Chapter Twelve
Remus took Lilus back to her house early the next morning. He was grateful that she had brought her Invisibility Cloak. Lilus was heavier than she appeared to be, but lots of hard work and Quidditch training had sculpted her body into a lean, womanly figure. Remus smiled as he remembered how ga-ga the Alus boy was over her. The American in his class found amusement in blowing bubbles out of his snot. That sounded so much like something that James or Sirius would do. Harry had followed his father in fate, but Voldemort's cronie did the work this time. Poor Harry. Poor Hermione. Poor Lilus. That Death Eater had hurt her deeper than Voldemort had hurt Harry. Harry didn't know his parents when they were taken from him. Lilus did, sixteen years worth. All of it had been ripped from her.
No doubt she had thought about the Death Eater. He knew Lilus wanted him dead. She wasn't one to give up easily. She was a proud girl. Finding her like that last night had been the strangest thing. His sanctuary was her sanctuary, her secret place. That picture that she adored, the one of Remus and his friends when they had just started out in the world. Friends since their first year. He was the last surviving Marauder. He was part of Lilus' family just like Jason was a part of her family. The American always made her smile. That silly, obnoxious American. Remus thought he looked a lot like Sirius; they had the same eyes, the same royal blue eyes.
The same American that he found on the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room. Lilus always alerted him of the password, just for emergancies or something that required his entry. Jason looked up when the portrait of the Fat Lady in the pink dress swung open, and his brow wrinkled before he returned his eyes to the book he had been reading.
"Morning, Moony," he said, grinning.
Remus coughed and put Lilus on the couch before pulling her cloak off of him. Jason's surprised look begged him to explain.
"Good morning, Mr. Alus. Ms. Potter came to my office last night to..."
"Cry," Jason finished, giving him a pained look. "I know, Professor Lupin. I'm not as stupid as I look," he laughed quietly, putting the stupid grin on his face.
Remus smiled and sat down on the other side of Jason. "She talked of you a lot, Mr. Alus. I trust that you two are good friends?"
Jason smiled. "Yeah." he was quiet for a minute, and Remus was about to break the silence, but Jason said, "This feels weird. I'm talking to a professor like he's one of my homies."
Lilus had often mentioned that the way her friend spoke was bizarre. Homies meant friends. He had heard that from her repeatedly.
"Well, school's not in session yet," Remus whispered.
Jason nodded. "Yeah."
"What does she talk to you about?"
Jason shrugged and looked up at him. "She doesn't really talk with me anymore, not after what happened. I want her to. You've seen how she fakes being happy. She's tearing herself apart inside. I just want her to talk to me about it, you know?"
Remus nodded. "Yes, Mr. Alus, I do."
"But before the accident, she talked to me about a lot of things. I assume that this is okay to tell you with you being her godfather and all. She was worried about those glowy eyes of hers and getting a boyfriend. She won't be worried about those anymore."
Jason put his book down on the table.
"Why are you out here so early?"
The American grinned. "Bad habit. Started about October. Started to talk in my sleep. The boys didn't like it, so I started to sleep out here. It's really a lot warmer out here, with the fire and all. Lilus started to watch me. I found her sleeping out here one morning when I woke up. She puts on this hard exterior, but inside, I know, she's just like Kimmy. The problem is that darn shell."
"She is a strong person."
"She was a strong person," Jason corrected. "But, right now, I have to put her back together. They have a Quidditch game in a few days. I supposed that's when we'll see if anything suffers."
"She's definitely her father's child. Seeker, and a good one at that."
"Yeah. She likes you a lot. She really thinks you're cool. I think, that if she gets the chance, she'll come live with you."
Remus nodded. Lilus wouldn't choose to live with Ron or Ginny, even though she loved them both dearly. She wanted to live with Remy, even though she'd have to be extremely careful during the full moon.
"She's so pretty," Jason said suddenly. "I don't think she realizes how cool her eyes look. They glow in the dark! Isn't that awesome? She's soft too. Like if you hug her, you expect her to be really hard and stiff, but she's soft, soft and warm. She just has to find a guy to respect her for all her qualities. You like Every-Flavor-Beans, don't you? Yeah, Snape likes the frogs."
"She buys me a bag everytime she goes to Hogsmeade, even with Severus. A bag of Chocolate Frogs."
Jason grinned and nodded. "Quidditch helps her. She'd make a really good Beater right now. She puts everything into what she does. She'd blow the Bludger halfway to China easy, but I think that her being the Seeker is having a bad effect on her in that one way. You know what I mean?"
"Yes. Well, Mr. Alus, it's been a joy speaking with you. Please wake her at a decent time and make sure she is alright."
