A/N:
Translations (Done by twitter users nova_frogster and Sylith_Senjak. Huge thank you!)
Ne me faites pas de mal, je vous en prie - Please, don't hurt me
Qui êtes-vous ? Quel est votre nom ? - Who are you? State your name.
Ruelle Noire - Night Alley
Rue Enchantée - Enchantress Street
c'est quoi ce bordel !? - What the fuck!?
T'es une connasse - You are an arse
Pute - Bitch
Crétine - Twat
Merci - Thank you
Merde - Fuck
Fils de pute - Motherfucker
Chapter 4: Due East
The chime above the door to the apothecary was muted as Lyra and Vivienne stepped inside the store that was so questionable, it didn't even have a sign posted outside that gave the establishment a name. In actuality, the business itself was nameless as a whole, only instead spoken of in whispers to potential customers. The precise location also changed so often to avoid raids from the French Ministry and ensured that only those with connections could find it at any given time. Hence why Lyra had to make sure she came today.
So, Lyra might have exaggerated a bit as to just how deep into Ruelle Noire she and Vivi were going to be exploring.
The elderly shopkeeper circled the till, and when Lyra waved trying to be friendly the only response she got was a grunt and a scowl that made her shrink with fear. The owner was rumoured to be a metamorphmagus, and Lyra bit her tongue to keep from asking. Her endless curiosity often found her, and by extension Vivi, in a few unsavoury predicaments over the years, but since she'd gotten her friend to join her today Lyra decided against pushing her luck.
"Lyra," Vivi rubbed her shoulders inching closer to Lyra who was wide eyed as she browsed the shelves. "This place gives me the creeps," the Veela complained, slipping further behind Lyra as the bald hag looking witch watched the two teens intently.
"What? Why? It's charming?" Lyra said, turning away from the severed body parts of various creatures on display that she'd just been examining.
"I think she knows I'm a Veela, do you know how much my hair would go for in a place like this?" Vivi hissed, shrinking even further into the shadows behind Lyra as the owner continued to study them.
"Wait, do you think she'd trade some of your hair for a few things?" Lyra asked in all seriousness.
"Lyra!" Vivi whisper-yelled at her friend.
"What? I'm a bit short on funds, didn't realise that there would be so many things I'd want to buy," Lyra joked, knowing how sacred Veela hair was in their culture – convincing a Veela to part with the treasure was nearly impossible (hence why it was so valuable). She couldn't have grown up around the Delacour family without having learned a thing or two about Veelas.
Vivienne didn't move from behind Lyra, but pinched the back of her arm in response. Lyra turned to scowl at her friend, who also had her eyes narrowed. When she turned back around, both girls let out a shriek at the sudden closeness of the shopkeeper.
"Two hairs – pulled from the roots – and you can have your pick of the store. Otherwise, get out of my shop." Lyra stood up a bit straighter, making sure to keep herself between this fascinating person and her best friend.
"Eh, well, you see…the thing is…" Lyra backed up, pushing Vivi with her. "She's only part Veela, so her hair is basically trash. You might as well take a few locks of mine for all the good it would do you." Lyra answered, shocked that the woman was speaking English instead of French, clearly having overheard and understanding everything they'd just been saying. "If I could just pay for these couple things, we can be out of your hair. Get it, hair, because…well, you know what. Here's the money." Lyra quickly said, shoving more than enough coins for everything she had in her basket into the witch's hand. Grabbing Vivienne, Lyra pivoted in a semi circle until they were on the other side of the woman and closer to the door.
The woman tilted her head, the hood of her robe sliding off to show a horribly disfigured skull. Lyra and Vivienne both let out a little squeak as they hurried backwards, not daring to turn their backs on the captivating, but terrifying, witch.
The woman opened her mouth, showing off rows of black sharp teeth, and let out an ear piercing screech that shattered a few of the displays. Much faster than they would have guessed she could move, the woman crossed the shop, getting right in their faces. Her eyes had turned into a glowing yellow that had both girls screaming as they ran from the store, Lyra clutching her basket.
"Lyra, c'est quoi ce bordel !?" Vivi panted, bent over at the waist, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Her usually perfectly styled hair was sticking in every direction and her pale face was flush. "I'm never going shopping with you again. I fucking swear it. T'es une connasse. I cannot believe you, pute."
"Awe, Vivi, you don't mean any of that," Lyra said, equally out of breath, but grateful she was wearing trainers instead of the heels her friend was in.
"Crétine," Vivienne muttered, marching away from Lyra causing her to laugh at how much colourful language her friend was managing to use when her vocabulary was typically much more wholesome.
