Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise. Anything you don't recognise is most likely to be from my twisted imagination and therefore should not be taken.
Summary: Lily Evans is a sixth year plagued by insecurities and the ever-growing instability of her mind. When Lucius Malfoy makes her an offer that she simply can't refuse, she unwittingly involves herself in a far more sinister plot. No Lu/L, eventual LJ pairing.
A/N: I like this chapter, it contains a lot of foreshadowing material and although it's taken me a bit to write, I liked writing it immensely. Yvonne is by far one of my favourite OC's that I've created, which took me as a surprise. Review responses at the bottom. Enjoy!
The Road I'm On
Chapter 2: The Prophet Said
By Gulldara
"Run, run, as fast you can, you can't get away from the gingerbread man."
The children were singing, their voices loud inside her head. The sounds of footsteps on the gravel path behind her caused Lily to whirl around, eyes wide with alarm. There was no one there, but she was sure, she was certain that she had heard footsteps, hadn't she? Lily looked to the grove trees lining the drive, peering at them through obscured eyes. She walked a little way down the track, fear setting in as the footsteps started up once more.
The children were singing again, their voices raised and more demanding, almost shouting. "Run, run as fast as you can, you can't get away from the gingerbread man!" Lily stumbled up the drive, the gravel crunching under her feet, her breath coming in shuddering wheezes.
Footsteps. Singing. Footsteps. Singing. Footsteps. Singing.
Lily began to run. She needed to find the children; she needed to stop them before it was too late. Too late for what, though? She could not fathom the reason why, it had just appeared, as if mechanically placed in her head. The footsteps were pursuing, pounding down the gravel drive, spurring her to run faster.
Lily let out a small gasp. The grove trees had come to an end and in their place were great sweeping lawns, stretching across the width of a large Victorian manor house covered in wall climbers. She could see the children playing on the steps that led up to the grand entrance, their small bodies and faces indistinct, hazy at the edges. This was an unimportant factor. She had to stop them and their song, she had to silence their incessant chanting before it was too late and all was lost. What exactly the loss was, Lily didn't know, all she knew was that if they continued with their song it would only bring about a great evil and terrible sense of loss.
The footsteps were directly behind her. She started towards the children, racing across the lawn, positive that her chaser would have to stop for breath at some point. They did not, instead becoming more relentless in their quest to hunt her down.
The children were dancing in circles, much like she remembered doing when she had been a child herself, partaking in Ring Around the Rosy. She slowed as she approached them, casting a fearful look behind her. Still no one.
Looking back towards the children Lily found view blocked by a mass of black clothing, covering a chest that did not seem to be rising or falling with breath. Slowly, very slowly, her heart pounding wildly in her chest and her breaths coming in shallow pants she tilted her head up.
She screamed, floundering backwards and tripping up as the tall figure advanced on her, the flesh on his face half hanging away, looking as if untoward creatures had bitten it off.
"There's a good girl," he rasped. "Such a good girl."
Lily found her eyes slide out of focus as Professor Flitwick went into elaborate detail on the Bubble-Head charm, conducting the chalk to write out the specific wand movements and underline which syllables to stress in the incantation.
Charms was one of Lily's favourite lessons, she would even go as far to say she had an aptitude for it. Usually she would sit by herself on the left-hand side of the classroom, leaving the popular people to take the spaces at the back and the more attentive students the seats at the front. Today, however, as she walked into the classroom she had found Yvonne and her gaggle of friends taking her normal place, much to her distaste. Sighing she had looked around for another, more appropriate place to sit where she could be ignorant and oblivious to the scornful wisecracks sent in her direction.
She had gone to bed at perhaps one or two in the morning and could vaguely remember stumbling up the spiral staircase slightly dizzy from blood loss, the world spinning like a merry-go-round. Only several hours later she had woken up drenched in a cold sweat, her cotton pyjamas sticking to her back and her breathing laboured after another one of her nightmares. It hadn't been as bad as the previous few, but Lily still found herself increasingly nervous and agitated as night fell.
Blinking, her eyes regained focus as she thoughtlessly dipped her quill into the ink and began to copy down the notes from the board. She could clearly hear Yvonne Griffiths and Samantha Milton holding a conversation about the next Hogsmeade visit, taking place the following weekend, and the low mumble of male voices from behind her. Her gaze flickered to the window and the grey clouds that had filled the sky, promising rain. There would be no going and sitting where she had been the previous night, that was almost certain.
