***Hmm. Snid has entered the picture. And what are these feelings about Jason? What is lurking deep in Lilus' body?***
Chapter 14
Sometimes it feels wonderful to feel adrenaline rushing through ones body, such as in times of great excitement. Sometimes it is a very nerve-wrecking feeling, like when something harmful is coming. For Lilus Potter, it was both. Her body was trembling with the need to exert energy. Exercise was a very good stress relief. They were summoned by the whistle, and she flew out like always.
This time, however, the wind was blowing very hard past her ears. The wind had started a few minutes earlier, and it howled wildly, whipping her robes every which direction. She darted around the sky, waving to all the Gryffindors and watching all the red and gold robes cheer. She flew skyward and dropped straight down before catching herself and taking to the sky again.
That was when she caught sight of Alex. He was flying around as well, but he had kept his eyes on her. His green robes billowed in the wind, and his hair was slicked back as always. She saw the same laughter in his eyes. She saw the same happiness. He flew next to her, and they circled an invisible pillar, staring daggers at each other.
"Did you have fun in the dungeon, Potter?" he spat.
"You know if I had died, you would have been put in Azkaban along with all the other stupid little Slytherins," she said hatefully.
"Yes, I know, which is precisely I let you live."
"May the best Slytherin lose," she said, going into position as the whistle sounded.
"Hold your tongue, viper," he whispered.
They faced each other in silence, waiting for the Quaffle to be thrown. A split second later it was, and they were off. Both of them shot upwards to scan the field for the gold flash. Then the Beaters bagan to come after her. She saw them coming, herding one Bludger between them, in her direction. Nick and Charlie were busy batting another one around, protecting their players from the evil ball. The Bludgers were strangely bewitched that day. They were flying very fast and very hard, much like during the last Quidditch practice.
Lilus quickly saw what was coming. She flew to the side, forgetting about the Snitch for a brief second. Then she saw Frenchy was chasing the Snitch. She flew after it, her cloak whipping around her shoulders. With the Beaters trailing her closely, she tried very hard to evade the Bludger. Without notice, the Snitch shot stright up, and so did she. It was doing it again. It had done that during the last game. It would go up very high. She didn't like going up that high. It was very dangerous.
She and Frenchy flew skyward, and he came closer to her and tried to kick her off her broom. She avoided it easily, but her mind was beginning to go one track. Snitch. Snitch. Snitch. It was flying about twenty feet ahead of them, and they were closing in. The Snitch had been tampered with. It was the only explaination. It wasn't supposed to go that high. The chills began again. The cold. It wasn't that bad anymore. She was almost always cold now. It was so natural.
It felt like icewater. She had been five at the time, and going out on the frozen pond seemed like a very good idea at the time. She was dressed up in like twenty layers of clothes. Five years old and her mother still worried like crazy about her. She slid across the ice, her shoulder-length black hair peeking from under her tobogan. Her eyes had been so big and innocent back then, red ot not. They were innocent. She was prancing across it, confident that it would not break. Everything was white around her, her house, the ground, the trees. It was so beautiful, like the pictures on expensive postcards. She ignored the wind nipping at her cheeks and continued to bounce happily like a little kid did. Then she slipped and fell extra hard on her rump, causing small cracks to form over the surface.
"Daddy!"
Harry had been standing inside the kitchen talking to his wife. He looked out of the window just in time to see her crashing through the ice. With the largest amount of fear, he ran outside, drawing his wand as he went. With one screamed spell, all of the ice on the top had melted, and he dove under to get her before she sunk to the bottom. Her clothes were drinking in the water, and it was sinking her faster than he had expected. He swam to the bottom and plucked her from it before swimming back up. Her mother had started a hot bath and both of them got out of their clothes before they caught something painful.
Falling down in water took forever. Ice touched your veins faster than anything before. All you could do was stare at the surface through fearful eyes and watch your air escape your body, while you sank deeper and deeper. You knew that once the ice touched your heart, it was over.
Lilus felt it touch her heart, and she felt her father swipe her and bring her to the surface at that very same instant. She felt death. She saw death. She knew death.
And she knew rebirth.
Lilus flew faster through the icey winds, forgetting about everything except the Snitch. The Beaters were gone, but the Bludger was still coming. Frenchy was beginning to slow down, but then he sped up again, determined not to be defeated by the woman he hated so much. That Snitch became her father. That Snitch was her father, and she wasn't letting anyone else take it. It wasn't theirs. He was her father. He was her father. The Snitch swirved and began downward again. She turned and followed it, falling fast and falling hard.
