Chapter 17
What had Jason told her? To flap her wings. He said that all she had to do was flap her wings. It sounded easy, but knowing Jason, it was harder than hell. She crawled onto the window sill again and held her arms in front of her. It was chilly out that night, but it felt really good. Lilus watched in total facination as her fingers began to stretch. They looked very odd at that length, but then the webbing came between them, and they looked more familiar. The claws on the end of her fingers grew a few inches longer and thicker, and she felt even the slight breeze nearly blow her over. She turned and looked at the neat little room behind her.
That was the world that didn't want her.
She looked out across the lake, seeing the mountains stretch tall towards the heavens. That's what she wanted to do. As she slid onto the steep shingles of the roof a few feet under her window, she realized that she wanted to touch the sky. Many other times before, she had not been capable of it, but now, she knew she could. Lilus climbed out farther onto the roof and stretched her sore arms as far as they would go. She closed her eyes and felt the breeze cheering her on. It blew her hair around her shoulders, and it soothed the uncomfortable heat of the castle.
Almost at once, she heard shrieks and gasps from whoever was watching below. Their theory that she had been demon spawn was probably verified when they saw her like this. Of course, everyone knew who she was. She didn't open her eyes to look down upon them. She knew that their faces were staring up at her with fear. All she had to do now was jump...
Into the world that would accept her.
If that meant Death Eaters, she'd take on the Death Eaters.
From then on, she would soon figure out that she wasn't meant to be like the rest of the world. She would be meant to follow a different set of rules than everyone else, and break different laws than anyone else. But now, it was not time for her to understand. Not now.
Blackwing took a step back against the stone wall and stared over the lake, watching the sun's reflection bounce back in the water. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and the freezing cold of the stone bit into her back, through her nightgown. Was she brave enough to jump off of a tower? What if she couldn't fly and fell to her doom?
A part of her wanted to rush back into the world that was most familiar. She didn't want to leave this place behind for something completely new.
But then, she wanted to know what was new. There was something out there, and it had already interfered with her life. Was this her destiny? Or was her destiny back in Hogwarts, back in civilization? Lilus wasn't sure, but she wanted to fly.
She wanted to leave.
Just for a few minutes, even.
Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she began to tremble slightly from the now chilling breeze that blew past her. What would her dad do? Jump, no doubt. What would her mother do? Probably die of a heart attack.
She braced herself against the wall and stared at the drop that she would have to fall if she failed. Her breath quickened and the first bead of sweat rolled down her face. She took a hard step forward. There was a loud yell from below, and a huge gasp among the crowd that watched from below. Lilus could hear teachers rushing through the hospital wing, trying desperately to reach her.
Now or never.
And she jumped.
Almost at once, she knew that she wasn't going to fall. She could feel herself being caught with invisible hands as she opened her wings and thrust them under her. She watched the people below her cry out and scatter, and she turned and sat the professors' faces staring out in shock at her. Madame Pomfrey looked very pale, and Professor Snape looked very scared, but it was not the first time that she had seen that look in his eyes. It felt like she was underwater, the feeling that she had when she flapped her great wings. She felt happy; she felt alive.
"Freedom," she sighed.
She was fast; she felt fast. She flew over the water so easily. It seemed so easy. She turned her body slightly and veered to the side, turning back towards the castle where nearly every student was staring at her. She watched them cower away as she came closer, but then, she realized that her body felt different. She looked at her shadow on the ground.
She didn't look human anymore. She had a tail, and two legs, which was the only human thing about her. The nightgown was gone, and her face had lengthened into the beak-like snout of her animagus form. Was she transforming? Why was she transforming?
Without warning, Lilus' flight suddenly stopped short as she collided with a tree. The tree snapped in half in a loud crashing sound followed by the rustling of undergrowth as it hit the ground with her mingled in its branches. Surprisingly, it was more of an adrenaline rush than an injury. By that time, Lilus' body had grown to enormous size, and her legs were gone. She tried to use her hands, but her palms were gone, and she fell.
Like a snake.
Slithering didn't seem very hard, and it wasn't. It was a lot like hoola-hooping or swaying from side to side. It felt kind of weird. Lilus was so used to using her legs. She went into the forest, for once, not fearing anything or anyone that was in it.
She saw everything in a new light that time.
The ground was soft, a carpet of moss and grass. Slithering became boring, and she began to walk again, the pale nightgown becoming loose on her shoulders. The ground felt good against her feet, and in the forest, the air was warm, warmer than outside of it anyway. The trees rose elegantly from the earth, stretching high above her. The bark was rough and rugged, but it was welcoming.
"This is my world," she whispered.
"This is my new life."
She marched on, the largest grin on her face that she had ever seen. This was the place for her. This foest was a better home than Hogwarts. Nothing here was afraid of her. Nothing here wanted her dead. Nothing here cared that she was amongst them.
