite elderly; a few hairs that escaped her headdress looked grey, and she had creases around her eyes and mouth. Her face was quite stern-looking, but Lily's eyes weren't focused on this. She was trying not to look at the horn protruding from the woman's head which was poking through her headdress, or her legs and tail which were both light silver, the former ending with two dainty hooves which clip-clopped as she walked. She was unmistakeably part-unicorn.

The matron was part-unicorn.

Lily swallowed and tried to shuffle in her bed so she was as far away from the matron as she could possibly be without having to get up, but it was no use; the bed was too small for any kind of movement. She tried, she always tried to find the beauty in even the most unusual of things, but this was simply frightening.

'Don't be scared, child,' said the matron in a sharp voice. 'Are you afraid of unicorns? Do unicorns scare you? No? Then why be frightened of me?' She shook her head and opened the flask on Lily's bedside table. She poured the contents into a goblet and handed it to Lily. 'Well, sit up.'

'But – it hurts –'

'It'll hurt more if you don't do as I say.'

This seemed incredibly bizarre to Lily. Just yesterday (was it even yesterday?) she was home and safe with her family in her grandmother's cottage, and today she was in some unknown place miles and miles from home, and about to take orders from a half-unicorn, half-human matron. This was absurd. Lily closed her eyes, wishing childishly that it was all a dream, but the scene remained the same when she opened her eyes again, although the matron looked more exasperated than she did before.

'How can I trust you?' Lily asked timidly. 'My mother always told me not to take things from strangers. How do I know I won't become like you after drinking this? And where's my wand?'

'Your wand and all of your other belongings are safe in my office,' the matron answered with more patience. 'You have no choice but to trust me; there is no one else around to your knowledge. I can assure you, this is a choice you won't regret taking.'

Lily resigned: The matron was right. She had no idea where she was or how to get out, and she wasn't in the condition to go anywhere anyway. She took about a minute to sit up in her bed, not troubling to stifle the groans of pain. The matron, to her surprise, didn't seem to mind, but instead propped up her pillows for Lily to lean against. She then handed the goblet to Lily with a human hand.

'Drink this,' the matron instructed.

'What is it?' Lily asked curiously, before taking a sip, although her arms protested being moved.

The drink felt like acid in her throat; she could feel it coursing through her body, burning everything it touched. After just that one sip, she found herself coughing and spluttering and unable to drink anymore. She put the goblet down on her bedside table and nursed her throat.

'Finish it, it'll help,' the matron assured her, her impatience clear again. 'Honestly. Children these days, no idea about herbs and their healing properties …'

'I'm not a child,' Lily retorted, feeling stung by this remark. She was a great potioneer herself, but that didn't mean she was familiar with the tastes of all herbs that grew on the planet.

'Yes, yes, of course you're not,' said the matron patronisingly.

Lily didn't reply, deciding to give the matron the cold shoulder instead of giving into her unkind remarks. She finished the drink in silence, and the matron whisked away the flask and goblet as soon as she was done.

'I'm Madam Pomfrey,' said the matron stiffly, as though trying to make up for being unpleasant.

'I – I'm Lily. Lily Evans,' the girl stuttered, still recovering from the drink.

'Lily …' the matron repeated. 'That's a lovely name. I've personally always had a fondness for nature names.'

'You'd l-love my whole family then,' Lily said with a small smile.

'Where did you come from?' Madam Pomfrey enquired, bustling around with another goblet and some water.

'Hogsmeade,' Lily replied, trying not to think wistfully about home. 'Where am I now?'

'You have arrived at Hogwarts Castle,' answered Madam Pomfrey, handing the goblet of water to Lily.

This name didn't ring a bell to Lily. Never before had she heard the word "castle" follow the name "Hogwarts".

'Where is that?' Lily asked, accepting the goblet cautiously.

Madam Pomfrey took a whole minute before she replied, busying herself with cleaning the surface of Lily's bedside table, as if there was anything to clean at all. 'Lost,' she replied eventually.

