I Am Lacerta Chapter 49 (getting close to fifty :D )
I woke up, my face tear-stained and shaking, when I heard an all too familiar scream at the end of my nightmare -not that this was the first time. I had been having the same dream about me and Sirius every night and I missed him so much.
I lay back down to try and get back to sleep, but I realised quickly that I didn't want to fall back into that horrific forest again so I got up and looked over to see Aoife sleeping soundly.
I padded sleepily to the bathroom and splashed some cold water onto my face. I held the edges of the sink for dear life as I tried to steady myself. I looked up into the mirror and saw that I looked a complete mess.
Behind me in the mirror I saw the bath, and I realised how long it had been since I'd had a properly relaxing bath, not at least since my mark. I usually just had five minute showers then was off on my way - always rushing around to keep up with the Dark Lord.
So I started to run a bath and sat down on the edge, casting a jinx that would notify me if anyone was about to come in, then thought.
I really needed to talk to Sirius - I missed him so much! I didn't really have very much to do today except for orientate Aoife on the Death Eater life-style - I needed to show her Pettigrew and I had to send Fred and George the ingredients for their Wizard Wheezes, by hand, but apart from that there wasn't much else I had to do - I could do whatever I wanted.
Then, I had a sudden, sinking realisation. I have to go and live back up in Hogsmeade, I thought. I had a job and I needed to learn to apparate - Aoife would do fine by herself, she was a grown woman for Merlin's sakes!
By that time, the bath was full so I ran back into my room and grabbed a red top and black skinny jeans.
I doubled checked the lock on the door, before stripping off my blood soaked skirt and my favourite laced 3/4 length navy top, which was completely caked in blood.
I hopped into the bath quickly, and my muscles all immediately relaxed as I lay back. You would've thought that since it had been so long since I'd last properly bathed, that I would stay in for ages - but being impatient little me, I had very little patience for this sort of thing.
So after washing the dried blood from out of my hair and off my wounds, I hopped out of the bath and dried myself off. I then picked up the clothes from the floor from where I'd left them and put them on quickly, putting on my watch and putting my wand in my pocket for safekeeping. Though I could morph into different clothes, I much preferred changing clothes the normal way.
Once done, I dried my hair with a simple charm and morphed blond - I was feeling in a blond mood today. I dulled my eyes slightly, so as not to creep people out, then changed my mind and decided to change my eyes golden. I changed my mind again when I looked in the mirror and saw how "Gryffindor-y" I looked, so decided to go with my house pride and went with green.
When happy with my looks, I walked back into my room to see a small raven sitting where Aoife had been several minutes ago.
My brows furrowed in confusion momentarily before realisation overcame me, and I shouted:
"Homorphus!", and just like that the raven morphed back into a very sheepish looking Aoife O'Hara.
"Um... surprise?" she said, her Irish accent thicker than ever. I chucked darkly and said;
"Animagus are we? Someone's coming to Azkaban with me..." I murmured the last bit to myself as my plans shifted in my head.
"How'd you realise it was me?"
"I'm naturally perceptive - you'd been sitting there moments before... your hair is raven-black and your eyes the same gold... your in ravenclaw - it honestly wasn't too difficult to work out. D'you do it because my cousin was metamorphmagus?" I asked and she shook her head.
"Nah.. although Tonks did kind of influence me. See, she's obbsessed with brooms and loves flying, but I can't stand it... but I love the idea of flying with wings. So one day we're arguing about it and she says -"If you love flying with wings so much - become an animagus!". So I went to Professor McGonagall and she said she'd love to teach me - but it'd be illegal to teach me so young."
I smirked when she said that, thinking of Sirius.
"So she agreed to teach me when I left school - so all through summer she drilled it into my head and finally I got it... I was really pleased." she said beaming. "So, what are we doing today?" she asked and I sighed.
"Well, I have to pop down to Diagon Alley for a bit, I have to show you Peter Pettigrew, I probably ought to teach you the basic spells-"
"I'm a twenty-three year old, not a first year." she scowled.