And then she stopped...
That clearing. She had been here before. She climbed over the boulder, digging her claws in it. She crouched on top of it and sat on the boulder, staring at the empty space in the middle.
"Here! I'm here!"
She laughed, jumping up and dancing around on the ring of boulders. This was her sanctuary. The place in her dream. The forest surrounding it was a smooth green, and it seemed like a magical place. It was a magical place. The sky above her was orange. How long had she been out? It didn't seem no more than a few hours. It should only be three right now, why was it afternoon? She didn't care. All troubles had been forgotten.
"Don't move," the figure behind her sneered.
Lilus turned around and slipped, falling on her back. A centaur. He was an older one, tall and very strong. The bow aimed at her wasn't going to miss. When he saw her face, the centaur dropped his bowl slightly.
"...What are you?"
"Witch," she answered. "Don't shoot. Please. I ..."
"You don't look like a witch."
Lilus sat up and nodded. "Everyone at Hogwarts is afraid of me because I look like this. Don't tell me I scare you too!" she whined.
The centaur dropped his bow and laughed. "Young creature, you do not frighten me."
She curled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "The professors are scared of me," she whimpered. "Everyone is."
The centaur jumped down from the boulder and sat on the clearing across from her, his bow close by. "Who...are you?"
"My name is Lilus Potter. I'm...an Animagus. Dragon...and it's taking over me. I had to get out. I'm not...like the others anymore. I'm not even human..."
The centaur leaned against the rock, and for a while, everything was quiet. The centaur had a beard, long and black. His body was jet black, and so was his eyes. She whimpered and hid her face from him.
"I've heard of Animagus, but never a dragon, milady."
Lilus peered at him. "You want me to show you?"
The centaur shook his head quickly. "I'd rather you not."
"Oh, okay."
Another silence.
"Why do you centaurs hate us?"
He looked up and stared at her. "They treat us inferior, and we became sick of it."
Lilus laughed. "Why? There's nothing inferior about you."
The centaur kept his stare.
"Personally, I think you would make a really good picture. Like a painting or a sketch or something. That's what we need to do. We need to paint one of you and hang it in the castle. That would complete everything."
He smiled. "You are not so bad, human."
She shook her said sadly. "I'm not human anymore. Please, don't call me that."
"If I may, why did you come out here?"
She sighed and stared at the sky, looking at the dimming orange. Her mind left her for a moment.
"I've been sentenced to death by the mortal world," she whispered.
The centaur seemed interested. "Why?"
"They can't handle something that looks like me. They're all afraid. Everyone's afraid of me, even before I became an Animagus. Everyone was afraid."
Lilus stood up and stretched.
"What's your name?"
"Digalon."
"It's nice talking to you, Digalon. Thanks for not shooting me."
He laughed. "I don't think anyone could. You do look...different, but you are still human," he said, "but a good human."
She smiled and sat down a few feet away from him. "Firenze has taught us a lot about your foresight, you know, the way your kind does it. It's really good, and he's a really good teacher."
Digalon didn't answer.
"We've learned a lot with him than we could have learned with a witch or wizard. Maybe that's what all magical folk need. If some more centaurs came into the castle to teach, maybe we could learn how to respect the world around us as well as knowledge."
"Our place is in the forest."
She sighed and nodded. "My place will forever be here. Even if I come back, the castle is not for me. I am no longer a part of that society. I am no longer human. Maybe a witch, but not a human."
"Do you not have friends?"
She nodded. "An enemy is now my friend. Only...one of my friends seems to remain, and he's a werewolf now."
"Ah, I have heard about the werewolf of Hogwarts."
"He's my godfather."
"Hard to live with?"
Something in her lungs tightened. "Not yet."
Would she ever be able to live with Remy? Would she ever live again after that night?
"I have to go..."
"Why?" Digalon asked.
"It's time for me to face myself. If I survive it, I'll come back and see you, okay? And don't worry about your friends, they won't hurt me, and I won't hurt them. Farewell, Digalon."
"Farewell, Lilus Potter."
She left the clearing, and Digalon did not follow her. The sky was dark, and the stars glittered in the shadow of a sky. It was beginning to get cold, and the Forbidden Forest was beginning to get frightening. She didn't cry, though. Anymore crying and she'd die.
"Come and get me!"
She kept walking until her feet became numb, and her legs refused to go farther. She fell and stared at the empty darkness around her.
"Come and get me!"
"Come and take me away!"
This was her destiny.
"Time to embrace it."
*****************************************************
"WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE?!" Jason was in the hospital wing, condemned there until the rest of his potions kicked in.
He tore the blankets off of him and stormed up to Headmistress McGonagall.
"WHAT ELSE DID YOU BASTARDS DO TO HER?!"
