Chapter 26: Crossed Lines
Note: This chapter is more rated R than some of my other ones, just to give you a warning in case you skipped over my little tirade all the way back in chapter 1. Just thought you'd like to know...
Drucilla, Lily and Andromeda sat in the brilliant sunshine streaming into the Hufflepuff girl's dormitory. All three of them were troubled, but for different reasons. Andromeda was still a bit apprehensive about Severus; she seemed to notice something about his behavior that the other two hadn't. She noticed how he had been looking at Lily. His dark eyes were filled with a strong desire, and they were pointed straight at Lily. What, having both Drucilla and herself was not enough for him? He had to have Lily too? Only, Andromeda figured, there was no way that Lily would ever give Severus Snape the time of day. Not after their long bitter history...
Drucilla was fretting over Draco. His behavior upset her very much. She was convinced that something terrible had happened to him, and she was annoyed with Lily for not telling her every detail of how she had found Draco. The two friends were on the verge of an argument of epic porportions, only Lily wasn't feeling up to shouting.
Lily had something else on her mind. Rachel Lestrange. She found out, over breakfast in the Great Hall that morning, that Rachel had died last night. There were whispers of suicide, though no one of authority would say a word. No one was talking about Voldemort being in the school. That must mean that Professor Dumbledore had managed to keep that under wraps. So Lily kept her silence, though it was starting to grind her insides. She knew Drucilla was worried over Draco. Lily didn't know very much, but seeing as she found Draco Malfoy laying practically unconscious and without clothes on in an abandoned classroom, she could pretty much assume that whatever happened, it wasn't pretty. And it had to do with Rachel and Rodolphus, who was also missing. She didn't tell Drucilla any of that. In fact, she couldn't even tell her how she had managed to break her ankle last night.
Their session was interrupted by Professor Sprout. "Miss Evans, dear, Professor Dumbledore needs to see you. Mr. and Mrs Lestrange are here, he wanted me to tell you." She patted Lily on her shoulder, and suddenly, Drucilla's tongue stuck to the top of her mouth, and Andromeda shook herself out of her reverie. Lily was on the point of bursting out crying. All three of them rose from their window seat cushions to leave. "No, Miss Webster, you and Miss Black must stay here. I'll escort her to Professor Dumbledore's office."
Sadly, Lily left with Professor Sprout. The walk to Dumbledore's office was silent and brief.
The first thing Lily heard when she arrived at the top of the spiral staircase was a man yelling, "I'll not have my daughter's body touched by some filthy Muggle, Dumbledore! I won't have it. I don't care what your theories are!" Lily entered the circular office, which was so bright with sunshine through the skylights that it was nearly blinding. She took a deep breath and could feel every eye in the room was on her.
"Miss Evans, please have a seat." A chair with padded arms and back and seat was moved magically to her side, and she sat in it gingerly, gripping the arms with nerves. She was determined not to start chewing her nails. "This is Alastor Moody, you might have seen him in the Hospital Wing earlier. He is with the Ministry of Magic." Lily nodded. Moody was eyeing her in a very curious manner, at least his real eye was. It reminded her of a glare she thought Severus Snape had been giving her. She didn't exactly know what was going on, but it made her uncomfortable. "And these are Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange, Rachel's parents."
"From what we understand, you were the last person to see our daughter alive. Evans? I don't recognise the name..." Mr. Lestrange muttered. Both he and Mrs. Lestrange looked a great deal like their twin children, but Mrs. Lestrange was thinner than Rachel had been, and Rachel was not in any way a heavy girl.
Lily's eyes brightened. "Why, I can't understand why you haven't heard the Evans neame. After all, there are Evans all over Britain, and even in the United States. At one point, we even had a family reunion, all fifty thousand of us, in Evansville, Illinois."
Mrs. Lestrange held a handkercheif up to her nose, making at dabbing, and muttered under her breath, "Ugh, a Muggle-born..." Lily did hear it, but Mr. Lestrange tried to cover it up by clearing his throat. "Did you share classes with her?" Mrs. Lestrange asked.
"I was in her Potions class," Lily told her coldly. "In Professor Colton's class, we are not allowed to talk, therefore, we didn't get to know eachother too well."
