Rain inside and out
A/N : It's been 2 weeks, sorry lots of weird things going on in my life. Hope you like the chapter !
You're such a filthy witch
I hate you to no end
I can't see how they want
To consider you their friend
You kill all in your path
Just so you can win
Your heart is like this pop can, empty tin
Your like a snake plain old cruel
But when I look around
the boys all drool
I don't see what they see
And I'm glad to know you
So I don't get hypnotised and poisoned by you
- Elizabeth Vornbrock
Last chapter:
They continued staring at each other for another minute, as though to make sure they were really seeing what they were seeing, their expressions unchanging. The whole room was watching the scene with interest, no one daring to break the silence that had fallen. No one had ever seen Sirius Black this way and no one had expected him to say the following sentences he was about to pronounce.
Chapter 4 : Unforeseen arrival
" What the hell are you doing here, Liz ? " Black suddenly called.
" I don't believe that's any of your goddamn business, Sirius, " the girl replied through clenched teeth.
" Finally got expelled from Durmstrang, did you ? " Black laughed nastily. That had hit a nerve.
" Don't go any further, " she spat menacingly. Her eyes were blazing with fury, glittering like daggers, if looks could kill Sirius would have been long dead and for a fraction of a second, he looked uncertain about defying her.
" Give me one good reason why I shouldn't, " he finally said, daring her all the same.
" Dumbledore trusts me, " she merely answered.
" Well I don't happen to, " he stated sharply.
" Haven't changed in the slightest, have you Black ? " she snarled.
" I see you haven't either, " he called coldly. Silence fell once more for a few seconds.
" I'm not going to lie to them, " Black declared at last.
" I can't say I expected you to, " she answered briefly.
" Well then " he said looking over at his friends, " let me - "
" Oh shut it, I think I can introduce myself, " she interrupted, " I'm Eliza Claythorne… Sirius' cousin. "
Silence again. I didn't know what to think really, but at least we knew why Black had been looking at this girl for so long. They probably hadn't seen each other in years, otherwise they'd have recognized one another straight away. But even if their last encounter was distant in time, you could tell their mutual hatred was intact.
" I'm Lily Evans, " I said at last, trying to make conversation and break the silence that was growing uncomfortable, " this is Roxy Strider and Adriane Cloepfil. "
" Nice to meet all of you, " Eliza replied more amicably.
" Yeah I'm sure it's a real pleasure, but it doesn't explain why you're here, " Black said uncaringly.
" Grandma thought I'd be better off at Hogwarts, " she sighed.
" Well, she is the only one with sense in this family but it's quite impressive on your dear parents' part to have agreed to that ! Oh let me guess, " he said mockingly, " they send you here to spy on Dumbledore ? "
" Am I really hearing this ? " she exclaimed astonished.
" Show me your arm then ! The Dark Mark was seen in the sky no longer than three hours ago, it should still be quite apparent ! " he cried out.
" I cannot fucking believe you Sirius ! You seriously think I'm some Death Eater ? " she asked appalled.
" It's well know the Claythornes are one of the greatest Voldemort supporting families ! " Black called viciously.
" And the Blacks aren't ? " she snapped, rising up from her seat.
" I left my so-called-family a year ago ! " he retorted, getting up himself.
" What bloody difference does it make ?! " Eliza shouted. " I don't have anything against Muggle borns ! "
" Don't make me buy that bullshit, I'm surprised you weren't sorted into Slytherin. God, I can only imagine your parents' disappointment when they find out you're in Gryffindor, " Black continued.
" Just shut - " she started but he ignored her completely.
" I bet you're just so proud of them terrorizing the - " he exclaimed.
" They're dead Sirius, " she declared looking at him straight in the eyes.
" What ? " Black said unbelieving.
" You heard me, they're dead, " she repeated sadly, " he killed them last summer. "
" Well, it just goes to show how disloyal they were. When you've sunken as low as becoming a Death Eater, you might as well be a faithful one. But no, your parents didn't even show loyalty to their so-called-master. They got what they deserved - "
" Repeat that and I swear I'll - " she shouted angrily, threatening him with the wand she had taken out. Her cousin had done the same and looked ready to duel.
