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Escaping her Destiny: Chapter 4
The next morning, Lily went down to breakfast with her mind set on carrrying out her resolution without faltering. James was already sitting at the Gryffindor table when she got there, and she saw his body become tense when she came in. She could feel her body start to move towards him. With an effort, she pushed herself in the other direction. But at that moment, Sirius spotted her and Joyce, and motioned for them to come over and sit with him. He would have called out if his mouth hadn't been stuffed full. Lily pretended not to have seen him, but Joyce had other plans. She nudged Lily with her elbow.
"Look," she said in an excited whisper, pointing straight at Sirius. "Do you know him?"
"Yes," Lily replied reluctantly. Joyce grabbed her hand and started to drag her in that direction.
"You have to introduce me! He's cute!!" Joyce squealed.
"No!" Lily replied fiercely, drawing her hand away from Joyce, who looked astonished at her outburst. "I mean-"
"What's wrong, Lily? Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah," Lily started to say, but then reconsidered. "You know, actually I'm not feeling that well. I think that I'll skip breakfast. You don't mind, do you? You know, you can introduce yourself to Sirius anyway."
Joyce looked disappointed, but her face lit up when Sirius came over to join them. "No, that's fine, Lily!" She turned to Sirius. "You're Sirius, right?"
"Yup. And you are . . . wait, don't tell me. Jenny?"
Her face fell. "No, it's Joyce."
"Oops. Sorry about that. Do you girls want to come sit with us? We're right over there." He gestured to the table.
"I'm going to the library," Lily said quickly. "But I'm sure that Joyce would love to!"
"The library?!" Sirius looked scandalised. "Why would you want to go to the library?"
"I'm not feeling that well. See ya!" Afraid that he would pressure her to stay, Lily turned on her heels and almost ran to the library.
Lily succeeded in avoiding James for the next three periods. He was constantly trying to catch her eye, but Lily stared straight ahead at the teacher. It was after Transfiguration, right before lunch, that the disaster fell.
Professor McGonagall had just dismissed the class. Immediately, the whole class, including the teacher, moved towards the door, eager to get to the food. Only Lily stayed behind, packing up her stuff. Even Joyce had deserted her, choosing instead to trail behind Sirius as he sprinted to the Great Hall. But although the force should have ceased to pull, since she was now out of James's presence, she could still feel it tugging at her.
Lily slowly revolved, gazing about the room. She even lowered herself to the floor to peer under the desks. James wasn't there. Lily widened her eyes with fear. What if she was now going to feel the bond all of the time, regardless of whether they were in the same room? In a daze, she picked up her books, and walked out of the room. As soon as she was outside, she heard the rustling of cloth being moved. Startled, she turned around. There was James, holding a silvery piece of cloth in his hands. She gasped, and for a moment, was unable to speak. When she regained her voice, she stuttered, "What--what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at lunch?"
He smiled gently. "I was waiting for you."
Now Lily was truly taken aback. "Why?"
James looked surprised. "Well, I thought that maybe we could get to know each other better. I mean, you seem like a really nice person, and I thought that we could be friends," he said easily.
Lily took a step away from him. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"Why not?" he exclaimed, startled and a bit hurt.
"Um, listen, I'm really sorry about this, but I can't exactly tell you."
"Why not?"
"I just can't, okay? I'm sorry!" And with that, Lily fled in the opposite direction from the Great Hall. James stood rooted to spot for a few minutes, but then hurried to lunch.
Lily was almost in tears. Why did she have to be a Divinator? If it weren't for that, she would have a normal, happy life. 'It's not fair!' she thought rebelliously, her fists clenched. An image of James and herself lying dead on the blood-speckled carpet rose to her mind. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. 'Okay, it may not be fair, but I am trying to save both of our lives here,' she told herself firmly. 'If I have to go through some discomfort or unhappiness to do that, then that's what I'll do.'
Lily stopped suddenly in front of a large picture of fruit. There were muffled voices coming from the inside, and they were getting closer. She hid behind a piece of armor nearby, praying that whoever was in there wouldn't find her. She was supposed to be in the Great Hall now, and she could get into big trouble for wandering the halls during lunch. She heard a creak, and she knew that the picture that covered the entrance was being opened. She closed her eyes, and willed herself to breathe silently.
People were coming out. People with odd, squeaky voices and really bad grammer. A whiff of something that smelled like very good food reached Lily's nostrils. Her stomach rumbled, and she realized that she hadn't eaten anything all day. She peered around the corner of her hiding spot, and her eyes met with the oddest thing that she had seen so far. Standing in front of her was a small creature, with huge, bulbous eyes, large ears, and a very small body. It was holding a plate of what looked like spaghetti.
Its eyes locked with Lily's. For a moment, Lily wondered what to do; it had already seen her, of that she was sure, so it would be futile to hide any longer. Also, it didn't look vicious. On the other hand, it might leave her alone if she stayed where she was. Lily hesitated, but eventually the smell of the food was too much for her. She stood up, and dusted her robes off. "Hi, I'm Lily."
