Chasing Oblivion

TEN

"...to re-establish the natural order you incompetent fool," a voice spat quietly, my ears straining to pick up on the faint conversation as consciousness slowly returned.

The voice was somewhat familiar, but I couldn't place it – their name on the tip of my tongue. As my sense returned to me, a dull pain tingled throughout my limbs. A pain that too was familiar.

The Cruciatus Curse.

The Carrow's.

Regulus.

As the memories came rushing to the forefront of my mind, I refused to move – knowing that any slight move could give away my current state. I needed time to assess the situation I was in.

The voices had faded but I knew, I knew someone was in here with me. Not only were the soft, even breaths a dead giveaway but every sense in my body screamed at me to escape – that someone was watching me. That with any sign that I was beginning to wake, they would strike.

It left me on edge, knowing that sooner or later that they would become impatient and wake me up themselves. I needed to devise a plan and I needed to do it soon. I focused on slowing down my heart rate, taking small, measured breaths that maintained the pretense of unconsciousness and forced myself to focus. First, where was I?

The ground beneath me was somewhat cool and a little rough. Wood, possibly?

Wooden flooring meant that I was inside a building, more than likely a home. A Death Eater's – but whose? The Carrow Manor would be too obvious, no doubt that would be one of the first places the Ministry of Magic would check after their notorious escape.

"Time to open your eyes, Little Lupin," the male voice tinkered, "I've allowed you to feign for far too long now."

Amycus.

I reluctantly opened my eyes, the searing bright light burning. I refused to close them once more, now knowing the true threat in the room. Any sign of weakness or vulnerability would be exploited.

"Hello," I greeted with the most pleasant smile I could muster – which, in fact, was not very pleasant at all.

I began to sit up, leaning my back on the faded white wall behind me. I glanced around the room from the corner of my eye, noting that it was indeed wooden flooring I was sitting on and was an empty room, bare of any windows and furniture bar the wooden chair Amycus was propped up on.

"I've been looking forward to this," thin lips curled into a cruel, devious snarl, "ever since that night in the Ravenclaw tower where you and that boy-"

"My son," I interrupted, knowing it was unwise but Amycus was always quick to anger and he was more likely to unknowingly reveal something than his sister.

"Yes, I suppose he is," he cocked an eyebrow, leaning back further into the seat, "Dumby was always rather fond of the boy or perhaps, rather, he was fond of what the boy could accomplish."

I shrugged, internally wincing at the pain the motion sent throughout my body. "Sounds about right. He was always a bit of a dick if I'm being honest."

"I remember you, you know?" Amycus chuckled furiously, running a pale hand over his receding hairline. "I remember you and those boys of yours strutting around like you owned the castle. Like you were above us all! Like you were purebloods and we were filthy muggles!" His voice rose with his anger, chair banging against the wall as he bolted up, wand at the ready. Wand pointing straight towards me. "But I was a pureblood! I was no traitor, I was no dirty half breed!"

"Oh yes," I laughed, bracing myself for the onslaught of pain, having to remind myself that it would be worth it. It had to be worth it. "Because I haven't heard that one before. Perhaps you should find something a little more original. Something with a little sting. Spice things up, Amy."

"Spice things up?" Amycus snarled, spitting out a curse, red sparks shooting from his wand.

I screamed in pain, hands curling around my head, nails drawing drops of scarlet from the now broken skin. Stop. It had to stop.

"No!" I screamed out, falling onto my side, hip bone connecting harshly with the floor. I didn't even notice. "No no no," I sobbed, legs coiling and twisting into a tight ball. "Stop! Stop!"

"Are things sufficiently spiced, Lilah?" Amycus' feral laughter was easily heard over my sobs; the sound had been forever ingrained into my memory years ago.

"Yes," I cried out, biting down on my tongue in an attempt to muffle the screams tearing from my throat.

It was futile.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, Amycus," I gritted out, eyes rolling to the back of my head, knowing that at any moment I would lose consciousness.

"Incorrect!" He shouted gleefully, "ten points from Gryffindor! You will address me by my proper title, Miss Lupin. I think a punishment is in order."

My face drained of all remaining colour as the words slowly registered, my lips too slow to move, my body too slow to brace.

"Sectumsempra."

"I might be an idiot and she might be occasionally but she's not stupid enough to stay out this late with what's going on," James paced behind the red couch he and Lilah had cuddled on only days before. He didn't know how he managed to screw things up so quickly, but he always had a knack for that when it came to her.

He could never keep his mouth shut.

"James is right," Hermione admitted, albeit somewhat reluctantly. She wasn't too fond of agreeing with the man who continuously hurt her best friend. "With the events taking place, Lilah would not be so careless as to remain out after dark."

"Yeah, she wouldn't when she's calm," Ron pointed out, stretched out on the couch opposite James, jacket discarded along the armrest earlier on in the day, "but she wasn't exactly in the right mind when she left. If you didn't notice, she can be rather reckless when she's upset."

"Either way," Harry interrupted the budding argument, "we need to find her. Something could be wrong and even if it isn't, it's better safe than sorry."

"But where would we even start?" Ron argued, propping his body up with his elbow, a displeased frown pulling at his eyebrows. He knew that something that she had more than likely just fallen asleep somewhere and would return later in the evening. She would, right?

"With Regulus," James muttered, his pacing coming to a pause. His scarred hand ran through tussled, knotted hair – having been running his hands through it all day. Even when Regulus was dead, he was still competition. He would always have a piece of Lilah's heart – a piece that he could never have and for that, he would always resent him.

He was a reminder of his failure. Failure to be kind, failure to be patient, failure to protect Lilah but most of all his failure to love her. To love her like she deserved. Like she needed.

"We start with Regulus."

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Okay, so two chapters in two days! Surely that's a new record for me.

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Sidenote: white or black converse? I want a new pair but I can't decide on the colour!

Love you all xx