Disclaimer: Unfortunately most of the characters in this fic are on
temporary loan from the one and only JK Rawlings, they'll have to be
returned after the conclusion (, hopefully with out too much wear and tear…
"I call dibbs on the window-seat!" Amy Sanders screamed into her best friends ear as the pair raced down the gate to their plane.
"Not if I get there first," Lily Evans hollered. Lily's longer legs allowed her to pull a few steps ahead of her friend as they rounded the corner to enter the plane. An old, gray-haired gentleman blocked the small cockpit door. Unfortunately Lily was unable to stop herself and ran head-long into the unsuspecting man. The collision knocked them both to the floor and caused the old man to drop his briefcase, scattering papers everywhere.
"I'm so sorry," Lily blushed as she scrambled up from the floor. The old man smiled wryly and sprang up with an agility suprising in someone so old.
"It's quite all right," he mumbled shyly, his eyes downcast. He bent and began to gather his upset papers.
"Let me help you with that," Lily insisted and gathered up a handful.
"No!" The man cried hastily and grabbed the sheets from her grasp. Lily gasped and stared at the man in confusion. "I mean," the man fumbled, the tips of his prominent ears turning pink in embarrassment. "I really couldn't trouble you, You ought to be getting on board, I think your friend may have beaten you to that window seat," Lily glanced around and growled when she realized Amy had already boarded the plane.
" Well, I'm terribly sorry for running into you sir," she called out as she hurried back towards her seat.
Lily finally found Amy bouncing happily on the window seat halfway back in the crowded plane. Amy grinned cheekily up at her glowering friend, stuck her tongue out and turned back towards the small window. "I think I can see Mom at the terminal," she chirped, deliberately misinterpreting Lily's black expression. Lily sighed and slipped into the middle seat determined to ignore her annoyingly chipper friend for the entire ride, or at least the first 10 minutes.
"Well, it looks like we meet again," a voice sighed from the aisle. Lily turned and saw the old man from the gate easing his briefcase into the overhead storage bin. He smiled down at her, "May I sit?" he asked, pointing to the third seat in the section.
" Of course," Lily said, grinning up at the shy stranger. He smiled and plopped down beside her.
"My name is August Fallon," he said, holding out his hand for her to shake, "I don't think we were properly introduced in the hallway."
"No, I guess not," Lily smiled shaking his hand enthusiastically, "I'm Lily Evans and this is my extremely annoying, seat stealing best friend Amy Sanders."
"Pleased to meet ya," Amy sang, leaning all the way across Lily to shake Mr. Fallon's hand.
Further conversation between the three seatmates was stalled as the stewardess warned them that the flight was prepared to leave and began to run through takeoff procedures. Amy went back to her absent minded stare out the window and Lily dug a book out of her bookbag and began to read with relish. Mr. Fallon closed his small gray eyes and appeared to fall asleep, though Lily noticed he remained as stiff and nervous as he was awake. Forty minutes into the flight he awoke and gazed around as if he was horribly confused. He stared at Lily for a few minutes without recognizing her.
"Mr. Fallon?" Lily asked, frightened by his strange behavior, "Are you allright?"
The old man started at the name but appeared to remember himself and sank back into his seat. "Fallon," he mumbled, under his breath. "I'm quite allright my dear," he smiled at Lily, "old age just caught up with me for a moment."
Lily nodded, "My grandmother does that all the time, sometimes she completely forgets who she is, what she's doing and everything. It must stink getting old,"
He grinned sadly, "You have no idea, child, no idea at all."
"Hey Mister Fallon?" Lily asked suddenly, "Weren't your eyes gray earlier?"
His wide brown eyes widened in alarm and he appeared almost frightened as he stuttered for an answer. "Well yes, actually, my eyes. They sometimes, occasionally do that, change you know. When I'm very tired." He fumbled for a flask tucked into his wide leather belt. After a few sips from the flask he leaned back and closed his eyes. "If you give me a few moments to rest they'll be back to normal."
"Ohhkay," Lily sighed, rolling her eyes at the man's strange behavior and returned to her book.
A few moments later a thin man dressed all in black brushed past, knocking into Fallon's thin elbow. The old man's eyes snapped open, gray once again, and glared up as three more men hurried past, all dressed in the same monotonous black cloaks. His face fell in shock as the first man turned to speak. "Malfoy," Fallon whispered in undisguised horror.