"The basic DEATH EATER spells - Crucio, Sectumsempra, Caedere... the basics.." I said, gritting my teeth.
Aoife gulped. "Caedere? Never heard of that.." she said.
"You wouldn't have - my uncle and I invented it last year.. it means "to cut" in Latin if that's any help to you.." I said darkly.
She nodded weakly, looking slightly ill, so I continued.
"Then after that you should be fine... I have to go back to Hogsmeade so..."
"What are you talking about?" she snapped.
"I live in Hogsmeade." I snapped. "I'm not going to drop everything I've earned to teach you how to not be killed-"
"That's not very responsible-"
"I'm thirteen - I'm not responsible! Besides, I've worked my butt off at this life to get where I am now-"
"It's not that hard is it - kill a few people here and there-"
"You say it like it's easy to kill people." I stated questioningly and she paused and contemplated what I'd said.
"I'm not saying it's easy to kill-"
"Good, 'cos it's not." I snapped.
"Then how're you so damn good at it?" she asked acidly.
"What do you mean by that?" I cried.
"I mean, you're thirteen - you shouldn't be able to kill.."
"And? Just because most kids my age are too weak-"
"Not hearless enough." she stated and my eyes morphed a cold and hard slate-grey, my hair blackening completely over. I was really mad now.
"You stand there, after waltzing into this world and just insult me? Do you know who the hell you are?" I roared and she flinched.
"It's hardly a different world.." she said in a weak attempt to put out the fire.
"You're wrong! You're just so wrong, Aoife O'Hara! You've just stepped in.. you don't realise it yet but you're in a different world now. But if you mess up here - you can say buh-bye to the people you care about, the people you love, 'cos if you slip up, you're left behind. I'm 13, Aoife, I'm literally sprinting through my life to keep up with the other Death Eaters and now that I'm slightly ahead - d'you just expect me to give that up? No!
"You thought your old life was bad, your old life was unfair.. well then welcome to hell!" I screeched, my chest heaving. She shrunk back in fear as my eyes blazed a fiery red, illustrating my hell point graphically.
"I'm sorry. You're right. Please don't tell anyone I'm a... mudblood." Aoife whimpered. I rubbed my forehead angrily and sighed annoyed.
"Sure, whatever, I won't tell anyone. But let me give you this piece of advice for free: Don't. Trust. ANYONE! And I mean anyone - I don't trust my own family anymore..." I muttered angrily.
"How ARE you so good at killing?" Aoife asked curiously.
"My mother, Bellatrix, just kept right on killing while she was pregnant with me.. I think the blood spilt somehow affected me - my blood red eyes for example. It's in my blood I guess... my DNA. Or maybe it's just the mark..." I contemplated more to myself.
"Will I have to.. you know, kill anyone?" she asked repulsed, shuddering at the thought. I shook my head.
"If you ever get in a situation where you HAVE to kill, which is mostly what I do... just.. give me a heads up. I'll deal with them for you." I said, my teeth grinding together.
"Thanks. So who'd you regret killing the most?"
"Um, probably Tatiana Rose. Although killing Kitty Low did result in me now having her sister on my back.." I shuddered and rubbed the backs of my legs subconsiously where both the Low sister's daggers had pierced.
"Why Tatiana Rose?" she asked.
"I orphaned a child that night." I muttered.
"That is pretty low..." she murmured.
"You say that like you think I haven't realised that - it haunts my every thought.. let's just go, okay?" I asked.
"Aren't we going to eat?" Aoife asked.
"Welcome to your new life, Aoife O'Hara. D'you ever wonder why there's no fat death eaters? It's 'cos we don't eat. Seriously - since I've been marked I think I've had ten proper meals, give or take a few, and I like never sleep.. peacefully at least. And there's really no time to shower or anything." I muttered.
Aoife looked horrified. "You don't eat?"
"Well I don't morph my fat away if that's your question." I joked, but she didn't laugh. "Look we'll grab something at Diagon Alley for you, 'k?"
"OK." she nodded and grabbed my arm, apparating us away...