"You two be careful with them. They aren't as dangerous as people think but they will bite your fingers off if you aren't paying enough attention." Professor Ross took a few steps back and watched as Lilith and Cassandra approached the Thestrals, both of whom pulled out the slabs of meat from their individual buckets. The Ravenclaw blonde approached them without a care in the world and presented her slab of meat to the nearest Thestral, who snatched it out of her hands quickly. Lilith approached the other one in the next stall, its pupiless white eyes staring at her. She swallowed nervously as the creature smelled the meat in her palm, before it proceeded to smell her hair. Lilith froze as it seemed to lean out towards her, before it started rubbing its head against her cheek, eventually taking her offering of food. The Professor came forward and caressed the head of the Thestral, even as Lilith felt his gaze on her. She wondered for a second if the man really had an enchanted eye hidden beneath the eyepatch. She wouldn't put it past Theseus, as he was known to be just as paranoid as the rest of the Dark Creature Hunters. Maybe he was less interested in advertising that fact, unlike Mad Eye. Now that was a man who didn't care about how he looked, as long as he took down Death Eaters.
"Easy there, Exu." Lilith blinked. "Exu? As in the Brazilian name for a Yoruba Deity?" Theseus chuckled. "I thought you might know that name. From what I remember Nicholas was quite the scholar, trying to find ties between the entities of the world and magical phenomena." Lilith provided another slab of meat to Exu, with the Thestral chopping down on it quickly. "Father wanted to see if there were families like ours on every continent, people who dedicated their lives to understanding and interacting with the Darker Creatures of our world. He had planned to extend our influence further, building a network of keepers of the Dark. Unfortunately, Grindelwald stopped that dream from ever happening." The Professor pulled back and turned towards. "A shame, really. I certainly look forward to hearing if you decide to follow in his footsteps in that regard as I could see much of the world's misconceptions about Dark Creatures dispelled. I am also sorry about how both your parents were taken from this world. Nicholas was a good man, like his father." Lilith blushed a little. "I heard that Grandfather and you had an argument, that it was the reason you never returned to the Schwarzwald Estate." The aging Professor nodded. "Aye, I will admit that I made a mistake, one I have paid for dearly in the years since. Still, despite that, I always respected your family and it is good to see you handling yourself as a von Schwarzwald should. I will let you two handle feeding the rest while I go get the carriages." Lilith followed with her eyes the retreating form of the professor, before feeding the Thestral another slab of meat.
"He knows but he won't say anything, just like the Thestrals. It's not their place to judge." Lilith sighed, before looking at her friend as she stroked the head of one of the creatures, wondering if she could see them as a Seer, or if perhaps she had seen someone die through her sight, or worse yet if she had someone die right in front of her eyes, despite her attempt to change their fate. Lilith turned to the next Thestral in the stalls, feeding it, unwilling to bring that subject up, though more to keep quiet as to the reasons the Thestrals now seem more interested in her. That Tom was able to figure out that she had killed someone from just a few glances at her spoke greatly about the boy's intelligence and deductive skills, which did make her wonder how such a smart person was foolish enough to split their soul. Had it been fear of something more concrete than just death or did he make a mistake? Lilith prayed that she never found out, though she feared that it could still eventually rear its ugly head. In her heart, she didn't want to lose the young man she had found within Slytherin. Lilith quite liked the more sane and controlled Tom in her class, though she could see traces of the man he could still become. His curiosity over what it felt to take a life and that flash of anger when she tried to deny him what he wanted were very much akin to what she saw in the final days of the war. Lilith could only hope that her confession and genuine description of what killing felt like would help him become better grounded, and not lead him to become a butcher once more.
