October 1995
Lilith was frustrated. It was understandable. She delegated her duties for a reason. She knew she couldn't travel to London every weekend and couldn't continue going at this pace if she wanted to avoid a mental breakdown. She also wanted to make time for her girlfriend. But thanks to Hermione's new extracurricular activity that she started during the year of her O.W.L.s exams, she didn't have any time left for the two of them. So it was safe to say that she was frustrated and a bit angry.
The whole DADA club thing made her feel uneasy. The fact that Umbridge released the Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four right after Hermione mentioned it to Lilith was beyond suspicious, and Lilith didn't want to imagine what she would do if she ever found out about the club. She just hoped that Hermione's precautions were enough. She trusted her girlfriend was capable and smart enough to take them but it didn't lessen her worries. She also didn't like the club because it took Hermione away from her. She missed her, every day, every hour, every minute. She hoped to spend more time with her but she'd seen her even less frequently than she had during last year. It left her miserable as she wrote to Theodore to send her more work, hoping to occupy her mind with it to lessen the longing.
She continued going to the Astronomy Tower at the usual time she always did, hoping for her girlfriend to randomly turn up to surprise her. So when she heard a creak of the door, it snapped her out of her trance. She lifted her head, hoping Hermione to be by the entrance, but to her surprise, it was somebody completely different. She knew the girl, well, she didn't know her personally just in passing. The blond was in the same year as her girlfriend, although their houses were completely different. The girl stood in the doorway, looking at her nervously as if she was contemplating her next steps.
"Can I help you?" asked Lilith and closed her book.
"I'm... I'm sorry to bother you but..." the girl bit her lip. "Can we talk?" Lilith frowned.
"Talk about what?"
"It's… it's a pretty sensitive subject."
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" the blonde shook her head.
"No, but I know about you… about what you do…" the blonde looked at her intensely, implying the underlying meaning of her message. Lilith blinked a few times and tensed but the girl didn't look like she was threatening her. "I need your help." Lilith watched her for a few moments.
"Close the door." The girl did as she was told and came closer and Lilith finally got a good look at her. She had to admit, the blonde was beautiful and just by looking at her, Lilith knew she was at least a head taller. She nervously wringled her joined hands as she stood in front of Lilith. Just by her posture, Lilith knew the girl wasn't used to this nervousness. She was used to holding her head high and straightening her shoulders, used to walk with confidence and determination. But now, she looked like a child afraid of an adult. Lilith gestured for her to sit down on the parapet she was sitting on and the blonde seemed to glad to finally sit down. As she watched the girl more, a name popped up in her head.
"You're a Greengrass, right? Daphne." The girl gave her a small smile and nodded. "What is it you want, Daphne?" Daphne bit her lip and averted her eyes from Lilith.
"My mother used to tell me stories about your family when I was younger. How your family protects the order of our world. How you take care of the innocent and punish the ones who go against the old law. Is it true?" Lilith narrowed her eyes at Daphne, unsure about her intentions.
"What is it to you, Daphne?" Daphne sighed and started playing with the hem of her skirt.
"I have a younger sister, Astoria. I love her with my whole heart. And I want to protect her, but I can't." Daphne looked up to look Lilith in the eye and the older witch could see Daphne's eyes watering. "I try, but I can't."
"I understand that Daphne but what..."
"I can't protect her from our Father." That stopped Lilith. As she watched Daphne, she saw how nervous and desperate the girl was. She was telling the truth.
"What about your Father?" Daphne bit her lip.
"He… he always wanted a boy. But instead, he got two girls. In his eyes, we were failures from the day we were born. And Tori? Tori always got the brunt of it because she's sick." Lilith frowned as the dots connected in her head.
"Your family's blood curse." Daphne seemed surprised when Lilith mentioned it but nodded in agreement.
"Yes. It resurfaced in her. She doesn't deserve it. Tori is a sweetheart. She's kind and gentle... she has a heart of gold." Daphne sighed and tugged at the hem of her skirt.
"But Father sees it as a weakness. He sees us as disappointments and wants to get rid of us as soon as possible," she looked away at the Hogwarts grounds below them. "One way or another." her tone sombered as she said it. Daphne was still watching the treetops of the Forbidden Forest but Lilith saw how her hands trembled, how her eyes watered, and how her legs twitched. She fished in her pocket, pulled out her cigarette case, and offered one to Daphne. She remembered catching a group of Slytherin girls smoking some time ago, the blonde being one of them. Daphne was taken aback by the offer but in the end, she gave Lilith a small smile and took one. Lilith didn't say a word, instead, she took one and lit both cigarettes with her wand. She watched as the blonde slowly started to relax, breathing in the nicotine.
"What does he do, Daphne?" she asked gently. Daphne took a puff from the cigarette, slowly letting out the smoke before looking back at Lilith.
