Landslide :: 5 ::
Why is it that whenever we know that we absolutely need sleep, we can never get it? One could never fall asleep knowing that they had to, or that they must. It was ridiculous. Lily thought it was absolutely ridiculous.
She was staring blankly at her canopy, thinking of any way she could drift off to sleep within the next few minutes. But she felt so awake that the act soon was labelled impossible. She turned on her side, scrunching her pillow up under her head, and looked at her clock.
Three a.m.. Lily wanted to cry when she saw the time. How was she supposed to complete the task if she couldn't keep her eyes open later?
And the task. She could already feel hundreds of eyes bearing down on her, expectant. She could hear them talking, but when she invisioned herself failing, the words turned to bitter whispers, howls of laughter, pointed fingers and utter dissapointment. Lily flipped over and shoved her face into her pillow, ready to scream, but it never came.
"Damn it."she said under her breath. Ultimately, Lily decided to get out of bed and go read a book. If that didn't put her to bed, at least she would be studying. She went into her study area and pulled out books upon books, not looking twice at what was on the cover before she let them fall with a loud thud on her desk, causing a few wisps of dust to curl outwards and float away.
Lily twirled the seat around and sat cross-legged upon it. She pulled on the top book from the pile, and let it fall open in her lap.
November 24th, 1889 ~ Account of the previous month, as written by Olive Whittaker, Hogwarts Head Girl
I hate to be saying that it is so, but much has been happening lately within my mind. I have felt that it needed to be recorded, and in what better place than the Head Girl's Book of the Ages. As many have written before me, the love of this school, our Hogwarts, has prompted the beginnings of this book, and its fillings of the tales and forthright emotions of the predecessors and those Heads yet to be appointed. The mass of students, myself included, know very well about the secrets and magical goings on within the school, and are reminded time and time again by our teachers and Headmaster. I never would have believed someone who said that there was more to it than what we knew. It was by complete accident that I stumbled across this room.
And what a room indeed. Arched celings, a mosaic of cobblestones on the floor, and - this will sound awkward, i'm sure, but - a staircase, winding slightly, that ended up leading to a brick wall. It's presence gave the impression that it had stood there for years, blanketed by dust. Of course I went up the stairs, how could I not? Being the only thing in this room, it merited an inspection. I believe I counted 57 stairs before I reached the brisk wall. I needs blame it on my childish curiosity that I began pushing certain bricks with the palm of my hand, expecting one to give way and reveal something meaningful.
But nothing.
I had tried almost every brick that was in my power to reach, but nothing came of it. After I accepted this defeat, I descended back down the stairs in dissapointment.
That was what happened. That was what kept my mind racing until I eventually forgot about it a few months later. I could never remember how to get back to that room either. Like I had previously stated, I happened upon it by chance. I was trying to get back to the Head Girl dorm after dinner one night, and somehow got in that room.
What was it? Was there a point to its existance? Was I meant to find this room, or was someone else? Was I the first to find it, or were there others? What would happen in the future?
I hadn't an idea.
O. Whittaker, Head Girl, Hogwarts School 1882-1889
Lily realized her eyes were as round as saucers. She slammed the book shut and looked at the cover.
'Book Of The Ages, Head Girl Edition'
"Oh my god," she whispered. Lily realized that there was a scarlet ribbon marking a place in the last third of the enormous book. She opened it to that page, seeing that it was blank. Her eyes narrowed, and she looked back a page. Another entry, dated 1975. That was last year. And if she knew her predecessors ... yes! It was signed by Angeline Forester.
Lily felt like a wave of exhileration had struck her senseless. She looked at pages and pages of entries, some much longer than others. It was a sort of diary, she reasoned. And the first entry was dated exactly 7 years after Hogwarts became a school. Every Head Girl in it's history had left there mark here. Lily felt suddenly prouder than she had ever been to have this title. She also was dumbstruck at the fact that she had never known it was there. Had they forgotten to tell her? Or was it generally expected that she find something of the sort?
She knew of another book, which she had only signed her name in along with James that Dumbledore had kept. That was a registry of all Head Girls and Boys that he kept for reference, "but it's also tradition.".
Lily glanced at her watch. 4:02. Wanting desperately to read this book, and equally wanting to get some sleep, her responsibility got the winning vote. She closed the book and heaved it back on the shelf where she had pulled it from, replacing the rest of the books as well. As she got back into bed, she made a mental note to ask James if he had a similar 'Book of the Ages'. Then she remembered that she wasn't talking to him.
And she finally fell asleep, her brain exhausted with thoughts of the room that the girl had described.
*
The familiar buzz of his alarm clock went off at exactly 7:00. James rolled over to turn it off, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. His arm reached out for his glasses, and suddenly everything came back into focus. He wasn't completely blind without them, but he hated squinting all the time to see the boards at the front of the class. And since him and his friends always sat at the back of each class, not having them wasn't an option. And they made him look smarter, although he was already top of the year.
Well, top of the year alongside Evans. Another thought surfaced in his brain, and he wondered why he hadn't remembered earlier. The task. Ugh, Dumbledore said he needed his help in it, although James hadn't a clue what for. He got out of bed, searching through his dresser for a clean shirt. He found one eventually, and pulled it on over his navy t-shirt. After he found his uniform sweater and pants, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He looked in the mirror while doing so, noticing for the billionth time during his life that his hair was messy.
He spat the foam from his mouth and wiped his chin with the back of his hand. There was no use trying to pull a brush through it. He'd made that mistake a while ago, and the handle broke. But he really didn't have a problem with his hair. A lot of girls were attracted to it, and he got tons of comments that it was 'cute'. Anya suggested tha he should just cut it shorter like all the other guys out there.
"Bah," he said aloud to his reflection.
He went back out into his room and found his runners. He had them for ages, but he wasn't about to get rid of them, just when they'd become comfortable.
James was out of his dorm by eight o'clock. He left his schoolbag and cloak behind, since he was exempted from classes that day to help out.
Just as the portrait swung shut behind him, the portrait to his left opened, and Lily came out. She noticed he was standing there and jumped a bit.
"Morning," she said, walking past him. The question of 'Do you know about the book?' was burning a hole in her mind, but she didn't want to argue this morning.
"Morning," he replied. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked wordlessly beside her. Lily thought it was odd to not have some catty comment come out of him for once. But he also wasn't talking, so she decided that it would be best if she just did the same.
Anyone in the halls at this time would have had a heart attack to see the Head Boy and Girl walking together without bickering. Then again, most were probably either asleep or just waking up.
They were about 10 minutes from the Great Hall when Lily suddenly spoke out.
"Would you be nervous if you had to do the task?"
James looked at her. She was staring ahead, as if she hadn't said a thing.
"I don't think so."
"Really?" Lily said, now looking at him, but he had long since looked away.
"I'd look at it like I would a Quidditch match. It's just a game."
"Oh."
They were silent again for a while.
"But if you don't know what's coming?"
