AN:
My sincerest apologies for the delay in posting; this chapter was seriously giving me hell and I still don't know if it has turned out in the way I wanted it to. Hopefully, it you all find it enjoyable!
If there are any errors, please let me know, I was more focused on getting this posted than checking grammatical mistakes.
Side note: Review responses are at the bottom, as per usual.
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When Lillian had been informed of Bellatrix's capture, her relief had been paramount; though upon discovery of just how Bellatrix had been freed, well, her confusion knew no bounds.
Auror Moody had informed she and Lucius just days after the escape that Sirius had escaped before the blast in the walls of the prison, and that Bellatrix had somehow managed to procure a concoction that allowed her to blow straight through the stone walls. Where she had gotten the concoction no one knew as of yet, but Lillian had little doubt that Bellatrix's escape was simply a distraction, an event meant to delay the inevitable finding of a missing Sirius.
Despite the lingering concern over just why, after twelve years, her father had finally decided to escape the place in which trapped him; Lillian pushed aside her worries to instead focus on the upcoming academic year, she had an instinctive awareness that this year would be one of the hardest.
Lucius, who had been subtly watching the young girl mull over her thoughts as he finished some paperwork behind his desk, decided to pull his Ward into the present. "Will I have need to prepare for letters in regards to misbehavior on your part this term?" For Lucius was more than aware of how Lillian's progression of age was affecting her temperament, namely, she was coming into the wild rage typical of the descendants of the Black blood. Thankfully, Lillian seemed to have inherited a level of self-control neither her father, nor her Aunt Bellatrix, nor her Grandmother Walburga seemed to possess.
Lillian, pulled from her thoughts, pursed her mouth, giving true consideration to the question; she had restraint, but with her emotional influx paired with the escape of her father, she had a feeling her hard cultivated appearance of unfeeling indifference would be relatively shattered.
"Perhaps a few." She was nothing if not honest.
Lucius watched her with scrutiny before breathing out a harsh breath through his nose. "I trust you to act as you find fitting. I'll allot you some leeway, but by no means does that gift you the free will to behave in a way not befit our name, and the moment your actions affect this family, I will see fit to punish you accordingly."
"Understood." Lillian agreed, for Lucius was nothing if not fair in his rulings – at least within family matters.
Lucius relaxed back into his chair, hands folded atop his completed paperwork, "We apparate to the station in less than an hour, see to it Draco has his things in order? He has been distracted these past few days, I trust you to see to it he is as prepared as any Malfoy should be."
Draco had indeed been in quite the tizzy since Lucius had informed he and his Mother of Sirius's impromptu release. Withdrawn and far quieter than he usually permitted himself to be, Draco had become a solemn shadow, his temper quicker than Lillian's, and his patience all but nonexistent; if Lillian was not in the room with the boy at any given moment, he became irritable to a point that even Lucius could barely tolerate his own son.
Unable to stop the twitch of her mouth into a brief, but fond smile, Lillian ducked her head in acknowledgment and rose from the chair she had occupied for the better part of the morning; knowing that Draco, as Lucius had assumed, hadn't even really begun to pack, his attention span was so out of sync.
"Lillian," Lucius stopped her just as she reached the office door, "If there are issues, regarding the affair of your bloodline, I am to be informed immediately." A ruthless order that filled her with a surge of warmth, had her hiding the return of her smile as she left his office with an understanding that if she couldn't handle her peers and professors at school, then Lucius would handle them for her.
Hogwarts Express
Devon had never been so glad to see a square room on a train before than she had in the moment she broke through all of the bustling students and spotted Blaise, the only occupant of an otherwise empty compartment towards the furthest end of the train.
"Blaise," Devon greeted as she pushed open the door.
He ducked his head in recognition, "Devon." She did a brief double-take of the boy, surprised by the rougher quality of his voice, so used to the quiet way in which he spoke that the rougher note made his words seem louder.
Devon flinched when the caramel-gold eyed boy quirked a brow, blushing as she scrambled into the room and took her seat, hastily tossing her luggage onto the racks provided before releasing her caged cat, inwardly cursing herself that not even two minutes in the quiet boy's presence had her returning to a quivering youth really wishing for Lillian's presence to mute Blaise's intimidating aura.
Devon didn't understand it, she could never understand it, but Lillian was able to communicate with Zabini in a way that didn't even require words; and the presence of her dear friend alone seemed to be enough to make Zabini appear more personable, even if that wasn't the case.
