September 1995
The new school year was starting on a good note. She felt a small pride rising in her chest as she instructed the prefects on their duties, seeing Hermione and Sebastian there with their prefect badges. It wasn't really a surprise to her when she received the school letter with the Head Girl badge in it. Maybe it was Dumbledore's way of thanking her for her assistance during the trial, maybe it was a recompensation for her lost position as Youth Representative. Either way, Lilith didn't care. Being the Head Girl gave her the privilege of having a private dorm room and she needed every bit of privacy she could get for various reasons. She almost smiled when she saw how scared Draco Malfoy looked when he walked into the compartment and saw her badge.
What dimmed her mood however was seeing the woman in pink at the staff table. Dolores Umbridge. Of course, she knew who the woman was. When she went back to Cave Hill to gather her things, Rowan showed up, telling her about the Ministry's new Educational Decree, and passing her his private file about the pink lady. She didn't have time to read the file until she boarded the train but when she did, everything she read concerned her.
She ignored the Sorting and tugged on Aveline's robe and kicked Sebastian's leg under the table, grabbing their attention. Before they could protest, she shushed them and motioned for them to lean closer.
"You see that woman right next to Dumbledore?" Aveline discreetly looked over her shoulder, eyeing the woman up and down.
"The pink one? What about her?"
"I want you both to be extremely careful around her." she looked Aveline right in the eye. "You especially." she watched as her siblings exchanged a confused look.
"Why?" asked Sebastian.
"She's Fudge's right-hand woman." Both their eyes widened.
"That old toad?" Lilith rolled her eyes. Aveline never held her tongue. But she had to admit, she was right. She did look like a toad dressed in pink.
"She may not look like it but she's no teddy bear. She's dangerous. Steer clear of her. Do you understand?" Sebastian nodded immediately but Aveline was looking back at the staff table. Lilith had to kick her leg to get her to turn around. "Do you understand?"
"Merlin! Yes, I understand." Aveline grumbled, rubbing her shin. "When did you get so violent?" Lilith rolled her eyes. She didn't like this combination. Dolores Umbridge and Hogwarts. From what she read, she got the idea that Hogwarts was about to be Umbridge's favourite playground. It didn't shock her like the rest of the Great Hall when Umbridge interrupted Dumbledore at the first chance she got. That woman was like a shark smelling blood in the water.
Her eyes wandered towards the Gryffindor table, catching Hermione's. The look she was giving her signalled that Hermione put two and two together, asking her if she got it right. She gave her a subtle nod, watching as she frowned and looked back at the woman. A corner of Lilith's mouth moved up a little bit. With Hermione's perception, she really should've been a Ravenclaw. Hermione told her that the Sorting Hat was even considering it but eventually decided on Gryffindor. Lilith thought it was a pity but on the other hand, without Hermione, Potter and Weasley would be dead by the end of their first year.
She had to warn Hermione about Umbridge but she couldn't do it in person. She watched as Hermione and Weasley led the first years out of the Great Hall, along with her fifth-year prefects and waited until the Great Hall cleared out. When she was the last person there, she took out the two-way notebook and quickly scribbled down the note for Hermione, praying to Morgana that the younger witch would read it before her DADA class. She finished her tea quickly, put the notebook away and made her way up to Ravenclaw Tower. She was surprised to see a small brunette in tears at the top of the stairs. The girl had a colourless tie and robes without a house crest. A first year.
"Hello there." she spoke gently so as not to distress the small girl even more. When she heard Lilith's voice, the girl turned around, clearly panicking.
"I'm sorry! I got lost from the group. I... I asked around for Ravenclaw dorms and when I," she hiccuped. "When I finally found this, it won't let me in." the tears were still streaming down the girl's cheeks. She reached inside her robes and pulled out a handkerchief, offering it to the girl who nervously took it.
"What's your name?"
"Lily. Lily McKinley." Lilith gave her a soft smile.
"That's a beautiful name. I'm Lilith but my friends call me Lili." it finally made the small girl smile a little. "It's not your fault you've got separated. Your prefect should've looked after you. Hogwarts is a little... big." Lily nodded in agreement.
"Very big." Lilith came closer to the door.
"Now let's get you settled, Lily." The bronze eagle on the knocker came alive as Lilith came closer and opened its beak.