"What happened last night, that you had occasion to see her?" Moody asked. The Lestranges, despite their grief, still managed to make evey effort to be rude. Their prejudices may get in the way of solving what happened to their daughter, but they didn't care.
"Well, I was on my way to see my friend in Hufflepuff House when I saw three people running so fast I don't even think they saw me..." Lily began. "One of them was Voldemort. And the other two were Rachel and Roldolphus."
The words hung in the air like an axe blade ready to swoop down. Mr. Lestrange stood up. "Not...him! My children couldn't be running with that lunatic?" he protested.
"That Half-Blooded misfit!" Mrs. Lestrange corrected him.
"He ran straight into me! I looked into his blood-red eyes. I know what I saw! It was Voldemort." Lily rose from her seat and glared at Mrs. Lestrange, who shielded her nose with her lacy handkerchief. "I'm not stupid, nor am I lying. Rachel and Rodolphus were with him, running as if their lives were in peril."
"But why? What could have frightened the Dark Lord so much that he'd run for his life?" Moody asked.
"Mr. Moody. I didn't say that they were running for their lives. I said that the were running as if their lives were in peril." Lily told him, while looking right at Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange.
"Forgive me, but I don't see the difference. What, short of deadly consequences, could make them flee so quickly?" Moody asked.
"I don't know for certain...All I can say is that Voldemort didn't care if he ran right over me to escape," Lily said. "But Rachel...She seemd strange. She didn't seem to care if she was caught. Rodolphus pulled her away from me."
"Did she say anything to you? How did she appear strange?" Moddy grilled her.
"She...seemed...injured. I've never seen anything like it. I don't understand it."
"Lily, please, try to remember anything she might have said to you," Dumbledore pleaded with her.
"Let's just say that even in the midst of their very obvious fright, Rachel managed to say a few choice words to me about my poor lineage. Much like you and Mrs. Lestrange are managing to do even during your grief." She knew she was agitating the Lestranges, but she didn't care. They, however, had run short on patience.
"You little Mudblood bitch!" Mr. Lestrange growled, reaching out and grabbing Lily by the arm. "First, you lie about my children, then you dangle carrots before our eyes, and lastly, you insult your betters! You tell us right now what really happened to my children!"
Dumbledore rose to his feet, and Moody whipped out his wand in alarm, but it made no difference. Lily shook Mr. Lestange's hand off her arm in one sure movement, and Mr. Lestrange was left glaring at his hand in shock. He gasped, and then breathed "They were running away from you! You killed my daughter because she made fun of you!" Mr. Lestrange said wildly.
"That is absurd!" Moody protested.
"And how would you know? You weren't there! I know what I see..." Mr. Lestrange breathed. "How you can allow people like this creature to attend this school, on the good graces of purely bred witches and wizards, like my children, is beyond me, Dumbledore. But I assure you, it won't last much longer. Come along! We're taking Rachel with us, and we're going to find her brother, if he's still alive." He and his wife hastily made their exit.
"Alastor, they can't take Rachel's body yet; I must know what happened to her," Dumbledore said under his breath to the Ministry Auror.
"I don't know how much longer I can stall them, but I'll try," he growled. On his way out, Moody reached for Lily's face, and caught her chin gently. "Don't you let those fools upset you lass," he grinned. "You just gave Mr. Lestrange a good fright, that's all."
"I don't understand how I might have frightened him. And what good did it do? Now he thinks I killed Rachel!" she cried.
"That's why, once Alastor catches up with them, you must tell me every detail about what happened, my dear," Dumbledore warned her. "We will be able to counter his accusations with proof that Rachel had motive to kill herself, but we can't do that without more proof. They will never believe ill of their children, and they would be able to convince a jury to side with them over a Muggle-born, unless you provide irrefutable proof of your innocence, Lily."
"Stop scaring her, Albus!" Moody reprimanded him.
"Get moving, Alastor!" Dumbledore countered. Moody stumped out of Dumbledore's office in a hurry. Then Dumbledore gave a look at Lily, who appeared frightened out of her mind. "This past night has been a nightmare, and not only for me. Lily, my dear child, I know that Voldemort was running away from Draco Malfoy. I have a suspicion that I know why, and it is of the utmost importance that you tell me what you might know about Rachel's condition when you last saw her."
"She was alive!" Lily protested.