James looked at her, and found that she was looking at him. She turned away sharply.
"N- never mind."
They didn't speak again, even when they sat down to breakfast. The teachers piled in, some still rubbing their tired eyes or yawning. They all smiled at Lily, telling her good luck, and all sorts of comforting comments. As the morning throng of students ambled into the Hall, she wiped her mouth with her napkin and excused herself from the table. McGonagall was speaking to Filch (who looked distraught over something), and they were blocking the separate entrance that Lily had come in by. She cursed under her breath, and tried to quickly make a getaway through the main doors.
No such luck.
"Lily! Good luck Lily!"
"What's the task?"
"D'you know what the task is?"
"Are you nervous?"
"You have to win for us Lily!"
"Evans! Get over here!"
Lily turned around and saw her best friend Arabella Figg trying to push her way through the crowd towards her.
"Oy, move it! - Out of the way! - To the side, junior -"
Arabella was the complete opposite of Lily. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, a bit taller than she was, and quite popular. Lily envied the way she could walk into a room and act like she owned the place. Arabella was also Gryffindor's Seeker. Lily was an excellent flyer but she had been sick the week of tryouts. She smiled thankfully at Arabella, coming to her rescue.
Arabella had managed to get closer to her, and Lily thought she was going to say something, but instead her hand was siezed and she was being pulled away from the mob.
Once they had shaken off every student pestering Lily with questions, they finally ran out of the Hall.
Arabella's face was red from yelling, and she sat down on the stairs in the Entrance Hall to recouperate.
"I hate second years," she huffed. Lily laughed.
"Hey -"
"Don't take away points. I know you feel the same way."
"Well, we were once second years too."
"Shh-" Arabella said, grabbing Lily's arm and looking wildly around the hall. "They sense weakness,"
"Ze sense, however, cannot permeate through stone."
Lily looked up from laughing, and was staring at Emanuel. She stopped herself, and tried to ignore Arabella's elbow jabbing discreetly into her side.
"Hi." she coughed out.
"Hi."
They stared at each other in silence. Arabella could have chiseled out a piece of Lily's ribs.
"Can you show me where ze library izz?"
Lily smiled, but looked down at the floor.
"Uh, I c-"
"She'd love to!" Arabella said, pushing Lily off the stairs. "She was just saying that she needed to go up there anyways. Isn't that a coincidence?"
She eyed Lily, as if to say 'Don't screw this one up.'
Lily looked at Emanuel.
"It's this way," she said, turning to walk up the stairs. She couldn't see him, but she could hear his shoes thudding along behind her. Once they reached the top of the stairs, he came up beside her.
"Are you nervuzz?"
"Uhm, I - I am. A - a little."
"Iz okay. Everyone izz like zis when zey must do somezing important."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"I have met ze boy from my academy. He iz nice, but I wish zat I could have won."
"I'm sorry."
"C'est okay. I am happy to watch."
Lily chanced to look at him, and found him looking at her, smiling. She turned away, hoping that her cheeks weren't noticably red.
"We're here." she soon said, opening the door so quickly that there was a small gust of wind. The library was deserted.
"Do you know where I find books about water creatures?"
"Yes, I do. Over here."
Lily began pulling books down out of the shelf.
"Do you know specifically which kind of creature?"
"No, just in general. Iz there such book?"
"Yeah, it's like an encyclopedia - here it is - see look, all alphabetical order, and there's rating on how dangerous or safe they are, and it tells you if they're rare or-"
Lily looked up from the open book in her hands, and saw that Emanuel was right in front of her.
" -extinct." she finished. He smiled, and took the book from her hands.
"I know how encyclopedia works." he said, patting her on the shoulder. He took her hand, and led her to a table.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid.' Lily thought.
"Which iz most dangerous?" he asked, sitting down across from her. Lily took the book and flipped it open. She was in her element.
In no sooner than 14 seconds, she had found it.
"Here," she said, "It's the Waverlus. 20 feet in length, it resembles a sea serpent, but with the legs of a centipede. On the legs are small suction cups similar to those of an octopus tentacle, but latch on to the skin of the prey and suck its blood. Its mouth is nothing but a gaping hole, through which the Waverlus will swallow the victim whole after consuming its blood supply. None have lived through an attack, but many will admit to witnessing one."
Lily looked up, and saw that Emanuel was leaning on his arm, gazing intently at Lily.
"Im sorry, but - what?"
"Your voice iz very nice."
Lily blushed scarlet.
"T-thank you."
"I want to azk you somezing. May I?"
"Yes," Lily blurted out, hardly waiting for him to finish his sentence. He grinned.
"Zere is no spell to defeat zis serpent?"
Lily's heart sank.
"I - I don't think so. None have lived through an attack, it said. But the legs are small, that might be a weak point."
"Ah." He flipped through the book, looking interested. Lily watched him, before she gave up and stared out the window.
"Might I go for a walk wiz you sometime, Lily Evans?"
Lily's eyes shot back to him. He was still looking through the book, as if he hadn't spoken. Now it was her turn to grin.
"I'd like that." She glanced at her watch. "Oh! But I've got to run, I'm supposed to be by the lake. I'll see you later!"
Emanuel said goodbye and Lily ran like the wind for the lake. Moreover, she just ran to the library doors. Once she was outside, her face broke into a stupid grin. Arabella seemed to appear out of thin air.
"Well?"
Lily just turnd towards her friend and pointed to her smile.
"Huh? OH. Oh wow! What did he say? Was there a kiss? Spill it Evans."
Lily threw her arm around her friend's shoulders.
"I'll never tell." was all she said. With that she took off again.
"Oh, not a chance. Get back here! Back I say! Lil-AYY!"
*
James was frozen. Why the hell he agreed to do this was beyond him at this point. He was going to be there by the ship with about 6 other teachers, just in case something went wrong. Dumbledore had told him the necessary spells to maintain the peace, and James was capable of handling any hectic situation. There were medi-wizards on hand, and they would be at the edge of the water should anything happen to the Champions.
At 20 mintes to noon, the front doors opened and the school came tumbling out in a giant black mass. The Champions were already in the tent, waiting to be called out to complete the task.
James picked up a stone and threw it as far as he could out into the lake. The distant splash made him feel better, and he picked up a handfull more stones.
Splash. Splash. Splash-splash-splash. James felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, and saw Dumbledore looking down at him.
"A rock cannot disturb the silent peace of so great a body of water. It only creates an outward ripple, and albeit a momentary distraction for nearby fish. Come, we're almost ready."
James dropped the rocks back onto the shoreline, and followed behind Dumbledore, listening to the roar of students as they filled the stands that had been magicked to the lake. He took his position by the judging table, and waited.
Dumbledore, however, caught up with Mrs. Johanssen and Mr. Warrick, and the three approached the Champions tent.
*
Lily was pacing around inside the tent, trying desperately to slow the hummingbird noises of her heart against her ribcage. She glanced at Marc and Anya, to see if they were nervous as well. Marc was cleaning dirt out of his fingernails, and Anya was tying up her hair in a knot. She saw that Lily was looking at her, and walked over.