"Merci," Lyra replied, jumping out of the way of the slap aimed right for her. "Come on, mum should be just about done book shopping anyway. We'll need to get back before she notices…" Lyra trailed off looking across the dimly lit street at a group of three hooded figures.
"Which way is Rue Enchantée ?" A chill ran up her arms, as she grabbed Vivienne and pulled her back towards a few barrels of something with a foul smell that were lining the shop they'd stopped in front of. Lyra had been in Ruelle Noire far more times than she would ever admit to her mother. However, in all her trips sneaking around the alley, Lyra had never ventured as far as they now found themselves.
When they'd run from the apothecary, the girls must have gotten turned around at some point and headed the wrong way. Lyra looked around the street, hopeful to see anyone that might be able to point them in the right direction, but unfortunately for her the only people she could see were the sketchy looking figures and there was no way she was asking any of them.
"What should we do?" Vivienne asked behind Lyra, reaching out to grip her hand. "Rue Enchantée is east, we can use our wand as a compass." Lyra nodded her head in agreement, gripping her Vinewood wand, keeping her eyes trained on the persons who'd luckily not noticed their audience.
Vivienne whispered the spell to turn her own wand into the compass, and keeping their hands interlocked, the two girls stuck to the shadows and began to creep away. Lyra never looked away from the hooded figures, trusting Vivienne entirely to get them to safety.
Ruelle Noire curved slightly, obscuring Lyra's view of the figures, allowing her to let out the breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding. Though she didn't release her hold of Vivienne, even with the imminent danger gone. The girls still did their best to stay out of sight of the street. Not that it was terribly hard to do as most of the street lamps were broken, making it clear where Night Alley's name came from.
Even in the middle of the day, as deep as they were in this part of the shopping district, it still was dark enough to need lamps or wands lit to see where one was going.
"How much further do you think?" Lyra asked, as a chill went up her spine. The sooner they got out of here the better.
"I don't know– merde! Get down!" Vivi tackled Lyra to the cold stone of the alley as a curse flew over their heads. While they were not the intended targets – whoever was duelling most likely not even knowing they were there – they were still in the line of fire. "RUN!" Vivienne screamed as the shouting and the sounds of explosions began to fill the air. Pulling Lyra to her feet, the two teenage girls took off, still trying to go east as best they could.
Throwing her basket into her bag, Lyra slung it over her shoulder and continued sprinting in the direction Vivienne's wand was directing them. Lyra didn't even have to pull her own wand to light a path, as the fighting around them was bright as fireworks. Fireworks that happened to be much too close for comfort.
"Vivi, we've–" But before she could finish her sentence, a deflected blast landed near their feet, pulling the girls apparent and sending them flying in opposite directions. Lyra landed hard on her back, the air being pushed from her lungs as she hit the stones with a thump.
She blinked her eyes and everything around her went black. She sat up, pinching her arm, wincing at the pain. Well, she wasn't unconscious, but what was most likely Peruvian instant darkness powder had bathed the street into utter darkness.
Lyra had to bite her lip to keep from calling out for her friend in her terror. So far, it seemed that whoever was having a full on fucking battle in the middle of a fucking alley would possibly use them as distractions.
Fils de pute.
Crawling on her hands and knees, Lyra figured if she stayed close to the ground that she might stay a bit safer while the fighting continued, even in the darkness. With her wand between her teeth, Lyra felt blindly for anything to hide behind until the damn powder lifted. Shouting and the sound of spells still tearing through the street had her flinching and shuffling faster.
"Ne me faites pas de mal, je vous en prie," a distinctly male voice whispered in the darkness.
"Qui êtes-vous ? Quel est votre nom ?" Lyra hissed, pressing her wand somewhere into the male's flesh. Though, as she squinted hopelessly in an attempt to see who she was holding at wand point, she noted that he didn't sound like a man. In fact, he sounded like he was somewhere around her age, but anyone that willingly ventured into Night Alley was either dangerous or foolish. Lyra liked to believe that she was a bit of both.
Before the boy could answer her, beams of light began to filter through their surroundings allowing for her to see. Lyra didn't move, keeping herself ready for whatever the light might show.
Well, everything except him. She thought as she blinked, unable to believe what she was seeing.
ooo
Scorpius couldn't take his eyes off the girl that was currently pressing a wand into his shoulder. Somehow, his own stupidity really, he'd found himself lost in the Montmartre District. Once he'd realised his mistake, it was too late and Scorpius was much too deep into a more sketchy looking area than any he'd ever been in.
Shouting men and cackling women had been what startled him out of his own miserable thoughts. He'd instantly pulled out his cellphone in an attempt to contact his father, but alas the blasted thing was still not working. Once the fighting had broken out, Scorpius had run for cover behind a stack of crates, praying to the Gods to send someone to save him.