"I'm sure she was. I find it ridiculus that you would take the time, with a broken ankle, to hang Rachel from the staircase landing rails. And I know Mr. Malfoy didn't do it either. You see, I'm fighting the Lestranges over having an autopsy done on Rachel's body. Do you know what an autopsy is?"
"Yes, I do, Professor, though I don't know what good it would do," Lily said.
"We know she died from strangulation, if that's what you are implying. But there was something else I'm certain you noticed. She was bleeding from her eyes. I need desperately to know how that happened to her. How the bleeding was caused."
Lily thought about this for a moment. Rachel had those bloody eyes, and she had said something to Lily, in rage and despair. "Whatever it was, I'm sure she deserved it," Lily huffed. She wasn't going to say anything that would get Draco Malfoy in trouble. Then Drucilla would really be upset with her. But if they were going to try and charge her with murder... The whole situation was unreal.
"Lily, I beg you, clear your name! If Rachel said anything to you at all, you must tell me. If you are by some remote chance found guilty of murder, you will be sent to Azkaban for the rest of your life. And let me tell you something, there's more to a visit to Azkaban nowadays than there used to be. Lily, they've found a Breaker, and they will be training him soon to take care of prisoners before they are sent to the wizarding prison. You may be the first person that gets Broken in almost five hundred years. If I had to live through seeing you go through that, I would not want to take another breath after that."
"But what if you get the autopsy done?" Lily asked.
"I think that it would help you."
"Professor Dumbledore, I'm feeling very sick to my stomach. Please excuse me." Lily dashed out of his office before he could open his mouth to protest.
"Oh, Lily, what are you hiding? What happened to Rachel Lestrange that you won't reveal?" Dumbledore sighed sadly.
Severus was allowed a fifteen minute walk through the halls around one in the afternoon. Classes had been cancelled that day, so there were students here and there. Many of them waved hello to him, since they knew he had just come out of a coma. He forced himself to smile at them as they passed by. He was in a most foul mood. He was making a list of things the had to do, and killing Lestrange was the number one thing. Severus had warned him to leave Draco alone. The bastard used Draco's inability to defend himself against him, as Severus had feared he would. One of the people he loved most in this world had been violated, no, raped with his own wand, and Severus blamed himself. How would he ever be able to help Draco through this, when he himself could not even comprehend how it must have been?
And then, there was that foul Breaker business that he still didn't understand very well. He was damned if he was going to live at Azkaban the rest of his life. He wanted to become an Auror, now more than ever. But Breakers were apparently very esteemed in the wizarding world, if the reactions he'd been getting from Uncle Aloysius were any gauge. He'd have to go to the Library and read up on Breakers, to understand more of what was now expected of him. To think that he had the ability to take another person's magical powers away! The thought made his heart race, but not in a good way. He began to hate the very notion that any human being could be able to do such a horrible thing. But didn't some people deserve it? Surely if Lestrange is ever caught, he'd be tried and sent to Azkaban. Then, Severus could see the need to strip the magic out of his flesh...
While deep in thought, Severus bumped into Andromeda Black, who was not budging from her place, planted right in the middle of his path. "What is it, Andi?" he asked warily.
"We have to talk, now!" she announced. Severus' heart began to race again. He didn't know what she was trying to pull, but he didn't like it. She led him to an empty classroom, and locked the door behind them when he shuffled in.
"What is it?" he asked.
Andromeda's cold grey eyes stared right into his deep black ones. She was tall, almost his height, and at the moment, more than likely stronger too. "I want to know what your intentions are with Lily."
"What? Did Draco say something to you?" Severus growled irritably. Yes he loved Draco, but he'd sincerely love to kick his ass, once he's fully recovered, of course. He had no business blabbing all over the school about his love for Lily Evans.
"He doesn't have to, Severus. I'm not stupid; I've seen you looking at her, like you'd like to get a piece of her next. I won't have it! I suppose I'm not enough for you; you have to have all three of us!" Andromeda was showing some of that Veela Blood that was reputed to be in her mother's bloodline; her face, pale and snow white, had two dark red blotches coloring her cheeks. Severus stared at her in surprise. She was jealous!
His lips formed a smirk, and he thought to himself, if only he was a little stronger. Or maybe he was strong enough... "You know," he began slowly, "I dreamt of you while I was in my coma..." Which was true, but he decided to omit the fact that she was just one of many girls he'd dreamt about while he was floating around in the Coma Dimension.