Then she found herself coming face to face with a Bludger.
It slammed into her eyes and forehead, sending her head back with a sickening crack. Blood flowed from her head, and the hit sent a shockwave through her body, causing it to spasm in some places. She righted herself and continued to fly, not noticing that anything had gone wrong. She saw the Snitch turn, and she turned as well. The Beater swung his bat at the Bludger coming toward him. She dodged it the first time with it barely missing her ear.
She followed the Snitch up again. Frenchy was right on her heels, if not closer. They went back into the cold air, really high above the stadium. What the hell wsa wrong with that Snitch? Frenchy flew up and grabbed her hair, yanking her head back. She stopped just as the Snitch darted somewhere. Lilus suddenly felt something crack against the back of her head, and her grip on her broom disappeared.
Jason had told her about when he first realized how to fly. He would soar high into the air, then he would turn back into a human and fall, just for the heck of it. Then, he would turn into an eagle again and land safely.
She felt the icy water around her once more, and her body sank into infinite darkness. She saw Frenchy's face. There were a few specks of red on it, her blood. He looked scared. He looked so terrified. She sank deeper and deeper, falling. The speaker's voice came into her senses, but it wasn't the normal guy. It was Jason.
"LILUS, FLY! JUSTIN, BAKER! SOMEONE CATCH HER! LILUS, OPEN YOUR WINGS AND FLY! LILUS, DO IT NOW! YOU'LL DIE IF YOU HIT THE GROUND! JUSTIN!"
'Fly, Lilus.'
'I don't know how.'
'Good time to learn, yes? Fly, baby girl, fly.'
'How? Tell me.'
'Think it, baby girl.'
'I'm thinking.'
She lost herself. She closed her eyes and saw her fingers growing longer, saw them become webbed. She saw them become black and beautiful. She felt her body growing longer. She felt her body transforming.
'Wing it, baby girl.'
She opened her eyes and stretched her fingers as far as they would go. She drew them in front of her and tried to fly like she saw on television and such. Flap her wings. She tried to, but it wasn't catching on anything. It wasn't catching on any wind. There was a loud scream from the crowd. Lilus felt adrenaline pump through her body like her blood, and she felt her blood run cold.
"LILUS, TURN OVER! FLAP YOUR WINGS!"
Jason's voice again. He said it took him very long to learn how to fly. How was she supposed to learn in fifteen seconds or less?
"JUSTIN, DAMMIT GET HER!"
Lilus couldn't turn over. She was too big and two heavy, and her wings prevented her from rolling onto her stomach. She also noticed that she was falling head first. She couldn't hit the ground like that. The force would probably break her neck.
But she did.
The impact to her was in slow motion, and it didn't hurt at first. She tried to move a few seconds, succeeding in only a few feet of space, but then the panic and pain set in, and she was lying still on the ground. For a few minutes, she just lay there in the falling dust, listening to the teachers rush the students out of their seats. There was a panic among them, and they were rushed into Hogwarts. She felt Jason next to her, as well as the rest of the Quidditch players.
"Don't touch her!" he spat.
She slowly felt her body fulfill the transformation, then the heat built up within her, and she passed out.
After they had returned her to her proper form, the Professors found the Snitch under her, crushed with broken wings.
*********************************
'Baby girl, wake up.'
'Who are you?'
'A memory.'
'Of what?'
'I'm your father.'
'Really?'
'Of early.'
'Why don't you ever talk to me?'
'Only able to when you are sleeping or in a time like the game.'
'Who are you?'
'Harry. It's me, baby girl.'
'Why aren't you with Mom? Where's Mom?'
'Heaven.'
'Why aren't you there?'
'I'm not sure, baby girl. Time to wake up.'
**************************
Lilus sat straight up in bed, breathing sharply. She clutched her chest and panted, turning from side to side. The hospital wing. Her left hand was in a bandage, and it felt funny. What was happening? Why was all this happening? It happened after Christmas. It all happened after Christmas. What was that voice that she kept hearing?
"Lilus, dear? Are you awake?" came the small voice of Madame Pomfrey.
The small woman walked into the room holding a fuzzy teddy bear with a red ribbon on it. She stopped at the doorway and stared at Lilus.
"What...happened?" the young woman croaked.
"I'm not sure, dear. I was not there, but from what the others said, you transformed just before you hit the ground. That may have been the only reason why you aren't dead. Because of this incident, they are postponing your match with Slytherin, and you are to stay here until further notice." Madame Pomfrey must have noticed that she was staring at the teddy bear. "A boy dropped this off a while ago. He was very handsome."
