August 1994
Yells and screams came from all places around the stadium as they watched the seats fill. The match was nearing the beginning, and the box finally started to fill with people. Both Mr Weasley and Percy were always on their feet as Mr Weasley shook hands with the newcomers and overeager Percy tried to be respectful which unfortunately made him look ridiculous.
All sorts of important wizards were seated in their box but the most important ones were Cornelius Fudge and the Bulgarian minister of magic. As Fudge tried to explain to his Bulgarian companion who Harry Potter is, the present Harry Potter just waited for a hole to appear and swallow him. It was bittersweet when the attention was finally pulled from him. Unfortunately.
"Ah and here's Lucius!" The appearance of the Malfoy family quickly caught the attention of the trio as they watched Lucius Malfoy shake hands with the minister and introduced Narcissa and Draco. But as the minister pointed at Mr Weasley, the trio held their breaths. They very vividly remembered the fight in Diagon Alley two years ago.
"Good lord, Arthur. What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?" The trio could see Mr Weasley's knuckles go white but fortunately, Fudge hadn't seemed to catch Mr Malfoy's remark as his attention was caught by another newcomer. "Lady Farrow! How nice of you to join us. I didn't expect to see you here." The exclamation caught the attention of numerous wizards, the Weasley family, Harry, and Hermione included. Lilith Farrow walked towards the minister with her head up and shoulders straight and graced him with a polite smile as she shook his hand. The twins perked up as another brunette appeared right behind her.
"Hey Avy!" Fred shouted at the girl who quickly smiled at them and sent them a quick wave. Both sisters shared the same straight mahogany hair and facial features but that's where their similarities ended.
"Thank you Mr Fudge. I don't think you've met my sister Aveline yet. I've got us the tickets as her birthday present." She stepped away for Aveline to shake the minister's hand.
"My my, you two look like the spitting image of your mother. Speaking of," the corners of the minister's mouth fell as a wrinkle appeared on his forehead. "I'm very sorry about your father. Alistair was a great man." The trio exchanged quick looks as they heard the minister's sombre tone. The polite smile on Lilith's face strained a little and Aveline looked down.
"Thank you. Well, I've always told him he shouldn't work so much." To quickly change the subject, Lilith looked around the box, her eyes punctually stopping on the trio, the Weasley, and then on Malfoys.
"Mr Weasley." She nodded in his direction and received a nod in response. As her attention turned to Mr Malfoy, her polite smile remained but her eyes narrowed. For the first time since they entered the box, the smirk faded from Mr Malfoy's face. In fact, he seemed to pale a little.
"And Mr Malfoy, lovely seeing you here. In fact, I think there is something we need to discuss." Her eyes bore into Mr Malfoy yet her polite smile stayed.
"Truly, my lady?" Mr Malfoy asked in a badly faked light tone.
"Truly." she turned toward her sister with a soft look. She whispered something and motioned at seats near the Weasley family. As Aveline nodded and walked away to slip into her seat with a happy smile, Lilith motioned toward the door.
"Shall we, Mr Malfoy? It's quite an urgent matter, and I don't want to ruin your family outing by keeping you away for long." She smiled apologetically at the minister before walking out of the door, Mr Malfoy following in a quick step.
As the two of them left the room, Harry leaned from his seat towards Mr Weasley.
"Mr Weasley, what did Mr Fudge mean about their father?" Mr Weasley frowned as his eyes travelled toward Aveline before returning to Harry. The question perked up Ron's and Hermione's interest as well as they leaned forward.
"Alistair Farrow passed away a month ago. Heart failure. Their brother found him in his study." He spoke in a quiet, sombre tone. Trio's looks went to Aveline who seemed to be laughing at something George said.
"Do they…?" Ron started the question but Mr. Weasley cut him off with a nod.
"They know. When Aveline wrote to them, they asked your mother how to help someone grieve. I think it helped." Harry watched as Aveline interacted with the twins with ease. Ever since they met on a train three years ago, she became Fred and George's protegé. They sneaked her into the Gryffindor Tower so often that by her third year, she was an honorary Gryffindor. Harry solely knew her as a ruthless Ravenclaw chaser, infamous for her blatching and Chelmondiston charges.
His train of thought was interrupted by the door opening once more. Mr Malfoy didn't look at anyone and went straight to his seat. Lilith walked in a few seconds after him with a neutral expression, her head still held high, her shoulders still straight, and sat down next to Aveline. Harry turned to look at both of them and to his surprise, Mr Malfoy looked paler than before he left the room. What could a sixteen-year-old and Lucius Malfoy discuss that made him react like this?
"Hello boys." from his seat, he could hear Lilith greet the twins who whipped up their dashing smiles.
"Lilith, so nice of you to let Avy out of the house every once in a while." Fred grinned and winked at Aveline. Lilith smirked and leaned forward to look at them better.
Boys, you do know that I'm still a prefect this year, right?" her tone was sickly sweet, too sweet, and too unnatural.
