Chapter Seven
Their first Quidditch game was in November, and it was with Hufflepuff. Joy. Hufflepuff's weakness was with its Chasers. The Seeker, Mark Corey, was pretty decent, but not as good as the Slytherin Seeker. She had later heard from Justin that Raphael had been indeed replaced by his cousin. They played Slytherin second, and that was sometime past Christmas. She'd have to show the Frenchy how good she was. Maybe he'd leave her the heck alone. In the past few days, he hadn't said much to her, but the glares that he gave her said enough. She hadn't seen much of Raphael, either, which was very odd. It seemed that his cousin ran him down from his throne of power. She didn't even see him in the Great Hall during meals. It was very strange.
They had plucked a few kids out from the second and third year group, and they'd scramble themselves amongs the young players and have a game. Lilus spent her time trying to do some on-field teaching, showing the kids to keep their eyes and ears wide open. The Red Seeker from before, a kid named Kyle Jasin, had made it, along with a third year named Taylor Pulin. They were both pretty nice kids, with just the right stuff for a Seeker. They caught on almost immediately and were eager to see the upcoming match against Hufflepuff. Kyle and Taylor were definately going to make her proud when she left Hogwarts.
The harassment from Frenchy was beginning to really sink in, and she kept trying to pry it out of her before it took root. She had seen Raphael what...three times during the last week, and during those three times, he had been by himself in some secluded area, staring off into space. She had not tried to talk to him. He was her enemy of six years, and she wasn't about to go goody goody on him now. He still picked on Jason a lot, though. That was one habit that he didn't grow out of. Jason didn't seem to be taking it harshly though. He found it kind of funny that Malfoy still threatened and insulted him without his group. Jason was having a really bad time with Frenchy. Everyone was grateful that they weren't picking on Kimmy, Diego, and Casey, although to pick on Diego was to have a death wish. Diego barely got into Gryffindor. He hated Slytherins, though, but he could rumble with the best of them, Malfoy included. This new Frenchy guy might propose a danger to him, though.
Lilus was patrolling the halls about twenty minutes before curfew, looking for something to think about. She was going to go see Remy that night, but she had some time to kill, and she could do her Potions essay tomorrow. The chance of getting caught by a Slytherin was high, but she was prancing about with her cloak about her and ready to become silent should she feel the need. That was the only bad thing about his office, being this close to the Slytherin House. She still managed to sneak past them all when they went out to look for unsuspecting students.
Frenchy had an Invisible Cloak. She had become a little paranoid about that, wondering if he was around every turn of the place. If she was caught, she'd get detention with McGonagall. McGonagall was a strict lady, and she was nice, but not fun to have detention with. Lilus leaned against the wall, sliding slowly down it until she sat on the floor.
"You inferior fool!" came a sharp hiss from around the corner.
Lilus didn't dare move. It was Frenchy, and if he was in his invisibility cloak, she didn't want to run into him. She stayed really still.
"Release me, Alexander! I am the Dark Lord's servant, not yours!"
Something was slammed into the wall, and there was an oomf!
"I am his servent too, cousin. You are disobeying your orders...and that deserves death."
"Get off of me," she heard Malfoy growl. "You touch me again, and I'll..."
Frenchy slammed him into the wall again. "You'll what? You haven't said a cross word to that girl yet. You are supposed to be putting her down as much as you can this year! She is supposed to be depressed, not getting stronger!"
"I don't take orders from you, Alex. Let go of me," he said, his voice low. "You may be a Death Eater, but you're not him."
"I may be his right hand sooner or later, coz. I suggest you start following your orders before your father finds out that you haven't."
Lilus felt sick. They were talking about Death Eaters and Voldemort. What was happening? Was Frenchy really a Death Eater? What were the orders? Who were they talking about? Was it her or someone else?
She heard the picture swing open, and both boys walk inside, more like one was being pulled inside by the other. Malfoy was growling at his cousin. Lilus peered around the corner and saw that both boys had indeed gone inside. She hurried to Remy's office, but she didn't tell him what had happened. She wasn't sure if she was afraid to tell him or what, but she didn't say a word about it. They talked like old friends, discussed her friends and school, and that's it. Nothing about her eyes. Nothing out of the ordinary.
When she was walking back, it was sometime around midnight. She had no clue that such a short-lasting conversation could last so long. When she got back inside, she found herself alone in the room, all except Jason, who was reading his Potions notes. She was kind of surprised. The other years, he hadn't devoted this much time to his school, but it had been a wacky year so far, so why not start with a hyperactive American?
He looked up at her and waved. "Hey, sweet-heart. Lupin fine?" he asked, grinning his trademark grin.