"What was his name?"
"He didn't say. He had brown hair though, if that helps."
Madame Pomfrey handed it to her and sat down on the corner of the bed. Lilus clutched it to her tightly.
"Why is my hand bandaged?"
"It was odd. After you had turned back, your hand took a rather strange form. Severus put an ointment on it, and I bandaged it."
It was early morning when she woke up. Lilus stayed in the hospital wing till about five that evening, talking to Madame Pomfrey and holding her new teddy bear. It was probably Jason who left it. Brown hair suited him perfectly. The house elves brought up her meals, and she was confined to the white prison until Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall came to the room. Lilus retreated to a chair in the corner, holding her teddy bear and glaring at the floor. She didn't want to talk now.
"Ms. Potter, we have things to discuss about your irrational behavior these past few days," Professor McGongall said sternly.
"Child, we are troubled. Why did you not tell us about your Animagi ability?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
She was waiting for them to ask more questions, but they were silent and awaited her answer. She stared at the floor in shame. Why didn't she tell them? She knew that there was a long registration process for an Animagus. Jason had told her that he went through miles of paperwork before he could leave the Ministry of Magic. That was probably why. Or was it because she was a dragon?
"Because I was scared," she said, looking up at them.
"Of what?"
"What would you have done if you were in my shoes, tell the world that you were a dragon Animagus? Tell them that you cried your own blood every night?"
Minerva was for a while. "Ms. Potter, we are your teachers. You can tell us, and we will prevent any trouble to you. But after what happened yesterday, the students in your classes refuse to be taught with you. The Quidditch team, however, is not the least bit shocked, especially Justin Weasley and this rather disturbing young man named Jason Alus."
"Dear, when did you take the potion?" Dumbledore asked quietly.
"Just before Christmas," she whispered. "Just before the accident."
Both of them noticed that she was holding the Muggle toy in her arms extremely tight.
"Before Mom and Dad died, Jason and Justin were there when I took it in the Whomping Willow. I would have told you, but I was scared."
Albus nodded. "Have...you been...hearing anything strange lately?"
"Voices?"
How did he know about the voices?
"My dad talks to me," she said before suddenly regretting it.
Both of the teachers looked at each other with slightly saddened eyes. There was a deep silence for a long time before Minerva said something.
"Lilus, your classes will be taken in private and at night. You shall be kept away from your fellow students until the panic dies down."
She glared at Professor Dumbledore. "There is always a panic. Just in case you haven't noticed, I look a lot like Voldemort. Do you think they don't notice that? Do you think that me having glowing red eyes make them calm? They think I'm demonic, and I'm beginning to believe them."
She stood up and retreated to another chair, holding the bear protectively.
"I need my friends... I need Remy. I need them."
Albus nodded his head. "That is understood, dear, but do you want to put them in danger?"
"Danger? How would I put them in danger?"
They were silent.
"I only transformed to save my life. Forgive me. Next time I won't," she growled.
"There is no need for your smart tongue, Ms. Potter. We understand what you have gone thro..."
"No, you don't," she said.
"True, we do not, but, Lilus, we have to keep the other Hogwarts students safe as well as you."
Lilus returned to her bed and sat. "So what happens tomorrow?"
"You will return to your dormatory tonight. Tomorrow, you shall come to my office as soon as possible. I advise you not to join breakfast with your friends. You will be served in my office, understood?" Minerva said.
Lilus nodded and refused to look up at them when they left.
**************************
"Snid?" she called, removing her Invisibility Cloak from her shoulders.
It was eleven o'clock, and she was at the Astronomy Tower.
"I'm here," he said.
She glanced above her. He was perched on the roof, looking at the sky. He leaned forward and looked at her, a smile across his face.
"Care to join me?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Aren't you afraid of me...? After what happened yesterday?"
Snid slid off the roof and landed on the small wall that lined the tower. "Not really. I know all about Animagus. If you really wanted to hurt me, you would. Animagus only transform at will, but it is very spectacular to know that you can turn into a dragon. You could probably eat a grown man like that, and you can fly!"
He sat on the wall and smiled at her, crossing his legs and arms. She sat down on the wall beside him and put her head in her hands.
"I'm a freak of nature. Everyone in Hogwarts is scared of me."
Snid sighed and looked at the floor. "Not everyone. Your friends aren't. Those are real friends, Lilus. They love you. They care."
She smiled weakly, remembering how Jason was almost on her when she hit the ground. "Yeah, they do."
"Did you like the teddy bear?"
She glanced at him. "You sent it?"