"Vy haff you nervousness?"
"I'm okay, just excited."
"Oh. Is James votching?" she said, uninterested in Lily's answer. She was busy trying to peek through the curtains of the tent.
"Probably."
"Good." she said, in an awkward tone. Her head whirled back to Lily.
"I haff kvestion." she said, approaching Lily with her arms crossed.
"Yes?"
"You and James are not in relationship?"
Lily knew she meant it in more of a question, but it sounded like more of a statement. She didn't need to force the laugh that came out of her.
"Oh, no - not at all."
"Good." she said again, in that same awkward tone. She turned on her heel and sat back down on the benches. Lily could feel her right eyebrow raise on its own.
"Okay," she said under her breath.
It was at that time that Dumbledore entered the tent, along with the two Ministry officials. Her stomach was invaded by butterflies.
"Alright, may I have your attention?" Dumbledore asked, smiling. "We are ready for you out by the lake. If you would all follow me please."
Lily was amazed that she could consciously put one foot in front of the other once she got into view of the rest of the school. The roar they made was deafening. Somehow, it made her feel braver. She walked with a little more confidence.
There was a bit of a bustle as they got to the edge of the lake. A lot of people were buzzing around them, trying to get to the judging table, or to the Medical tent. There were a few students there, evidently helping out. Lily narrowed her eyes, trying to make the noise tolerable.
"I wouldn't know if a bludger was going to knock me off my broom," came a voice. Lily spun around. James was standing there, about to walk away.
"What?" she said loudly to his back. He turned to face her.
"If I didn't know what was coming. I wouldn't know if a bludger was going to knock me off my broom."
"Oh,"
They stared at each other, until Lily looked away first.
'Just a game.' she heard him say in her mind.
James looked up for the umptienth time at the crowd.
"Just a game." he said. He shook his head. "Could I be any more full of sh-"
"C'est un Waverley - non - Waverlus, je pense-"
James stopped dead. He saw the Champion from Beauxbatons talking to someone, but he couldn't see their face. He tried getting closer, but someone passed in front of him, and soon the entourage was gone. He shook his head, thinking he heard it wrong.
"May I have everyone's attention please?" Dumbledore called, his voice magically magnified. "The first task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!"
There was an applause, and Lily found herself being ushered to the side of the lake by Professor Raven, her Arithmancy teacher.
"Our Champions, Miss Anya Tvyrnn -" he paused to allow a round of applause, "Mr. Marc Injuste- " another pause," - And Miss Lily Evans."
Lily didn't hear the applause she was getting. She was too focused and the waves across the lake. How deep was it again? Did she even have her wand?
"They are now at the entrace to the tunnel that will lead them back and forth from Durmstrang ship, awaiting them at the bottom of the lake. I ask that those supervising, please make your way down now."
As Dumbledore mentioned the tunnel, a large hole appeared in front of Lily's feet, as if imaginary hands had pulled apart the water. Those supervising made their way inside of it, climbing downward at a quick pace. Lily gulped, and almost did a double take when she saw James going with them.
"Champions, I will count down from ten. The first to arrive out of the water will be awarded 5 extra points. Good luck. 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1!"
Lily ordered her feet to move. They moved. Swiftly, silently, effortlessly. She was neck and neck with the other champions. If she had looked up to notice, she would have seen the tunnel around her. It looked like a giant soap bubble, with swirling colours, consistantly becoming harder to see as they ran further and further into the depths of the lake.
"I - vill do much better- than you two -" huffed Anya, to Lily's right. "I know - our ship - like mine home."
Lily squinted. It was getting darker. She extracted her wand.
"Lumos," she said. Seconds later, the other two did the same.
"You may think - zat you will do better. But - I can - get zere faster - zan you -"
Marc then pulled ahead by a little over an inch. Lily pulled her elbows in and increased her strides. She strayed back a little bit as she changed, but shot foreward, outrunning them both by a few feet once she found a rhythm. The descent was more severe now, and she constantly had to jump over small ridges to keep herself from falling.
She wished that the light from her wand could strecth over a greater distance, but alas, it could not. She fell momentarily to her knees, but got back up just as Marc ran past her. She began running again, wondering how much further it was to the ship.
Her question was answered a few minutes later, as she saw Professor Sprout standing - albiet wheezing, by a doorway.
"Just got down here - a second ago! How fast - do you kids run nowadays?"
She held out small slips of parchment to each as they zoomed past. Lily glanced down at hers, and the first word that popped out was "stairs". She looked up again, and saw a dark staircase to her left. She bolted up it, as Marc continued down a hallway, and Anya raced through a door to the right.
Lily could have passed out from running so hard. She slowed to a walk, allowing more oxygen to go to her brain.
"I have to be able to think about this," she said. Looking back down at her sheet, she saw that there were numbered sentences, 6 of them. 'Up the stairs, to your right, down the hall.' was number one. She veered to the right, and started walking down the hallway. She saw a small red box at the end. Her walking speed increased, although her legs felt shaky from the run. She approached it, and saw that it contained three small red flags. She grabbed one, and turned around.
"Number two," she read. "Through the door on your right, the end of the mess hall, and into the kichens."
Lily looked up. There was about 5 doors on her right. She tried the first. Locked. The second was also locked. As was the third. The fourth, however, swung open.
Lily stuck her wand in first, illuminating a small part of the floor. Whatever was beyond was lost in an abyss of darkness. She stepped inside, her arm in full extension. She needed to see what this room was, even though she was scared out of her mind.
The door creaked shut. Lily dropped her wand in a mixture of fear and surprise. It rolled, and she tried desperately to snatch it up again. She felt lost without it in her hand, somehow vulnerable.
The light of the wand bounced, only revealing more floor, until it rolled to a stop, illuminating something moving. Lilt thought it was a scaled tail, but no, it was a fish. A fish out of water. She stared at it for a moment, as she stooped to grasp her wand. Her hand extended, trying to touch it, but barely had enough time to close around the distressed fish before a forked tounge lashed it out of sight. Lily fell backwards in shock, legs flailing in an attempt to back towards the door. Once the back of her head hit something solid, she sprang to her feet and threw open the door. Lily could smell the rancid breath of whatever it was come cascading down upon her neck as her hand slipped over the handle.
This time Lily grasped the handle firmly and the door creaked open. She burst into the hallway, and turned to pull the door shut. She could only catch a glimpse of what that thing was in the room, seeing orange like eyes and more scales, as well as the forked tounge weaving its way quickly towards her. She dug her heels in the floor and pulled the door closed. It clicked shut sharply, and Lily noticed in utmost disgust that its tounge had been caught in the process. A shriek echoed from inside the room, and the tongue flicked around desperately.
Her breathing slowed, but her face felt warm. Lily leaned against a wall and began fanning herself with the slip of parchment. Her eyes did a double take of the parchment. It was double sided. She scanned the words, and felt her heart flip upside down.