"Have you spoken to Lillian?" Devon asked after recovering from her embarrassment, her eyes darkened with concern and her fingers twisting uncertainly within the fur of her cat perched lazily upon her lap. "Since word of her father spread?" Because surely if Devon hadn't spoken to her aside from the bare minimum, than Blaise certainly had. The two friends corresponded often over the summer holiday, what they spoke of Devon wasn't privy to, however, considering Blaise was the quiet sort, Devon figured their conversation wasn't incredibly bountiful.
"She made mention that she would be delayed today, she said little else on the matter." Blaise confirmed, ignoring Devon's surprise that he had an answer to give at all, let alone knowledge more formidable than her own.
Blaise took note of Devon's obvious surprise and could only presume that Lillian had chosen to remain rather mute in contacting Devon so as to be able to better explain the circumstances of her relationship with her father in person, where there was no potential for information to be stolen by those she didn't want aware.
"And Draco?" Devon had no reasons to write to Draco, Blaise, however, had procured and maintained a relationship without fracture with both cousins.
"Has said naught in weeks." Blaise didn't bother with informing the muggle born witch that he rarely, if at all, spoke with Draco anywhere outside of social functions. The two boys were friends, yes, but they had little to confer about for Blaise had little need to write without purpose and Draco had Goyle and Crabbe to waste ink on; Blaise was there for matters not to be entrusted to the other Slytherins, or matters simply beyond the other twos' comprehension.
"Because I have had nothing to say," The sudden intrusion caused Devon to startle, heart pounding something funny in her fright as she took note of the cousins standing at the open door.
"Lillian," Devon breathed in relief, worried the girl wouldn't make it in time for the train to depart King's Cross.
Lillian offered a smile, allowing herself to be ushered into the compartment by Draco, the boy making sure she was settled before leveling a quiet Zabini with a silently commanding look that had the mocha-skinned boy ducking his head in acknowledgment before Draco left the compartment in a swirl of swishing cloaks, confident for the first time in weeks that Lillian would be in good hands despite his absence.
"Where's he going?" Devon inquired curiously, surprised the pale-haired boy would permit Lillian to be anywhere out of his line-of-sight.
"To regale Goyle and Crabbe, I'm sure." Lillian responded, taking the empty seat beside Devon, across from Blaise as was per custom.
"How've you been?" Devon was near bursting from her skin, finally able to give voice to her worries after weeks of subduing concern.
"Better than expected, I would gather." Lillian addressed, "Where's Theo?"
Devon rolled her eyes, "Something about his father forcing him to accompany Parkinson and Greengrass to Hogwarts to ensure their safe arrival." Devon snorted, "What Theo could possibly do as a third year escapes me."
Lillian's eyes flickered towards Blaise, the two sharing an amused sort of look before Lillian side-eyed her friend, "Upset, are you?"
"I'm taking Ancient Runes with him, he could at least have the common decency to explain this nonsense to me, before our first assignment."
Lillian gave a short laugh, "Give me Al, and grab your books, I'll help where needed."
Devon beamed, pushing all of her worries about Sirius Black to the furthest recesses of her mind; she would rather speak of the topic once Lillian chooses to address it anyways.
They spent the next couple of hours, Lillian tutoring Devon on the fundamentals of reading Ancient Runes and Blaise reading through an impressive tome given to him over the holiday by Lillian, as per another tradition she had started their first year.
It was a few hours later that found their calm interrupted by frost and darkness. Lillian paused in her explanation of ancient curses, sensing something was amiss as she attempted to peer out of the frost-coated window, Devon just beginning to question her when the train began to slow.
Blaise shut his book, knowing as surely as Lillian that something wasn't right. "We aren't at Hogwarts yet, are we?" Devon asked uncertainly.
"No," Lillian confirmed, her stomach twisting with discomfort, as the train got progressively slower until they came to a full, jolting stop; the only sound piercing their compartment being the icy rain pelting against the window, now audible over the quiet engine.
"What's going on?" Devon demanded, just before the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness.
Blaise's wand lit up almost immediately after, his firm 'lumos' drowning out Devon's soft gasp of shock and fear.
"Guys?" The older Slytherins didn't fault her for the quiver in her voice, instead, Blaise and Lillian shared quiet, but discomforted glances.
