Forgotten Girl

DADA and Dementors

Miss Simmons,
    I do not see an issue with you moving up in Defence. You will be required to take a test to assure you are indeed capable of handling the coursework. It is enclosed with this letter. I trust your guardians will be capable of ensuring you take it. Return it to me by August 1st, and I will grade it myself.

Professor Severus Snape
Head of Slytherin, Potions Master

~

Miss Simmons,
    You have received an Exceeds Expectations on your latest exam. You will take Defence Against The Dark Arts with the year above you until your fourth year, at which point it is up to your teacher to decide what you will do.

Professor Severus Snape
Head of Slytherin, Potions Master

~

As the last weeks of summer passed by, Lilli found herself outside, wandering the fields and forests that surrounded her grandfather's house. She found plants and animals that she hadn't seen before, and she began drawing them. Her drawings weren't good, not at first, but she kept after it.

Soon she was drawing during her lunch breaks at St Mungo's, sketching the tired healers and patients. Occasionally, one of the healers-in-training, a girl by the name of Luciana Rossitto, would help her, pointing out shading mistakes or giving her a tip on how to make her lines more sure.

"Treat the pencil like it's a part of you," Luci told her, shifting her grip, "Like you would use your wand. It's two different types of magic, but it's still magic."

"Keep a drawing pad with you at all times. Sketch at every meal." Lilli looked up at her.

"Why?"

"You want to get better?" the younger girl nodded, "Then practice."

~

Lilli woke to the murmur of voices. She hadn't realised she'd fallen asleep, although she wasn't really surprised. Full moons always made her sleep poorly. She was startled by the fact others were in the same compartment.

"Sirius Black escaped to come after you? Oh, Harry... you'll have to be really, really careful. don't go looking for trouble, Harry..." A girl's voice murmured. Of course it was Harry and his friends, Lilli thought. Ever so slightly, she lifted her eyelids, peering at the other children.

Across from her was Uncle Remus. Against the door was Harry. Beside Lilli was Hermione, and next to her was Ron.

"How thick would Harry have to be, to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" said Ron shakily. Lilli winced. Uncle Remus had never really talked about Sirius, although she knew they were like brothers at Hogwarts.

"No one knows how he got out of Azkaban," said Ron uncomfortably. "No one's ever done it before. And he was a top-security prisoner too."

"But they'll catch him, won't they?" said Hermione earnestly. "I mean, they've got all the Muggles looking out for him too..."

"What's that noise?" said Ron suddenly.

A faint, tinny sort of whistle was coming from somewhere. Lilli closed her eyes again as the three of them looked around, trying to place where the sound was.

"It's coming from your trunk, Harry," said Ron, standing up and reaching into the luggage rack.

Lilli dared to peek again. A moment later he had pulled a Pocket Sneakoscope out from between Harry's robes. It was spinning very fast in the palm of Ron's hand and glowing brilliantly.

"Is that a Sneakoscope?" said Hermione interestedly, standing up for a better look.

"Yeah... mind you, it's a very cheap one," Ron said. "It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry." Lilli decided it was time to "wake up". She sat up straight, brushing loose hairs out of her face as she glanced at the teens.

"Hello. Sorry that we woke you," Hermione grinned sheepishly, "I'm Hermione. This is Harry and Ron."

"That's alright. I'm Lilli," the girl said, a small smile playing on her lips. She didn't notice Harry staring at her as she continued, "You may want to put that away, though. He's never happy when someone wakes him up." She nodded to Remus.

"How would you know?" Ron asked, sitting back.

"He's my godfather." Ron flushed as Lilli stood to reach her trunk. However, as Remus had been the one to put it up for her, she couldn't reach.

"Need some help?" Harry asked the girl, who looked over her shoulder at him.

"Yes, please. On the top should be a satchel. Could you pull it out for me?" He nodded, handing her the requested object as he sat back down. She gave him a smile, pulling out a worn copy of A Wrinkle In Time. She curled up, opening the pages and becoming absorbed with the story. Lilli blocked out the rest of their conversation. She barely stirred when Draco entered the compartment, and he frowned to see her in the same space as the Gryffindors. But when he began to say something, she sent him a look over the top of her book and he left.

~

Lilli left the compartment shortly after Draco to change into her robes. It was as she was returning that the train lurched to a stop. Doors opened up and down the corridor, trying to figure out what was going on. Lilli kept pushing past people, trying to get to her godfather.

All at once, the lights went out. A chorus of exclamations followed the lights, and people slunk back into their compartments. Lilli continued down the corridor, intent on reaching Remus because that was the one place she truly felt safe. And she was almost there.

But then she felt the cold. The bone-chilling, heart-aching, terrifying cold. And that feeling, like all the happiness in her was seeping away, leaving her empty inside. A rattling sound echoed behind her and she turned slowly, looking up, up, up, into the hooded face of a skeleton. Lilli tried to back away, but the thing reached out, gripping her chin to stare blankly into her eyes. At its touch, she passed out.