Chapter 20
"Can I see it?"
She turned around to face Jason's curious yet serious face. He stared back at her, and she turned to face him. She looked at the floor and nodded, walking over to him and sitting on the couch next to him, facing away.
"Just be careful."
She flipped her robes up, and he entangled his fingers in them. He lifted the robe and stopped when he saw the outline of it just over her purple underwear. He gasped, lifting it onto her shoulders. It covered her entire back. The skull looked grim and evil, and then the snake coming out of its mouth didn't help. He gingerly touched it with his knuckles, and then he let her robes slide down.
"It's a spell, to put it on. It burns into your skin for three days. You can't sleep, you can't do anything. Of course, when it just covers your arm, it only stings for a while."
Jason looked at the floor. "What...did Alex want from you?"
She turned around and stared into the fire. "Voldemort wants me to marry him, but he's a thorn in my side. He's a total ass for the first half of the year, but then he wants to marry me. The guy has serious problems."
Jason looked at her, and she looked back. "What...does...the Cruciatus feel like?"
He choked on his words, and then she started to remember. There wasn't much to remember before she blacked out.
"Your body burns. It's ripped. It's broken. It's strangled. Your muscles spasm and beat. Your heart floods your body, causing your blood vessels to stretch. Your bones stretch and compress. It...burns. It's like falling from a skyscraper and landing full force in acid." She hushed herself after that and drew her legs to her chest.
"Even now, I think you're underexaggerating."
"Have they categorized you as a Seer?" she asked, peeking over her knees.
"Yeah, but I only see bits and pieces. I saw Moony's attack. I saw what happened to your parents the night of. And I kept seeing you getting hurt. Each time its seemed like you'd never be able to get up again."
"The dragon saved me," she replied. "The power that I've been trying to enslave is the dragon's wild side. I did, and it saved me. Voldemort's torture proved effective. He had been right about the instincts. I'm not exactly human anymore, Jason. I'm turning into something between human and dragon. I'm not even warm-blooded anymore. I can speak Parceltongue. I have scales. I can breathe fire..."
"Oh, yeah! You can breathe fire! Can I see?"
Talk about ten-year-old at Christmas. Lilus leaned her head back and closed her eyes, and he could see her throat move as she swallowed. She opened her eyes and inhaled sharply, staring at the ceiling. Her lips parted and a jet of flame appeared six inches away from her face, shooting towards the ceiling. Jason backed away from the flame, shielding his eyes. Suddenly, the fire shrank back towards Lilus and nestled into the palm of her glove. The fireball shrank to about the size of a marble and bobbed up and down in her hand.
"Dragons can control fire, did you know that? The ones that breathe fire anyway. It doesn't seem like it because usually they're using all the other weapons that are on their bodies. The power is incredible. At least it's understandable why Voldemort wanted me. I mean, Hogwarts itself can be destroyed by my power. I can kill everyone..." She extinguished the marble of fire.
Jason lunged forward and grabbed her wrists, pinning her against the sofa. "NO! Do NOT talk like that! It's the Death Eater inside of you, Lilus! FIGHT IT! Please. For everyone that you've ever loved, fight it. Fight it for me. Fight it for Justin. Fight it for your father and mother. Fight it for Moony! Please! You can't let it consume you."
He was trembling. He sat up and helped her sit up, the shocked expression fresh in her eyes. She rubbed her forehead and hid her face.
"I'm...sorry."
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Never talk like that again."
She nodded. "It is the Death Eater in me, but Jason, it's a part of me. I can't deny it."
"I know. I know."
"Can I sleep down here tonight? I don't think I need to go upstairs."
Jason nodded. "Yeah. I'll sleep in the chair."
"Thanks."
"No problem, chica. Anything for you, love. I'm just glad you're back. The Seekers-in-training are becoming such a hassle."
Lilus looked at him and laughed. "You've been training Kyle and Taylor?"
Jason nodded. "Yeah, and no offense, but they aren't Bludger retarded."
"You know why? Because I taught them not to be."
Jason stood up and strolled over to the chair. "Well, I'm glad you did. Nick and Charlie have had a grand time TRYING to knock them out of the sky."
"I'm glad you helped. Did they guys seem surprised that you could play Seeker as good as you did?"
Jason nodded. "I don't think they noticed me watching you during the games and practice. I'm a fast learner."
Lilus nodded. "Yeah, you are."
She settled on the couch and watched Jason do the same in the chair.
"One day, the Death Eaters will be gone. One day, the world will be safe again," she said in a drone just before she went to sleep. "I'll make sure it comes soon."
"OH MY FUCKING GOD!"