"Has your uncle warned you about what his actions in the Wizengamot might result in?" Cassandra paused for a moment, tilting her head to the side, as if hearing something in the moment, though Lilith saw and heard nothing but the neighing of the Thestrals as they called out for more food. "He did. Grandmother and I knew as much. You don't have to worry about me, though. I will be fine." Lilith moved closer to her friend. "Are you sure? Valerio doesn't strike me as the type to leave things well enough alone. After all the losses to his position, let alone his father's growing frustration, he will look for a way to better his position in Slytherin and the Rosier family as a whole, or to at least try and intimidate and shame his enemies. You are a clear target, after the Minister blocked Lord Rosier from delaying the vote any further, not to mention that you and I are friends." Cassandra nodded. "I know but there are things that can't be prevented, even by your best intentions, Lily. All I can tell you is that I will be fine and that you don't need to worry too much. Someone else will be looking after me." Lilith sighed. "Alright, but please be careful… Cassie." The blonde blushed softly at Lilith's use of a nickname, before they both resumed their job of feeding the Thestrals, as the Professor returned. The two left after helping him attach the carriages to the now satiated creatures, before returning to the castle.
-✦-
"Riddle." Tom stopped writing his Dueling written assignment, making sure to not spill a drop onto the parchment, before placing the quill to the side. He looked up across the table in the Hogwarts Library and stared at Alphard Black, feeling a bit tense. It was unusual for odd members of the Black family to approach Tom out of the few times when they were required to be near each other, though it was usually Alphard that started the interactions in the first place. The boy's eyes looked over Tom quickly before he gave him a soft smile. "Did you finish Merrythought's assignment on Erlkings?" Tom nodded. "I did, though I might have gone a bit over the requested limit." Alphard chuckled as he sat down. "Not surprised. That's what happens when the Professor talks about an Austrian Dark Creature with an Austrian Dark Witch in the class. The amount of information in von Schwarzwald's head is terrifying at times. I had trouble keeping track of everything. Think you could help me out with my assignment? Not for free, of course." Alphard revealed a few galleons in his hand and Tom sighed, storing his Dueling assignment away. He pulled out his Defence notebook and opened into the relevant pages. "Sure." Alphard joined him on his side of the table and pulled out his own assignment, as the two went over the particulars of the creature.
Everyone who had paid attention knew that the moment Merrythought started the discussion on the creatures, Lilith would be asked about them. What the class got was one hell of a lecture, including the fact that there are two variants of the Erlkings, something that according to Lilith, was due in part to mistranslations and misunderstandings between the Germanic and Danish communities. The Erlking as discussed in the Defence textbook is based on the Germanic variant found within the forests of Germany and Austria. Lilith's description was so in depth that one of the Gryffindors, Minerva McGonagall, had asked if she had seen one herself. Lilith had looked across the classroom at the studious Gryffindor. "I have. I also saw what the creatures do to the children who are unfortunate enough to fall prey to them. Though they resemble elves in appearance, you can tell them apart by their eyes, which look sunken in and are far less kind. Their nature is to lie and coerce, to draw in those foolish enough to wander in the forests at dusk. These creatures of the Unseelie Court will take the children into the woods and torture them for days, though if a child is about to be rescued by the community, they are petty enough to kill them outright. Like Dementors, these creatures feed on the pain and misery of the living. The variant of the Scandinavians is similar, though these prey exclusively on the adults. They are closer to incubi and succubi in nature. Some even suspect that they and the Germanic Mara are…"
The rest of the class went into a discussion about the spells that were used to discover if an Erlking was near, as well as those that worked against them offensively. Merrythought made it clear that standard Revelio spells did work, as well as stunners and binding charms. Lilith pointed out that spells with a wider area of effect were more efficient, as the creatures were small, nimble and fast. The assignment had been to cover what other spells could be used to both uncover the location of an Erlking and incapacitate it, with a focus on the Germanic variant, as the Scandinavian variant was less likely to be countered by conventional means as it was closer to a Bogart and a Poltergeist than a physical creature. Tom had still researched how to deal with those creatures regardless, as the Castle was home to one Poltergeist and was frequented by Bogarts. Best to be prepared and all. As the two went over the lists of spells, Tom began to notice that Alphard wasn't as surprised by his more obscure choices of spells or his less conventional counter. While a wide area Banishing Spell had been commented on and demonstrated by the professor in class, with the next class being dedicated to how to cast the spell and its counter, Tom chose to focus on other aspects of the creature's weaknesses to single out. As a creature of the Unseelie Court, something that most students just dismissed from Lilith's explanation, the Erlking was also vulnerable to certain physical elements. Like Iron.
