Black Lily

Chapter twelve

Changeling

There was a streak of blood down one of her cheeks, and her jaw was set grimly as the sheathed one of her swords. Voldemort's colourless lips stretched into a sinister smile.

"My Lady Le Fey. So good of you to join us."

"My Lord." The words dropped from her lips, laden with sarcasm and malice. James stared in horror. Lily strode forward, one of her hands gripped tightly around the second sword. Her left hand, the claddagh ring glimmering faintly through the layer of liquid red over it. One of the Death Eaters stepped forward, wand raised. Lily sneered as the man tried to intimidate her.

"Nice try, ass hole." The Death Eater began to speak a curse, but cut off with a strangled cough, looking down at the sword that seemed to have miraculously grown out of his belly. Voldemort raised his eyebrows at the approaching witch, a slightly smile playing over his mouth.

"Impressive lack of care for human life my dear. And I see I was wrong about that mark; it only makes you more interesting, rather then mar your face. I'm so glad you could be here for the floor show."

"The only floor show there is going to be is your blood spewing out over the ground and my using it to write my name on your dead chest." She noticed one of the Death Eaters had pulled down his hood, and was staring at her. Her stomach clenched.

"...Sev'?!" The Slytherin swallowed and bowed his head. She snarled and pointed the tip of her sword at him. "I'll deal with you later." She turned back to Voldemort. The necklace around her throat was throbbing with heat, but she ignored it as best as she could.

"On the contrary, My Lady. You've just arrived in time for the fun." As though on cue, a group of the Death Eaters began chanting.

"Black as night, erase death from our sight. White as light, Mighty Hecate make it right." The words began to become a drone in Lily's ears. The necklace felt as though it was... singing. The metal was singing. Voldemort raised his wand upward, smiling wider.

"I am the last heir of Slytherin! My fore father, I call on you! Salazar, greatest of the Hogwarts four, become one with me! let the ancestor live again through the descendants flesh!" At the words Lily's eyes widened with horror.

"NO! don't!" It was too late. Brilliant purple light shot out of Voldemort's wand, dragging into the air a thick, black dust like some thing. The dust twisted, writhing in the air for a moment, then fell. Right into Voldemort and Lily.

Heat rushed through her veins, filling her head, heart, lungs, mixing with her blood. She felt the ribbon fly out of her hair, and the tiny bands ping off the ends of her plaits, and her hair unravelling at lightning speed. Wind was howling in her ears, every hair standing up on her arms. Slowly, she felt her grip on her mind loosen, and she fell to her knees, her head ringing.

For the first time in one thousand years, Morgan Le Fey opened her eyes. Of course, they were in truth the eyes of her granddaughter, but as close as could be expected. Slowly, she rose from her knees, a little unsteady in a body of flesh and blood. A slow, measured smile spread over her lips. She looked up, and around. There was that boy that Lilith was so fond of, whose child she was secretly carrying. She couldn't possibly love him though; she was surely too young to be able to feel so strong an emotion. He was very handsome though, even if his nose was a little thin for her own liking. Her eyes met eyes that were tinted with icy silver. The man was touching his hair, a strange mix of black and white blond. A slow, no good smile was spreading over his mouth.

"My Morgan. It was true then; we were to meet again. Death Eaters, leave us." She should have guessed. The bossy voice, the way people obeyed his every command?

"Salazar. I see you are not your usual icy self." She pulled the boot dagger out of its sheath, and strode over to the black haired boy who was tied up and staring. Crouching down beside him, she smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way, rather then 'I'm going to eat your heart' way.

"Don't worry," she whispered forcefully. But the look of horror on the boys face was enough to tell her that he wasn't really taking in what she said. A voice whispered from the back of her mind Morgan, I hate you. Give me back my body this instant! The indignity of having my flesh taken off me! Come on, please get out of me. PLEASE. But Morgan pushed her aside, as Lilith had often done to her. Setting the knife in her hand to the ropes that bound the boy, she began cutting them with the ease the sharp dagger allowed her. As she was about to cut through the last rope, a hand grabbed her and hauled her upright. Slytherin glared at her through green brown eyes that were tinged with his own silver, and crimson.

"What are you doing? Has death made you so disorientated that you don't know whose side you are on?" Oh, the fool. Morgan smiled viciously at him.

"You seem to have got your facts messed up, as my Lilith would say. I'm not here to help you; I'm here for redemption." The silence in the back of her mind would have made her laugh if Slytherin hadn't squeezed her arm so tightly it felt as though he was ripping it off.

