heart003
Your Heart Has Reason, Which Reason Does Not Know

(---Drei---)

"My hair," Lily whispered to herself, the rather long strand that she picked up off the floor in her hand. She patted it lightly, like it was alive. Placing it down gently, she clenched her fist tightly and shrieked to let out some anger. Her knuckles where turning white as her fingernails dug into her skin.
A loud creak alerted her senses and she slipped deeper into the darkness, like a frightened insect. The creaking continued. It got closer to her little den, and with every foot step, she flinched.
Her hiding place was well protected. Lily didn't think anyone would find her unless she let them. Her safe haven was underneath the floor boards, they were lose under her bed and she discovered that there was a long pathway of spaced apart rafters, leading to a landing where she could sit pleasantly and not be disturbed.
"....Lily?" James asked, creeping around in the girls dormitory. Lily let out a sob of hope, seeing that James came to find her... but then remember that he laughed at her, and she tightened up again.
"Lily? Are you OK?" James asked thin air, figuring that Lily had made that sound.
"Go away," she snarled sharply. James knelt down on the floor and looked under all the beds. There was no one there, but he was sure that the sound was coming from near the floor.
"I'm sorry for laughing at you," he said quietly, then he perked his ears and listened for the origin of the voice
"You aren't supposed to be in the girl's dormitory," she spat out, hugging her knees for comfort. James distinctively heard Lily's voice coming from beneath the floor boards.
"Like I wasn't going to come and see if you were ok," he said, patting the floor lightly with his hands, "I know you're down there. Why don't you come out?"
"You'll laugh at me again, just like everyone else," she shouted, standing up and cursing towards where he was above her, but her voice softened and dropped down again in sadness, "If you want to see me, then come down here."
"How do I?" James asked, looking around on the floor there wasn't a trap door anywhere to be seen. He turned quickly then he saw three small boards lift up from under one of the beds.
"Please come," her voice echoed from below, "Just jump straight down and be careful how to land, or you might miss."
This didn't comfort James as he peered down into the hole in the floor. It was pitch blackness all around. Even Lily's voice didn't brighten the situation, "You'll be OK if you just drop straight down," she repeated. With a deep breath, James jumped into the hole and the boards closed and made sure that the light stayed out.
"Lily?' James whispered, looking around, even though there wasn't anything to see. The boards were sealed closed. James looked up, and couldn't even tell they were there.
He heard Lily mutter 'Lumos', and her wand light was right next to him in the darkness. Her face remained hidden as she held the wand far away from her. Then she let it lower to the ground to show James what they were standing on.
It was a rafter that held up the floor in the dormitory, it was rather thin, he was lucky to have landed on it so precisely. She gestured with her wand light to follow him. She jumped quickly from rafter to rafter, like it was nothing. James took his time, he didn't know how far he'd fall if he did.
Lily stopped and waited for James to catch up every so often. When he got just close enough to touch the back of her robes, she'd jump to the next one, to keep out of reach.
"We're almost there," she said weakly. Her wand passed her face quickly, and James saw that her cheeks and eyes were stained with tears. Her hair was ragged on the ends and she didn't bother hiding it from the view of the light. Jumping over six more rafters, while ducking his head occasionally to make sure the ceiling was high enough, he saw the light stop and begin floating high above Lily's head, he knew it couldn't be in her hand any longer. It floated up out of site, only to brighten and rather small room where Lily was standing.
"This is my home, so to speak," she said walking inside a little bit, there was a small couch surrounded by shaggy moth eaten pillows, a small circular table held several tea cups which were all broken a little bit on their rims. Lily sighed as she heard James step closer. She walked over to the rather small couch, and sat down gently on a maroon pillow.
"I really shouldn't be like this," Lily said, mostly to herself, but she still wanted someone to hear apparently, "I shouldn't be sighing or sad. It's just hair." She fiddled with a small strand of hair in her hand and looked at it closely, "I just will have to get it straightened out."
James stepped into the candle light, sweat condensed on his forehead, and sat on the floor. Lily moved over and gestured for him to sit next to her. He got up off the floor, straightened his robes, and sat down where she had motioned.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you hair," he said softly, his head fell down and he looked at the floor.
"It isn't your fault. Severus had always been like that to me," Lily said turning to him, "I don't need anyone to feel sorry for me now."
"I dunno why, but I have a feeling that it was my fault," James said looking up at her briefly, her green, no longer bloodshot eyes gazed back tenderly.
"It wasn't your fault," she said sweetly, "It's just something that happened. My hair will grow back, I don't have to worry about it. And besides, I really should be thanking you and your friends. You were the first people to be nice to me, besides the teachers, so I thank you." Lily leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He blushed and a rather embarrassed smile lingered on his face, "Do you want to meet Nox?" she asked suddenly, standing up, James nodded weakly rather curious, when Lily pulled up the couch cushion and took out a small wooden box.
"Nox come on out I have someone I want you to meet," Lily whispered to the box. It opened lightly on it's own, and burnt out all the candles instantly, "Nox doesn't like light," Lily explained, sitting back down next to him. It was a dark skinned creature. Nox looked human, but not quite. Her skin shone, and revealed the only light in the chamber was from her aura.
"Why, Lily, you broke our promise," Nox said lightly, "I thought you didn't want anyone to hurt you again, he can only bring you grief.... My goodness what happened to your hair!?" Nox shouted, jumping out of her box. She was like a fairy in a way, with long wings, but she was much more powerful, you could tell by the look she had in her eyes.
"Severus' gang cut it with a Severing Charm," Lily responded, leaning forward so Nox could touch it, "This is Ja-"
"I know who this is," Nox interrupted, giving James a cold glare, "He's not to be trusted, Lily! Don't believe anything he says!"
"It's OK, Nox. Do you think you can fix my hair for me?" Lily asked, changing the subject quickly.
"That will be no problem," she said in a rather stern voice. She didn't seem to have a wand. James leaned in closer, and discovered that she controlled her magic with one finger. Lily put Nox's box down, and felt the top of her hair. It grew instantly, and dragged lightly on the floor. James' jaw dropped. He reached out to feel it, and when it touched his hand there was a stinging pain as Nox was pointing at him.
"Nox! stop it!" Lily shouted, but it seemed futile. Nox was controlling James! His hand raised high above his head, and it began pulling him near the edge of the small room.
"Let him go, Lily, he knows too much!" she hissed, flicking her hand. James tried to pull back, but with Nox in control of his hand he didn't have much choice. He tumbled off the edge of the landing between the floor and the bottom of a rafter and fell into the darkness.