Remus stood up, and Jason grabbed his robes. "It's Talon, Moony. School's not in session yet. We're both Marauders, we understand. My name's Talon."
"Oh, yes. Animagus. Stole the potion, correct?" Remus said, just hinting that he knew.
"Yup, you know me better than I thought, Moony. But Lil...," he stopped, "Lilus...ouch...gave me one heck of a beating for stealing. It...pains me to remember."
For some reason, Remus didn't think that's what he would have originally said, but he didn't make a fuss over it.
Jason smiled as Remus left. "Bye, Moony."
Remus turned around. "Farewell, Talon."
And he left the Common Room. Jason made himself comfortable on the sofa and watched Lilus sleep. He could see dried, brown blood at the corners of her eyes and her shirt was red where she had cried last night.
'That hard shell. Lilus, I know you don't love me, but let me through...'
That damn shell. Why did it have to be around her? What was so bad about her eyes. He seriously couldn't find anything wrong with her. She was smart, she could have an intelligent conversation, she was fun, she was athletic, she was competitive, she had her virtues in the right place. What was wrong with her? She was the perfect girl. Sure, he was a little attracted, or maybe a lot, but she was a good friend, and it wouldn't feel right to have her as a girlfriend. At least he didn't think so.
He crept next to her and gently shook her. She didn't wake up. He shook her a little harder, and she stirred to life. With eyes half closed, she yawned and stretched, grunting in the process. She rubbed her eyes and stared at Jason.
"Jason? What...mmm...Remy's..."
Jason smiled. "Moony brought you in this morning. You fell asleep in his office last night."
Lilus sat up and tried to stand. "Oh, right."
Jason pointed to her cloak. "You're stuff's right there."
She turned her head and looked at it, then nodded and sat back down. "What time is it?"
"Six. You can go back to sleep if you want to. I just wanted to wake you up so you wouldn't be scared finding me beside you. I wouldn't recommend going upstairs just yet. Lindsey's up there, and she'll freak if she sees blood on you. Why do you bleed so much now?"
Lilus shrugged. "I guess it's because I slammed into that glass cabinet, but I really don't know. It's weird, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but Lilus, seriously, you need to go back to sleep. You want me to go get a blanket or something?"
She shook her head lazily, and it was apparent that she was still half asleep. She moved closer to him and cuddled his arm, much to his shock, surprise, and amusement. Lilus curled up next to him, with her chin resting on his shoulder, and both her arms around his. It was the perfect moment to him. Sure, he liked her a lot, and she was just...there. Warm, soft, and attached to his arm.
Jason smiled to himself. He slid an arm under her knees and lifted her into his lap. He had slept like that with his dad before, and he remembered how sore he was the next morning. She leaned against his chest, and his arms curled around her to keep her there. He leaned his head back on the couch, and his eyes met something.
Crookshanks.
That old, mangy cat was standing at the top of the staircase staring at him with eyes that glowed in the dark. It seemed to be glaring at him, and it didn't move, not one muscle. After a few minutes, Crookshanks sat down at the top of the staircase, his eyes not blinking hardly at all. Jason shivered.
'Lilus, your cat's gotta go. I swear to God that that thing's gonna eat my soul while I sleep.'
Crookshanks turned and made his way down the spiral staircase. Jason really wished that the cat would go away when it approached the couch. The cat jumped up onto the empty space beside him, and the large ginger blob plopped down next to his right leg, his body vibrating almost violently.
'Maybe you're not so bad after all.'
Jason leaned his head back and closed his eyes. No nightmares came that night, and both he and Lilus slept soundly until Jason was awakened at eight thirty by Crookshanks' claws against his leg and dangerously close to...well...something else.
****************************************
"Nick! Pass the muffins! Noo...Jason, don't eat them all! Someone throw me a muffin!" Lilus squealed as Nick was teasing her with the silver pan of warm, fruity muffins.
From farther down the table, someone threw a muffin in her direction. She caught it and waved it in the direction that it hailed from.
"Thanks, Lindsey!" she said.
"No problem, Lil," came the reply.
Lilus ate her muffin quickly, because Nick would take his chances and try to steal it right out of her fingers if she gave him a window. Diego picked up a roll and threw it at his cousin. Jason plucked it from the air as it fell and chomped it down. A grape went flying, as well as an orange. Both ended up on Jason's plate. He was hording food for something, and it was rather amusing. Diego was sitting in awkward silence on the other side of Justin.
"Today's the day. Lunchtime."
Lilus grinned. The prank that Diego was supposed to grace them with was today. Their game was tomorrow. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Lilus was prepped and ready for the game. She was on her toes with the Bludgers thanks to Nick and Charlie.
