Chapter Six: A Gruesome Start to a New Year
~*~ Gina ~*~
I woke up the morning after the welcoming feast to ear piercing shrieks coming from the girl's bathroom closest to the first year's dormitory. Being a prefect, it was my duty to check this situation out. I usually didn't mind prefect duties, but I hated it when they came at six-thirty in the morning.
I tossed on a dressing gown and pinned my prefect's badge on before rushing off to the bathroom, my wand out. I jerked open the bathroom door and stopped dead.
Harry's cousin, Lily, was standing there, pale as death, with her hands to her cheeks, her eyes wide as saucers in horror.
Taking a deep breath, I looked in the direction she was looking, afraid of what I was going to see. A dead mouse? Graffiti on the mirror in blood (yes, this did happen before)? A girl found dead, her death caused by unknown reasons (she actually died by looking into a basilisk's eyes, but the story's all hushed up now. It happened over twenty years ago anyhow)?
My third guess was the closest. My stomach lurched and I closed my eyes.
Propped up on the wall by the sinks was a girl, with blood pooled around her on the ground, trickling slowly. Blood was splattered on the walls and there were many gaping wounds, as if she'd been stabbed to death. Blood was matted in the girl's blond hair and as I stared, her head drooped down and her body tumbled forward, making a wet splash in her blood.
"What's the commotion now?" I heard Professor McGonagall's voice rise above the hubbub of the crowd outside.
I rushed out and closed the door behind me.
"Miss Winchester?" Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow in question.
"The sight in here.is not fit to be seen by anyone," I said, my hand keeping the door closed firmly with an iron grip. "Much less students."
I opened the door just enough for her and to get in, and I followed, though I wished with every fiber of my being I could just stay outside. I locked the door behind me firmly and gulped as Professor McGonagall walked around the bend to the sinks.
"My goodness!" her voice rang out so loud I was sure all the students behind the door could hear.
Professor McGonagall clutched her heart and said, "Winchester, take Miss Evans to the hospital wing right away." She strode out quickly, keeping the crowds at bay while I took Lily out.
My lips twitched as I fought my nausea and I grabbed Lily by the shoulder and marched her out. She moved mechanically, like a robot, and much too calmly for someone who just witnessed such a scene. I knew that if I weren't a prefect, I'd be in hysterics.
Garret Whittaker, the other prefect, was herding the crowd away when Lily and I emerged.
A few corridors and stairways later, Lily collapsed and I had to bend down to pick her up. I was glad I lifted weights to keep in shape (I was a beater.I needed strong arms), otherwise I wouldn't have been able to life Lily, light as she was.
"Mummy," Lily was muttering a minute after I picked her up and slowly made my descent down a staircase. "Mummy." She grabbed a lock of my hair, which was hanging down, since I hadn't had time to put it up in its usual bun, and squeezed until her knuckles went white.
"I'm so glad.I'm so glad you're back," Lily said groggily.
I was very scared, listening to the ravings of a madwoman. According to Harry, Lily's mum died almost two years ago. It must've affected Lily more than anyone thought, though maybe Petunia suspected it, since she began playing the part of mother overzealously to Lily.
I somehow managed to get Lily to the hospital wing. Halfway there she blacked out and I stopped to gently loose her fingers from my hair, which had been getting kind of uncomfortable.
Madam Pomfrey immediately began administering to Lily the second I stepped into the hospital wing. Two seconds later Harry burst in, wild with concern for Lily.
"What happened?" he asked. "No one seems to know. Do you?"
I nodded grimly and told him everything that had happened.
"Oh. My. Goodness," said Harry, grabbing my shoulders and bending his head to look into my eyes better (he was very tall), "are you all right?"
"I'm all right," I assured him. "But I don't know about Lily. Madam Pomfrey's taking care of her right now."
He grabbed my hand and we walked over to where Madam Pomfrey had laid Lily out on a bed.
"Will she be all right?" Harry asked.
"She'll be fine," said Madam Pomfrey. "She's just traumatized. I gave her some potion and she'll be up and about in no time." She patted Lily's arm, then walked off to tend to something.
"Poor Lily," said Harry, slumping down into a chair next to the bed. "She seems to attract tragedy to her like a flower attracts bees."
"What do you mean?"
"Well." said Harry rather hesitantly. "Her past is very dark, and I don't know if I should tell you this.it's her life and all."
"I understand."
"Sit down," said Harry, pulling me into a chair next to him. "Let's see.where shall we begin? I know, hold out your wand."
I put out my wand, its tip tilted to Harry. He took out his wand and touched its tip to mine. I felt energy pulsating between the two wands, then, I felt myself falling into a whirling black vortex.
Soon, I found myself in a quaint little bedroom. It had dreamy white curtains trimmed with light pink lace at the windows. A bed stood in the corner with a comforter on it, a bouquet of lilies embroidered onto the center. A vase of fresh lilies stood at the bedside table, along with a thick book. It was very tidy, in impeccable order.
Sprawled on the bed was a girl with red hair, perusing a magazine. A closer look revealed she was reading a literary magazine and had a stack of paper next to her, which she revised as she read the magazine. On the desk by another window were several other stacks of paper, which closer observance revealed to be manuscripts to stories.
I realized, with some shock, that I was in Lily's room, and the girl was Lily, several years younger than I knew her to be, but Lily nonetheless.