Remus pulled him back in bed. "Lilus left by her own free will. We're still looking for her, but it's been eleven hours."
Jason glared at McGonagall. "IT'S HER FAULT! IT'S ALL HER FAULT! SHE LOCKED HER UP! SHE'S GOING TO GET LILUS KILLED!"
McGonagall could only look at the floor. "It was for the school's safety."
"SAFETY MY ASS! THE ONLY SAFETY THAT WAS INVOLVED WAS HERS!"
Jason sat back on his bed.
"I want her found just as much as you do, Jason."
"Dammit...something isn't right. She's in danger. I...foretold this. I foretold Remy's attack." The room had become silent. "Find her. FIND HER, YOU DAMNED WOMAN! FIND HER! FIND HER!"
"Minerva, I think it best that you leave for now," Remus said.
She nodded and left. Jason grabbed Remus's collar and jerked him close. "She's being taken by Death Eaters, Remus."
Jason's eyes got really big.
"Voldemort never died...
He's....
still....
alive...."
*********************************************************
It was cold. She had long curled up next to the tree, watching her breath crystalize in front of her. An hour, and they still were not there. Were they coming? Was Raphael wrong about them? Did they just lose interest?
No, Voldemort was alive and inside her. They were coming for their master.
If she ever got out of this, she'd apologize to Snid for being so uncooperatable. She'd make peace once and for all with Raphael, and she'd make the bonds right again with her friends. She'd make it right. She'd be better at school. She'd graduate with perfect scores. She'd be the best.
She'd live.
She'd survive this.
She'd be the best.
She would change history.
She would destroy Voldemort.
"I'll destroy you, Voldemort. I know you're in there, and I will kill you."
She didn't expect an answer.
"Sweet child, how do you expect to do that? I am a part of you, just like I was a part of your father. I cannot be destroyed."
Lilus felt a chill run down her already cold spine. Her eyes were wide, and her teeth were clenched.
"I will find a way!"
He laughed. "Why would you kill your own father?"
"You are not my father."
"That's why you don't have my eyes, yes, dear?"
Lilus froze. "You cannot be my father."
"I am just as much of your father as that brat was. I was there when he and that wretched Mudblood were in America for the first time. I was there. Harry may not have known it, but when he killed me, our souls combined. Dear daughter, do not resist me."
"I am not your daughter. This is impossible."
There was a laugh. "How else do you explain your eyes? Harry knew, but he didn't think they came directly from me. He thought they were just another absorbed power of mine. He was wrong. When that wench made love to him, she made love to me as well. You are my daughter completely now. That brat has no more control."
"If I am your daughter, then why are you going to kill me?"
"What? Kill you? No, dear. You are my darling daughter. Why would I kill you?"
"You want me for power then."
"Maybe, but I will never kill you."
"I'll kill you, Voldemort. I'll kill that damn Death Eater, as well."
"Would you like to know who that was?"
"I'll find him no matter who he is!"
"Then search."
"You can hold me to my world, Daddy Dearest. You will die for what you have done to me."
"Done to you? I've released you. I released that beast within. I gave you the ability to defend yourself. I taught you how to stand up and fight."
"YOU HAVE RUINED MY LIFE!"
"Your life hasn't begun yet, love."
"Why me? Why do you want to hurt me? You've destroyed nearly everything I've ever known."
"But what about your dear godfather, that blasted dog? You felt no pain. You never felt pain. I did that. You think you had enough power to block out the pain, but you don't. Not yet. I can show you how to harness that power, darling. You can be next to me when the world of Muggles and Mudbloods is destroyed, and the Reign of the Snake begins."
"My mom was a Mudblood, you bastard. From what I know, you're only a half blood. At least both of my parents were magic."
"You haven't become the most powerful wizard in the world, have you?"
"I will one day."
"But that day is not now, Lilus. You are my daughter. You will be mine. Face it!"
"THAT IS NOT MY LIFE!"
"Then what is?"
She didn't talk to the voice anymore, and he didn't talk to her. Voldemort, her father? It made sense, what he said, but it was hard to believe. It made too much sense to be a lie. Voldemort was Harry when she was conceived. Voldemort was her father too. Her eyes, they were his eyes. The entire time, Voldemort had been her father. It didn't matter. He was not her family. She wanted him dead.
"COME AND TAKE ME! DEATH EATERS, I SUMMON THEE! COME AND TAKE ME AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!"
She screamed, her voice echoing through the tall trees of the forest, shooting into the night sky with demonic force. That did not come from her mouth. Voldemort was calling his men.
"NO! SHUT THE HELL UP!"
It was too late. Sounds came from all around her, and she stood up against the tree she was leaning on. There were no words spoken, but suddenly, the fear came back. The figures came into the moonlight like Dementors. She stared, her eyes casting a dim glow over each of them. These were Death Eaters. These were the people that murdered her family. She had to kill them.