"Hey, Charlie! Bludger attack!"
Charlie looked up from his plate, and Lilus pelted him with an orange. He caught it just before it hit his eye. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Charlie hurled the orange at her, but it was confiscated by Jason who now had a pile or rolls, muffins, oranges, and other fruit on his plate. He grinned and began throwing random pieces at his friends, laughing maniacally.
"Muhahahahahahahhaaa!"
She pinched Jason in his side, and he doubled over and giggled. All the boys were ticklish in some way. She was too, they just didn't know where. Jason seeemed keen on figuring out because he kept prodding her in different places hoping for a reaction.
"Justin, did you have to transfigure a stick into a cat?" Lilus said, grimacing. "I'm having a little bit of trouble in that..."
Justin looked up from his plate, and his eyes narrowed. "How...can...you," he whispered, "just shrug it off?"
Lilus stared at him. "What?"
"Your parents are dead, Lilus. Dead! As in you will never see them again! And you act like they just got in a car accident. Don't you know that they're dead?"
His voice had risen, and the others stopped talking and were now staring fearfully down at them. Lilus felt the funny feeling behind her nose again, and the blood began to fall.
"You saw them. I saw them. Not even thirty seconds after they were murdered! You were there! You watched them lay there dead!" Justin had tears falling down his cheeks, and his eyes were swollen. "Harry and Hermione are dead!"
A lot of other people had noticed. Lilus stood up and tried hard not to cry in front of the entire school, but those blood tears were already soaking her robes. She glared harshly at Justin.
"Justin, man, what was that for? You know she's sad about it," Jason said.
"Justin, that was totally uncalled for!" Shawn yelled.
"What the hell do you have to say for it?! You didn't see them die!" Justin bellowed back.
"She mourns for them!" Shawn countered. "You just don't see it because she chooses it to be that way."
"She doesn't act it!" Justin hissed.
Nearly everyone in the Great Hall had gone silent. Lilus clenched her fists and turned around, walking towards the tall doors. She stopped at the edge and stared at the wall. She stared at Justin with her red eyes and hissed threateningly at him. Professor McGonagall stood up, whimpering slightly. Lilus cried loudly and slammed her fist into the wall, taking a small chunk out of the solid stone. She fell against the wall and slid down it, tears falling down her face and down her hands. She trembled violently as she stood up again and ran from the room. Jason jumped out of his place and ran after her, sending Justin the coldest death look that he could muster.
Lilus ran down to the Quidditch field in the cold weather all by herself with tears streaming down her cheeks. She drew her cloak around her and sat one of the Gryffindor benches in their dressing room. She cried softly into her knees, and wished that the earth would just open up and swallow her.
She did feel horrible about what had happened. She tried hard not to think about it, but it just wouldn't work that way. It would affect the rest of her life. It would always be a void in her heart. She just didn't want to force any bad feelings upon her friends. She didn't want to make them feel bad about what had happened, although they were probably putting on the happy face for her. She sobbed loudly and cried out in the silence, trying to release the pain. It hurt. It hurt her every second of every day. Her parents were dead. She would never see them again except in the pictures on the wall at her home.
Why did Justin have to do that?
He had never done that before. That completely blew her out of the water. He knew perfectly well that she was scared, lonely, sad beyond reason. No more. She was sad. She suddenly felt the urge to vomit, but she kept it in her stomach, whimpering to herself in the dark.
"Lilus...?"
The door opened, and Jason stood there, a sillouette against the morning sky. He ran forward to her and immediately embraced her tightly, holding her very close. His hand went to her neck and his arm was around her. She hugged his neck and cried.
"Lilus, oh...I am so sorry," he whispered into her hair. "Justin is just scared. He doesn't know what he said. He didn't know."
She sobbed loudly into his shoulder, trembling against him. God, he was so warm.
"Shh. It'll be okay. I'm here for you. It's okay."
"Jason...I'm just...trying to keep everyone happy."
He sat down next to her and continued to hold him in his arms. "I know. They are proud of you because you're taking it so well. They know that it hurts you. I guess...since Justin was there...it affected him more. Calm down, chica. It's okay."
"I can't keep it up. Not anymore. I tried...I tried..."
"I know. You did good. Oh, geez. Your hand's bleeding."
He opened his robes and tore at his Muggle t-shirt and tied the wound on her knuckles. She whimpered as he did, the nerves returning to her. Jason kissed her forehead and held her tight against him for the rest of breakfast.
