Chapter 16
Remus stood at the door in the midst of his human/wolf transformation. The lanky creature wore the shredded remains of clothing and was larger than Jason had expected him to be. Remus bared his rows of swords at the two teenagers, even though he couldn't see them. Jason covered Lilus with as much of his body as he could, but she reeked of blood, and that did not go unknown. The werewolf crouched and smelled the air, before his eyes shot directly at them. He pounced, landing on Jason's back, but the American threw him off, slamming him against the desk. Jason stood up, and Lilus tried to slide into a corner.
"Remy!! Don't! It's Lilus! It's me! Don't hurt us!" Lilus cried, trying her hardest to stand.
Jason drew his fists back and smashed one of them into the werewolf's jaw. The werewolf was unfazed, and he pounced on Jason. Jason slammed into the side of the chair, knocking half of it into the fireplace. The werewolf dashed over to Lilus and grabbed her arm. Jason jumped onto Remy's back, and the werewolf released its young prey.
"Jason! Watch his mouth!"
Too Late...
"AH! OH GOD!"
She knew what had happened when Remy opened his great mouth with his eyes hungrily staring at Jason's arm.
The creature caught Talon's right arm in his mouth, and his jaws were clamped down tightly. Jason screamed loudly, and Remy flipped him over his shoulder, leaving deep gashes in his arms. Jason was on his feet in a second, however, ready to fight again. The American threw a punch at the werewolf's head, sending his head cracking to the side, and he drew back for another. But, Remus grabbed his second punch and cracked his wrist backwards. He grabbed the young boy's shoulder, digging his claws into his flesh, and threw him over the desk and into a bookshelf. The shelves cracked, and books fell onto the floor, along with Jason. Lilus inched up the wall as she faced her blood thirsty godfather.
"Jason...answer me," she whispered. "Say something."
There was a moan from the other side of the desk. "He...bit...bit me."
"Oh...God. Remy, Remy, it's me. Remy, it's me! It's...Lil..."
Remus opened his great maw and jumped against her. The wild thirst in his eyes seemed very familiar. The blood. The desire. Oh, the desire. Suddenly, the fear of the two hundred pounds of muscle and teeth before her vanished. Her dragon hands shot out and clamped down onto Remus' snout. The were-creature seemed surprised. His eyes widened, and he stepped backwards, but she held on. With eyes bloody red, she stared straight into the brown pits of raw instinct. Something inside them recognized the dead feeling in her eyes, and it clicked for just a second. The werewolf fell out of his trance. Remy began to tear at her back, raking his claws across her skin. There was no pain, however, just the feeling that he was touching her. Remy continued to claw at her, while his tongue was trying to escape his closed mouth to get at her blood.
"Remus Lupin, we are the same creature. Both born for blood," she whispered so softly that she could hardly hear. "Tear at me all you want, beast. I cannot feel. I cannot feel what you do."
Remus kept on ripping. The floor was covered with blood, and Jason was still lying on the other side of the desk. Lilus could probably rival a tiger with her stripes, but her only rival now could not be seen. Remus was not her rival. He was just lost in the instinct that God gave him. Jason was not her rival; he was her ally. She was her rival. The creature that lived deep inside her was her rival. Was is Voldemort? Maybe. She wasn't sure anymore. She wasn't sure about anything.
Nor was she sure how much time had passed before she was released again. All she knew was that she was ripped one final time from his claws, and she crashed against a mound of old boxes still heavy with books that Remy hadn't unpacked. Once again, there was no pain, but she could feel the weakness. She felt faint, and that's exactly what she did, but it was more because of the blood loss than anything else.
Jason was up again, and he drop kicked the werewolf straight in the head, sending him flying into the spot where he once lay. The werewolf didn't move. Jason staggered over to where Lilus lay on the floor, coated with red.
"Lilus! Lilus, wake up!"
She wasn't dead, but she wouldn't wake up. Most of her blood was on the floor, but she was not worried about bleeding to death.
"Someone help! Help! Mrs. Norris! Filch! Someone! Somebody!!" Jason yelled at the top of his lungs, but his cries echoed through nowhere and no one answered them.
No help came. Jason was stuck with his dying friend and his own flesh wound. Thirty minutes passed, and she awoke. Now, ten till four, they were talking and waiting for Remus to wake. Jason tore a long strip from Lilus' shirt and wrapped it tightly around his wound. His bleeding stopped, but no matter how hard he tried to bandage her up, she wouldn't stop bleeding. It scared him to death that this might be the last time that he would speak with his friend. Of all the times to forget his wand. He was going to have BRING WAND tattooed on his forehead. Now, it might have costed a life.