"You did?" she said in disbelief.
"Oh, yes. What is it about you that I can't get out of my mind? Or, maybe the more important question is, what is it about me that you can't get out of your mind?" he asked in an entirely different voice than usual. Severus drew nearer to Andromeda, and she didn't retreat. She was listening to his voice... "Did you miss me, Andromeda?" he queried softly as he reached for Andi's cheek.
"I..." she sighed. Severus came close enough to touch her ear with his lips. He pressed her body against his and began stroking her backside.
"You did miss me. You missed my words in your ear, telling you how much I wanted you. You missed the way it made your heart beat harder, like it is now." Severus steered Andromeda to a desktop nearby, and as she backed into it gently, he parted her school robes and let them fall from her shoulders. He could see her almost trancelike state as she watched his lips move. Passively, she stared at his mouth as he unbuttoned her blouse. He leaned over and kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth as he reached under her bra and felt her small breasts. "You missed how my touch made you feel, like you were in another world where nothing at all mattered except how your body felt." Severus' voice grew more husky as he grew aroused.
Andi leaned into the desk as Severus kept one hand on her breast, and reached under her skirt with the other. As he slid his fingers under her panties, he breathed, "Did you miss all this, Andi? Tell me you missed me..." Andromeda could only manage an affirmative sort of moan as he began to stroke her tiny sex teasingly. After moving her back more, so that she was actually on top of the deak, Severus slid his finger inside her, and continued stroking her nub with his thumb. Andi's wet passage close possesively around his finger, and he smirked. "Oh, yeah, you missed me alright. But I bet I know what you missed most, baby," he taunted her. Andi gasped as his teasing touch brought her to orgasm.
"Severus Snape," she breathed, "you're a nasty Slytherin bastard," even as she watched him open his pants.
"And you," he grinned as he entered her, "are a curious Ravenclaw who wanted to know what sex was like. So you came to me." He held her legs open as he moved slowly inside her. Andromeda moaned again as he moved. "You like this part the best, don't you? You want me to go deeper; you like deeper. Don't you?" he teased.
"Yes...now!" she gasped demandingly.
Severus gripped her by her hips and buried himself as deeply as he dared. He could dimly see Andromeda's hands gripping the side of the desk. "Like this?"
"Yes!" she panted. Severus then lost himself in his own pleasure. While inside a woman, he could forget all of his pain. He could find peace from his own mind, because his mind was absent, empty. All the stress departed, and when he found his release, he took a deep shuddering breath.
Unfortuantely, the pain and problems return all too quickly. He looked up, and Andromeda was looking back at him, frowning. "What?" he asked, trying to shake his brain out of the haze.
"Move," she ordered him. Severus backed away, and then turned away as he straightened himself up. "This wasn't what I came here for," she continued. Oh, so now she was annoyed with herself because he gave her what she wanted. Why did girls always want to discuss things after sex? He never could understand that...
"Like hell it wasn't!" he snapped. He was back into his foul mood, and that it happened so quickly dismayed him.
Andromeda shrugged slightly as she pulled her skirt back down and buttoned her blouse. "Not for a quickie in an empty classroom."
"Well," he drawled, "I'm afraid I don't have time for anything else. Madame Pomfrey is probably wondering where I am right now.
Andromeda snorted in an unladylike manner as she stood up. "Some coma... I've never heard of anyone having sexual intercourse less than twenty-four hours after waking up from a coma!" Severus rolled his eyes. Only a Ravenclaw would call what they had just did "sexual intercourse!" This afternoons activities could only be categorized in his Slytherin mind as a quick fuck!
Perversely, he said, "Just one of my many talents, Andi. Well, anytime that you feel the urge to have er, 'sexual intercourse' again, just look for me." Andromeda gave him a cold look and turned on her heel. The door banged shut behind her. "Ravenclaws..." he muttered.
After making sure his pyjamas were in place decently, Severus went to the door, and heard someone approaching. He hoped it wan't Andromeda again, and opened the door. Just outside the door, in the hallway, was Lily. She was peering down the hall, as though looking for someone. He found his voice at last. "Lily?" She turned and saw him. Her green eyes widened, and she looked as though ready to dash off. "Wait," he said quietly. "Who are you looking for?"
