Sunday December 6
Potter house, Lily's bedroom
7:31 pm
- - -
Lily clutched the edge of her mother's shirt tearfully. "Mummy, please, don't make me go to bed. Pleeeease."
Her brown eyes pleaded with her mother, their orbs white and round in her pale face. "Now Lily," Ginny Potter began sternly, having been through this before with each of her children, "you have to go to bed."
Lily shook her head passionately, her red hair flying everywhere as her mother attempted to place the covers up over her small frame. "I can't. Rudolph will come get me."
Lily saw her mother frown. "Now, who is Rudolph?" she asked patiently, running her fingers calmly through Lily's wild hair.
"He's an evil reindeer who sneaks into people houses at Christmastime and gobbles little children up. And you know what else Mummy?"
"What?"
Lily's eyes grew even wider. Her voice fell to a whisper as she answered her mother's question. "He only eats the youngest kids in the house. The littlest ones," Lily's grip on her mother's shirt, if possible, grew even tighter. "Mum that's me!"
Her mother sighed softly, "Has James been telling you stories again?" At Lily's nod, she continued. "Well, don't listen to him," Ginny said as she managed to get her daughter to unclenched her grip and set her softly back in the bed. Drawing the covers up over her body tightly, she kissed Lily's forehead. "He was lying. There are no reindeer or monsters in this house. I promise."
Lily stared at her mother, not sure whether or not to believe her. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"Positive," her mother replied. Standing up, she kissed Lily one more time, "Don't worry sweetie. You'll go to bed sooner then you think." Frowning, Lily watched as her mother left, turning the lights off and plunging the room into total darkness. Lily lied there, trying to sleep. She knew that her mother was telling her the truth, but every time she closed her eyes all she saw was an evil reindeer, haunting her, watching her.
As the night drew on, Lily continued to lie there, wide awake. The house had started to make its usual noises and odd sounds and with every shadow that past over her head, Lily's eyes continued to widen. She could just feel that nasty Rudolph watching her. As the house continued to creak, Lily sank further and further into her bed, holding her stuffed hippogriff, Dimples, tight. But when a loud bang! sounded outside her bedroom window, Lily had had enough.
Climbing out of bed she dashed across the room, fearful with every step she took that the reindeer was going to jump out and get her. Reaching her bedroom door she paused, thankful that she hadn't been made reindeer food yet. Poking her small head into the hallway, she looked around. Seeing no one, she breathed a slight sigh of relief and dashed across the hallway quickly, careful to go quietly and not wake up her parents.
Her brother's room was as dark as hers had been and Lily ventured in nervously. "Al," she whispered softly. "Al. You awake?"
Her older brother didn't stir and Lily moved closer to his bed. "Albus," she hissed, louder. This time, the dark haired boy groaned and moved in his sleep, drawing his body closer to the wall and opening up a nice Lily sized space right next to him. Clenching her hippogriff, Lily clambered up on his bed. As she cuddled next to him, she could feel the heat from his body sooth her own tired limbs.
Her brother moved again and this time his knee knocked into her leg. Sleepy emerald eyes opened in surprise as he looked at Lily. "Lily?" he asked blearily, "What are you doing here?"
Lily scotched closer to her brother. "Rudolph," she answered, tears welling up in her eyes. "He was going to eat me."
Albus groaned and flung a hand over his eye wearily. "Lily, James was just foolin' you. There is no such thing as Rudolph."
"Yes, there is," replied Lily stubbornly. "And he's going to eat me."
"Fine," muttered Albus tiredly, knowing Lily's persistence and natural born stubbornness. Lifting up the covers, he beckoned his sister underneath. "You can sleep here tonight, but that's it. Tomorrow night you're on your own."
Lily scampered under the covers, thankful that at least one of her brother was nice. "Thank you Al," she said gratefully, sliding in next to him.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't mention it."
Lily nodded, feeling safe next to her big, strong, eight year old brother. There was no way that a nasty, child eating reindeer was going to eat her now, not with Albus here to protect her. A few minutes later Lily drifted off to sleep, secure in the knowledge that she had a defender by her side.
Author's Note: I just want to thank everyone so much for all the reads and reviews. I'm really glad people are enjoying this small ficlets. And please, tell me that this time, I made Lily sound her age. I tried.
As far as the evil!Rudolph, I figured that if Muggle children hear scary stories about witches and goblins, then wizarding children would hear the same thing about Muggle stories.