Chapter Twenty-Seven:
Something was coming, I could feel it in the air, no matter where I went. It wasn't someone, just something. It was something big, and I had a feeling that that something...was war. Fred and George had been gone for three days, making preparations with everyone who they were in touch with, everyone could feel what was coming.
Mr and Mrs Weasley sat with Ginny and I, teaching us all they knew about any spell, healing or destructive, that they thought may come in handy in the future, and near mid-april, we decided it was best to leave the Burrow. It would be any day now that someone, anyone would break in and kill us all, and we wouldn't be waiting around to figure out who would do it, who would die or when it would happen.
I went to Bill and Fluer's cottage while Ginny, Molly and Arthur when to their aunt Muriel.
Harry, Hermione and Ron were all there to greet me as I entered, and we asked questions of each other to make sure nobody was being Imperiused. The first couple of days, we sat around, talking and planning. They told me all that had happened with them, and I gave them the same in return, telling them of the engagement, of my stupidity and capture, torture, escape and lastly about George nearly being killed.
"Oh and then George almost got murdered," I mentioned, keeping a straight face and I was rather proud of myself.
"What?!" Ron yelled, standing up in alarm as if he were ready to run after and save George if needed.
"Oh not like that, he at what I thought was the last slice of their birthday cake and I almost killed him over it. In the end, he saved himself. The cake was delicious by the way, you guys really missed out," I grinned, happy to have lightened the mood as Harry and Hermione sniggered and Ron sat down, smiling and slightly embarrassed it seemed.
It was there, at Shell Cottage, that I really began training, knowing I would take part in a war. I needed to be in shape, I needed to know any spell I could find, and be running fit. I needed to know all I could about healing in case someone needed my help.
I was confident in myself.
I'd studied and I'd exercised, studied and exercised all that I could.
Harry, in that time, had become a Godfather to none other than Remus Lupin's son, Teddy Lupin. Remus seemed exhausted when he'd come in to the room, barely looking at anyone but Harry. He did manage a small smile towards me on his way back out of the door, and I waved goodbye as he left.
Mostly the Golden Trio and I did our own thing. They had their mission, killing the Dark Lord's horcruxes, and I studied, making sure I was perfectly ready for when the time came that I would put my newest skills to use.
Harry, Ron and Hermione had figured out where one of the last horcruxes were, and I sometimes could hear them speaking about it, where it was and how to get it. They planned to break into Gringotts, which in itself was almost impossible, then they'd have to find a way to get "Helga Hufflepuff's Cup" (as they called it) and break it with Gryffindor's Sword, then once they'd broken the Horcrux, they'd give the sword to Griphook, the ugly little thing that I'd also seen in the dungeons with Luna. Griphook had promised to help them break into the bank in return for the sword... I couldn't believe they'd agreed, but didn't disturb them.
It wasn't my place. I wasn't meant to be with them anymore, I could feel it. I had my own purpose in this war that was to happen, I just wasn't sure what it was at the time.
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"Avis." A flock of birds surrounded my head, twirling about me almost lazily. "Oppugno." With a swish of my wand, the birds immedately flew into an uproar and began attacking a tree next to me. "Confringo." The shrub that I'd pointed my wand at began to smoke slightly, but as it was supposed to burst into flame, I didn't imagine I was doing the spell right.
"Confringo!" The poor shrub did not burst into flames but instead immediately fell apart into a pile of ash.. that wasn't right, but it seemed to work just as well. One more time then. "Confringo!" I put as much heart into it as I possibly could, not even paying attention to wear I pointed my wand and winced as one of my Avis birds caught fire.
"Aguamenti!" I put the fire out, rushing over to wear the small bird had hit the ground, its feathers burnt off and its skin badly marred. It's breathing was almost nonexistant. "Episkey," I barely touched the tiny bird with my wand and sighed happily as it seemed to heal before my eyes. Only a bit though, some of the burns left its body. I repeated the spell several times until the bird could even get up by itself and it hopped over to me, staring at me as if I was a monster.
I was a monster. I'd nearly killed a tiny little innocent bird and it was horrible..
But you saved it, my mind whispered, and that makes you good. You're no monster, Lilltih Snape.
Picking the bird up I continued my self-taught lessons with the avian in my breast pocket, and it simply watched me, not trying to escape. Eventually it fell asleep, even as the other birds had long since flown away.
I knew that soon, I'd have to learn the darker curses, though I'd been denying it for several days. Avada Kedavra, Crucio, Imperio.. I recited the words I'd have to use when using those curses, dreading them and hating the name. But they were important. You couldn't win a war by simply using little charms, you had to get rid of your enemy or they'd just keep coming back.. that's how wars worked.