"He beats us. Mercilessly." Daphne shook her head. "Every time we step out of line, even if it's just by an inch, he makes sure we can't walk for at least a week. Our mother too. He beats Tori more even though she's sick. She's so fragile." Lilith frowned as Daphne's hand started to shake once again. "This summer, he took it so far that she almost died. And he didn't care. Instead of taking her to St. Mungo's, he went to play cards with his friends." Lilith bit her lip, feeling rage burn inside her.
"What do you want from me, Daphne?" Daphne looked her in the eye. Lilith could see the anger and sadness mixing in those blue eyes.
"I want Tori and Mum to be safe. He won't stop even if we leave home. I want him gone." Lilith wasn't shocked by this. She had been expecting it ever since Daphne started talking. She merely hummed in acknowledgement and took out her wand.
"You do understand that I have to verify this, right?" Daphne's hand shook as she put out her cigarette but she nodded and closed her eyes. Lilith stubbed out her cigarette against the stone and pointed her wand at Daphne's forehead.
"Legilimens." Her walls weren't put up so entering Daphne's mind was easy. She passed around private moments, giving the blonde at least some privacy, focusing her attention specifically on the moments where her Father played a role. She didn't take more time than necessary, feeling the dread creeping up on her as she witnessed Daphne and a small brunette, probably her sister, laying on the ground, crying, as their father stood above them, screaming, stomping on them. She felt uncomfortable tugging in her back as the memories switched, playing variations of the previous memory. Memories full of crying, blood, and bruises. She went through them as quickly as possible before exiting. Daphne was hunched over, she could see a few tears on her cheeks.
"I'm sorry Daphne." she whispered and pocketed her wand. "I can help you, but there is a price for that." Daphne nodded.
"I know."
"You know?"
"My mum told me about it. One of her grandfathers was Evan Travers." That name rang a bell in Lilith's mind. She knew that name. He was one of her grandfather's men. She felt a pang in her chest as she looked at Daphne. Sure, she was taller than Lilith and looked older for her age but she was still fifteen. Still a teenager with her whole life ahead of her. A life she was willing to give to her.
"So you know that what we're about to do is strike a deal, right? You want blood, I understand that and I sympathize with you, Daphne, I do. But this is something that can't be taken lightly. Are you sure about it?" Daphne bit her lip but Lilith saw the determination in her eyes. This girl won't budge.
"I will do anything." Lilith sighed but nodded in acknowledgement.
"Alright. Meet me at midnight at the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower. You have until midnight to think it through. You either won't show up and I'll forget this conversation ever happened. Or you do and we will proceed. Do you understand?" Daphne nodded. Lilith stood up and took a last look at Daphne.
"Think hard, Daphne." With that, she left the tower, heading for her dormitory. The dread spread through her body as she left the blonde girl. She saw her memories and saw the source of her desperation. She felt the rage bubbling inside of her, the rage that the man called Theodosius Greengrass was responsible for. How could he be so cruel that his cruelty left his daughter no choice but to turn to her in her desperation?
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Daphne could feel her hands shaking as she stood in front of the Ravenclaw's entrance. It wasn't so hard to sneak out of the Slytherin dormitory. She had to pay extreme attention when she walked through the corridors to avoid Filtch and the prefects but she made it just in time to the top of the spiral staircase. She didn't have to wait long before the door opened from the other side revealing Lilith Farrow. She could see a small frown on her face before she wordlessly invited her in and silently led her up the stairs and through the common room. If she wasn't so nervous, she would be in awe of the Ravenclaw common room but she had to keep up with Lilith who walked past the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw and led her up another staircase leading to Ravenclaw girl's dormitory.
She stopped at the top, where two doors were situated. One had a plaque with 7th year written on it, whilst the other had Head girl written on it. Lilith opened the latter door and Daphne followed, closing the door behind her. The room was smaller than the standard dormitory but looked cozy. The four-poster bed was covered in blue eiderdowns with navy blue curtains, a wooden nightstand next to it and a school trunk with initials L.V.F. laid at the foot of the bed. A blue upholstered armchair sat by the window and another sat by the wooden table by the wall. A bookcase was located on the right side of the bed with books on top of it. A wall was decorated with the Ravenclaw crest and the windows had blue curtains. Daphne could see a few photos attached to the wall. The room was illuminated by two lamps on the wall with navy blue lampshades.
Lilith took out her wand, pointing it at the door. "Muffliato." she whispered and repeated the same with the window before pocketing the wand and turning around, finally facing her.
Daphne didn't know Lilith personally. She took some points from her during her years as a prefect and she witnessed her breaking up a fight in the dungeons the previous year. Of course, she heard the rumours about her dating Cedric Diggory before he died. She also heard about her from her friends, most of whom were terrified of her. She could see why. Even now at midnight in simple sweatpants and Ravenclaw jumper, with her hair put up in a messy bun she radiated power. And even though Daphne was a head taller than her, Lilith radiated confidence that made Daphne shrink.