She nodded and sat down on the couch, rubbing her head. Jason put down his notes, and all of a sudden, he appeared right beside her. Darn Americans. She couldn't take an eye off of him for a second.
"Headache?" he asked, putting his arm around her shoulder and rubbing her back.
She nodded again.
"Did Frenchy get you?" he asked, savoring the name Frenchy before moving on to the last two words.
"Sort of. I heard him and Malfoy talking in the hallway. Malfoy doesn't like his cousin at all. They spoke about," she paused, rubbing her head some more. "Death Eaters and Voldemort. When I was coming out of Remy's, I got a really bad headache."
Jason pointed to the boys' dormatories. "You want me to go get Justin?"
She shook her head. "No, I just...need some sleep. It's been a long day."
Jason hugged her. "If you need to talk about anything, remember the insane American who named his cat after Star Wars, okay? Nighty night, chica."
She smiled and hugged him back. "I will. Night, Talon."
"Want me to accompany you to your bed?" he said innocently.
Lilus laughed. "I don't think Lindsey would like you drooling on her, Talon. Nice try."
"Damn it..."
She chuckled as she went upstairs, rubbing her head the entire way. You had to love Jason. He was just...so lovable. He was cute in a very strange way. She was certain that maybe he had some kind of sense in him, and she had looked, but that was in their third year, and she had given up since then. What had those two Slytherins meant? Why were they talking like Voldemort was alive? Why did they speak of Death Eaters? Voldemort was dead. He was dead. He was dead. Her father would never lie to her about something like that. The Slytherins were just pretending so they could feel important. It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.
Lilus couldn't sleep that night. She tried. She kept tossing and turning, but she couldn't sleep. She wasn't afraid. She was just...well...afraid. Maybe she was, but she couldn't sleep. She couldn't go back to Remy. He was probably in bed. McGonagall would listen to her, but then she'd give her detention. Snape was out of the question. She'd write her parents and tell them. No, her dad would flip. She wanted to tell someone.
There was just no one to tell.
She was alone in a school of God only knows how many students. She was in her pajamas and lying on her bed, but sleep wouldn't come to her. There was no one who she could speak to about this troublesome bit if information. She needed to get out.
Not even bothering to put clothes on, she grabbed her cloak and threw it over her long, black shirt and dark blue pants. She was barefoot and heading down to the stadium. She needed to get out of the castle. This wasn't right. Something about the way they spoke things wasn't right. She...wanted to ask someone. She wanted answers. But there were no answers to something like that. There were no answers to something that weird. There...just weren't any at all.
She slowly and carefully made her way down to the playing field, being wary of anything that moved. It felt good being outside. It felt really good.
************************************
The next morning, after probably no sleep, she was sitting in the Great Hall poking her food to mush, picking select piles of it to plop in her mouth. Justin prodded her gently in the ribs. With great effort, she looked up at him.
"Lilus, something's wrong. Tell me what's wrong," he whispered in a demanding tone.
She had decided that the Slytherins were just messing around. They weren't taking orders from Voldemort. It was from someone else, another Death Eater. Voldemort was, in fact, dead. He had been dead for longer than sixteen years. Those two boys weren't taking orders from Voldemort at all. It was just someone higher above then themselves.
"I heard...Malfoy and Frenchy talking last night, while I was waiting for the clock to strike nine," she whispered. All the Weasleys heard the word Malfoy and turned to her. "They were talking about Voldemort and Death Eaters...and I started to wonder if he was..."
Justin patted her on the back. "Voldemort's gone, Lilus. Forever."
Jason nodded, his mouth full of food. "Mobimorz pon pon pon. Nsr eee immm garn." Translated: Voldemort's gone gone gone. Never see him again. More of Jason's incomprehensible speech. "Mmm ao kobr." ("Damn, no cobbler.")
"Yeah, no cobbler, Jason! You ate it all, remember! Did you see how those Ravenclaw girls looked at you when you practically jumped on that dish?!" Nick laughed loudly, causing faces to stare from further down the table.
Baker smiled from across the table. "Voldemort's not real anymore. He's as real as Jason with a brain. ("Hey! I have a brain! I just haven't found it yet!") Even if he was alive, your dad would take him out again, right? It's no sweat. I don't think Uncle Harry would want you to be worrying about that sort of thing while you're at school."
Lilus rubbed her eyes and smiled weakly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But still, that was the weirdest thing I've ever heard from a Slytherin, guys."
"Don't worry about it, Lil. We can protect you from anything!" Charlie spoke out happily. "Except for Diego. I really don't know if we can save you from him."