"I will not be taken without a fight," she spat.
She opened her fingers, transforming into wings, and brought them down hard on the men in front of her, sending some of them flying backwards. She jumped close to one, kicking him squarely in the head before being thrown off by his wand. Immediately, shots of light pierced her body, and she fell to the ground, her body totally frozen.
"Very good, my Death Eaters," she heard herself say as her face contorted into an expression that was not hers. "We must hurry back. I have a lot of catching up to do, and I have to introduce everyone to someone very special."
Lilus couldn't talk. Suddenly, her palms shot to the ground, and she pushed herself up, her hands returning to normal. She stood up and looked at her palms.
"It's...remarkable, my dear servants. The power of this naive witch. I can feel it running through me. I feel so young again."
"Master, it delights us to be in your presence again."
"Well, I am no more a teenaged girl than a werewolf. Take me back. I want to get out of this body and show you what it is capable of. She will no doubt be our greatest Death Eater of all."
"Yes, Master. I trust you will learn her the ways of Death Eaters personally?"
"Yes, this is a special case. I will teach her..." She laughed evilly and spread her wings again. "Come now. We have a long ways to go, and I'm eager to test these wings."
She smashed the earth with those wings, sending her flying straight into the air. She flapped and with each beat, she went higher and higher. The wizards vanished, all but one. That one rose upon a broom and lead the teenaged girl through the sky.
*******************************************************
Jason stormed through the door of the Gryffindor house some time after midnight. Immediately, he threw a bag on his vacant bed and began to shove stuff in it, making as much noise as he could or so it seemed. Nick and Charlie stirred instantly, watching the enraged teenager pack what looked like camping gear.
"Get your lazy asses out of bed. We're going to find Lilus," he hissed, grabbing Charlie's arm and yanking him out of bed.
"What's the deal, man?!"
"Lilus is gone! The fucking teachers are in a conspiracy. If we don't find her now, she isn't coming back alive," he croaked. "Get the others up. We're going into the forest."
"The FOREST?"
"WHAT?
"DAMMIT! GET OUT OF BED!"
Nick was thrown out of bed next. "Ow! Jason, what the hell is your problem?"
"LILUS IS GOING TO DIE IF WE DON'T FIND HER NOW!!"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"
Nick was against the wall in seconds with Jason's hands around his neck. "Lilus will die. DIE. SHE WILL DIE IF WE DO NOT GO FIND HER!"
"SHE ISN'T GOING TO DIE! SHE'S IN THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT!"
"NO SHE FUCKING ISN'T!" Jason let Nick's neck go, and he grabbed his pack. "I don't give a shit about you guys. I'm going to save my best friend."
With that, the door was slammed, and a candlestick fell off the table. Jason left the common room, and he stormed outside, giving Mrs. Norris the most daring look he could.
Lilus was going to die. Not if he had anything to do with it.
"Ready, Moony?" he said as he reached the forest's edge.
Remus Lupin stepped out from behind Hagrid's house, clad in his normal robes with a bag slung around one shoulder. "I am. Let's go."
The forest wasn't nearly as frightening as it had always been. Jason really didn't care about the forest right now. He cared about finding the one person in his life that he loved. She couldn't die. He didn't know what he would do if she died.
"Remus, she's going to be okay, isn't she?"
Remus pulled a book out of the bag, opening the pages to somewhere close to the end. "I fear she isn't. The tears, my boy. Her blood tears. 'I knew he had none other than Crimson Tears, but what demonic presence possessed him I would never know.' According to this diary, Crimson Tears is a sign of possession. Something's living inside her, something evil."
Jason shook his head. "What? You mean all this time, she's been possessed?"
"Lilus is in grave danger. If it's who I think it is, everyone could die."
"Voldemort..."
"Yes."
"Dammit. We have to find Lilus!"
Calling her name proved ineffective, but they did it anyway, their voices echoing throughout the forest. Lilus never turned up. After about an hour of walking, they came to a clearing with boulders surrounding it. Instantly, an arrow whizzed past Jason's shoulder.
"Stay where you are!"
"No, wait! Please! You have to help us!" Moony cried, holding his arms in the air. "Have you seen a young woman come through here. Black hair, red eyes, black hands. Please, good sir, this is a matter of life and death!"
The green centaur shook his head, but then he looked up at them. "Wait. Our elder said something about a strange witch. He said he found her here, and that she looked different from other humans. She said she was here because everyone else was around her was afraid of her. She said she didn't belong at Hogwarts."
"Lilus...why did you..."
"She went that direction," he said, pointing. "It's been many hours since that time, however. She may not be there. My men and I have not found any other human in this forest. Your friend may already be dead."
