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Part 3: Years End
Jeff Parker clasped his daughter's hand in his tightly as they made their way through the cold dank halls, screams vibrating off the tick stone walls making his little girl shake. There was no happiness, no cheer only despair. The chocolate he had given his little girl before she entered the wizard prison was wearing off slowly and he knew that their visit with Bellatrix would not be long one. There at the end of the dark hall where two demontors swept by was Bellatrix Lestrange's cell. Liz scurried over to the cell and pressed her face close to the bars looking in.
A woman in a long black and white stripped dress sat huddled in the corner her finger twirling in her dark locks. Her skin was waxier than Liz remembered and the smell was worse making the now twelve year old Liz gag slightly.
"Hi mommy." Liz whispered not wanting to scare her.
Bellatrix froze in her corner and peaked out from behind the veil of her dark wild hair. Her dark eyes met Liz's and a ghost of a smile appeared on her face. Jeff patted his daughter on the back. "Sweetie you say hi to mom I am going to go and see Rod." Jeff whispered and Liz nodded watching as her mother slowly crawled across the floor like an animal but her movements were slow and precise.
"Lll Lizzie." The husky voice of her mother croaked, her voice only used to screaming.
"Hi mom." Liz breathed gently reaching out a hand through the bars. Liz watched as her mother's dark hollow eyes widened in wonder at the small hand as her pale clawed hand gently reached up to touch the extended appendage. Liz gasped at the cold feeling of her mother's hand but kept it up as her mother pulled back in surprise at her warmth.
"Mom I started school, magic school. I am going to Salem in the States and it is so much fun." Liz babbled a surprising joy overtaking her in the depressing prison. "I have made so many friends they are really great. My best friend is Serena she is tough and speaks her mind about everything; if she thinks it she says it. I also made friends with some older students; I am the closest to Caleb Danvers though." Liz said watching as her mother's eyes flashed with vacant recognition at the name.
"James." She breathed and Liz nodded eagerly.
"Right mom that is Caleb's father. He and his friends are great and they protect my friends and I from those older students who try and pick on us first years. Reid Garwin hexed a boy for me once!" Liz said as her mother grabbed her hand again.
"Need need need ta be good Lizzie." Her mother muttered, "Gotta be strong and and learn all you can. School is different."
Liz squeezed her mother's cold bony hand and nodded. "I know mommy." Liz whispered as her father appeared at her back gently tugging on her shoulder. "I have to go now. Love you." Liz whispered as Bella sulked and crawled back to her corner.
Jeff dragged Liz along the corridors to the apparition point where witches were coming and going. Liz clutched her father tightly watching the flow network fireplace as a mother and son exited the fireplace. Liz gasped when she saw Caleb. "Caleb." Liz called startling her father and the other boy.
Caleb grinned when he saw Liz and waved at her. "Hi Liz. Mr. Parker." Caleb said nodding at the older gentleman.
Mrs. Danvers looked pleased when her son said that the girl was Liz. "Ah so this is the Liz I have been hearing so much about." The woman said much to Jeff Parker's chagrin. "Evelyn Danvers." She said extending her hand to the young girl.
"Elizabeth Black Parker." Liz introduced herself ignoring her father's groan at her inclusion of Black in her name.
"Come on Liz your mother is expecting us." Jeff said.
Caleb watched as Liz flinched at the term mother, he knew that Nancy Parker was a sore spot for Liz. She still considered the woman her mother but there was now a barrier between them that Liz had never noticed before. "See you after break." Liz said before her father apparated away with a pop.
Caleb looked at his mother who gave him a rare grin, "I see what you mean. We will have to do something about that later." Evelyn said.
***
Too many dead faces glared up at her, their faces frozen in pain and terror would haunt her forever. Liz and Caleb stood off to the side of the hall watching the people run about looking for their loved ones, they had already claimed their dead; all they had left was each other.
"Have you seen Harry?" A frantic voice called to them. Caleb turned and saw the youngest Weasley appraising them with panicked tears rolling down her pale cheeks.
"No." Caleb whispered watching as her face crumbled in despair.
"He really went to them." She whimpered hugging herself not realizing her emotional display was making the duo uncomfortable. They had never been close to the girl and her family, their different upbringings and ages kept them apart.
"He is probably searching the grounds with the others." Liz offered but Ginny just shook her head frantically.
