Chapter 11: Choices
As soon as we saw the masked figures, which looked similar to large eyes, Celeste and I headed for cover. We were almost out of sight when Lily called out, "I saw you the moment we arrived, sister. Don't even try to escape my eyes!"
"What do you want Lily?" I replied steadily.
"I want revenge on you. You tore our family apart and now I'm going to tear you apart."
"You're delusional, but give it your best try!" I shouted, pulling Celeste to the ground and rolling behind a bench along the side of the path. Where were those damn Aurors when you needed them?
"Dear sister, don't you try and play hide and seek with me. Mother wouldn't like us to play during nap time!" Lily called in a sickeningly innocent voice.
"I haven't taken naps in years, Lily! You just haven't grown up yet. You still want to be a baby, fine; I can treat you like a baby!" I flicked my wand and Lily was in diapers and her 'Eyes' had pacifier suits on.
"You'll regret that move!" Lily snarled.
"No, I honestly don't think I will. Give up, and go home."
"Watch your back sister because this fight is not over. It has only begun!"
"You're the nutcase," I told Lily, trying to distract her so that Celeste could get away.
"I am not a nutcase!" Lily roared in reply.
"Ah, I appear to have struck a nerve. You may want to get your mental health checked out, dear sister. The crazy seems to go along with the evil. My personal theory is that all evil people are crazy. Take Hitler for example, he was about as damn evil and crazy as you can get."
I babbled about nothing for a while trying to buy Celeste time. She was sneaking off to get help and only needed a little bit longer and to obtain a straight shot to the school and to be out of sight behind a hill. Don't notice her for another second, just a little longer, there, Celeste had finally reached the cover of a hill and was presumably off and running for help at the school.
"You'll die a slow and painful death for your insolent comments one day," Lily informed me coldly.
"And you'll die a quick and painless death, or a long, slow, and painful one for your evil ways. Your type of death depends on who gets the pleasure of disposing of you," I replied equally as coldly.
"Where'd your Weasley friend go? Did she abandon you? Some friends you have!" Lily laughed, "Find her my Eyes. And you do have my permission to dispose of her when you do find her."
The 'Eyes' laughed cruelly as they hurried off, leaving me to face Lily, once again alone. I hoped to God and all things holy that Celeste was long gone.
Lily pointed her wand at me and before I realized what was happening I felt a searing pain spread across my body. Lily had used a curse on me that was extremely similar to the Cruciatius Curse, one that I had never seen used before.
"Mother of macaroni and all things cheesy," I screamed, the ability to spurt curse words was chased out of my body by the pain. The pain lightened up only to double a second later.
"If you bow down to me your death will be quick and painless, dear sister," Lily's cruel grin spread across her face.
"I'll never bow down to you, you tyrant," I replied determinedly, as the pain seemed to triple.
"I figured you'd say that, but a little more pain may change your mind."
Lily flicked her wand and the bone crushing pain grew even worse. I had managed to keep my feet up until this point but now I collapsed on the ground. The only thought that crossed my mind was I hope Celeste didn't get caught.
"Your Ladyship, we cannot find your sister's companion anywhere. She has escaped," an Eye informed Lily.
"No, keep looking, she is only hiding. FIND HER!" Lily roared, taking her anger out on me. By this point I was sure Lily had caused permanent damage and that all my ribs were broken into tiny pieces.
"My Lady, people are coming from the direction of the school, we have been spotted," another Eye reported.
"Go, I will follow shortly. First I must dispose of my dear sister. Witnesses cannot be left alive," Lily grinned at me evilly.
My life flashed before my very eyes. It was rather short, and rather boring, but it was my life all the same. Suddenly, as Lily raised her wand, presumably to finish me off, I started to glow with a warm, orange light. The light expanded and Lily was pushed farther and farther away. Soon she was out of sight and I lost all consciousness, which was rather nice actually because you don't feel pain while you're unconscious.
"Is she going to be okay?"
"She should be fine, but she'll need to stay in St. Mungo's for a little longer."
"Is it okay to let the girls come in to see her? They've been worried sick all night."
"It should be fine as long as they don't hug her or tire her out too much, she needs her rest."
"Good, those two are like sisters to her. I'll just go and send another owl to Mr. Potter."
"I'll be back to check on her later. She's one lucky girl, most would be dead, but she's not even going to suffer lasting damage."
"Strength runs in her family, she is, after all, a Potter."
"Yes, and from what I gather another Potter is exactly what we need. I'll be back soon, and don't forget that the Minister and the Aurors wish to question her."