"What can be touched but can't be seen?" Lilith looked down at Lily. She was eyeing the knocker nervously, wiping the remainder of the tears into Lilith's handkerchief.
"Someone's heart." the eagle nodded in approval and the door finally opened. Lily jumped in joy, her arm immediately circling around Lilith's torso.
"Thank you!" Lilith chuckled and patted Lily's back.
"It was nothing. Come on, your bed is waiting." As they walked up the steps to the common room, Lilith found that Lily was a muggle-born witch, the oldest of three and had a dog named Sparky back at home. Once she calmed down, the little brunette was very talkative. But once they stepped inside the common room, she shut up immediately. Her jaw was nearly on the floor as she looked around the room in awe, nearly breaking her neck. She followed Lilith silently, taking everything around her in.
"This is the common room, it has everything you'll need in your years here. It's always warm, has enough books to kill some time and the views from up here are amazing." she told Lily as they made their way towards the staircase leading to girl's dormitory. Lilith was aware some eyes were watching her as some students chose to remain in the common room, exchanging stories about their summer but she ignored them.
"Who is that?" Lily asked quietly, eyeing the marble statue next to the dormitories.
"Rowena Ravenclaw. The founder of our house." For Lilith, the sentence had a double meaning. In some sense, Rowena was a founder of her house too. "You can read up on her tomorrow. Or the girls in your dorm can fill you in." she gestured for her to follow her and the duo walked up the stairs until they reached the door with a plaque with "Year 1" written on it.
"This is you." Lilith gave the small brunette a gentle smile and knocked on the door before entering. Four girls inside were already standing around the empty bed, talking in hushed voices but when they heard the door opening, their heads snapped towards the noise.
"Hello girls, I have a little straggler with me." Lily gave them a small wave and a nervous smile. But only two girls reacted, smiling at her, welcoming her in. The other two were still looking at Lilith, their eyes widened.
"I'm L..." She didn't even get to finish her introduction before one of the girls, a tall blonde, interrupted her.
"You're Lilith Farrow." Lilith inwardly winced at the awe in the girl's voice.
"Yes, that would be me." she nodded. "I'm the Head Girl, so if you need anything and can't find your prefect, just come to me and we will sort it out, alright?" she didn't want to be in the room any longer, the dreamy eyes the two girls were giving her were making her uncomfortable. "Now if you excuse me, I have to have a word with said prefect. Welcome to Ravenclaw."
"Thank you, Lilith!" Lily grinned at her and waved as Lilith stepped out and continued to walk up the stairs until she reached the door with "Year 5" written on the plaque. She could hear giggling from outside of the door and rolled her eyes. Gone was her gentle demeanour. She was just tired at this point. She knocked and opened the door when she heard a confused 'come in'. Once they saw her in the doorway, all the girls automatically turned to look at Aveline. She didn't blame them. Lilith wasn't a very social person so the only time she showed up there was usually because of Aveline. But even though she didn't socialize much, she knew the name of every person in Ravenclaw by heart, and she could swear she saw a faint blush on Morag MacDougal's face before she turned to look at her younger sister. Lilith leaned against the doorframe.
"Patil." It seemed to confuse them, even Aveline who was fully expecting a lecture was now looking at Padma with furrowed eyebrows. But Padma didn't seem to mind because she turned around to look at Lilith, smiling brightly.
"Yes?" Lilith crossed her arms over her chest, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you know you lost a kid?" she watched as Padma immediately froze on her spot, her smile disappeared and all colour slowly drained from her face.
"What?" Lilith could tell she was shocked by the revelation.
"You lost a kid on the way up here." Padma cupped her mouth with her hands, shaking her head slowly as she walked back, sitting on the bed behind her. The four girls around were exchanging worried looks.
"No... I was sure that..." Lilith cut her off, trying to stop her from spiralling.
"Relax. I found her by the entrance, she's alright." it seemed to help. Padma released a long breath she was holding. The four girls around seemingly relaxed too. Lilith sent her a gentle look when Padma looked at her once again. "It could happen to anyone, Padma. It happened to a prefect during my first year too. Don't beat yourself up about it. Just be more careful next year, alright?" Padma gave her a hurried nod.
"It'll never happen again."
