Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 5: A Revelation

Time seemed to speed up in the final weeks before Elder's Crossing, as if it knew that many of the students were dreading its arrival, and thus needed to further encroach on their remaining free hours.

I was not as affected by the ball as other students, which I was grateful for. Because I left Hogwarts each weekend, I was not subject to any of the preparations or stresses that the Purebloods faced. In fact, my only affiliation with the ball was my role as Head Girl, which meant that I had to give the elders a rough estimate of how many students would be in attendance.

Severus, on the other hand, was a complete wreck. He dreaded the very idea of going to the ball. Like James, Severus was worried about who he would end up with when the clock chimed at the end of the night. His stress seemed to have a strange effect on our friendship, as he seemed to slip into a daze whenever we started a conversation, and would always shoot me strange looks from across the Great Hall. I didn't know what to think.

James, on the other hand, was completely calm and collected. Apart from the one night, he never spoke to me about his fear or of his 'impending doom.' Although I didn't try and breach the subject, I sensed he was consciously avoiding thinking about Elder's Crossing.

******J&L*******

I pushed my clothes into a half empty trunk as I finished my packing for the weekend. Mary and Marlene looked at me from their beds, frowning as they saw me pack my remaining book.

"We don't like watching you leave, Lily." Mary said, resting her head against the bedpost. Her blue eyes were clouded, and I knew she was worried about tomorrow night and her own future. I felt bad leaving her like that.

"Tell the cow you won't be able to go home this weekend. Tell her Dumbledore needs your help for the ball or something!" Marlene yelled. Like Mary, Marlene was also stressed, but she preferred to release her stress as noise. Needless to say it had been a very loud few weeks.

"Can't. I've used that excuse before." I said, grimacing as I remembered the mess I was left with the following weekend and Violet's smug grin as she watched me tidy her life back up.

"Tell her we need you here." Mary said, her voice cracking. I walked towards her and put my arm around her.

"I hate what this ball is doing to you. This tradition is sick! And it is based on an ideology so twisted, it's a wonder nobody has fought against this. This is nothing more than a massive arranged marriage." I said, and Mary began to silently cry. Marlene looked on, as if torn on what to say.

"This is how it has always been done, Lily. Blood purity reigns supreme. You know that." Mary sighed, wiping her face.

My poor friends…

"Well, it shouldn't be that way anymore."

"There is nothing to be done, Lily." Marlene said. I shook my head and returned to my things.

"Send me an owl afterwards. Good luck." I said, giving them both a hug before I left the dormitory.

The castle was mostly deserted as I walked through the corridors to the entrance hall. It was only when I reached the second level that I ran into another student.

"Lily!"

"Severus? What's going on?" I asked. Severus was running out of the Great Hall towards me, a letter tight in his hand.

"Lily, about tomorrow night…"

In the next moment, both of us started speaking at the same time, each finishing the sentence on our own.

"I'm not going." Was my reply.

"I want you there." Was his.

Well then…

"Lily, I want you there tomorrow, for me. I can't tell you why, but I—I need you there. You… I want you to be a part of my future, and my future starts tomorrow."

I looked at him, not sure how to process this news.

Does he want me there as a friend, or…

Severus looked back at me, his black hair unkempt and falling in his dark eyes, his pale lips pressed together as he waited for my response.

Uh…

"I can't be there. I'm not a Pureblood."

"No! See, I've got it all figured out, Lily. In this letter, I've got directions to make a mask that will change your appearance. If you go to the ball dressed as someone else, they won't know that you are muggle born. They don't check who comes and goes, but your red hair would be a giveaway. Please, Lily."

Damn. A plan.

"Severus, I…"

"Don't say anything. Just come tomorrow, okay? And don't tell me what you will look like. If I find you… if I find you, then I find you." He said, giving me a small smile. I was too confused to return the look. He pushed the envelope into my hand, then left without another word.

I watched him go, turning into the corridor that led to the dungeons. Movement caught my eye, and I looked up to see James Potter watching from the first floor landing.

Great.

"Have something to say, Potter?" I ask, annoyed that he had seen me with Severus, and angry that I still had no idea what I was going to do.

"You would look beautiful in a ball gown, Lily." He said, giving me a sad smile before turning and leaving me alone.

Boys.

*********J&L*********

"Lily!"

Oh God, no.

"LILY!"

Shut up! Shut up!

"MUDBLOOD!"

"What do you want, you insufferable little cockroaches!" I yelled. Me, grace under pressure.

"Watch your tongue, you freak." Petunia said.

"Girls, what is going on here?" Violet asked, striding into the room.

"Lily was using magic." Cathy said, joining her sister. I glared at the both of them.