Lilus fell off of the sofa, rubbing her head when it hit the table. There was a loud thud as Diego hit the ground. Jason jumped out of the chair and ran over to see if the smaller boy was alright. He picked him off the stairway and put him in the chair.
"Some wake up call. Lilus, are you okay?"
She scrambled on the sofa and shook her head. "Good God. That is definitely not the way to wake up." She looked around. "Damn. I'm going to go down to breakfast. I want to get there early."
Jason nodded. "Okay. What should I tell Diego when he arises from his morning nap of shock?"
"Tell him he was seeing things." She stood up and ran to the door. "See you in a bit."
She smiled and vanished.
No one was in the hallway. She smirked and ran down the corridors as fast as she could. She was so back home. She was so here! It was an awesome feeling. The Great Hall was empty of course, except for the few house elves that were putting out the plates. She smiled and sat down at the seat that used to be hers. Then it hit her. This was all so new to her, yet so familiar. She hadn't eaten here in a long time. She hadn't been around in a long time.
There were no teachers anywhere, but she knew they were all up and ready. She stood up again. It was all a cage. Hogwarts was just a cage. She wanted to be free. She wanted to go the way of the Dark Lord.
"NO!" she cried, her voice echoing through the room.
The house elves stopped moving and stared for a second before returning to their work. The tattoo that was on her back began to burn again. It was not unusual. It did that sometimes when she was thinking deeply. She walked around in a circle for a few minutes, then left the Great Hall.
Lilus drew her hands down the hall, staring at the rough texture of the brick. Fifteen minutes passed slowly, just allowing her to take in what she had forgotten. She heard a small drone of sound, students. She carefully made her way back into the Great Hall, but by the time she got in there, students were pouring into it. Most were sitting, but she managed to squeeze in with a thin line of people. Her robes were draped around her, both hands gloved. She saw their usual sitting place at the table and began walking over to her old seat. Jason was sitting on one side, Justin on the other. A lot of people gasped and looked at her when she entered the room, and the people around her shrank away. Justin stood up, pointing at her with his mouth wide open. The Gryffindor Quidditch team stood up, even the replacement Seeker.
She walked towards Justin and was immediatly knocked down as he strangled her in a back breaking hug. Those who had been on the other side of the table jumped over it. Lilus disappeared under a mound of people hugging her and crying.
"Oh, my God! Lilus! You're alive!! We searched! We searched everywhere! But you were gone!"
"Lilus!"
"I knew I wasn't seeing things!"
"You're alive!"
"Thank GOD!"
The crowd disappated, but Justin was squeezing the life out of his friend, crying pathetically. Jason sat back down and smiled, cracking his knuckles and leaning his elbows on the table. Justin was breathing harshly into her shoulder, wetting her robes with his tears. Shawn was rubbing her back, and the twins were hugging anything they could get to. Baker was sitting on the sidelines with Jason, also crying, but keeping it silent.
"They pronounced you dead...and it was in the Prophet. You were dead...."
"No Death Eater has the power to get rid of me, Justin. I'm still alive and me, although I don't look normal anymore."
"Who cares what you look like? You're...not dead!"
Justin, Jason, and basically the entire Quidditch team left the Great Hall and ate breakfast in their dorm. Many things were discussed, such as winning Quidditch. The game was in a little over two weeks, and their next practice happened to be tomorrow. Not many questions were asked about what happened, but the kidnapping was made clear. As was all the little tidbits that she had grown or developed.
It felt good to be back to humanity. She had no classes, but she followed Jason, Shawn, Baker, Nick, and Charlie to their classes, waving at Snape whenever she entered the beloved Potions room. She scared all the teachers, but life had returned.
"Albus?"
Minerva figured he'd be in the library, but she didn't know she'd find him in this condition. He was huddled over a scroll that was obviously aged beyond its years. It had been mended so much with magic that the tears showed through, even if they did stay together. The scroll's writing was a such language that was unknown to Minerva herself, but Albus understood it fine. And he was trembling in cold sweat from it. His knuckles were white, and he was very pale.
"Albus!?"
"Minerva...Ms. Potter..." he whispered.
"How long have you been in here?"
Albus did his best to stand. "Tears of Crimson Blood. Given off by the victim of phantom possession. Unless phantom can be exorcised, the victim will die of blood loss or fatal mental delusions. Side effects: illusions, mirages, random attacks, random words, remarkable power, unpredictable behavior." His words came out slowly. "Should be contained." His words slid out of his mouth in a thick syrup. "Should be killed."
The old woman squeaked. "Albus?"
"Voldemort wouldn't die without Harry dead."
"???"
"He couldn't die unless Harry was dead. Now Harry is dead, but the prophacy has been passed on to Lilus...the last living Potter."