Alphard, however, had a greater focus on what forms of magic could be applied, including the use of wards as both a means of containment and prevention. As they went over a few of his ward choices, Tom kept eying the oddest member of the Black family, which Alphard noticed. "What?" Tom narrowed his eyes. "Did you really need my assistance with this or was there another reason you wanted to talk to me?" Alphard's face slowly shifted, revealing a knowing smile, as a ward activated around them. "Not bad, Riddle. Still, it works as a cover, right? Seeing as to how often Nott and Malfoy approach you with galleons in their hands, it does make anyone approaching in a similar manner less suspicious to you, or to other watchful eyes." Tom closed his eyes and counted to ten. "What do you want from me?" Alphard hummed to himself as he rested his chin on his propped up hand. "What, I can't have an excuse to get closer to you and your lovely blue eyes? Though they were nicer a few moments ago." Tom clenched his hand and Alphard sighed, realising that his fun was over. "In all fairness, I wanted to know where you fell into all this. The chaos with Rosier, Malfoy's father trying to make a stronger claim among the Dark faction. Not to mention the reason why you and von Schwarzwald seem to get along so well. Though I can say that the latter has done wonders for you." Tom blinked at Alphard as he relaxed his hand. "What do you mean?"
The curly haired Black smiled at Tom. "You have been able to relax more this term. It suits you better than whenever you try to maintain that empty smile of yours or when you get angry like earlier. It certainly does make you more appealing to the ladies, though most are keeping their distance from you because of Lilith. If she can take out Rosier the way she did at the start of term, no one wants to know what she might do to someone getting close to you." Tom grumbled. "Yeah, well, it's not working on you, is it?" Alphard chuckled. "Of course not, because I know her. I would have to do something real stupid to get on her bad side. Still, it makes me curious… about what exactly it is about her that makes you relax so much." Tom scrunched his brow. "I… don't know." Alphard smiled knowingly at him, "I believe you. Still, I am being truthful. You have gotten better this year and if it's thanks to her then don't be a moron and ruin it. I am sure that you have guessed by now that she is a relative of ours. Cygnus and Walburga won't do much about it right now as they haven't gotten the chance to know her all that well, but Lucretia and I will. Don't hurt her, Riddle. Now then, care to share where you stand on Rosier?" Tom was silent for a moment, trying to determine exactly why Alphar was asking, considering his own distance from the Black Family politics. Perhaps there was more to the boy than he initially considered.
"I will admit…I had been hoping to strengthen my position in Slytherin and had considered approaching him and his supporters, but after his quick decline, I thought better of it. Pretty sure Malfoy and Nott are in agreement and are also keeping their distance, especially now as everyone seems to be expecting something to happen." Alphard pursed his lips. "Well… I am glad to hear about your choices, as well as theirs, but I am also concerned about Rosier's potential retaliation or show of force. I know that it's not my place but please, for Lilith's sake and that of her friends, keep your eyes and ears open. Even if you can't act overtly, try to help them out if something were to happen. My attention, unfortunately, needs to be on Orion and Walburga, especially as the Travers and Goyle Heirs, and their relations, have taken an unpleasant interest in my sister. I can't say that House Black would repay the kindness, but I would seek to repay it personally." Tom stared at the handsome boy, feeling the growing dread from the last few weeks deepen, and simply nodded at him in silence. Alphard dropped the wards, packed his bags and thanked him for his help, leaving behind a few Galleons on the table. Tom looked them over in his hand, running through everything Alphard had said. He left the Library soon after, his mind deep in thought on how he should proceed.
