Author's Note: Do you guys know how hard it is to remember everything you slipped into a 17-chapter monstrosity? Well, let me tell you: it isn't easy. Anyway, on to my usual excuses for not having updated since Chris Columbus sailed the ocean blue. I've been working/tired/lazy/unmotivated toward this story. There, that was quick. But I HAVE been writing. I'm working on this story about a little boy named Henry whose life is just...so screwed up. If anybody's interested, I'll send you some of it if you e-mail me. I'd love feedback. : D
/shameless plug
Before moving on, I'd just like to say that the first 17 chapters are officially (if they already weren't; I can't remember) under editing! Which basically means I'm gonna waste a crapload of paper by printing it all out, and then take forever to upload it. You know me by now. : P
Oh, BTW-when Sirius said that it was his dream to visit a castle, I meant for him to say a "real" castle, since Hogwarts is, of course, a castle. I needed to clarify because I felt dumb when I saw it the other day.
There may be some typos, because I typed the last half of the chapter while under the influence of the One Fine Day soundtrack. : )
One last thing: summer college courses = no life. Don't ever take them. Ever. No matter what your guidance counselor tells you.
Dedications: People who should've been acknowledged months ago, when I should've updated
G.A.W. - For always encouraging me.
My readers - Seriously, without you guys, this thing would probably be rotting
Chapter 18: Bludgeon in the Dungeon
Sirius accepted the papers. "What are these about?"
"They're letters from Lily's mother," said Dinah.
Sirius removed one from its envelope. "What do these have to do with anything?" He frowned in confusion at the marked out and penciled-in letters.
"They say that Lily's mother is alive," Dinah told him. "The scribbles are a code. James and Lily wrote letters by them, see?" She ran her finger over the first row.
Sirius read the message aloud. "Blimey...is this Maison Serpent place where they've run off to?"
"Yes," said Dinah. "They said that the Death Eaters have Lily's mother. Who are the Death Eaters?"
Sirius's heart rate increased. "The Death Eaters? Are you sure Lily and James said the Death Eaters?"
"I'm pretty sure," she replied, struggling to remember. "They sounded awfully scared. Who are the Death Eaters?"
"Bad people," said Sirius. "They wear long black robes, hoods, and masks, and they-"
An enormous owl swept into the room carrying a letter in its beak. Its yellow eyes scanned the room briefly then when it appeared the person it was looking for wasn't present, it exited the room.
Sirius sprinted after it. "Immobilus!"
The owl froze in mid-air. Sirius snatched the letter. On the front, it read `open'. So he did. He unfolded the paper inside and started reading as Dinah appeared beside him.
"What does it say?" she questioned.
"They're instructions. Directions to Maison Serpent," he said, eyes poring over it. "They must be for Lily. Whoever sent this wants her to go to this Maison Serpent place tonight."
"But she already there," Dinah pointed out. "Why does she need another letter?"
"Well, I'm not guessing that whoever sent this planned on her mother to send her letters also," said Sirius. "Something awful is going to happen tonight. I can feel it."
"Are we gonna help them?" asked Dinah eagerly.
"I am," said Sirius, "but I don't think you should come along."
Dinah scowled. "Why not? Lily is my mother! I have to go save her! What if she dies?"
Sirius clapped her on the shoulder. "She won't die. Don't worry. Just go to sleep and we'll all be back in the morning."
"What if you're not?" exclaimed Dinah. "I wanna go! I wanna fight that bad boy for Lily!"
"That's sweet, kid," said Sirius, "but you're still not going."
Dinah, incensed, perched her hands on her hips. "If you don't let me go, I'll tell James's mother and daddy where everybody went!"
Sirius frowned. "Dinah, don't be like that. Maison Serpent is too dangerous for children. I'm looking out for your safety."