Lily returned her attention to the board and then to her notes, checking to see if she had missed anything of importance. Deciding she hadn't and with less then ten minutes left until the end of the lesson, she took out a spare scrap of parchment and load her quill with the full intention of writing a short letter to her parents. She sat there, trying to come up with a decent way to start her letter, ink loaded quill poised a few millimetres above the parchment and a globule of ink forming at the nib. The seconds passed. The ink globule became bigger. Half a minute and she was still sat there, almost frozen in place. The ink globuledripped from the nib of her quill and onto the parchment, blotting.
The longer she was sat there, trying in vain to come up with reasons why she should bother, the more ridiculous writing to her parents seemed.
Writing to them was like writing to a brick wall. They didn't ignore her per say, but she wouldn't call them the most attentive parents in the business. The fact that her letter would only contain a few lines about her well being and classes seemed to make it even more nonsensical. It would be two lines of lies, after all.
From past experience she could just imagine the sort of reply she would receive; her mother lecturing her about not using recycled paper and her father disappointed she hadn't made it into an essay, both contradicting each other spectacularly. She had always pondered what exactly had brought her parents together and why on Earth they had stayed together for so long. They had their quarrels andquite a few of them when she thought about it. They were two polar opposites, yet they had one thing that Lily had yet to experience in any degree and it was this that had kept them together, or so she supposed.
Love. They were in love and had been for the last twenty-three years, and that, that was what had kept them together. Above everything- all the arguments over both trivial and important things- the thing that was important was love, and her parents seemed to have a lot of it. Lily had never experienced love in any form.
She had been kissed before, by a boy who had been a lot older then herself at the time. It had been a fairly enjoyable experience, granted, but there had been nothing there. Nothing. And Lily was almost a hundred percent certain that she would end up as a spinster, living alone in a cottage by the sea and sewing in front of a raging fire. She would die peacefully, perhaps in her sleep, or in a Muggle nursing home. She didn't expect to have any children and was certain that her and Petunia would remain uncommunicative through out their separate lives.
That was the life Lily saw herself having and she didn't expect it to change. Love was only a fantasy for her.
Slowly she put her quill down and began to pack away, screwing the scrap of parchment up. The bell rang loud through the classroom, signalling the end of the school day for students and the start of a period whereby most of them headed back to their respective houses to get changed. Lily picked up her duffel bag and swung it over one shoulder, tugging distractedly at her robes, which appeared to have become slightly wonky over the past hour or so.
A little slower and less eager to hasten back to the imprisonment of Gryffindor tower, Lily dawdled at the back of the class, waiting for the bottleneck of Advanced Charms students to clear before she left.
She was a little sickened to see Yvonne Griffiths standing outside the classroom, apparently waiting for her. Her arms were folded across her chest and a small simpering smile playing on her face. "Evans," she said, with a little nod. Lily tilted her head in acknowledgement and stepped away, determined that she should get back to Gryffindor Tower unscathed. "Wait!" Yvonne said, her folded arms now by her sides. "I was wondering if I could have a little word with you."
Pretentious. The one word that summed up Yvonne before anything else. She was far too brash and forward for Lily's liking and the way she treated her friends- scornfully; lacking any real conviction when she complimented them- something Lily hated. She was fake. She treated people differently when she was having a direct conversation with them, to when she was talking and laughing about them behind their backs. Two-faced. Lily shifted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, conscious of the dangerous edge Yvonne had in her voice. Finally she nodded, her heart starting to pound wildly in her chest.
Confidently Yvonne took her by her elbow, squeezing it a little harder then was necessary and making her wince as her thumb pressed against a series fresh cuts. Lily was in half the mind to shake the taller girl off her, but it didn't seem a wise move to upset someone who already seemed a little more then pissed off, for one reason or another.
They were heading through a crowd of third years when Yvonne abruptly steered her to the left, into a more or less deserted corridor. It was then that she let Lily go and stood there staring at her like she was something nasty that she had found under her shoe. There was a momentary silence where Yvonne glanced around, making sure they were completely alone and Lily berated herself on why, exactly, she had succumbed to Yvonne's wishes to speak with her.
"Do you know who I like, Evans?" she asked, her voice cool and collected.
Lily frowned. This wasn't the sort of conversation she had expected. Deciding it was best to pretend she didn't know anything about Yvonne's personal life, for fear of Yvonne's reaction when she realised that Lily knew a fair amount about her, she shook her head mutely.
