p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="37b8efa1d030ec5f47fd52737f65a914"Everyone has a past live, past lives, Lilah Darcy especially./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="14775ecb693bd879185a1c833cd4aec6"It was evident as you walked into her old room and simply looked around. Memories in every single corner, so vastly different from the last, it was like eras. Past lives, all so close together but so vastly different. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3f40c5e7bbdf514d2c760af4c2eb4957"As she walked in the memories, from each of these 'lives' flooded back to her, a different chapter in each item she set her eyes upon./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="65ae45c0d17b52650de4a0c69ca8febb""its strange isn't it" her cousin Articus chuckled from the door overlooking her memories that he and Aaliyah had preserved in this bedroom./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f1d64878e50a6aa1e3bbc31963317315"Lilah said back "its like a time capsule" in a breathy tone. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="90b9c374edab3886d91c973b15227552"Her eyes ran across her bedroom walls. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="98b7c87357dcd21d9eb639f435e43226"The wall covered fully in photographs of her and her friends. The images moving preserving her past and the friends who were no unfortunately longer with us in life, forever. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b26b56bebe1eeb4ea3cf862d3df1a423"A photograph of Lily and James running down the street to greet Sirius and her after a month abroad in South America./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3cdf7c4138a540ef9833004096b549dc"A photograph of Remus shyly dodging the camera as Lilah took a photo of him at breakfast in final year./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c405fb074193eedd6fb71d61f0b14010"A photograph of Lilah and Regulus looking like royalty at some kind of ball, dressed in dark green, 'slytherin' silk, velvet and fine silver. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="8856cb746d48979e8bcfb8b229b52085"A photograph of Lilah grabbing a cigarette out of Sirius' hand and shouting 'cancer' at him./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="37d6d74f91584f4282958ae9e6a53439"A photograph of Lilah, Marlene and Sirius all screaming their lungs out at a Queen concert with Freddie Mercury perfectly visible in the background./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="af33289490a6c1355ff4d8df24ed5f44"Among many other photographs. There were various different Lilah's in these photographs. Many different 'lives'. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="14fe96294ef51bc8e6634ea84f6a2531"Lilah's that Lilah didn't know existed anymore. Things truly do change after war, after trauma. But, she hoped deep down that this fiesty, full of life, hopeful young woman still existed, even though she doubted. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="092a792fe8822a4a7aad3db1bff7e400""Oh my god" Lilah murmured spotting the photo of Regulus and herself finely dressed on her wall. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="75af0edc888a7f235a1dc00deaa77570"Articus followed her across the room to the photograph she now rested her hand upon. "You two truly looked like royalty, it exudes richness" He said cheekily making Lilah laugh loudly and hit her favourite cousin on the arm./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="51b5d4de338aa84aaa80a0e3db19e128""I mean we were..." Lilah cheekily responded before descending into more serious thought once more./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9c4b8050314ec8fea5bac11094b1a879""God, it's still so painful" she turned to look deep into her cousins eyes. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="cbc0c30f2d3b66e1ac0f6a866637643b""Seeing him, seeing us. I can still see that light in him, that no one else could. Perhaps it's just delusion stored in a photograph, but I see it. We were so happy, so in love for that brief moment, even though we look beyond repressed here..." she began to ramble. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="03747dfe6f16648c757d3e8634e87940"Articus just watched her, looked into her eyes and watched the memories flash behind her eyes. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3b418ba0f836880169a9505b0056acdc""Arti, be truthful, what did you really think?