******************
The boys had asked her if she was alright when she and Jason arrived at Transfiguration. Professor Aegis took her aside when she arrived at the class, hastily ushering Jason to his seat.
"Ms. Potter, Professor Dumbledore wants to speak with you. He's waiting in the Great Hall," the young professor said with a pity look on his face.
Lilus nodded and tried to mop more of the tears from her eyes. She just couldn't stop crying. She turned away from the classroom, and Jason jumped out of his desk to follow her, but Professor Aegis stopped him.
"This includes her, Mr. Alus, not you. Sit down and do not disrupt this class again."
Lilus sauntered down the hallway, drawing her hand over the stone walls. The halls were empty except for the occasional student that was late to class. She reached the Great Hall and entered cautiously, staring at the ground and making it a point not to look at the teachers. She could see that the small chunks of stone that had been on the floor had been put back into place on the wall and had been fixed with magic.
"Ms. Potter...was that...when you spoke during that quarrel with Mr. Weasley...Parseltongue?"
Lilus' head snapped up to stare at Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore. There were only three people in the room, and that was it. Lilus walked down to the end of the Gryffindor table before taking the seat closest to the teacher table where they sat. Both of them stared at her intently.
"I don't know. Was it?" Lilus said in a partial growl.
Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed, it was, child. A rare gift, yet your father possessed it. Is it perhaps...that you inherited it from him?"
Lilus drew her knees up to her chest and shrugged again. "I can't remember any time where I've been able to speak Parseltongue. And...if it's not too much to ask, I'd rather not talk about...them."
Minerva nodded, her withered face slightly saddened. "Please, Ms. Potter, understand that Mr. Weasley was with you at your parents' murders. He knew them most of his life as well."
Lilus was silent, and she didn't look up at them.
"Mr. Weasley knows them as second parents, and I'm sure his father has made Harry his godfather just as Harry made Ronald yours," she continued.
"I'm sorry about the wall," she said, not really finding anything else to talk about.
Albus smiled placidly. "Young one, as you can see it is healed, and I see that you have yet to be."
Lilus snatched her hand under her robes. "I'm fine."
"Ms. Potter, how did you manage the strength to break a stone wall with one punch?" Minerva said.
Both of the teachers had wanted to know the answer, but Minerva had been the one to throw it at her.
"I...I'm...an...uh...I don't know. I'm very strong for my age."
Dumbledore nodded. "Very strong, indeed. Dear, if you wish to speak with someone about your parents' deaths, and I know you need to, any of the teachers will listen to you contently."
Lilus shook her head. "This is my problem. I put on a happy face for the welfare of the teachers and my friends."
"Professor Lupin tells me otherwise," Albus said, folding his hands.
"Remy is my godfather. I'm probably going to end up living with either him or Uncle Ron or Aunt Ginny. Why shouldn't he know?"
"He should, Lilus. But, when you hide what you truly are feeling, it is then that your friends fear for you the most," the old man said. "Talk to them, I implore you. Tell them the way you feel. Let them know your pain and suffering just once, and they will understand the wonderfully deceptive facade that you wear."
There was a silence, and then Professor McGonagall said: "Dear, go visit Madame Pomfrey and then return to your class."
Lilus was all to eager to get out of there. She couldn't cry anymore, it was too life-threatening. She walked down to the hospital wing, where Madame Pomfrey recieved her with open arms and a few healing spells.
****************************
"Albus, the blood tears, I do recall reading about that in a library, although unfortunately, I cannot recall which book or what the article was," Minerva said as she and the old wizard walked down the hall, propped up on a cane. "I just remember thinking that it was horrible."
Albus looked at her with blank eyes. "What danger could that child be undergoing? Minerva?"
"I do not know, but we need to find out as fast as possible. If this keeps happening, she could very well bleed to death!"
He nodded. "I am aware of that, and it strikes fear into my heart. We must speak to Severus. If it is the symptom of something that was potion-inflicted, he will know, although if he did, I'm sure he would have alerted us by now."
"What of Remus? Would he know anything about the blood tears?"
"I shall ask all the teachers during lunchtime, my dear. If anyone knows anything about blood tears, we shall know."
"If the answer does not come by the others, we much research this matter. Albus, for all we know, this could be a life and death matter."
He met Minerva's deep, fearful stare with his own. "I know, Minerva. That is precisely why we cannot procrastinate about this. After the meal is over, we must go to the library and try to find a book about it. Madame Pince might be able to point us in the correct direction."
"Albus, first James, now Harry, what will happen to Lilus?"
"Only time can surely tell, Minerva. We can only hope for the best from her."
The rest of their walk was silent and full of thought as they rushed to the library to begin their research that could either cause salvation or destruction.