Minerva's eyes grew large. "The prophacy...?"
"It's Voldemort, Minerva. He's still alive..."
"Oh...God..."
The Headmistress fainted before Albus could catch her.
She wanted to rejoin the Quidditch team. She really wanted to, but kicking out the newest members wouldn't be fair, especially after she had "deserted" for about a year. Instead, she spent her time with Jason practicing her own skill.
She remained indoors during games, and Jason stayed with her. He was very reluctant for her to leave his sight, but he was always at Remy's office door first thing in the morning. Lilus was sleeping in there now in a bed very close to where Remus slept. Oh, did it feel good to be safe again.
She had not seen Snid in the duration that she had been back, and Raphael had vanished as well. This she knew was for good reason.
But she couldn't stay like this for long. There were too many secrets that he would know, but she could feel him creeping over her body every day, his reign on her senses tightening. For the most part, he was cooperative, but there were some instances when the only thing she controlled were the movement of her hands and eyes. Her mind still tried to function, but she was becoming part of the background, the machine that he controlled.
She was afraid. There was so much that she had wanted to do, but she had forsaken the time she had to do them in. His will was slowly creeping over her body like rose vines. He spoke to her constantly, trying to justify what he was doing. It was always soft talk, like a real father to daughter. Not like when he was in front of all his flunkies. Why, she didn't know. She rather much preferred him yelling at her and torturing her with Crucio. At least then he was out of her body, and she could look upon his face.
She wanted it to be over. Hell was a summer vacation compared to the mental stress that she endured. He would soon have her body as his own, and then, she would not be able to help herself...
Then it would never be over.
-Jason, when I give this to you, I need you to take it to Raphael Malfoy. Don't ask me questions about it, ever. Act as if I never gave it to you.
-Please, Jason. I am being possessed by Voldemort.
-He's taking over my body.
-I'm writing this message with my eyes closed, and I hope that everything is legible.
-Tell Raphael that Voldemort is moving faster than he thought.
-Tell him that I will need his help.
-I am no longer responsible for my actions.
-He sees what I see. He hears what I hear. He tastes what I taste...
-I cannot cast the spell. He will have to do it or get Snid to do it.
-They will be coming in two weeks.
-That's when it all will happen.
-When it all unfolds.
-Where the fate of the world will be decided.
-Jason, in two weeks time, exactly, I will need you and Raphael to blindfold me in my sleep and carry me outside to the lake. Do not listen to my protests; they will not be mine. They will be his, Voldemort's.
-Take me down to the lake and have Raphael or Snid of he comes to perform the exorcism spell on me.
-You will have to hide Raphael when Voldemort comes out of my body. This is to protect his identity from being known.
-He has helped me during this, and, Jason, I need your help now too.
-Jason, please.
-As soon as I give this too you, never mention it to me, because I can only hold off until I give this note to you. After this, I must surrender to this torture. I am so weak.
-The blood tears are a sign that I am possessed.
-If there is ever a doubt, make me cry.
-Real tears are my only proof.
-Jason, I beg of you. Believe me.
-If you don't, Raphael will die, Hogwarts will become enslaved. Voldemort will tame my powers and use them against everything.
-Help me.
-Please, Jason.
-I am at my most desperate right now.
-Don't let me down.
-Hunt Raphael down.
-And show him this note.
-And Snid if you can find him.
-I will need all the help I can get.
"Jason, oh God. She wrote this to you?!"
He nodded, staring into beautiful blue eyes.
"Did she give it to you with her eyes closed?"
Jason nodded. "She was holding her ears too or trying to."
Raphael rubbed his head and hid behind a book. "He's moving way too fast. I figured the first he'd be doing it would be next week."
"What are we going to do?"
"What she told us to do. We can't do anything else. We'll break into Professor Lupin's office and blindfold her and tie her up if we can. Take her wand away from her but keep it with you. We drag her down to the lake. I'll perform that spell on her, and you know...hide....and hopefully she can vanquish Voldemort herself."
"What if she isn't strong enough?" A very serious face smoothed over Jason's normally clownish one. "What if she's not even conscious?"
"Then we will have to help her the best we can with any healing and rejuvenation spells that we can.."
Jason paled a little. "Yeah, that sounds very nice. Two teenaged punks against...what...the most evil being in this time era!? Does that sound fantasyish?"
"Look, we have to make due. You are the bird boy, right? I'm not so helpless myself."
Jason rubbed his head. "I only...what you told me before. I...so she's completely possessed now?"
"Yes, act as if everything has gone normal. That's why she never wanted you to mention the note. She is protecting us. No doubt Voldemort knows she wrote something and gave it to someone. He's probably torturing her because if it."
