"What, you too?" Lilith scoffed, arms crossed over her chest indignantly.
Rabastan still hadn't let her in and now Fenrir was in on the act? She stared into the eyes of the wolf through his cell bars waiting for an explanation. The witch had managed to get him the three showers a week she'd promised and couldn't figure out what she'd done that he was now blocking her way and looking...different. When Longbottom had held his mahogany wand up to unlock the cell Greyback had released a deep throaty growl shocking them both into taking a few steps backwards and emphatically declared that no one could come in. Lilith hadn't much experience with werewolves, why did his eyes look so crazed?
Fenrir's nose was working overtime and he couldn't force himself to back away from the entrance no matter how hard he tried, in fact he wanted more than anything to rip it open. It had been years since he'd smelled that succulent scent and been able to act on it. Lilith smelled so enchanting with the tangy perfume of fresh blood wafting off her body and his fangs were slowly lengthening in anticipation.
"It's best if you don't come in here witch." he told her sincerely, hands desperately wringing the bars. "It's not safe."
"Why not?" her face scrunched up in confusion.
The werewolf looked like a cross between crazed and pained and she couldn't begin to fathom what was happening with him. Lilith badly wanted to help the ailing werewolf but due to their status her knowledge of treatments was limited. That and she had absolutely no inkling as to what the matter was.
"Just move on woman, come back next week." he growled, nose twitching.
Fenrir groaned with the agony of being denied what would certainly be a most satisfying meal. He could almost taste the blood on his tongue, longed to lick it off his muzzle, roll around in it and savor it as he slowly cleaned it from his fur.
"Next week?" Lilith shook her head slightly, more confused than ever. What did that mean?
Greyback grizzled in frustration that Lilith wasn't heeding his warning and didn't seem to understand his very direct hint. He was rapidly losing control, blood pounding in his ears and rushing through his veins. He growled a second time and curled his lip back to reveal a fang that shouldn't have been there for another two weeks. The wolf thrust himself against the bars, throwing Longbottom off guard and back several more steps with a gasp. The dolt was completely ineffective as a fucking guard, hadn't even made a move to use his wand. To Fenrir's annoyance the witch stood firm, her intense curiosity holding her in place like an incarcerous spell.
"It means," he leaned forward so that they were eye to eye and hissed as quietly as he could, "the blood brewing in your cunt is making me voracious!" his steely eyes flashed to a golden yellow and back in a heartbeat.
Lilith blanched, and felt like the air had been ripped from her lungs, she hadn't even realized she'd begun menstruating. There hadn't been any sign of it that morning. Fuck how could she not have thought of that? He was an animal and she was bleeding like another weakened creature. Very quickly it dawned on her, with a nauseous wave of fear, how woefully unprepared she'd been to deal with a werewolf. Had he less control of his powers, or was just sadistic enough to not care he would have easily ripped the small witch to shreds.
"And," he continued almost reluctantly, "I feel I may almost regret harming you." Fenrir finished in a rasp.
The low rumble in Greyback's chest snapped Lilith out of the spell and she took several steps backwards, breath hitched in her chest. A maniacal chuckle floated down the aisle from Rodolphus' cell and tears swelled in her eyes. The rest of the floor was deathly silent. Lilith didn't know what to do or where to go, head spinning, stomach clenching with fear. One hot tear streaked down her flushed cheek.
"Go, before I fucking…" Fenrir was yelling until one flick of Erons' wand dropped him like a ragdoll.
Horrified she watched his crumpled body for a moment before turning back to the guard.
"Go home witch." Erons yelled, spinning on her quivering form in disgust. "Go home and think long and hard about coming back."
His brown eyes looked her up and down, lip curled back in a sneer. Women were fucking weak, she had no business in a prison.
Rabastan hadn't approached the front of his cell for the same reason as the others, not to gape open mouthed upon the scene or laugh at the poor, stricken witch. He'd come forward to reach out and brush the arm of his angel on the way by, to offer some sort of comfort amidst the chaos. He smiled weakly when she paused for the briefest of moments and allowed her tearful eyes to meet his tired ones and squeezed her arm ever so slightly. And then she was gone, tears streaming down her washed out cheeks and his chest ached for her. Lilith wouldn't be coming back, he was certain, and Rabastan had missed his chance. His eyes stared at the closed door long after her footsteps had ceased.