-✦-
Cassandra eyed the corridors carefully as she and Myrtle discussed the latest Divination class. "Do you think it actually means something? The whole Death Omen in my tea cup thing?" Cassandra looked at her friend and sighed. When they had first met, she had gotten a glimpse of what the brunette's future would have been like. She saw her being bullied and made fun of, treated as no better than a bastard daughter despite having no relations at all in the Magical World. It had pained her so much to see that fate that she broke the rules around how Seers should behave and befriended her. Unfortunately, that meant that Cassandra had also caught a brief glimpse as to a possible death of Myrtle's, one of a quick and sudden end in a most vulnerable moment at the hands of a large serpent, but said vision had grown blurred. The events surrounding her friend's possible end were now in flux and it both delighted and worried the young Seer. Her grandmother was still telling her to break away from her before she got hurt but Cassandra refused to listen to her. Her decision felt even more right when Lily started doing the same for Myrtle, inviting her into discussions on Charms and History.
Lily had been such an odd person for Cassie to find. Where most people had echoes of future events around them, Lily felt like a storm. Cassie could catch stray events surrounding her newest friend whenever they dealt with events beyond her control, but aside from those, the redhead's future was like a void. She had thought about telling her Grandmother about her but she didn't want another lesson in how Seers needed to be impartial, to walk the line of knowing what was to come and not doing anything about it. Cassie had hated that rule from the moment she watched a little boy die when she bumped into his shoulder in Diagon Alley. She had begged her Grandmother to tell the family to keep him out of the street on the boy's birthday. The Dowager Moon told her that she couldn't because no one would believe her. The boy's photo in the Daily Prophet, describing his death in an automobile accident on the road near his home, had broken Cassandra's heart. She knew then that her gift was more than that. It was a curse too. To see the suffering of so many people and to catch glimpses of their final moments… Why would Magic give her such a talent if she couldn't do anything about it?
That was the reason she loved spending time with Lily. The odd girl with echoes of two lives actually took Cassandra's words seriously and instead of telling her to be detached, the girl just told her that maybe the best option was to bring a little more happiness into the world around her. Cassie loved that positive attitude and embraced it, hoping that she could help out her friend from Slytherin with her own pain. Because there was so much of it. She had never seen Magic treat a person so poorly, literally tearing apart a witch just because of who she was and what she did. Cassie could guess as to where Lily came from, especially when the glimpses of her friend's past matched those of possible futures she had seen in others, especially in and around the Deputy Headmaster, whose presence alone made goosebumps rise all over Cassandra's body. Professor Dumbledore had never been a favorite of hers. The moment she met him, Cassie knew he was very much like her Grandmother; cold, detached and only pretending to care for the wellbeing of others, though her grandmother at least cared for her family. He cared alright, as long as that person's path matched his own expectations of them. He had dismissed her quickly as she wasn't interested in following her uncle's footsteps into politics and Cassandra was happy enough to keep her distance. Shaking her head, she wondered why he treated those with Dark affinities so poorly. The way Dumbledore treated Lily and Tom was never going to bring anything but pain to others. At least Lily knew that and was doing something about it.
Tom was another person that she had difficulty being near, at least in the past. She had bumped into him once in the corridors and was wracked by images of death. Except they weren't visions of his death, but of others, many painful and sickening to behold. She knew then that the boy's future was a dark and terrible one, but like with Myrtle, there was nothing that she could do. The boy hadn't done anything wrong, she could feel that too, meaning that even if she warned him, it would be pointless, as the reasons behind the shift in his behaviour were yet to be made manifest. Oddly enough, however, she could feel a similar shifting current around him too, not that different from Lilith's. With his, however, it felt less unstable. She had briefly considered bumping into him again and seeing if anything had changed, but had thought against it. Even a Seer knew better than to look into future events too closely, lest they made them manifest by the very act of perceiving them. Letting the future and events unfold wasn't always a Seer's choice, but when they could choose to do so, all would steer clear and let matters resolve themselves. The worst visions were about the Seers themselves. Those were hard to know how a Seer should act and it left even the most wise uneasy.