" You'll what ? Hex me ? " he laughed. " I'm sure you learned some nice little tricks in Durmstrang ! "
She looked at him piercingly. Indeed it looked like she knew every trick in the book, every single hex ever created. She held her wand smoothly, a firm grip on it nevertheless, but with an indescribable grace. It seemed she was one with her wand, she knew every element, every fiber of wood with which it was produced. If there was one person you shouldn't have messed with, it was with her. And yet as she glared at Black, fury and loathing almost possessing her entirely, she held on to every molecule of self control she owned.
" I won't sink as low as you, " she shot with abhorrence before turning around and heading up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Black started pacing around the common room in circles before he deliberately knocked over a vase, which shattered into a million pieces on the floor. He took no notice whatsoever.
" Damn her ! " he muttered angrily under his breath before heading up to his dorm. Once he had left, I looked at Potter, who was already looking at me. For the strangest unexplainable reason, I could tell what he was thinking and vise versa.
" You think we should ? " I asked him.
" Definitely, " he replied. Next second, we had our wands out and were pointing them at the Caroline and Victoria, the other seventh years.
" Obliviate " we shouted together. Two flashes of orange light came out of our wands and hit the two girls who didn't have time to react.
" Considering the rumor-spreading habits they have, it's best they forget what they've seen and heard, " I declared.
" But you… you're not allowed to do that ! " Adriane said taken aback.
" We're Heads, and Dumbledore's obviously the one who gave her the fake name so he'll be thanking us. However no one else must know, all right ? We have to call her Kathryn whenever we're in class, unless someone else wants a memory charm ? " Potter asked. We all nodded in agreement. I felt a speck of admiration towards him : the authority he had, the seriousness he took. OK, I've got to stop thinking about him this way ! He's an idiot, remember ?
" Well I'm off to bed, good night people, " Roxy said sleepily as she headed towards our dorm, followed by Adriane. I looked over at the clock hanging on the wall, on top of the fireplace : past midnight, yet I wasn't so tired.
" See you in the morning, " I said anyway joining my friends. I didn't feel like staying alone in the common room with the remaining Marauders. We climbed up the stairs to the seventh year dorm, Roxy sunk on her bed and fell asleep the moment her head reached her pillow. Adriane bothered to brush her teeth and went to bed with a quick " goodnight ". I laid on mine, but just couldn't get to sleep. Why was Potter on my mind ? I kept thinking about earlier under the rain. Come on, it doesn't mean anything, I told myself…
Realizing I wouldn't fall asleep, I got up and stood by the windowsill, admiring the half moon and the stars illuminating the dark sky. Suddenly, I heard gasping from behind me.
" No…please don't… don't do it… " a voice moaned desperately inside the room. The words made me shudder. I spun around and noticed the additional bed in the dorm, whose presence strangely didn't make the room seem any smaller. I guessed the bed belonged to Eliza, who was most likely having a nightmare. I walked towards her slowly. She was shifting in her bed, but it ended seconds later. I stopped in my tracks… silence fell… I was about to head back to the window when her voice send shivers down my spine :
" Stop ! " she unexpectedly cried hopelessly before taking deep, unsteady breaths. She had awoken. Oh god…
Sometimes you just have to follow your instinct… this was one of those times. I walked up to her bed as silently as I could muster, although I knew she could hear me. She was retaining her breath, listening for the slightest sounds. The Durmstrang way. I reached her bed.
" Dad ? " she asked, her voice shaking. I slowly opened the curtains to her bed.
" Jesus, it's you ! " Eliza exclaimed, shocked. Beads of sweat escaped her forehead, she was thoroughly shaken. I could tell her heart was still beating a hundred miles an hour.
" Are you OK ? " I asked anxiously, sitting next to her.