"Good." Lilith gave a small nod to the others in the room and pushed herself from the doorframe. "Well, goodnight girls." she heard a chorus of 'Goodnight' as she closed the door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was tired. What she found at the top of the staircase made her smile. On one side was a door with "Year 7" written on the plaque, and on the other was a door with a plaque saying "Head Girl". She smiled. Yes, being Head Girl certainly had its perks. She couldn't wait to sleep in a room she had all by herself.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The day was pretty mundane. Opposite to his previous year, his sixth year has been relaxed so far even if it was just his first day. He didn't have any homework yet so he counted it as a win as he made his way up the Ravenclaw Tower. The common room was pretty empty, except for a few fifth years. An idea came up once he saw a free table by the window with two comfortable armchairs. There was a chance it would work.
He took the steps by three as he made his way to the top of the girl's dormitory. He was glad that the Ravenclaw didn't have the same rule as Gryffindor where you couldn't enter the girl's dormitory if you were a boy. Ravenclaws were trusted enough to be responsible, which was in some ways very ironic considering how many accidents he had to cover up before Flitwick had a chance to find out. He was almost panting as he finally reached the door with Head Girl written on a small plaque. In some sense, he envied Lilith's position as Head Girl just because of the single room and made it his goal to be the Head Boy in his seventh year just for the gained privacy.
To his surprise, it didn't take long for the door to open once he knocked. He honestly didn't know if Lilith would be in her room but he had to bite back a chuckle when he saw the dishevelled state she was in.
"Seb?" she yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"Were you here the whole day?" he looked past her and saw the unmade sheets on the bed.
"Seventh year, lots of free time." she shrugged. "Do you need anything?"
"How about a game of chess? The common room is almost empty, and so is our spot." Lilith didn't seem to budge and only let out another small yawn. "Come on. It's been ages since we played." he was almost begging.
"But my bed is so warm and comfy." Sebastian rolled his eyes.
"I'll lend you my blanket. The fluffy one." he smiled a little when he saw the familiar twinkle in her eyes. He knew it would work. Lilith always ran cold and his blanket was the warmest one a person could ever find.
"The purple one?"
"The one and only." Lilith let out another yawn but begrudgingly nodded.
"Alright. Go set it up, I'll be there in 10 minutes." Sebastian smiled as she closed the door behind her. He loved playing chess ever since he was little, and playing it with Lilith was his safe space. When he first got to Hogwarts, he was excited to finally join his older sister in that mysterious, wonderful place. But the excitement quickly wore off. He was a scrawny kid, a bit small for his age know-it-all with asthma. The boys in his year made fun of him and girls never really looked in his direction. He was miserable and avoided all public spaces when he could help it, the common room included. But a few days into his second month there, Lilith decided that he wallowed in his self-pity long enough, dragged him into the common room and without sparing anyone a look, she sat them into the most publicly visible armchairs and pulled out a chess set. It was a beautiful chess set, obviously old and hand-made. The only problem was, that it was a muggle chess set, not a magical one. Sebastian was almost on the edge of a nervous breakdown by the time she set the pieces, wary of all the people watching them. But Lilith didn't budge. She simply sat in her armchair, waiting for him to settle down. He didn't have much of a choice, so he sat down and they played for what seemed like hours until the common room emptied. Lilith didn't speak until the game ended. 'We're Farrows, Seb. We don't hide from our problems, we face them head-on. So chin up, it gets better.'
And she was right. Ever since then, they started to play chess in the common room every other day and Sebastian's fear of public places slowly faded. As years went on, his asthma disappeared, he had a pretty big growth spurt, and thanks to Aveline begging him to train with her during the summers, he gained some muscle. He was very aware that people started to treat him differently but he remembered all those jabs and shoves, the horrible pranks pulled on him, the laughter at his expense. So he was polite but not friendly. He was kind but not generous. And he certainly didn't go running after those who once showed him their backs and were now offering their friendship. In the end, all he really needed were his sisters and it was enough.
So when he came into his dorm, changed out of his uniform, grabbed the old chess set and a blanket and left without sparring word, nobody really blinked at that. There were still some fifth years in the common room, and he was aware some of the girls were staring at him but he didn't care. He simply plopped down into the armchair that was unofficially his, threw the purple blanket into the other and started setting up the pieces. It didn't really take that long for Lilith to enter the common room. She was still in her comfortable clothes with her hair put up and yawned a little bit instead of greeting him when she sat down into the other armchair, wrapping herself up in the blanket. What surprised Sebastian was a steaming mug that she put down on the table.