"Why did...they...ugh...lock you in?" he whispered, leaning against the wall with her head resting against his leg.
Sure, he was scared, but he didn't want her to think that it wouldn't be okay. If you acted the part, people wouldn't know the difference.
"I...began...hurt myself. They...must of known...that I would try," she whispered quietly, her eyes fluttering up and down as she struggled with sleep.
"So that's where those cuts came from, but they shouldn't leave you like that."
"They are afraid of me."
Jason gently slid his fingers through her hair, trying to rid a few locks of blood. Her skin felt very cold. He knew that they were afraid of her. There were very few people who weren't. Even Casey was a little jittery. But Jason knew that Lilus was Lilus, no matter what happened. She would always be his friend.
"Lilus, don't die," he said, choking on his last word.
"I won't. I'm sorry...about the bite."
No longer human. Jason would have to learn from Remy what to do during the full moon. Her friend's life would be so much different from now on.
"I'm glad I found you."
God only knows what would have happened if he hadn't. He didn't want to think about it.
"..."
There was silence. Jason peered down at his friend. Her eyes were closed, but the tattered remains of his shirt were rising and falling gently with her chest. Jason smiled and kissed the end of his finger. Then he silently pressed it to her lips.
"Night, Blackwing. I'll be here when you wake up," he whispered, gathering her broken body in his arms and holding her close.
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"Remus, I am truly sorry for what we did, but you have to understand that it was necessary. Look what she did to herself," Professor McGonagall was desperately trying to explain to her friend why she left his godchild in isolation.
Remus rubbed his neck. "Minerva...I..."
The truth be told, he did not remember what she had done to herself. All he knew was that she was almost dead when they brought her into the hospital wing, and Jason was sent to St. Mungo's for elementary treatment for his werewolf bite. Jason's parents had not been notified. They seemed to have disappeared. But he trusted Minerva, but that trust had dwindled.
"I have to take care of Mr. Alus and Lilus. What has happened has happened. Right now, we need to look toward the future. Take care of my goddaughter. Now more than ever."
Minerva could just look at his deep eyes and nod. "Of course. I do apologize for what has happened."
"Keep the research going. I know what happened. Please hurry. Let me become well again."
"Yes, Remus."
She didn't want to tell him that his goddaughter had clawed a hole three feet wide into a stone wall that was at least one foot thick. Of course the room had repaired itself, but the sheer fact that a teenaged girl could do that with no weapons or magic was...horrifying.
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The pain came at once when she awoke, and she found that she was too weak to cry out in agony. Lilus awoke in the very familiar room, the hospital wing. No one else was in there. Once again, she was alone. She hadn't seen her boys in forever. She missed Justin. She missed Nick and Shawn. She missed Baker and Diego and Charlie. She missed her father and mother. All she could do was lie in bed and cry what little blood that she had left.
She wanted to die. She had caused Jason to become bitten by her godfather. She had no clue how much damage Remy had, and she had come very close to bleeding to death. Her body was covered with scars-to-be, and she didn't know if any of them would ever face. Both of her hands and forearms were still dragonized, and she knew they probably wouldn't turn back without a fight. The pain stung like a burn, sensitive to the touch, yet the searing pain was everywhere. Her head hurt, and she was very hungry. There was no place on her body that didn't hurt, but she wasn't red anymore, and she was wearing a hospital nightgown.
The torches were lit, and it appeared to be night outside. She wanted to go to sleep, but there was so much to do, and she couldn't even stirr. The pain was too much, and she barely had enough energy to life a finger. So, she did the only other thing that she could do: sleep.
She had the Animagus dream, but this time, they weren't over the ocean. They were over Hogwarts and going into the Dark Forest. The sky was jet black and littered with beautiful stars and a half moon. The forest was colored with a pine green, and the air was crisp and cool.
"We're in trouble, you know," the dragon said in a deep hiss that Lilus couldn't determine as male or female.
"We aren't in trouble. Everyone else is," Lilus replied.
She accompanied the dragon as it landed in a large clearing that was surrounded by boulders. The dragon curled its body around the clearing, and Lilus sat in the middle of it.
"Yes, everyone else is in trouble, but we are too," the dragon said, settling its head down next to her. "We are in a lot of trouble."
"What trouble?"
"I don't know, but too much trouble. Can't you also sense it?"
Then she woke up to someone carrying her down the corridor. She whimpered miserably, and she was immediately shushed.
"Who...are you...?" she whispered.
"Shh!"
She felt them turn a corner, and she heard a door shut. She then felt herself being placed on a bed, and the click of a lock.
"You know, you're a very vulnerable person."