"I call dibbs on the window-seat!" Amy Sanders screamed into her best friends ear as the pair raced down the gate to their plane.
"Not if I get there first," Lily Evans hollered. Lily's longer legs allowed her to pull a few steps ahead of her friend as they rounded the corner to enter the plane. An old, gray-haired gentleman blocked the small cockpit door. Unfortunately Lily was unable to stop herself and ran head-long into the unsuspecting man. The collision knocked them both to the floor and caused the old man to drop his briefcase, scattering papers everywhere.
"I'm so sorry," Lily blushed as she scrambled up from the floor. The old man smiled wryly and sprang up with an agility suprising in someone so old.
"It's quite all right," he mumbled shyly, his eyes downcast. He bent and began to gather his upset papers.
"Let me help you with that," Lily insisted and gathered up a handful.
"No!" The man cried hastily and grabbed the sheets from her grasp. Lily gasped and stared at the man in confusion. "I mean," the man fumbled, the tips of his prominent ears turning pink in embarrassment. "I really couldn't trouble you, You ought to be getting on board, I think your friend may have beaten you to that window seat," Lily glanced around and growled when she realized Amy had already boarded the plane.
" Well, I'm terribly sorry for running into you sir," she called out as she hurried back towards her seat.
Lily finally found Amy bouncing happily on the window seat halfway back in the crowded plane. Amy grinned cheekily up at her glowering friend, stuck her tongue out and turned back towards the small window. "I think I can see Mom at the terminal," she chirped, deliberately misinterpreting Lily's black expression. Lily sighed and slipped into the middle seat determined to ignore her annoyingly chipper friend for the entire ride, or at least the first 10 minutes.
"Well, it looks like we meet again," a voice sighed from the aisle. Lily turned and saw the old man from the gate easing his briefcase into the overhead storage bin. He smiled down at her, "May I sit?" he asked, pointing to the third seat in the section.
" Of course," Lily said, grinning up at the shy stranger. He smiled and plopped down beside her.
"My name is August Fallon," he said, holding out his hand for her to shake, "I don't think we were properly introduced in the hallway."
"No, I guess not," Lily smiled shaking his hand enthusiastically, "I'm Lily Evans and this is my extremely annoying, seat stealing best friend Amy Sanders."
"Pleased to meet ya," Amy sang, leaning all the way across Lily to shake Mr. Fallon's hand.
Further conversation between the three seatmates was stalled as the stewardess warned them that the flight was prepared to leave and began to run through takeoff procedures. Amy went back to her absent minded stare out the window and Lily dug a book out of her bookbag and began to read with relish. Mr. Fallon closed his small gray eyes and appeared to fall asleep, though Lily noticed he remained as stiff and nervous as he was awake. Forty minutes into the flight he awoke and gazed around as if he was horribly confused. He stared at Lily for a few minutes without recognizing her.
"Mr. Fallon?" Lily asked, frightened by his strange behavior, "Are you allright?"
The old man started at the name but appeared to remember himself and sank back into his seat. "Fallon," he mumbled, under his breath. "I'm quite allright my dear," he smiled at Lily, "old age just caught up with me for a moment."
Lily nodded, "My grandmother does that all the time, sometimes she completely forgets who she is, what she's doing and everything. It must stink getting old,"
He grinned sadly, "You have no idea, child, no idea at all."
"Hey Mister Fallon?" Lily asked suddenly, "Weren't your eyes gray earlier?"
His wide brown eyes widened in alarm and he appeared almost frightened as he stuttered for an answer. "Well yes, actually, my eyes. They sometimes, occasionally do that, change you know. When I'm very tired." He fumbled for a flask tucked into his wide leather belt. After a few sips from the flask he leaned back and closed his eyes. "If you give me a few moments to rest they'll be back to normal."
"Ohhkay," Lily sighed, rolling her eyes at the man's strange behavior and returned to her book.
A few moments later a thin man dressed all in black brushed past, knocking into Fallon's thin elbow. The old man's eyes snapped open, gray once again, and glared up as three more men hurried past, all dressed in the same monotonous black cloaks. His face fell in shock as the first man turned to speak. "Malfoy," Fallon whispered in undisguised horror.