Daphne's mother used to tell her stories about the Farrows. In her stories, they were heroes. They were the only ones whom the old families respected and feared, the ones who had connections everywhere, the only ones who carried the traditions of the old law and carried out sentences according to it. But when her father caught her telling Daphne those stories, he locked her away for a week. She couldn't hear what was going on in the room but when she finally saw her mother afterwards, covered in bruises and limping, those stories stopped. But by Lilith's reaction, those stories weren't only stories. It was true.
"Daphne, I have to ask you one last time. Are you sure about this? Because afterwards, there's no going back. Your life will change irreversibly." Daphne bit her lip. She thought about it all day. It was the only thing on her mind. But she had decided and nothing could change her decision. She needed to protect her family.
"I'm here, aren't I? I'm ready." Lilith's gaze was a bit uncomfortable but she nodded and gestured for her to sit on the ground in the middle of the room. Daphne sat on the spot, crosslegged while Lilith walked toward the nightstand and came back. Daphne blinked a few times in surprise when she saw a silver dagger in Lilith's hand. She had to admit, the dagger was as beautiful as it was intimidating with its ornate decorations and sharpened shinning tip.
"Do you know what we're about to do?" Lilith asked her as she sat down, mirroring Daphne's position. Daphne swallowed hard, her eyes not leaving the dagger.
"My Mum told me about some kind of ritual but I don't know the details." Lilith nodded and put the dagger on the ground between them.
"First, I need you to touch the dagger." Daphne looked at her, feeling the nerves bubbling inside her but extended her hand and put two fingers on the silver blade. She couldn't understand how but she could feel light buzzing coming out of the dagger when she touched it.
"Now repeat after me. I, say your whole name,"
"I, Daphne Elizabeth Greengrass,"
"...swear to keep silent about the loyalty-binding ritual,"
"...swear to keep silent about the loyalty-binding ritual,
"...on the lives of those dearest to me." Daphne felt her mouth go dry but managed to stammer out the rest of the oath.
"...on the lives of those dearest to me." To her astonishment, she felt the blade warming up. The warmth travelled from the blade, through her fingers to her whole body. She blinked in surprise as she pulled her hand back. Lilith gave her a small, comforting smile.
"Good. I'm sorry about that but it's necessary." Daphne nodded. She understood the situation. Even though the Farrows were well-known, there was a cloud of mystery around them. Mystery they had to keep up. Lilith cleared her throat and straightened her back, her brown eyes boring into Daphne.
"Daphne, what we're about to do is called a loyalty-binding ritual. What you want from me is to spill the blood of the head of The Sacred Twenty-Eight's family. Which I can do but you have to offer something in return." Daphne knew that. Her mother's stories spoke of it, spoke of her grandfather binding himself to Lucius Farrow in exchange for protection.
"Myself." she whispered.
"Yes. You will be bound to me as a member of my inner circle. You will answer when called upon and serve in my service until the day you die. Do you understand that?" there was a grim tone in Lilith's voice and Daphne could feel her heart beating fast in her chest but nodded.
"I understand." Lilith watched her with a sad look that made the blonde feel uneasy.
"You're making a deal with the devil, Daphne." Lilith sighed. Daphne bit her lip and looked at the dagger.
"I don't think you're the devil." Lilith chuckled humourlessly.
"Might as well be. Once you see some things, you'll reconsider."
"Better be bound to you than to..." Daphne paused and felt the hair on her neck stand up. "Better be bound to you than to You-Know-Who." Lilith hummed in agreement.
"Maybe," Lilith seemed to get lost in thoughts. "Or maybe we're just different sides of the same coin." She muttered absentmindedly and fell silent for a moment. Daphne watched her as she eyed the dagger on the ground before looking back at Daphne.
"Do you take Ancient Runes?" she was confused by the question but nodded.
"Good. This ritual is by the old law. In the old law, runes were used to describe the person, and their journey, and enhance their sense of self. Combined with spells, they are the most powerful tool when it comes to oaths. But it also means it's painful. I will have to carve them into your skin, Daphne." Daphne could feel the blood draining from her face at the mention of that. Lilith watched her carefully. Daphne could see she didn't enjoy this one bit.
"Daphne we can stop..."
"No." Daphne interrupted her. "I understand. I can take it." Lilith watched her for a moment before standing up and digging something out of the nightstand where the dagger used to be. She came back with a vial full of blue liquid.
"Calming Draught. It won't take away the full pain but at least some of it." she gave Daphne the vial and Daphne gave her a small smile in return. She knew that Lilith didn't have to do it but she did it anyway. She uncorked the vial and drank it whole. She could taste a faint mix of lavender and peppermint on her tongue and feel warmth spreading through her but it wasn't the same as the warmth from the dagger. This warmth calmed her, soothed her thoughts, and stilled her shaking hands.
When she put the empty vial down, Lilith leaned forward and took her right arm. Her fingers were cold but gentle against Daphne's skin. She pushed the sleeve of her t-shirt up until her whole forearm was bare. She gave Daphne a quick look, as if she was trying to calm her, and took the silver dagger into her left hand. Daphne averted her eyes, she didn't want to watch it so instead, she focused on the photos above Lilith's writing table even though she couldn't see them properly.