"You think you can defy me? Again? Remember Morgan, I own you. Heart, body and soul, I owned you then and I own you now." She rolled her eyes. He always had been an arrogant bastard.

"There is one small fault in your false believing; this isn't my body." With that, she swung back her fist and smashed it into his sneering face.

His nose broke with a satisfying crunch. Morgan was surprised at the rush of blood lust that laced through her veins; this wasn't usual for her, at least, it hadn't been when she was alive. Then she realized that it was Lilith; Lilith, whose reflex had been to punch him, and who wanted to keep punching him until his face was unrecognisable. Slytherin cried out with pain, his eyes watering as he released her arm, and, quickly, Morgan cut the last of the ropes that bound the boy. She offered him her hand to help him stand, but he ignored it and used the wall behind him to heave himself up. He looked at her, searching her face for something of Lilith, something he could hold onto, so that he could know that it really was her. Tell him that I'm ok, just pissed off. Don't frighten him. The girl was so sentimental, but she would do as her granddaughter asked.

"She is alright. Do not worry yourself." The boy looked wary, but accepted. Morgan turned back to Slytherin. "You are growing old, Salazar. Time was that you would have had my throat out by now, or had me dead with that lovely little charm that you invented, and then used on me when I tried to leave you. Now don't look like that, sneering doesn't work when your face is smeared with your own blood." The man snarled and flung out his wand arm.

"Insitsendium!" A bolt of bright pink light flew out of the wand that Slytherin had been holding unconsciously in his hand the entire time, and hit Morgan in the chest. She felt as though a sword had been pushed through her stomach and sliced upward. She fell to her knees, screaming with agony. Some where in her mind, Lilith was yelling at her to get up on her feet that it was just an illusion, but she couldn't listen. Her brain and body were convinced that she was dying, and that nothing could be done. Suddenly, a separate force was pushing her upward. It seemed, she thought dryly through the pain, that Lilith still had some control over her body, no matter who controlled her mind. Morgan, you are stronger then that! Think! I have spent years honing this body to perfection, and it's natural aim isn't bad either; use it! Dodge him! Anything! MOVE! Slowly, gasping for breath, Morgan rose to her feet, her hair dripping with sweat. Slytherin's eyes were wide with horror, and a little fear. Good Morgan. Very good. She could be very condescending, Morgan thought as she pulled Lilith's wand out of her wrist sheath.

"Ferencutaralius!" No light came out of the wand tip, but suddenly, Slytherin was on fire, and screaming.

~

The thing that really got to James, was that he didn't see how he could be of any help. At all. He didn't really understand what was up with Lily; all that he knew was that she wasn't in control of her body at the moment, which was definitely not good.

How ever, when Slytherin was set on fire, he thought that it wasn't really as bad as he had thought. The guy looks a whole lot better with his face burning off. Interesting.

Unfortunately, it appeared that the Founder knew more then illusionment charms. The fire went out, and, though the man was gasping and burnt, he appeared not to be mortally wounded. Damn. Slytherin glared at the girl- who- was- not- Lily.

"Bitch. You will pay for that," he hissed, voice laced with menace. The red head rolled her eyes.

"Methinks thou dost brag too much!" Her voice was taunting, speaking in a tone that Lily herself so often used to mock people. A sneer passed over the mottle- haired man's face, and he raised his wand.

"Froziendum Bledatius Constralto!" The girl's green eyes widened as a streak of icy blue light hit her in the chest. A whirlwind of what appeared to be small sparks began at her feet, winding them selves around her body rapidly, tightening as they got higher and higher. Finally, the red head was frozen, her skin pale and her lips blue, eyes wide and staring. James stared at her in shock, his voice lost in some void. After a moment, he found it.

"Wha... What did you do to her?" Slytherin raised an eyebrow, and a small smirk crossed his face.

"What, to Morgan? Oh, just a little charm. One that she her self invented actually. Oh, how ironical!" The man laughed cruelly, and then continued. "It slowly freezes the person's blood, and magic and spirit, so Morgan should die again and this time be gone for good. But... this isn't her body, so now I think of it; her little granddaughter will be disposed of also. What a shame." He spoke in a way that most would use to ask if you could pass the biscuits. James's blood began to boil, and his hand went to his pocket for his wand. Skin met cloth; the wand was not there. A cold chuckle reached his ears.

"Looking for this?" Slowly, James raised his eyes. In between the mans fore finger and thumb, was his wand.

"Give it back."