"Yes?"
"So let's get this out of the way now, shall we?" she rested her chin on her interlocked hands and looked at them, still wearing the sickly sweet smile. "If you get my sister in any trouble this year, again, I will make your life a living hell." Even though her tone was playful, the undertone wasn't. But before Harry could dive into any conspiracy, Ludo Bagman barged into the Top Box.
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As Mr Weasley led them toward the tents, the trio was silent. Someone conjured the Dark mark. His calling signal. They were still shaken from the interaction with ministry officers, as they saw the ginger head of Charlie Weasley poking out of the tent.
"Fred and George got here okay with the girl but the others…"
"I've got them here." said Mr Weasley as he entered the tent, Harry, Ron and Hermione in tow. Bill was sitting at the kitchen table, trying to stop the bleeding from his arm, Charlie had a ripped shirt and Percy sported a bloody nose. Fred, George and Ginny looked unhurt but shaken. To their surprise, Aveline Farrow sat next to the twins, her knee jumping up and down. She quickly turned her head as she heard someone enter but her shoulders fell as she saw the trio, and looked back at the ground. She didn't look injured.
"Did you get them, Dad? The person who conjured the Mark?" Bill's voice cut the silence.
"No." Mr Weasley shook his head. "We only found Barty Crouch's elf with Harry's wand but none the wiser who conjured the Mark." The information sparked the interest of the group and Mr Weasley explained what happened in the forest as quickly as he could.
As he finally finished the story, they heard the tent's zipper open once more and Aveline shot to her feet. In a second she was on the other side, her arms wrapped tightly around the brown-haired girl that just entered, knocking her back a few steps before she realized what happened and wrapped her arms around Aveline's shoulders. Even from this distance, Hermine could see her classmate shivering as she clutched onto her older sister. But after a while, Aveline finally let go enough for Lilith to look around the tent. She didn't look physically hurt but concern was written all over her face. Her eyes found the twins as she nodded in appreciation before moving to Mr Weasley.
"I've got your message, thank you." Aveline hit Lilith slightly on the shoulder to get her attention.
"Where were you?" Aveline's voice was clearly full of desperation but Lilith only sighed and moved a loose strand of her sister's hair behind her ear.
"I got lost in the crowd, Avy. When I came back here, you were gone so I was looking for you." Her left hand gently squeezed Aveline's shoulder. "Come on, let's go home."
She turned her attention back to the tent's occupants, vary of eyes that were watching the entire interaction.
"Thank you again, Mr Weasley. Safe travels." She nodded to Mr Weasley and tugged at Aveline's sleeve who waved goodbye at the Weasley family before both Farrow girls exited the tent.
This time Hermione was sure she definitely caught Harry and Ron exchanging glances. She knew those glances. Something was off.
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It was late at night when two figures entered their family manor. To their surprise, a few lights were still on. As the oaken door shut after them, a voice rang through the silent house.
"Where were you two? Were the celebrations that good?" Sebastian's light chuckles died. He stopped in the middle of the staircase, looking at his sisters, taking in Aveline's shaking form that was still clutching Lilith's hand, and Lilith's deep frown. He sprinted the rest of the way down, looking over at his older sister in confusion.
"What happened?" Lilith shook her head and tugged Aveline's hand to get her attention. Her face softened as she gently tucked a strand of Aveline's hair behind her ear.
"How about you take a shower Avy? I'll get you some warm tea, all right?" Aveline nodded and quietly made her way upstairs. Both siblings watched her until they heard the door of her room shut before Lilith let out a deep sigh, and started walking toward the kitchen.
"Fetch me some calming potion, will you?" Sebastian, still deeply confused, nodded and ran up the stairs. Finally, alone, Lilith took out her wand. She still had to wait a few weeks to celebrate her seventeen birthday but their family connections at the ministry helped to cover up a few underage wand uses now and then.
"Expecto patronum." She mumbled and a slight smile appeared on her face as her blue eagle levitated in front of her, ready to take her message.
"Apologies for disturbing your night but the matter is quite urgent. Please meet me here at Cave Hill in half an hour. Thank you." The patronus bowed his head and disappeared into thin air.
With a sigh, Lilith continued her way into the kitchen. Their house-elf was already asleep and it was ridiculous to wake her up for a cup of tea so she put the kettle on and reached for Aveline's favourite mug, along with a jar of honey. As the water boiled, Sebastian finally came into the kitchen, clutching a small red bottle in his hand.
Every since Aveline started to have night terrors when she was little, they both mastered a practice of sneaking the calming potion into any variety of the drink they would give her before she went to bed. In this case, they would put an extra spoon of honey into the tea to hide the taste.
"Will you finally tell me what happened?" Sebastian leaned against the kitchen table, arms crossed, as he watched Lilith pour the potion into the tea and put honey in it.
"There were some complications." Lilith hummed as she stirred the tea.
