musical mood: unforgiven - le sserafim
"Mother! Mother!" Lux's voice was strained from underuse, cracking at the seams as she cried out into the crowd, searching for the sight of her mother's light blonde hair, the same shade as hers. "Mother, where are you?"
"Quiet, girl." The man who had her hands held tight behind her back shouted into her ear, loud enough to make her flinch. "If your mother had any sense at all, she'd have fled before she met your fate as well."
He was right, Lux realized, as she continued to scan the mob of people who had formed around the pyre, only parted with a couple feet of room so Lux and the guard could pass through. People jeered, flashing their teeth her way as they cried out various taunts.
"Burn the witch!" One particularly loud voice called out — a voice she recognized. A neighbor of hers, a friend of her older brother, who was also noticeably absent. Oh, Matthew, what were you doing there? Surely he didn't want to see the scene that was about to unfold. But then, maybe he was happy, happy that the strange girl was burning. She'd thought they were friends, or at least good acquaintances, and the sting of the betrayal burned inside her, just as the fire soon would.
"Mother?" Lux gave one last feeble cry, though her tone only barely went above a whisper. It was hopeless, she admitted to herself as a horrible pain radiated into her gut. No one was coming to save her. She would face the flames for her sins, burn as the heretic that she was.
Maybe it was best her mother wasn't there. Mary Erzsebet ought not to witness the scene that was about to unfold.
When they turned the corner of the crowd, and Lux was met with the sight of the pyre, the stake surrounded by bits of wood and hay to keep the fire going until she was nothing but bones, her footsteps stopped. She didn't mean to stop, didn't mean to cause a scene, but it was as though her body refused to work, refused to take her to her fate.
"Move." The guard shoved her, hard, and the only thing that kept her moving was the instinctual movement to keep her from falling to the ground. This was it. She was going to die, she was going to burn up, and it was all her fault.
"Oh, mother…"
"Lux! Lux!"
Lux jolted out of the state of sleep she'd been in, shooting up into a sitting position, to find her gaze met with Lily Evans, barely visible through the dark.
"What?" She frowned, watching the concern melt onto Lily's expression as her vision grew more clear. "What is it?"
"You were screaming. I think you were having a nightmare." She whispered, as if trying not to wake the other two girls. Apparently, Mary and Marlene slept like the dead, because when Lux glanced over at their beds, the two were both fast asleep.
"Oh."
"Are you alright?" Lily pressed, moving so she was seated on the edge of Lux's bed. Even in the night, her green eyes stood out, wide and bright and sparkling.
She nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." An apology from Lux was rare, and it felt strange on her tongue, just as it had when she'd stepped on Remus's foot in the bookshop days prior. But it would make her stand out more, if she didn't apologize, so she gritted her teeth and forced it out.
"Oh, don't apologize." Lily shook her head rapidly. "It isn't your fault. I get nightmares too, you see. My sister, bloody hell, she used to get so angry when I'd wake her up with my yelling. She still does, over the summer."
When Lux said nothing, Lily continued, "Do you have any siblings? Or is it just you and Professor Ingelger?"
"It's just us." It wasn't technically a lie. Her siblings were long dead. Unlike her mother, the memories of Elijah, Matilda and Anne were few and far between. Now, she struggled to remember their faces, their voices, their personalities. What had happened to them, Lux wondered. They'd fled, she assumed, alongside her mother and father, but where to? What had become of them after Lux had burned?
"That must be nice." Lily pressed her lips together. "My sister can be a pain in the arse. I love her, of course, but Merlin, is she annoying."
She nodded, unsure what to say in response to the redhead girl's claim.
"You should go back to sleep." Lily continued when it was obvious Lux wasn't going to say anything. "We have to get up early tomorrow for classes."
She nodded again.
"Goodnight, Lux." Lily gave her a pat on the head, and it took everything in the vampire not to recoil at the touch. When Lily made her way over to her bed again, Lux turned over in her own, pulling the blankets high, up to her chin. As she drifted back off to sleep, she wondered what on earth was Lily's goal, in being so kind to her. It must've been some sort of trap, but for what?
When she fell asleep again, she dreamt of Lily staking her in the heart, while wearing the sorting hat.
Lux got up early the next day, eager to change into her robes and sneak off to breakfast before the other girls so much as woke up. This proved to be a grave mistake, as all four of those boys were already seated at the Gryffindor table, and the moment she stepped into the Great Hall, Sirius waved her over.