"Two weeks is too long. Why not sooner?" Jason whispered.
Raphael cracked his knuckles. "The Death Eaters are to be in the Forbidden Forest in two weeks on Friday. Voldemort will use Lilus to take down Hogwarts. Then, he will spread, using her power to enslave everything. We have to be out there. We have to get him out of her body before he can join them. Once that happens, we will lose her permenantly."
"So if she has no energy left and cannot fight, we'll die, right?"
Raphael nodded. "Yeah, most likely."
"Oh, I feel nice. Yeah, I'd love to die prematurely facing the greatest evil known to mankind trying to save my best friend and once sworn enemy..."
"Hush. She won't most likely, possibly dazed, but she won't be down for the count if that's what you mean."
Raphael hid behind a book as someone walked past them. Jason did the same, staring at the student's back as he passed by.
"If we die, then how is that going to help Lilus? How is gonna help us at all? This is basically all depending on Lilus."
"No, no, no. I'll use Avada Kedavra on Voldemort as soon as he's expelled, and then we can go from there. Surely we will attract some attention with Lilus kicking and screaming all the way outside."
"Friday, Friday. What was special about Friday?"
"It's a full moon, for one. You'll be a werewolf," Raphael said, propping his head onto his palm.
"Oh, shit!" Jason cried loudly before hiding behind his book again. "I won't be able to control myself. I might attack the wrong party!"
"No, Jason. You're too connected with Lilus. You'll attack whatever needs to be attacked."
"I still don't feel so comfortable about this. There's too many things that can go wrong. And what about Justin? Justin cares a lot about her."
"If that moron sees her get hurt, he'll lose his mind. It'll fuel your rage. That Weasley...shallow."
"Shut the hell up. He's nicer to her than you ever were."
"He is shallow!"
"Shut the hell up!"
"Fine!"
"Okay, so Justin is out because you can't deal with it."
The vein in Raphael's forehead was twitching, and his hair was slightly messy because of his hands running through it. It fell almost to his shoulders, and finally he just released it from the ribbon that had held it all back. He put his head down on the table and sighed.
"Weasley will lose his mind if he sees Lilus being exorcised. If he even knows that she's been possessed all this time, he'll lose it. He saw her parents die, or so he claims, but if he sees her die, we'll never get him out of St. Mungo's."
Jason growled lightly out of his throat but he nodded his head. "He's not shallow, though."
Raphael twitched, but he ignored it. "You know what we have to do now? Bring your wand. There may be a possibility that we might have to disappear for a while, at least until it all blows over with the government. Unforgivable Curses aren't taken lightly nowadays, especially since the age of Harry Potter."
"Ah, I have no family anyhow. Remus would probably join us if we asked him to."
"There is no us. I cannot be seen with you anywhere. Its for my own safety. Death Eaters are everywhere, and no news must get to Voldemort that I've been helping."
"What about if you looked like Alex?"
Raphael froze and looked strangely across the table. "What?"
"You know, dress like him, put your hair the way he does. Frame him."
"That would be..."
"Well, you want him out of your hair, right? If he gets in trouble with Voldemort, he won't get into that much shit. Voldemort likes him doesn't he?"
Raphael cocked his head. "How do you know that?"
"Lilus put some thoughts into my head when I was sleeping just before she came back."
"Oh, I don't know. That's a good idea. I had never thought of that."
"See! I'm not as stupid as you think I am."
A strangled smile crossed the blonde's face, and Raphael just rubbed his head.
"Would probably be better if Snid broke into Moony's office, you know what I mean? And dragged her outside?"
The Slytherin nodded. "Yes, I will keep that in mind."
Jason extended his hand over the table, and Raphael shook it.
"Nice to have you on the team, even as discreet as you are," Jason said after retreating behind his book.
"Nice to know I won't be werewolf food."
Jason growled and involuntarily licked his lips at the mention of food. Raphael rolled his eyes and hid behind the book. A silence went between them for a few minutes, but hte American broke it.
"Just...never hurt her, okay?"
Raphael looked up from the old tome. "What?"
"Never hurt her."
Raphael smiled a little flash of a smile. "Ah, don't worry. She's on grounds of killing me right now. I'm pretty sure she would if I gave her reason to."
Jason laughed quietly. "Nah, she won't. She knows you've risked your life to help her. That probably won you back a few brownie points."
"Brownie points?"
"Yeah, uh...like good deed merits or something."
"Hmm, brownie points," Raphael said happily. "Ah, dammit, now I'm hungry."
Jason snorted. "I've been hungry since the end of lunch, so shut up."