No...
What had Jason told her? To flap her wings. He said that all she had to do was flap her wings. It sounded easy, but knowing Jason, it was harder than hell. She crawled onto the window sill again and held her arms in front of her. It was chilly out that night, but it felt really good. Lilus watched in total facination as her fingers began to stretch. They looked very odd at that length, but then the webbing came between them, and they looked more familiar. The claws on the end of her fingers grew a few inches longer and thicker, and she felt even the slight breeze nearly blow her over. She turned and looked at the neat little room behind her.
That was the world that didn't want her.
She looked out across the lake, seeing the mountains stretch tall towards the heavens. That's what she wanted to do. As she slid onto the steep shingles of the roof a few feet under her window, she realized that she wanted to touch the sky. Many other times before, she had not been capable of it, but now, she knew she could. Lilus climbed out farther onto the roof and stretched her sore arms as far as they would go. She closed her eyes and felt the breeze cheering her on. It blew her hair around her shoulders, and it soothed the uncomfortable heat of the castle.
Almost at once, she heard shrieks and gasps from whoever was watching below. Their theory that she had been demon spawn was probably verified when they saw her like this. Of course, everyone knew who she was. She didn't open her eyes to look down upon them. She knew that their faces were staring up at her with fear. All she had to do now was jump...
Into the world that would accept her.
If that meant Death Eaters, she'd take on the Death Eaters.
From then on, she would soon figure out that she wasn't meant to be like the rest of the world. She would be meant to follow a different set of rules than everyone else, and break different laws than anyone else. But now, it was not time for her to understand. Not now.
Blackwing took a step back against the stone wall and stared over the lake, watching the sun's reflection bounce back in the water. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and the freezing cold of the stone bit into her back, through her nightgown. Was she brave enough to jump off of a tower? What if she couldn't fly and fell to her doom?
A part of her wanted to rush back into the world that was most familiar. She didn't want to leave this place behind for something completely new.
But then, she wanted to know what was new. There was something out there, and it had already interfered with her life. Was this her destiny? Or was her destiny back in Hogwarts, back in civilization? Lilus wasn't sure, but she wanted to fly.
She wanted to leave.
Just for a few minutes, even.
Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she began to tremble slightly from the now chilling breeze that blew past her. What would her dad do? Jump, no doubt. What would her mother do? Probably die of a heart attack.
She braced herself against the wall and stared at the drop that she would have to fall if she failed. Her breath quickened and the first bead of sweat rolled down her face. She took a hard step forward. There was a loud yell from below, and a huge gasp among the crowd that watched from below. Lilus could hear teachers rushing through the hospital wing, trying desperately to reach her.
Now or never.
And she jumped.
Almost at once, she knew that she wasn't going to fall. She could feel herself being caught with invisible hands as she opened her wings and thrust them under her. She watched the people below her cry out and scatter, and she turned and sat the professors' faces staring out in shock at her. Madame Pomfrey looked very pale, and Professor Snape looked very scared, but it was not the first time that she had seen that look in his eyes. It felt like she was underwater, the feeling that she had when she flapped her great wings. She felt happy; she felt alive.
"Freedom," she sighed.
She was fast; she felt fast. She flew over the water so easily. It seemed so easy. She turned her body slightly and veered to the side, turning back towards the castle where nearly every student was staring at her. She watched them cower away as she came closer, but then, she realized that her body felt different. She looked at her shadow on the ground.
She didn't look human anymore. She had a tail, and two legs, which was the only human thing about her. The nightgown was gone, and her face had lengthened into the beak-like snout of her animagus form. Was she transforming? Why was she transforming?
Without warning, Lilus' flight suddenly stopped short as she collided with a tree. The tree snapped in half in a loud crashing sound followed by the rustling of undergrowth as it hit the ground with her mingled in its branches. Surprisingly, it was more of an adrenaline rush than an injury. By that time, Lilus' body had grown to enormous size, and her legs were gone. She tried to use her hands, but her palms were gone, and she fell.
Like a snake.
Slithering didn't seem very hard, and it wasn't. It was a lot like hoola-hooping or swaying from side to side. It felt kind of weird. Lilus was so used to using her legs. She went into the forest, for once, not fearing anything or anyone that was in it.
She saw everything in a new light that time.
The ground was soft, a carpet of moss and grass. Slithering became boring, and she began to walk again, the pale nightgown becoming loose on her shoulders. The ground felt good against her feet, and in the forest, the air was warm, warmer than outside of it anyway. The trees rose elegantly from the earth, stretching high above her. The bark was rough and rugged, but it was welcoming.
"This is my world," she whispered.
"This is my new life."
She marched on, the largest grin on her face that she had ever seen. This was the place for her. This foest was a better home than Hogwarts. Nothing here was afraid of her. Nothing here wanted her dead. Nothing here cared that she was amongst them.
