***Yes another chapter:) and I'm fully rested and restored for this! Really hoping to get some readers soon, because I eagerly keep posting... but you never know :P it could happen soon! I hope it does... but I can only remain hopeful until then:) really hope you enjoy it! Sorry about the darkness and tention of this chapter... but it had to happen for what I'm going for. Again sorry, but it's what had to be done! Happy reading***
“Are you... upset about something?” Xavier bit his lip as Lennox sipped her Butterbeer. Her green eyes darted up to meet his, and she gave him a reassuring smile. She set the heavy glass down onto the table.
“I’m just a bit in disbelief I suppose... you know. About the tournament...” she explained with a sigh, licking her lips and leaning back in her chair comfortably, watching drops of water race down her foamy cup.
“Oh... that. Well, I wouldn’t worry about it if I was you personally. I know for a fact you’re going to be brilliant.”
***
Severus Snape opened his eyes, looking at the clock that hung directly above his office door. It was seven forty five. He would murder her. He growled, getting up from his chair, and walked quickly to the exterior of the castle.
He reached the main entrance to the castle, stepping beyond it and quickly apparated to the village. He stood in the middle of the street, turning in his place to search for her. His eyes scanned past the three broomsticks.
Aha.
He spotted the familiar brunette through a window in the pub. She was seated across from Williams, looking as if she had gotten into an argument with him. Severus proceeded into the building, waltzing through the front door.
Her eye caught his, and her expression turned into worry the moment she laid eyes upon him. Immediately she checked the time on her wristwatch. He skulked towards them, watching as she clumsily stood up from her seat.
“Whatever. I’m leaving. Consider this our first and last date.” she snarled at the boy. Xavier rose to his feet, with anger clearly rising to his face. His eyes went dark, and he stepped out in front of her, blocking her exit.
“What? Nobody walks away from Xavier Williams.” he nearly demanded, grasping ahold of the higher part of her arm, near the shoulder. Severus grabbed the boy by the collar of his sweater, yanking him backwards.
“Then Miss Kingsleigh is a nobody, because she must be going now.” he narrowed his eyes at the young Ravenclaw, angrily taking Lennox by the wrist, pulling her to the cool outdoors. Xavier only watched, taken back and dumbfounded.
“Take my arm.” Severus ordered dryly. He held it out for her. The moment her flesh touched his she felt her stomach being lurched into her throat, seeing the world spin around her. She fell forward when they arrived at the Main Gate.
Her entire body fell forward when they had finally stopped. She quickly clamped her right hand over her mouth, hovering over the ground on all fours. He hoisted her onto her feet, urging her to continue walking. He’d had enough.
“Unless you wish to see my insides, let me have moment!” she snapped. He only rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest and waiting until the sickly green color dropped from the tone of her skin.
“You’ve had nearly an hour. It’s time to talk about the tournament. Get. Going.” he hissed bitterly. She glared at the back of his head as she paced behind him, the entire way to his office in the cold dark dungeons. She shut the door securely behind her.
“I don’t know why you have such a difficult time doing as I tell you.” he was nearly talking to himself, pointing to a chair. She plopped down it it, crossing both her legs and arms. Her breaths were long and deep.
Inhale...
Exhale...
“I lost track of time. I’m sorry... really I am.” she apologized sincerely, although still angry from his pushing her around. It had been a more recently occurring event, her saying ‘sorry’ to this infuriating man.
“Right. Apologize. That always makes it all better in the Glorious Life of Lennox Kingsleigh.” he barked. She looked at him with many emotions welling up inside of her. Disbelief. Shock. Anger. Annoyance. Only to name a few.
“Not sure what twisted world you live in, but my life is and has been hardly glorious! You know nothing about me. Don’t act like you do!” she retorted with pain in her throat, and sting with each word. He shook his head.
“You say that, but I find it difficult to believe so. Coming from a rich pureblood family.” he countered, getting a parchment and quill from a small drawer inside his mahogany desk. He nearly threw it down to the surface of the table.
“You don’t know half the story.” she had wished she could say more in answer, mentally cursing the man into oblivion. She looked down at the floor. He took out his wand, pointing it at her, tasting the spell on his tongue.
“Legilimens!”
Everything had gone pitch black for the both of them. Severus stood in a cloudy tunnel, a bright light growing larger at a very slow pace. He looked down at the ground. Snow. He began to trudge through it, the light getting bigger.
He was within a foot of it, looking the white blinding light up and down before stepping into it and watching images swirl around him. He stood in the doorway of an extremely dirty flat. His eyes skimmed over the room.
The first memory.
There were five raven haired children, sitting around a television. Four boys. One girl. They had all resembled a younger version of the Kingsleigh children. Yet the eldest was absolutely nowhere to be found.