"Can I see it?"
She turned around to face Jason's curious yet serious face. He stared back at her, and she turned to face him. She looked at the floor and nodded, walking over to him and sitting on the couch next to him, facing away.
"Just be careful."
She flipped her robes up, and he entangled his fingers in them. He lifted the robe and stopped when he saw the outline of it just over her purple underwear. He gasped, lifting it onto her shoulders. It covered her entire back. The skull looked grim and evil, and then the snake coming out of its mouth didn't help. He gingerly touched it with his knuckles, and then he let her robes slide down.
"It's a spell, to put it on. It burns into your skin for three days. You can't sleep, you can't do anything. Of course, when it just covers your arm, it only stings for a while."
Jason looked at the floor. "What...did Alex want from you?"
She turned around and stared into the fire. "Voldemort wants me to marry him, but he's a thorn in my side. He's a total ass for the first half of the year, but then he wants to marry me. The guy has serious problems."
Jason looked at her, and she looked back. "What...does...the Cruciatus feel like?"
He choked on his words, and then she started to remember. There wasn't much to remember before she blacked out.
"Your body burns. It's ripped. It's broken. It's strangled. Your muscles spasm and beat. Your heart floods your body, causing your blood vessels to stretch. Your bones stretch and compress. It...burns. It's like falling from a skyscraper and landing full force in acid." She hushed herself after that and drew her legs to her chest.
"Even now, I think you're underexaggerating."
"Have they categorized you as a Seer?" she asked, peeking over her knees.
"Yeah, but I only see bits and pieces. I saw Moony's attack. I saw what happened to your parents the night of. And I kept seeing you getting hurt. Each time its seemed like you'd never be able to get up again."
"The dragon saved me," she replied. "The power that I've been trying to enslave is the dragon's wild side. I did, and it saved me. Voldemort's torture proved effective. He had been right about the instincts. I'm not exactly human anymore, Jason. I'm turning into something between human and dragon. I'm not even warm-blooded anymore. I can speak Parceltongue. I have scales. I can breathe fire..."
"Oh, yeah! You can breathe fire! Can I see?"
Talk about ten-year-old at Christmas. Lilus leaned her head back and closed her eyes, and he could see her throat move as she swallowed. She opened her eyes and inhaled sharply, staring at the ceiling. Her lips parted and a jet of flame appeared six inches away from her face, shooting towards the ceiling. Jason backed away from the flame, shielding his eyes. Suddenly, the fire shrank back towards Lilus and nestled into the palm of her glove. The fireball shrank to about the size of a marble and bobbed up and down in her hand.
"Dragons can control fire, did you know that? The ones that breathe fire anyway. It doesn't seem like it because usually they're using all the other weapons that are on their bodies. The power is incredible. At least it's understandable why Voldemort wanted me. I mean, Hogwarts itself can be destroyed by my power. I can kill everyone..." She extinguished the marble of fire.
Jason lunged forward and grabbed her wrists, pinning her against the sofa. "NO! Do NOT talk like that! It's the Death Eater inside of you, Lilus! FIGHT IT! Please. For everyone that you've ever loved, fight it. Fight it for me. Fight it for Justin. Fight it for your father and mother. Fight it for Moony! Please! You can't let it consume you."
He was trembling. He sat up and helped her sit up, the shocked expression fresh in her eyes. She rubbed her forehead and hid her face.
"I'm...sorry."
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Never talk like that again."
She nodded. "It is the Death Eater in me, but Jason, it's a part of me. I can't deny it."
"I know. I know."
"Can I sleep down here tonight? I don't think I need to go upstairs."
Jason nodded. "Yeah. I'll sleep in the chair."
"Thanks."
"No problem, chica. Anything for you, love. I'm just glad you're back. The Seekers-in-training are becoming such a hassle."
Lilus looked at him and laughed. "You've been training Kyle and Taylor?"
Jason nodded. "Yeah, and no offense, but they aren't Bludger retarded."
"You know why? Because I taught them not to be."
Jason stood up and strolled over to the chair. "Well, I'm glad you did. Nick and Charlie have had a grand time TRYING to knock them out of the sky."
"I'm glad you helped. Did they guys seem surprised that you could play Seeker as good as you did?"
Jason nodded. "I don't think they noticed me watching you during the games and practice. I'm a fast learner."
Lilus nodded. "Yeah, you are."
She settled on the couch and watched Jason do the same in the chair.
"One day, the Death Eaters will be gone. One day, the world will be safe again," she said in a drone just before she went to sleep. "I'll make sure it comes soon."
"OH MY FUCKING GOD!"