Diego sent a rude hand gesture in his direction, grinning eerily. He then became interested in the cherry pie that was down the table.
This was her family at meal time. This was her family. She had a family. Why should she be homesick when her family was right here. She had no clue where she'd be without these guys. She loved them too, even Shawn. He was part of her family. He took care of her and the others just like they took care of each other. They were a family. They wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.
"Thanks guys," she whispered, but no one heard her for the conversation had switched to how awesome her father was when he killed Voldemort and how many ways there were to kill Voldie.
Jason poked her hard in her ribs. She looked in his direction, but instead of focusing on him, she focused on the doors. There was Malfoy, standing just behind his cousin, his head bowed humbly. There were rings under his eyes, and he looked like he'd been beaten. Frenchy stood two inches taller than his cousin, but that was because Malfoy was hunched over in shame. She had never seen him look that bad.
The two boys made their way casually over to the Slytherin table, and Malfoy sat down beside his cousin. She could heard Frenchy try and get him to eat, but all of a sudden, Malfoy seemed in shock and wouldn't touch any sort of food or drink. She suddenly felt sick. Malfoy looked like he was in shock. One of his eyes was slightly black, and she could see a bruise rising out of his robes onto his neck. That beating had been more merciless than she had expected. She felt bad for not interfering. Malfoy may have deserved such a beating, but not by the hands of a Slytherin, and especially his cousin.
"Lilus, you look sick. Are you okay?"
She felt like she was going to throw up what little food she had eaten that morning. Everything from the night's conversation rushed back to her and hit her hard in her stomach. The way Malfoy looked wasn't right. It looked as if he had not put up any sort of fight. Then it dawned on her. The Slytherins. His group had turned on him. They had held him while Frenchy or whoever had beaten him, and one of them probably stole a healing ointment from Madame Pomfrey. But his shock wasn't inflicted by physical pain. He looked like a father who's daughter just told him that she'd bedded everyone in a six-hundred square mile radius. He just looked...completely in shock.
What did they talk about once inside the safety of the Slytherin Common Room? What had gone on? What would she have seen if she had followed them inside without being caught? What would she know now?
"Lilus. Lilus! Look at me!"
She wasn't sure whose voice that was, all she knew was that she suddenly felt like she was going to faint, so she stood up and staggered out of the Great Hall. Justin and Jason stood up and ran after her. Shawn watched the Slytherin table carefully, and he saw Frenchy point his finger at three boys, three rather large boys, causing them to stand up and leave.
He stood up, and he followed as well.
Lilus collapsed somewhere near the Fat Lady. Hell, she didn't know if it was the Fat Lady; she just knew that it was a big painting. She leaned against the wall and pressed her forehead to the cold surface, breathing harshly. She felt sick, so sick. Her body wanted to throw up, but her mind was keeping it all down. She should have said something. She should have stopped Frenchy from beating his cousin. She should have stopped him. She should have done SOMETHING. Lilus had no clue why she was all of a sudden going protective on Malfoy. He had mistreated her friends, her family for five years, and now she was growing a conscience toward him. He deserved every bit that he got, but it should have been a Gryffindor or Ravenclaw that gave it to him, not a Slytherin. Not a Slytherin.
That wasn't right.
"Lilus! Lilus! Lil, are you okay?" Justin said, sprinting towards her.
"Malfoy...did you see him?! He looked like he was beaten up! And all I can say is that Slytherins did it," she whispered hoarsely. "I should have made a noise. I should have saved him. He didn't deserve that beating."
Justin grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her. Jason took her face in his hands and patted it softly.
"Look at me. Focus, Lilus. FOCUS DAMMIT! LOOK AT ME! That's it. Look at me. We are here. It's okay. Whatever you saw or heard or whatever, it's okay. Malfoy probably ticked off a buncha the wrong girls. You know how he sleeps around. He probably made them mad. See? That's all it was. Just a bunch of evil Slytherin chicas who got revenge on Malfoy. Look at me. It's okay. It's okay. Look at me. Chica, see? You're okay?"
She wrapped her arms around Justins neck and tried to stand on two legs. It took her a while, but she accomplished it. Jason always knew how to turn stuff down.
"He probably found out that one of dem was a transvestite or something. It's okay. Nothing's really wrong with him. Why the hell do you care anyway?" Jason said, letting her lean on his shoulder.
She shook her head. The sickness was gone now, and in its place was a void. She felt so empty.
"I think I neeeeed a nap," she said, running her fingers through her hair.
"Yeah, you probably do," Jason said, "since you stayed up all damn night at the Quidditch field. I know you love the game, chica, but that's not...good."