Remus took Lilus back to her house early the next morning. He was grateful that she had brought her Invisibility Cloak. Lilus was heavier than she appeared to be, but lots of hard work and Quidditch training had sculpted her body into a lean, womanly figure. Remus smiled as he remembered how ga-ga the Alus boy was over her. The American in his class found amusement in blowing bubbles out of his snot. That sounded so much like something that James or Sirius would do. Harry had followed his father in fate, but Voldemort's cronie did the work this time. Poor Harry. Poor Hermione. Poor Lilus. That Death Eater had hurt her deeper than Voldemort had hurt Harry. Harry didn't know his parents when they were taken from him. Lilus did, sixteen years worth. All of it had been ripped from her.
No doubt she had thought about the Death Eater. He knew Lilus wanted him dead. She wasn't one to give up easily. She was a proud girl. Finding her like that last night had been the strangest thing. His sanctuary was her sanctuary, her secret place. That picture that she adored, the one of Remus and his friends when they had just started out in the world. Friends since their first year. He was the last surviving Marauder. He was part of Lilus' family just like Jason was a part of her family. The American always made her smile. That silly, obnoxious American. Remus thought he looked a lot like Sirius; they had the same eyes, the same royal blue eyes.
The same American that he found on the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room. Lilus always alerted him of the password, just for emergancies or something that required his entry. Jason looked up when the portrait of the Fat Lady in the pink dress swung open, and his brow wrinkled before he returned his eyes to the book he had been reading.
"Morning, Moony," he said, grinning.
Remus coughed and put Lilus on the couch before pulling her cloak off of him. Jason's surprised look begged him to explain.
"Good morning, Mr. Alus. Ms. Potter came to my office last night to..."
"Cry," Jason finished, giving him a pained look. "I know, Professor Lupin. I'm not as stupid as I look," he laughed quietly, putting the stupid grin on his face.
Remus smiled and sat down on the other side of Jason. "She talked of you a lot, Mr. Alus. I trust that you two are good friends?"
Jason smiled. "Yeah." he was quiet for a minute, and Remus was about to break the silence, but Jason said, "This feels weird. I'm talking to a professor like he's one of my homies."
Lilus had often mentioned that the way her friend spoke was bizarre. Homies meant friends. He had heard that from her repeatedly.
"Well, school's not in session yet," Remus whispered.
Jason nodded. "Yeah."
"What does she talk to you about?"
Jason shrugged and looked up at him. "She doesn't really talk with me anymore, not after what happened. I want her to. You've seen how she fakes being happy. She's tearing herself apart inside. I just want her to talk to me about it, you know?"
Remus nodded. "Yes, Mr. Alus, I do."
"But before the accident, she talked to me about a lot of things. I assume that this is okay to tell you with you being her godfather and all. She was worried about those glowy eyes of hers and getting a boyfriend. She won't be worried about those anymore."
Jason put his book down on the table.
"Why are you out here so early?"
The American grinned. "Bad habit. Started about October. Started to talk in my sleep. The boys didn't like it, so I started to sleep out here. It's really a lot warmer out here, with the fire and all. Lilus started to watch me. I found her sleeping out here one morning when I woke up. She puts on this hard exterior, but inside, I know, she's just like Kimmy. The problem is that darn shell."
"She is a strong person."
"She was a strong person," Jason corrected. "But, right now, I have to put her back together. They have a Quidditch game in a few days. I supposed that's when we'll see if anything suffers."
"She's definitely her father's child. Seeker, and a good one at that."
"Yeah. She likes you a lot. She really thinks you're cool. I think, that if she gets the chance, she'll come live with you."
Remus nodded. Lilus wouldn't choose to live with Ron or Ginny, even though she loved them both dearly. She wanted to live with Remy, even though she'd have to be extremely careful during the full moon.
"She's so pretty," Jason said suddenly. "I don't think she realizes how cool her eyes look. They glow in the dark! Isn't that awesome? She's soft too. Like if you hug her, you expect her to be really hard and stiff, but she's soft, soft and warm. She just has to find a guy to respect her for all her qualities. You like Every-Flavor-Beans, don't you? Yeah, Snape likes the frogs."
"She buys me a bag everytime she goes to Hogsmeade, even with Severus. A bag of Chocolate Frogs."
Jason grinned and nodded. "Quidditch helps her. She'd make a really good Beater right now. She puts everything into what she does. She'd blow the Bludger halfway to China easy, but I think that her being the Seeker is having a bad effect on her in that one way. You know what I mean?"
"Yes. Well, Mr. Alus, it's been a joy speaking with you. Please wake her at a decent time and make sure she is alright."
