Lillith's Father [2]

Lillith's Father: Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen: 

My small form panted for breath as I hid under a pile of coats.  Bellatrix had knocked into the coat rack earlier, knocking a couple jackets off of it, creating a nice hiding spot for me.  I knew that I couldn't stay there for long, I would be found if I stayed in that place much longer but I was too scared to move.  They were still hunting for me, even the snake.  

How could I leave my hiding spot when I had nowhere to go but somewhere in the house where Death Eaters hunted for my being and were determined to kill me?  

I thought for several moments before remembering something Hermione had mentioned.  She'd been reading a book just a couple of months ago, and she'd told me about it and then we'd read it together.  She said she was studying to learn Apparition, which was something we were supposed to be taking lessons for later this year.  They're probably already finished with the lessons though.  

But Hermione and I had studied it and I was sure if I could just remember all that we'd read about that I could apparate out of my hiding spot, and maybe somewhere safe! I'd side-disapparated many times, so I was sure I could figure this all out. Or at least I hoped so..

'Splinching, or the separation of random body parts, occurs when the mind is insufficiently determined. You must concentrate continually upon your destination, and move, without haste, but with deliberation.' 

You have to concentrate on your destination, imagining yourself leaving your current location and being where you plan on going.  But what if this place had a disapparation charm on it?  I knew that Hogwarts had one, but did the home that I sat in, hiding under a pile of clothes, have one as well?  Or perhaps they only had anti-disapparition spells, or only anti-apparition spell.  They were more likely to either have both or just the apparition one.  

Taking a deep breath, I wondered vaguely which they had, and if I could apparate while in my animagus form.  

Only one way to find out.  

I concentrated with all my might on Diagon Alley, imagining myself being there and leaving this horrid place, once I was sure that all my thoughts were on leaving and going to Diagon Alley, I turned on my back legs.  

Nothing happened.  

So either they had an anti-disapparition spell on the place, or you couldn't apparate while in an animagus form.  I'd have to find somewhere safe to transform back into my human counterpart if I had any chance of getting out of here.  It would have to be downstairs, because there was no possible way that I would be able to climb up the stairs when I was so incredibly small.   

I felt doomed.  

I didn't want to die, but I couldn't figure out what to do.  No matter how hard or much I thought about it.  I could apparate, but I would need to find somewhere else to go.  I was scared to leave my hiding spot for fear of being found or eaten by a monster.  I could try and make a dash out of the door next time it was opened, but I didn't think I could make it in time.  

Sighing, I poked my head out of the coats and looked around the empty room.  I couldn't see well, my eyesight was much worse in my animagus form, but my hearing was amazing.  There was no breathing anywhere in this room, no slithering movements, no whispered words or people hunting for me. It was probably the best place for me to switch into my human form and disapparate.  Or attempt to, anyway.

Checking one last time, listening for people who may have been coming towards the room, I decided I was safe.  Quickly, I changed back to my normal self.  I closed my eyes, breathing as calm as I could, and focused on my destination.  

Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley. 

I stayed calm, not wanting to freak out and get myself splinched, before I imagined leaving this room and being in Diagon Alley.  Turning on my heel, I closed my eyes as I felt myself twisting, and the unfamiliar sensation of apparating.  It felt like I was being pulled through a tiny, thin tube and it was uncomfortable.  

I hit the ground, feeling my stomach lurch horribly and my body tried to expel any contents it held.  But there was nothing. I hadn't eaten in days.  Even before that I only got to eat one tiny meal a day, for the last merlin-knew-how-long.  It'd been at least a month, perhaps two or three even.  I had lost count of the days I'd been trapped, but looking up, I realized I was free.  

I was out in the open, in front of a very familiar shop in the dead of night.  I stood up on shaking legs, my eyes were blurred with tears that fell down my face in what felt like large rivers and I shuddered as I leaned against the door and knocked on it at the same time.  I couldn't for the life of me seem to stand up all by myself, I needed some support.  

I could hear movement from within and I felt like collapsing as I realized that I was really and truly saved. I would be okay.  I wasn't dead and I was very much alive, very much free and I was standing in front of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes waiting on someone to let me in, feed me and get me somewhere safe.  

"We're not open, obviously!  It's half two in the morning, bloody hell," I heard one of the twins call through the door as a couple of locks slid out of place. I moved off of the door as it opened and for just a moment, George and I stared at each other.  He probably saw some horrifying bloody creature while I saw one of my best friends.

I knew my face was swollen, I had at least had my lip busted in two places and I could feel swelling all over my face.  I had bruises in a few places, cuts and scrapes also, my hair had to have been a tangled mess and I probably looked awful.

But that didn't stop him from enveloping me into a hug.  One hand wrapped around my waist, diagnally going across and clasping my shoulder, and one hand pressed against the back of my head, pushing me to him and holding me tightly, yet not painfully.  I hugged him back just as fiercely as tears ran out of my eyes and onto his bare shoulders.  

He pulled my inside, still not saying anything, locking the door before yelling for Fred.  I kept crying as I looked over Georges shoulder, staring at the beautiful red haired boy that came out of a room upstairs.  He stared at us in shock before he ran downstairs, kissing the top of my head before joining in on our hug.  

"Lillith," he breathed, his fingers digging into me almost painfully, as if he were trying to stop me from ever leaving him.  But that was okay, because I didn't ever want to leave.  

I just wanted to stay in his arms forever.  Where I finally felt safe.