"Luxie! Sit with us!" He called out to her, loud enough that several heads turned.
Gulping down her pride, Lux sighed, and made her way to the Gryffindor table, and taking a seat next to Peter. Out of the four boys, he seemed to be the most normal, and she decided she liked him the best. Well, liked was a strong word. Tolerated was more accurate.
"How are you liking Hogwarts so far?" James asked politely, dipping his spoon into his porridge. "Are you enjoying it?"
"Well, given that nothing has happened so far…" She shrugged, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. What a stupid question, honestly. "I imagine I'll have a more insightful answer after classes begin."
"And your father, Professor Ingelger. Do you reckon he'll be a good professor?" James continued, eyeing where Fulk was seated at the professors table. This time, he was speaking with the elderly woman called McGonagall, who had sorted Lux the night prior. He spoke with such confidence, such ease, that even though Lux couldn't hear him, she could tell he was charming McGonagall with every word.
"I suppose so." Lux answered. When the four boys looked at her with raised eyebrows, she took that as a sign to elaborate. "He was good at teaching me, when we were at home. I imagine it will be similar here."
"Did your mother also help teach you?" Peter asked. "Or does she work?"
Lux's cold, dead heart seized in her chest. Though she somehow managed to keep her expression composed as she folded her hands in her lap, and kept her chin held high. "She's dead."
"Oh." He blinked. "Er…I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"No worries." She shrugged, hoping to shrug off the pain in her chest with her words.
"Remus's mum is also dead." Sirius piped, placing a hand on Remus's shoulder. "So you have something in common."
Remus frowned, turning to look at his friend. "I don't think we'll be forming a dead mother's club or something of the sorts, Pads." His eyes shifted towards Lux. "I'm sorry for your loss, though. It sucks, losing a parent."
She nodded, even though her insides were churning, not just about her mother, but about Remus, and how every inch of her was telling her to run.
"Why so quiet?" Sirius asked, slinging an arm over Remus's shoulder and tugging him close, just as they stepped into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. When Remus turned to him with raised eyebrows, he continued, "You've barely said a word since breakfast."
"I don't like her." Remus hissed, quiet enough that he was certain Lux, who was several feet away from them, didn't overhear. He watched, observing her as Lily conversed with her. It was obvious Lux was simply feigning interest, her expression neutral as Lily went on and on about whatever it was she was talking about.
"Who, Lux?" Sirius frowned.
He nodded.
"Why not? She's so…cool."
"Is that the only word you can think of to describe her? You've used it like ten times already."
"How would you describe her then?" Sirius asked with raised eyebrows. "Because I'd say cool work mighty fine."
"Cold, aloof, mysterious, dangerous…" Remus said, more to himself than to Sirius, his eyes still fixed on the back of her head, watching as her blonde hair swished back and forth as she sat down in a desk, Lily next to her.
"Dangerous? How?" Sirius blinked as they took their seat at a desk as well, with Peter and James right behind them.
"Dangerous?" Peter repeated Sirius's question, leaning in so his head was in between Remus and Sirius's. "Who's dangerous?"
"He reckons Lux is." Sirius answered before Remus could.
James let out a snort. "You can't be serious, Moony. Tell me you aren't serious."
"No, I'm Sirius."
James shoved Sirius on the shoulder. "Come on, Lux seems harmless. She's just a bit…"
"Standoffish?" Peter suggested.
"Yes, standoffish." James patted Peter on the top of his blonde head. "She was homeschooled her entire life. She probably isn't accustomed to making friends."
"Homeschooled people still have friends, James." Remus rolled his eyes. "She's different. I can just…tell. It's an instinct. Something's wrong with her, I know it."
"You're such a bloody cynic." James sighed.
Peter opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Professor Ingelger clearing his throat, and all heads turned towards the front of the classroom.
Professor Ingelger was the kind of man who demanded attention wherever he went, likely without trying to do so. With the aura of confidence that radiated off of him, and his chin always held high, he was so similar to Lux, yet at the same time, so different, and Remus picked up on this difference immediately. Professor Ingelger was charismatic, where Lux was aloof, he was charming, while Lux was antisocial.
Yet, he got the same urge that he did from Lux to Ingelger. Attack.
He shook his head, as though that would shake the thought out of his mind, and focused his attention on Ingelger, as he began the class.