"You can scream if you want, you can punch me with your other hand but try to keep your right hand still, alright?" Daphne nodded and could feel how Lilith's right hand gripped her forearm to keep it in place. Daphne took a deep breath when she felt the tip of the blade burying itself in her flesh. She let out a small cry when the movement continued.
"First is for current circumstance. A reverse Fehu for loss of security, and lack of control." she heard Lilith say out loud but her voice was muffled by the blood running through Daphne's ears. She let out a quiet cry but then the direct pain stopped.
"First is done, two to go." She looked back at Lilith who was watching her with a small pity. "Are you okay to continue?" Daphne couldn't speak so she only gave her a small nod and averted her eyes again. She could feel the blade against her skin once again. Her breathing hardened as she felt the movement inside her flesh again. She let out a small scream, steadying herself against Lilith, leaning against her with her left arm. Lilith didn't seem to mind.
"The second is for action. Gebo for fair exchange and sacrifice." Daphne squeezed Lilith's shoulder, digging her nails into it as she felt the blade's movement and warm blood coming out of her wound, slowly running down her forearm. When Lilith was done this time, she didn't stop and Daphne was glad. She went on to make the last one.
"The third is for the outcome. Algiz for the protection of others, a guardian." Daphne let out another small scream. After what seemed like an hour but could be maybe just two minutes, the blade was no longer inside her skin. Daphne's breathing was laboured as she breathed through the pain pulsating inside her right arm. She felt small hands touch her cheeks, turning her head. She came eye to eye with worried brown eyes.
"You did well, Daphne. This phase is done. You did well." Daphne nodded and still felt a stinging pain in her arm but her breathing finally leveled. Lilith let go of her face and Daphne could finally look at her arm. She took Ancient Runes so she recognized the runes but it was different to see them on a parchment opposite to seeing them carved beautifully into her skin with blood leaking out of them.
"You said 'this phase'. What's next?" she asked and looked at Lilith who gave her a small, sad smile.
"Let's just take a small break alright?" Daphne frowned but was glad for it. After the painful ordeal, she needed a breather. She leaned back, cradling her bleeding forearm closer to her chest.
"How many times have you done this so far?" she asked and Lilith gave her a small smirk.
"Loyalty-binding? Never." Daphne stared at her.
"Never?" Lilith shook her head.
"At least not the whole ritual, just the final phase. The inner circle that's bound to me is small. All of them are men who were previously bound to my father so I had to recreate the bond. This is the first time that I have to do the whole ritual." Lilith's eyes travelled to Daphne's forearm. "Come to think of it... you might be the first woman to ever be bound by this."
"Really?" Lilith bit her lip, clearly thinking about something.
"I think so. There is a list of members through the years back at Cave Hill. It goes back centuries and I don't think I've found a woman's name there. So congratulations, I guess." Daphne could feel a small pride rising in her chest.
"Shall we continue?" Daphne bit her lip nervously but nodded. Lilith extended her right arm and pushed back the sleeve of her jumper up to her elbow. It was bare until she lifted her wand and pointed it towards it.
"Revelio." she whispered and Daphne gaped at the sight that started to appear on otherwise flawless, pale skin. Opposite to the three runes that now adorned Daphne's arm, Lilith had five. All of them were white, healed scars, and weren't as beautifully done as Daphne's. They also looked as if they were carved deeper into the skin.
"What? Didn't expect that?" Lilith smirked at Daphne's surprised expression.
"Not really." she admitted.
"It's the old law. How else would the bonds work?" she shrugged and took the dagger. "I normally keep them hidden with a spell. You should too." Daphne watched as Lilith opened one of the healed scars without so much as a flinch.
"I have to warn you, Daphne. This phase is the most painful one." Daphne gulped but nodded. Lilith leaned towards Daphne and waited until a small drop of her blood dropped into Daphne's wound. After that, she scooped up a small amount of Daphne's blood around the wound on the tip of the blade and repeated the action with her own wound. Afterwards, she put the dagger on the ground and picked up her wand once again. Daphne watched as she took a deep breath and pointed the wand towards her scars.
"Alligare." Daphne watched as the small cloud of smoke came out of the slowly closing wound. Lilith's knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists and shut her eyes tightly but no sound came out of her. After a few moments, the wound closed completely and Lilith opened her eyes.
"Ready?" Daphne was nervous but nodded. Lilith sat closer to her, eyeing her worriedly but turned her wand towards her.
"Alligare." The shock nearly knocked her breath out. Daphne experienced pain in her life but this was something entirely different. This pain ran through every fibre in her body, paralyzing her, and overwhelming her. She didn't register when she started screaming but she didn't care. Black dots blurred her vision and she felt herself go limp. She felt small arms catching her, someone was stroking her hair and was speaking but she didn't know who it was or what they were saying. Her screams got louder and her vision blurred more and more until she fell into darkness.