Seeing the concern on Myrtle's face, concern that was over her own experiences concerning fate in Divination, Cassandra tried to give her friend a reassuring smile. "I don't know. Death Omens are hard to understand because Death and Fate are seen as distinct entities. What Fate decides isn't always what Death approves of and even then, you have a hand in what your future will be like as well. In a way, a Death Omen is like a soothsayer telling you that you will die one day. Since we aren't immortal, it's bound to happen. The Omens never come with a date on them so there is no way of being sure as to why you have it. Besides, it doesn't mean you shouldn't have any fun while you are still alive, right?" Myrtle smiled softly. "I guess not. By the way, do you think we can meet over the summer in Diagon Alley with Lilith? I would love to introduce you to my parents! I told them all about you two when I was back home for the Holidays. My little brother kept teasing me about my friends being imagined and all." Cassandra nodded. "Sure! If Lily isn't too busy with her family's responsibilities, I am sure she could make some time for us." Myrtle clapped her hands together. "That's great! Dad's been so busy working in the House of Parliament that he hasn't been able to relax at all. With the war still going on and the Prime Minister keeping the government running, it hasn't been easy for him."
Cassandra nodded before flincing slightly. The glympse she just got of the near future blinding her momentarily. Assimilating as much of the vision as she could, she turned to her friend and gave her a sheepish smile. "Say, I left a copy of a Divination book that deals with Death Omens on my bed in the Dorms. Think you can go grab it for me while I go looking for Lily? You can ask her about this summer before we start working on the History assignment. You know how Lily gets when it comes to Binns and his use of "A History of Magic."" Myrtle looked at Cassandra oddly. "No, it's fine. I trust you about the Death Omen thing. Besides, I don't want to make Lily any more mad. She seems to hate Divination." With what Cassandra saw of Lily's past and how twisted it had all become, she was certain that her hate of Divination was warranted. The fact she still had no problems being friends with a Seer showed Cassie just how divorced the study was from the practice, at least in her time period. "Still, I am sure it would be better for any doubts to be cleared up." Myrtle made no moves to change directions and Cassandra started to worry. "Myrtle, please, just go. NOW!" Her friend turned to her, surprised at her tone of voice, but it was too late. The last thing Cassandra saw were two bright flashes of red light before her world went dark.
-✦-
Lilith was seated with Orion and his group of first years in the Hogwarts Library going over their Defence homework on Ghosts and Poltergeists, especially on which spells could actually affect the spiritual entities, when a Ravenclaw first year came running towards her. "Miss von Schwarzwald! Some Slytherins attacked Miss Moon and her friend. They were on their way here from their Divination class!" Lilith stared at the kid for a second before she pushed her seat back and stood up. "You four stay here." The kids nodded as Lilith rushed to Madam Bulstrode and passed on the information, with the Librarian sending word to the Headmaster, as Lilith rushed out of the Library. Running through the fourth floor corridor towards the nearest staircase leading up into the fifth floor, she briefly paused in front of one of the Hogwarts Emblem plaques on the wall. Making sure no one was watching her, even under disillusionment, she pressed a bloodied finger on the Slytherin emblem and whispered in Parseltongue. ~" Oh Castle most Ancient, reveal to me the location of the two girls I seek to protect. "~ Guessing that the other girl in question was Myrtle, she kept the image and magical presences of both in her mind as the Castle's wards coiled around her, testing her attempt to gain temporary access. Like the Peverell Cloak, the Castle was able to identify her as a possible Slytherin Heir and gave her a brief connection to the wards.