Justin looked shocked. "You stayed up all night? Lilus! What were you doing down there?" he asked firmly.
Jason shooed him away. "She just sat on the grass and looked at the sky. She wasn't doing anything. For all I know, she could have gone to sleep out there. She's okay, now, right?"
"I'm okay," she whispered.
"Not anymore, Shedevil," they heard the voice laugh.
Shedevil. She was a Shedevil. She was a devil.
They all looked up to see the three boys that Frenchy had sent after them. All of them were Justin's size and about twice as thick. Justin narrowed his eyes at them.
"Lookie, lookie. Shedevil's got the angels on her side. Too bad, guess we'll just have to get rid of them too," the one on the left chuckled.
Shedevil. She'd show them Shedevil!
Jason drew his wand, and Lilus suddenly knew why he was writing down every spell that he knew. Those weren't his Potions notes, those were his spells. He had been studying hexes and jinxes, charms and incantations. He was prepared for this. She turned to look at her friend and suddenly felt strong enough to stand by herself. She drew her want out of her robes, and Justin drew his.
"Locomotor Mortis!" shouted the boy on the right, aiming his wand at Jason.
"You used the wrong spell, you moron!" the middle one shrieked. "He can still cast!"
Jason's legs smacked together, and he would have toppled over if Lilus hadn't caught him. She nodded at Justin.
"Petrificus Totalus!" they both cried at the same time, each wand aimed at a different boy.
The one in the middle found that he was the only one left as the two on his left and right's bodies became as rigid as boards. They fell backwards, and he glared at them with pure hatred in his eyes.
"Stupefy!" he screeched, his wand aimed at Lilus.
It was like another Bludger hit her. Her wand flew out of her hand, and she shot backwards, landing on the floor with a thud. Jason aimed his wand at her.
"Enervate!" he cried.
Lilus stood up again, and all of a sudden they both heard "Petrificus Totalus!" from behind the last boy.
This boy fell forward, seeing as Shawn pushed him in that direction. They cheered, and Shawn took a sweeping bow. Justin muttered the counter spell of Jason's predicament. Jason patted him on the shoulder like he had known him forever.
"Thanks, buddy! I really wouldn't have liked it if I had to walk around school all day like a penguin," he said, walking over to the Slytherin that had cursed him and kicking him in the side.
Lilus sat on the ground next to Shawn, rubbing her back. He hugged her gently, and she hugged him back. He was silent.
"Hey, that was pretty awesome stuff, Nikodemus. Thanks," she said, smiling at him.
He smiled in return, but said nothing. Now this was the Nikodemus that she knew. Silent and cool. He stood up and helped her up. Justin came up with Jason still talking away.
"Damn Slytherins. You all are like gnats! You never go away! And there's too many of yah!" he yelled at the three boys, before going off into another rant again.
"We better be heading back before Diego conjures up an army of rats to come searching for us," Justin said, grabbing Jason and shoving him in the direction of the Great Hall.
Of course, Jason didn't notice. He just kept walking and ranting on Slytherin numbers, and how they should all be put in cages, every last one of them. . They entered the Great Hall with ten minutes to spare. They sat down, and Lilus did not feel sicked at Frenchy's horrified glare. She stuck her tongue out and flipped him her beautiful bird finger in his direction.
Diego was sitting there, picking his teeth with a knife. He smiled at them when they came to sit down.
"Did you seeee? The way he looked when you came in? It was worth a heart or two," he said between picks.
A heart or two was his expression for a glance or two, meaning it had been hilarious.
"Yeah, he looks like he's about to jump into the table and yell, 'You little babies! I eat babies like you for lunch!' That scrawny fool," Nick said, holding his hand in front of one of his eyes and squishing the boy in the distance between his fingers. "Die, bastard, die!"
Charlie laughed and so did Diego at Nick's little stunt. Lilus sat down and nodded to her gang that she was okay, while everyone began to listen to Jason and started to talk about how annoying Slytherins were, in plain earshot of the Slytherins. Justin forbade her to turn around and look at Malfoy, and he told Shawn and Jason to make sure she didn't look at him during Potions.
Lilus ate what she could, stuffing her face until it was time to go, trying to make that void leave. It did, and her panic attack fully resided. After that, she belched nice and heartily, and Jason applauded her while tears of joy rolled down his cheeks. He claimed that he taught her well, and the boys were happy that she joined them in their belching championship. There was no modesty when you were with the Weasley gang. When they were finally full and ready to go, all of them left to go grab their things, noting the still body-binded Slytherins in the hall, and school commenced. That day was a good day, and Lilus Potter enjoyed it.