"Who she will talk to is her decision and her decision only. I have a feeling that she will never tell the Minister everything, or that if she does he will not believe her. Her own father probably won't believe parts of it, at least from what Miss Weasley has told me."
"I shall tell the Minister she's not awake yet."
"Very well, but she is awake, aren't you Miss Potter."
Opening my eyes after my feigned unconsciousness I attempted to sit up and gave up quite quickly.
"Yes, Professor Longbottom I am awake, but I'd rather not talk to the Minister right now, if that's okay," I said sheepishly.
"Yes, that is quite all right. I shall go and fetch the Weasley family," Professor Longbottom and the St. Mungo's orderly both left the room, closing the door behind them with a soft click.
I wished that Professor Longbottom hadn't left, I still had many questions, but I also wanted to see Celeste and Lauran. I struggled for a minute and the desire to see my 'family' finally won out. It wasn't long before they came in, all of them. Celeste, Lauran, Greg, George, Fred, Alicia, and Angelina all piled into my small room. It was a tight fit but they all made it through the door and into the room, shutting the door behind them.
"Riley, I'm so glad you're all right!" Alicia Weasley bent to give me a hug, thought better of it and backed off as I involuntarily cringed.
"What happened?" I asked Celeste who sat in a chair next to my bed.
"Well, after I got out of sight I ran as fast as possible to the school and got Professor Longbottom and some other teachers. We were running towards where I had left you when there was a huge burst of orange light and we all broke into a sprint, fearing the worst. But when we got there everyone was gone and you were unconscious. Professor Delacour went to get the St. Mungo's people and the others looked around for any Eyes or whatever Lily called them. But the search was pointless, Lily was long gone, and the St. Mungo's people brought you here late last night. You know the rest."
Nobody said anything for a long time; it wasn't an awkward silence, just a pensive silence. We were all thinking our own thoughts about what had occurred last night. Alicia was the first to speak.
"It never occurred to me that Lily might be the next He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. She never came across as being a bad person and Harry certainly didn't raise you two to act the way she turned out. I wonder what went wrong with her," Alicia was only half talking to the rest of us.
"It wasn't anything Dad did; Lily didn't need anyone's help to go crazy, although Mum and I probably accelerated the process what with Mum's favoritism and my resentment of her," I replied finally stating something I had been mulling over myself for a while now.
Alicia looked slightly startled at my answer, but quickly recovered, "You are much wiser than most people your age, it surprised me a little, and then I remembered who I was talking to."
We talked for a while longer and then the Weasley family left, the students to go back to school and the adults to go back to work. I slept for a while and when I woke up Professor Longbottom had just walked in the door.
"I'm sure you have many things pertaining to your sister that you have not shared, last night being one of them. I am always available for you to talk to. Any questions you ask I will do my best to answer. Painful memories can be eased if shared with the right person; I can be that person, but only if you wish." Professor Longbottom spoke softly, not forcing anything from me, but I soon found myself telling him all about Lily, last night, and my childhood. Professor Longbottom just listened and said nothing.
"Miss Potter, I cannot begin to explain most of what you have just told me, but your knowledge of your sister will prove helpful to you someday, and that day is coming all too fast."
"Professor, do you know what the orange light was? I've never heard of that happening before. Why did it happen and what was it?"
"It is, I believe, an ancient magic that you unknowingly called upon. In the legends about the Hogwarts founder's fight against the first wizard who used his power for evil the light was a powerful magic that could only be conjured by the combined powers of the four Hogwarts founders. Very little is mentioned about what that light does. All I know is that it is said to be able to attack, and sometimes destroy, the evil inside of a person. You have a power beyond most witches and wizards wildest dreams. And I trust you will use that power with care. We have reached a time, Miss Potter, where you must choose between what is right and what is easy. Your sister chose the easy path; I trust that you will not. It is a question of choices, choices I had hoped my students would never have to make. Now, I must leave you, Professor Delacour wishes me to discipline some students who made it snow throughout the entire castle. It seems that classes will be cancelled for the remainder of the week. I'm sure the other students will be very disappointed when they find out."
Professor Longbottom left me to mull over what he had just said. In fact, I continued to mull until I arrived back at Hogwarts late that afternoon. Lily's plans were like a jigsaw puzzle, you had to hunt for each piece separately but only entirely put together would they make a picture. All of the pieces were there, but it was up to me to assemble them.
AN/ Sorry about the cliffie at the end of the last chapter! I didn't mean to leave such a big one. SORRY, Please don't hate me!
Cha, next chapter is... VERY important to the plot of the story! And then it's going to be a funny chapter, you need a break from all this serious stuff! I'll try to update soon!
Love From,
MotherCrumpet