"Oh, alright. Oh wait I forgot... no." Bastard. Behind his glasses, James's eyes flickered to Lily. A thick layer of ice had formed around her, distorting her features grotesquely. A sharp pain began to throb in his chest, and he gritted his teeth. Sod the wand mate.

Using the agility born from five years of playing Seeker, James darted forward and threw Slytherin to the ground, pinned him down and began punching him, driving his fist into the mans face over and over again. Very soon, James's hand had changed from skin coloured, to bloody and bruised from punching.

Behind him, there was an audible crack. For a moment, James turned his head and looked. Slytherin took that moment to raise his wand.

~

Cold... frozen light... can't breathe... Morgan... I need my body back... warmth... searching for... James... I want OUT!

With a scream of anger, the ice encasing Lily exploded. She drew in a breath sharply, the cold air hissing through her teeth. Her hands instantly curled in on them selves, feeling like frozen claws. Breathing heavily, she raised her head to look at Slytherin. She raised her head and saw him pushing James's lifeless body off of him. The man smiled cruelly.

"Well Morgan, I see you are stronger then I originally thought. Had I known that you knew a way to break your spell, I..." He trailed off, looking at her hard. A cold, calculating smile crossed Lily's features.

"I'm not Morgan, dick head." Her hand flew over her shoulder, grabbed the hilt of one of her swords, and unsheathed it in one fluid motion, deftly using the blade to deflect the spell that Slytherin shot at her. She shook her head, lowering the sword.

"Magic is over rated mate; I would have thought you knew that." The Founder sneered.

"And how would I know that?" Lily shrugged, wrapped a hand around her necklace. With a sharp tug, she broke the leather strap around her neck. Slytherin rolled his eyes.

"Oh, you broke your necklace. I'm so frightened, I think I'll crawl up in a ball and cry. Boo hoo." A thin smile on her face, Lily pressed the pad of her thumb to the circle engraved in the centre of the gold. It sank into the rest of the pendant. There was a sharp click, and Lily felt something sharp pressing into her palm, and a small trickle of blood begin to run down her wrist. Being possessed by Morgan Le Fey had its plus points, she mused.

"You should be. You know, I always had a fascination with jewellery. I would invent different things you could use necklaces and rings, bracelets and earrings for, other then to decorate your self with. So, imagine my delight when I received a necklace that was more then it seemed. Do you know what this is?" the man rolled his eyes.

"No, I can't possibly imagine. But I have a feeling I'm going to find out." Lily nodded sagely.

"True. You are." She flicked the gold up into the air, caught it, and then threw it with all the strength in her arm at the man.

The throwing star, razor points glinting viciously, hissed through the air, and its journey was cut short by Slytherins stomach. He blanched, and slowly looked down to the now tiny glint of gold that could be seen of the throwing star, buried deep in his abdomen. A gurgling sound came from his throat, and a wind began to whistle, and then turn to a roar. The white blond faded from his hair, and the silver left his eyes.

Lord Voldemort had returned.

But it was a Voldemort that would not hurt her. With a small whimper of pain, he fell to his knees, then onto his front, and lay still. A low rumbling came from some where beneath the building; the walls began to shake, and dust poured from the ceiling. Lily choked, her eyes watering as dust clouded her vision. Stumbling, she fell to her knees by James's side, rubbing at her eyes.

"James! Ja- James, wake up! We ha- have to get out of he- he- here!" he didn't move. His eyes remained shut, and his face passive. Lily shook his shoulder.

"James, sweetie, please! We have to go now! Open your eyes! Open your eyes!" He didn't move. A hand grabbed her shoulder. Lily turned her head and saw Sev' looking at her with panic in his eyes.

"Lili, come on! Bloody hell, I would have thought you two were long gone!"

"What's happening?! What's going on?!"

"This place is keyed to the Dark Lord! Once his blood is shed, this place collapses! It's a defence mechanism! For gods sake come on!"

"I won't leave him!" The Slytherin glared at her, and then grabbed one of James's arms, hauling him off the ground.

"You're stronger then me Lili, help!" She stared up at him for a moment. He looked back at her. "Help me!" A chunk of the ceiling collapsing brought her to her senses. Quickly, she rose and grabbed James's other arm, and she and Sev' half dragged, half carried him to the doorway. With a bang, Lily kicked it open, and hauled James out into the passage way.

"James sweetie, the first thing you do when you wake up is go on a diet." A cloaked figure stepped out in front of them, just as Sev' came through the door. It raised its wand.

"You think you can just do that and get away with it boy?!" Sev' raised his wand.