Remus stood up, and Jason grabbed his robes. "It's Talon, Moony. School's not in session yet. We're both Marauders, we understand. My name's Talon."
"Oh, yes. Animagus. Stole the potion, correct?" Remus said, just hinting that he knew.
"Yup, you know me better than I thought, Moony. But Lil...," he stopped, "Lilus...ouch...gave me one heck of a beating for stealing. It...pains me to remember."
For some reason, Remus didn't think that's what he would have originally said, but he didn't make a fuss over it.
Jason smiled as Remus left. "Bye, Moony."
Remus turned around. "Farewell, Talon."
And he left the Common Room. Jason made himself comfortable on the sofa and watched Lilus sleep. He could see dried, brown blood at the corners of her eyes and her shirt was red where she had cried last night.
'That hard shell. Lilus, I know you don't love me, but let me through...'
That damn shell. Why did it have to be around her? What was so bad about her eyes. He seriously couldn't find anything wrong with her. She was smart, she could have an intelligent conversation, she was fun, she was athletic, she was competitive, she had her virtues in the right place. What was wrong with her? She was the perfect girl. Sure, he was a little attracted, or maybe a lot, but she was a good friend, and it wouldn't feel right to have her as a girlfriend. At least he didn't think so.
He crept next to her and gently shook her. She didn't wake up. He shook her a little harder, and she stirred to life. With eyes half closed, she yawned and stretched, grunting in the process. She rubbed her eyes and stared at Jason.
"Jason? What...mmm...Remy's..."
Jason smiled. "Moony brought you in this morning. You fell asleep in his office last night."
Lilus sat up and tried to stand. "Oh, right."
Jason pointed to her cloak. "You're stuff's right there."
She turned her head and looked at it, then nodded and sat back down. "What time is it?"
"Six. You can go back to sleep if you want to. I just wanted to wake you up so you wouldn't be scared finding me beside you. I wouldn't recommend going upstairs just yet. Lindsey's up there, and she'll freak if she sees blood on you. Why do you bleed so much now?"
Lilus shrugged. "I guess it's because I slammed into that glass cabinet, but I really don't know. It's weird, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but Lilus, seriously, you need to go back to sleep. You want me to go get a blanket or something?"
She shook her head lazily, and it was apparent that she was still half asleep. She moved closer to him and cuddled his arm, much to his shock, surprise, and amusement. Lilus curled up next to him, with her chin resting on his shoulder, and both her arms around his. It was the perfect moment to him. Sure, he liked her a lot, and she was just...there. Warm, soft, and attached to his arm.
Jason smiled to himself. He slid an arm under her knees and lifted her into his lap. He had slept like that with his dad before, and he remembered how sore he was the next morning. She leaned against his chest, and his arms curled around her to keep her there. He leaned his head back on the couch, and his eyes met something.
Crookshanks.
That old, mangy cat was standing at the top of the staircase staring at him with eyes that glowed in the dark. It seemed to be glaring at him, and it didn't move, not one muscle. After a few minutes, Crookshanks sat down at the top of the staircase, his eyes not blinking hardly at all. Jason shivered.
'Lilus, your cat's gotta go. I swear to God that that thing's gonna eat my soul while I sleep.'
Crookshanks turned and made his way down the spiral staircase. Jason really wished that the cat would go away when it approached the couch. The cat jumped up onto the empty space beside him, and the large ginger blob plopped down next to his right leg, his body vibrating almost violently.
'Maybe you're not so bad after all.'
Jason leaned his head back and closed his eyes. No nightmares came that night, and both he and Lilus slept soundly until Jason was awakened at eight thirty by Crookshanks' claws against his leg and dangerously close to...well...something else.
****************************************
"Nick! Pass the muffins! Noo...Jason, don't eat them all! Someone throw me a muffin!" Lilus squealed as Nick was teasing her with the silver pan of warm, fruity muffins.
From farther down the table, someone threw a muffin in her direction. She caught it and waved it in the direction that it hailed from.
"Thanks, Lindsey!" she said.
"No problem, Lil," came the reply.
Lilus ate her muffin quickly, because Nick would take his chances and try to steal it right out of her fingers if she gave him a window. Diego picked up a roll and threw it at his cousin. Jason plucked it from the air as it fell and chomped it down. A grape went flying, as well as an orange. Both ended up on Jason's plate. He was hording food for something, and it was rather amusing. Diego was sitting in awkward silence on the other side of Justin.
"Today's the day. Lunchtime."
Lilus grinned. The prank that Diego was supposed to grace them with was today. Their game was tomorrow. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Lilus was prepped and ready for the game. She was on her toes with the Bludgers thanks to Nick and Charlie.