"I'm sick of being looked after, like a baby! I'm not a baby! I'm a grown up girl! I can stay up late and watch scary movies, and go to dangerous castles too! I don't want to stay home in bed while you have all the adventures! It's not fair! My mummy and James could die and all you care about is my safety? Those Death Eater jerks don't even know who I am! How would they hurt me?"
"Very easily," Sirius assured her. She didn't let up her determined stare. "Lily's going to kill me if I let you go," he muttered, rubbing his forehead. "But...I guess I'll take that chance. Your persistence is startling. You remind me of a younger me."
Dinah smiled. "I'm going? Really? You're not joking?"
He steered her by the shoulder to James's bureau while she gushed about her adventure-to-be. He yanked the bottom drawer and ploughed through it.
"What are you doing?" said Dinah.
"James's old wand is in here somewhere..." he mumbled.
Her mouth fell open. "I get a wand too?"
"No," said Sirius irritably, shoving nearly his whole arm into the drawer. "I'm just gonna let you deck it out with Voldemort."
"You're so funny." She rolled her eyes.
"You certainly sound like Lily's daughter," he said, withdrawing the wand at last. He held it toward Dinah. It was fairly small-James must have been around ten when he bought it-and a light brown shade of wood. She ran her fingers over the handle, mouth agape. She thought it was marvelous.
"Come on-I'm gonna teach you a few jinxes."
- - -
Since their reconciliation, Lily and James's search through the dungeons grew more pleasant. It didn't bother them as much that they'd taken almost seventy wrong turns, or met with probably thirty-five dead ends; they had one another and, as cheesy as that was, it made their experience significantly better.
"Look at that," said Lily, indicating a door ahead made from green wood.
"It's just another door."
"It looks different," said Lily. "The others were brown."
They sped up and unlocked the green door as they'd done many times that day. It opened with much more noise than Lily and James preferred, revealing a large, dim, musty, freezing dungeon. Ready for a possible attack, they stepped inside.
Cells surrounded them and ran down the room in long rows. Rusted plaques with the cell numbers were on every door. Lily and James peered into each cell as they walked along the rows, checking for signs of life. Normally they saw nothing but cobwebs; but once they happened upon the remains of an unfortunate soul who had apparently rotted away in his prison. The surrounding cells were in the seventies, heading toward zero. Nearby, Lily heard the faint sounds of movement and hushed conversation. She ran ahead, past the sixties, fifties, forties, and thirties, not stopping until she reached cell twenty-seven, where both her parents were.
Before laying eyes upon them, she'd formed a picture in her head. Though she knew her mother was a prisoner, Lily imagined her looking as she always had-clean, well groomed, and smartly dressed. So she wasn't prepared for the new version of Mrs. Evans when she turned the corner. She (and Mr. Evans, who Lily hadn't expected to be alive) was filthy with grime, her clothes were graying and ripped, her face was bruised and cut, and she appeared not to have slept in many days. Mr. Evans looked much the same in addition to being unshaven.
"Lily!" cried her parents at the same time she yelled their names.
"You found my letter," said her mother, smiling despite the current condition.
Lily, speechless and overwhelmed, unlocked their door with her wand and threw her arms around them.
"I thought you were dead," she sobbed, feeling her parents' tears dripping onto her cheeks too. "Our house was on fire, then I had to stay at the Manilas', but they didn't want me, so I went to an orphanage-" She broke off, choking from crying so hard.
"We didn't mean for it to happen," said Lily's father, stroking her hair. "Those Death Eaters threatened us-there was nothing we could do."
"They were going to kill us all," said Mrs. Evans, wiping her face and forcing speech through the quaver in her voice. "So I had to do something. They allowed me to write a will because I insisted on giving you a farewell letter. As you can imagine, they weren't originally open to the idea, but we promised full cooperation if they agreed. When I finished, they inspected it, of course, but they sensed nothing strange about it. Then I insisted upon checking on the box of diaries and trinkets I was to leave you, explaining that the Muggle police might find it odd if the box didn't turn up. That's when I slipped my other letter into the green diary."