Their first Quidditch game was in November, and it was with Hufflepuff. Joy. Hufflepuff's weakness was with its Chasers. The Seeker, Mark Corey, was pretty decent, but not as good as the Slytherin Seeker. She had later heard from Justin that Raphael had been indeed replaced by his cousin. They played Slytherin second, and that was sometime past Christmas. She'd have to show the Frenchy how good she was. Maybe he'd leave her the heck alone. In the past few days, he hadn't said much to her, but the glares that he gave her said enough. She hadn't seen much of Raphael, either, which was very odd. It seemed that his cousin ran him down from his throne of power. She didn't even see him in the Great Hall during meals. It was very strange.
They had plucked a few kids out from the second and third year group, and they'd scramble themselves amongs the young players and have a game. Lilus spent her time trying to do some on-field teaching, showing the kids to keep their eyes and ears wide open. The Red Seeker from before, a kid named Kyle Jasin, had made it, along with a third year named Taylor Pulin. They were both pretty nice kids, with just the right stuff for a Seeker. They caught on almost immediately and were eager to see the upcoming match against Hufflepuff. Kyle and Taylor were definately going to make her proud when she left Hogwarts.
The harassment from Frenchy was beginning to really sink in, and she kept trying to pry it out of her before it took root. She had seen Raphael what...three times during the last week, and during those three times, he had been by himself in some secluded area, staring off into space. She had not tried to talk to him. He was her enemy of six years, and she wasn't about to go goody goody on him now. He still picked on Jason a lot, though. That was one habit that he didn't grow out of. Jason didn't seem to be taking it harshly though. He found it kind of funny that Malfoy still threatened and insulted him without his group. Jason was having a really bad time with Frenchy. Everyone was grateful that they weren't picking on Kimmy, Diego, and Casey, although to pick on Diego was to have a death wish. Diego barely got into Gryffindor. He hated Slytherins, though, but he could rumble with the best of them, Malfoy included. This new Frenchy guy might propose a danger to him, though.
Lilus was patrolling the halls about twenty minutes before curfew, looking for something to think about. She was going to go see Remy that night, but she had some time to kill, and she could do her Potions essay tomorrow. The chance of getting caught by a Slytherin was high, but she was prancing about with her cloak about her and ready to become silent should she feel the need. That was the only bad thing about his office, being this close to the Slytherin House. She still managed to sneak past them all when they went out to look for unsuspecting students.
Frenchy had an Invisible Cloak. She had become a little paranoid about that, wondering if he was around every turn of the place. If she was caught, she'd get detention with McGonagall. McGonagall was a strict lady, and she was nice, but not fun to have detention with. Lilus leaned against the wall, sliding slowly down it until she sat on the floor.
"You inferior fool!" came a sharp hiss from around the corner.
Lilus didn't dare move. It was Frenchy, and if he was in his invisibility cloak, she didn't want to run into him. She stayed really still.
"Release me, Alexander! I am the Dark Lord's servant, not yours!"
Something was slammed into the wall, and there was an oomf!
"I am his servent too, cousin. You are disobeying your orders...and that deserves death."
"Get off of me," she heard Malfoy growl. "You touch me again, and I'll..."
Frenchy slammed him into the wall again. "You'll what? You haven't said a cross word to that girl yet. You are supposed to be putting her down as much as you can this year! She is supposed to be depressed, not getting stronger!"
"I don't take orders from you, Alex. Let go of me," he said, his voice low. "You may be a Death Eater, but you're not him."
"I may be his right hand sooner or later, coz. I suggest you start following your orders before your father finds out that you haven't."
Lilus felt sick. They were talking about Death Eaters and Voldemort. What was happening? Was Frenchy really a Death Eater? What were the orders? Who were they talking about? Was it her or someone else?
She heard the picture swing open, and both boys walk inside, more like one was being pulled inside by the other. Malfoy was growling at his cousin. Lilus peered around the corner and saw that both boys had indeed gone inside. She hurried to Remy's office, but she didn't tell him what had happened. She wasn't sure if she was afraid to tell him or what, but she didn't say a word about it. They talked like old friends, discussed her friends and school, and that's it. Nothing about her eyes. Nothing out of the ordinary.
When she was walking back, it was sometime around midnight. She had no clue that such a short-lasting conversation could last so long. When she got back inside, she found herself alone in the room, all except Jason, who was reading his Potions notes. She was kind of surprised. The other years, he hadn't devoted this much time to his school, but it had been a wacky year so far, so why not start with a hyperactive American?
He looked up at her and waved. "Hey, sweet-heart. Lupin fine?" he asked, grinning his trademark grin.