'This task seems simple now, but soon the water comes. Move quickly.'
Lily wiped her forehead with her sleeve and tried to calm down, but the thought of "The others must already have 5 flags," kept running through her mind. She strode foreward to the last remaining door, hoping beyond hope that it was what she was looking for. It was. Oh, thank merciful heavens it was. And this mess hall came with a bit of a light source. Lily sprinted the length of the room towards the door opposite. The kitchen beyond was rather large, and appeared to have the capacity needed to feed a small army.
Lily searched everywhere for a red box, but it somehow didn't appear to exist. After a full two minutes of her precious time, she lost her sense of dignity and kicked over a nearby aluminum pot. It clashed angrily around the floor for a moment, the lid flying off in the opposite direction.
Three red flags fell in a knot out of the pot.
Lily laughed out loud, making a mental note to be angry more often. She grabbed one flag, replacing the other two and returning the pot to where it originally stood. She whipped out the parchment with one hand, while using the other to stuff the flag in her pocket.
'Down the stairs, through the hallway, blue lightswitch.'
She hurtled back through the mess hall and out the door. Lily made her way down the stairs by jumping three at a time, arriving at the bottom as if like lightning.
Her feet had barely touched the hardwood of the floor before the ship gave an almighty lurch, and she tumbled to the opposite wall. Her head hit the wall with a small thud, and her eyes had to refocus for a moment, chosing to do so on her knees. And it was at that moment that she fully realized that they were scraped. Badly scraped. Most of the blood had dried, but there were horrible black and blue bruises that were going to become painful tomorrow.
"No time," she huffed, dismissing her physical state. She pushed herself to her feet, noticing the slope of the ship as she tried to balance herself. Lily hobbled down the hallway, eyes darting from side to side, looking for a blue switch. She saw one, but it was encased in glass.
"Dimolus!" she cried, and the glass shattered into a thousand pieces. She flicked the switch, which activated a light, illuminating a drop box for a laundry chute. Opening it within a heartbeat, she saw that attached to the pulley were two red flags. She grabbed this one as well, and turned around to review the parchment.
Her vision blurred, and her knees went weak. The flag fell from her hands to the floor, and Lily blindly groped for it through the shallow water.
Water had began to accumulate at her feet since the ship had lurched, which had gone unnoticed. The water was rising, slowly - very slowly, but Lily's eyes had yet to refocus. Her head throbbed, but she managed to stay on her feet. She swayed dangerously, but she remained standing.
'Next step.' she thought.
'Hall - door - key -" the words were jumbling in her mind. Lily haphazardly made her way back out to the entrance, and saw Anya make a quick dash for the stairs. Her eyes narrowed. She splashed over to the door, the water now at her waist. It was coming faster now, leaking in from outside.
"Handle," she said aloud. "Get the stupid handle,"
She pushed open the door with a lot of effort. This room was tiny. There was another door to her right, which she had no choice but to go through.
It was a Waverlus. She didn't think it to be true, but there it was. Not fully grown, probably just a baby, but still dangerous. And there was Marc, trying desperately to subdue it. He had managed to get it into a corner, but he couldn't move fast enough through the water, nearing the elbows.
"Marc!" Lily called out, bringing her wand out of her pocket. He didn't look away, but he kept calling out dangerous spells.
"Don't try to finish it off, just subdue it!" she said, pushing her way towards him through the splashes and waves.
"Zis cannot be subdued! I have 'urt one of ze legs!"
"Stupefy!" she cried, pointing at the mouth. It halted. Marc looked sideways at her, and tried to swim off towards the wall right next to the creature. Lily saw what he was after, a large skeleton key hanging on a hook.
"Marc, No!" He would never get the key and get away in time.
Lily hated being right. He had managed to get the key, but he had gotten no more than a meter away from the baby Waverlus before it shook, and came back to life. No other spell could hit it before it dove beneath the water, out of sight. Lily's eyes watched Marc, swim towards her, expecting him to go down at any moment. Everything seemed to slow down then. The waves slowed, Marc's pace came in slow motion, and Lily's breath was slowing. The water was at her chest, and she remained stock - still, looking for any movement in the inky depths.
Lily's head whiplashed backwards, and she fell under the water. Water had gone up her nose, and she had no breath to hold onto. She had been pulled under. Her eyes opened, ans she saw only the black of the Waverlus' gaping mouth, floating calmly in front of her. Dear god, if she had the breath to scream...
She couldn't move. The creature had latched onto her knees with its legs, and Lily saw the damaged leg hanging limp right above her left knee, occasionally brushing against her leg.
"Expelliarmus!" she choked out, using the last of what oxygen was inside her. It came out as more "Eurglarrmuuh" through the water, but the burst of red sparks still came from her wand, and the Waverlus recoiled. Her head broke the water, and she could just hear the creak of the door close behind her. Marc was gone.
"Impedimenta! Stupefy! I- impedimenta!" she cried, trying to back towards the door. The pain in her knees was now imminent, and her vision was starting to blurr again. "Stupefy!" she yelled out, feeling her hand close around the handle of the door. The Waverlus was a distance from her now, but it didn't stop her from yelling out incantations one after the other. As she pulled the door open, she screamed her last spell before exiting that room.
Lily now had to tread water to stay afloat. But her knees wouldn't hold her. The water was rising, and she could barely see the door frame now.
"It's over," she thought. "I don't want any of this." Her body ached from its ailments. The throbbing beat harder and harder, threatening to make her faint, and her knees just failed her. Lily's head again slipped below the cold water. She hung there for what seemed like an eternity, eyes open, mind only slightly wary, but more scared than she had ever been in her entire life. She was staring at her door, her escape, her exit to where she had first begun.
'Just reach for the handle,' she thought, but her body did not obey. Lily saw the handle turn on its own in a peculiar fashion, but she could remember little of how it went exactly. The door opened on its own, and she was drawn out with the water into a hallway. James was there by himself, looking worried.
The water was back to knee level, although Lily still sat in it, trying to take in as much oxygen as she could. James pulled her to her feet, but her legs couldn't support her weight. His voice sounded so distant, although he was right there next to her, helping her walk.
"It's okay, Evans. It's all over - It's okay."
Lily tightened her hand around his shoulder, trying to keep her balance, but it just wouldn't happen.
"- Just a game," she breathed, before her world went black.
*
Wow, there's one more chapter finished, thank goodness. My fingers seem to be permanently bent from the effort, but I'm somehow not satisfied with this. What I wanted to happen - happened, but I'm sure you noticed a lot of blunt, short, semi-descriptive sentences. I hate those, and I just mass produced a truck full. Maybe this inability to write was caused by school and my new semester, or quite possibly a small bout of writers block. (The ending was written at night, :: looks at watch :: no, morning. Insomnia's a bitch, let me tell you...) No matter, it's here now. Oh, and I hadn't introduced Arabella earlier because she just didn't really play into the plot very much. But she's here now, and everyone's happy.