"No something is wrong I can feel it." Ginny whispered.
"It is probably nothing." Liz said. Ginny looked at her through narrowed eyes, not the reaction they were expecting.
"What do you know about it?" Ginny snapped, "It's not as if you have ever been in love or ever felt the way I do about Harry. People who are in love can just sense these things." Ginny snapped at Liz who had long since learned to tolerate the outbursts from the redheaded family.
Liz chanced a glance at Caleb, "yeah I guess you are right." She whispered.
***
First year was coming to an end far sooner than Liz and Alex would have liked. Exams started Monday and Liz was frantic as she studied with Caleb. Their friends would laugh at how similar the two really were.
"Where are my note cards?" Liz asked Serena who was finishing up the last inch of her scroll for Dark Arts.
"I don't know make new onez." Serena grumbled. Pogue who was sitting next to Caleb at the table set down his quill and grinned. Caleb looked up at her tone and his dark eyes widened. Pogue chuckled softly, this was what he had been waiting for.
"I just can't make new ones Serena they took forever. I had even charmed them to flash the answers. I don't have time to make new ones because then my schedule would be thrown off and then I would not be able to study everything and I will fail my exams. I am going to fail now that I don't have my flash cards!" Liz shouted the common room now silent watching the show as Pogue laughed into his spell book.
Caleb looked at his friend and rolled his eyes, "Give them back Pogue" Caleb hissed when he finally figured out why his friend found the whole thing so funny.
Liz's head whipped in Pogue' direction her hair flying about as she pinned him with a death glare that easily silenced him now that her furry was directed at him and not Serena. "You took my flash cards?" She asked in a vicious snarl her upper lip curling over her teeth.
Pogue stared at her with wide eyes as he nodded. Liz whipped out her wand before the older witch even knew what was happening and pointed it right at his heart. "Hand them over now and nobody dies." She growled. Pogue quickly bent down to retrieve his bag as he scrambled to do as she said.
Liz stretched out her hand for the cards and when they hit her hand she removed her wand; Pogue visibly breathed a sigh of relief when he was no longer at wand point. Liz might be a first year but she was at the top of her class and knew spells she was not supposed to; not exactly the witch to anger.
"So Liz excited to be going home?" Caleb asked now that the young witch had calmed down to a dull roar.
Liz looked down biting her lower lip as she shook her head, "Why not?" Serena asked twirling her quill between her fingers.
Liz shrugged, her attack on her lip more pronounced. "I am going to miss everyone." Liz whispered. Pogue glanced at Caleb and smirked at the soft giddy smile he was trying to hide.
"Don't worry little Black we will owl you all the time." Pogue said grinning when he saw a soft blush stain her olive cheeks.
"Thanks. Alex and I are going to need contact since our parents, who are the only magical people in Roswell, are not too fond of sharing the magical experience with us." Liz mumbled tucking a dark strand of hair behind her ear.
Serena grabbed her friend's small delicate hand and gave it a soft squeeze. "Don't worry Liz, my mom will owl your dad to see if you can come and stay with us for a few days." Serena said trying to make her friend happy.
"Liz we aren't going to let you have a full on Muggle summer" Caleb laughed.
"Yeah where is the fun in that!" Pogue chuckled. "Besides if I tell my mom that Elizabeth Black is in desperate need of magical exposure she will go wild and demand to come and rescue you from the muggle life your father is imposing on you." Pogue said smiling inside when jealousy flashed in Caleb's dark eyes. Oh yeah he knew his friend was into the young girl.
"Thanks," Liz sighed, "But I get the feeling my dad is not going to be happy with my magical exposure this summer."
"Why?" Serena asked "I mean he is a wizard he should be happy that you are so excepting of our world and that you fit in so well."
Liz gave her friend and uneasy smile. "I think he is afraid of how well I fit into the magical world." Liz said.
"Why?" Pogue asked his eyebrows knitting together.
Caleb sighed looking at Liz, he understood because his mother had the same reaction as Liz's father. "He is afraid you are going to end up like your mother." He said and she nodded stiffly.
"His greatest fear is that his only daughter is going to end up in Azkaban like his ex." Liz whispered.
***
Caleb watched as Liz emotionally pulled away from him as the little Weasley girl left them. He supposed he had that coming but it still hurt. He hadn't exactly done right by her when it came to their relationship. In the past he had been selfish and used her and in doing so cost himself a best friend.