" Do I look OK to you ? " she responded insensitively. I didn't answer that, I just kept looking at her, unable to imagine what kind of terrible things were running through her mind. And I thought myself cursed to be thinking about Potter…
" I see them all the time, " she whispered finally, " everywhere… I'm haunted day and night. "
" Say what's on your heart, " I tried to comfort her.
" You don't even know me, what do you care ? "
" I can't sleep, you can't either. And obviously you have some pretty heavy burden to get off your heart, " I explained. She studied me for a few moments, as though to see if I could be trusted. She took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eyes. Sirius' eyes, I noticed.
" We were at a campsite. I was five. Sitting by the fire, watching the stars… then these three hooded figures apparated. My father went with them. Next thing I knew, chaos was established : people screaming all over the place, running for their lives, tents on fire. My mother was laughing, " she remembered, tears forming in her eyes, " laughing ! I was scared to death and she just stood there… laughing. "
" Then I saw my dad… advancing on a helpless woman on the ground. I was just feet away from her. Everything was on fire… she looked at me desperately, crying, praying for her life. I shouted at my father. I told him… I… " the tears were now sliding uncontrollably down her face. " I begged him to stop, to leave her… he just looked at me and smiled evilly, his wand directed towards that poor woman… he… I kept yelling, I… there was a flash of blue light and the woman began screaming… she was screaming so loud… twitching hysterically on the ground… and I can still hear them laugh… torturing the innocent… I implored him… I couldn't stand it… "
" Green light, and it stopped… I looked at the woman… her lifeless body, laying in the middle of hell… her despaired eyes still glaring at me… "
Silent tears had fallen on my cheeks. I couldn't think of a single thing I could tell her. I wanted to make her forget it all. But I knew it was engraved in her mind forever. I placed my arms around her and pulled her into a hug.
" It was one of Voldemort's first attacks, " Liz said into my neck. " The next day I had forgotten about it, someone must have put some memory charm on me. For twelve years, it lay forgotten in a corner of my mind I couldn't access… Then they died, and that same summer night, I relived it all in a dream. A dream I have constantly. I hear them laugh… I hear her scream… I see her gaze… a gaze that follows me everywhere. There's some things even the most powerful magic won't make you forget. "
" But you loved them, that's why you stayed, " I whispered.
" I loved them… " Eliza murmured almost absently. I kept embracing her tightly, until she had fallen asleep. I let go of her and pulled the covers over her peaceful body. The face that had been tense and angry looked remarkably relaxed. I pulled the curtains and proceeded to my own bed. Talk about an eventful day…
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
I was awoken the next morning by Adriane, who was trying to get Roxy and me up, in absolute vain.
" Come on ! Classes start in a half hour ! " she shouted.
" What ?! You're kidding me, right ? " I exclaimed. I looked at my alarm clock, a muggle object I had bewitched to work properly inside Hogwarts. 8am. What a great way to start a school year. I jumped out of bed, ran to the bathroom for a shower, got dressed and flew to the Great Hall for breakfast. We were almost there when I stopped dead in my tracks.
" You did wake up Eliza, right ? " I asked Adriane worriedly.
" She wasn't in her bed when I got up, " my friend replied. We entered the Great Hall and I was relieved to find her sitting at the Gryffindor table.
" Hey Evans, wanna go out with me ? " someone called from behind me.
" You'll never get it will you, Potter ? " I shot aggravated, not bothering to turn around.
" Never will get what ? " Potter bewilderedly questioned. He was sitting across the table, right in front of me. How had he… ?
" Evans ! " the voice pursued. I spun around to face Matthew Spencer, a Hufflepuff, walking towards me.
" What ? " I asked him, slightly confused.
" Will you go out with me ? " he repeated, rather annoyed. So it was him. He was the kind of guy who thought people were lucky to breathe the same air as him.
" No way, " I answered coolly, matching his arrogance, before heading towards where Eliza was sitting.
" Bitch, " I heard him mutter under his breath. I ignored it but a certain dark haired, hazel eyed guy wouldn't have done so in a million years. Next thing I knew, Spencer was covered in red paint and golden feathers from head to toe. The Great Hall erupted in laughter. I had to admit, it was pretty hilarious but I was determined not to show that to my enemy.