She nodded and sat down on the couch, rubbing her head. Jason put down his notes, and all of a sudden, he appeared right beside her. Darn Americans. She couldn't take an eye off of him for a second.
"Headache?" he asked, putting his arm around her shoulder and rubbing her back.
She nodded again.
"Did Frenchy get you?" he asked, savoring the name Frenchy before moving on to the last two words.
"Sort of. I heard him and Malfoy talking in the hallway. Malfoy doesn't like his cousin at all. They spoke about," she paused, rubbing her head some more. "Death Eaters and Voldemort. When I was coming out of Remy's, I got a really bad headache."
Jason pointed to the boys' dormatories. "You want me to go get Justin?"
She shook her head. "No, I just...need some sleep. It's been a long day."
Jason hugged her. "If you need to talk about anything, remember the insane American who named his cat after Star Wars, okay? Nighty night, chica."
She smiled and hugged him back. "I will. Night, Talon."
"Want me to accompany you to your bed?" he said innocently.
Lilus laughed. "I don't think Lindsey would like you drooling on her, Talon. Nice try."
"Damn it..."
She chuckled as she went upstairs, rubbing her head the entire way. You had to love Jason. He was just...so lovable. He was cute in a very strange way. She was certain that maybe he had some kind of sense in him, and she had looked, but that was in their third year, and she had given up since then. What had those two Slytherins meant? Why were they talking like Voldemort was alive? Why did they speak of Death Eaters? Voldemort was dead. He was dead. He was dead. Her father would never lie to her about something like that. The Slytherins were just pretending so they could feel important. It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.
Lilus couldn't sleep that night. She tried. She kept tossing and turning, but she couldn't sleep. She wasn't afraid. She was just...well...afraid. Maybe she was, but she couldn't sleep. She couldn't go back to Remy. He was probably in bed. McGonagall would listen to her, but then she'd give her detention. Snape was out of the question. She'd write her parents and tell them. No, her dad would flip. She wanted to tell someone.
There was just no one to tell.
She was alone in a school of God only knows how many students. She was in her pajamas and lying on her bed, but sleep wouldn't come to her. There was no one who she could speak to about this troublesome bit if information. She needed to get out.
Not even bothering to put clothes on, she grabbed her cloak and threw it over her long, black shirt and dark blue pants. She was barefoot and heading down to the stadium. She needed to get out of the castle. This wasn't right. Something about the way they spoke things wasn't right. She...wanted to ask someone. She wanted answers. But there were no answers to something like that. There were no answers to something that weird. There...just weren't any at all.
She slowly and carefully made her way down to the playing field, being wary of anything that moved. It felt good being outside. It felt really good.
************************************
The next morning, after probably no sleep, she was sitting in the Great Hall poking her food to mush, picking select piles of it to plop in her mouth. Justin prodded her gently in the ribs. With great effort, she looked up at him.
"Lilus, something's wrong. Tell me what's wrong," he whispered in a demanding tone.
She had decided that the Slytherins were just messing around. They weren't taking orders from Voldemort. It was from someone else, another Death Eater. Voldemort was, in fact, dead. He had been dead for longer than sixteen years. Those two boys weren't taking orders from Voldemort at all. It was just someone higher above then themselves.
"I heard...Malfoy and Frenchy talking last night, while I was waiting for the clock to strike nine," she whispered. All the Weasleys heard the word Malfoy and turned to her. "They were talking about Voldemort and Death Eaters...and I started to wonder if he was..."
Justin patted her on the back. "Voldemort's gone, Lilus. Forever."
Jason nodded, his mouth full of food. "Mobimorz pon pon pon. Nsr eee immm garn." Translated: Voldemort's gone gone gone. Never see him again. More of Jason's incomprehensible speech. "Mmm ao kobr." ("Damn, no cobbler.")
"Yeah, no cobbler, Jason! You ate it all, remember! Did you see how those Ravenclaw girls looked at you when you practically jumped on that dish?!" Nick laughed loudly, causing faces to stare from further down the table.
Baker smiled from across the table. "Voldemort's not real anymore. He's as real as Jason with a brain. ("Hey! I have a brain! I just haven't found it yet!") Even if he was alive, your dad would take him out again, right? It's no sweat. I don't think Uncle Harry would want you to be worrying about that sort of thing while you're at school."
Lilus rubbed her eyes and smiled weakly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But still, that was the weirdest thing I've ever heard from a Slytherin, guys."
"Don't worry about it, Lil. We can protect you from anything!" Charlie spoke out happily. "Except for Diego. I really don't know if we can save you from him."