And then she stopped...
That clearing. She had been here before. She climbed over the boulder, digging her claws in it. She crouched on top of it and sat on the boulder, staring at the empty space in the middle.
"Here! I'm here!"
She laughed, jumping up and dancing around on the ring of boulders. This was her sanctuary. The place in her dream. The forest surrounding it was a smooth green, and it seemed like a magical place. It was a magical place. The sky above her was orange. How long had she been out? It didn't seem no more than a few hours. It should only be three right now, why was it afternoon? She didn't care. All troubles had been forgotten.
"Don't move," the figure behind her sneered.
Lilus turned around and slipped, falling on her back. A centaur. He was an older one, tall and very strong. The bow aimed at her wasn't going to miss. When he saw her face, the centaur dropped his bowl slightly.
"...What are you?"
"Witch," she answered. "Don't shoot. Please. I ..."
"You don't look like a witch."
Lilus sat up and nodded. "Everyone at Hogwarts is afraid of me because I look like this. Don't tell me I scare you too!" she whined.
The centaur dropped his bow and laughed. "Young creature, you do not frighten me."
She curled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "The professors are scared of me," she whimpered. "Everyone is."
The centaur jumped down from the boulder and sat on the clearing across from her, his bow close by. "Who...are you?"
"My name is Lilus Potter. I'm...an Animagus. Dragon...and it's taking over me. I had to get out. I'm not...like the others anymore. I'm not even human..."
The centaur leaned against the rock, and for a while, everything was quiet. The centaur had a beard, long and black. His body was jet black, and so was his eyes. She whimpered and hid her face from him.
"I've heard of Animagus, but never a dragon, milady."
Lilus peered at him. "You want me to show you?"
The centaur shook his head quickly. "I'd rather you not."
"Oh, okay."
Another silence.
"Why do you centaurs hate us?"
He looked up and stared at her. "They treat us inferior, and we became sick of it."
Lilus laughed. "Why? There's nothing inferior about you."
The centaur kept his stare.
"Personally, I think you would make a really good picture. Like a painting or a sketch or something. That's what we need to do. We need to paint one of you and hang it in the castle. That would complete everything."
He smiled. "You are not so bad, human."
She shook her said sadly. "I'm not human anymore. Please, don't call me that."
"If I may, why did you come out here?"
She sighed and stared at the sky, looking at the dimming orange. Her mind left her for a moment.
"I've been sentenced to death by the mortal world," she whispered.
The centaur seemed interested. "Why?"
"They can't handle something that looks like me. They're all afraid. Everyone's afraid of me, even before I became an Animagus. Everyone was afraid."
Lilus stood up and stretched.
"What's your name?"
"Digalon."
"It's nice talking to you, Digalon. Thanks for not shooting me."
He laughed. "I don't think anyone could. You do look...different, but you are still human," he said, "but a good human."
She smiled and sat down a few feet away from him. "Firenze has taught us a lot about your foresight, you know, the way your kind does it. It's really good, and he's a really good teacher."
Digalon didn't answer.
"We've learned a lot with him than we could have learned with a witch or wizard. Maybe that's what all magical folk need. If some more centaurs came into the castle to teach, maybe we could learn how to respect the world around us as well as knowledge."
"Our place is in the forest."
She sighed and nodded. "My place will forever be here. Even if I come back, the castle is not for me. I am no longer a part of that society. I am no longer human. Maybe a witch, but not a human."
"Do you not have friends?"
She nodded. "An enemy is now my friend. Only...one of my friends seems to remain, and he's a werewolf now."
"Ah, I have heard about the werewolf of Hogwarts."
"He's my godfather."
"Hard to live with?"
Something in her lungs tightened. "Not yet."
Would she ever be able to live with Remy? Would she ever live again after that night?
"I have to go..."
"Why?" Digalon asked.
"It's time for me to face myself. If I survive it, I'll come back and see you, okay? And don't worry about your friends, they won't hurt me, and I won't hurt them. Farewell, Digalon."
"Farewell, Lilus Potter."
She left the clearing, and Digalon did not follow her. The sky was dark, and the stars glittered in the shadow of a sky. It was beginning to get cold, and the Forbidden Forest was beginning to get frightening. She didn't cry, though. Anymore crying and she'd die.
"Come and get me!"
She kept walking until her feet became numb, and her legs refused to go farther. She fell and stared at the empty darkness around her.
"Come and get me!"
"Come and take me away!"
This was her destiny.
"Time to embrace it."
*****************************************************
"WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE?!" Jason was in the hospital wing, condemned there until the rest of his potions kicked in.
He tore the blankets off of him and stormed up to Headmistress McGonagall.
"WHAT ELSE DID YOU BASTARDS DO TO HER?!"