"It is a pleasure to meet miss," the creature said politely.
"Who are you?" she asked curiously.
"I am a house elf, miss. My name is Milly."
"Oh! What do you do here?"
"Me and the other house-elfs work in the kitchen, Miss Lily."
Lily's eyes widened. "Could you give me some food, please?"
Immediately, Milly looked much happier. "Of course, of course, miss! Just a minute, I will be back very soon!" A moment later she returned, staggering under the wait of an immense platter loaded with lunch enough for five people.
Lily picked up her fork immediately and began to devour the food. "Thank you very much, Milly," she said between mouthfuls. Finally, Lily was done. Although she had eaten more than she would ever have thought possible, she had only managed to get through about half of the food.
"You're welcome, Miss Lily! I hope I see you soon." The house elf turned to go back to the kitchen.
"Wait, Milly, if I want to come back sometime, how would I get in?" Lily called after her.
"Oh, just tickle the pear in the picture. It's not hard, miss."
"Okay. Thank you!" Lily skipped off towards her Charms classroom, feeling better than she had all day.
For the rest of the day, not only did Lily try to avoid James, he seemed to be trying to avoid her. Sometimes, Lily thought that she felt his gaze upon her, but whenever she glanced at him, his eyes were always averted. That was good, of course. Probably this whole ordeal was for good; now she wouldn't have to work half as hard at avoiding him, if he had decided to cooperate. But somewhere, deep inside, Lily wished that he was still paying attention to her. She was ashamed to admit this, even to herself, and she buried the thought deep inside of her.
That night, Lily had another one of her strange dreams. Except this one was not a repeat. It was new; she wasn't just seeing her own death. In her dream, Lily saw her parents at home. They were talking to each other, quietly. Although Lily could see them, she knew instinctively that she was not present.
Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing two black, hooded men. Behind them was the face that Lily had seen so many times, both in her dreams and during the day. The eyes were as red and malicious as ever, and they seemed fairly to sparkle with glee as he raised his wand . . . and a moment later, her parents were dead, still seated at the table. Her mother had only had time for one brief scream before the life was struck from her . . . upon her dead father's face was a look of both horror and confusion. The creature looked proudly out upon his work; his joy in killing was evident. Then he glided out of the room, flanked by the two dark men.
Escaping her Destiny: Chapter 4
The next morning, Lily went down to breakfast with her mind set on carrrying out her resolution without faltering. James was already sitting at the Gryffindor table when she got there, and she saw his body become tense when she came in. She could feel her body start to move towards him. With an effort, she pushed herself in the other direction. But at that moment, Sirius spotted her and Joyce, and motioned for them to come over and sit with him. He would have called out if his mouth hadn't been stuffed full. Lily pretended not to have seen him, but Joyce had other plans. She nudged Lily with her elbow.
"Look," she said in an excited whisper, pointing straight at Sirius. "Do you know him?"
"Yes," Lily replied reluctantly. Joyce grabbed her hand and started to drag her in that direction.
"You have to introduce me! He's cute!!" Joyce squealed.
"No!" Lily replied fiercely, drawing her hand away from Joyce, who looked astonished at her outburst. "I mean-"
"What's wrong, Lily? Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah," Lily started to say, but then reconsidered. "You know, actually I'm not feeling that well. I think that I'll skip breakfast. You don't mind, do you? You know, you can introduce yourself to Sirius anyway."
Joyce looked disappointed, but her face lit up when Sirius came over to join them. "No, that's fine, Lily!" She turned to Sirius. "You're Sirius, right?"
"Yup. And you are . . . wait, don't tell me. Jenny?"
Her face fell. "No, it's Joyce."
"Oops. Sorry about that. Do you girls want to come sit with us? We're right over there." He gestured to the table.
"I'm going to the library," Lily said quickly. "But I'm sure that Joyce would love to!"
"The library?!" Sirius looked scandalised. "Why would you want to go to the library?"
"I'm not feeling that well. See ya!" Afraid that he would pressure her to stay, Lily turned on her heels and almost ran to the library.
Lily succeeded in avoiding James for the next three periods. He was constantly trying to catch her eye, but Lily stared straight ahead at the teacher. It was after Transfiguration, right before lunch, that the disaster fell.
Professor McGonagall had just dismissed the class. Immediately, the whole class, including the teacher, moved towards the door, eager to get to the food. Only Lily stayed behind, packing up her stuff. Even Joyce had deserted her, choosing instead to trail behind Sirius as he sprinted to the Great Hall. But although the force should have ceased to pull, since she was now out of James's presence, she could still feel it tugging at her.