"Hey, Charlie! Bludger attack!"
Charlie looked up from his plate, and Lilus pelted him with an orange. He caught it just before it hit his eye. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Charlie hurled the orange at her, but it was confiscated by Jason who now had a pile or rolls, muffins, oranges, and other fruit on his plate. He grinned and began throwing random pieces at his friends, laughing maniacally.
"Muhahahahahahahhaaa!"
She pinched Jason in his side, and he doubled over and giggled. All the boys were ticklish in some way. She was too, they just didn't know where. Jason seeemed keen on figuring out because he kept prodding her in different places hoping for a reaction.
"Justin, did you have to transfigure a stick into a cat?" Lilus said, grimacing. "I'm having a little bit of trouble in that..."
Justin looked up from his plate, and his eyes narrowed. "How...can...you," he whispered, "just shrug it off?"
Lilus stared at him. "What?"
"Your parents are dead, Lilus. Dead! As in you will never see them again! And you act like they just got in a car accident. Don't you know that they're dead?"
His voice had risen, and the others stopped talking and were now staring fearfully down at them. Lilus felt the funny feeling behind her nose again, and the blood began to fall.
"You saw them. I saw them. Not even thirty seconds after they were murdered! You were there! You watched them lay there dead!" Justin had tears falling down his cheeks, and his eyes were swollen. "Harry and Hermione are dead!"
A lot of other people had noticed. Lilus stood up and tried hard not to cry in front of the entire school, but those blood tears were already soaking her robes. She glared harshly at Justin.
"Justin, man, what was that for? You know she's sad about it," Jason said.
"Justin, that was totally uncalled for!" Shawn yelled.
"What the hell do you have to say for it?! You didn't see them die!" Justin bellowed back.
"She mourns for them!" Shawn countered. "You just don't see it because she chooses it to be that way."
"She doesn't act it!" Justin hissed.
Nearly everyone in the Great Hall had gone silent. Lilus clenched her fists and turned around, walking towards the tall doors. She stopped at the edge and stared at the wall. She stared at Justin with her red eyes and hissed threateningly at him. Professor McGonagall stood up, whimpering slightly. Lilus cried loudly and slammed her fist into the wall, taking a small chunk out of the solid stone. She fell against the wall and slid down it, tears falling down her face and down her hands. She trembled violently as she stood up again and ran from the room. Jason jumped out of his place and ran after her, sending Justin the coldest death look that he could muster.
Lilus ran down to the Quidditch field in the cold weather all by herself with tears streaming down her cheeks. She drew her cloak around her and sat one of the Gryffindor benches in their dressing room. She cried softly into her knees, and wished that the earth would just open up and swallow her.
She did feel horrible about what had happened. She tried hard not to think about it, but it just wouldn't work that way. It would affect the rest of her life. It would always be a void in her heart. She just didn't want to force any bad feelings upon her friends. She didn't want to make them feel bad about what had happened, although they were probably putting on the happy face for her. She sobbed loudly and cried out in the silence, trying to release the pain. It hurt. It hurt her every second of every day. Her parents were dead. She would never see them again except in the pictures on the wall at her home.
Why did Justin have to do that?
He had never done that before. That completely blew her out of the water. He knew perfectly well that she was scared, lonely, sad beyond reason. No more. She was sad. She suddenly felt the urge to vomit, but she kept it in her stomach, whimpering to herself in the dark.
"Lilus...?"
The door opened, and Jason stood there, a sillouette against the morning sky. He ran forward to her and immediately embraced her tightly, holding her very close. His hand went to her neck and his arm was around her. She hugged his neck and cried.
"Lilus, oh...I am so sorry," he whispered into her hair. "Justin is just scared. He doesn't know what he said. He didn't know."
She sobbed loudly into his shoulder, trembling against him. God, he was so warm.
"Shh. It'll be okay. I'm here for you. It's okay."
"Jason...I'm just...trying to keep everyone happy."
He sat down next to her and continued to hold him in his arms. "I know. They are proud of you because you're taking it so well. They know that it hurts you. I guess...since Justin was there...it affected him more. Calm down, chica. It's okay."
"I can't keep it up. Not anymore. I tried...I tried..."
"I know. You did good. Oh, geez. Your hand's bleeding."
He opened his robes and tore at his Muggle t-shirt and tied the wound on her knuckles. She whimpered as he did, the nerves returning to her. Jason kissed her forehead and held her tight against him for the rest of breakfast.
******************
The boys had asked her if she was alright when she and Jason arrived at Transfiguration. Professor Aegis took her aside when she arrived at the class, hastily ushering Jason to his seat.