He grinned sheepishly and nodded. His brown hair was parted in the middle, and it hung down much like Raphael's did. His face was smiling and happy, and his eyes glistened with glee.
"Did you like it?"
"Yeah. It...really helps."
She turned around and let her legs hang off the side of the tower. The sky was so dark, and millions of stars littered it and twinkled. The half moon glowed brightly in the sky and cast a sheen over her face.
"I didn't know if you liked teddy bears, but it's the only thing that came to mind," he said. "And I'm not afraid of you."
She looked at the ground far below. "You're one of the few."
"What's...what's it like to fly?" he asked, his voice breaking.
She looked at him and smiled. "It's...well...I really can't tell you. I don't know how to fly yet. I probably need to learn, though. Might go out into the forest one night and try."
"Are you and that Jason boy dating?"
She laughed. "No, what makes you ask?"
"He seems really attached to you," Snid said with a hint of sadness.
"We're good friends. He's been there for me, since my parents died. All of my friends have. If it weren't for them, I...probably would have put an end to it all."
She felt a knot in her throat. Suicide. She had gotten so desperate at the end of Christmas vacation that she took a razor into the bathroom and sat on the back of the toilet, trying to figure out if she should cut herself or not. Moaning Myrtle talked her out of it, even though at the end, she added that if Lilus did want to kill herself, she could always come stay in a toilet. That's when Lilus decided never to commit suicide.
"I'm glad you didn't, Lilus. I never would have gotten to speak with you."
The way he spoke was strange. It was...almost...envious. "Yeah, me either."
"I must...tell you something, though," he said quietly, ending his words with his hand running through his hair. "It's not exactly good news either," His voice went low and serious, almost cold. "You know Raphael is a Death Eater? His cousin is one too."
She felt her heart stop.
*************************
"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."
*************************
That conversation between Frenchy and Raphael. Both of them were Death Eaters. Both of them were part of the group that had killed her parents. Both of them probably knew who killed her parents.
"I...wasn't certain, but I suspected," she choked.
Snid touched her shoulder. "He trusts me, Lilus. Raphael is my friend, and he trusts me. He wants to help you."
"Help me?"
Snid nodded. "Lilus, the Death Eaters are stirring again. From the meetings, he has told me that you are to be used by the Dark Lord in some way or another. He thinks that they're using your body to bring him back to life."
Lilus felt her hand tremble. It wasn't her right hand, it was her left hand, the one that was still bandaged.
"But...Voldemort's dead..."
"They're resurrecting him." Snid removed himself from the wall and knelt down in front of her, taking both her hands. "Lilus, I know you don't know me very well, but you know Raphael. He wants to help you, no trick. I believe him about this, and you should too."
"What proof does he have?" she whimpered.
"That he has not told me," Snid said softly. "But know that he wants to help you."
"Snid, I really don't know. He's a Slytherin, and for all these years, he's been a thorn in my side."
His grip on her hands tightened, and his eyes narrowed. "Lilus, this is serious. The Death Eaters are trying to bring Voldemort back to life inside of you. Inside of you! Raphael is serious about helping you, Lilus. If word got to the Death Eaters that he was even remotely trying to help you, he would be killed. And he has his cousin watching his every move. His cousin hates him you know. Alex hates him." Tears fell down his cheeks, and his eyes were horribly scared. "He's risking his life to help you. Doesn't that mean anything?"
Lilus was scared. If Voldemort was inside her...what did that mean?
"What is he going to help me with?"
Snid straightened his back, and came almost eye to eye with her. "He told me that Voldemort lives inside you just to live. He cannot hear, he cannot see, he cannot feel. Raphael said that he would teach me exorcism spells to teach you. I believe that he is loyal to Voldemort, Lilus, but he is loyal to himself, and that is why he is doing this."
"Exorcism?"
"He has not taught me anything. We will have to wait," he tried to make himself taller, but he was just on his knees, and the top of his head was about chin height to her. "Listen to me. Do not tell the professors. Don't tell anyone. ANYONE! This is very important! You can't whisper this even to a blade of grass or your soul! Promise me that you won't, Lilus!"
She was shaking, and the blood tears were flowing again. "I...I...promise."
"I know you're scared, but understand that if anything goes wrong, Raphael and I will alert your friends and godparents and the professors. Try not to be afraid," he whispered hoarsely, his eyes glittering with tears. "Please, don't be afraid."
His voice suddenly went soft and careful, a bare whisper.
Snid removed his hand from hers and took it to her cheek, leaving a burning sensation on the back of her hand. And time seemed to stand still as he drew her wet face to his and kissed her with all the radiance of the full moon.