"They are lying."

"Prove it." Violet said, her voice laced with disdain.

I could, if I used magic.

"She threatened to hex me." Petunia said, mock fear in her voice.

"If it is any consolation, Violet, I wouldn't threaten Petunia. I would just hex her without warning."

Violet's slap echoed around the room and my cheek burned at the contact.

In other words: good one.

"Just like your parents, never knowing when to stop. Your father never had a sense of humor, Lily, so I doubt you got yours from him. Maybe from your mother? Oh, but she was sick a very long time, I doubt she had time for laughter. Although having a girl with mud for blood is an interesting idea for a joke. They were so unequipped for dealing with you…"

"Stop." I said. I pulled out my wand, and Violet eyed it, smiling slightly as I did so.

"Do you like going to that school? Do you know how easy it would be for me to tell the Purebloods about you? I could if you continue to act this way, you vile little witch." Violet said scathingly.

"I doubt they would listen to a muggle."

"True." She said, a harsh smile making its way onto her face. "Petunia, Cathy, would you excuse us for a moment?"

They girls left, sending confused looks at their mother. I stared at Violet, not knowing what to expect. She smiled down at me, her face pale and harsh grey eyes watching me.

"Did you ever wonder what your father saw in me? Your mother and I… we are quite the opposite of each other, aren't we? Her, hair so much like yours, green eyes, and a kindness that affected everyone around her. Did you every wonder what your father saw in me? The cold woman who tends to distance herself from everyone, even her own daughters?"

Obviously. I'm not daft.

"Where are you going with this?" I asked, as Violet circled me like a bird watching its prey.

"Why do you think he married me, Lily? Why? What made him do it?"

"I don't know! Grief? Confusion? It all happened so quickly!"

"Yes it did, didn't it? I'd say it was very fortuitous that he found me when he did, when he was so consumed with grief… Almost like magic."

"What do you mean?" I shouted. I was so confused.

"Do you think your father would have chosen someone like me, someone so cold and cruel, with his own free will? Well, I can tell you I may have helped influence his decision…" Violet said, and slowly, she pulled out a twisted black wand from her sleeve, holding it delicately in her hand.

"No, you are lying!" I yelled. This couldn't be true. Violet couldn't be a witch. She couldn't have charmed my father all those years ago. I had never seen her use magic!

"Really… It was all so easy. I had heard of a girl, born of muggle parents, who used magic, and was sent out to find her. If this story was true, I had to watch her to see where she got her magic. But Lily, it was all so easy. I found your father shortly after your mother's funeral, and I bought him a drink to show my sympathy. Well, a few drops of Veritaserum, and he was spilling all his secrets. I was going to ask if he knew of a girl with strange powers in the village, as a starting point, but no! The fool rambled on and on about his Lily, and what she could do. Well, Imperius did the trick, and we were married soon after."

"Who have you told?" I asked, shaking slightly.

"About you? No one. Yet. I've been waiting for you to get more powerful, so you could be of more use to me. Nothing like having a Mudblood who is supposed to be a myth as your servant when a single word to another witch or wizard could get her killed."

"So you are going to blackmail me? I can leave you!" I shouted.

This isn't happening! No, no, no, no!

"Where would you go? What wizarding family would be willing to take in a freak like you? It would disrupt the status quo. To us, blood status is everything."

"Some families have outgrown that belief." I said, smiling slightly as I think of Mary and Marlene, and, oddly enough, James Potter and his Marauders.

"Doubtful, my dear."

"For you, but I trust my friends." Slowly, I walk away from Violet, towards my room with every intention of leaving the house and returning to Hogwarts where my friends were waiting for me, and would hopefully accept me. But before I could reach my room, the door slammed shut in front of me and wouldn't budge.

"I'm leaving, Violet. Threats don't work on me." Violet advanced, her wand pointed at me.

"You are staying here. No one will trust your abilities. You are a thief and shall be treated as one." She made a slashing movement with her wand, and there was a crack from behind me. I could hear my door splinter, and suddenly, white-hot chains wrapped themselves tightly around my wrists and ankles, pulling my back into my room. I screamed in pain. Violet laughed.

"Let me go!"

"A true witch would have put up a better fight." She said darkly. She pointed her wand at me, there was a flash of purple light, and everything went dark.

AN: Ok. Seriously, let me know what you think. So far, I like the story, but this version feels more like an outline. I am going to finish it soon though, as I have a clear idea for the next chapter and how it will end, which is good. And I also have another idea for my next story, which will be longer and more detailed. But this should be finished within the next few days. Hope you enjoy it, and thanksabunch.