"Don't be a fool Bellatrix! He was only doing his duty!" Bellatrix tossed back her hood, glaring.

"Shut up! He killed my mother! Avada-" she gargled, a small, slender dagger quivering in her throat. It fell to the ground, having only just punctured her throat enough to make it bleed profusely. Lily nodded at Sev', who pointed his wand at her.

"Obliviate." The girl's eyes rolled back into her head, and she collapsed. As she did, her head smacked against the wall with a loud 'crack'. Lily winced.

"That had to hurt."

~

Remus leant his head against Falcon's shoulder and sighed miserably. The Ravenclaw stroked his hair soothingly.

"Don't worry Rem', she'll be alright. Lily's tougher then most; you'll see." Remus groaned.

"But what if I don't see them again? What if they die?! I'll never forgive myself... I should never have left her, I know how stubborn she is!!" for a moment he was silent. "But what I want to know, Fal', is where Snape is." The boy shrugged, still stroking Remus's hair.

"No idea myself. But I'm sure it's something important that he's doing, where ever he is." At that moment, the door banged open, and three figures stumbled in.

"OI! Who ever the hell you are, help us here, will you?" Remus looked up in shock.

"...Lily?"

~

Lily relinquished James's weight happily, sighing and rubbing her shoulder. It was only then that she remembered that her necklace, her beautiful throwing star, was still buried some where in the region of Voldemort's stomach. Oh great, she thought bitterly, he almost steals my sanity, and now he steals my necklace. Bastard. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her wrist tiredly. Falcon smiled at her sympathetically.

"You must be whacked Lili. Here, I'll take those." Before she could protest, Falcon had undone the buckle of the harness, and pulled the swords off of her shoulders. The weight made him drop them. He stared at her.

"Fucking hell woman, how did you carry these?!" She couldn't answer, only smile faintly. Falcon sighed, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't frighten us like that again love; Remus was going out of his mind." She leaned against him, one arm wrapped loosely around his waist. Exhaustion was washing over her in waves; having been held back for hours by sheer rage and adrenalin, it was now pouring in on her like an ocean into a paper cup. After a moment, she released him, and turned to Sev'. He shifted uncomfortably. Lily stepped closer to him.

"Traitor." His black eyes were pained as he gazed at her beseechingly, but to no avail. Lily's fist slammed into his stomach, driving the breath out of him. He doubled up, and as Lily was about to lay into him again, Falcon grabbed her arm, shouting for Sirius and Remus. The two arrived, to find Lily shrieking and kicking, Sev' curled up retching, and Falcon almost letting her go. Sirius grabbed Lily.

"Lily! What's wrong?! What did Snape do?!" Lily spat at the Slytherin.

"Tell them! Tell them what you are you fucking traitor! Tell them how you pretended to be our friend just to get into my head! Tell them you fucking Death Eater!" there was a silence, and then Falcon spoke, his voice shaking slightly.

"Well? Is it true? Are you... one of them? Did you lie to us?" Slowly, hesitantly, Sev' pulled up his left sleeve. On his arm was a blood red skull, with a snake protruding from its mouth and wrapped around the back. Falcon hung his head miserably.

"So it is true. Oh god Sev', why?" He didn't reply, just sat on the floor, hiding his eyes. Lily shook off Sirius and Remus, snarled at Sev', and left them, marching down the corridor and bursting into the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey looked up from where she was taking James's blood pressure.

"Miss Le Fey- Evans! Leave this instant! Need I remind you that..." the nurse trailed off when she saw the look that Lily had on her face. The red head walked over to her boyfriend's side, and took his hand. She sat on the chair beside his bed, and pushed his black hair off his white forehead.

"Hey sweetie. It's me. God you look awful, you know that don't you?" He didn't reply, just lay silently. Lily rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb, a habit that she had unconsciously picked off from the Quidditch player. "You know, I really did have some thing important to tell you. I wanted to tell you but... well, circumstances... they weren't really in our favour, were they? But I would never keep anything important from you. I would have once. I used to hate you, you know? That seems like a lifetime ago. James, I..." She stopped, looking at him suspiciously. Her mouth went dry.

"Madame Pomfrey! Quickly!" the Medi- Witch was by her side within a moment, her fingers at James's pulse point. Remus, Sirius and Falcon burst into the room, having heard her shout. Madame Pomfrey held a hand over James's mouth for a moment.

"He isn't breathing. There's basically no pulse."

As Sirius half dragged a dry eyed, white Lily out of the room, Remus followed, looking at the red head with bitter pity. Oh, the unspeakable, bloody irony of it all.