Why is it that whenever we know that we absolutely need sleep, we can never get it? One could never fall asleep knowing that they had to, or that they must. It was ridiculous. Lily thought it was absolutely ridiculous.
She was staring blankly at her canopy, thinking of any way she could drift off to sleep within the next few minutes. But she felt so awake that the act soon was labelled impossible. She turned on her side, scrunching her pillow up under her head, and looked at her clock.
Three a.m.. Lily wanted to cry when she saw the time. How was she supposed to complete the task if she couldn't keep her eyes open later?
And the task. She could already feel hundreds of eyes bearing down on her, expectant. She could hear them talking, but when she invisioned herself failing, the words turned to bitter whispers, howls of laughter, pointed fingers and utter dissapointment. Lily flipped over and shoved her face into her pillow, ready to scream, but it never came.
"Damn it."she said under her breath. Ultimately, Lily decided to get out of bed and go read a book. If that didn't put her to bed, at least she would be studying. She went into her study area and pulled out books upon books, not looking twice at what was on the cover before she let them fall with a loud thud on her desk, causing a few wisps of dust to curl outwards and float away.
Lily twirled the seat around and sat cross-legged upon it. She pulled on the top book from the pile, and let it fall open in her lap.
November 24th, 1889 ~ Account of the previous month, as written by Olive Whittaker, Hogwarts Head Girl
I hate to be saying that it is so, but much has been happening lately within my mind. I have felt that it needed to be recorded, and in what better place than the Head Girl's Book of the Ages. As many have written before me, the love of this school, our Hogwarts, has prompted the beginnings of this book, and its fillings of the tales and forthright emotions of the predecessors and those Heads yet to be appointed. The mass of students, myself included, know very well about the secrets and magical goings on within the school, and are reminded time and time again by our teachers and Headmaster. I never would have believed someone who said that there was more to it than what we knew. It was by complete accident that I stumbled across this room.
And what a room indeed. Arched celings, a mosaic of cobblestones on the floor, and - this will sound awkward, i'm sure, but - a staircase, winding slightly, that ended up leading to a brick wall. It's presence gave the impression that it had stood there for years, blanketed by dust. Of course I went up the stairs, how could I not? Being the only thing in this room, it merited an inspection. I believe I counted 57 stairs before I reached the brisk wall. I needs blame it on my childish curiosity that I began pushing certain bricks with the palm of my hand, expecting one to give way and reveal something meaningful.
But nothing.
I had tried almost every brick that was in my power to reach, but nothing came of it. After I accepted this defeat, I descended back down the stairs in dissapointment.
That was what happened. That was what kept my mind racing until I eventually forgot about it a few months later. I could never remember how to get back to that room either. Like I had previously stated, I happened upon it by chance. I was trying to get back to the Head Girl dorm after dinner one night, and somehow got in that room.
What was it? Was there a point to its existance? Was I meant to find this room, or was someone else? Was I the first to find it, or were there others? What would happen in the future?
I hadn't an idea.
O. Whittaker, Head Girl, Hogwarts School 1882-1889
Lily realized her eyes were as round as saucers. She slammed the book shut and looked at the cover.
'Book Of The Ages, Head Girl Edition'
"Oh my god," she whispered. Lily realized that there was a scarlet ribbon marking a place in the last third of the enormous book. She opened it to that page, seeing that it was blank. Her eyes narrowed, and she looked back a page. Another entry, dated 1975. That was last year. And if she knew her predecessors ... yes! It was signed by Angeline Forester.
Lily felt like a wave of exhileration had struck her senseless. She looked at pages and pages of entries, some much longer than others. It was a sort of diary, she reasoned. And the first entry was dated exactly 7 years after Hogwarts became a school. Every Head Girl in it's history had left there mark here. Lily felt suddenly prouder than she had ever been to have this title. She also was dumbstruck at the fact that she had never known it was there. Had they forgotten to tell her? Or was it generally expected that she find something of the sort?
She knew of another book, which she had only signed her name in along with James that Dumbledore had kept. That was a registry of all Head Girls and Boys that he kept for reference, "but it's also tradition.".
Lily glanced at her watch. 4:02. Wanting desperately to read this book, and equally wanting to get some sleep, her responsibility got the winning vote. She closed the book and heaved it back on the shelf where she had pulled it from, replacing the rest of the books as well. As she got back into bed, she made a mental note to ask James if he had a similar 'Book of the Ages'. Then she remembered that she wasn't talking to him.
And she finally fell asleep, her brain exhausted with thoughts of the room that the girl had described.
*
The familiar buzz of his alarm clock went off at exactly 7:00. James rolled over to turn it off, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. His arm reached out for his glasses, and suddenly everything came back into focus. He wasn't completely blind without them, but he hated squinting all the time to see the boards at the front of the class. And since him and his friends always sat at the back of each class, not having them wasn't an option. And they made him look smarter, although he was already top of the year.
Well, top of the year alongside Evans. Another thought surfaced in his brain, and he wondered why he hadn't remembered earlier. The task. Ugh, Dumbledore said he needed his help in it, although James hadn't a clue what for. He got out of bed, searching through his dresser for a clean shirt. He found one eventually, and pulled it on over his navy t-shirt. After he found his uniform sweater and pants, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He looked in the mirror while doing so, noticing for the billionth time during his life that his hair was messy.
He spat the foam from his mouth and wiped his chin with the back of his hand. There was no use trying to pull a brush through it. He'd made that mistake a while ago, and the handle broke. But he really didn't have a problem with his hair. A lot of girls were attracted to it, and he got tons of comments that it was 'cute'. Anya suggested tha he should just cut it shorter like all the other guys out there.
"Bah," he said aloud to his reflection.
He went back out into his room and found his runners. He had them for ages, but he wasn't about to get rid of them, just when they'd become comfortable.
James was out of his dorm by eight o'clock. He left his schoolbag and cloak behind, since he was exempted from classes that day to help out.
Just as the portrait swung shut behind him, the portrait to his left opened, and Lily came out. She noticed he was standing there and jumped a bit.
"Morning," she said, walking past him. The question of 'Do you know about the book?' was burning a hole in her mind, but she didn't want to argue this morning.
"Morning," he replied. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked wordlessly beside her. Lily thought it was odd to not have some catty comment come out of him for once. But he also wasn't talking, so she decided that it would be best if she just did the same.
Anyone in the halls at this time would have had a heart attack to see the Head Boy and Girl walking together without bickering. Then again, most were probably either asleep or just waking up.
They were about 10 minutes from the Great Hall when Lily suddenly spoke out.
"Would you be nervous if you had to do the task?"
James looked at her. She was staring ahead, as if she hadn't said a thing.
"I don't think so."
"Really?" Lily said, now looking at him, but he had long since looked away.
"I'd look at it like I would a Quidditch match. It's just a game."
"Oh."
They were silent again for a while.
"But if you don't know what's coming?"
James looked at her, and found that she was looking at him. She turned away sharply.