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="5d265015593b852cf84321b0d07891be"Articus, sighed, not knowing quite how to say what he wanted to, he sat down on her old bed and began to think and to speak./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a412863f1be6f53abd3b63970b4c596a""Lilah, you despite our family upbringing saw something different in him. I have to acknowledge that even if I don't know what it was or cannot see it exactly myself. He, was from what I saw a truly lost and conflicted boy, more complex than I'll ever be able to understand. But, he made his choice even if his upbringing left him without a real one. You, Lilah, love to see the good in the complex, you will not give up on them, you can sense the conflict and it weakens you to a level of acceptance and complicitness that truly offends someone like me, someone like Aaliyah. You love the lost, the traumatised, you hope and hope for them and let it take over your senses. You love the intense and the serious and he gave you all of that; while you also almost fulfilled what our parents wanted from you, a pureblood marriage, a pureblood child. It was rebellion while falling into the teachings of this family. You both were lost and it conflicts me because of who he was and who we are but also because of the way he balanced you out."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f671961a4ca84fcdc60c7d36713b7df1"Lilah was left speechless, unsure of how to react, how to response to her cousins honest monologue. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f96f9f72a7128d06e61fc4843b4db1da""I-I appreciate your honesty Articus" she touched him on the arm and smiled even though she was still in shock and processing the things he had pointed out.../p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ba41e0b0dfb850a344cf20ce64ffdda7""And I appreciate having you here, being able to say this to you, when I never even thought I'd get an opportunity to see you ever again" /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a25e4ffde73d190751b3cb6b100e6505""Oh my god Arti, don't make me feel any more guilty than I already do, please" Lilah exclaimed with a slight playful giggle. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="730e247d006ba3b869b14ae31e1e3104"Articus turned to her with a playfully outraged facial expression "you should feel guilty bitch, 12 years!" he exclaimed with a laugh./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c51c55bc9c4ce6fa088d26756bcc6575"The room fell into silent introspection for what felt like several seconds but in actuality was much, much longer./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="2a7cd5e2902b265768aa09271321c0d1"Lilah and Articus' eyes scanned the room and Lilah's 'time capsule' once again, both of them being drawn to the same photo again and again. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f87cf36117679c35af8febca224d6d17"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Lilah Darcy and Sirius Black, Buenos Aires, 1979 /em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3069e0dc3894849607baf2d1967a3cbe""Have you seen that photo..." Articus broached the topic of Sirius with his dear cousin gently, noticing very obviously how drawn to the photo they both were. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7b97f232c1b6d601a203654fd10c49b9"Lilah laughed, filled with the good memories, positive memories of Sirius, feeling as if her body, her mind, her memories were betraying her and as if she should only be ever filled with pure rage at the sight of him. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7b2046f549e546ca79463097b91de019""You two look so at happy, in wonder of the world and absorbing the culture together... I may hate what he did and have spent years hating him thinking it was him who fated you but... I see how everything used to be here and I have so many questions, I'll never understand it" /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a0ddadb0f0434684ee416cc6238399d8"Lilah sighed falling deep into the depths of her mind she deliberately avoided./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="701ad41a4e37c7be666d4677420a1ea1""I'll never understand it either. He was the most loyal person ever. I can't wrap my head around what he did even to this day. It cuts so deep and it makes me so throughly confused. How could he do that? How could he try and kill me too? But then... save my life yesterday, which I will never give him the actual credit for as I'm too bitter..." /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="47625447398889f2de49a990fd4937ce"Articus' face turned into severe shock. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="91b9792c3421a6835c730e9be44b5344""Wait what, he saved your life yesterday?" /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0045e1983ce1fd859fb380569fec3cee"Lilah groaned almost instantly regretting what she had said./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="56ba287a211a22bc00c0d5154a711382""Yes" she sat down, rolling her eyes not knowing where to begin, the fact he saved her even boggled her mind. Why did everything have to be so complicated? /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="1b7ed6de786d0c2ad173f78f7d0cdc51"Articus raised his eyebrow "that doesn't sound like a man who's trying to kill you to me..." /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7fe4e8363975353d239e79e53ac572e8"Lilah sighed "maybe your right... OR maybe he's a sadistic fuck who wants the pleasure of doing it all himself... more likely though he probably didn't want Remus waking up and seeing well me there... dead because of actions he can't control"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d6119acbceed33389970b5213d1ffb3c"Articus' face turned into pure shock again "wait, Remus was involved? Of course, it was a full moon... it all makes sense now" /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0f6005414cc69f4946a013e1d5ad6fc2"The pair sat in silence for several moments /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b544a087378f99d04d28a9db5ec2a71a""I don't know Lilah, but to me it doesn't sound like he wants to kill you, it's like he wants your help somehow, in some twisted scheme. Please be careful..." Articus urged his cousin, he'd just got her back and didn't want to lose her again in another painful way. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9785043d7bb1fd9410102d6d20a28040"Articus had seen how boys with dangerous ideologies had tempted Lilah's heart before and how she tried desperately to see the good inside of them but part of her loved the darkness and that part scared herself and those around her, that part was best not explored./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="83396a40f44923ab16a7e275884074c6"The pair sat in silence once more Lilah didn't know how to respond to Articus' last statement and just sat inside her own head, thinking./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="97e5edb8d5d94d012e54da8109c3815e""I'll leave you for a few moments" he stood up, touching her shoulder and looking at her in a caring way as he left the room. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="019f2025a4038d8b0e8641a8da2a7f68"Lilah felt like she couldn't move, unable to decide if these memories surrounding her were making her feel trapped or alive, finally feeling something for once in a while. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="4ad5aa1ec917cd5be9840425ec668df2"She was overloaded with guilt, anger, grief, pain, sadness and stress but when she looked at the photo of her and Sirius in South America staring her right in the face she felt happy and relieved the moments shared with one of her closest friends. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="148f9fa89c75f0723c039ce2063ec112"She felt sad that it couldn't be that way anymore, that she couldn't hate him. That's what hurt the most./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d8f237e41b4f80379852af3c3d88401b"A single tear rolled down Lilah Darcy's face as she stood up and left, she couldn't even begin to address the photos including Lily James today, but she would be back... closing the door on her room of memories for now, all so bittersweet./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="14775ecb693bd879185a1c833cd4aec6"It was evident as you walked into her old room and simply looked around. Memories in every single corner, so vastly different from the last, it was like eras. Past lives, all so close together but so vastly different. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3f40c5e7bbdf514d2c760af4c2eb4957"As she walked in the memories, from each of these 'lives' flooded back to her, a different chapter in each item she set her eyes upon./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="65ae45c0d17b52650de4a0c69ca8febb""its strange isn't it" her cousin Articus chuckled from the door overlooking her memories that he and Aaliyah had preserved in this bedroom./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f1d64878e50a6aa1e3bbc31963317315"Lilah said back "its like a time capsule" in a breathy tone. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="90b9c374edab3886d91c973b15227552"Her eyes ran across her bedroom walls. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="98b7c87357dcd21d9eb639f435e43226"The wall covered fully in photographs of her and her friends. The images moving preserving her past and the friends who were no unfortunately longer with us in life, forever. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b26b56bebe1eeb4ea3cf862d3df1a423"A photograph of Lily and James running down the street to greet Sirius and her after a month abroad in South America./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3cdf7c4138a540ef9833004096b549dc"A photograph of Remus shyly dodging the camera as Lilah took a photo of him at breakfast in final year./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c405fb074193eedd6fb71d61f0b14010"A photograph of Lilah and Regulus looking like royalty at some kind of ball, dressed in dark green, 'slytherin' silk, velvet and fine silver. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="8856cb746d48979e8bcfb8b229b52085"A photograph of Lilah grabbing a cigarette out of Sirius' hand and shouting 'cancer' at him./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="37d6d74f91584f4282958ae9e6a53439"A photograph of Lilah, Marlene and Sirius all screaming their lungs out at a Queen concert with Freddie Mercury perfectly visible in the background./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="af33289490a6c1355ff4d8df24ed5f44"Among many other photographs. There were various different Lilah's in these photographs. Many different 'lives'. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="14fe96294ef51bc8e6634ea84f6a2531"Lilah's that Lilah didn't know existed anymore. Things truly do change after war, after trauma. But, she hoped deep down that this fiesty, full of life, hopeful young woman still existed, even though she doubted. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="092a792fe8822a4a7aad3db1bff7e400""Oh my god" Lilah murmured spotting the photo of Regulus and herself finely dressed on her wall. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="75af0edc888a7f235a1dc00deaa77570"Articus followed her across the room to the photograph she now rested her hand upon. "You two truly looked like royalty, it exudes richness" He said cheekily making Lilah laugh loudly and hit her favourite cousin on the arm./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="51b5d4de338aa84aaa80a0e3db19e128""I mean we were..." Lilah cheekily responded before descending into more serious thought once more./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9c4b8050314ec8fea5bac11094b1a879""God, it's still so painful" she turned to look deep into her cousins eyes. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="cbc0c30f2d3b66e1ac0f6a866637643b""Seeing him, seeing us. I can still see that light in him, that no one else could. Perhaps it's just delusion stored in a photograph, but I see it. We were so happy, so in love for that brief moment, even though we look beyond repressed here..." she began to ramble. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="03747dfe6f16648c757d3e8634e87940"Articus just watched her, looked into her eyes and watched the memories flash behind her eyes. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3b418ba0f836880169a9505b0056acdc""Arti, be truthful, what did you really think?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="5d265015593b852cf84321b0d07891be"Articus, sighed, not knowing quite how to say what he wanted to, he sat down on her old bed and began to think and to speak./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a412863f1be6f53abd3b63970b4c596a""Lilah, you despite our family upbringing saw something different in him. I have to acknowledge that even if I don't know what it was or cannot see it exactly myself. He, was from what I saw a truly lost and conflicted boy, more complex than I'll ever be able to understand. But, he made his choice even if his upbringing left him without a real one. You, Lilah, love to see the good in the complex, you will not give up on them, you can sense the conflict and it weakens you to a level of acceptance and complicitness that truly offends someone like me, someone like Aaliyah. You love the lost, the traumatised, you hope and hope for them and let it take over your senses. You love the intense and the serious and he gave you all of that; while you also almost fulfilled what our parents wanted from you, a pureblood marriage, a pureblood child. It was rebellion while falling into the teachings of this family. You both were lost and it conflicts me because of who he was and who we are but also because of the way he balanced you out."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f671961a4ca84fcdc60c7d36713b7df1"Lilah was left speechless, unsure of how to react, how to response to her cousins honest monologue. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f96f9f72a7128d06e61fc4843b4db1da""I-I appreciate your honesty Articus" she touched him on the arm and smiled even though she was still in shock and processing the things he had pointed out.../p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ba41e0b0dfb850a344cf20ce64ffdda7""And I appreciate having you here, being able to say this to you, when I never even thought I'd get an opportunity to see you ever again" /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a25e4ffde73d190751b3cb6b100e6505""Oh my god Arti, don't make me feel any more guilty than I already do, please" Lilah exclaimed with a slight playful giggle. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="730e247d006ba3b869b14ae31e1e3104"Articus turned to her with a playfully outraged facial expression "you should feel guilty bitch, 12 years!" he exclaimed with a laugh./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c51c55bc9c4ce6fa088d26756bcc6575"The room fell into silent introspection for what felt like several seconds but in actuality was much, much longer./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="2a7cd5e2902b265768aa09271321c0d1"Lilah and Articus' eyes scanned the room and Lilah's 'time capsule' once again, both of them being drawn to the same photo again and again. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f87cf36117679c35af8febca224d6d17"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Lilah Darcy and Sirius Black, Buenos Aires, 1979 /em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3069e0dc3894849607baf2d1967a3cbe""Have you seen that photo..." Articus broached the topic of Sirius with his dear cousin gently, noticing very obviously how drawn to the photo they both were. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7b97f232c1b6d601a203654fd10c49b9"Lilah laughed, filled with the good memories, positive memories of Sirius, feeling as if her body, her mind, her memories were betraying her and as if she should only be ever filled with pure rage at the sight of him. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7b2046f549e546ca79463097b91de019""You two look so at happy, in wonder of the world and absorbing the culture together... I may hate what he did and have spent years hating him thinking it was him who fated you but... I see how everything used to be here and I have so many questions, I'll never understand it" /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a0ddadb0f0434684ee416cc6238399d8"Lilah sighed falling deep into the depths of her mind she deliberately avoided./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="701ad41a4e37c7be666d4677420a1ea1""I'll never understand it either. He was the most loyal person ever. I can't wrap my head around what he did even to this day. It cuts so deep and it makes me so throughly confused. How could he do that? How could he try and kill me too? But then... save my life yesterday, which I will never give him the actual credit for as I'm too bitter..." /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="47625447398889f2de49a990fd4937ce"Articus' face turned into severe shock. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="91b9792c3421a6835c730e9be44b5344""Wait what, he saved your life yesterday?" /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0045e1983ce1fd859fb380569fec3cee"Lilah groaned almost instantly regretting what she had said./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="56ba287a211a22bc00c0d5154a711382""Yes" she sat down, rolling her eyes not knowing where to begin, the fact he saved her even boggled her mind. Why did everything have to be so complicated? /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="1b7ed6de786d0c2ad173f78f7d0cdc51"Articus raised his eyebrow "that doesn't sound like a man who's trying to kill you to me..." /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7fe4e8363975353d239e79e53ac572e8"Lilah sighed "maybe your right... OR maybe he's a sadistic fuck who wants the pleasure of doing it all himself... more likely though he probably didn't want Remus waking up and seeing well me there... dead because of actions he can't control"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d6119acbceed33389970b5213d1ffb3c"Articus' face turned into pure shock again "wait, Remus was involved? Of course, it was a full moon... it all makes sense now" /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0f6005414cc69f4946a013e1d5ad6fc2"The pair sat in silence for several moments /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b544a087378f99d04d28a9db5ec2a71a""I don't know Lilah, but to me it doesn't sound like he wants to kill you, it's like he wants your help somehow, in some twisted scheme. Please be careful..." Articus urged his cousin, he'd just got her back and didn't want to lose her again in another painful way. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9785043d7bb1fd9410102d6d20a28040"Articus had seen how boys with dangerous ideologies had tempted Lilah's heart before and how she tried desperately to see the good inside of them but part of her loved the darkness and that part scared herself and those around her, that part was best not explored./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="83396a40f44923ab16a7e275884074c6"The pair sat in silence once more Lilah didn't know how to respond to Articus' last statement and just sat inside her own head, thinking./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="97e5edb8d5d94d012e54da8109c3815e""I'll leave you for a few moments" he stood up, touching her shoulder and looking at her in a caring way as he left the room. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="019f2025a4038d8b0e8641a8da2a7f68"Lilah felt like she couldn't move, unable to decide if these memories surrounding her were making her feel trapped or alive, finally feeling something for once in a while. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="4ad5aa1ec917cd5be9840425ec668df2"She was overloaded with guilt, anger, grief, pain, sadness and stress but when she looked at the photo of her and Sirius in South America staring her right in the face she felt happy and relieved the moments shared with one of her closest friends. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="148f9fa89c75f0723c039ce2063ec112"She felt sad that it couldn't be that way anymore, that she couldn't hate him. That's what hurt the most./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; caret-color: #222222; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d8f237e41b4f80379852af3c3d88401b"A single tear rolled down Lilah Darcy's face as she stood up and left, she couldn't even begin to address the photos including Lily James today, but she would be back... closing the door on her room of memories for now, all so bittersweet./p