"And very hard to get to," said another person.
"Snid...?"
"Yeah, and Raphael."
"Drink this," Raphael said, pushing a vial up to her mouth.
She gulped down the salty contents, coughed, and opened her eyes. The two boys stood beside each other. Raphael held the vial in his head, and his hair was very messy. He still looked cute. Lilus felt a chill spread throughout her body, and she felt some of the pain disappear. Raphael's sad gray eyes suddenly bacame paniced.
"I have to go. You tell her what she needs to know. I'll talk to you some other time," Malfoy said, unlocking the door and leaving.
Lilus couldn't be sure, but she thought she heard a loud pop just outside the hall. Snid walked over to her and sat down next to her.
"He couldn't stay for long. I think Alex is onto him," Snid said, casting his glance towards the door.
"Snid, why? Why bring me here?" she whimpered.
She began to tremble. Something told her that this wasn't good news, but then again, common sense knew that. Snid gently slid his hands against hers.
"I have to teach you the spell that you MUST remember. That and Avada Kedavra, but you already know that one. Lilus, you are to be kidnapped in two days...by..."
"By...?"
"Death Eaters. The Dark Lord's minions are coming for you."
Snid leaned forward and hugged her softly. She weakly pushed him away. They were coming for her? But...was is possible for a Death Eater to enter Hogwarts undetected?
"We have to tell Dumbledore," she whispered.
"No, we can't."
"Why the hell not?!"
"Because we want Voldemort to think that he's in control. Plus, if we tell Dumbledore, Raphael will probably die."
"Why do we want Voldemort to be in control?"
"He's inside of you, Lilus. He's alive, and we want him to get out of you. If he takes you, Raphael said that it is most likely that he will project himself out of you for a while, then return to Hogwarts to spy on your friends. He is an enemy of everyone. The more he knows about who he's fighting, the more powerful he will become. That's when we will strike. Once banished, we can kill him."
"I don't know...I don't want to go with any Death Eaters."
Snid nodded. "I know, but you have to. Raphael will try as hard as he can to make sure that you are okay. Voldemort won't kill you. You are his host. He won't kill you, but no one knows what he will do."
"Snid, you're starting to scare me. I'm not going with any Death Eaters."
He was silent and nodded a second time. "I know. But they're coming." He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "This is the spell. It's called the Amarc Nutinutus. It's a banishment spell. Memorize it, then burn the paper. We can't leave any trace or they'll find out."
She took the paper but she stared at him. "You're hiding something," she said, her eyes narrowing.
Snid looked at her, surprised. "Yes, I'm hiding a lot from you. But those facts are unimportant."
"It's got something to do with me."
"I...umm. Lilus, give me a break. I told you what you need to know."
She tried to stand. "I'm not going with any Death Eaters. I'll kill myself first."
She fell back into his lap. She rolled off of him and tried to stand again.
"Even that potion didn't heal you all the way. I'll take you back."
"I'm not going with a Death Eater!"
He didn't respond. He picked her up and left the dark room that they were in, and no words were exchanged between them, not even final farewells. Snid left without a glance behind him, and Lilus turned over to avert her eyes just in case he did. The string was broken.
*****************************************
One day.
They were coming.
One day to live. Voldemort wouldn't kill her, but the lair of the Death Eaters wasn't going to be a vacation spot.
Lilus slept in the hospital wing, and she wouldn't go into a room without a window alone. It had been a few days since she had attacked herself, and since then, nothing else was attacked. She spent her days meditating and reading in the hospital wing. Books were brought in by the dozens by the house elves, and they kept her occupied. It was during supper, and Lilus was properly fed, which was expected. Then, Remy came in.
"Lilus?"
Lilus stopped eating and looked up at the door. Remus walked over to her bed and sat down on the end of it. Her plate forgotten, Lilus crawled over to her godfather and hugged him tightly.
"I am so sorry...," Remus said, sobbing.
"It was an accident. And I should have known better."
Remus took her slender black wrist in his hand and looked at the pale scars on her arm. "I'm so sorry."
He was crying. Lilus hugged him again, patting him softly on his back.
"Take care of them, okay? Especially Jason. He'll need your help a lot now. Take care of them for me."
She knew Remus had no clue what she was talking about. She really didn't want to go, and she wasn't going without at least killing a few, but she wanted Raphael to live. She knew that he would be killed if they were found out. Her rival now her friend. When she saw him today, he didn't even hint that he ever had any problem with her, even if she saw him for only a few minutes. As for the Death Eaters, she'd made it a personal goal to take out at least three. She wouldn't go without a fight, but they still had to get her out of Hogwarts.