Chapter 14
Sometimes it feels wonderful to feel adrenaline rushing through ones body, such as in times of great excitement. Sometimes it is a very nerve-wrecking feeling, like when something harmful is coming. For Lilus Potter, it was both. Her body was trembling with the need to exert energy. Exercise was a very good stress relief. They were summoned by the whistle, and she flew out like always.
This time, however, the wind was blowing very hard past her ears. The wind had started a few minutes earlier, and it howled wildly, whipping her robes every which direction. She darted around the sky, waving to all the Gryffindors and watching all the red and gold robes cheer. She flew skyward and dropped straight down before catching herself and taking to the sky again.
That was when she caught sight of Alex. He was flying around as well, but he had kept his eyes on her. His green robes billowed in the wind, and his hair was slicked back as always. She saw the same laughter in his eyes. She saw the same happiness. He flew next to her, and they circled an invisible pillar, staring daggers at each other.
"Did you have fun in the dungeon, Potter?" he spat.
"You know if I had died, you would have been put in Azkaban along with all the other stupid little Slytherins," she said hatefully.
"Yes, I know, which is precisely I let you live."
"May the best Slytherin lose," she said, going into position as the whistle sounded.
"Hold your tongue, viper," he whispered.
They faced each other in silence, waiting for the Quaffle to be thrown. A split second later it was, and they were off. Both of them shot upwards to scan the field for the gold flash. Then the Beaters bagan to come after her. She saw them coming, herding one Bludger between them, in her direction. Nick and Charlie were busy batting another one around, protecting their players from the evil ball. The Bludgers were strangely bewitched that day. They were flying very fast and very hard, much like during the last Quidditch practice.
Lilus quickly saw what was coming. She flew to the side, forgetting about the Snitch for a brief second. Then she saw Frenchy was chasing the Snitch. She flew after it, her cloak whipping around her shoulders. With the Beaters trailing her closely, she tried very hard to evade the Bludger. Without notice, the Snitch shot stright up, and so did she. It was doing it again. It had done that during the last game. It would go up very high. She didn't like going up that high. It was very dangerous.
She and Frenchy flew skyward, and he came closer to her and tried to kick her off her broom. She avoided it easily, but her mind was beginning to go one track. Snitch. Snitch. Snitch. It was flying about twenty feet ahead of them, and they were closing in. The Snitch had been tampered with. It was the only explaination. It wasn't supposed to go that high. The chills began again. The cold. It wasn't that bad anymore. She was almost always cold now. It was so natural.
It felt like icewater. She had been five at the time, and going out on the frozen pond seemed like a very good idea at the time. She was dressed up in like twenty layers of clothes. Five years old and her mother still worried like crazy about her. She slid across the ice, her shoulder-length black hair peeking from under her tobogan. Her eyes had been so big and innocent back then, red ot not. They were innocent. She was prancing across it, confident that it would not break. Everything was white around her, her house, the ground, the trees. It was so beautiful, like the pictures on expensive postcards. She ignored the wind nipping at her cheeks and continued to bounce happily like a little kid did. Then she slipped and fell extra hard on her rump, causing small cracks to form over the surface.
"Daddy!"
Harry had been standing inside the kitchen talking to his wife. He looked out of the window just in time to see her crashing through the ice. With the largest amount of fear, he ran outside, drawing his wand as he went. With one screamed spell, all of the ice on the top had melted, and he dove under to get her before she sunk to the bottom. Her clothes were drinking in the water, and it was sinking her faster than he had expected. He swam to the bottom and plucked her from it before swimming back up. Her mother had started a hot bath and both of them got out of their clothes before they caught something painful.
Falling down in water took forever. Ice touched your veins faster than anything before. All you could do was stare at the surface through fearful eyes and watch your air escape your body, while you sank deeper and deeper. You knew that once the ice touched your heart, it was over.
Lilus felt it touch her heart, and she felt her father swipe her and bring her to the surface at that very same instant. She felt death. She saw death. She knew death.
And she knew rebirth.
Lilus flew faster through the icey winds, forgetting about everything except the Snitch. The Beaters were gone, but the Bludger was still coming. Frenchy was beginning to slow down, but then he sped up again, determined not to be defeated by the woman he hated so much. That Snitch became her father. That Snitch was her father, and she wasn't letting anyone else take it. It wasn't theirs. He was her father. He was her father. The Snitch swirved and began downward again. She turned and followed it, falling fast and falling hard.
Then she found herself coming face to face with a Bludger.