"Hello, class. I am Professor Fulk Ingelger, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." His blue eyes sparkled as he spoke, scanning the classroom. When his eyes eventually settled on Remus, he frowned, but as swiftly as his expression changed, it morphed back into the smirk he had been wearing before. Like Lux, he didn't seem to smile much, simply smirk, but unlike his daughter, his smirks radiated a positive aura, instead of a negative one.
Why did he still feel the need to attack him? What threat could these two possibly pose to him? Why were his animalistic urges coming out at them specifically?
"I will be a very patient professor, but I expect all of you to participate to your fullest ability in class. I do not tolerate laziness. If you have an assignment late, it will result in house points being docked. And of course, there will be no special treatment." His eyes flickered over to Lux as he spoke, but Remus noticed a gentle quiver of his lips when his eyes met hers, as though he was preventing a smile. Not a smirk, but a smile.
"Are there any questions?" He asked, scanning the classroom.
Sirius's hand shot in the air.
"Yes, Mr…?"
"Black."
"Mr. Black. Go on."
"Has anyone ever told you that your first name kind of sounds like fuck?"
The room went silent, so quiet one could hear a pin drop. All the hairs on Remus's neck stood up in attention, in anticipation for what was about to happen to Sirius. Oh, that idiot! Why couldn't anybody else pick up on the vibes that he was, that Lux and Professor Ingelger were not to be trusted? And angering this man was certainly not a good idea.
But, to Remus's utter shock, Fulk let out a laugh, his blue eyes growing wide and shining with amusement. "I admire your nerve, Mr. Black. Five points to Gryffindor, for sheer cheek."
Remus felt his shoulders relax, and Sirius let out a loud whoop, pumping his fist in the air.
"Now, for this units lesson, we will be learning about dark magical creatures. Specifically, vampires and werewolves."
Just as he had relaxed, Remus stiffened again, all the blood draining from his face, and felt Sirius shift from next to him. Behind him, James inhaled a sharp breath, and Peter let out a hiccup. But most interestingly, Remus noticed that, in front of him, Lux ran a hand through her hair, her fingers trembling ever so slightly. Lux, afraid of the occult. That was surely interesting…
But maybe, considering Remus's primal reaction to her, she had plenty of reasons to be. Maybe she had a primal instinct as well, and picked up on what he was, even if her brain was too slow to catch up. Maybe she felt the urge to run, just as he felt the urge to hunt.
"I see some of you are afraid." Ingelger tilted his head to the side, as he examined the silent classroom. "No need. We won't actually have any vampires or werewolves in this class, of course. We will simply be learning about them."
Lily raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss…?"
"Evans, Sir."
"Go on, Miss Evans.
"May I ask why we're learning about these creatures? I thought those were 7th year topics."
"Yes, well, I deemed them necessary for your education. These creatures are not to be messed with, children. Not to be underestimated. You ought to be careful. They could be closer than you think."
Remus felt his heart sink in his chest. Did he know? Did Ingelger somehow know about his condition? Was that even possible? Perhaps Dumbledore had told him — oh, that bloody headmaster! How could he betray Remus like that?
But Ingelger didn't so much as look in Remus's direction as he spoke, which caused his stomach to settle ever so slightly. Maybe it was a coincidence. It wasn't like vampires and werewolves were rare subjects. Besides, if he wanted to personally torment Remus, why would he bring up vampires as well? It wasn't like there were any of those at Hogwarts. How would they get around in the sun, after all?
No, it was a happy coincidence, that was all.
"Now, who here can tell me three facts about werewolves?"
From behind Remus, Snape's hand shot up.
"Yes, Mr…?"
"Snape." He said with his chin held high, greasy hair trailing down his back, longer than it should be. He ought to cut that hideous mane, Remus thought.
"Yes, do tell the class, Mr. Snape."
Snape smirked, his eyes flickering in Remus's direction for a brief moment, before saying haughtily, "They change into wolves on the full moon, and lose sense of all control. They have practically superhuman strength when in their wolf form, and their weakness is silver."
"Very good, very good, Mr Snape. I see someone has been doing some research on werewolves. Five points to Slytherin." Ingelger clapped his hands together. "Now, who can tell us three facts about vampires?"
This time, Lily Evans lifted her hand. Lux stared up at the hand, her expression unreadable, though she swiftly looked away, redirecting her gaze to her lap.
"Miss Evans, yes, go ahead." Ingelger nodded at her.
"Vampires feed off of the blood of humans and animals. They cannot walk in the sunlight."
"Can you tell me a third fact?"
Lily thought hard for a moment, thinking this over.
"And…I believe they can be killed by a werewolf bite."