When she came to her senses, she was no longer on the ground but could feel the comfortable softness of bed. When she opened her eyes, she saw a navy blue canopy above her and felt all the muscles inside her body screaming. With a generous amount of effort, she pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around. She was laying in Lilith's bed, the sky outside the window was still dark, and Lilith was sitting in the chair by the writing table, reading a book. But when she heard the movement from the bed, she lifted her head and closed the book. Daphne could see a relief in Lilith's face when she looked at her.
"How are you feeling?" Daphne grimaced as she pulled her legs up and hugged them closer to herself.
"Like I've been to hell and back." Lilith gave her a small sad smile and went to sit on the bed.
"It always feels like that. You did well, Daphne." Daphne blushed in embarrassment.
"I passed out." Lilith rolled her eyes.
"Daphne, that spell is designed like that. It burns through you in the worst way possible. I've seen men twice your age pass out from that spell." It calmed Daphne's nerves a little bit but then she remembered something.
"But you didn't." Lilith looked away.
"No…" she paused and rolled up her sleeve, showing Daphne her runes. "I did the first time though. And the second. After that, you get used to it." Daphne frowned.
"How many times did you…?" Lilith sighed, running her fingers over the white scars.
"The only people in my family who get these runes are the head and the heir. Nobody gives them to us. We have to carve them ourselves. You see here?" she pointed at the place where the rune in the middle was crocked. "It was the first one I did. When I started crying, my father started yelling at me to keep going. I got startled and accidentally cut deeper." Daphne's mouth gaped open. She had to do it herself? All of them? Daphne imagined how it would feel like if she had to do it. She shuddered at the thought.
"After each rune, I had to seal it with that spell." Lilith sighed and pulled the sleeve down. "It wasn't a good day."
"Each one?" Lilith nodded. "Why?"
"Tradition. I have to do each binding myself. Be it loyalty-binding or disciplinary. When you know the pain firsthand, you won't bind someone just because you feel like it. That's why I asked you so many times if you thought it through." Daphne felt sorry for Lilith but finally understood why she seemed so hesitant. She looked down at her arm, rolling her sleeve up. The wounds weren't open anymore and any leftover blood was cleaned off. Instead of gaping red runes, she was staring at beautifully written white lines that looked like they'd been there for quite some time.
"So… what now? What does it mean for me?" she asked as she stroked the healed scars.
"Now? Now it means nothing." Daphne looked at Lilith, clearly confused but Lilith only gave her a small smile. "You're still fifteen, Daphne. You're still a student. I will take care of your father, I promise. I want you to focus on school, and on your life. Try to get the best results possible, be it O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s, and after that, we can talk about your career." Lilith sighed. "You have to know that you won't have free will in your choice. You have to consult me on it. I might need you in some position in the future. Do you understand?" Daphne gulped. She felt sad at the information but she knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to the deal.
"I do."
"Good. I won't get involved in anything in your personal life. Unlike my father and grandfather, I don't think I should have a say in who you date or who you marry. That's at least a bit of freedom I can give you." Daphne was glad for that. But it didn't seem like Lilith was finished. "Now, the bond means that you can't talk about anything I confide in you. If you do…" Lilith paused. "Let's just say the pain you felt during the binding was weak compared to that." Daphne gulped. "The same goes if you go against my command. And if you betray me…" Lilith looked Daphne in the eye and Daphne shuddered. The look Lilith gave her made her blood run cold. "If you betray me, it kills you." Daphne swallowed hard. She expected something like that but it still gave her goosebumps.
"But it also means that from now on, you're under my protection. If you're in trouble, you come to me. If you need help, you come to me. If your family's in danger, you come to me. I will take care of it. If you choose a career that I approve of, I will make sure to get you the best references. And if…" she paused. "If something happens to you, I will make sure your family's taken care of. Anything you need, Daphne, you come to me and I will make it happen." Daphne smiled slightly. Everything Lilith was offering sounded amazing. She gave her a safety net, something Daphne never had. It felt good and so far, Lilith was nice, gentle, and kind. She didn't regret her choice. She watched as Lilith's eyes travelled to the photos that hung above her writing desk.
"Come think of fit, I think there is something you can do for me while you're at Hogwarts. Consider this as the first thing I confide in you so you cannot speak about it to anyone. If you even think about telling this to someone, those runes will start to hurt and won't stop until you reconsider. Do you understand?" Daphne nodded, excited for her first assignment.
"I need you to try to keep your friends in check, Parkinson in particular, when it comes to Hermione Granger." Daphne frowned. Granger?
"Why?" Lilith was still looking at the photos.
"You came to me to keep someone you love out of danger. Because that's what we do. We protect the people we love. And I'm doing the same." Lilith finally looked at her. "She's my girlfriend, Daphne." All air was sucked out of Daphne's lungs. This might've been the most shocking thing she'd heard so far. The most influential witch in her generation was dating that muggle-born bookworm. She didn't have a clue how this could've happened. And the fact that she never caught wind of anything and even the biggest gossipers at school didn't have a clue about that meant they were exceptionally good at hiding it. Lilith didn't seem to notice her shock.