Diego sent a rude hand gesture in his direction, grinning eerily. He then became interested in the cherry pie that was down the table.
This was her family at meal time. This was her family. She had a family. Why should she be homesick when her family was right here. She had no clue where she'd be without these guys. She loved them too, even Shawn. He was part of her family. He took care of her and the others just like they took care of each other. They were a family. They wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.
"Thanks guys," she whispered, but no one heard her for the conversation had switched to how awesome her father was when he killed Voldemort and how many ways there were to kill Voldie.
Jason poked her hard in her ribs. She looked in his direction, but instead of focusing on him, she focused on the doors. There was Malfoy, standing just behind his cousin, his head bowed humbly. There were rings under his eyes, and he looked like he'd been beaten. Frenchy stood two inches taller than his cousin, but that was because Malfoy was hunched over in shame. She had never seen him look that bad.
The two boys made their way casually over to the Slytherin table, and Malfoy sat down beside his cousin. She could heard Frenchy try and get him to eat, but all of a sudden, Malfoy seemed in shock and wouldn't touch any sort of food or drink. She suddenly felt sick. Malfoy looked like he was in shock. One of his eyes was slightly black, and she could see a bruise rising out of his robes onto his neck. That beating had been more merciless than she had expected. She felt bad for not interfering. Malfoy may have deserved such a beating, but not by the hands of a Slytherin, and especially his cousin.
"Lilus, you look sick. Are you okay?"
She felt like she was going to throw up what little food she had eaten that morning. Everything from the night's conversation rushed back to her and hit her hard in her stomach. The way Malfoy looked wasn't right. It looked as if he had not put up any sort of fight. Then it dawned on her. The Slytherins. His group had turned on him. They had held him while Frenchy or whoever had beaten him, and one of them probably stole a healing ointment from Madame Pomfrey. But his shock wasn't inflicted by physical pain. He looked like a father who's daughter just told him that she'd bedded everyone in a six-hundred square mile radius. He just looked...completely in shock.
What did they talk about once inside the safety of the Slytherin Common Room? What had gone on? What would she have seen if she had followed them inside without being caught? What would she know now?
"Lilus. Lilus! Look at me!"
She wasn't sure whose voice that was, all she knew was that she suddenly felt like she was going to faint, so she stood up and staggered out of the Great Hall. Justin and Jason stood up and ran after her. Shawn watched the Slytherin table carefully, and he saw Frenchy point his finger at three boys, three rather large boys, causing them to stand up and leave.
He stood up, and he followed as well.
Lilus collapsed somewhere near the Fat Lady. Hell, she didn't know if it was the Fat Lady; she just knew that it was a big painting. She leaned against the wall and pressed her forehead to the cold surface, breathing harshly. She felt sick, so sick. Her body wanted to throw up, but her mind was keeping it all down. She should have said something. She should have stopped Frenchy from beating his cousin. She should have stopped him. She should have done SOMETHING. Lilus had no clue why she was all of a sudden going protective on Malfoy. He had mistreated her friends, her family for five years, and now she was growing a conscience toward him. He deserved every bit that he got, but it should have been a Gryffindor or Ravenclaw that gave it to him, not a Slytherin. Not a Slytherin.
That wasn't right.
"Lilus! Lilus! Lil, are you okay?" Justin said, sprinting towards her.
"Malfoy...did you see him?! He looked like he was beaten up! And all I can say is that Slytherins did it," she whispered hoarsely. "I should have made a noise. I should have saved him. He didn't deserve that beating."
Justin grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her. Jason took her face in his hands and patted it softly.
"Look at me. Focus, Lilus. FOCUS DAMMIT! LOOK AT ME! That's it. Look at me. We are here. It's okay. Whatever you saw or heard or whatever, it's okay. Malfoy probably ticked off a buncha the wrong girls. You know how he sleeps around. He probably made them mad. See? That's all it was. Just a bunch of evil Slytherin chicas who got revenge on Malfoy. Look at me. It's okay. It's okay. Look at me. Chica, see? You're okay?"
She wrapped her arms around Justins neck and tried to stand on two legs. It took her a while, but she accomplished it. Jason always knew how to turn stuff down.
"He probably found out that one of dem was a transvestite or something. It's okay. Nothing's really wrong with him. Why the hell do you care anyway?" Jason said, letting her lean on his shoulder.
She shook her head. The sickness was gone now, and in its place was a void. She felt so empty.
"I think I neeeeed a nap," she said, running her fingers through her hair.
"Yeah, you probably do," Jason said, "since you stayed up all damn night at the Quidditch field. I know you love the game, chica, but that's not...good."