"I need to go and run something by Longbottom." Liz whispered as she moved away from him.
Caleb looked after her longingly. "Hey mate." Seth Lavanue a seventh year Hogwarts Ravenclaw said sliding up beside him.
"Hey Seth," He whispered still watching as Liz talked to the tall wizard Neville Longbottom.
"After this mess are you going to go after her?" Seth asked proving he was much too observant for his own good.
Caleb ran a hand over his face. "I have a lot of making up to do." Caleb said and Seth nodded in agreement. "She might not want to hear a thing I have to say."
Seth hummed in agreement watching Liz's small form as well. "But first you have to break up with the Muggle." Seth said startling the elder witch.
"How the hell do you know about her?" Caleb asked fear gripping his heart. If everyone knew about Sarah that would really hurt Liz.
"Caleb our mom's have been friends for years and they tell each other everything. When you chose the muggle over Liz your mom had a fit. Of course she told mum who told me." Seth explained.
The burning feeling returned to Caleb's stomach. He knew his mother was not fond of his relationship with Sarah at first but the fact that she still was not happy hurt him. Liz had always been his mother's favorite and she made no secret of it. He had really messed up in the past and he knew it was going to take more than a few words to get Liz to agree to at least spend the day with him.
***
Liz stood at the train station with the other students waiting to get taken back to the city where she and Alex would take a plane back to New Mexico. It was a somber occasion for the duo unlike the rest of the students who were thrilled about getting home for a summer break. The four Sons of Ipswich were especially ecstatic since next year marked the start of their dual enrolment in muggle and magic school.
"Cheer up Liz." Louise sang hugging her arm as they got onto the train.
Liz gave her friend a forced smile which only made her laugh, "You look like yous in pain." Serena said and Louise nodded giggling. Jasmine had her nose buried in a magazine as usual but she did look up and give Liz a sympathetic smile, she knew Liz was silently screaming begging to not go home.
The other four first year boys from Alex's house soon joined them in their cramped compartment. "Mom sent an owl before we left. Apparently we are going on vacation right when I get back." Alex growled.
"You and your mom?" Liz asked and Alex nodded.
"My dad is acting funny now that I know he is not my real father I think he feels weird around me." Alex whispered so no one but Liz could hear him.
"I know my mom is the same way. I mean I guess she always acted different around me and now I know why, I am not hers and she does not like that constant reminder of my father's past." Liz whispered.
"Guess the two of us are just lucky like that."Alex whispered.
"Yeah we both got the short end of the wand." Liz grumbled as the train pulled into the Salem station.
Parents from magical families swarmed the platform searching for their children. The eight friends saw the Sons of Ipswich standing with three men and a woman. Liz and Alex waved by to their friends and headed for the barrier that would take them onto the main street. Caleb and Reid shoved their two friends and pointed to the two twelve year olds.
"By Black!" Reid called and Alex and Liz waved their hands at the four before they took their things and stepped out onto the other side.
"Come on Liz let's grab a cab and go home." Alex whispered.
The flight was only a few hours and the two Roswell preteens found themselves at the Las Cruces airport where Liz and Alex's parents were waiting for them. Liz groaned when she saw the bags next to Alex's mom it looked as if they were really leaving right away. Charles took Alex's trunk while Alex kept his suitcase. "Say goodbye Alex." His mother instructed her eyes tired as she stared at her son. Alex pouted as he hugged Liz.
"See ya Lizzie." Alex whispered.
"By Al." She said before she went to her father.
"Come on Liz let's go home Maria and Kyle are waiting for you at the café." Jeff said cringing when he saw his daughter's pout. "Hey now none of that." Jeff warned his daughter.
"I miss my friends." Liz huffed sliding into the back seat of her father's car.
"Well you will get to see Maria and Kyle soon enough." Nancy said and Liz scoffed at that.
"No I miss my other friends. I miss looking at Witch Weekly and Gossiping Gargoyles with Jasmine, playing games with Louise and sitting around with Serena talking about nothing and everything. Heck I even miss Pogue picking on me." Liz pouted.
"Oh is Pogue your boyfriend." Nancy sang looking excited.
Liz let a small smile cross her face at that. "No way he is totally like a brother to me." Liz said. Thinking about her friends was depressing her further. Liz leaned her head against the window feeling sad. It was going to be a long summer.