"When were you able to write it?" asked Lily. "Weren't they watching your every move?"
"While I was writing the first letter, the one they'd agreed to, they stood on the far side of the room next to the door, chatting to themselves. I wrote it as if it were part of that letter and slipped it into my pocket when I had the chance."
Lily was impressed. She'd never known this quick-thinking secret agent side of her mother.
"She was brilliant," praised Lily's father, rubbing circles on his wife's back.
"Certainly, she was," agreed James in a hurry, "but we really need to get going. We could be attacked at any second."
The Evanses helped each other to their feet.
"They were talking about murders tonight," said Mr. Evans, "when they brought us our rolls and water. They mentioned a potion, too, and how it was nearly `in action.' Does either of you know anything about a potion?"
Lily and James exchanged looks, trying to recall.
"No..." said Lily. "I can't remember Peter saying anything about a potion..."
"That's strange," came a female voice from the far half of their row. They saw a figure approaching from the darkness. "You in particular should know about the potion, Evans."
When Bellatrix emerged, she was smiling cruelly at Lily. James, hidden behind Lily and her parents, began to place a protective shield over Lily's mother in silence.
"What are you talking about?" demanded Lily. Her voice bounced back to her off the walls, quivering.
"Your dear friend Peter was kind enough to slip you a sample over your morning juice," said Bellatrix.
"A sample of what?" yelled Lily. She was pointing her wand at Bellatrix, livid.
The Death Eater only laughed. "You're going to try to curse me, Evans?"
Another figure stepped from the shadows, but Lily only managed a glimpse of its arm before it cried out "Attivare!" and her mind went peacefully blank.
Lily's parents screamed. Her mother grabbed her, inspecting her. James pushed past Mr. Evans and Bellatrix.
"Stupefy!" he bellowed, aiming toward Lucius. He jinxed Bellatrix too when she rushed to defend her comrade. James shoved Lucius's petrified form to the ground.
"What the fuck did you do to Lily?" He kicked him, then moved to Lily. "What's going on? How do you feel?"
Lily rubbed her temples. "I have a headache," she replied in a strained voice. "I feel tired. I want to sleep..."
"Don't go to sleep!" he said after she sank to the ground, clearly intending to rest. She sat up straight instantly, eyes suddenly alert.
Her parents, still shaken from the fight, and James eyed her strangely. She blushed.
"I didn't do that," she said. "I don't know what happened..."
"Stand up," said James. Lily obeyed.
"Hey!" she shouted, raising her arm to slap him.
"Don't hit me!" he commanded. She lowered her arm.
"You've been given some sort of obedience potion!" said her mother. "If only they had sold it when you were two..."
"Mum!" cried Lily, aghast.
"I'm only joking."
"It isn't funny! Who knows what they were planning to do!" chided Lily.
James took her by the shoulders, leading her back down the row. "Nobody will have to find out their plans if we leave now!"
Together, with Lily and James's wands ready, the group ran back through the dungeon to its green wooden door. Mr. and Mrs. Evans moved more slowly than the teens due to lack of proper nutrition. Still, they were moving too quickly to hear the fast, yet quiet, footsteps following them. The curses upon Lucius and Bellatrix had worn off and they were not about to let Lily and her parents get away. Once in range, Lucius cried, "Stupefy!" to stun James.
Bellatrix called to Lily, "Drop your wand, then don't move."
Together the Death Eaters petrified the Evanses. Lucius shoved James hard into the wall as payback for his kick. A large trickling slash appeared on the side of his forehead and he tumbled to the ground. Lucius stepped over him to approach Lily. She stared fiercely at the floor, shaking and breathing heavily, struggling not to cry.
"Lily, my darling," he said with cruel delight. "I haven't seen you properly in ages. I believe the last time we spoke was in December? At the trial?" He waited for her answer. "Can't you speak to me, Lily? Surely you won't allow one bad night to spoil our friendship?" Lily wished she could kill him.