"Someone must be coming aboard," For that could be the only explanation for the unplanned stop, the train wasn't one to break down – not when it was attended to by witches and wizards.
"This far out from the station? How did they even get here?" Devon demanded.
Raising her cloak to the window, Lillian cleared away some of the frost, trying to peer out and determine the situation when she caught sight of willowy, black shadows passing by.
Stiffening, she drew back as though physically pushed.
"Lillian." Blaise's voice was a cold command, an order for an answer to the unasked question, concern shadowed by gold as he scrutinized her wide-eyed countenance.
He leant forward when she turned to meet his questioning gaze, for if it could unsettle her, then they should all be unsettled. "Lillian." He repeated, a touch softer as he scanned her features, as though he would find the answers written into the lines of her expression.
She shook her head, and his gut twisted in dread, something was incredibly wrong. She broke their stare, struggling to do so, as she instructed Devon to put Al into his cage and switch places with her so that Lillian was closer to the door leading into the corridor.
"Lillian?" Devon's voice cracked once she had done what was instructed of her.
"No matter what, Dev, stay quiet and calm; close your eyes and try hard to think of only happy things."
"Happy?" Devon stuttered, not understanding though Blaise went stiff, gold eyes jerked to pin Lillian to the spot, inscrutable and hard and searching.
"Happy," Lillian reiterated firmly just as the door to their compartment slid open.
Lillian stood from the bench, blocking Devon's line of sight should the other girl have kept her eyes open. Three cloaked figures crowded the door, their faces shrouded by the shadows afforded to them by their hoods, but their hands, gray, slimy, and scabbed protruded from their sleeves as they lurched forwards – already intimately familiar with her pain and craving it. They wouldn't get close enough to drown in her misery.
A warm hand slid around her wrist, strong fingers overlapping and grounding her as she pulled out her wand and shouted the patronus charm with more emotive strength than she ever had before. A bright light unlike anything she had ever seen before burst forth from the tip of her wand, so bright as to be unbelievably blinding as it slammed through the Dementors, driving them back with a furious speed unmatched by any Wizard before her.
The light seemed to spill out of their compartment like a wave cresting and crashing, flooded through the length of the corridor as well, until all the Dementors in the back of the train were forced out of the Express, with no hopes of fighting against the power of her spell.
Only when the light from her wand dimmed did she lower it, stumbling into the corridor to verify the Dementor's absence when she became aware of the students all gaping between the open doors of their compartments. All staring unmistakably at her panting form, verifying that it was her who had performed such a magic.
Even she couldn't believe the strength of her charm, but then again, she thought quietly to herself, she hadn't ever had more than herself to protect; she hadn't ever been so committed to casting her Patronus than she had in those moments where she realized, should she have failed, that both Blaise and Devon would have suffered a pain that far eclipsed anything they would have ever experienced before; a pain that would have left a mark on their soul they would be incapable of ever forgetting.
"Lillian!" A concerned shout from a hazard-looking Draco as he pushed out of a compartment and came barreling down the corridor towards her.
Hands gripping at her pale face, grey eyes a shade lighter than her own furiously scanning her features for injury, his calm façade shattered in the face of what just transpired. "Are you alright?"
A soft pressure to her wrist had her coming out of her daze, meeting her cousin's gaze with her own clear and calm, "I'm fine." She swore, voice soft but unwavering.
Not quite believing her, Draco's eyes slid to Blaise, waiting for the other boy to give a nod of affirmation before he released his cousin and withdrew; his jaw clenched and his expression was one of obvious confliction. "I left Crabbe and Goyle…"
"Go," Lillian gave him a smile, "I'm fine here. Make sure they don't get themselves into trouble."
Draco leveled Blaise with a stern look, a look returned by a quirk of a brow that spoke for itself, daring Draco to doubt Blaise again.
Draco couldn't help but smirk before he took his leave, eyes catching at the last turn a tanned hand wrapped securely around the pale skin of a pale wrist. His brows furrowed in concentrated thought, before he forced the image to the back of his mind, it wasn't yet an appropriate time for him to worry about it.
A cool press of air against her skin let her know that Blaise had withdrawn his grounding touch, both preparing to return to Devon, when they were halted by a hoarse voice. "Excuse me?"
Both turned at the beckoning, and Lillian's eyes narrowed at the familiar face, the haggard, worn and gray-faced man pulling at the suppressed memories of Lillian's youth.