"How did you...?" she shrugged.
"House-elves." Sebastian rolled his eyes and chuckled but didn't comment any further. Instead, he outstretched his arms with his fists balled up, waiting for Lilith to choose. She took her time and sipped from her mug before tapping his left fist. She smirked a little when he opened the fist and revealed a black piece in it. Of course, she would smirk, Lilith loved playing with the black pieces, preferring to observe her opponent's moves before making her own. So Sebastian put the pieces back on the board, turned it so the black pieces were on Lilith's side, and started the game.
He didn't know for how long they were playing, he was vaguely aware that the common room started to fill because of the noise but he concentrated on the game. To any outside eye, it would seem that they both were taking a break. Both of them were leaning back in their chairs, seemingly relaxed as Sebastian's head laid in his palm and Lilith sipped her coffee. The only sign of the intensity of the moment was their eyes, completely focused on the board, almost unblinking. Sebastian smirked as he took Lilith's rook. He was so sure... but didn't realise how completely blind he was until Lilith used her second rook, catching his king in the corner. He stared at the board, completely baffled. He was so blind that he didn't realise that the whole time he was focused on getting into her territory, she pushed him so much that he hid his king in the same corner he was now in. It took one look at smirking Lilith to know he lost. With a huff, he resigned his king and glared at his sister who silently chuckled into her mug.
"You're unbelievable.
"I am? You should pay more attention. I was setting that trap ten moves in."
"What? When?"
"When I moved the bishop to C5 and you switched the rook with the king. You kinda set the trap yourself, I just gave you a gentle push." Sebastian groaned and fell back into his chair.
"I want a remach."
"Set it up then. I can't wait to see you burn again." he sent her another glare but started to set the board again. He won't lose this time. He won't. This time he was the one playing with the black pieces which wasn't his favourite start but with Lilith, it was maybe the better one. But before they could start, a small girl, still in her robes came up to them, catching their attention. It was clear the girl was nervous. She was red in the face, her hands shook a bit and she quickly averted her eyes to the ground when they looked at her.
"L-Lilith?" she stuttered a bit as she asked.
"Yes, that's me." Lilith shared an amused look with Sebastian.
"T-The Gryffindor p-prefect said t-to give th-this to yo-you." she stuttered and outstretched her hand with a piece of parchment in it. The amused smile faded from Lilith's face and Sebastian could see a small sign of panic in her eyes. He panicked a little bit too. Surely Hermione wouldn't be so reckless to send mail to Lilith through some first year, would she? Lilith thanked the little girl, who seemed relieved and opened the note. Sebastian watched as Lilith's brows furrowed, her posture straightened in the armchair, and her grip on the note tightened. Once finished with the note, she crushed it into a small ball and her head flew up, looking at the group of fifth-year girls near the fireplace.
"Kelley, McDougal, Patil, Throwney!" she called and Sebastian saw as the girl froze once they heard their names being called out. The whole common room quietened once Lilith called out the names. She always carried an aura of authority that fascinated Sebastian ever since he saw it in action for the first time. How people would go quiet and listen when she spoke, how she carried herself with unmatched confidence, how she could frighten people older and taller than her just with a simple look. The same cold, hard look she was now giving the four fifth-year girls who turned to look at her, clearly uncomfortable.
"Can someone explain to me what the hell happened in DADA today?" Sebastian leaned forward in his chair, looking between Lilith and the four girls who paled, one by one once they heard Lilith's question. The whole common room went absolutely quiet, watching the interaction on the edge of their seat.
"Lilith... I don't think..." started the redhead that Sebastian recognized as Tilly Throwney but she stopped once Lilith got up from her seat and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Then don't think and just tell me what the fuck happened." Lilith looked around the room at the onlookers. "Give us a moment." she motioned towards the dorms. Sebastian watched with worry and fascination as, without a question, every single person in the room stood up and left the room, except for them and the four girls. "So? Is anybody gonna speak up?" Padma Patil gulped but stepped forward.
"Potter argued with Umbridge about..." she bit her lip nervously. "About You-Know-Who and got a detention." Sebastian wasn't really surprised by it. He read what the Daily Prophet published daily and Potter was a powder keg about to blow.