"Ms. Potter, Professor Dumbledore wants to speak with you. He's waiting in the Great Hall," the young professor said with a pity look on his face.
Lilus nodded and tried to mop more of the tears from her eyes. She just couldn't stop crying. She turned away from the classroom, and Jason jumped out of his desk to follow her, but Professor Aegis stopped him.
"This includes her, Mr. Alus, not you. Sit down and do not disrupt this class again."
Lilus sauntered down the hallway, drawing her hand over the stone walls. The halls were empty except for the occasional student that was late to class. She reached the Great Hall and entered cautiously, staring at the ground and making it a point not to look at the teachers. She could see that the small chunks of stone that had been on the floor had been put back into place on the wall and had been fixed with magic.
"Ms. Potter...was that...when you spoke during that quarrel with Mr. Weasley...Parseltongue?"
Lilus' head snapped up to stare at Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore. There were only three people in the room, and that was it. Lilus walked down to the end of the Gryffindor table before taking the seat closest to the teacher table where they sat. Both of them stared at her intently.
"I don't know. Was it?" Lilus said in a partial growl.
Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed, it was, child. A rare gift, yet your father possessed it. Is it perhaps...that you inherited it from him?"
Lilus drew her knees up to her chest and shrugged again. "I can't remember any time where I've been able to speak Parseltongue. And...if it's not too much to ask, I'd rather not talk about...them."
Minerva nodded, her withered face slightly saddened. "Please, Ms. Potter, understand that Mr. Weasley was with you at your parents' murders. He knew them most of his life as well."
Lilus was silent, and she didn't look up at them.
"Mr. Weasley knows them as second parents, and I'm sure his father has made Harry his godfather just as Harry made Ronald yours," she continued.
"I'm sorry about the wall," she said, not really finding anything else to talk about.
Albus smiled placidly. "Young one, as you can see it is healed, and I see that you have yet to be."
Lilus snatched her hand under her robes. "I'm fine."
"Ms. Potter, how did you manage the strength to break a stone wall with one punch?" Minerva said.
Both of the teachers had wanted to know the answer, but Minerva had been the one to throw it at her.
"I...I'm...an...uh...I don't know. I'm very strong for my age."
Dumbledore nodded. "Very strong, indeed. Dear, if you wish to speak with someone about your parents' deaths, and I know you need to, any of the teachers will listen to you contently."
Lilus shook her head. "This is my problem. I put on a happy face for the welfare of the teachers and my friends."
"Professor Lupin tells me otherwise," Albus said, folding his hands.
"Remy is my godfather. I'm probably going to end up living with either him or Uncle Ron or Aunt Ginny. Why shouldn't he know?"
"He should, Lilus. But, when you hide what you truly are feeling, it is then that your friends fear for you the most," the old man said. "Talk to them, I implore you. Tell them the way you feel. Let them know your pain and suffering just once, and they will understand the wonderfully deceptive facade that you wear."
There was a silence, and then Professor McGonagall said: "Dear, go visit Madame Pomfrey and then return to your class."
Lilus was all to eager to get out of there. She couldn't cry anymore, it was too life-threatening. She walked down to the hospital wing, where Madame Pomfrey recieved her with open arms and a few healing spells.
****************************
"Albus, the blood tears, I do recall reading about that in a library, although unfortunately, I cannot recall which book or what the article was," Minerva said as she and the old wizard walked down the hall, propped up on a cane. "I just remember thinking that it was horrible."
Albus looked at her with blank eyes. "What danger could that child be undergoing? Minerva?"
"I do not know, but we need to find out as fast as possible. If this keeps happening, she could very well bleed to death!"
He nodded. "I am aware of that, and it strikes fear into my heart. We must speak to Severus. If it is the symptom of something that was potion-inflicted, he will know, although if he did, I'm sure he would have alerted us by now."
"What of Remus? Would he know anything about the blood tears?"
"I shall ask all the teachers during lunchtime, my dear. If anyone knows anything about blood tears, we shall know."
"If the answer does not come by the others, we much research this matter. Albus, for all we know, this could be a life and death matter."
He met Minerva's deep, fearful stare with his own. "I know, Minerva. That is precisely why we cannot procrastinate about this. After the meal is over, we must go to the library and try to find a book about it. Madame Pince might be able to point us in the correct direction."
"Albus, first James, now Harry, what will happen to Lilus?"
"Only time can surely tell, Minerva. We can only hope for the best from her."
The rest of their walk was silent and full of thought as they rushed to the library to begin their research that could either cause salvation or destruction.