A disembodied image of the fifth floor showed the girls being pulled towards an abandoned classroom as a third Slytherin that looked a lot like Rosier walked away in another direction. Lilith cursed under her breath as she broke the connection to the wards and vanished all trace of her blood. As she reached the fifth floor corridor after taking the staircase, Lilith dug into her robes pockets and pulled out a disc made of stone. While Lilith was more interested in a more advanced version of enchantments and magic, her experiments, other than the record player, had yet to bear much success. In order to keep her options open, she had tested a few runic arrays on discs that could replicate what she had set up in the Slytherin Common Room. These arrays lacked the intent aspect of the ward and had to be manually triggered but they should still draw energy from the Hogwarts wards into the discs to power them and hopefully immobilize the target. Lilith briefly touched her wand but the sudden flash of pain from the way it interacted with her fingers told her that today was not a good day to try her luck. She would have to make do. Still, better safe than sorry. Feeling a massive drain on her magic, she allowed a corporeal Patronus to form wandlessly. The Winged Serpent coiled around her arm as Lilith fought back the need to speak to it in Parseltongue. "Two Slytherins attacked two Ravenclaws on the Fifth Floor, dragging them into a room, second corridor away from the staircase near Doge's office. Please hurry!"
With the Patronus on its way to Slughorn, Lilith checked the intersection and found no one guarding it, though she found a faint echo of a disillusionment charm. Seeing nothing of concern, she approached the door and tried to open it. Finding it locked, Lilith held a disc in her right hand as she pressed her left palm against the door. Drawing on her Magic, Lilith bit her lip as it struggled to answer her summons. The spell she was using wasn't the most subtle but she needed to catch the people inside by surprise. It was a good thing the door wasn't warded by the Castle, or she would never try the spell in the first place. Feeling that she had enough magic gathered, a panting Lilith closed her eyes. " Perrumpo Expugnatio! " The siege engine spell impacted the door with enough force to actually shatter it into splinters, the force almost throwing Lilith back but she braced herself against the impact. Her eyes quickly swept the room as her vision turned clear, her blood instantly turning hot at what she saw. One of the boys had Myrtle draped over a table, torn bits of cloth scattered around as the other held Cassandra from behind, his wand pointed at Cassie's throat as he seemed to be forcing her to watch. Moving quickly into the chaos that her spell caused, Lilith threw the disc towards Cassandra and what looked like Travers, activating the array as it left her hand, before rushing forward and grabbing the other student by his neck.
Pulling him back and away from an exposed Myrtle, Lilith didn't hesitate. She smashed her boot into the back of the boy's knee, hearing a noticeable crunch before he howled in pain, as they both collapsed onto the floor, where Lilith grabbed the kid's head with both her hands and smashed it hard on the ground, though not enough to crack his skull. Lilith then turned quickly to the two bodies lying on the floor from the ward disc, the strong magical force keeping both pinned down, not wishing to force her friend to endure much longer under the effects of the enchantment. As the ward used her magic as a catalyst, Lilith was able to pull the wand out of Travers' hand without being affected by the disc's magic, before she grabbed Travers' head. The moment she disabled the ward she raised his head up and slammed it back down hard, knocking him out instantly. Breathing heavily from the exertion, Lilith started helping a grateful Cassandra to stand, before catching the Ravenclaw looking over her shoulder and seeing her silver eyes widen. Raising her hand to shield Cassandra, Lilith briefly saw the light of a red spell before she felt the impact. Her entire body was suddenly wracked with a familiar pain that she remembered from her seventh year as Lillian, as the Carrows were "teaching" the Unforgivables to the students. Lillian had refused to cast the spell on one of her classmates and the Professors made an example of her.