Yvonne stared at her hard and then nodded slightly. "Fine. I like James Potter, Evans. But that's beside the point, really. The point is I don't trust you as far as I could throw Peter Pettigrew. You're too-" she paused, " too quiet for your own good."
By this point Lily was confused. She had no clue as to where Yvonne seemed to be going with the conversation, but was highly aware at her ability to make her feel insignificant and worthless. Perhaps it was partially her own fault that she was too quiet, but she liked it that way. The less noticeable she was, the better. She had imagined being popular many times, but each time she could alsoimagine all her secrets and personal life being spread around the school and eventually becoming what she was now. In her own opinion it was just easier to miss out the part where everybody knew everything there was to know about her and proceed straight to being the quiet loner thateverybody considered her as.
"I don't see where this is going," Lily said, surprised at her own frankness and curious as to what Yvonne was actually trying to get at.
The taller girl stiffened and let out a small, cold laugh. "Well, then. Let me tell you. I like James; I like him a lot. And I won't let anything get in the way between me and him being together. Are you beginning to see what I'm getting at, Evans?"
Lily slowly nodded. Yvonne didn't want anything to get in the way between her and James. The only plausible reason why she could be talking to her was because Yvonne saw her as some unforeseen threat that she wished to eliminate, whether Lily liked James Potter or not. She could see that now, but couldn't help wonder why Yvonne was so bothered if she just considered her as a quiet girl who was easy to pick on.
"I don't like him," she said quickly.
"And you better not," Yvonne retorted, eyes flashing and fists curling. "He's mine. I don't care where you were last night, but if I find you were doing things in broom closets with James there will be hell to pay, Evans," she snarled, her face only a few centimetres from her own.
"I don't like him," Lily repeated, her voice wobbling slightly with uneasiness. She hated confrontations.
"Good, otherwise I'll make your pathetic life-"
"Now, now Griffiths," a smooth voice came from behind them. "That's not a very nice way to treat your peer, is it?"
Yvonne's mouth was set in a thin line as Lucius Malfoy walked towards the pair with his hands shoved casually in his pockets. Lily could safely say that she had never been so glad to see the seventh year Slytherin in all her life. His offer from last night came to the fore of her mind, echoing around in her head. She was suddenly more inclined to take him up on it, whether it was because he had just turned up when things could have got pretty nasty between the two went undecided in her mind. All she knew was some sort of elation had come across her now that he was here. She felt almost protected, for once.
"Malfoy, this is a small matter between Evans and me," Yvonne said, sure-footedly. "Now if you'd like to leave then we can finish and get on with whatever we want to do this evening."
Lily glanced uneasily at Yvonne, who had achieved a red tinge in her cheeks. "I'm warning you, Evans," she hissed, ignoring Malfoy's presence. "You stay away from him! You don't interfere! Don't even speak with him, not that he'd speak to you, but still," she spat angrily.
"That's quite enough, Griffiths," Malfoy snapped, drawing his wand from his robe pocket. "Now run along. I want a word with Evans. I'm sure you can finish whatever it was you were discussing later." He turned his head and nodded to Lily. "Coming, Evans?" he asked.
Lily felt a rush of gratitude towards Lucius and practically skipped over to him, eager to get away from Yvonne. Malfoy smiled and turned his back to Yvonne now that Lily was within proximity of him. Lily cast a small glance back over her shoulder and saw Yvonne standing there with a stunned expression on her face. She highly doubted that Yvonne Griffiths had ever been told off in such a manor that Lucius Malfoy had just used.
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Lily finally spoke, something she guessed that Lucius had been waiting for. "Thank you, for you know, stepping in," she said awkwardly, not used to thanking anyone for doing her favours, partially because nobody ever did her any favours.
"Griffiths has been a pain in your side since you started Hogwarts," Lucius commented dryly. "She ought to be careful who she starts raging about." Lily was dumbfounded and overwhelmingly curious as to where, exactly, he got all of his information about her from.
"I s'ppose," Lily said, at a loss for what to say.
Lucius stopped brusquely and in a very business-like manner said, "Have you had anymore thoughts on my- ah, little proposition?" His eyes gleamed.
Lily sighed, wishing that she had spent a little more time thinking about the subject. She knew that for anybody else it would be an easy decision to make, for her, however, it was the opposite. She had tried to make a list in her head last night of all the advantages and disadvantages Lucius's proposition had, but hadn't been able to get very far. The question she was now asking herself was whether it was worth it.