Tomorrow. I'd work on them tomorrow.
I called Ron out to me, ignoring his complaining as I pointed my wand at him without giving him any warning. He stopped suddenly, his eyes wide as he moved his mouth to ask me what was wrong.
"Silencio..." I didn't want him to speak, he'd simply ruin my concentration and I needed all that I could get as I planned to practice a few spells on him. "Locomotor Mortis." His legs slammed together and though he seemed to try desperately to move them, and speak, he could do neither.
"Obscuro." A blindfold shout out of my wand and wrapped itself around his neck, seemingly attempted to strangle him if his thrashing was anything to go by. That was definitely not right. I tore the blindfold off of his neck before helping him stand back up and trying again. "Obscuro." This time, another blindfold wrapped around his eyes, making sure that he could see nothing.
"Much better." I unsilenced him, smiling as his red face turned towards me.
"Sorry about that, I was testing something, you're a good lab rat. Thank you." I ran off back to the cottage, mindful of the now-awake bird that I'd kept in my pocket as Ron yelled at me to unbind his legs and unwrap his eyes.
I paid him no attention.
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The night I finally talked myself into practicing the more darker of curses, is the night the Golden Trio left Shell Cottage to break into Gringotts. Fred and George came back to me that day, it had been the first time in three weeks I'd seen either of them. My ring glittered every day, reminding me of Fred, and it constantly made me smile even on the worst of days.
I read about the Unforgiveable curses for four hours straight, learning everything there was to know about them, before daring to test any of them out on another living being. It had to be done, I couldn't simply not learn something that could very potentially save an actual human being's life.
Grabbing a tiny little lizard, I apologized to it over and over again as I set it in front of me. "Engorgio," I swallowed almost-painfully as I used a charm to glue the lizard in place. I felt sick to my stomach as it struggled, trying to get lose. I felt awful, I was a terrible person. I was going to hurt a small, defenseless, helpless animal.
I had to do it, to hurt one lizard or to save countless lives, to win a war...what was bigger, what was more important. One tiny lizard life, or the entire Wizarding community?
Sighing, I unglued the lizard and turned away as it took off in the opposite direction.
"It makes you a better person, Lils, I promise," Fred smiled as he sat down next to me, making me jump. I hadn't heard him arrive, nor leave the cottage. "I can only imagine what you were planning for the scaly bugger, but you're better than that. We can win this without spells like that Lillith. You and I, we'll survive and save the world.. without doing much of anything illegal, promise." Fred winked and I rolled over on him until my head and part of my back was laying in his lap.
"I'll have to trust you on that.. I love you Fred."
"I love you too, kid."
Gasping, I jerked up and slapped him on the arm, laughing at the look of utter shock instilled upon his face. "If I'm a kid, then that makes you a paedophile good sir.. or not-so-good sir, actually." Grinning, I wrapped my arms around his neck and threw myself on him so he flopped onto his back with me over him and kissed him with as much passion as I had in me.
There was something so different about this kiss than any other we'd shared, it was more.. desperate. There was something in the air that made it seem like this could very well be our final and last kiss, but I knew better. I was prepared, Fred was prepared. We'd be okay in the end, after all, Fred promised.
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[[A/N: Guys...guys...guys... one more chapter, and then maybe an epilogue. Still debating on the epilogue, still don't know what's going to happen with Fred or George or the Trio or Lily or Snape or ANYONE. I want you guys to understand I don't really control the story, as much as I'd like to say that I do. It basically writes itself, I just type it up as the story tells itself. So, in advance, whatever happens, happens, and I'm sorrynotsorry for it. Next chapter is the last fight... maybe an epilogue...then my entire story is over. Nearly three years of writing this trilogy and it's ending soon... god imma cry. I have go do that now ;_; Bye<3
Peace and Love,
iJay
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SNEAK PEAK TO CHAPTER 28: (It isn't much but its something<3)
Grinning, I backed into Fred, and sighed as his arms automatically wrapped around my waist. Arthur and Molly were arguing with Ginny about going back to Shell Cottage, or at least to the Hog's Head, before the Twins joined in to defend her right to be here. Finally after a few more moments, they agreed Ginny could stay in the room we were in but told her she wasn't to join the fight. She rolled her eyes as soon as they'd turned their backs. She'd be sneaking off as soon as they were gone, and nobody was going to stop her because this was her world too.
She deserved the right to fight for it just as much as we all did.