Chapter 8: Careless Whispers
After the events that happened to her this morning, Lily was starting to really like Bellatrix, but not too much. She was still suspecious as to what the other witch was planning. But as the day wore on and the trio had finished getting their supplies, Lily almost did not want to leave when a clock in a near-by shop announced that it was fifteen minutes until six o'clock.
"It's a shame you two have to leave," Bellatrix said as she escorted them out of Knockturn Alley and into the Flooing Room of the Leaky Cauldron.
"I know," Severus said. "But I promised Lily's father that I would see her back home after her shopping," he added, grabbing their bundles while Lily gathered some Floo powder in her hand for the both of them.
"Oh well. I guess I'll see both on the Hogwarts Express," Bellatrix said, then left the room at the turn of a heel.
Looking back to make sure the door was completely shut, Lily turned to Severus and said, "That was a good excuse, Sev."
"I know," he replied. "I'm just sorry we didn't get a chance to spend this time with just the two of us like we used to."
Pondering this quickly Lily said, "I know. Why don't we meet at our house around one o'clock on Monday? That way we can take a look at our new books and get a head's up on what we'll be studying for our OWLs."
"Very well then," Severus said brightening up. "And why don't we have lunch together, like we did before? Do you still have that picnic basket your mother gave you last time?"
"Of course I do. That's a splendid idea, Sev!" Lily exclaimed.
Grabbing her things, Lily took her powder and made her way to the fireplace. When she got inside the warmth of the emerald flames she cried out "Number 13, Westminster Road!", and was whipped out of her friend's sight.
When she emerged from the fireplace in her living room it was completely empty. So she decided to take her belonging upstairs to her room and try on her new dress. She would greet them later and surprise them in it.
As she was climbing up she heard voices in her parents' room, which was the first door on the landing. Taking more stealthy steps, for she was curious by nature, Lily crept to the slightly ajar door and peeked inside. Her parents were sitting on their bed, holding hands, and seemed to be discussing something.
Normally Lily would have left it at that, but then she heard her name being mentioned and decided to listen closely.
Her mother was nodding her head and saying, "I agree, Harry dear. I am proud of our Lily, and I am glad she is doing well in school. I just wish-"
"I know, Addy," her father interrupted. "I wish she was normal too, at least then we could know what was going on in her life. She's a good girl, smart, and a better fighter than the rest of my students, but it's almost like I don't really know her."
"I know how you feel," Adriana replied. "But, at least Hogwarts beats the alternative we had when she first started exhibiting her... instabilities."
Sighing heavily and sifted his fingers through his hair, "Yes. Hogwarts does seem to be a better place than St. Walton's."
Lily did not dare listen any longer. Somehow she had managed to silently creep into her room and lock the door. When she did that she placed her bags by the desk, climbed onto her bed, and broke into soft sobs, legs to her chest and arms on her knees.
"How long?" Lily thought sadly. "How long have they thought about this? How long have they thought I would have been better off in St. Walton's?
St. Walton's was a mental institution in the isolated, heavily wooded part of the country. She and Petunia went there on a school field trip, and Lily saw some children there that looked throughly haunted and miserable, like they had just experienced the Dementor's Kiss. She had never seen, or felt, such a sad and unhappy environment in her life. What was worse is that most of the guards and doctors were very hostile to the patients they were supposed to be helping.
She remained in that position until her crying stopped and her eyes were no longer red and puffy. She then got off her bed, took the bag that held her new dress, and tried it on. It fit her perfectly, and she decided that maybe going into Knockturn Alley was probably the best thing she has ever done since being brought into the wizarding world.
"That and being friends with Severus," Lily thought as she looked in the mirror. She did not even think twice that night when she saw a wicked, Bellatrix-like smile on her face.
When she woke up Monday morning she was going to act as if she never heard a word of her parents' conversation. She had managed to slip back down stairs, bags in hand, and make it look like she just got back when her mother and father went downstairs.
They asked her the usual questions "How was you day?", "Did you see some of your classmates?", and that sort of thing all day Sunday. She answered all of their questions, but did not tell them about her trip down Knockturn Alley, her meeting with her former rival, or her pleasant experience in the often-avoided district of the wizarding marketplace. Nor did she show them the dress she got for helping place a three-foot boa back in its cage.
No, she decided to keep her experience to herself for once.
"Since they don't really trust me anyway, then they won't have to know if I was lying or not," Lily thought bitterly as she got dressed. "Afterall, they've been keeping secrets from me, why shouldn't I do the same?"