Remus pulled him back in bed. "Lilus left by her own free will. We're still looking for her, but it's been eleven hours."
Jason glared at McGonagall. "IT'S HER FAULT! IT'S ALL HER FAULT! SHE LOCKED HER UP! SHE'S GOING TO GET LILUS KILLED!"
McGonagall could only look at the floor. "It was for the school's safety."
"SAFETY MY ASS! THE ONLY SAFETY THAT WAS INVOLVED WAS HERS!"
Jason sat back on his bed.
"I want her found just as much as you do, Jason."
"Dammit...something isn't right. She's in danger. I...foretold this. I foretold Remy's attack." The room had become silent. "Find her. FIND HER, YOU DAMNED WOMAN! FIND HER! FIND HER!"
"Minerva, I think it best that you leave for now," Remus said.
She nodded and left. Jason grabbed Remus's collar and jerked him close. "She's being taken by Death Eaters, Remus."
Jason's eyes got really big.
"Voldemort never died...
He's....
still....
alive...."
*********************************************************
It was cold. She had long curled up next to the tree, watching her breath crystalize in front of her. An hour, and they still were not there. Were they coming? Was Raphael wrong about them? Did they just lose interest?
No, Voldemort was alive and inside her. They were coming for their master.
If she ever got out of this, she'd apologize to Snid for being so uncooperatable. She'd make peace once and for all with Raphael, and she'd make the bonds right again with her friends. She'd make it right. She'd be better at school. She'd graduate with perfect scores. She'd be the best.
She'd live.
She'd survive this.
She'd be the best.
She would change history.
She would destroy Voldemort.
"I'll destroy you, Voldemort. I know you're in there, and I will kill you."
She didn't expect an answer.
"Sweet child, how do you expect to do that? I am a part of you, just like I was a part of your father. I cannot be destroyed."
Lilus felt a chill run down her already cold spine. Her eyes were wide, and her teeth were clenched.
"I will find a way!"
He laughed. "Why would you kill your own father?"
"You are not my father."
"That's why you don't have my eyes, yes, dear?"
Lilus froze. "You cannot be my father."
"I am just as much of your father as that brat was. I was there when he and that wretched Mudblood were in America for the first time. I was there. Harry may not have known it, but when he killed me, our souls combined. Dear daughter, do not resist me."
"I am not your daughter. This is impossible."
There was a laugh. "How else do you explain your eyes? Harry knew, but he didn't think they came directly from me. He thought they were just another absorbed power of mine. He was wrong. When that wench made love to him, she made love to me as well. You are my daughter completely now. That brat has no more control."
"If I am your daughter, then why are you going to kill me?"
"What? Kill you? No, dear. You are my darling daughter. Why would I kill you?"
"You want me for power then."
"Maybe, but I will never kill you."
"I'll kill you, Voldemort. I'll kill that damn Death Eater, as well."
"Would you like to know who that was?"
"I'll find him no matter who he is!"
"Then search."
"You can hold me to my world, Daddy Dearest. You will die for what you have done to me."
"Done to you? I've released you. I released that beast within. I gave you the ability to defend yourself. I taught you how to stand up and fight."
"YOU HAVE RUINED MY LIFE!"
"Your life hasn't begun yet, love."
"Why me? Why do you want to hurt me? You've destroyed nearly everything I've ever known."
"But what about your dear godfather, that blasted dog? You felt no pain. You never felt pain. I did that. You think you had enough power to block out the pain, but you don't. Not yet. I can show you how to harness that power, darling. You can be next to me when the world of Muggles and Mudbloods is destroyed, and the Reign of the Snake begins."
"My mom was a Mudblood, you bastard. From what I know, you're only a half blood. At least both of my parents were magic."
"You haven't become the most powerful wizard in the world, have you?"
"I will one day."
"But that day is not now, Lilus. You are my daughter. You will be mine. Face it!"
"THAT IS NOT MY LIFE!"
"Then what is?"
She didn't talk to the voice anymore, and he didn't talk to her. Voldemort, her father? It made sense, what he said, but it was hard to believe. It made too much sense to be a lie. Voldemort was Harry when she was conceived. Voldemort was her father too. Her eyes, they were his eyes. The entire time, Voldemort had been her father. It didn't matter. He was not her family. She wanted him dead.
"COME AND TAKE ME! DEATH EATERS, I SUMMON THEE! COME AND TAKE ME AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!"
She screamed, her voice echoing through the tall trees of the forest, shooting into the night sky with demonic force. That did not come from her mouth. Voldemort was calling his men.
"NO! SHUT THE HELL UP!"
It was too late. Sounds came from all around her, and she stood up against the tree she was leaning on. There were no words spoken, but suddenly, the fear came back. The figures came into the moonlight like Dementors. She stared, her eyes casting a dim glow over each of them. These were Death Eaters. These were the people that murdered her family. She had to kill them.