She looked doubtfully at Severus. "I was looking for Dru, or even Andi. But," she paused, "maybe you can help me." Severus smiled brightly; maybe he could help her! "Are you going to be seeing Draco Malfoy again today?"
His smile began to slip somewhat. "I should be. Why?"
"If I give you this, could you please make sure he gets it back?" Lily asked, reaching into her school robe pocket.
"Sure," he answered, watching Lily as she began to take something out of her pocket. He supposed it was a love note from Dru, at first. But then, he couldn't contain his shock when she produced Draco's wand.
"I've been carrying it around since I found him last night. Is he going to be alright?" she asked.
Instead of barraging her with question about how she could have found him last night, he replied, "I think so. He's going to have a hard time, but he'll get better. He has to..."
Lily handed Severus the wand. His stomach turned as he took it. Lily couldn't possibly know what had been done with that wand last night, could she? He prayed that she was clueless about the atrocities Lestrange and his sister committed. He tried to look in her eyes, but they were unreadable. "I have to go now."
"You can trust me," he nodded. She didn't answer, and flew off as soon as she could. Sure, she could trust him, he thought in disgust. Her friend must be halfway back to Ravenclaw House by now, still with the taste of his lips on hers. He stood there dumbly, looking down at the offensive wand in his grip, and struggled with all his might not to howl with grief.
Draco was prowling the halls of the school. Why couldn't he find those four twerps when he needed them? Especially when it was their sorry asses he was trying to save? He knew that he was in the genral vicinity of Gryffindor House. As a prefect or the school in the past/future, he knew where all of the Houses were located, even though he didn't obviously know all of the passwords.
On his way, he happened upon Lily Evans. "Oh!" she said in surprise, "I didn't expect to run into you here. I gave your wand to Severus; I hope you don't mind. I'm sure he'll give it back to you..." She frowned as she saw a shadow seem to fall over his face. "How are you?"
"I'll survive," he answered. "While I have you here, there's something I want to talk about. I know that Dumbledore and Moody have been pumping you for information about last night. What did you tell them?"
"Draco, it's horrible! I don't know what to do! The Lestranges think I had something to do with Rachel's death!" Lily cried.
"Oh, shit," Draco growled. "What the hell are they thinking?"
"They think I killed her. That I did something to her to make her unable to use her magic, and then..." she said frantically.
Draco's eyes flew open in panic. "Wait! They actually said that?"
"In so many words!"
"But why do they think that she couldn't use her magic?" he asked frantically. They couldn't have gotten so much information yet! They'd be hunting him down in the halls as they spoke!
"Well, they don't, I don't think," Lily looked pensive. "But I know. She told me so."
Draco's heart was pounding in terror. "Lily, did you tell them that she said that?" he asked.
"No, no I didn't. How did you know she couldn't use her magic?" Lily asked suspiciously.
"I know..." Draco took another big risk by adding, "because I somehow destroyed her ability to use it." Lily's jaw dropped. He drew a deep breath and continued. "I had to do something!" Lily's expression changed, to one of pity. Even though Draco hated for her pity, he had to play it. "I...can't even talk about it. It was..." He couldn't even bring himself to speak any more of it. "But Lily, I'm worried that someone will try to make more of it than there is. She committed suicide last night, because she couldn't use her powers any more. I know I'm asking a great deal of you, but please, please don't say anything about what she told you!"
"I won't say anything, unless they threaten to throw me in Azkaban," Lily told him.
"Don't worry; I'll make sure that nonsense is over with by tonight. But in return, just keep quiet about Rachel. Soon, all of this will die down, and we can get on with our lives."
"Oh, I could only imagine how horrible it must have been for you," Lily cried as she threw her arms around him. Draco sighed and put his arms around her too.
"Don't worry about me, and don't worry about the Lestranges. Once I get done with them, the'll be glad that Rachel's gone from this life and they'll be the first ones to turn their precious son in when he comes running to them for help." He looked into her green eyes that had been crying, and she looked into his that had seen untold horror. For a few seconds, they just remained in eachother's embrace, somehow transfixed by eachother's gaze.
And then, without any thought about what he was doing, Draco leaned down and kissed Lily's quivering lips.
NOTE: Just another reminder that I have a growing email list for anyone who'd like me to drop a line when the next chapter is posted!