Lily wasn't stupid and knew that taking up such an offer would affect her present situation. For a start the Gryffindors that had previously avoided saying anything to her would probably be promoted into doing so, for her involvement with a Slytherin. She wasn't sure she could handle much more abuse from her peers, especially since Lucius couldn't protect her when she was inside Gryffindor Tower.
"I-I don't know," she said perilously, afraid of his reaction. Indeed he let out a menacing growl of frustration.
"It isn't hard; either a yes or a no," he said forcefully, as if battling with himself to remain in control of his temper.
Lily swallowed, licking her lips. He was right, it wasn't a hard decision. That was something she already knew. To her, though it was a decision that would sacrifice everything. Her walls and fortress were strong inside her mind, but these would soon crumble if she let him in. They would crumble under the pressure her fellow Gryffindors would, almost certainly, place on her. She could see the ultimatums, the shouting, and the violent threats already. It was something that she dread every waking hour.
The Sorting Hat had chosen to place her in Gryffindor and that had puzzled her. She wasn't brave and she hardly had the traditional morals of a Gryffindor. Still, it wasn't her place to question such a hat. She sighed, staring out of the window they had stopped by. She could almost see the Quidditch Pitch from where she was, and tiny blurs as one of the house teams practised for the up coming season. Yvonne's speech to her drifted into her mind and she recollected the feeling she had felt when Malfoy had stepped in. It had made her feel… well, it was indescribable. For once in her years at Hogwarts she had felt protected and safe. Something she hadn't felt in a long time. It was a nice feeling and she knew that deep down she wanted to feel it again.Standing before her was the one person who could make it happen, effortlessly.
In a moment of recklessness and want, Lily gave a small nod. "Yes," she said almost breathlessly, a concealed excitement washing over her like a warm breeze.
Lucius smiled more to himself then to her but in that moment she was too caught up in the emotions she was feeling to care. "Good," he said softly. "Very good."
A/N: Rubber duckies and cookies still on offer, everybody needs a) something to eat and b) something to keep them company in the bath :P Review, pretty please?
forsakenphoenix1- I can understand you being thrown, but I'm glad it didn't make you think any less of this as a story. I'm glad you think it has the potential to be a unique story, I hope so too. Thank you so much for reviewing- cookie and a rubber duck for you.
AdiaxX- I can assure you it won't become another sappy cutter fic, it's more of a background theme through out the story; you'll see mentions of it, perhaps the odd scene, but it really doesn't come to the foreground when we get onto the juicer bits. Lusty!James has always been somewhat of a pet peeve for me, but my James will be making and appearance within the next few chapters. Thanks for your review!
Sugar Q- I hope I get a few reviews, too. A girl can dream. I'm really surprised that you think I have Lucius as perfection, I wasn't sure about him personality wise, but if you like it then it's all good. Thank you for reviewing, it made me smile.
Liz- Thank you! Glad you like it and the rubber duckies and cookies, too. Really pleased that you think I did a good job on the first chapter, can the same be said for the second one?
mrsjesspotter- Hey there, it's my pleasure to provide readers with rubber duckies and cookies. :grin: Ah, all in good time. James will be appearing within the next few chapters. I wouldn't say Lucius makes Lily any more popular, but he does provide her with a few things that she needs. Thanks for reviewing!
anniePADFOOT- I swear I'll find someway to send you them. I've already got an idea. ;). Lucius does rock, majorly. I've discovered a whole new love for him. Now, you know your opinion of Lily counts a lot to me. You really can't stand mary-suishness, so hearing that she's realistic is like music to my ears.
AnotherDreamer- I definitely am continuing, definitely, definitely continuing. Really glad you like it so much; the comment about grammar and spelling really made my day, it used to be terrible, probably still is but, heh. Thank you for reviewing!
hazy dayz- Thank you for the compliment! The rubber duckie idea came out of the blue, but I think it's a unique offer, wouldn't you agree? ;)
Talon- It's here, I swear! Glad you think it's going to be awesome, I hope so too. Thank you ever so much for reviewing!
starburst1237- The last thing I want to happen, and I shall try my hardest from keeping it going down the cheesy road. You know your opinion means a lot to me, being an author I admire greatly. Can I expect updates soon:grin:
Just remember: reviews make me happy, happiness makes me want to write, which in turn means you get an update quicker. Also, those cookies and rubber duckies are still looking for homes! ;)