"I will not be taken without a fight," she spat.
She opened her fingers, transforming into wings, and brought them down hard on the men in front of her, sending some of them flying backwards. She jumped close to one, kicking him squarely in the head before being thrown off by his wand. Immediately, shots of light pierced her body, and she fell to the ground, her body totally frozen.
"Very good, my Death Eaters," she heard herself say as her face contorted into an expression that was not hers. "We must hurry back. I have a lot of catching up to do, and I have to introduce everyone to someone very special."
Lilus couldn't talk. Suddenly, her palms shot to the ground, and she pushed herself up, her hands returning to normal. She stood up and looked at her palms.
"It's...remarkable, my dear servants. The power of this naive witch. I can feel it running through me. I feel so young again."
"Master, it delights us to be in your presence again."
"Well, I am no more a teenaged girl than a werewolf. Take me back. I want to get out of this body and show you what it is capable of. She will no doubt be our greatest Death Eater of all."
"Yes, Master. I trust you will learn her the ways of Death Eaters personally?"
"Yes, this is a special case. I will teach her..." She laughed evilly and spread her wings again. "Come now. We have a long ways to go, and I'm eager to test these wings."
She smashed the earth with those wings, sending her flying straight into the air. She flapped and with each beat, she went higher and higher. The wizards vanished, all but one. That one rose upon a broom and lead the teenaged girl through the sky.
*******************************************************
Jason stormed through the door of the Gryffindor house some time after midnight. Immediately, he threw a bag on his vacant bed and began to shove stuff in it, making as much noise as he could or so it seemed. Nick and Charlie stirred instantly, watching the enraged teenager pack what looked like camping gear.
"Get your lazy asses out of bed. We're going to find Lilus," he hissed, grabbing Charlie's arm and yanking him out of bed.
"What's the deal, man?!"
"Lilus is gone! The fucking teachers are in a conspiracy. If we don't find her now, she isn't coming back alive," he croaked. "Get the others up. We're going into the forest."
"The FOREST?"
"WHAT?
"DAMMIT! GET OUT OF BED!"
Nick was thrown out of bed next. "Ow! Jason, what the hell is your problem?"
"LILUS IS GOING TO DIE IF WE DON'T FIND HER NOW!!"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"
Nick was against the wall in seconds with Jason's hands around his neck. "Lilus will die. DIE. SHE WILL DIE IF WE DO NOT GO FIND HER!"
"SHE ISN'T GOING TO DIE! SHE'S IN THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT!"
"NO SHE FUCKING ISN'T!" Jason let Nick's neck go, and he grabbed his pack. "I don't give a shit about you guys. I'm going to save my best friend."
With that, the door was slammed, and a candlestick fell off the table. Jason left the common room, and he stormed outside, giving Mrs. Norris the most daring look he could.
Lilus was going to die. Not if he had anything to do with it.
"Ready, Moony?" he said as he reached the forest's edge.
Remus Lupin stepped out from behind Hagrid's house, clad in his normal robes with a bag slung around one shoulder. "I am. Let's go."
The forest wasn't nearly as frightening as it had always been. Jason really didn't care about the forest right now. He cared about finding the one person in his life that he loved. She couldn't die. He didn't know what he would do if she died.
"Remus, she's going to be okay, isn't she?"
Remus pulled a book out of the bag, opening the pages to somewhere close to the end. "I fear she isn't. The tears, my boy. Her blood tears. 'I knew he had none other than Crimson Tears, but what demonic presence possessed him I would never know.' According to this diary, Crimson Tears is a sign of possession. Something's living inside her, something evil."
Jason shook his head. "What? You mean all this time, she's been possessed?"
"Lilus is in grave danger. If it's who I think it is, everyone could die."
"Voldemort..."
"Yes."
"Dammit. We have to find Lilus!"
Calling her name proved ineffective, but they did it anyway, their voices echoing throughout the forest. Lilus never turned up. After about an hour of walking, they came to a clearing with boulders surrounding it. Instantly, an arrow whizzed past Jason's shoulder.
"Stay where you are!"
"No, wait! Please! You have to help us!" Moony cried, holding his arms in the air. "Have you seen a young woman come through here. Black hair, red eyes, black hands. Please, good sir, this is a matter of life and death!"
The green centaur shook his head, but then he looked up at them. "Wait. Our elder said something about a strange witch. He said he found her here, and that she looked different from other humans. She said she was here because everyone else was around her was afraid of her. She said she didn't belong at Hogwarts."
"Lilus...why did you..."
"She went that direction," he said, pointing. "It's been many hours since that time, however. She may not be there. My men and I have not found any other human in this forest. Your friend may already be dead."
No...