When everything went black, he'd first thought he must have been hit by a spell and rendered unconscious. However, his other senses heightened in the darkness and he could still hear the battle raging on and feel the press of a sharp stone in his knee.
"Bloody hell," the girl muttered, leaning back away from him, obviously seeing the same thing he was.
"You're English?" Scorpius asked, leaning forwards. He was completely awe struck by how similar they looked, whereas the girl seemed to be a bit alarmed by it.
It was, it was bizarre. Though he was vaguely aware that his father had cousins living somewhere in France, Scorpius was not prepared for just how much they might resemble each other. They had the same high cheekbones and straight nose that rounded perfectly at the end. Though, her face was heartshaped and more feminine where his was much sharper. Her size also surprised him, because she was in fact tiny.
The only other person from the Malfoy line – aside from his father and grandfather that is – who Scorpius had met was his father's cousin Luna, and she was rather tall for a woman. However, from having to study his family genealogies, he knew that one of the Malfoy family traits was being lofty, including the women.
"My mum is," she answered sharply. He found himself struck by her odd accent as she spoke again. It sort of sounded like she'd grown up near London, though at the same time there was a bit of Australian and French woven into her English. Very peculiar, because he couldn't think of any Malfoys living in London or in Australia.
Before he could ask for her mother's name, the suspected cousin shoved him to the ground, covering his body with hers as she produced a shield charm that deflected an incoming wayward spell. There was a bit of perspiration forming at her brow as she worked to protect them, the concentrated look on her face making her look eerily like his father in that moment.
There had been once he'd seen his father in a similar state. When Lucius had lashed out after being told that Scorpius didn't have any magic in his veins. His father had stepped between Scorpius and Lord Malfoy, and the way he'd looked while protecting Scorpius was the exact same as the way this girl looked.
"You could get your wand out and help," she hissed through her teeth, dropping the spell and panting. "Come on, we're sitting ducks and we have to find Vivienne."
She didn't give Scorpius time to answer as she rolled off him and jumped to her feet. She had obviously decided that he was not a threat since she didn't shove her wand back into his flesh, and instead gripped his hand and began to drag him along with her. The two of them shuffled towards an archway, the sounds of an intense dule still ringing behind them.
Hiding behind the stone, peeking her head out to look around a bit, the girl turned her attention back to him for a moment, her face scrunched up as she took in his appearance. He looked down at her own outfit before looking back at her. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening on the wand in her hand.
Scorpius couldn't help but look down at what he'd thrown on that morning again. His Crystal Palace football club jumper with denims and trainers, he concluded he looked like an average teenage male. "What?" He said, feeling slightly self conscious at her scrutiny. "Do I have a stain?"
"Where's your wand?" She asked again, her shackles seeming to rise. This time, Scorpius blushed at the question, because there was a reason that he'd never met any of the French Malfoys.
"Er, I don't have one," he answered, trying to not have to say much more and possibly have his protector abandon him. She was quite literally the only thing keeping him safe at the moment.
"And why not?" She questioned, turning away from him, tucking a loose bit of her hair behind her ear. He pulled back in shock a bit at the way her ears came to a slight point, just like his and his fathers. Genetics were so strange…
Scorpius tried to pretend that he hadn't heard her, but when she glanced back at him, the little bit of a crazed look had him answering. "I'm a squib, alright. I don't have a wand because I don't have any magic."
The realisation flashed over her face, and for a moment he was afraid that she might toss him into the street and abandon him just as he knew his now dead grandfather would have in an emergency (the opportunity to rid the family of the substandard heir would have been too tempting), but instead she gripped his hand and pulled him closer.
"What are you–" he began, but she went up on her toes and tapped her wand on the top of his head. Living with two wizards, Scorpius wasn't unused to having magic happening around him, but rarely was it ever performed on him. His skin felt as if something slimy was being melted over him, causing him to shiver and rub his hands over his arms.
"Don't worry, I'll take it off once we're out of here. Here, in case we get separated, Enchantress Street is east. It's not permanent, I swear, but you'll have to lead us out while I try to redirect any stray spells." Scorpius didn't even have a chance to protest before she was grabbing his now invisible arm and tapping it again. A bright glowing compass tattoo appeared where his arm was, allowing him to still be able to see it.
"East, right…" He muttered, looking back at her, though she already had her back turned to him, her white curls pulled into a loose bun sitting on the top of her head all he could really see of her. Honestly, aside from the curls and her being a tiny girl, Scorpius was again taken back at how much the mystery girl looked like him.
He reached out and grasped her hand before launching himself into the street, heading due east according to his arm.