Tears of Flame
Disclaimer – The good stuff is owned by J K Rowling, my absolute idol. The OK stuff I probably nicked from someone else. If so, SORRY!!!! If it's bad, it's probably mine. The chapter title was not intended to be stolen from Star Wars, but has been…
Chapter 2 – New Hope
Lily's eyes fluttered open once again, but the light was unbearably bright and she squoze them tightly shut again. This movement shot an excruciating burst of pain through her left eye. Instinctively, her eyes opened once again, the light wasn't as bad as the pain, but once she was used to the light, Lily discovered something much worse. She realised to her horror that she couldn't see anything through her painful left eye, and little through her right. She was practically blind.
***
Lily's screams brought three nurses running into her hospital room, looking shocked at the sight of the distraught girl sobbing on her bed, but relieved all the same that she had finally regained consciousness. A dumpy nurse with curly brown hair, who was clearly in charge, took stock of the situation immediately. "Send for Dumbledore" she muttered to the short blonde trainee beside her. "We'll need all the help we can get." She shooed the worried nurses from the room before cautiously approaching the weeping red head on the bed. Uncertain of how to halt the anguished sobs from the young girl, she tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder, but the girl shrank away from the gentle touch. "Come on dear, what's wrong?" the nurse said, concerned by the poor girl's reaction. This girl's scars were clearly much deeper than the horrific red burns across her face. Whatever had happened to her? She couldn't be older than ten…
The nurse felt anger boil within her at the thought of how the poor girl would live in the future… would they be able to cure her? Or would she stay blind and scarred? Fury raced through her body… What… or who… could have done this to her? She needed to know. Curbing her anger with some difficulty, she turned back to the girl. "Don't cry, sweetie, we'll try to make it better… I'm Arabella Figg, your nurse, what's your name?"
The sobs continued, unrelenting, from the girl. Bella waited, but as the minutes passed, she realised she wouldn't get an answer. "Come on honey, tell me what's wrong?"
Arabella swept the weeping child into a hug, ignoring the girl flinching back from her touch. "Don't worry, dear, it'll be fine, you'll see." "L-li-lily" Arabella was taken aback when the girl, still cringing from Arabella's hug, finally spoke, although her sobs were unabated. "What's that, dear?" "My name is Lily."
Arabella held Lily close, clucking soothingly to her under her breath until Lily's body went limp as she fell asleep, silent tears still streaming down her face. She lay Lily's slight form back onto the bed, heart clenched in sorrow for the unknown girl. Poor child Arabella thought she's probably a muggle. Arabella's heart felt another stab of pity as she thought of the girl having to return to the harsh cruel muggle world where she'd been treated so badly. Not that our world's much better she thought, her mind drifting to the paper that morning. The leading story had been about an up and coming 'Dark Lord'. It had been thought he was one of the 'small fry' – power hungry wizards who appear every few years, slaughter a few muggles then disappear when they've accumulated enough cash for a few years, or are done in by their own followers when they become too ambitious or greedy. But this one's spate of muggle killings had suddenly become much more serious:- the Armstrongs, a prominent pureblood family had been discovered murdered in their beds, with the dark wizard's sign – a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth like a tongue – shining in the sky over their house. It was believed that this new wizard was the protégée of a Dark Queen who had emerged five or six years before and had organised some of the worst Auror massacres for centuries. Now, under the growing shadow of the Dark Queen, Lithara, and her heir, Voldemort, the wizarding world was struggling to maintain its semblance of a normal existence. If they gave in to the panic swelling beneath the surface, their lives would be chaos…
Arabella dragged her thoughts away, and glanced once more at the girl on the bed, tears glistening on Arabella's cheeks too, to match Lily's own. She promised herself then to help Lily as much as she could, to face her monsters and leave them behind…
***
"Lily? Lily dear? You must be bored. I can get you some books or something. What do you like to do?" Arabella asked a day or two later, when Lily's eyes were a lot better – she could see, although things were rather blurry. "I like to read, especially fantasy. All that magic – I wish it were real," Arabella fidgeted uncomfortably. "And I love to draw. Could you get me some pencils and paper? And I like to sing…" Lily's voice faded softly, and fresh tears began to fall from her sore eyes.