Soon after, she got her textbooks out, laid them on the bed, and started putting them in her bag, along with some left over parchment from last year and some color-changing ink that she used for notetaking. Then she went down to breakfast and started cleaning up the dishes when they were all through. Petunia had to go back-to-school shopping and her parents had to work over at their businesses, so Lily was pretty much left to her own devices.
"Are you sure you will be okay by yourself, Tigress?" her father asked before leaving with his wife for work.
"Yes, I'm sure," Lily said, then asked quickly. "Papa, do you mind if I go hang out with Sev later on today, around one? I promised we would have a picnic while discussing some topics for school today."
"Sounds great, dear," Harry said loudly as Petunia started coughing what sounded like "Nerd" from the doorway.
After that, both the family car and Petunia's 1974 Plymouth drove off, leaving Lily alone to think about her next move as she started doing dishes.
"I could just follow through as planned and meet Sev at the old house."
"Why do that? Why not just invite him over? You have the house to yourself for a few short hours."
"I can't! What if mum, dad or Petunia comes in and mistake it for something else. Besides, they probably have Ms. Sullivan watching the house like she did last time."
"True. It would also be pretty irritating to see that smug look on that horse's face if you and Sev started kissing and were caught like she was with that walrus."
"Ye- I mean, no! The chances of Sev and I kissing are very slim. We're just friends so that could never happen..."
Even as she thought this the dream of her and Severus doing that exact same thing came into her mind. She imagined his arms around her. The way his heart was beating in tune with hers. The way his lips and mouth tasted as they started exploring each other, almost merging as one...
Only when she felt a splash of water down her front did Lily wake up from her fantasy. She looked down and saw there was soapy water cascading down the front of the sink like a waterfall down to the floor. She quickly turned off the faucet, grabbed a large towel from the cabinet above the sink, and laid it down on the floor to soak up the mess.
"Good going Evans!" both her thoughts said as she started cleaning up the mess.
After much mopping, drying and changing her shirt, Lily finally had time to get her books and make the picnic lunch for her and Severus. She packed two bottles of butterbeer, which she got before leaving The Leaky Cauldron, four corned beef sandwiches, two apples and some treats for Reinfield, who usually stayed at the old house when not in service. All of that packed and ready she made her way out of the house- which she locked up- spare set of keys in hand, wand tucked into her jeans for easy access, bookbag in one hand and the basket in the other.
When she got to the park Lily saw an all-too familiar sight. Huddled under a tree, in a tattered shirt, was a figure that had jet black hair hanging down in curtains, hiding a face.
Frightened Lily ran to the figure, only to discover that it was not a beaten up Severus Snape, but a young girl, not much older than eight years old. Her eyes, which were an off-shade of brown, were barely visible by the blue-black circles around them. She was barefooted and there were bloody scratches running from her toes to her knees. Apparantly more were hidden underneath the overlong tunic dress, and a few showed on her arms accompanied by more bruises.
Bending down carefully Lily whispered kindly, "Hello. Are you okay?"
"Yes," the girl replied in a strained voice. "I was just being bad. Dad said if I didn't stop, then I would go to St. Waltons."
"Why would your dad say you were bad?" Lily asked, though anger was slowly bubbling up inside of her.
"Because he's favorite paper rolls were on the floor in front of me, and they were dancing and pulling themselves apart," the girl replied. "Dad says I did all of that, but I don't know how. They were already on the floor and when I was just looking at them, they did that."
Lily could already guess what those 'paper rolls' were. It was common for most people on Spinner's End to have marijuana joints hidden in their homes. Obviously the little girl's father was about to enjoy his stash until he had to leave, and then she came in and used magic on the "paper rolls" without knowing it.
Just then the girl's stomach rumbled, and Lily reached into the basket and pulled out one of the sandwiches and an apple. She gave them to the girl, who tried to refuse, but took them when her stomach protested again.
Getting up to leave the red head looked at the girl and said in a reassuring voice, "Don't worry about your dad and his threat to take you to St. Waltons. When you get older, probably around eleven, you will understand why some of these things are happening to you."
"Y-You mean it?" the girl stammered hopefully.
"Of course," Lily said with a smile. "So, keep yourself out of trouble and come here if you want a place to calm down. The trees over by the swings are a good place to rest."
As she left the park to go to her and Severus' house, Lily had to restrain herself to not go the other way and find the girl's father.
"Typical that a Muggle should think that way. First my own parents, and now that girl's father. If anybody needs to go to that asylum it's them and anyone else who thinks like that," Lily thought to herself and advanced to her destination.
Little did she know that the girl was still watching her, except her eyes had turned red, and the pupils were like that of a cat.