"What complications?" Lilith shrugged.
"It's quite a difficult situation now. But nothing you should worry about. Avy is safe, quite shaken but safe." Sebastian shook his head.
But you two were supposed to return hours ago." Lilith didn't look at him.
"Yes."
"So what happened?" he watched as Lilith's shoulders fell.
"The Irish won, and Avy wanted to stay to celebrate for a while. I… I had a bad feeling something was going to happen. I should've just dragged her out there." Sebastian sighed as he moved next to her and put his hand on her shoulder, making her look at him. His sister always put on a strong font but from time to time he could see glimpses of what she hid. He could see the worry and desperation now, clear as day so he decided not to push any further.
"It's not your fault, Lili. You wanted her to be happy. Was she happy?" A small smile tugged on her lips.
"Yes, she was." Sebastian smiled in return.
"Good. She was happy and you got her here in one piece. You're a good sister Lili." as she finally caved in under his words, he pulled her into a tight hug. It was quite comical now. Sebastian went through a growth spurt in his fourth year and he was a head taller than his older sister. But at that moment, he couldn't complain as he felt Lilith hugging him back for a short while, her shoulders finally relaxing. After a few moments, she let go of him, patting him on the shoulder.
"Go to sleep, Seb. Thank you." Sebastian only smile supportively at his sister and exited the room. Lilith sighed. Sebastian has always been her rock. He kept her grounded. She suspected that he could read her mind because he always said just the right thing to calm her nerves.
A few minutes later, she knocked on Aveline's door to hear a quiet ‚Come in'. Aveline sat on her bed, her hair damped and changed into her sleeping clothes. She looked more relaxed and smiled slightly as she saw her sister with tea.
"How are you feeling?" Lilith asked as she closed the door behind her and sat next to Aveline on the bed, giving her the mug. Aveline gladly accepted and sipped the tea, humming quietly as she felt the sweetness of the honey. She always had a sweet tooth.
"Better. It was just so chaotic, you know? I couldn't find you." She sipped the tea once again as she looked at Lilith.
"I know, I'm sorry we got separated. But we're okay, see," she motioned toward her body with a smile. "All in one piece." She could see the calming potion taking its effect on Aveline as her eyelids fluttered tiredly.
"I saved you this." she smiled and handed Aveline a small, green Irish shamrock she secretly bought her after the match ended. Aveline beamed at her as she put the mug down and took the shamrock.
"Thank you, Lili." She yawned. The potion worked quickly. Lilith helped her get into bed, putting the flower on the nightstand.
"Go to sleep Avy. We've had a long night." Aveline was too tired to respond and only nodded, eyes fluttering shut. Lilith sat next to her for a little while, just to make sure she fell asleep. As she looked around the dimly lit room, a smile tugged at her lips. The room was pure Aveline. Quidditch posters covered the wall, along with photos of Avy with her friends, her broom was tucked in the corner of the room while the school books were stacked on the table.
With one quick look, she made sure Aveline was asleep, before putting the light out and walking out. It was a long night and all Lilith wanted to do was sleep. But her night wasn't over yet.
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It was nearing dawn when Lilith came out of the green flames. Her family manor was quiet, her siblings were asleep. With a heavy heart, Lilith visited the liquor cabinet taking the whole bottle of twenty-year-old firewhisky before walking up the stairs. She didn't need to be quiet, the muffliato charm on her sibling's doors was still on. Her mind and body were numb as entered her room. She never let anyone in her room, locking it with spells to keep her siblings away. She stripped off her cloak and black dress, carefully putting them back on the hangers in a thin, tall ebony wardrobe. They were special, and only used on specific occasions. A dagger was placed back into its resting place on little hooks on the wardrobe's door. The Farrow family dagger, passed down from generation to generation.
She closed the wardrobe, opened another wardrobe, and quickly put on comfortable pyjama pants and an old, worn-out, and probably too-big Ravenclaw sweater. Finally, she felt like she could normally breathe again.
She once again grabbed the bottle and made her way to her late father's study. Filled bookcases lined the walls, an old telescope stood near one of the glass windows, and a massive mahogany table still had parchment stacked up on it. The eldest Farrow used her wand to light a few candles on the table and seated herself on the leather armchair standing near the window, giving her a view of the Cave Hill estate.
As she watched the sky brighten, shades of red and orange beginning to rise at the horizon, she took a long drink straight from the bottle, enjoying the burn, feeling it wash away thoughts that plagued her mind. She shuddered as she relived the whole night. She did what needed to be done. It was her duty. But if what she did was right, why was she already halfway through the bottle of firewhisky in her hand?
Feeling the alcohol finally numbing her thoughts, she put the bottle down and fished out her precious cigarette case. It used to be her grandfather's before he passed away from dragon pox. Plain, simple silver case with F engraved at the front. As she lit the end with her wand tip, she could finally enjoy her nicotine rush in peace, watching the sunrise washing away her worry.