Finding the spell to be nowhere near as bad now, especially when compared to the nights that kept her screaming in pain as her magics rebelled against her, Lilith turned towards the Slytherin on the ground, who was holding his wand in her direction as he tried to stem the flow of blood from his broken nose. Fighting through the pain, she rushed towards him, surprising the boy with how ineffective his spell was, before her boot impacted his jaw, his body now falling limp completely. Breathing heavily, Lilith held herself up by reclining her side against the table that Myrtle had been on, the Ravenclaw brunette covering herself as much as possible as Cassandra came to her side. The blonde wrapped her own robe around the girl as she started to shake, before she rushed into Cassandra's arms, crying. "By the Gods!" At the sound of another person's voice, Lilith turned slightly and looked at the three Professors standing by the door, all looking stunned at the situation. She gave Headmaster Dippet a smile before looking at the Ravenclaw Head of House. "Professor Greengrass, do you mind taking your two students to the Hospital Wing and calling the DMLE? I can't say that I am in any position to get my friends there myself." Lilith dropped to the ground beside the table, her vision narrowing as the Headmaster and her Head of House tried to catch her. The sudden impact of her head against stone reminded Lilith that Karma was real and that she was very much a bitch.
-✦-
"You and your Aurors are allowed to interview the patients but unless you charge them with any crime, the moment they want the interviews to end, they will end. You understand me, Head Auror Shafiq?" Lilith heard a deep sigh from behind her privacy screen as Madam Prewett looked at her injuries. "Very well, Headmaster Dippet. Based on your initial assessment, we are prepared to hold Mr Travers and Mr Rowle in DMLE custody as soon as your Healer releases them. However, I don't have to tell you that this matter will get political quickly. Auror Potter, please interview Miss von Schwarzwald. I will handle the other two as soon as the Mind Healers arrive, not to mention Miss Moon's Family solicitor and her parents. Document everything by the book. This will probably turn into a shitstorm and we don't need to get drawn into it by doing sloppy work." Lilith's eyes widened as her heart started beating wildly, when she heard the cool and collected voice of a woman. "Trust me Kashif, I know how bad this can turn into. If you will excuse me." The privacy screen surrounding Lilith's bed was pulled open and a woman with piercing brown eyes and long brown hair tied in a braid looked between Lilith and the Healer.
Madam Prewett stood up and approached the Auror. "Take it easy on her, Euphemia. She took a nasty hit to the head and is still magically exhausted. She also suffers from a magical condition that she would like to be kept off the record. You can check with me about it but you are not to add it to your report or this is the last time I let you interview a patient of mine. Got it?" Euphemia nodded. "I understand, Teresa." Lilith spoke up. "Any time a spell would have seemed like a better idea on my part, but I didn't use any, is because of said condition preventing me from doing so." Those brown eyes locked onto Lilith's. "Right, that is going to complicate things. Teresa, if you would." The Healer closed the privacy screen and activated the spells that came with it, before she sat beside her patient. Euphemia pulled open her red robes and took a seat, before pulling out a dicta quill and a piece of expanding parchment. "This is Euphemia Potter, Auror, interviewing Miss Lilith von Schwarzwald-" Lilith decided to interrupt her. "That would be Lady or Frau von Schwarzwald. Your British laws recognize that I have the right to my family title as a refugee and not a naturalized citizen."
Euphemia raised an eyebrow but continued. "Right. Lady von Schwarzwald, fifteen years of age and currently studying at Hogwarts as a fourth year. In attendance is Teresa Prewett, acting as In Loco Parentis and Miss von Schwarzwald's healer. Interview concerning the events that occured on January 21st 1942 on the fifth floor of Hogwarts Castle. Lady von Schwarzwald, please go over the events about the assaults as far as you know them. No detail is too small or insignificant, so please, don't hesitate to speak your mind." Lilith swallowed and repeated as much of the events as she could freely describe, all the while trying to control her emotions. Siting before her was her Grandmother, who had to be a recent graduate of the Castle. Lilith had initially wondered why she hadn't been at the school, but then again she had never been able to find much info on the former McKinnon, as both the Potter and McKinnon Manors in her time had been destroyed. What little she knew of Euphemia was what Sirius would tell her about the woman who treated him as a second son, and what little Alexander knew and sent her way after the start of term. Sirius and Euphemia had apparently met thanks to Dorea and Euphemia being quite close to each other as sisters-in-law. When Dorea passed on, Euphemia kept a close eye on her sister's favorite great nephew and didn't hesitate to take him in when he ran away from Grimmauld in the summer before his fifth year.