Before Lily could ask another question, Madam Pomfrey turned around and walked back to her office, her tail swishing with each step. 'You ought to rest a bit more,' she called behind her. 'The potion works best when you're asleep.'

Lily decided to heed the matron's advice, and allowed herself to be lulled to sleep by the eventual numbing of all of her wounds.

*.*.*

'There's a girl! There's a girl!' a voice chimed throughout the castle. 'A girl from the outside has come to Hogwarts!'

A man who resembled a dwarf in both height and features skipped through the castle, his tiny shoes tap-tap-tapping against the marble floor. People erupted in cheers on all the floors the man stopped at to spread the news. His main destination, however, was the very top floor of the enormous castle where his master normally loafed about. Sure enough, there the prince was, silhouetted against the night sky as he looked out of a window in the tower he occupied the most.

'Your Majesty,' said the dwarf in a deep voice, bowing, 'a girl has arrived at Hogwarts.'

'I saw Tenebrus bringing her in last night,' replied the prince in a quiet voice. 'Left a trail of blood all over the castle, did she? I didn't think Filch or Hagrid would be too happy about that.'

The dwarf stood upright again and said, 'No, Your Highness. But do you know what this means, sire? She could be one to break the curse!'

'Is she even alive, Filius?' the prince asked, turning around to face the dwarf, although it was too dark for either of them to make out anything.

'Is she –?' Flitwick repeated, blinking in confusion.

'Yes, yes, is she alive?' the prince repeated with a touch of impatience. 'I didn't think she would last long with the amount of blood she was losing.'

'I believe she is alive, yes, Your Highness,' answered Flitwick. 'I spoke to Poppy about the girl's injuries. She said it isn't anything that phoenix tears and a few Blood-Replenishing Potions can't heal, but Fawkes is refusing to give his allegiance to the girl without any evidence of her loyalty.'

'So she could be threat?' the prince asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Well – well – her wand has been taken away from her,' Flitwick stammered, 'but I'm quite certain that this girl is the one, Your Majesty. I'm sure you are fully aware of what the legends spoke of.'

'What does she look like?' the prince questioned uninterestedly, turning to look out of the window again.

'She's very pretty, Your Highness,' said Flitwick eagerly. 'Quite pale when I saw her … I'm sure that was the blood loss though.'

'What else did Pomfrey say about her?'

'Just that she awoke once for the first time today and then went back to sleep,' Flitwick answered, slightly put off by the prince's lack of interest. 'She says the girl seems sweet, but can have quite a temper if you push her enough. She seems quite sharp and very demanding of answers. Perhaps it might be an idea for you to see the girl, Your Highness.'

'What would that achieve?' the prince growled.

'If she's going to be the one to break the curse …' Flitwick began carefully, 'it might be good for the two of you to get acquainted.'

'But who could "get acquainted" with a beast?' the prince asked bitterly.

Flitwick opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of whether or not to answer as well as what he could even say.

'The girl was rather accepting of Poppy,' Flitwick informed.

The prince laughed sardonically. 'A woman who is half-unicorn? The girl was accepting of this? That's a lie, Filius. If the whole of the wizarding world could see us, we would be deemed too dangerous to exist alongside humans. We would be cast off. We would be freaks. And besides, unicorns are a girl's best friend. My form, however …'

Flitwick struggled as to what he could say to reassure his prince. Instead, he bowed and left him to his thoughts. Although he tried not to show it to Flitwick, excitement and fear had both erupted inside of him like fireworks: She was the first person to ever come through the gates in too long a time. A new person was to light the hallways of Hogwarts. Even if she wouldn't end up breaking the curse – and a part of him was hoping desperately, for its own reasons, that she wasn't the one – the prince was grateful for a new face, and a pretty one at that.

Suddenly, without really being aware of making a decision, the prince decided he had to see the girl the castle was buzzing about. This Lily Evans.

A/N: Please feel free to remind me when I've gone too long without updating! I tend to forget, and time feels a lot shorter than it actually is for me, so a month passes like a week.

Hope this chapter was enjoyable! Reviews are more than welcome.