It slammed into her eyes and forehead, sending her head back with a sickening crack. Blood flowed from her head, and the hit sent a shockwave through her body, causing it to spasm in some places. She righted herself and continued to fly, not noticing that anything had gone wrong. She saw the Snitch turn, and she turned as well. The Beater swung his bat at the Bludger coming toward him. She dodged it the first time with it barely missing her ear.
She followed the Snitch up again. Frenchy was right on her heels, if not closer. They went back into the cold air, really high above the stadium. What the hell wsa wrong with that Snitch? Frenchy flew up and grabbed her hair, yanking her head back. She stopped just as the Snitch darted somewhere. Lilus suddenly felt something crack against the back of her head, and her grip on her broom disappeared.
Jason had told her about when he first realized how to fly. He would soar high into the air, then he would turn back into a human and fall, just for the heck of it. Then, he would turn into an eagle again and land safely.
She felt the icy water around her once more, and her body sank into infinite darkness. She saw Frenchy's face. There were a few specks of red on it, her blood. He looked scared. He looked so terrified. She sank deeper and deeper, falling. The speaker's voice came into her senses, but it wasn't the normal guy. It was Jason.
"LILUS, FLY! JUSTIN, BAKER! SOMEONE CATCH HER! LILUS, OPEN YOUR WINGS AND FLY! LILUS, DO IT NOW! YOU'LL DIE IF YOU HIT THE GROUND! JUSTIN!"
'Fly, Lilus.'
'I don't know how.'
'Good time to learn, yes? Fly, baby girl, fly.'
'How? Tell me.'
'Think it, baby girl.'
'I'm thinking.'
She lost herself. She closed her eyes and saw her fingers growing longer, saw them become webbed. She saw them become black and beautiful. She felt her body growing longer. She felt her body transforming.
'Wing it, baby girl.'
She opened her eyes and stretched her fingers as far as they would go. She drew them in front of her and tried to fly like she saw on television and such. Flap her wings. She tried to, but it wasn't catching on anything. It wasn't catching on any wind. There was a loud scream from the crowd. Lilus felt adrenaline pump through her body like her blood, and she felt her blood run cold.
"LILUS, TURN OVER! FLAP YOUR WINGS!"
Jason's voice again. He said it took him very long to learn how to fly. How was she supposed to learn in fifteen seconds or less?
"JUSTIN, DAMMIT GET HER!"
Lilus couldn't turn over. She was too big and two heavy, and her wings prevented her from rolling onto her stomach. She also noticed that she was falling head first. She couldn't hit the ground like that. The force would probably break her neck.
But she did.
The impact to her was in slow motion, and it didn't hurt at first. She tried to move a few seconds, succeeding in only a few feet of space, but then the panic and pain set in, and she was lying still on the ground. For a few minutes, she just lay there in the falling dust, listening to the teachers rush the students out of their seats. There was a panic among them, and they were rushed into Hogwarts. She felt Jason next to her, as well as the rest of the Quidditch players.
"Don't touch her!" he spat.
She slowly felt her body fulfill the transformation, then the heat built up within her, and she passed out.
After they had returned her to her proper form, the Professors found the Snitch under her, crushed with broken wings.
*********************************
'Baby girl, wake up.'
'Who are you?'
'A memory.'
'Of what?'
'I'm your father.'
'Really?'
'Of early.'
'Why don't you ever talk to me?'
'Only able to when you are sleeping or in a time like the game.'
'Who are you?'
'Harry. It's me, baby girl.'
'Why aren't you with Mom? Where's Mom?'
'Heaven.'
'Why aren't you there?'
'I'm not sure, baby girl. Time to wake up.'
**************************
Lilus sat straight up in bed, breathing sharply. She clutched her chest and panted, turning from side to side. The hospital wing. Her left hand was in a bandage, and it felt funny. What was happening? Why was all this happening? It happened after Christmas. It all happened after Christmas. What was that voice that she kept hearing?
"Lilus, dear? Are you awake?" came the small voice of Madame Pomfrey.
The small woman walked into the room holding a fuzzy teddy bear with a red ribbon on it. She stopped at the doorway and stared at Lilus.
"What...happened?" the young woman croaked.
"I'm not sure, dear. I was not there, but from what the others said, you transformed just before you hit the ground. That may have been the only reason why you aren't dead. Because of this incident, they are postponing your match with Slytherin, and you are to stay here until further notice." Madame Pomfrey must have noticed that she was staring at the teddy bear. "A boy dropped this off a while ago. He was very handsome."
"What was his name?"
