Neville and the Succubus

Lilith lay in bed, gazing out the window at the starlit sky. Though she had feasted well tonight, it had not been on her intended target. No, Neville Longbottom had bitten at her bait but not deeply enough to be hooked.

After mentioning that he had wanted to become an Auror, the boy had clammed up, somehow creating enough of a mental barrier to keep her from finding anything of significance.

Agreeing to meet tomorrow, Lilith had allowed Neville to go. Finding a young man nearby, Lilith had tempted him and enjoyed feasting on the soul of the unfortunate Muggle.

"You'd think that with all your strength and stamina you'd have put up a better fight," she said as recalled dropping the corpse off the end of the pier. It would be days before anyone realized that the victim had gone missing as he was by himself.

Though Lilith had passed on an opportunity to let the boy die, or to kill him as he lay stunned following his fall off the pier, she held firm to her belief that killing him thus would have been a waste of her time and energy.

What intrigued Lilith was Neville's ability to close out his thoughts and set up a mental barrier. Rather then relying on magic or the use of Occlumency, the boy had simply focused on a single thought which immediately brought up his mental defenses.

Most quiet and shy people she had met often had little to say because they had so many tangent thoughts running through their minds. Neville on the other hand seemed to withdraw. Though not unusual in and of itself, it frustrated Lilith.

And then there was the matter of Neville's reaction to seeing the scantily clad Lilith once he recovered from being stunned. The boy had not blushed, felt desire or lusted after her. He had felt embarrassed, not for seeing her, but embarrassed for her.

Lilith fumed as she recalled the incident.

Sitting up, she pulled on her sundress. Walking along the shore she felt the cool breeze on her skin.

Why had the boy not fallen for her trap? Why was he so resistant to her charms? Succubae and incubi had never failed to seduce any prey, even those who claimed to be 'in love' had been seduced.

"Something bothering you Lily?"

Snapping to attention, Lilith realized just how far she had walked and that she had completely missed sensing the two figures before her. Sensing the great auras of evil emanating from the two, she readied herself for an attack.

"Grrr," the one on the left said in mock anger. "She doesn't even recognize us."

"Should we punish her?" the second of them said a hint of wicked humor in voice.

"Definitely."

"The usual then?"

"Of course."

Relaxing, Lilith lowered her guard and sighed.

"Sigh, and we were just about to have some fun," the first one said as he stepped into the moonlight. His crimson hair was a bright as a flame under the pale light of the moon.

"We may be evil," the second said as he stepped out into the moon light, "but we're not bad." His dark green hair and green eyes shone brightly in the dark of the night.

"Word is that you've got a contract," the red headed incubus stated as he offered her a slight nod.

"It's been a week," the green haired twin added, "this isn't like you to play with your prey this long."

"It's also not like you to take this long to bag your prey."

Lilith hated that the twins were so rational and logical, not to mention that their control over telepathy was much better then her own. She could feel them picking up her stray thoughts without even trying.

"Are you telling me that the contract has been given to someone else Crim?" she asked blatantly.

"Not really," the red head replied.

"Actually, due to complications and politics, the contract is void," the green haired man stated.

"What's happened Jade?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Ryvius has been contracted to protect him," Crim replied.

"We don't know the specifics of it either," Jade added as he saw the stunned look on Lilith's face.

Ryvius was a well known demon. Though rumored to be a half-demon, or alu-demon, Ryvius was feared throughout the demon realms. Having gained entry into the mortal world over five centuries ago, the alu-demon still held strong influence in the demon realms.

"Someone, a mortal, caught wind of the contracts that had been taken out," Crim explained.

"Not to mention the portal that was opened to summon you and the others." Giving her a casual glance, Jade shrugged his shoulders. "We've been contracted to protect the others from demonic attacks, but not from attacks from other wizards."

"The same goes for Ryvius. If you still want to pursue the boy, you'll have to go through him," Crim said as he jerked his head to the side and indicated the trail behind him.

"We'll be in Hogsmeade if you care to chat," Jade said before vanishing into the shadows.

Smiling, Crim followed suit, leaving Lilith alone on the beach.

Perplexed, Lilith wondered what she should do. Though her contract had been canceled, she was still intrigued by young Neville. Did she wish to harm him? No, she merely wanted to learn more about him and how he could resist her charms.