"Remy, I love you. It's okay. I didn't feel it."
Which wasn't a lie. She didn't feel it when he first started to claw at her.
"I've failed Harry and Hermione. Oh, Lilus, I'm so sorry..."
"Shh. You haven't failed anyone. You're a good person, and everyone understands that. It was an accident."
"Jason's parents aren't going to take it well..."
"I know, but I'm sure they'll get used to it."
"What have I done?!"
She felt him sob into her shoulder. "Remus, just help him. What's happened has happened. There's nothing that we can do to change it."
Remus stopped sobbing and rubbed his puffy eyes. There was a faint bruise on his cheekbone where Jason had managed a hit in.
"I love you, Moony. Everything's alright," she whispered.
Remus all of a sudden sat back. "Parceltongue?"
Lilus felt her face contort with confusion. "What?"
"Lilus, what you just said...that was Parceltongue. What did you say?"
"Just that I loved you and that everything would be okay."
Remus nodded, but the look of confusion hadn't left his face. "Well, I love you too, kid. Listen, I have to go. I need to research some things in the library. You...get better, alright?"
He held her cheek in his hand for a second, then he rose and began towards the door.There was still a choked sound to his voice as he left the room. His footsteps echoed faintly down the hall, but she could hear them. She remained still for a few minutes, then stood up and staggered over to the window. She crawled into the window frame and perched on the sill, staring down into the courtyard.
"Mreow?"
Lilus turned her head sharply to see a ginger blob slink into the room. Lilus felt her face light up with uncontrollable joy.
"Crookshanks!"
"Mrreeeooow!!"
The cat walked a little faster, and his belly of fat swished from side to side with each step he took. With great difficulty, he jumped into Lilus's open arms, and she hugged the warm ball of fat to her tightly.
"Mrrwww. *cough*"
"Oh, sorry."
The cat stared her straight into the eyes, and it didn't flinch at all. He was like Jason. Jason could stare her down and not think twice about it. She stroked him softly, scratching him behind his soft ears and under his chin.
"You aren't afraid of me, are you? You aren't afraid of these hands that hold you, or these eyes that stare."
Crookshanks began to purr, and his soft body was a comfort to her.
"You're not scared. No matter what I look like, you'll always know it's me."
And for some weird reason, she could feel the cat agree with her. That thing had always been freaky.
"They're coming for me tomorrow, Crookshanks. What should I do? Should I risk ...his... life? Or...should I risk mine?"
No matter how hard she tried, Crookshanks did not seem to answer her question. He didn't want to, but she knew the answer. It was much like a storybook, what was happening to her now. She would have to save him, save her enemy. There was a larger power that needed to be taken care of. She would need help. There was no way that she could beat herself at the same game. How could she beat herself?
*********************************************
She was afraid.
At first, she had not been. At first, it had been just a silly game to her, but could she take out a murdering wizard that would probably not hesitate to hurt her? Could she escape them? Raphael would keep an eye out for her, but she was scared. Voldemort had killed her parents, and her grandparents, and hundreds of people that she had never heard of. Why would he spare a miserable little girl? And most of all, why would he spare someone that looked as horrifying as she did. If he was to spare any girl, let her be pretty like Kimmy or Casey but why her?
The power.
Ah yes, her Animagus. The dragon was not common as an Animagus form, and there had not been very many in the span of time, but those that had been were written in history books as legends. Was she a living legend of her time? How would Voldemort tap into the inner beast that she had when even she could not? What would it feel like to command a dragon, or the next best thing, a dragon Animagus. Why was all this coincidence? Why did she turn out to be one of the legendaries? Why did Voldemort choose her? Why was she born with his eyes?
He wasn't after her spells. He couldn't be. He had dozens of strong wizards at his disposal. What's so cool about her? Was it pride that drove him to make his decision? Was it just because she was Harry's daughter that he wanted to live in her? Probably, she knew that all men had their pride. Crookshanks slept at the foot of her bed, curled up in a great blob of vibrating fur beside her left foot. For a long time, she just stared at him, wondering what he dreamed about. Finally, she felt her eyelids grow heavy, and sleep dawned upon her.
And she was terrified.
When she woke up, she wanted to believe that she was dead. When she opened her eyes and looked at the foot of her bed, Crookshanks was gone, probably lost to the call of breakfast. Tonight. They were coming. A little more than twelve hours, and they would be coming. She knew how long she had, and she wasn't going to spend it stuck up in the hospital wing. She wasn't going to spend it here. Not cooped up in this room that reeked of healing and injury. She going to spend it in freedom. She was going to play outside. She was...
She was...
She was going to learn how to fly.