"I don't think she can speak," Bellatrix answered for her, peering around her face at her mouth. "I told her not to move."
"You may speak, Lily," said Lucius. She didn't say anything.
"Didn't you hear me, Lily?" His tone became sharp and dangerous. It frightened her; she steeled herself for a blow, if necessary.
"Yes," she replied with hate. "We spoke in December."
James's eyelids made slight movements that the Death Eaters failed to notice. He was stirring.
"Good," replied Lucius, satisfied. He started a slow circle around her, his arms linked behind his back. Lily felt like prey. "Did you know, Lily, that Peter, your so valiant savior, has wronged you, has lied to you? He made you obedient; it's his fault that you're unable to escape, that you can't even move your arm without permission."
Lily refused to believe him. He was trying to incense her. Peter was their friend. Lucius must have noticed what scant dubious expression she could make, because he asked,
"Don't you believe me, Lily? Can't you trust me?" He smirked. "Or would you rather that Peter tells you himself?" He gestured to Bellatrix, telling her to fetch him.
During the wait, Lily watched James and her parents, who were all in her line of sight. There was little hope of her parents regaining consciousness, since Muggles lacked the ability to recover from a magical stun. But James was approaching recovery. His leg was moving ever so slightly, and he'd regained movement of his facial muscles. She prayed he'd wake up.
"Ah," said Lucius, turning his stare from his expensive black shoes to Bellatrix and Peter. "Here's good old Peter now. Turn around, Lily."
Peter could barely walk and Bellatrix urging him on with kicks to his calves wasn't helping. Lily thought he looked terrible. His face was covered in cuts and bruises, and dirt from his cell clung to his body. He walked like a dying man, stooped, weak, forcing himself to take his next step.
"What did you do to him?" shouted Lily.
Lucius looked at her. "The Imperius Curse is awful, isn't it, love? It's too bad he'll have to endure it once more. Imperio!" Peter cried out and crumpled to the floor. "Tell Lily the truth about what happened tonight. Explain everything!"
"I gave you an Obedience Potion on Voldemort's orders," he croaked. "It didn't bother me in the beginning. I didn't feel remorseful. Then I learned the gruesome details of Lucius's plan and I tried to help you. I looking for a counter-potion when Bellatrix and Lucius caught me. Lucius put the Imperius Curse on me and forced me to lead you here. He cleaned me up so you and James couldn't see my bruises from his beatings, but when I returned he punished me twice as badly."
Lily felt sick. Peter...a Death Eater? He was the last person she would have named as one. He was so quiet and timid...and a Gryffindor! She didn't feel as betrayed as she expected at his confession, though. He'd done something low and horrible to her, but he risked his life to put it right. She directed her anger at the Death Eaters.
Lucius gestured to Bellatrix so that Peter would be removed. "Now that the opening act is finished," his lips twisted into a frightening smile, "we can move on to my favorite part. I hope you'll share my joy."
As he worked his way back toward her, Lily felt more scared than she'd been in months. It was a good thing Bellatrix's command kept her from moving; otherwise, she would have been trembling. Memories of the rape came to her in flashes. Lucius seized her by the shoulders, covered her mouth, dragged her into the nearest empty room, the back of her head smacked the door frame...she blinked and the dungeon swirled into sight. Lucius had his arm around her shoulders. Lily wanted to strangle him for even thinking of touching her. In reality, she was too afraid to say a word.
His arm left its spot. "Pick up your wand," he barked. "But don't use it."
She was breathing like an asthmatic. What was he going to do? Who would he make her curse? Was she going to die?
Lucius pointed his wand at Mr. and Mrs. Evans. Lily's heart pounded brutally. She stared at the scene in horror, dumbstruck.
"Ennervate," he said to each.
Her parents began to stir. They rubbed their eyes, sat up, realized their location, and assumed fearful expressions.
"Kill them!" said Lucius. "Kill your parents."