"And also, try to gain some favour with Umbridge. I'm sure she'll try to recruit some students to her cause and I need every information I can get. Can you do that?" Daphne still tried to process the information she just got but nodded.
"I... I can try."
"Good." Lilith gave her a smile that looked bittersweet. "Welcome to my inner circle, Daphne Elizabeth Greengrass."
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November 1995
Ever since seeing the name Daphne Greengrass on the Marauder's map inside Lilith's private room, Hermione moved around like a body without a soul. It was midnight when she saw the name. Even she wasn't in Lilith's private room and she was her girlfriend. So why would Lilith invite a girl she never even talked to before to her dorm?
She knew Daphne Greengrass, of course she did. She was in Malfoy's circle of friends, along with Parkinson, her sister Astoria, Theodore Nott, Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise Zabini. As she watched her in the Great Hall, she had to admit, Daphne was beautiful — blonde with blue eyes, tall, charming, confident... and pureblood. Everything that Hermione was not. Was this the reason? Was Lilith bored of her? Angry with her and did it just to spite her? Of course, she knew her schedule was hectic but they could've talked about it. Never in the million years she'd expected Lilith to cheat on her but maybe she didn't know Lilith as much as she thought she did.
She didn't want to talk to her, she couldn't because every time she'd read a note Lilith written into the two-way notebook, she wanted to cry. She didn't even want to see her so every time she saw a glimpse of her in the corridors, she turned to walk in a different direction.
At least her mood wasn't as noticeable thanks to Umbridge's decision to ban Harry and both twins from playing Quidditch. The whole Gryffindor was in uproar, and there wasn't a word that could describe how upset everyone was. Harry was the star seeker and Fred and George were like well-oiled machine beaters. With them being banned, the whole season started to look terrible. And even though Hermione felt bad for her friend, the recent heartbreak played a bigger role in her faulty mood.
What lifted her spirit a little bit was Hagrid's comeback. Yes, he looked absolutely terrible but at least he came back in one piece. And his story at least gave her something that could occupy her mind from Lilith, but it wasn't enough. She was worried about Umbridge's evaluation of Hagrid, so to help her friend, and keep herself going, she decided to help him plan his lessons to avoid any mishap that could cost Hagrid his job. Now that Trelawney was on probation, it wouldn't take much for Hagrid to end up in the same position. Hermione didn't want him to lose his job. Even though Hagrid liked the more dangerous creatures that terrified students and often gave them as assignments, he loved his job. But in the end, Hagrid rejected her help. It felt like every corner she turned, she was met with rejection.
But it seemed as if the universe was playing a cruel joke on her. As they finally managed to get through the snow, it wasn't only Hagrid who greeted them at the edge of the forest, and Hermione cursed everything in existence. Lilith was standing right by Hagrid's side, engrossed in a conversation. Great. Hagrid, Daphne Greengrass and Lilith in the same place, all at once. She had nowhere to run now. To say they made a strange pair wasn't an exaggeration. Lilith's petite body and well-put-together look were rather bizarre next to Hagrid with his large stature, green and yellow bruises, bleeding cuts and half of a dead cow thrown over his shoulder. What was she doing there in the first place?
"We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid called happily to them as they approached him, jerking his head back at the dark trees behind him. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark..."
"What prefers the dark?" Hermione heard Malfoy say sharply to Crabbe and Goyle, a trace of panic in his voice. "What did he say prefers the dark — did you hear?" Hermione watched as Harry smirked at Malfoy's clear panic.
"Ready?" said Hagrid happily, looking around at the class. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em —"
"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" said Malfoy, the panic in his voice even more pronounced now. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"
"From what I gathered, Draco, that incident a few years ago was entirely your fault. So it'd be wise of you to shut up and listen to avoid any other mishaps in the future." Lilith glared at him and Hermione saw Draco squirm under her gaze. She had to give it to Lilith, it was good that she was present. Hagrid was Malfoy's favourite target but with Lilith there, he wouldn't dare to run his mouth.
"Lilith's here as me assistant. These ones are sensitive so I asked her ter lend me a hand." he explained and looked back at Malfoy. "An' o' course, they're trained," said Hagrid, scowling and hoisting the dead cow a little higher on his shoulder. She saw that Malfoy was opening his mouth again but quickly closed it when he caught Lilith's glare. She almost felt the familiar warmth but it quickly vanished when she saw Daphne behind Draco, talking quietly with Parkinson. She could feel Lilith's eyes on her but she made sure to avoid her gaze. "Now, follow me!" both of them turned and strode right into the forest but none of the students were too eager to follow. Hermione exchanged a look with Harry and Ron, and with a sigh, they followed the duo with the rest of the class behind them.
After around ten minutes, Hagrid finally stopped and dropped the dead cow on the ground. The place was very eery, as the trees stood so close that almost no light got through them. An uneasy feeling travelled through the group but both Hagrid and Lilith looked at ease.