~*~ Gina ~*~
I woke up the morning after the welcoming feast to ear piercing shrieks coming from the girl's bathroom closest to the first year's dormitory. Being a prefect, it was my duty to check this situation out. I usually didn't mind prefect duties, but I hated it when they came at six-thirty in the morning.
I tossed on a dressing gown and pinned my prefect's badge on before rushing off to the bathroom, my wand out. I jerked open the bathroom door and stopped dead.
Harry's cousin, Lily, was standing there, pale as death, with her hands to her cheeks, her eyes wide as saucers in horror.
Taking a deep breath, I looked in the direction she was looking, afraid of what I was going to see. A dead mouse? Graffiti on the mirror in blood (yes, this did happen before)? A girl found dead, her death caused by unknown reasons (she actually died by looking into a basilisk's eyes, but the story's all hushed up now. It happened over twenty years ago anyhow)?
My third guess was the closest. My stomach lurched and I closed my eyes.
Propped up on the wall by the sinks was a girl, with blood pooled around her on the ground, trickling slowly. Blood was splattered on the walls and there were many gaping wounds, as if she'd been stabbed to death. Blood was matted in the girl's blond hair and as I stared, her head drooped down and her body tumbled forward, making a wet splash in her blood.
"What's the commotion now?" I heard Professor McGonagall's voice rise above the hubbub of the crowd outside.
I rushed out and closed the door behind me.
"Miss Winchester?" Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow in question.
"The sight in here.is not fit to be seen by anyone," I said, my hand keeping the door closed firmly with an iron grip. "Much less students."
I opened the door just enough for her and to get in, and I followed, though I wished with every fiber of my being I could just stay outside. I locked the door behind me firmly and gulped as Professor McGonagall walked around the bend to the sinks.
"My goodness!" her voice rang out so loud I was sure all the students behind the door could hear.
Professor McGonagall clutched her heart and said, "Winchester, take Miss Evans to the hospital wing right away." She strode out quickly, keeping the crowds at bay while I took Lily out.
My lips twitched as I fought my nausea and I grabbed Lily by the shoulder and marched her out. She moved mechanically, like a robot, and much too calmly for someone who just witnessed such a scene. I knew that if I weren't a prefect, I'd be in hysterics.
Garret Whittaker, the other prefect, was herding the crowd away when Lily and I emerged.
A few corridors and stairways later, Lily collapsed and I had to bend down to pick her up. I was glad I lifted weights to keep in shape (I was a beater.I needed strong arms), otherwise I wouldn't have been able to life Lily, light as she was.
"Mummy," Lily was muttering a minute after I picked her up and slowly made my descent down a staircase. "Mummy." She grabbed a lock of my hair, which was hanging down, since I hadn't had time to put it up in its usual bun, and squeezed until her knuckles went white.
"I'm so glad.I'm so glad you're back," Lily said groggily.
I was very scared, listening to the ravings of a madwoman. According to Harry, Lily's mum died almost two years ago. It must've affected Lily more than anyone thought, though maybe Petunia suspected it, since she began playing the part of mother overzealously to Lily.
I somehow managed to get Lily to the hospital wing. Halfway there she blacked out and I stopped to gently loose her fingers from my hair, which had been getting kind of uncomfortable.
Madam Pomfrey immediately began administering to Lily the second I stepped into the hospital wing. Two seconds later Harry burst in, wild with concern for Lily.
"What happened?" he asked. "No one seems to know. Do you?"
I nodded grimly and told him everything that had happened.
"Oh. My. Goodness," said Harry, grabbing my shoulders and bending his head to look into my eyes better (he was very tall), "are you all right?"
"I'm all right," I assured him. "But I don't know about Lily. Madam Pomfrey's taking care of her right now."
He grabbed my hand and we walked over to where Madam Pomfrey had laid Lily out on a bed.
"Will she be all right?" Harry asked.
"She'll be fine," said Madam Pomfrey. "She's just traumatized. I gave her some potion and she'll be up and about in no time." She patted Lily's arm, then walked off to tend to something.
"Poor Lily," said Harry, slumping down into a chair next to the bed. "She seems to attract tragedy to her like a flower attracts bees."
"What do you mean?"
"Well." said Harry rather hesitantly. "Her past is very dark, and I don't know if I should tell you this.it's her life and all."
"I understand."
"Sit down," said Harry, pulling me into a chair next to him. "Let's see.where shall we begin? I know, hold out your wand."
I put out my wand, its tip tilted to Harry. He took out his wand and touched its tip to mine. I felt energy pulsating between the two wands, then, I felt myself falling into a whirling black vortex.
Soon, I found myself in a quaint little bedroom. It had dreamy white curtains trimmed with light pink lace at the windows. A bed stood in the corner with a comforter on it, a bouquet of lilies embroidered onto the center. A vase of fresh lilies stood at the bedside table, along with a thick book. It was very tidy, in impeccable order.
Sprawled on the bed was a girl with red hair, perusing a magazine. A closer look revealed she was reading a literary magazine and had a stack of paper next to her, which she revised as she read the magazine. On the desk by another window were several other stacks of paper, which closer observance revealed to be manuscripts to stories.
I realized, with some shock, that I was in Lily's room, and the girl was Lily, several years younger than I knew her to be, but Lily nonetheless.