Lily slowly revolved, gazing about the room. She even lowered herself to the floor to peer under the desks. James wasn't there. Lily widened her eyes with fear. What if she was now going to feel the bond all of the time, regardless of whether they were in the same room? In a daze, she picked up her books, and walked out of the room. As soon as she was outside, she heard the rustling of cloth being moved. Startled, she turned around. There was James, holding a silvery piece of cloth in his hands. She gasped, and for a moment, was unable to speak. When she regained her voice, she stuttered, "What--what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at lunch?"
He smiled gently. "I was waiting for you."
Now Lily was truly taken aback. "Why?"
James looked surprised. "Well, I thought that maybe we could get to know each other better. I mean, you seem like a really nice person, and I thought that we could be friends," he said easily.
Lily took a step away from him. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"Why not?" he exclaimed, startled and a bit hurt.
"Um, listen, I'm really sorry about this, but I can't exactly tell you."
"Why not?"
"I just can't, okay? I'm sorry!" And with that, Lily fled in the opposite direction from the Great Hall. James stood rooted to spot for a few minutes, but then hurried to lunch.
Lily was almost in tears. Why did she have to be a Divinator? If it weren't for that, she would have a normal, happy life. 'It's not fair!' she thought rebelliously, her fists clenched. An image of James and herself lying dead on the blood-speckled carpet rose to her mind. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. 'Okay, it may not be fair, but I am trying to save both of our lives here,' she told herself firmly. 'If I have to go through some discomfort or unhappiness to do that, then that's what I'll do.'
Lily stopped suddenly in front of a large picture of fruit. There were muffled voices coming from the inside, and they were getting closer. She hid behind a piece of armor nearby, praying that whoever was in there wouldn't find her. She was supposed to be in the Great Hall now, and she could get into big trouble for wandering the halls during lunch. She heard a creak, and she knew that the picture that covered the entrance was being opened. She closed her eyes, and willed herself to breathe silently.
People were coming out. People with odd, squeaky voices and really bad grammer. A whiff of something that smelled like very good food reached Lily's nostrils. Her stomach rumbled, and she realized that she hadn't eaten anything all day. She peered around the corner of her hiding spot, and her eyes met with the oddest thing that she had seen so far. Standing in front of her was a small creature, with huge, bulbous eyes, large ears, and a very small body. It was holding a plate of what looked like spaghetti.
Its eyes locked with Lily's. For a moment, Lily wondered what to do; it had already seen her, of that she was sure, so it would be futile to hide any longer. Also, it didn't look vicious. On the other hand, it might leave her alone if she stayed where she was. Lily hesitated, but eventually the smell of the food was too much for her. She stood up, and dusted her robes off. "Hi, I'm Lily."
"It is a pleasure to meet miss," the creature said politely.
"Who are you?" she asked curiously.
"I am a house elf, miss. My name is Milly."
"Oh! What do you do here?"
"Me and the other house-elfs work in the kitchen, Miss Lily."
Lily's eyes widened. "Could you give me some food, please?"
Immediately, Milly looked much happier. "Of course, of course, miss! Just a minute, I will be back very soon!" A moment later she returned, staggering under the wait of an immense platter loaded with lunch enough for five people.
Lily picked up her fork immediately and began to devour the food. "Thank you very much, Milly," she said between mouthfuls. Finally, Lily was done. Although she had eaten more than she would ever have thought possible, she had only managed to get through about half of the food.
"You're welcome, Miss Lily! I hope I see you soon." The house elf turned to go back to the kitchen.
"Wait, Milly, if I want to come back sometime, how would I get in?" Lily called after her.
"Oh, just tickle the pear in the picture. It's not hard, miss."
"Okay. Thank you!" Lily skipped off towards her Charms classroom, feeling better than she had all day.
For the rest of the day, not only did Lily try to avoid James, he seemed to be trying to avoid her. Sometimes, Lily thought that she felt his gaze upon her, but whenever she glanced at him, his eyes were always averted. That was good, of course. Probably this whole ordeal was for good; now she wouldn't have to work half as hard at avoiding him, if he had decided to cooperate. But somewhere, deep inside, Lily wished that he was still paying attention to her. She was ashamed to admit this, even to herself, and she buried the thought deep inside of her.
That night, Lily had another one of her strange dreams. Except this one was not a repeat. It was new; she wasn't just seeing her own death. In her dream, Lily saw her parents at home. They were talking to each other, quietly. Although Lily could see them, she knew instinctively that she was not present.
Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing two black, hooded men. Behind them was the face that Lily had seen so many times, both in her dreams and during the day. The eyes were as red and malicious as ever, and they seemed fairly to sparkle with glee as he raised his wand . . . and a moment later, her parents were dead, still seated at the table. Her mother had only had time for one brief scream before the life was struck from her . . . upon her dead father's face was a look of both horror and confusion. The creature looked proudly out upon his work; his joy in killing was evident. Then he glided out of the room, flanked by the two dark men.