"Gather roun', gather roun'," said Hagrid encouragingly. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me. . . ." He turned, shook his shaggy head to get the hair out of his face, and gave an odd, shrieking cry that echoed through the dark trees like the call of some monstrous bird. Nobody laughed; most of them looked too scared to make a sound. He repeated the sound two times but nothing seemed to happen. Well, at least to Hermione's eyes. Next to her, Harry started to react to something none of them seemed to see, and Lilith had a small smile on her face as she stepped forward and her hand touched something invisible, as if she stroked air. Hermione was now deeply confused. But most of their classmate didn't seem to notice it, still staring into the dark trees, expecting something to run out of them. But Hermione knew that something was already there, based on Hagrid, Lilith, Harry, and now even Neville's reaction. They just couldn't see it.
"Oh, an' here comes another one!" said Hagrid proudly, looking between the trees. "Now... put yer hands up, who can see 'em?" Hermione watched as Harry, Neville, a Slytherin boy and Lilith put their hands up. Hagrid looked pleased at their reaction and was about to continue but Malfoy interrupted him.
"Excuse me," said Malfoy in a sneering voice, "but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"
"How about you look down at the carcass, Malfoy?" at Lilith's answer, several people let out gasps and shrieks as they saw bits of flesh stripping themselves away from the bones and vanishing into thin air.
"What's doing it?" Parvati demanded in a terrified voice, retreating behind the nearest tree. "What's eating it?" Hagrid exchanged a look with Lilith who still seemed to stroke the air right above the carcass and gave her a nod.
"You don't have to be afraid. Those are Thestrals." Hermione finally understood. She read about them, and they were rather fascinating. They were said to have wings and skeletal bodies, and the sole reason they couldn't see them was because most of them didn't witness death. Hagrid took over from Lilith.
"Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here. Now, who knows — ?" Parvati interrupted him.
"But they're really, really unlucky! They're supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who see them. Professor Trelawney told me once —"
"No, no, no," said Hagrid, chuckling, "tha's jus' superstition, that is, they aren' unlucky, they're dead clever an' useful! 'Course, this lot don' get a lot o' work, it's mainly jus' pullin' the school carriages unless Dumbledore's takin' a long journey an' don' want ter Apparate — an' here's another couple, look —" only those who could see them turned to where Hagrid was pointing but Parvati let out a terrified shriek, claiming that she felt something touch her.
"Don' worry, it won' hurt yeh," said Hagrid patiently. "Righ', now, who can tell me why some o' you can see them an' some can't?" Hermione raised her hand.
"Go on then," said Hagrid, beaming at her.
"The only people who can see thestrals," she said, "are people who have seen death." she avoided Lilith's or Harry's eyes.
"Tha's exactly right," said Hagrid solemnly, "ten points ter Gryffindor. Now, thestrals —"
"Hem, hem." Hermione squeezed her eyes shut as she heard the noise. 'No' she thought. 'No, no, no, no.' Umbridge just arrived in all her glory, this time wearing a green hat and cloak with clipboard ready in her hands. Hagrid seemed to mistake her fake cough for different sound and didn't notice her, prompting her to fake cough again.
"Hem, hem." Hagrid finally noticed her and smiled. Lilith on the other hand frowned.
"Oh hello!" Hadrid greeted her.
"You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning?" said Umbridge, in the same loud, slow voice she had used with him earlier, as though she was addressing somebody both foreign and very slow.
"Telling you that I would be inspecting your lesson?"
"Oh yeah," said Hagrid brightly. "Glad yeh found the place all righ'! Well, as you can see — or, I dunno — can you? We're doin' thestrals today —"
"I'm sorry?" said Umbridge loudly, cupping her hand around her ear and frowning. "What did you say?" Hagrid looked a little confused but before he could answer, Lilith stepped in.
"I'm sorry Professor Umbridge but do you have troubles with your hearing? Hagrid clearly said that this class is doing thestrals." Umbridge didn't seem to like Lilith answering her question.
"What are you doing here, Miss Farrow? You're seventh year, are you not?" Lilith gave her a strained smile and folded her hands behind her back.
"Well, Professor Hagrid asked me to assist him today, as any seventh-year student can do, and authorities must be obeyed as you so thoroughly reminded me, professor." Hermione couldn't help but smirk a little, and could hear Harry silent chuckle next to her. Umbridge's face reddened but her fake smile remained in place. Hagrid looked uneasy but cleared his throat to continue.
"Well... anyway..." he said as he turned back to the students. "Erm . . . what was I sayin'?" Umbridge seemed to take this opportunity.
"'Appears... to... have... poor... short... term... memory... '" muttered Umbridge, loudly enough for everyone to hear her. Hermione could feel her blood boiling. That wench!
"Herds, Hagrid." Lilith whispered softly and Hagrid gave her a grateful smile.