"N- never mind."
They didn't speak again, even when they sat down to breakfast. The teachers piled in, some still rubbing their tired eyes or yawning. They all smiled at Lily, telling her good luck, and all sorts of comforting comments. As the morning throng of students ambled into the Hall, she wiped her mouth with her napkin and excused herself from the table. McGonagall was speaking to Filch (who looked distraught over something), and they were blocking the separate entrance that Lily had come in by. She cursed under her breath, and tried to quickly make a getaway through the main doors.
No such luck.
"Lily! Good luck Lily!"
"What's the task?"
"D'you know what the task is?"
"Are you nervous?"
"You have to win for us Lily!"
"Evans! Get over here!"
Lily turned around and saw her best friend Arabella Figg trying to push her way through the crowd towards her.
"Oy, move it! - Out of the way! - To the side, junior -"
Arabella was the complete opposite of Lily. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, a bit taller than she was, and quite popular. Lily envied the way she could walk into a room and act like she owned the place. Arabella was also Gryffindor's Seeker. Lily was an excellent flyer but she had been sick the week of tryouts. She smiled thankfully at Arabella, coming to her rescue.
Arabella had managed to get closer to her, and Lily thought she was going to say something, but instead her hand was siezed and she was being pulled away from the mob.
Once they had shaken off every student pestering Lily with questions, they finally ran out of the Hall.
Arabella's face was red from yelling, and she sat down on the stairs in the Entrance Hall to recouperate.
"I hate second years," she huffed. Lily laughed.
"Hey -"
"Don't take away points. I know you feel the same way."
"Well, we were once second years too."
"Shh-" Arabella said, grabbing Lily's arm and looking wildly around the hall. "They sense weakness,"
"Ze sense, however, cannot permeate through stone."
Lily looked up from laughing, and was staring at Emanuel. She stopped herself, and tried to ignore Arabella's elbow jabbing discreetly into her side.
"Hi." she coughed out.
"Hi."
They stared at each other in silence. Arabella could have chiseled out a piece of Lily's ribs.
"Can you show me where ze library izz?"
Lily smiled, but looked down at the floor.
"Uh, I c-"
"She'd love to!" Arabella said, pushing Lily off the stairs. "She was just saying that she needed to go up there anyways. Isn't that a coincidence?"
She eyed Lily, as if to say 'Don't screw this one up.'
Lily looked at Emanuel.
"It's this way," she said, turning to walk up the stairs. She couldn't see him, but she could hear his shoes thudding along behind her. Once they reached the top of the stairs, he came up beside her.
"Are you nervuzz?"
"Uhm, I - I am. A - a little."
"Iz okay. Everyone izz like zis when zey must do somezing important."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"I have met ze boy from my academy. He iz nice, but I wish zat I could have won."
"I'm sorry."
"C'est okay. I am happy to watch."
Lily chanced to look at him, and found him looking at her, smiling. She turned away, hoping that her cheeks weren't noticably red.
"We're here." she soon said, opening the door so quickly that there was a small gust of wind. The library was deserted.
"Do you know where I find books about water creatures?"
"Yes, I do. Over here."
Lily began pulling books down out of the shelf.
"Do you know specifically which kind of creature?"
"No, just in general. Iz there such book?"
"Yeah, it's like an encyclopedia - here it is - see look, all alphabetical order, and there's rating on how dangerous or safe they are, and it tells you if they're rare or-"
Lily looked up from the open book in her hands, and saw that Emanuel was right in front of her.
" -extinct." she finished. He smiled, and took the book from her hands.
"I know how encyclopedia works." he said, patting her on the shoulder. He took her hand, and led her to a table.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid.' Lily thought.
"Which iz most dangerous?" he asked, sitting down across from her. Lily took the book and flipped it open. She was in her element.
In no sooner than 14 seconds, she had found it.
"Here," she said, "It's the Waverlus. 20 feet in length, it resembles a sea serpent, but with the legs of a centipede. On the legs are small suction cups similar to those of an octopus tentacle, but latch on to the skin of the prey and suck its blood. Its mouth is nothing but a gaping hole, through which the Waverlus will swallow the victim whole after consuming its blood supply. None have lived through an attack, but many will admit to witnessing one."
Lily looked up, and saw that Emanuel was leaning on his arm, gazing intently at Lily.
"Im sorry, but - what?"
"Your voice iz very nice."
Lily blushed scarlet.
"T-thank you."
"I want to azk you somezing. May I?"
"Yes," Lily blurted out, hardly waiting for him to finish his sentence. He grinned.
"Zere is no spell to defeat zis serpent?"
Lily's heart sank.
"I - I don't think so. None have lived through an attack, it said. But the legs are small, that might be a weak point."
"Ah." He flipped through the book, looking interested. Lily watched him, before she gave up and stared out the window.
"Might I go for a walk wiz you sometime, Lily Evans?"
Lily's eyes shot back to him. He was still looking through the book, as if he hadn't spoken. Now it was her turn to grin.
"I'd like that." She glanced at her watch. "Oh! But I've got to run, I'm supposed to be by the lake. I'll see you later!"
Emanuel said goodbye and Lily ran like the wind for the lake. Moreover, she just ran to the library doors. Once she was outside, her face broke into a stupid grin. Arabella seemed to appear out of thin air.
"Well?"
Lily just turnd towards her friend and pointed to her smile.
"Huh? OH. Oh wow! What did he say? Was there a kiss? Spill it Evans."
Lily threw her arm around her friend's shoulders.
"I'll never tell." was all she said. With that she took off again.
"Oh, not a chance. Get back here! Back I say! Lil-AYY!"
*
James was frozen. Why the hell he agreed to do this was beyond him at this point. He was going to be there by the ship with about 6 other teachers, just in case something went wrong. Dumbledore had told him the necessary spells to maintain the peace, and James was capable of handling any hectic situation. There were medi-wizards on hand, and they would be at the edge of the water should anything happen to the Champions.
At 20 mintes to noon, the front doors opened and the school came tumbling out in a giant black mass. The Champions were already in the tent, waiting to be called out to complete the task.
James picked up a stone and threw it as far as he could out into the lake. The distant splash made him feel better, and he picked up a handfull more stones.
Splash. Splash. Splash-splash-splash. James felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, and saw Dumbledore looking down at him.
"A rock cannot disturb the silent peace of so great a body of water. It only creates an outward ripple, and albeit a momentary distraction for nearby fish. Come, we're almost ready."
James dropped the rocks back onto the shoreline, and followed behind Dumbledore, listening to the roar of students as they filled the stands that had been magicked to the lake. He took his position by the judging table, and waited.
Dumbledore, however, caught up with Mrs. Johanssen and Mr. Warrick, and the three approached the Champions tent.
*
Lily was pacing around inside the tent, trying desperately to slow the hummingbird noises of her heart against her ribcage. She glanced at Marc and Anya, to see if they were nervous as well. Marc was cleaning dirt out of his fingernails, and Anya was tying up her hair in a knot. She saw that Lily was looking at her, and walked over.