Remus stood at the door in the midst of his human/wolf transformation. The lanky creature wore the shredded remains of clothing and was larger than Jason had expected him to be. Remus bared his rows of swords at the two teenagers, even though he couldn't see them. Jason covered Lilus with as much of his body as he could, but she reeked of blood, and that did not go unknown. The werewolf crouched and smelled the air, before his eyes shot directly at them. He pounced, landing on Jason's back, but the American threw him off, slamming him against the desk. Jason stood up, and Lilus tried to slide into a corner.
"Remy!! Don't! It's Lilus! It's me! Don't hurt us!" Lilus cried, trying her hardest to stand.
Jason drew his fists back and smashed one of them into the werewolf's jaw. The werewolf was unfazed, and he pounced on Jason. Jason slammed into the side of the chair, knocking half of it into the fireplace. The werewolf dashed over to Lilus and grabbed her arm. Jason jumped onto Remy's back, and the werewolf released its young prey.
"Jason! Watch his mouth!"
Too Late...
"AH! OH GOD!"
She knew what had happened when Remy opened his great mouth with his eyes hungrily staring at Jason's arm.
The creature caught Talon's right arm in his mouth, and his jaws were clamped down tightly. Jason screamed loudly, and Remy flipped him over his shoulder, leaving deep gashes in his arms. Jason was on his feet in a second, however, ready to fight again. The American threw a punch at the werewolf's head, sending his head cracking to the side, and he drew back for another. But, Remus grabbed his second punch and cracked his wrist backwards. He grabbed the young boy's shoulder, digging his claws into his flesh, and threw him over the desk and into a bookshelf. The shelves cracked, and books fell onto the floor, along with Jason. Lilus inched up the wall as she faced her blood thirsty godfather.
"Jason...answer me," she whispered. "Say something."
There was a moan from the other side of the desk. "He...bit...bit me."
"Oh...God. Remy, Remy, it's me. Remy, it's me! It's...Lil..."
Remus opened his great maw and jumped against her. The wild thirst in his eyes seemed very familiar. The blood. The desire. Oh, the desire. Suddenly, the fear of the two hundred pounds of muscle and teeth before her vanished. Her dragon hands shot out and clamped down onto Remus' snout. The were-creature seemed surprised. His eyes widened, and he stepped backwards, but she held on. With eyes bloody red, she stared straight into the brown pits of raw instinct. Something inside them recognized the dead feeling in her eyes, and it clicked for just a second. The werewolf fell out of his trance. Remy began to tear at her back, raking his claws across her skin. There was no pain, however, just the feeling that he was touching her. Remy continued to claw at her, while his tongue was trying to escape his closed mouth to get at her blood.
"Remus Lupin, we are the same creature. Both born for blood," she whispered so softly that she could hardly hear. "Tear at me all you want, beast. I cannot feel. I cannot feel what you do."
Remus kept on ripping. The floor was covered with blood, and Jason was still lying on the other side of the desk. Lilus could probably rival a tiger with her stripes, but her only rival now could not be seen. Remus was not her rival. He was just lost in the instinct that God gave him. Jason was not her rival; he was her ally. She was her rival. The creature that lived deep inside her was her rival. Was is Voldemort? Maybe. She wasn't sure anymore. She wasn't sure about anything.
Nor was she sure how much time had passed before she was released again. All she knew was that she was ripped one final time from his claws, and she crashed against a mound of old boxes still heavy with books that Remy hadn't unpacked. Once again, there was no pain, but she could feel the weakness. She felt faint, and that's exactly what she did, but it was more because of the blood loss than anything else.
Jason was up again, and he drop kicked the werewolf straight in the head, sending him flying into the spot where he once lay. The werewolf didn't move. Jason staggered over to where Lilus lay on the floor, coated with red.
"Lilus! Lilus, wake up!"
She wasn't dead, but she wouldn't wake up. Most of her blood was on the floor, but she was not worried about bleeding to death.
"Someone help! Help! Mrs. Norris! Filch! Someone! Somebody!!" Jason yelled at the top of his lungs, but his cries echoed through nowhere and no one answered them.
No help came. Jason was stuck with his dying friend and his own flesh wound. Thirty minutes passed, and she awoke. Now, ten till four, they were talking and waiting for Remus to wake. Jason tore a long strip from Lilus' shirt and wrapped it tightly around his wound. His bleeding stopped, but no matter how hard he tried to bandage her up, she wouldn't stop bleeding. It scared him to death that this might be the last time that he would speak with his friend. Of all the times to forget his wand. He was going to have BRING WAND tattooed on his forehead. Now, it might have costed a life.