"What's wrong dear? Does it hurt to talk? I can get some of the ointment if you like…" Arabella's concerned eyes looked into Lily's and she wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders.
"He used to hit me if I sang. That's why…" Lily, unable to go on, gestured to her face. "He was hitting me because I was singing. And I talked about Mum, and he got really mad, and threw the coffee at me." Lily dissolved into sobs. "Who, dear? Your father?" Arabella probed carefully, and Lily nodded mutely. "Why did he get so angry when you talked about your mum?" "She disappeared. When I was four. One day, everything was fine, and the next, she'd gone. Took my sister, Petunia, and I never saw her again. Dad got really mad at her, and at me – I think maybe he blamed me for her leaving. So he started to drink, got all depressed, and took all his troubles out on me. I don't know why she left, and I'm angry at her for leaving me but I miss her so much. I still dream about her, you know. I wish she'd come back for me…"
Arabella wrapped the now distraught Lily in a comforting hug, shushing her gently. Outwardly, Arabella was calm and comforting, but inside she was seething. How could anyone do that to their own child? Hit a four-year-old, torment and torture her for six years… it was inhuman. And the mother wasn't much better, abandoning Lily like that. No wonder the poor girl wouldn't trust anyone. She'd been hurt deeply, scarred perhaps for life, by the two people who were supposed to protect her. It would take a long time to heal, but Arabella saw that Lily would make it. She had inner strength that belied her frail frame and young age. She was a ten-year-old of nerve and steel. She had to be, to have survived six years of mental and physical pain at the hands of her own father. Arabella drew Lily even closer, her tears mingling with Lily's as she shared her pain.
***
After a month in the hospital, Lily was nearly ready to go home. The only problem was, she had no home to go to. Arabella offered to look after her for the time being, but didn't think this could become permanent. I'd love to she thought, but she's a muggle! She needs to be with her own kind… She was still anxiously awaiting Dumbledore's arrival; she didn't have a clue what to do with Lily now.
Lily was in much better spirits after her month in hospital. Her eyesight had almost completely returned, and although her face was scarred and needed to be bandaged for several more months, she only had sporadic spasms of pain through it. Her cut was healed, although that too would leave a scar. Even her psychological scars were starting to heal. Much of this was to do with Arabella's care and attention. She had become a surrogate mother to Lily, and both of them took comfort from the relationship. Lily, too was worried about what would happen next – she didn't think she could cope with being separated, once again, from someone she considered her mother.
So when Dumbledore finally arrived, the two awaited him with a strange mix of relief and anxiety.
Lily was surprised when an old man wearing a deep purple dress swept into her room. Worriedly, Had he come from the mental patient ward or something? she watched him and was about to ask what he was doing there when Arabella arrived, sighing in relief.
"Ah, Dumbledore, at last," she greeted him. Lily's eyes widened. This old man was the one they'd been waiting for, who'd tell her where she was going to spend the rest of her childhood? She stared at him, convinced he was insane.
"I am extremely sorry, Arabella, for my delay. I've been engaged very much at present, I had to organise the rescue of three Auror families that Lithara had captured before I could come," he was saying.
Lily couldn't understand half of what he was saying, but Arabella seemed to. She gasped "Who?" in shock, before shaking her head. "No that can wait until later. First things first. What should we do about Lily? I refuse to send her back to that… that… monster, and she really can't stay with me." She then hissed in an undertone to Dumbledore, but Lily caught the words although they didn't make any sense. "I mean, she's a muggle."
"Ah, my dear Arabella, that's where you're wrong," said Dumbledore, smiling beatifically. For the first time, Lily could see into his eyes. They were pale blue and sparkling, full of wisdom and humour, as if the world was a joke that only he could understand. Although he seemed completely crazy, Lily couldn't help trusting him. He seemed familiar, somehow…
Arabella stood in shock, her eyes wide with hope. "What? Dumbledore… do you mean…?"
"Yes," he said firmly. "Lily is a witch."