"Padma, you know very well I'm not asking about Potter." Sebastian's brows furrowed as he leaned closer, looking between Lilith and Padma in confusion.
"Aveline... she continued the argument after Umbridge sent Potter away. She said that..." Padma nervously glanced at Lilith before looking down. "She argued that Umbridge was lying, that the Ministry was lying. That... that Cedric's death was a murder and not an accident like they said." Sebastian watched as Lilith's knuckles went white. "She got a detention for tommorow." His own heart missed a beat as he fell back into the armchair. Aveline got herself into a detention with Dolores Umbridge. What a great start.
"Thank you, Padma." she turned to look at him.
"You were there yesterday at the Feast, right? I wasn't imagining it."
"I was." he knew where she was going with it.
"So you remember what I told you, right? To keep your head down, not to provoke her, that she's dangerous. You remember that, right?" he still had a small bruise on his shin from that moment.
"Clear as a day." Lilith smiled sarcastically.
"So can you explain to me how our sister, who was sitting right next to me, didn't understand that? Was I speaking in riddles?" she groaned and sat back in her chair. The four girls went back into their seats and started talking to each other in hushed voices, glad that Lilith's wrath wasn't unleashed on them.
"She just got a detention, Lili. She gets one every other week, it's not old news." Lilith leaned her head back into the headrest and closed her eyes.
"It's not about the detention. It's about with whom she got that detention." she sighed. "You still don't get it, Seb?" she spoke quietly, just enough for him to hear.
"Fudge hates me. He's a vengeful little man. I humiliated him, publically, and she was right there, she saw it all. And if what I heard is true, then she'd do anything to be his favourite." she finally opened her eyes and looked at him. He didn't see the fire anymore, only despair. "I knew I should've refused to help Dumbledore with Potter's case. Because now, she's after me. Which means she's after you and Avy, too. It's my fault and tried to warn you, but Avy just put the ball in her court." she shook her head. "I need to be there." Sebastian's eyebrows flew up.
"You want to get a detention too?"
"Do you have any other idea? Avy doesn't know when to shut up and she could just make it worse if she's alone with her." Lilith took a sip of her now cold coffee. "I don't trust that woman, at all, and I know she's not above bending the rules or overstepping them. That's how she climbed the Ministry ladder."
"What exactly do you know about her?"
"Practically everything there is to know. And when I tell you we're in for a wild ride, I'm not overexaggerating."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Harry's mood was at freezing point throughout the day and his run-in with Angeline didn't make it any better. Not only did almost everyone at school call him a liar, not only was Hagrid completely absent, not only did he feel he was already behind on all his classes but to top it all off, he also had to ask the same pink toad who called him a liar to let him go to Keeper try-outs on Friday. Things couldn't get any better.
As he bade goodbye to Ron and Hermione and made his way to Umbridge's office, he wasn't surprised to find Aveline there, already waiting. After all, she spent the night at the Gryffindor Tower, ranting about Umbridge. She was already opening her mouth to greet him but stopped and paled, staring right behind Harry. This confused him, so he turned around and almost jumped in surprise when he saw Lilith standing there. How could he not hear her? Was she behind him the whole time?
"What... what are you doing here?" Aveline gulped as she stared at her. Lilith looked impassive as she walked right past Harry towards the door and knocked on them.
"Same as you two." before Aveline could answer, a sugary "Come in" came from behind the door and Lilith opened them. The new look of the office almost gave Harry a heart attack. He knew the office very well thanks to its previous occupants but now it was almost like a different universe. The lacy covers and cloths, the vases full of dry flowers, the creepy kittens decorating the ornate plates hanging on the walls. It made his stomach clench.
"How did you...?" she shrugged.
"House-elves." Sebastian rolled his eyes and chuckled but didn't comment any further. Instead, he outstretched his arms with his fists balled up, waiting for Lilith to choose. She took her time and sipped from her mug before tapping his left fist. She smirked a little when he opened the fist and revealed a black piece in it. Of course, she would smirk, Lilith loved playing with the black pieces, preferring to observe her opponent's moves before making her own. So Sebastian put the pieces back on the board, turned it so the black pieces were on Lilith's side, and started the game.