Justin looked shocked. "You stayed up all night? Lilus! What were you doing down there?" he asked firmly.
Jason shooed him away. "She just sat on the grass and looked at the sky. She wasn't doing anything. For all I know, she could have gone to sleep out there. She's okay, now, right?"
"I'm okay," she whispered.
"Not anymore, Shedevil," they heard the voice laugh.
Shedevil. She was a Shedevil. She was a devil.
They all looked up to see the three boys that Frenchy had sent after them. All of them were Justin's size and about twice as thick. Justin narrowed his eyes at them.
"Lookie, lookie. Shedevil's got the angels on her side. Too bad, guess we'll just have to get rid of them too," the one on the left chuckled.
Shedevil. She'd show them Shedevil!
Jason drew his wand, and Lilus suddenly knew why he was writing down every spell that he knew. Those weren't his Potions notes, those were his spells. He had been studying hexes and jinxes, charms and incantations. He was prepared for this. She turned to look at her friend and suddenly felt strong enough to stand by herself. She drew her want out of her robes, and Justin drew his.
"Locomotor Mortis!" shouted the boy on the right, aiming his wand at Jason.
"You used the wrong spell, you moron!" the middle one shrieked. "He can still cast!"
Jason's legs smacked together, and he would have toppled over if Lilus hadn't caught him. She nodded at Justin.
"Petrificus Totalus!" they both cried at the same time, each wand aimed at a different boy.
The one in the middle found that he was the only one left as the two on his left and right's bodies became as rigid as boards. They fell backwards, and he glared at them with pure hatred in his eyes.
"Stupefy!" he screeched, his wand aimed at Lilus.
It was like another Bludger hit her. Her wand flew out of her hand, and she shot backwards, landing on the floor with a thud. Jason aimed his wand at her.
"Enervate!" he cried.
Lilus stood up again, and all of a sudden they both heard "Petrificus Totalus!" from behind the last boy.
This boy fell forward, seeing as Shawn pushed him in that direction. They cheered, and Shawn took a sweeping bow. Justin muttered the counter spell of Jason's predicament. Jason patted him on the shoulder like he had known him forever.
"Thanks, buddy! I really wouldn't have liked it if I had to walk around school all day like a penguin," he said, walking over to the Slytherin that had cursed him and kicking him in the side.
Lilus sat on the ground next to Shawn, rubbing her back. He hugged her gently, and she hugged him back. He was silent.
"Hey, that was pretty awesome stuff, Nikodemus. Thanks," she said, smiling at him.
He smiled in return, but said nothing. Now this was the Nikodemus that she knew. Silent and cool. He stood up and helped her up. Justin came up with Jason still talking away.
"Damn Slytherins. You all are like gnats! You never go away! And there's too many of yah!" he yelled at the three boys, before going off into another rant again.
"We better be heading back before Diego conjures up an army of rats to come searching for us," Justin said, grabbing Jason and shoving him in the direction of the Great Hall.
Of course, Jason didn't notice. He just kept walking and ranting on Slytherin numbers, and how they should all be put in cages, every last one of them. . They entered the Great Hall with ten minutes to spare. They sat down, and Lilus did not feel sicked at Frenchy's horrified glare. She stuck her tongue out and flipped him her beautiful bird finger in his direction.
Diego was sitting there, picking his teeth with a knife. He smiled at them when they came to sit down.
"Did you seeee? The way he looked when you came in? It was worth a heart or two," he said between picks.
A heart or two was his expression for a glance or two, meaning it had been hilarious.
"Yeah, he looks like he's about to jump into the table and yell, 'You little babies! I eat babies like you for lunch!' That scrawny fool," Nick said, holding his hand in front of one of his eyes and squishing the boy in the distance between his fingers. "Die, bastard, die!"
Charlie laughed and so did Diego at Nick's little stunt. Lilus sat down and nodded to her gang that she was okay, while everyone began to listen to Jason and started to talk about how annoying Slytherins were, in plain earshot of the Slytherins. Justin forbade her to turn around and look at Malfoy, and he told Shawn and Jason to make sure she didn't look at him during Potions.
Lilus ate what she could, stuffing her face until it was time to go, trying to make that void leave. It did, and her panic attack fully resided. After that, she belched nice and heartily, and Jason applauded her while tears of joy rolled down his cheeks. He claimed that he taught her well, and the boys were happy that she joined them in their belching championship. There was no modesty when you were with the Weasley gang. When they were finally full and ready to go, all of them left to go grab their things, noting the still body-binded Slytherins in the hall, and school commenced. That day was a good day, and Lilus Potter enjoyed it.