" Potter ! " I shouted.
" He just insulted you, Lils ! Did you really expect me to just stand there ? " he answered casually.
" You're supposed to be Head Boy ! " I cried.
" Do you ever chill ? " he asked, truly acting as if the right answer was far from being obvious. I rolled my eyes in annoyance and walked away.
" Can we sit here ? " I asked Eliza once we had arrived at her end of the table.
" Sure. Lily, right ? If you don't mind me asking, what's up with you and this Potter guy ? " she asked.
" THANK YOU ! " Adriane and Roxy chorused, laughing their heads off. " We've been telling her for ages that she has something for him! "
" Shut up ! There's nothing between me and that git ! " I replied.
" Anyway, I took your time tables since you weren't there when they were handed out, " Eliza said, giving us small pieces of parchment.
" Thanks again, " Roxy said.
" No problem, " Eliza replied smiling.
" So, you're Eliza ? " Adriane asked.
" And you're Adriane. Call me Liz, no one calls me Eliza, " she replied smiling, " could you pass me the jam… Roxy ? "
" How do you know my name ? " Roxy questioned, handing Liz the jam.
" You introduced yourself last night during that… encounter with my lovely cousin, " she replied simply.
We ate hastily and walked out of there as fast as humanly possible, heading towards the History of Magic classroom, as our time table had so delightfully indicated us to do so. Inexplicably, we arrived on time and were about to spend two long, depressing hours with the Ravenclaws, who didn't look exactly ecstatic about spending another year with Professor Binns either, when Black came up to me and asked if we could talk. Amazing thing was, he was talking seriously, a rare sight, and Potter wasn't with him, an even rarer sight. I followed him a bit further down the hall, where he took an overprotective-brother-watching-over-the-ignorant-little-sister sort of look.
" I just wanted to warn you about Liz, " he told me. I was utterly stunned.
" I think I know who I can trust, " I replied. He shook his head.
" You don't know her like I do. She'll do anything to get what she wants. She'll even put your life in danger if that's what it takes for her to reach her goal, " he insisted. I couldn't help but laugh.
" Do you honestly think I'm going to believe that ? " I asked. He didn't find it funny in the slightest.
" I'm just warning you, Evans. I don't want to see you get hurt, " he said intensely. It was one of the exceptional times he had ever spoken seriously to me, the first he showed me he cared.
" Look, she just lost her parents for god's sake ! Can you even imagine a millionth of what she's going through ? " I answered.
" Promise me you'll be careful, " Black said.
" Why do you care ? " I questioned.
" She betrayed me, Lily and betrayal is one thing I don't forgive. I don't want to see it happening to you, nor Roxy, nor Adriane, nor anyone else " he explained. I pondered the thought for a moment.
" Whatever happened to you, it won't happen to me, nor Roxy, nor Adriane, nor anyone else. I'm not going to stay away from Liz when that's exactly the opposite of what she needs. She needs support, Black, " I said.
" Promise me you'll be careful, " he repeated. I looked straight into his blue-grayish eyes and saw the one thing I never expected to see in them : fear.
" I'll be careful, " I assured him before walking away.
A/N : Please please please review !
Thanks to :
Amalynne O'Hara : Love you too ! lol. Thanx for reviewing, I really appreciate it.
Jess : Thanx for reviewing. It means a lot to me. You're welcome for your story. Sorry about this, it took 2 weeks, not one.
Gwen : You're safe, love, no RM is here to hurt you. I finally updated, wow. Took a long time. Sorry about that.
Lea Meow From Hell : explain why Roxy is irrational, dear. To me, she was just obsessed about her future happiness with her sister and got that dream of hers completely crushed when gin was sorted into Slytherin. Hope was crushed, that does have some dramatic effect, no ? And yeah I might have put Lily in too much constant denial. Oh well, it's what she's feeling though. Exaggerated, maybe…
The counter : you make me laugh. How can you ever expect me to take your review seriously, dude ?