He didn't know for how long they were playing, he was vaguely aware that the common room started to fill because of the noise but he concentrated on the game. To any outside eye, it would seem that they both were taking a break. Both of them were leaning back in their chairs, seemingly relaxed as Sebastian's head laid in his palm and Lilith sipped her coffee. The only sign of the intensity of the moment was their eyes, completely focused on the board, almost unblinking. Sebastian smirked as he took Lilith's rook. He was so sure... but didn't realise how completely blind he was until Lilith used her second rook, catching his king in the corner. He stared at the board, completely baffled. He was so blind that he didn't realise that the whole time he was focused on getting into her territory, she pushed him so much that he hid his king in the same corner he was now in. It took one look at smirking Lilith to know he lost. With a huff, he resigned his king and glared at his sister who silently chuckled into her mug.
"You're unbelievable.
"I am? You should pay more attention. I was setting that trap ten moves in."
"What? When?"
"When I moved the bishop to C5 and you switched the rook with the king. You kinda set the trap yourself, I just gave you a gentle push." Sebastian groaned and fell back into his chair.
"I want a remach."
"Set it up then. I can't wait to see you burn again." he sent her another glare but started to set the board again. He won't lose this time. He won't. This time he was the one playing with the black pieces which wasn't his favourite start but with Lilith, it was maybe the better one. But before they could start, a small girl, still in her robes came up to them, catching their attention. It was clear the girl was nervous. She was red in the face, her hands shook a bit and she quickly averted her eyes to the ground when they looked at her.
"L-Lilith?" she stuttered a bit as she asked.
"Yes, that's me." Lilith shared an amused look with Sebastian.
"T-The Gryffindor p-prefect said t-to give th-this to yo-you." she stuttered and outstretched her hand with a piece of parchment in it. The amused smile faded from Lilith's face and Sebastian could see a small sign of panic in her eyes. He panicked a little bit too. Surely Hermione wouldn't be so reckless to send mail to Lilith through some first year, would she? Lilith thanked the little girl, who seemed relieved and opened the note. Sebastian watched as Lilith's brows furrowed, her posture straightened in the armchair, and her grip on the note tightened. Once finished with the note, she crushed it into a small ball and her head flew up, looking at the group of fifth-year girls near the fireplace.
"Kelley, McDougal, Patil, Throwney!" she called and Sebastian saw as the girl froze once they heard their names being called out. The whole common room quietened once Lilith called out the names. She always carried an aura of authority that fascinated Sebastian ever since he saw it in action for the first time. How people would go quiet and listen when she spoke, how she carried herself with unmatched confidence, how she could frighten people older and taller than her just with a simple look. The same cold, hard look she was now giving the four fifth-year girls who turned to look at her, clearly uncomfortable.
"Can someone explain to me what the hell happened in DADA today?" Sebastian leaned forward in his chair, looking between Lilith and the four girls who paled, one by one once they heard Lilith's question. The whole common room went absolutely quiet, watching the interaction on the edge of their seat.
"Lilith... I don't think..." started the redhead that Sebastian recognized as Tilly Throwney but she stopped once Lilith got up from her seat and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Then don't think and just tell me what the fuck happened." Lilith looked around the room at the onlookers. "Give us a moment." she motioned towards the dorms. Sebastian watched with worry and fascination as, without a question, every single person in the room stood up and left the room, except for them and the four girls. "So? Is anybody gonna speak up?" Padma Patil gulped but stepped forward.
"Potter argued with Umbridge about..." she bit her lip nervously. "About You-Know-Who and got a detention." Sebastian wasn't really surprised by it. He read what the Daily Prophet published daily and Potter was a powder keg about to blow.
"Padma, you know very well I'm not asking about Potter." Sebastian's brows furrowed as he leaned closer, looking between Lilith and Padma in confusion.
"Aveline... she continued the argument after Umbridge sent Potter away. She said that..." Padma nervously glanced at Lilith before looking down. "She argued that Umbridge was lying, that the Ministry was lying. That... that Cedric's death was a murder and not an accident like they said." Sebastian watched as Lilith's knuckles went white. "She got a detention for tommorow." His own heart missed a beat as he fell back into the armchair. Aveline got herself into a detention with Dolores Umbridge. What a great start.
"Thank you, Padma." she turned to look at him.
"You were there yesterday at the Feast, right? I wasn't imagining it."
"I was." he knew where she was going with it.