Lilith thrust the door open and barreled down the stairs blinded by a barrage of tears. Round and round the flights she went never pausing until she reached the first floor where she bolted down the hall to the safety of her office. The witch locked herself inside and slid her back down the door to land gracelessly on her rump huffing from the exertion. Lilith was too distraught to even consider a muffling charm as she succumbed to her emotions in the form of raw, choking sobs.
She wasn't strong enough for this and she was never going back! How could she? Lilith had allowed all of the DeathEaters to observe her unraveling, to revel in her pitiful tears, a demonstration of just how much weaker than them she was. How could she ever face them and be respected? She hadn't even begun to establish herself before being reduced to smithereens right before their beady vulture eyes. Yeah just waltz over the pond and take on the countries' deadliest and vilest men, what could possibly go wrong? Lilith wound her hands through her pitch black curls ready to tug them out lock by lock. Her parents had been right, she couldn't do this. The witch sucked in a raspy breath, inhaling her spit and choking wickedly on it.
Would it be so wrong to use the imperio curse on DeathEaters?
"Not another fucking word or no one's getting fed tonight!" Erons bellowed, cheeks flushed red from anger, as he glared down the aisle at the motley crew of prisoners.
The guard wordlessly released the beast to his left from the stunning curse and turned his back on the rest of the animals. Longbottom shuffled behind his much taller partner, still too flabbergasted to utter a word.
"Hey Fen, you ok?" Thorfinn whispered, squatting down to get a better look at the prone form of his friend.
He hadn't ever expected to find friends among the ranks the of DeathEaters but damn if Fen and Dolohov weren't the best he'd ever had. There was a small stream of blood trickling from Fen's temple from where he'd hit the crude rock floor. The wolf groaned mournfully in reply and swiped some drool from his chin, his body still too rubbery to move. Erons was as good as dead, the moment he got out of his bloody cage he was going to pop that overgrown head right off the guards' body with his bare hands.
"Stupid witch." Rod hissed, shaking his head at the scene her idiocy had created. "Thought she could waltz in here like a princess and make everything bright and sunshiny." he mocked her soft voice.
He could feel eyes boring into him and shifted his gaze forward to see the narrowed eyes of his brother in the shadows of his cell and sneered. What in the fuck was his deal?
"Don't talk about Lilith like that." Rabastan hissed with more venom than any one of them thought he was capable of anymore. "She's been nothing but kind to us you prick."
Had he been able to reach he would have punched his big brother in his big fucking nose for talking about his witch like that. He didn't know why he suddenly felt so protective of her when they'd barely even spoken but fervently did.
"It wasn't her fault." Draco insisted, nodding firmly at the younger brother.
Lucius smiled approvingly at his son. Women needed to be protected, especially one so naive. The Lestrange boy suddenly seemed quite interested in the medi-witch but Draco's superior breeding and manners would win her over easily.
"Cut the witch some slack." Thorfinn ordered in a dark voice, blue eyes iced over. She'd held her own as well as could be expected for a woman and he looked forward to consoling her in his bed.
Fenrir was silent, but for a pained groan, as he pulled himself to his feet but his eyes too were flashing in Rod's direction. He hadn't meant to scare the hell out of the witch but his wolf had been wrestling control away far easier than he'd have liked to admit. Still, the woman did need some serious toughening up.
"You've all gone soft." Rodolphus spat.
He looked to Antonin for affirmation but their leader of sorts was having none of it. He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.
"What would the dark lord think, I wonder, seeing his greatest followers quibbling like children?" Dolohov stalked back across his cell and perched himself on the edge of his cot. "What's done is done, knock it the fuck off now."
Rodolphus huffed to himself as he laid down on his cot, hands tucked beneath his head. His brother had never stood up to him before, never, and he wasn't sure he liked it. But as pissed as he was, he was also pretty damn pleased to see the fire back in Rab's eyes...even if he was a stupid fucker.