Slowly, without any thought, she walked down the trail. Lilith barely realized what she was doing as she made her way towards the cabin that Neville was staying at. She could sense the dark energy emanating from Ryvius. Like the twins, Ryvius was a creature of evil, though not necessarily a creature was evil.

Expecting to see the ancient demon in his usual mortal guise, Lilith was surprised to see Ryvius in the body of a young man. Slightly shorter then average, he had a stocky build and wore sunglasses despite the fact that it was night. Holding a small violin, the ancient demon nodded at her before he began to play a slow, haunting tune.

After a few notes, Lilith recognized the tune. It was the same tune she had played in an attempt to attract Neville's attention, the same tune she had pulled from his memory.

Taking the reed flute out of her bag, she sat across from the small man and began play. As she played the song she felt the unfamiliar feeling of soothing and comfort that the song had given Neville in his memory. But there was more to the song; there was also a newer feeling, a subtle feeling of sorrow and loss.

Lilith was unaware that she's stopped playing. Unaware that she'd even known the lyrics, so clouded and soft were they in Neville's memory that she had glimpsed.

Slowly, softly, she began to sing:

I've walked so long

I can't remember - where was my home?

Their distance faces fade away

I'm always on my own.

I can show a smile

It's not hard to do.

I can have the strength to go on

But sometimes I wanna let go of everything.

And if you should still fall into despair,

There is one thing left to believe.

I lie in your heart always.

Nothing is braver than honesty

My life is your faith in me.

I'll be there when you need

You don't have to hide from me.

Though far away

In your heart and your soul

I will always be.

Can you feel that?

It is me in your soul.

Seek your destiny

But always know that I will be there

Inside your heart and soul.

You're not alone.

People searching desperately outside themselves

Caught up in thinking of whatever helped.

Don't forget that I am here,

I feel you now,

Do you feel me inside of you?

I'll be there when you need

We will live together.

Nothing is in your way

With trust in your soul.

Though troubles may have no end,

Seek your destiny.

You will carry in the end,

Never forget the feeling in your heart and soul.

Love is in the hearts of all men

You're not alone.

Opening her eyes as she finished the song, Lilith could feel heaviness in her breast, as though she were filled with sorrow and longing. Her eyes adjusting to the moonlight, Lilith saw the form of her former target.

How long had he been standing there? How much had he heard? How much had he seen?

Confused and startled, Lilith ran away. Unsure where she was going, she was sure that Neville hadn't followed her. Yet she kept running, further and further away.

Love may be in the hearts of all men, but not in the heart of a demon. Demons don't have a heart, she thought to herself as she ran.

Exhausted, Lilith finally stopped. Rolling her eyes, she wondered why she hadn't just apparated back to the cabin rather then running blindly in the night. Looking about her, she realized where she was; the pier where she had saved Neville's life earlier that same day.

What was it about Neville that so unnerved her? What did he posses that allowed him to resist her powers?

Tired of coming back to the same thoughts and exhausted from her long run, Lilith Apparated back to the cabin. Lying down, she dozed off.

Lilith woke reluctantly. Feeling the warm sunlight on face, she rolled over, trying to block out the sun.

Huffing in annoyance, Lilith crawled out of bed. Taking a quick bath, she dressed and headed out to the pier.

Unsure of herself, she wondered why she was headed to the pier. Reaching the pier, she was relieved to see that Neville wasn't there. Sighing, she turned around and was about to leave when she suddenly sensed Neville's presence.

"Lilith!"

Turning around, she scanned the end of the pier again, surprised to see that he was standing their alone. Why hadn't she spotted him before? Had she simply not wanted to see him?

Hesitantly, Lilith made her way down the pier to the waiting Neville. "Hey Neville," she said hoarsely as she sat down. She could sense his nervousness, or was it her own nervousness?

Smiling, he turned to face her, his legs dangling off the end of the pier.

"Last night I heard you playing," he whispered, barely audible to her sensitive ears. "I snuck out of the cabin and followed the sound of music, then it stopped and I heard you singing."

Lilith could feel the unfamiliar heaviness forming in her breast, moving down to her stomach.

"Can you teach me how to make music?" he asked weakly. "Can you teach me to play that song?"

"One condition," she replied, a slight, yet honest, smile on her face. "Just call me Lily."