"So you remember what I told you, right? To keep your head down, not to provoke her, that she's dangerous. You remember that, right?" he still had a small bruise on his shin from that moment.
"Clear as a day." Lilith smiled sarcastically.
"So can you explain to me how our sister, who was sitting right next to me, didn't understand that? Was I speaking in riddles?" she groaned and sat back in her chair. The four girls went back into their seats and started talking to each other in hushed voices, glad that Lilith's wrath wasn't unleashed on them.
"She just got a detention, Lili. She gets one every other week, it's not old news." Lilith leaned her head back into the headrest and closed her eyes.
"It's not about the detention. It's about with whom she got that detention." she sighed. "You still don't get it, Seb?" she spoke quietly, just enough for him to hear.
"Fudge hates me. He's a vengeful little man. I humiliated him, publically, and she was right there, she saw it all. And if what I heard is true, then she'd do anything to be his favourite." she finally opened her eyes and looked at him. He didn't see the fire anymore, only despair. "I knew I should've refused to help Dumbledore with Potter's case. Because now, she's after me. Which means she's after you and Avy, too. It's my fault and tried to warn you, but Avy just put the ball in her court." she shook her head. "I need to be there." Sebastian's eyebrows flew up.
"You want to get a detention too?"
"Do you have any other idea? Avy doesn't know when to shut up and she could just make it worse if she's alone with her." Lilith took a sip of her now cold coffee. "I don't trust that woman, at all, and I know she's not above bending the rules or overstepping them. That's how she climbed the Ministry ladder."
"What exactly do you know about her?"
"Practically everything there is to know. And when I tell you we're in for a wild ride, I'm not overexaggerating."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Harry's mood was at freezing point throughout the day and his run-in with Angeline didn't make it any better. Not only did almost everyone at school call him a liar, not only was Hagrid completely absent, not only did he feel he was already behind on all his classes but to top it all off, he also had to ask the same pink toad who called him a liar to let him go to Keeper try-outs on Friday. Things couldn't get any better.
As he bade goodbye to Ron and Hermione and made his way to Umbridge's office, he wasn't surprised to find Aveline there, already waiting. After all, she spent the night at the Gryffindor Tower, ranting about Umbridge. She was already opening her mouth to greet him but stopped and paled, staring right behind Harry. This confused him, so he turned around and almost jumped in surprise when he saw Lilith standing there. How could he not hear her? Was she behind him the whole time?
"What... what are you doing here?" Aveline gulped as she stared at her. Lilith looked impassive as she walked right past Harry towards the door and knocked on them.
"Same as you two." before Aveline could answer, a sugary "Come in" came from behind the door and Lilith opened them. The new look of the office almost gave Harry a heart attack. He knew the office very well thanks to its previous occupants but now it was almost like a different universe. The lacy covers and cloths, the vases full of dry flowers, the creepy kittens decorating the ornate plates hanging on the walls. It made his stomach clench.
That should be enough." she said finally, and Harry let go of his quill. His hand stang through and through as the pain cursed through it. "Come here." three chairs screeched against the floor as the three of them stood up and walked towards her desk.
"Hands." as they extended it, she looked at them, running her thick stubby fingers against them.
"Tut, tut, I don't seem to have made much of an impression yet," she said, smiling. "Well, we'll just have to try again tomorrow evening, won't we? You may go." they left the office without a word and kept going until they turned a corner where they could be sure she couldn't hear them. The corridor was completely empty.
"I'm not the only one who thinks that was illegal, right?" Harry asked the two girls. Aveline already wiped the tears from her cheeks and was now leaning against the wall, cradling her hand closer to her body. Lilith on the other hand just shrugged and fished in her robes until she pulled out a silver cigarette case, put one between her lips and lit it with her wand. Harry stared in shock at her as she did that but she didn't seem to mind.
"Medieval? Yes. Illegal? No." she let out a small cloud of smoke. "That was a Blood Quill. Only a couple of people ever used it, and its use is restricted but it's not against the law." she shook her head. "Should've known she'd use it. A couple of years back, she allegedly tried to patent it as her own invention but was turned down." Aveline whipped her head to stare at her sister.
"How do you know that?" Lilith rolled her eyes.
"I told you she's dangerous. But did you listen? No." Aveline pushed back from the wall and glared at Lilith.