"He didn't say. He had brown hair though, if that helps."
Madame Pomfrey handed it to her and sat down on the corner of the bed. Lilus clutched it to her tightly.
"Why is my hand bandaged?"
"It was odd. After you had turned back, your hand took a rather strange form. Severus put an ointment on it, and I bandaged it."
It was early morning when she woke up. Lilus stayed in the hospital wing till about five that evening, talking to Madame Pomfrey and holding her new teddy bear. It was probably Jason who left it. Brown hair suited him perfectly. The house elves brought up her meals, and she was confined to the white prison until Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall came to the room. Lilus retreated to a chair in the corner, holding her teddy bear and glaring at the floor. She didn't want to talk now.
"Ms. Potter, we have things to discuss about your irrational behavior these past few days," Professor McGongall said sternly.
"Child, we are troubled. Why did you not tell us about your Animagi ability?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
She was waiting for them to ask more questions, but they were silent and awaited her answer. She stared at the floor in shame. Why didn't she tell them? She knew that there was a long registration process for an Animagus. Jason had told her that he went through miles of paperwork before he could leave the Ministry of Magic. That was probably why. Or was it because she was a dragon?
"Because I was scared," she said, looking up at them.
"Of what?"
"What would you have done if you were in my shoes, tell the world that you were a dragon Animagus? Tell them that you cried your own blood every night?"
Minerva was for a while. "Ms. Potter, we are your teachers. You can tell us, and we will prevent any trouble to you. But after what happened yesterday, the students in your classes refuse to be taught with you. The Quidditch team, however, is not the least bit shocked, especially Justin Weasley and this rather disturbing young man named Jason Alus."
"Dear, when did you take the potion?" Dumbledore asked quietly.
"Just before Christmas," she whispered. "Just before the accident."
Both of them noticed that she was holding the Muggle toy in her arms extremely tight.
"Before Mom and Dad died, Jason and Justin were there when I took it in the Whomping Willow. I would have told you, but I was scared."
Albus nodded. "Have...you been...hearing anything strange lately?"
"Voices?"
How did he know about the voices?
"My dad talks to me," she said before suddenly regretting it.
Both of the teachers looked at each other with slightly saddened eyes. There was a deep silence for a long time before Minerva said something.
"Lilus, your classes will be taken in private and at night. You shall be kept away from your fellow students until the panic dies down."
She glared at Professor Dumbledore. "There is always a panic. Just in case you haven't noticed, I look a lot like Voldemort. Do you think they don't notice that? Do you think that me having glowing red eyes make them calm? They think I'm demonic, and I'm beginning to believe them."
She stood up and retreated to another chair, holding the bear protectively.
"I need my friends... I need Remy. I need them."
Albus nodded his head. "That is understood, dear, but do you want to put them in danger?"
"Danger? How would I put them in danger?"
They were silent.
"I only transformed to save my life. Forgive me. Next time I won't," she growled.
"There is no need for your smart tongue, Ms. Potter. We understand what you have gone thro..."
"No, you don't," she said.
"True, we do not, but, Lilus, we have to keep the other Hogwarts students safe as well as you."
Lilus returned to her bed and sat. "So what happens tomorrow?"
"You will return to your dormatory tonight. Tomorrow, you shall come to my office as soon as possible. I advise you not to join breakfast with your friends. You will be served in my office, understood?" Minerva said.
Lilus nodded and refused to look up at them when they left.
**************************
"Snid?" she called, removing her Invisibility Cloak from her shoulders.
It was eleven o'clock, and she was at the Astronomy Tower.
"I'm here," he said.
She glanced above her. He was perched on the roof, looking at the sky. He leaned forward and looked at her, a smile across his face.
"Care to join me?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Aren't you afraid of me...? After what happened yesterday?"
Snid slid off the roof and landed on the small wall that lined the tower. "Not really. I know all about Animagus. If you really wanted to hurt me, you would. Animagus only transform at will, but it is very spectacular to know that you can turn into a dragon. You could probably eat a grown man like that, and you can fly!"
He sat on the wall and smiled at her, crossing his legs and arms. She sat down on the wall beside him and put her head in her hands.
"I'm a freak of nature. Everyone in Hogwarts is scared of me."
Snid sighed and looked at the floor. "Not everyone. Your friends aren't. Those are real friends, Lilus. They love you. They care."
She smiled weakly, remembering how Jason was almost on her when she hit the ground. "Yeah, they do."
"Did you like the teddy bear?"
She glanced at him. "You sent it?"