"Why did...they...ugh...lock you in?" he whispered, leaning against the wall with her head resting against his leg.
Sure, he was scared, but he didn't want her to think that it wouldn't be okay. If you acted the part, people wouldn't know the difference.
"I...began...hurt myself. They...must of known...that I would try," she whispered quietly, her eyes fluttering up and down as she struggled with sleep.
"So that's where those cuts came from, but they shouldn't leave you like that."
"They are afraid of me."
Jason gently slid his fingers through her hair, trying to rid a few locks of blood. Her skin felt very cold. He knew that they were afraid of her. There were very few people who weren't. Even Casey was a little jittery. But Jason knew that Lilus was Lilus, no matter what happened. She would always be his friend.
"Lilus, don't die," he said, choking on his last word.
"I won't. I'm sorry...about the bite."
No longer human. Jason would have to learn from Remy what to do during the full moon. Her friend's life would be so much different from now on.
"I'm glad I found you."
God only knows what would have happened if he hadn't. He didn't want to think about it.
"..."
There was silence. Jason peered down at his friend. Her eyes were closed, but the tattered remains of his shirt were rising and falling gently with her chest. Jason smiled and kissed the end of his finger. Then he silently pressed it to her lips.
"Night, Blackwing. I'll be here when you wake up," he whispered, gathering her broken body in his arms and holding her close.
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"Remus, I am truly sorry for what we did, but you have to understand that it was necessary. Look what she did to herself," Professor McGonagall was desperately trying to explain to her friend why she left his godchild in isolation.
Remus rubbed his neck. "Minerva...I..."
The truth be told, he did not remember what she had done to herself. All he knew was that she was almost dead when they brought her into the hospital wing, and Jason was sent to St. Mungo's for elementary treatment for his werewolf bite. Jason's parents had not been notified. They seemed to have disappeared. But he trusted Minerva, but that trust had dwindled.
"I have to take care of Mr. Alus and Lilus. What has happened has happened. Right now, we need to look toward the future. Take care of my goddaughter. Now more than ever."
Minerva could just look at his deep eyes and nod. "Of course. I do apologize for what has happened."
"Keep the research going. I know what happened. Please hurry. Let me become well again."
"Yes, Remus."
She didn't want to tell him that his goddaughter had clawed a hole three feet wide into a stone wall that was at least one foot thick. Of course the room had repaired itself, but the sheer fact that a teenaged girl could do that with no weapons or magic was...horrifying.
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The pain came at once when she awoke, and she found that she was too weak to cry out in agony. Lilus awoke in the very familiar room, the hospital wing. No one else was in there. Once again, she was alone. She hadn't seen her boys in forever. She missed Justin. She missed Nick and Shawn. She missed Baker and Diego and Charlie. She missed her father and mother. All she could do was lie in bed and cry what little blood that she had left.
She wanted to die. She had caused Jason to become bitten by her godfather. She had no clue how much damage Remy had, and she had come very close to bleeding to death. Her body was covered with scars-to-be, and she didn't know if any of them would ever face. Both of her hands and forearms were still dragonized, and she knew they probably wouldn't turn back without a fight. The pain stung like a burn, sensitive to the touch, yet the searing pain was everywhere. Her head hurt, and she was very hungry. There was no place on her body that didn't hurt, but she wasn't red anymore, and she was wearing a hospital nightgown.
The torches were lit, and it appeared to be night outside. She wanted to go to sleep, but there was so much to do, and she couldn't even stirr. The pain was too much, and she barely had enough energy to life a finger. So, she did the only other thing that she could do: sleep.
She had the Animagus dream, but this time, they weren't over the ocean. They were over Hogwarts and going into the Dark Forest. The sky was jet black and littered with beautiful stars and a half moon. The forest was colored with a pine green, and the air was crisp and cool.
"We're in trouble, you know," the dragon said in a deep hiss that Lilus couldn't determine as male or female.
"We aren't in trouble. Everyone else is," Lilus replied.
She accompanied the dragon as it landed in a large clearing that was surrounded by boulders. The dragon curled its body around the clearing, and Lilus sat in the middle of it.
"Yes, everyone else is in trouble, but we are too," the dragon said, settling its head down next to her. "We are in a lot of trouble."
"What trouble?"
"I don't know, but too much trouble. Can't you also sense it?"
Then she woke up to someone carrying her down the corridor. She whimpered miserably, and she was immediately shushed.
"Who...are you...?" she whispered.
"Shh!"
She felt them turn a corner, and she heard a door shut. She then felt herself being placed on a bed, and the click of a lock.
"You know, you're a very vulnerable person."