"Oh, excuse me but weren't you also in that detention? I see that you practice what you preach."
"It's not that simple, Avy." Aveline scoffed.
"Of course it isn't. Nothing ever is with you, is it?" Harry felt awkward standing there, listening to their argument. But Lilith didn't seem in the mood to continue arguing.
"Goodnight." she turned on her heel and started walking in the direction of the Ravenclaw Tower.
"Are you spending the night again?" his question seemed to break Aveline's trance.
"Seems like it. Hermione won't mind, right?" Harry chuckled as they started to walk back to Gryffindor Tower.
"No but I think she'll throw a fit when we tell her that Lilith was there too."
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If Hermione threw a fit, she did it quietly and in private because she seemed unfazed when they told her about Lilith. Both Aveline and Harry decided to keep out the part where they had to carve those horrible words into their own skin but as the detention dragged on, day by day, Aveline could feel her hand hurting more and more. She was still sleeping at Gryffindor Tower, much to Hermione annoyance, not in the mood to speak with Lilith. The only time they saw each other was at the detention. Even though they barely exchanged a word, Lilith always offered Aveline her hand under the table and Aveline always took it, almost crushing it in the process as the pain intensified but Lilith didn't seem to mind any of it. Not Aveline's crushing grip. Not the pain of a scalpel carving its way into her skin. Aveline could swear she didn't even see her flinch once.
But as Friday rolled around, Aveline could feel all her bravery and pride fading. She was emotionally done by the first hour of the detention and just wanted it to end. Tears fell down on the parchment, mixing with the blood oozing from her hand, her grip on Lilith's hand tightened. She was sure Lilith's hand now sported several crescent marks from her nails and was probably bruised but Lilith never once complained. She just gave her a soft squeeze and rubbed her thumb over the back of her hand.
"Keep going. Just a little while left now." she whispered to her but Aveline couldn't handle it anymore. It was too much. Her hand throbbed in pain, and the words didn't disappear anymore. They stayed there, freshly carved into her skin. She would sport the words 'I must trust authorities' forever.
After what seemed like hours but was nothing more than ten minutes Umbridge finally spoke again with her saccharine sweet voice.
"Let's see if you've gotten the message ye, shall we?" Aveline could feel a comforting squeeze from Lilith as Umbridge inspected Harry's hand before she moved to her, smiling pleasingly as she inspected the throbbing hand with her stubby fingers and saw her tears.
"I think you finally understood, Miss Farrow. Good. Tonight is the end of your detention." Aveline felt relief floating in her chest as she said that but didn't speak, merely nodded in acknowledgement, not trusting her voice.
"But you, Miss Farrow, will need a little bit more time." she smiled at Lilith who looked at her blankly. "That's it for tonight, you can go."
Aveline didn't let go of Lilith's hand this time, she kept holding it as they walked out of the office and didn't even say goodbye to Harry when Lilith tugged her towards the Ravenclaw Tower. She was in a trance, barely acknowledging their way up the tower or the riddle given by the knocker. She didn't even realise that Lilith didn't lead her to her dorm but to her own private room until she closed the door behind them.
"Avy," she spoke softly but Aveline didn't react. As she looked at her bloodied hand, fresh tears came running down her cheeks.
"Come on, do it. I know you want to." she hiccuped. "Just tell how I fucked up. How you were right. How much I deserve it." she was bawling at this point, looking at the bloodied words etched into her hand, ready for a lecture that she was sure Lilith had prepared. But Lilith was silent. She felt a how she let go of her hand but before she could close her eyes, Lilith's hand came up under her chin, lifting it up to look at her. To her surprise, Lilith didn't look mad or annoyed but concerned.
"Avy, what you did was brave and I'm glad that you defended Ced. But what is brave is also sometimes stupid. I've already told you that you're a bit impulsive. Did you deserve detention for it? Maybe." Aveline sniffled. "But this wasn't detention. Blood Quills are used as torture tools. In no way imaginable you deserved torture." Aveline let out a loud sob as Lilith came closer and wrapped her up in her arms, letting her cry into her shoulder like she did for years when they were younger. She didn't seem to mind Aveline's tears wetting her robes or the tight grip Aveline had on her. She simply held her, drawing calming circles on her back, shielding her from the world just like she did when Aveline had nightmares.