There was a tattered tan sofa, with chocolate brown carpet and baby blue walls. They were all scattered around a small television, too interested to notice anything else. He couldn’t hear clear words or sounds, for everything was muffled.
His head turned to the woman sitting at the table in the kitchen. A cigarette butt lazily hung from her mouth, her dark brown hair up in pink curlers and a fuzzy pink bathrobe was tied securely around her body.
His eyes watched as she delicately took the yellow foam earplugs from her ears. The audio of the scene had changed. He could now hear everything clearly. The laughter from the television, the shrieking of the kettle on the stove, and one very horrible noise he had to think about.
It was shrill, and sharp. The sound of a child’s cries. He walked down the hallway slowly, the sound grew louder with each gentle step he took. He reached the end of the dark shadowy hall, pushing the door open.
The moon light beamed through the window, between the yellow curtains. A young child, who he could estimate to be around six or seven, was wriggling on a small twin bed. Her beautiful dark hair and smooth pale skin reflected her terrified green eyes.
The child version of Lennox Kinglsiegh.
“Daddy! Don’t! Stop please! It hurts!” she begged. She pleaded. The big sweaty man on top of her was struggling to hold her wrists to the pillow, keeping her from moving from his grasp. That animal... was her... he didn’t even wish to think about that.
The image began to contort itself into a lighter scene. He was standing near an oak tree, in the mid summer. He read the sign on the brick building in the far distance. It was an elementary school, and he was watching from the playground.
The same child appeared. This time he could get a better look at her. She was a beautiful child, perfect almost. She linked her hands together around her knees, bringing them tightly to her chest. She had a purple bow in her hair, and a flowery lavender dress to match.
She watched by herself as other children laughed and played on the jungle gym. She only sat by her lonesome under a large maple, enjoying it’s shade and looking over her surroundings. He tilted his head at this.
Five little girls skipped to her, hand in hand. They circled her, causing young Lennox to get to her feet. She turned to look at each and every one of their faces. They began pushing her around into a never ending loop.
“Freak!”
“Loser!”
“Weirdo!” they chanted. Tears streamed down her pale face. They only kept on with the teasing. She attempted to make a break for it, but it was five to one. She didn’t know she could stand a chance, even if she did try again.
“Leave me alone!” she ran towards the school. They chased her, but she was an exceptionally quick runner. As she ran, she grew taller, and slightly older. She stopped, and fell to the floor of the kitchen he had seen in a previous memory.
He was watching the scene from what he thought might have been the ceiling. A bird’s eye view. Her back was against the cabinets, and her hands were covered in crimson red blood. A large cleaver sat on the floor. Mocking her.
She sat near her father’s bloody, unmoving, dead body. She laid down on the floor, closing her eyes and crying herself to sleep. She was alone, none of her siblings or mother around. She had killed the man. By herself.
Traumatized.
When her eyes opened, Severus found himself at a run downed orphanage. She and her siblings were sleeping on dirty white cots in the same room. Lennox sat on the window sill, looking out over London with a troubled face.
“Lennocelia.” an elderly woman knocked on the door quietly as not to wake the other five. She grimaced at the name, but followed the summons, and walked with the elderly woman into a separate room on the floor above them.
A lovely looking couple were seated near a desk, hand in hand. They turned to look at Lennox as she entered, smiling the moment their eyes met hers. The woman had beautiful golden blonde hair that fell to her shoulders.
The man had pitch black hair that was wild and sparkling blue eyes to go along with it. Severus recognized them. They were the Kingsleighs. Nothing at all like the previous couple the children had been with.
“Lennocelia this is Jared and Lila Kingsleigh. They wish to adopt you.” the elderly lady’s brown eyes twinkled with excitement. Lennox’s eyes widened as she said this, glancing back and forth between the orphanage woman, and the couple.
“Madam Aarons, may we have a moment?” the blonde woman inquired politely. The white haired woman nodded, closing the door behind her as she left the couple with the child. Lennox was staring at them curiously.
“Lennocelia-”
“Lennox.” she corrected. Severus smiled at the child’s drive for control. It was much like she was to this day. Very much so.
“Lennox... you are different than most children aren’t you? And your siblings?” the man spoke up, his deep voice echoing through the small cozy office. Something had changed in Lennox’s eyes, and she nodded slowly.
“Well Lila and I... are like you. We’re different than most people. How old are you darling?” the man raised an eyebrow.
“Ten.” the couple looked at one another happily. A small tear rolled down the tanned face of the blonde woman, and she looked at her husband lovingly.
“We would like to take you home.” she wiped the tear from her chin.
“Can my brothers and sister come as well? Otherwise... I’m not going!” her voice was careful and persistent. Severus cracked another smile at how authorative she was. Already at the ripe age of ten years old she took responsibility for her siblings.