Lilus fell off of the sofa, rubbing her head when it hit the table. There was a loud thud as Diego hit the ground. Jason jumped out of the chair and ran over to see if the smaller boy was alright. He picked him off the stairway and put him in the chair.
"Some wake up call. Lilus, are you okay?"
She scrambled on the sofa and shook her head. "Good God. That is definitely not the way to wake up." She looked around. "Damn. I'm going to go down to breakfast. I want to get there early."
Jason nodded. "Okay. What should I tell Diego when he arises from his morning nap of shock?"
"Tell him he was seeing things." She stood up and ran to the door. "See you in a bit."
She smiled and vanished.
No one was in the hallway. She smirked and ran down the corridors as fast as she could. She was so back home. She was so here! It was an awesome feeling. The Great Hall was empty of course, except for the few house elves that were putting out the plates. She smiled and sat down at the seat that used to be hers. Then it hit her. This was all so new to her, yet so familiar. She hadn't eaten here in a long time. She hadn't been around in a long time.
There were no teachers anywhere, but she knew they were all up and ready. She stood up again. It was all a cage. Hogwarts was just a cage. She wanted to be free. She wanted to go the way of the Dark Lord.
"NO!" she cried, her voice echoing through the room.
The house elves stopped moving and stared for a second before returning to their work. The tattoo that was on her back began to burn again. It was not unusual. It did that sometimes when she was thinking deeply. She walked around in a circle for a few minutes, then left the Great Hall.
Lilus drew her hands down the hall, staring at the rough texture of the brick. Fifteen minutes passed slowly, just allowing her to take in what she had forgotten. She heard a small drone of sound, students. She carefully made her way back into the Great Hall, but by the time she got in there, students were pouring into it. Most were sitting, but she managed to squeeze in with a thin line of people. Her robes were draped around her, both hands gloved. She saw their usual sitting place at the table and began walking over to her old seat. Jason was sitting on one side, Justin on the other. A lot of people gasped and looked at her when she entered the room, and the people around her shrank away. Justin stood up, pointing at her with his mouth wide open. The Gryffindor Quidditch team stood up, even the replacement Seeker.
She walked towards Justin and was immediatly knocked down as he strangled her in a back breaking hug. Those who had been on the other side of the table jumped over it. Lilus disappeared under a mound of people hugging her and crying.
"Oh, my God! Lilus! You're alive!! We searched! We searched everywhere! But you were gone!"
"Lilus!"
"I knew I wasn't seeing things!"
"You're alive!"
"Thank GOD!"
The crowd disappated, but Justin was squeezing the life out of his friend, crying pathetically. Jason sat back down and smiled, cracking his knuckles and leaning his elbows on the table. Justin was breathing harshly into her shoulder, wetting her robes with his tears. Shawn was rubbing her back, and the twins were hugging anything they could get to. Baker was sitting on the sidelines with Jason, also crying, but keeping it silent.
"They pronounced you dead...and it was in the Prophet. You were dead...."
"No Death Eater has the power to get rid of me, Justin. I'm still alive and me, although I don't look normal anymore."
"Who cares what you look like? You're...not dead!"
Justin, Jason, and basically the entire Quidditch team left the Great Hall and ate breakfast in their dorm. Many things were discussed, such as winning Quidditch. The game was in a little over two weeks, and their next practice happened to be tomorrow. Not many questions were asked about what happened, but the kidnapping was made clear. As was all the little tidbits that she had grown or developed.
It felt good to be back to humanity. She had no classes, but she followed Jason, Shawn, Baker, Nick, and Charlie to their classes, waving at Snape whenever she entered the beloved Potions room. She scared all the teachers, but life had returned.
"Albus?"
Minerva figured he'd be in the library, but she didn't know she'd find him in this condition. He was huddled over a scroll that was obviously aged beyond its years. It had been mended so much with magic that the tears showed through, even if they did stay together. The scroll's writing was a such language that was unknown to Minerva herself, but Albus understood it fine. And he was trembling in cold sweat from it. His knuckles were white, and he was very pale.
"Albus!?"
"Minerva...Ms. Potter..." he whispered.
"How long have you been in here?"
Albus did his best to stand. "Tears of Crimson Blood. Given off by the victim of phantom possession. Unless phantom can be exorcised, the victim will die of blood loss or fatal mental delusions. Side effects: illusions, mirages, random attacks, random words, remarkable power, unpredictable behavior." His words came out slowly. "Should be contained." His words slid out of his mouth in a thick syrup. "Should be killed."
The old woman squeaked. "Albus?"
"Voldemort wouldn't die without Harry dead."
"???"
"He couldn't die unless Harry was dead. Now Harry is dead, but the prophacy has been passed on to Lilus...the last living Potter."