He grinned sheepishly and nodded. His brown hair was parted in the middle, and it hung down much like Raphael's did. His face was smiling and happy, and his eyes glistened with glee.
"Did you like it?"
"Yeah. It...really helps."
She turned around and let her legs hang off the side of the tower. The sky was so dark, and millions of stars littered it and twinkled. The half moon glowed brightly in the sky and cast a sheen over her face.
"I didn't know if you liked teddy bears, but it's the only thing that came to mind," he said. "And I'm not afraid of you."
She looked at the ground far below. "You're one of the few."
"What's...what's it like to fly?" he asked, his voice breaking.
She looked at him and smiled. "It's...well...I really can't tell you. I don't know how to fly yet. I probably need to learn, though. Might go out into the forest one night and try."
"Are you and that Jason boy dating?"
She laughed. "No, what makes you ask?"
"He seems really attached to you," Snid said with a hint of sadness.
"We're good friends. He's been there for me, since my parents died. All of my friends have. If it weren't for them, I...probably would have put an end to it all."
She felt a knot in her throat. Suicide. She had gotten so desperate at the end of Christmas vacation that she took a razor into the bathroom and sat on the back of the toilet, trying to figure out if she should cut herself or not. Moaning Myrtle talked her out of it, even though at the end, she added that if Lilus did want to kill herself, she could always come stay in a toilet. That's when Lilus decided never to commit suicide.
"I'm glad you didn't, Lilus. I never would have gotten to speak with you."
The way he spoke was strange. It was...almost...envious. "Yeah, me either."
"I must...tell you something, though," he said quietly, ending his words with his hand running through his hair. "It's not exactly good news either," His voice went low and serious, almost cold. "You know Raphael is a Death Eater? His cousin is one too."
She felt her heart stop.
*************************
"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."
*************************
That conversation between Frenchy and Raphael. Both of them were Death Eaters. Both of them were part of the group that had killed her parents. Both of them probably knew who killed her parents.
"I...wasn't certain, but I suspected," she choked.
Snid touched her shoulder. "He trusts me, Lilus. Raphael is my friend, and he trusts me. He wants to help you."
"Help me?"
Snid nodded. "Lilus, the Death Eaters are stirring again. From the meetings, he has told me that you are to be used by the Dark Lord in some way or another. He thinks that they're using your body to bring him back to life."
Lilus felt her hand tremble. It wasn't her right hand, it was her left hand, the one that was still bandaged.
"But...Voldemort's dead..."
"They're resurrecting him." Snid removed himself from the wall and knelt down in front of her, taking both her hands. "Lilus, I know you don't know me very well, but you know Raphael. He wants to help you, no trick. I believe him about this, and you should too."
"What proof does he have?" she whimpered.
"That he has not told me," Snid said softly. "But know that he wants to help you."
"Snid, I really don't know. He's a Slytherin, and for all these years, he's been a thorn in my side."
His grip on her hands tightened, and his eyes narrowed. "Lilus, this is serious. The Death Eaters are trying to bring Voldemort back to life inside of you. Inside of you! Raphael is serious about helping you, Lilus. If word got to the Death Eaters that he was even remotely trying to help you, he would be killed. And he has his cousin watching his every move. His cousin hates him you know. Alex hates him." Tears fell down his cheeks, and his eyes were horribly scared. "He's risking his life to help you. Doesn't that mean anything?"
Lilus was scared. If Voldemort was inside her...what did that mean?
"What is he going to help me with?"
Snid straightened his back, and came almost eye to eye with her. "He told me that Voldemort lives inside you just to live. He cannot hear, he cannot see, he cannot feel. Raphael said that he would teach me exorcism spells to teach you. I believe that he is loyal to Voldemort, Lilus, but he is loyal to himself, and that is why he is doing this."
"Exorcism?"
"He has not taught me anything. We will have to wait," he tried to make himself taller, but he was just on his knees, and the top of his head was about chin height to her. "Listen to me. Do not tell the professors. Don't tell anyone. ANYONE! This is very important! You can't whisper this even to a blade of grass or your soul! Promise me that you won't, Lilus!"
She was shaking, and the blood tears were flowing again. "I...I...promise."
"I know you're scared, but understand that if anything goes wrong, Raphael and I will alert your friends and godparents and the professors. Try not to be afraid," he whispered hoarsely, his eyes glittering with tears. "Please, don't be afraid."
His voice suddenly went soft and careful, a bare whisper.
Snid removed his hand from hers and took it to her cheek, leaving a burning sensation on the back of her hand. And time seemed to stand still as he drew her wet face to his and kissed her with all the radiance of the full moon.