Lily resisted. He hadn't given her a time, a more specific command. Maybe she could break the curse. She tried to cry out, "Stupefy!" and to direct her wand at Lucius or Bellatrix, who had returned. Her mouth wouldn't form the words. Her arm only moved in the direction of her parents.
Lucius grew impatient. "Kill them, now!"
Her hand moved forward by itself. A tickle rose in the back of her throat, the urge to speak. Her mouth wanted to toss out the curse.
"Av-"
The green wooden door flew open, startling everybody. Lily stopped her word. Sirius charged into the room, shoved Lucius roughly to the ground before he could react, and ploughed on toward Bellatrix. Trailing behind him, equally determined, was a tiny, dark-haired girl.
"Stupefy!" she cried at Lucius.
"So nice to see you, dear cousin," said Sirius to Bellatrix. "Stupefy!"
"Sirius!" gasped Lily. Her lungs were contracting as a result of her disobedience. "Help!"
"Don't kill your parents," rasped James for Sirius, recovering still. "You can move."
Sirius went to assist James while Lily rubbed her throat, then spoke with Dinah.
"What on earth are you doing here?"
"Sirius let me come," she explained. "I wanted to make sure you were okay, Mummy."
Lily's parents had been listening. "Mummy?" shrieked Mrs. Evans.
Lily helped her parents to their feet. "She's not my biological child, Mummy, of course. I adopted her."
"Adopted her?" yelped Mr. Evans. "We're dead for three days and you adopt a child?"
"Look," said Lily hastily, "it's quite a long story. I'll explain once we're out of here."
Mrs. Evans folded her arms. "You're darn right you will."
Nevertheless, the older Evanses looked upon Dinah with love. Mr. Evans even greeted her, hugged her, and mussed her hair affectionately in the time it took Lily to check on James.
Lily ran her finger over James's cut on his forehead. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine, love, let's just get out of-"
Dinah's scream rang through the dungeon. Lucius had her by the hood of her robes. Her wand snapped in his free hand. How had he recovered so fast, Lily wondered. Bellatrix stood beside him.
"Avada Kedavra!" Sirius shouted.
The curse missed, hitting Bellatrix instead. She fell. This shocked Lucius enough so that Dinah was able to wriggle free and move behind Lily. Sirius and James, too, were stunned by what just happened. Lucius, in his rage, easily overtook them.
"Stupefy!" he bellowed at each. He rounded on Lily. "Hold your parents up against the wall! Stay there!"
When her parents began to struggle against her grip, Lily didn't think she'd be able to obey the command. But the order had given her increased strength.
Lucius faced Dinah, who stood trembling between him and the Evanses. She was defenseless without her wand.
"Tell your Mummy goodbye," he told the child as he lifted his wand. His eyes were cold and gazed hard toward Dinah, fixed on causing her pain.
"Dinah!" called Lily. "Run, baby!"
Lily barely noticed that she was crying. The force of the command combined with her desire to shield Dinah demanded her entire concentration. She couldn't focus on a single thought; everything jumbled together. She felt nothing but dread.
Mr. Evans burst from Lily's hold right in time to take the curse for his granddaughter. His lifeless body hit the dungeon floor.
"Robert!" screamed Mrs. Evans. She ran to his body and fell to her knees, sobbing.
Grief and rage consumed Lily. Every bit of her pounded and pulsed with emotion. Her hatred for Lucius Malfoy filled her. She lifted her wand despite his order. She'd broken the spell.
"Expelliarmus!" His wand leapt into the air and plopped down forty feet behind him. "Locomotor Mortis!" she cried when he tried to run and grab it. His arms and legs locked up. Lily wrapped the fingers of her right hand around his throat, aiming her wand at his head with her left.
"Avada Kedavra," she said. He crumpled to the floor.
Then there was silence in the dungeon.
O O O
I was so tempted for Lily to say, "I am Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"
...but, sadly, I resisted. : P
Leave a comment-it's nice to hear from readers! I love you guys a million billion zillion!
Megan
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