Minerva's eyes grew large. "The prophacy...?"
"It's Voldemort, Minerva. He's still alive..."
"Oh...God..."
The Headmistress fainted before Albus could catch her.
She wanted to rejoin the Quidditch team. She really wanted to, but kicking out the newest members wouldn't be fair, especially after she had "deserted" for about a year. Instead, she spent her time with Jason practicing her own skill.
She remained indoors during games, and Jason stayed with her. He was very reluctant for her to leave his sight, but he was always at Remy's office door first thing in the morning. Lilus was sleeping in there now in a bed very close to where Remus slept. Oh, did it feel good to be safe again.
She had not seen Snid in the duration that she had been back, and Raphael had vanished as well. This she knew was for good reason.
But she couldn't stay like this for long. There were too many secrets that he would know, but she could feel him creeping over her body every day, his reign on her senses tightening. For the most part, he was cooperative, but there were some instances when the only thing she controlled were the movement of her hands and eyes. Her mind still tried to function, but she was becoming part of the background, the machine that he controlled.
She was afraid. There was so much that she had wanted to do, but she had forsaken the time she had to do them in. His will was slowly creeping over her body like rose vines. He spoke to her constantly, trying to justify what he was doing. It was always soft talk, like a real father to daughter. Not like when he was in front of all his flunkies. Why, she didn't know. She rather much preferred him yelling at her and torturing her with Crucio. At least then he was out of her body, and she could look upon his face.
She wanted it to be over. Hell was a summer vacation compared to the mental stress that she endured. He would soon have her body as his own, and then, she would not be able to help herself...
Then it would never be over.
-Jason, when I give this to you, I need you to take it to Raphael Malfoy. Don't ask me questions about it, ever. Act as if I never gave it to you.
-Please, Jason. I am being possessed by Voldemort.
-He's taking over my body.
-I'm writing this message with my eyes closed, and I hope that everything is legible.
-Tell Raphael that Voldemort is moving faster than he thought.
-Tell him that I will need his help.
-I am no longer responsible for my actions.
-He sees what I see. He hears what I hear. He tastes what I taste...
-I cannot cast the spell. He will have to do it or get Snid to do it.
-They will be coming in two weeks.
-That's when it all will happen.
-When it all unfolds.
-Where the fate of the world will be decided.
-Jason, in two weeks time, exactly, I will need you and Raphael to blindfold me in my sleep and carry me outside to the lake. Do not listen to my protests; they will not be mine. They will be his, Voldemort's.
-Take me down to the lake and have Raphael or Snid of he comes to perform the exorcism spell on me.
-You will have to hide Raphael when Voldemort comes out of my body. This is to protect his identity from being known.
-He has helped me during this, and, Jason, I need your help now too.
-Jason, please.
-As soon as I give this too you, never mention it to me, because I can only hold off until I give this note to you. After this, I must surrender to this torture. I am so weak.
-The blood tears are a sign that I am possessed.
-If there is ever a doubt, make me cry.
-Real tears are my only proof.
-Jason, I beg of you. Believe me.
-If you don't, Raphael will die, Hogwarts will become enslaved. Voldemort will tame my powers and use them against everything.
-Help me.
-Please, Jason.
-I am at my most desperate right now.
-Don't let me down.
-Hunt Raphael down.
-And show him this note.
-And Snid if you can find him.
-I will need all the help I can get.
"Jason, oh God. She wrote this to you?!"
He nodded, staring into beautiful blue eyes.
"Did she give it to you with her eyes closed?"
Jason nodded. "She was holding her ears too or trying to."
Raphael rubbed his head and hid behind a book. "He's moving way too fast. I figured the first he'd be doing it would be next week."
"What are we going to do?"
"What she told us to do. We can't do anything else. We'll break into Professor Lupin's office and blindfold her and tie her up if we can. Take her wand away from her but keep it with you. We drag her down to the lake. I'll perform that spell on her, and you know...hide....and hopefully she can vanquish Voldemort herself."
"What if she isn't strong enough?" A very serious face smoothed over Jason's normally clownish one. "What if she's not even conscious?"
"Then we will have to help her the best we can with any healing and rejuvenation spells that we can.."
Jason paled a little. "Yeah, that sounds very nice. Two teenaged punks against...what...the most evil being in this time era!? Does that sound fantasyish?"
"Look, we have to make due. You are the bird boy, right? I'm not so helpless myself."
Jason rubbed his head. "I only...what you told me before. I...so she's completely possessed now?"
"Yes, act as if everything has gone normal. That's why she never wanted you to mention the note. She is protecting us. No doubt Voldemort knows she wrote something and gave it to someone. He's probably torturing her because if it."