"Vy haff you nervousness?"
"I'm okay, just excited."
"Oh. Is James votching?" she said, uninterested in Lily's answer. She was busy trying to peek through the curtains of the tent.
"Probably."
"Good." she said, in an awkward tone. Her head whirled back to Lily.
"I haff kvestion." she said, approaching Lily with her arms crossed.
"Yes?"
"You and James are not in relationship?"
Lily knew she meant it in more of a question, but it sounded like more of a statement. She didn't need to force the laugh that came out of her.
"Oh, no - not at all."
"Good." she said again, in that same awkward tone. She turned on her heel and sat back down on the benches. Lily could feel her right eyebrow raise on its own.
"Okay," she said under her breath.
It was at that time that Dumbledore entered the tent, along with the two Ministry officials. Her stomach was invaded by butterflies.
"Alright, may I have your attention?" Dumbledore asked, smiling. "We are ready for you out by the lake. If you would all follow me please."
Lily was amazed that she could consciously put one foot in front of the other once she got into view of the rest of the school. The roar they made was deafening. Somehow, it made her feel braver. She walked with a little more confidence.
There was a bit of a bustle as they got to the edge of the lake. A lot of people were buzzing around them, trying to get to the judging table, or to the Medical tent. There were a few students there, evidently helping out. Lily narrowed her eyes, trying to make the noise tolerable.
"I wouldn't know if a bludger was going to knock me off my broom," came a voice. Lily spun around. James was standing there, about to walk away.
"What?" she said loudly to his back. He turned to face her.
"If I didn't know what was coming. I wouldn't know if a bludger was going to knock me off my broom."
"Oh,"
They stared at each other, until Lily looked away first.
'Just a game.' she heard him say in her mind.
James looked up for the umptienth time at the crowd.
"Just a game." he said. He shook his head. "Could I be any more full of sh-"
"C'est un Waverley - non - Waverlus, je pense-"
James stopped dead. He saw the Champion from Beauxbatons talking to someone, but he couldn't see their face. He tried getting closer, but someone passed in front of him, and soon the entourage was gone. He shook his head, thinking he heard it wrong.
"May I have everyone's attention please?" Dumbledore called, his voice magically magnified. "The first task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!"
There was an applause, and Lily found herself being ushered to the side of the lake by Professor Raven, her Arithmancy teacher.
"Our Champions, Miss Anya Tvyrnn -" he paused to allow a round of applause, "Mr. Marc Injuste- " another pause," - And Miss Lily Evans."
Lily didn't hear the applause she was getting. She was too focused and the waves across the lake. How deep was it again? Did she even have her wand?
"They are now at the entrace to the tunnel that will lead them back and forth from Durmstrang ship, awaiting them at the bottom of the lake. I ask that those supervising, please make your way down now."
As Dumbledore mentioned the tunnel, a large hole appeared in front of Lily's feet, as if imaginary hands had pulled apart the water. Those supervising made their way inside of it, climbing downward at a quick pace. Lily gulped, and almost did a double take when she saw James going with them.
"Champions, I will count down from ten. The first to arrive out of the water will be awarded 5 extra points. Good luck. 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1!"
Lily ordered her feet to move. They moved. Swiftly, silently, effortlessly. She was neck and neck with the other champions. If she had looked up to notice, she would have seen the tunnel around her. It looked like a giant soap bubble, with swirling colours, consistantly becoming harder to see as they ran further and further into the depths of the lake.
"I - vill do much better- than you two -" huffed Anya, to Lily's right. "I know - our ship - like mine home."
Lily squinted. It was getting darker. She extracted her wand.
"Lumos," she said. Seconds later, the other two did the same.
"You may think - zat you will do better. But - I can - get zere faster - zan you -"
Marc then pulled ahead by a little over an inch. Lily pulled her elbows in and increased her strides. She strayed back a little bit as she changed, but shot foreward, outrunning them both by a few feet once she found a rhythm. The descent was more severe now, and she constantly had to jump over small ridges to keep herself from falling.
She wished that the light from her wand could strecth over a greater distance, but alas, it could not. She fell momentarily to her knees, but got back up just as Marc ran past her. She began running again, wondering how much further it was to the ship.
Her question was answered a few minutes later, as she saw Professor Sprout standing - albiet wheezing, by a doorway.
"Just got down here - a second ago! How fast - do you kids run nowadays?"
She held out small slips of parchment to each as they zoomed past. Lily glanced down at hers, and the first word that popped out was "stairs". She looked up again, and saw a dark staircase to her left. She bolted up it, as Marc continued down a hallway, and Anya raced through a door to the right.
Lily could have passed out from running so hard. She slowed to a walk, allowing more oxygen to go to her brain.
"I have to be able to think about this," she said. Looking back down at her sheet, she saw that there were numbered sentences, 6 of them. 'Up the stairs, to your right, down the hall.' was number one. She veered to the right, and started walking down the hallway. She saw a small red box at the end. Her walking speed increased, although her legs felt shaky from the run. She approached it, and saw that it contained three small red flags. She grabbed one, and turned around.
"Number two," she read. "Through the door on your right, the end of the mess hall, and into the kichens."
Lily looked up. There was about 5 doors on her right. She tried the first. Locked. The second was also locked. As was the third. The fourth, however, swung open.
Lily stuck her wand in first, illuminating a small part of the floor. Whatever was beyond was lost in an abyss of darkness. She stepped inside, her arm in full extension. She needed to see what this room was, even though she was scared out of her mind.
The door creaked shut. Lily dropped her wand in a mixture of fear and surprise. It rolled, and she tried desperately to snatch it up again. She felt lost without it in her hand, somehow vulnerable.
The light of the wand bounced, only revealing more floor, until it rolled to a stop, illuminating something moving. Lilt thought it was a scaled tail, but no, it was a fish. A fish out of water. She stared at it for a moment, as she stooped to grasp her wand. Her hand extended, trying to touch it, but barely had enough time to close around the distressed fish before a forked tounge lashed it out of sight. Lily fell backwards in shock, legs flailing in an attempt to back towards the door. Once the back of her head hit something solid, she sprang to her feet and threw open the door. Lily could smell the rancid breath of whatever it was come cascading down upon her neck as her hand slipped over the handle.
This time Lily grasped the handle firmly and the door creaked open. She burst into the hallway, and turned to pull the door shut. She could only catch a glimpse of what that thing was in the room, seeing orange like eyes and more scales, as well as the forked tounge weaving its way quickly towards her. She dug her heels in the floor and pulled the door closed. It clicked shut sharply, and Lily noticed in utmost disgust that its tounge had been caught in the process. A shriek echoed from inside the room, and the tongue flicked around desperately.
Her breathing slowed, but her face felt warm. Lily leaned against a wall and began fanning herself with the slip of parchment. Her eyes did a double take of the parchment. It was double sided. She scanned the words, and felt her heart flip upside down.