"Oh yeah," said Hagrid, throwing an uneasy glance at Umbridge's clipboard, but plowing on valiantly. "Yeah, I was gonna tell yeh how come we got a herd. Yeah, so, we started off with a male an' five females. This one," he patted something in the air near him, "name o' Tenebrus, he's my special favourite, firs' one born here in the forest —" Hermione clenched her fists as Umbridge's loud voice interrupted Hagrid once again.
"Are you aware, that the Ministry of Magic has classified thestrals as 'dangerous'?" Hagrid chuckled.
"Thestrals aren' dangerous! All righ, they might take a bite outta you if yeh really annoy them —" Umbridge immediately started to scribble down on her clipboard.
"'Shows... signs... of... pleasure... at... idea... of... violence...'" At her loud muttering, Hermione could hear a few giggles from the Slytherins but they immediately died down when Lilith looked in their direction.
"Professor Umbridge, as an alumnus you should know that thestrals are a part of Hogwarts curriculum for as long as this school stands. By the Ministry's standard, they might be classified as dangerous, but they are in the same category as unicorns which this class handled just mere weeks ago. And if'd you properly read Mr. Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them or witnessed a tragedy to be able to observe them for some time, you would find out that thestrals are peaceful creatures who do not attack unless provoked, just as humans do." she looked Umbridge straight in the eye as she said the last sentence and Hermione immediately understood the underlying message. Umbridge still had a strained, fake smile on her face as she glared daggers at Lilith but didn't answer. Most of the class was looking at them as if they were witnessing a ping-pong match. Umbridge was the first to break eye contact, opting to look back at Hagrid.
"Please continue teaching as usual. I am going to walk" — she said very loudly and slowly as she mimed walking — Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were having silent fits of laughter — "among the students" — she pointed around at individual members of the class — "and ask them questions." she pointed at her mouth to indicate talking.
"Professor, did you become deaf all of a sudden? Because you don't have to worry, we can understand you just fine without the gestures. But be assured, you're doing a great job so far." Hermione could hear a few snickers coming out of the Gryffindor group as Lilith smiled innocently at Umbridge whose glare could surely kill her. If Umbridge came there to embarrass Hagrid, Lilith had impeccable timing. Hermione watched her as she turned around to speak to Pansy Parkinson. She didn't miss Pansy or any other Slytherin looking at Lilith from the corner of their eye before giving Umbridge a relatively moderate or neutral answer instead of overexaggerated bitter one full of half-truths which seemed to frustrate Umbridge enough to almost bark her question at Neville when it was his turn.
"You can see the thestrals, Longbottom, can you?" she asked and Neville nodded.
"Whom did you see die?" she asked, her tone indifferent. Neville paled at the question.
"You've never seen anyone die, have you, professor?" Lilith's voice rang around the place again. "Otherwise you wouldn't have asked such an invasive question." Umbridge's lips formed into a tight line as she furiously scribbled something down on the edge of the clipboard and looked back at the duo.
"Well, Hagrid," she turned to look up at him again, I think I've got enough to be getting along with. You will receive the results of your inspection in ten days' time." she ripped something from the clipboard and outstretched her hand towards Lilith, giving her a fake sweet smile. "And this is for you, Miss Farrow." Hermione watched as Lilith waited until Umbridge left and looked at the small piece of parchment before rolling her eyes.
"Well Potter, looks like I'm in the lead for our favourite professor's detentions." she waved the small piece of paper in front of the trio who stayed behind a little bit.
"I'd say it was worth it." Harry shrugged and smirked.
"I don't know about that one." Lilith sighed and shook her head. "You just can't reason with stupidity, I guess." Hermione tried to quicken her pace to get away from Lilith but to her disappointment, the older witch gently grabbed her elbow, pulling her back.
"Sorry, I need to borrow Hermione for just a second. You can walk ahead." Lilith said politely to Ron and Harry who were still clueless about Hermione's emotional debacle so they just waved goodbye and left. Hermione huffed and turned around but avoided eye contact with Lilith.
"Did you really have to take a jab at her?" Lilith's gaze hardened.
"Oh, so you finally speak to me?" Hermine didn't answer. "And if you didn't notice, I was busy saving Hagrid's ass at the moment to care about another detention with her. Which you'd have known about if you answered my notes." Lilith's outstretched her hand to touch Hermione but the younger witch moved out of reach.
"Mione, I don't understand." Lilith looked at her, puzzled. "What's happening? Why have you been ignoring me? Did I do something wrong?" Hermione felt her eyes watering but she bit her lip to push those tears back.
"Why don't you ask Greengrass?"
"What?"
"It's funny, you know." Hermione chuckled humourlessly. "I'd have thought it was a mistake but the map never lies. So why don't you ask Greengrass if you two are so close that she spends the night at your dorm." she didn't look Lilith in the eye and didn't give her a chance to answer because she felt the tears starting to fall. Instead, she turned around and started to walk away from Lilith at a quick pace with tears blurring her vision, not giving the older witch a chance to catch up with her.