"Two weeks is too long. Why not sooner?" Jason whispered.
Raphael cracked his knuckles. "The Death Eaters are to be in the Forbidden Forest in two weeks on Friday. Voldemort will use Lilus to take down Hogwarts. Then, he will spread, using her power to enslave everything. We have to be out there. We have to get him out of her body before he can join them. Once that happens, we will lose her permenantly."
"So if she has no energy left and cannot fight, we'll die, right?"
Raphael nodded. "Yeah, most likely."
"Oh, I feel nice. Yeah, I'd love to die prematurely facing the greatest evil known to mankind trying to save my best friend and once sworn enemy..."
"Hush. She won't most likely, possibly dazed, but she won't be down for the count if that's what you mean."
Raphael hid behind a book as someone walked past them. Jason did the same, staring at the student's back as he passed by.
"If we die, then how is that going to help Lilus? How is gonna help us at all? This is basically all depending on Lilus."
"No, no, no. I'll use Avada Kedavra on Voldemort as soon as he's expelled, and then we can go from there. Surely we will attract some attention with Lilus kicking and screaming all the way outside."
"Friday, Friday. What was special about Friday?"
"It's a full moon, for one. You'll be a werewolf," Raphael said, propping his head onto his palm.
"Oh, shit!" Jason cried loudly before hiding behind his book again. "I won't be able to control myself. I might attack the wrong party!"
"No, Jason. You're too connected with Lilus. You'll attack whatever needs to be attacked."
"I still don't feel so comfortable about this. There's too many things that can go wrong. And what about Justin? Justin cares a lot about her."
"If that moron sees her get hurt, he'll lose his mind. It'll fuel your rage. That Weasley...shallow."
"Shut the hell up. He's nicer to her than you ever were."
"He is shallow!"
"Shut the hell up!"
"Fine!"
"Okay, so Justin is out because you can't deal with it."
The vein in Raphael's forehead was twitching, and his hair was slightly messy because of his hands running through it. It fell almost to his shoulders, and finally he just released it from the ribbon that had held it all back. He put his head down on the table and sighed.
"Weasley will lose his mind if he sees Lilus being exorcised. If he even knows that she's been possessed all this time, he'll lose it. He saw her parents die, or so he claims, but if he sees her die, we'll never get him out of St. Mungo's."
Jason growled lightly out of his throat but he nodded his head. "He's not shallow, though."
Raphael twitched, but he ignored it. "You know what we have to do now? Bring your wand. There may be a possibility that we might have to disappear for a while, at least until it all blows over with the government. Unforgivable Curses aren't taken lightly nowadays, especially since the age of Harry Potter."
"Ah, I have no family anyhow. Remus would probably join us if we asked him to."
"There is no us. I cannot be seen with you anywhere. Its for my own safety. Death Eaters are everywhere, and no news must get to Voldemort that I've been helping."
"What about if you looked like Alex?"
Raphael froze and looked strangely across the table. "What?"
"You know, dress like him, put your hair the way he does. Frame him."
"That would be..."
"Well, you want him out of your hair, right? If he gets in trouble with Voldemort, he won't get into that much shit. Voldemort likes him doesn't he?"
Raphael cocked his head. "How do you know that?"
"Lilus put some thoughts into my head when I was sleeping just before she came back."
"Oh, I don't know. That's a good idea. I had never thought of that."
"See! I'm not as stupid as you think I am."
A strangled smile crossed the blonde's face, and Raphael just rubbed his head.
"Would probably be better if Snid broke into Moony's office, you know what I mean? And dragged her outside?"
The Slytherin nodded. "Yes, I will keep that in mind."
Jason extended his hand over the table, and Raphael shook it.
"Nice to have you on the team, even as discreet as you are," Jason said after retreating behind his book.
"Nice to know I won't be werewolf food."
Jason growled and involuntarily licked his lips at the mention of food. Raphael rolled his eyes and hid behind the book. A silence went between them for a few minutes, but hte American broke it.
"Just...never hurt her, okay?"
Raphael looked up from the old tome. "What?"
"Never hurt her."
Raphael smiled a little flash of a smile. "Ah, don't worry. She's on grounds of killing me right now. I'm pretty sure she would if I gave her reason to."
Jason laughed quietly. "Nah, she won't. She knows you've risked your life to help her. That probably won you back a few brownie points."
"Brownie points?"
"Yeah, uh...like good deed merits or something."
"Hmm, brownie points," Raphael said happily. "Ah, dammit, now I'm hungry."
Jason snorted. "I've been hungry since the end of lunch, so shut up."