Her Godfather's description had obviously been of Euphemia as a mother. This younger version of her grandmother was a lot more intense, doing her best to find all possible bits of information that could clear up any missing details. Lilith, unfortunately, couldn't say that Rosier was involved, as she would be forced to reveal as to how she was able to see the students through the wards. She also didn't want to draw attention to the kid that rushed in and told her of the attack. As a Ravenclaw student, he wouldn't have much protection from Rosier if the schwine went after the kid. She did mention she was in the Library and that Madam Bulstroude could verify it, wishing to keep Orion and his friends out of trouble too. Euphemia seemed to understand when Lilith mentioned they were far too young to be involved in this mess. "The solicitors for the two boys you incapacitated will question as to why you went for physical attacks rather than magic." Lilith smiled at her. "I believe the Hogwarts Charter mentions that using magic in the hallways is forbidden without adult supervision." Euphemia looked Lilith right in the eyes. "And yet, you destroyed the door with a spell." Lilith shrugged. "A door is one thing, a student is another. Besides, I think the use of the Cruciatus Curse makes his crime far more serious than my use of the floor as an anesthetic."
Teresa's snort made Euphemia smile slightly. "That it does. Do you have the documentation to confirm the use of a Cruciatus Curse on your patient, Healer Prewett?" The madam nodded. "I did and it was signed and verified by my assistant. I have called for a Senior Healer from St. Mungos to arrive and confirm my diagnosis. As the damage caused by the curse can't be reversed by anything but time, there is no way to hide the results and Miss von Schwarzwald won't be leaving the Hospital Wing until the verification is completed." Euphemia nodded as she took the dictaquill and stored it and the dried parchment away into a pocket within her robes. "Teresa, let's go into your office so you can fill me in on this condition of your patient. I promise that it won't go into my report, I just need to be certain it won't be an issue with the medical results or the investigation." Lilith sighed and remained in the Hospital Wing until the Healers arrived from St. Mungos. So as to not influence the testimonies, Lilith wasn't allowed to talk to either Cassandra or Myrtle, the latter apparently suffering from shock after the older student almost raped her. Lilith was already planning to contact her friend's family by owl. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement wasn't known for doing a good job of informing the parents of Muggleborns, even in this era.
After being released, Lilith made her way to the Slytherin Common Room, when she felt a familiar shadow coming up from behind. "How stable was it, your Disillusionment spell? It was only effective when you stood still, wasn't it?" Tom moved up a little bit closer. "I don't know what you are talking about, Miss von Schwarzwald." Lilith gave Tom a smirk. "Of course you don't, Herr Riddle. I assume you don't know anything about a young Ravenclaw first year that knew exactly how to describe where the attack took place?" Tom smirked back. "Of course not." Lilith hummed to herself as she slowed down, before reaching up and gently squeezing Tom's upper arm. "Danke, Herr Riddle." Tom nodded softly as he moved further back, before Lilith entered the Common Room. She could feel quite a few eyes on her and she knew that her actions today would have repercussions. She didn't care what they said about her House loyalty. Cassandra and Myrtle were her friends and she would protect them, even from her housemates. As she reinforced her wards, Lilith fought through the effects of the Cruciatus Curse and the building episode as her Magic had gone through quite the workout to pen two letters. One was on its way to Alexander, while the other was to her Solicitor. She sent both through the latter's letterbox, before giving in to the pain as she collapsed onto the bed. Lilith did smile though, at the thought of the coming Wizengamot Trial, even as arcs of red and green magic raced across her skin. It might not be Rosier on the stand, but a little chaos would be good for the Lords and Ladies. They had been complacent enough as it was.