"And very hard to get to," said another person.
"Snid...?"
"Yeah, and Raphael."
"Drink this," Raphael said, pushing a vial up to her mouth.
She gulped down the salty contents, coughed, and opened her eyes. The two boys stood beside each other. Raphael held the vial in his head, and his hair was very messy. He still looked cute. Lilus felt a chill spread throughout her body, and she felt some of the pain disappear. Raphael's sad gray eyes suddenly bacame paniced.
"I have to go. You tell her what she needs to know. I'll talk to you some other time," Malfoy said, unlocking the door and leaving.
Lilus couldn't be sure, but she thought she heard a loud pop just outside the hall. Snid walked over to her and sat down next to her.
"He couldn't stay for long. I think Alex is onto him," Snid said, casting his glance towards the door.
"Snid, why? Why bring me here?" she whimpered.
She began to tremble. Something told her that this wasn't good news, but then again, common sense knew that. Snid gently slid his hands against hers.
"I have to teach you the spell that you MUST remember. That and Avada Kedavra, but you already know that one. Lilus, you are to be kidnapped in two days...by..."
"By...?"
"Death Eaters. The Dark Lord's minions are coming for you."
Snid leaned forward and hugged her softly. She weakly pushed him away. They were coming for her? But...was is possible for a Death Eater to enter Hogwarts undetected?
"We have to tell Dumbledore," she whispered.
"No, we can't."
"Why the hell not?!"
"Because we want Voldemort to think that he's in control. Plus, if we tell Dumbledore, Raphael will probably die."
"Why do we want Voldemort to be in control?"
"He's inside of you, Lilus. He's alive, and we want him to get out of you. If he takes you, Raphael said that it is most likely that he will project himself out of you for a while, then return to Hogwarts to spy on your friends. He is an enemy of everyone. The more he knows about who he's fighting, the more powerful he will become. That's when we will strike. Once banished, we can kill him."
"I don't know...I don't want to go with any Death Eaters."
Snid nodded. "I know, but you have to. Raphael will try as hard as he can to make sure that you are okay. Voldemort won't kill you. You are his host. He won't kill you, but no one knows what he will do."
"Snid, you're starting to scare me. I'm not going with any Death Eaters."
He was silent and nodded a second time. "I know. But they're coming." He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "This is the spell. It's called the Amarc Nutinutus. It's a banishment spell. Memorize it, then burn the paper. We can't leave any trace or they'll find out."
She took the paper but she stared at him. "You're hiding something," she said, her eyes narrowing.
Snid looked at her, surprised. "Yes, I'm hiding a lot from you. But those facts are unimportant."
"It's got something to do with me."
"I...umm. Lilus, give me a break. I told you what you need to know."
She tried to stand. "I'm not going with any Death Eaters. I'll kill myself first."
She fell back into his lap. She rolled off of him and tried to stand again.
"Even that potion didn't heal you all the way. I'll take you back."
"I'm not going with a Death Eater!"
He didn't respond. He picked her up and left the dark room that they were in, and no words were exchanged between them, not even final farewells. Snid left without a glance behind him, and Lilus turned over to avert her eyes just in case he did. The string was broken.
*****************************************
One day.
They were coming.
One day to live. Voldemort wouldn't kill her, but the lair of the Death Eaters wasn't going to be a vacation spot.
Lilus slept in the hospital wing, and she wouldn't go into a room without a window alone. It had been a few days since she had attacked herself, and since then, nothing else was attacked. She spent her days meditating and reading in the hospital wing. Books were brought in by the dozens by the house elves, and they kept her occupied. It was during supper, and Lilus was properly fed, which was expected. Then, Remy came in.
"Lilus?"
Lilus stopped eating and looked up at the door. Remus walked over to her bed and sat down on the end of it. Her plate forgotten, Lilus crawled over to her godfather and hugged him tightly.
"I am so sorry...," Remus said, sobbing.
"It was an accident. And I should have known better."
Remus took her slender black wrist in his hand and looked at the pale scars on her arm. "I'm so sorry."
He was crying. Lilus hugged him again, patting him softly on his back.
"Take care of them, okay? Especially Jason. He'll need your help a lot now. Take care of them for me."
She knew Remus had no clue what she was talking about. She really didn't want to go, and she wasn't going without at least killing a few, but she wanted Raphael to live. She knew that he would be killed if they were found out. Her rival now her friend. When she saw him today, he didn't even hint that he ever had any problem with her, even if she saw him for only a few minutes. As for the Death Eaters, she'd made it a personal goal to take out at least three. She wouldn't go without a fight, but they still had to get her out of Hogwarts.