When Remus saw the dark-haired girl turn his heart stopped beating, his breath leaving him in one big whoosh. He couldn't believe who he was looking at; and there was no mistaking just who he was looking upon for the first time in over a decade.
She looked so much like her father, the hair and the eyes a dead replica; but of all the similarities between father and child, it was the darkness, the malevolent knowledge he saw in stormy eyes that pained Remus the most.
Sirius was supposed to raise his daughter free of the painful life in which he had known; but now it was too late – nothing could erase the look in grey eyes that Remus had seen exactly mimicked by older eyes on a far more masculine face. What was worse, he knew, was the fact that Lillian would be incapable of masking that pain beneath a smile too large for life, for she was a Ward of the Malfoys and pureblood society made no room for carefree, wicked personalities and large, unfettered smiles.
"Professor Remus Lupin," He introduced once his tongue had regained mobility, "I wanted to make sure you were well, that was an impressive display of magic." A display he hadn't ever seen matched, not even by the most seasoned of Wizards.
His name caused the slim girl to stiffen, the small tick in her jaw another trait from her father before her body relaxed once more; her face a perfect mask of cool indifference, exuding an utter calmness that Remus didn't know who Lillian had inherited from for her mother had always been full of energy even whilst sitting perfectly still, and her father was unable to ever sit still for fear of the memories, the pain of his family catching up to him. Calm wasn't ever a word to be applied when describing Marlene or Sirius.
What Remus didn't realize, however, was that the trait was one she had inherited from Lucius, the man who had raised her when her own parents could not.
"I'm fine, thank you for the concern, Professor." Lillian was more than aware of the curious way in which Blaise's eyes flickered from her to their new professor; was comforted by the way in which he shifted minutely until her shoulder brushed his arm. "Though I'm sure you are needed at the front of the train, so I'll take your leave and see you in class."
A clear dismissal if he had ever heard one, and he couldn't help but be impressed by the girl's mannerisms; mannerisms befit someone far older than herself, far older and far above his own standing. The boy beside her seemed to recognize the dismissal as well, for he led her with a calm, protective hand towards what must have been their own compartment; leaving Remus standing in the middle of the corridor, reeling from the encounter and trying to put to right what he remembered of a laughing, happy child to the stone-faced teenager with a magic that surpassed even her father's own insurmountable, incomparable skill.
Reviews:
long live marshmallows: I'm sorry it was long, I sort of got into HP years ago by the movies, didn't read the first four books until I decided to start this story. Glad you liked Devon's role though!
Juliedoo: Thanks! Lillian needs a friend like Devon. And yes, Draco and Blaise will definitely not be letting her catch any crap this year. ;) I personally hate drama, but there will be plenty to be had this year, especially between Lillian and Harry. Hope this chapter didn't disappoint.
Flowering13: I'm so glad you love it! And that you've liked what I've done with the last chapter; Devon's important, and so is her history. I'm also glad you like how I've portrayed Harry so far, you'll definitely see more of him in this story. Thank you so much for reading and enjoying it!
xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thanks!
Random Geeky Girl: Thank you! So glad you liked Devon and Harry's interactions. :)
Chibi Ray-Chan: So glad you thought so! Hope the wait was worth this chapter too...O.o There will definitely be interactions galore. :D
Riariabookworm: Hope you enjoyed Blaise this chapter. ;)
Unknownher: You're welcome! haha. I'm just happy you reviewed (no matter when you do it). I'm so glad my posting affected you so positively! It makes it so worth publishing. Haha! I'm not sorry there's nothing to criticize! It means I'm doing something right. :) Haha, I'm glad Devon in the Knight bus had been such a hit. :) Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last. :D
Coffeebookchiller: Merry Christmas! haha. ;) So glad you love her story, and never fear, my postings might be delayed on occasion, but hers isn't a story I ever plan on abandoning. I'm so glad you think so much of this story, and yes, this arc is taking heavy into consideration the shades of grey otherwise missed in Rowling's HP. Hope your patience didn't wear too thin, on this chapter. :)
LeafRose: I'm so glad you enjoy them!
Jinx Craft: A good interesting I hope? haha
Lillian1Fan4Ever: Exactly! Harry will be getting a lesson in that throughout this whole story. :) No! You can't forget about Devon, she's so important to Lillian. haha. Yes, yes they better watch out indeed. ;)
Have great holidays!
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