“Of course they can! We wouldn’t want it any other way!” she laughed. Lennox began to cry, and another memory had soon presented itself after that. She was in the Kingsleigh estate with her new parents and siblings surrounding her.
“Dear Miss Kingsleigh. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” her mother read the letter in a proud voice, with smiles surrounding them all.
He heard yet another familiar tone.
“Intelligent... oh yes... no doubt about that. Valiant. Noble... better be... Slytherin!” the sorting had exclaimed. She raced to the long table to meet her fellow house mates.
“Hi! I’m Liam!”
“I’m Lennox.” he had just witnessed the very first time she spoke to her best friend. The scene fell darker.
“I am professor Severus Snape-” he heard his own voice, raising an eyebrow. Her first potions class? Why was that a significant memory?
“I’m sorry honey... we were too late.” he was now on an asphalt road, standing amongst trees and tall grass, looking out at the scene of two motorized vehicles completely damaged. Red and blue lights stopped blinking.
He saw Lennox, much like she was now. She was kneeling in the middle of the road, staining it with her tears. He heard her screams, which resembled those of when she was younger, but slightly more matured.
The emaciated bodies of her parents were placed carefully into the back of an ambulance, and she held their wands in her hands, hugging them closely to her. Tragic... the Kingsleighs had died in a completely muggle activity. Driving a car.
He was now in a flat, much smaller but significantly cleaner than the very first memory. All six siblings were seated in the living room, looking worried, some sullen and crying. Lennox was hugging the eldest brother, Maxwell.
“How will we live?”
“I’ll have to get a job...”
“Then so will I.”
There was a knock at the door of their small quarters. She walked to it with a worried expression, opening the door to reveal who was on the other side. Her heart began to race when she realized it was the landlord.
“Deary... I’m very sorry. Your rent was due two weeks ago.”
Lennox broke out into a small fit of tears, biting her lip and making sure her younger brothers and sister hadn’t heard that. She brought the plump little lady out into the hallway, securing the door behind her as she did so.
“Miss Darby... please. I- I just need... more time-” she sobbed. He was then inside the castle of Hogwarts, seeing the blue flames swirl from the Goblet.
“Lennox Kingsleigh!” this was Dumbledore’s voice, booming over the students as he announced the Hogwarts champion. He was now watching himself stand only inches from Lennox. He was confused... another memory of himself? What was the meaning of this...?
“Miss Kingsleigh...”
He watched her expressions as his body was close to hers, as he whispered in her ears, as he spoke. Her eyes fluttered nervously, and her knees shook nervously, her breathing slowing and the small pulse on her neck quickening.
“Go to sleep...”
The three broomsticks scenery filled his eyesight, and he watched as the scene that took place only ten minutes ago broke into her mind. She was there, in the pub, with Xavier Williams.
“Your mentor is Snape? Git...” Severus growled angrily at the boy’s comment. He then remembered it was a memory, and he couldn’t strangle the Ravenclaw to death. He growled once more.
“No. He isn’t. Don’t call him that. He’s really a great man if you get to know him.” she defended. She was the first person to have ever taken his side on any issue. His heart lurched at the sound of it.
“Whatever... there was something I’ve actually been meaning to ask you. My main purpose when I asked you out. A proposition you see.” she raised her eyebrows as did Severus.
“I was thinking... you help me with my potions... and I’ll give you something... worth while. Something all girls would want.” he smirked with fake seduction dripping from his tone. Her mouth dropped.
“So you think you can charm me like every other girl in school... to do your work for you... in exchange for... sex?! Oh yes because every girl would just do anything to get a piece of Xavier Williams is that it?” she felt like smacking him. He smiled, nodding slowly with malicious thoughts running through his mind.
“You jerk! No! Absolutely not! If you think that charm is going to work on me, then forget it!” and that was when he himself barged into their conversation, ending the memory. Curiously, her mind bounced back a few years.
She sat near the black lake, wearing a Hogwarts cloak, alone. She held one grey stone in her palm. An important memory... of a pebble? He felt himself being torn from her mind. He now stood in front of her, speechless.
“That. Is where I draw the line.” she was referring to the last memory. It had then dawned to him, she was powerful enough to drive him, a skilled Legilimens and Occlumens, from her mind. Everything he had just seen...
“Find what you were looking for?” she sighed. He felt like a bastard. She described him as a great man to another student completely of her own free will, and he had just witnessed her most secretive and private memories like an open book.
It was the first time he’d ever felt truly guilty.
“You’re still a great man. Just a bit of an ass.” she reassured his thoughts. He pursed his lips, literally searching his mind for even one word to say, and yet had come up short, much to his dismay.
“I... don’t know what to say. I suppose sorry doesn’t even begin to cover it.” he broke the silence. She shook her head, scoffing, and getting up to leave his office. He wouldn’t be surprised if she asked Dumbledore for a new mentor.