"Remy, I love you. It's okay. I didn't feel it."
Which wasn't a lie. She didn't feel it when he first started to claw at her.
"I've failed Harry and Hermione. Oh, Lilus, I'm so sorry..."
"Shh. You haven't failed anyone. You're a good person, and everyone understands that. It was an accident."
"Jason's parents aren't going to take it well..."
"I know, but I'm sure they'll get used to it."
"What have I done?!"
She felt him sob into her shoulder. "Remus, just help him. What's happened has happened. There's nothing that we can do to change it."
Remus stopped sobbing and rubbed his puffy eyes. There was a faint bruise on his cheekbone where Jason had managed a hit in.
"I love you, Moony. Everything's alright," she whispered.
Remus all of a sudden sat back. "Parceltongue?"
Lilus felt her face contort with confusion. "What?"
"Lilus, what you just said...that was Parceltongue. What did you say?"
"Just that I loved you and that everything would be okay."
Remus nodded, but the look of confusion hadn't left his face. "Well, I love you too, kid. Listen, I have to go. I need to research some things in the library. You...get better, alright?"
He held her cheek in his hand for a second, then he rose and began towards the door.There was still a choked sound to his voice as he left the room. His footsteps echoed faintly down the hall, but she could hear them. She remained still for a few minutes, then stood up and staggered over to the window. She crawled into the window frame and perched on the sill, staring down into the courtyard.
"Mreow?"
Lilus turned her head sharply to see a ginger blob slink into the room. Lilus felt her face light up with uncontrollable joy.
"Crookshanks!"
"Mrreeeooow!!"
The cat walked a little faster, and his belly of fat swished from side to side with each step he took. With great difficulty, he jumped into Lilus's open arms, and she hugged the warm ball of fat to her tightly.
"Mrrwww. *cough*"
"Oh, sorry."
The cat stared her straight into the eyes, and it didn't flinch at all. He was like Jason. Jason could stare her down and not think twice about it. She stroked him softly, scratching him behind his soft ears and under his chin.
"You aren't afraid of me, are you? You aren't afraid of these hands that hold you, or these eyes that stare."
Crookshanks began to purr, and his soft body was a comfort to her.
"You're not scared. No matter what I look like, you'll always know it's me."
And for some weird reason, she could feel the cat agree with her. That thing had always been freaky.
"They're coming for me tomorrow, Crookshanks. What should I do? Should I risk ...his... life? Or...should I risk mine?"
No matter how hard she tried, Crookshanks did not seem to answer her question. He didn't want to, but she knew the answer. It was much like a storybook, what was happening to her now. She would have to save him, save her enemy. There was a larger power that needed to be taken care of. She would need help. There was no way that she could beat herself at the same game. How could she beat herself?
*********************************************
She was afraid.
At first, she had not been. At first, it had been just a silly game to her, but could she take out a murdering wizard that would probably not hesitate to hurt her? Could she escape them? Raphael would keep an eye out for her, but she was scared. Voldemort had killed her parents, and her grandparents, and hundreds of people that she had never heard of. Why would he spare a miserable little girl? And most of all, why would he spare someone that looked as horrifying as she did. If he was to spare any girl, let her be pretty like Kimmy or Casey but why her?
The power.
Ah yes, her Animagus. The dragon was not common as an Animagus form, and there had not been very many in the span of time, but those that had been were written in history books as legends. Was she a living legend of her time? How would Voldemort tap into the inner beast that she had when even she could not? What would it feel like to command a dragon, or the next best thing, a dragon Animagus. Why was all this coincidence? Why did she turn out to be one of the legendaries? Why did Voldemort choose her? Why was she born with his eyes?
He wasn't after her spells. He couldn't be. He had dozens of strong wizards at his disposal. What's so cool about her? Was it pride that drove him to make his decision? Was it just because she was Harry's daughter that he wanted to live in her? Probably, she knew that all men had their pride. Crookshanks slept at the foot of her bed, curled up in a great blob of vibrating fur beside her left foot. For a long time, she just stared at him, wondering what he dreamed about. Finally, she felt her eyelids grow heavy, and sleep dawned upon her.
And she was terrified.
When she woke up, she wanted to believe that she was dead. When she opened her eyes and looked at the foot of her bed, Crookshanks was gone, probably lost to the call of breakfast. Tonight. They were coming. A little more than twelve hours, and they would be coming. She knew how long she had, and she wasn't going to spend it stuck up in the hospital wing. She wasn't going to spend it here. Not cooped up in this room that reeked of healing and injury. She going to spend it in freedom. She was going to play outside. She was...
She was...
She was going to learn how to fly.