'This task seems simple now, but soon the water comes. Move quickly.'
Lily wiped her forehead with her sleeve and tried to calm down, but the thought of "The others must already have 5 flags," kept running through her mind. She strode foreward to the last remaining door, hoping beyond hope that it was what she was looking for. It was. Oh, thank merciful heavens it was. And this mess hall came with a bit of a light source. Lily sprinted the length of the room towards the door opposite. The kitchen beyond was rather large, and appeared to have the capacity needed to feed a small army.
Lily searched everywhere for a red box, but it somehow didn't appear to exist. After a full two minutes of her precious time, she lost her sense of dignity and kicked over a nearby aluminum pot. It clashed angrily around the floor for a moment, the lid flying off in the opposite direction.
Three red flags fell in a knot out of the pot.
Lily laughed out loud, making a mental note to be angry more often. She grabbed one flag, replacing the other two and returning the pot to where it originally stood. She whipped out the parchment with one hand, while using the other to stuff the flag in her pocket.
'Down the stairs, through the hallway, blue lightswitch.'
She hurtled back through the mess hall and out the door. Lily made her way down the stairs by jumping three at a time, arriving at the bottom as if like lightning.
Her feet had barely touched the hardwood of the floor before the ship gave an almighty lurch, and she tumbled to the opposite wall. Her head hit the wall with a small thud, and her eyes had to refocus for a moment, chosing to do so on her knees. And it was at that moment that she fully realized that they were scraped. Badly scraped. Most of the blood had dried, but there were horrible black and blue bruises that were going to become painful tomorrow.
"No time," she huffed, dismissing her physical state. She pushed herself to her feet, noticing the slope of the ship as she tried to balance herself. Lily hobbled down the hallway, eyes darting from side to side, looking for a blue switch. She saw one, but it was encased in glass.
"Dimolus!" she cried, and the glass shattered into a thousand pieces. She flicked the switch, which activated a light, illuminating a drop box for a laundry chute. Opening it within a heartbeat, she saw that attached to the pulley were two red flags. She grabbed this one as well, and turned around to review the parchment.
Her vision blurred, and her knees went weak. The flag fell from her hands to the floor, and Lily blindly groped for it through the shallow water.
Water had began to accumulate at her feet since the ship had lurched, which had gone unnoticed. The water was rising, slowly - very slowly, but Lily's eyes had yet to refocus. Her head throbbed, but she managed to stay on her feet. She swayed dangerously, but she remained standing.
'Next step.' she thought.
'Hall - door - key -" the words were jumbling in her mind. Lily haphazardly made her way back out to the entrance, and saw Anya make a quick dash for the stairs. Her eyes narrowed. She splashed over to the door, the water now at her waist. It was coming faster now, leaking in from outside.
"Handle," she said aloud. "Get the stupid handle,"
She pushed open the door with a lot of effort. This room was tiny. There was another door to her right, which she had no choice but to go through.
It was a Waverlus. She didn't think it to be true, but there it was. Not fully grown, probably just a baby, but still dangerous. And there was Marc, trying desperately to subdue it. He had managed to get it into a corner, but he couldn't move fast enough through the water, nearing the elbows.
"Marc!" Lily called out, bringing her wand out of her pocket. He didn't look away, but he kept calling out dangerous spells.
"Don't try to finish it off, just subdue it!" she said, pushing her way towards him through the splashes and waves.
"Zis cannot be subdued! I have 'urt one of ze legs!"
"Stupefy!" she cried, pointing at the mouth. It halted. Marc looked sideways at her, and tried to swim off towards the wall right next to the creature. Lily saw what he was after, a large skeleton key hanging on a hook.
"Marc, No!" He would never get the key and get away in time.
Lily hated being right. He had managed to get the key, but he had gotten no more than a meter away from the baby Waverlus before it shook, and came back to life. No other spell could hit it before it dove beneath the water, out of sight. Lily's eyes watched Marc, swim towards her, expecting him to go down at any moment. Everything seemed to slow down then. The waves slowed, Marc's pace came in slow motion, and Lily's breath was slowing. The water was at her chest, and she remained stock - still, looking for any movement in the inky depths.
Lily's head whiplashed backwards, and she fell under the water. Water had gone up her nose, and she had no breath to hold onto. She had been pulled under. Her eyes opened, ans she saw only the black of the Waverlus' gaping mouth, floating calmly in front of her. Dear god, if she had the breath to scream...
She couldn't move. The creature had latched onto her knees with its legs, and Lily saw the damaged leg hanging limp right above her left knee, occasionally brushing against her leg.
"Expelliarmus!" she choked out, using the last of what oxygen was inside her. It came out as more "Eurglarrmuuh" through the water, but the burst of red sparks still came from her wand, and the Waverlus recoiled. Her head broke the water, and she could just hear the creak of the door close behind her. Marc was gone.
"Impedimenta! Stupefy! I- impedimenta!" she cried, trying to back towards the door. The pain in her knees was now imminent, and her vision was starting to blurr again. "Stupefy!" she yelled out, feeling her hand close around the handle of the door. The Waverlus was a distance from her now, but it didn't stop her from yelling out incantations one after the other. As she pulled the door open, she screamed her last spell before exiting that room.
Lily now had to tread water to stay afloat. But her knees wouldn't hold her. The water was rising, and she could barely see the door frame now.
"It's over," she thought. "I don't want any of this." Her body ached from its ailments. The throbbing beat harder and harder, threatening to make her faint, and her knees just failed her. Lily's head again slipped below the cold water. She hung there for what seemed like an eternity, eyes open, mind only slightly wary, but more scared than she had ever been in her entire life. She was staring at her door, her escape, her exit to where she had first begun.
'Just reach for the handle,' she thought, but her body did not obey. Lily saw the handle turn on its own in a peculiar fashion, but she could remember little of how it went exactly. The door opened on its own, and she was drawn out with the water into a hallway. James was there by himself, looking worried.
The water was back to knee level, although Lily still sat in it, trying to take in as much oxygen as she could. James pulled her to her feet, but her legs couldn't support her weight. His voice sounded so distant, although he was right there next to her, helping her walk.
"It's okay, Evans. It's all over - It's okay."
Lily tightened her hand around his shoulder, trying to keep her balance, but it just wouldn't happen.
"- Just a game," she breathed, before her world went black.
*
Wow, there's one more chapter finished, thank goodness. My fingers seem to be permanently bent from the effort, but I'm somehow not satisfied with this. What I wanted to happen - happened, but I'm sure you noticed a lot of blunt, short, semi-descriptive sentences. I hate those, and I just mass produced a truck full. Maybe this inability to write was caused by school and my new semester, or quite possibly a small bout of writers block. (The ending was written at night, :: looks at watch :: no, morning. Insomnia's a bitch, let me tell you...) No matter, it's here now. Oh, and I hadn't introduced Arabella earlier because she just didn't really play into the plot very much. But she's here now, and everyone's happy.