𝑨 𝑻𝑶𝑼𝑪𝑯 𝑶𝑭 𝑫𝑨𝑹𝑲𝑵𝑬𝑺𝑺

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟗: 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐇

ALTHOUGH LILITH COULD not initially remember the name to the place she still knew of its precise location. Severus had left Lilith to inform Dumbledore of this new information and Lilith had gone to meet Minerva for their trip into Hogsmeade. Now wasn't exactly the time to be wasting the hours in the day given the ferocity of events that had unfolded behind the curtains of Hogwarts but Lilith still had to act as though her life had not changed. Minerva was completely in the dark regarding all of this and so the accumulation of Lilith's disappearances and lack of teaching was bound to strike curiosity out of Minerva.

In the midst of everything Lilith had not even been able to appreciate her favourite month; she had missed the first fallen blanket of snow, she most certainly had no time for hot chocolate but her clothes however did change according to season. Snow crumbled under her movements and the cold air circled her body tauntingly to which she wished a certain potions professor could replace the coldness with his warmth.

"I thought maybe we could go to Gladrags Wizardwear since the Yule Ball is less than a few days away." Minerva spoke through the crumbling of the snow.

Lilith hadn't even considered going to the Yule Ball. She hadn't enjoyed it during her time as a student here at Hogwarts and so the prospect of it being different was prevalent in her mind. Besides, it felt wrong to be celebrating with evil being a mere fingertip away. Lilith had turned to Minerva about to disappointment the woman by telling her that she didn't want to attend the Yule Ball but the pleading face she was met with physically pulled on her heart strings. She mentally sighed.

"Of course." She defeatedly smiled. "Actually, there's somewhere I wanted to go first, I'll meet you at Gladrags in half an hour?"

"Lovely." Minerva beamed back. "And yes, yes of course dear, take your time."

Whilst departing from Minerva, Lilith turned for a final check waving the woman a temporary farewell before she headed to her destination. Within Hogsmeade there was a muggle shop full of muggle 'artefacts' - it was beautiful really, beautiful how an entire selection of people without a magical bone in their body were able to conjure up such extraordinary objects. Lilith liked to call it muggle magic. She wanted to buy simple gifts for all of her new friends at Hogwarts, nothing extensive, just something to show her appreciation.

Inside the shop she had already chosen gifts for Dumbledore and Minerva, also hesitantly choosing a gift for Lockhart. She now stood staring at her gift for Severus. It wouldn't be odd, would it? Giving him a present? No. The gift she had picked out was something he deserved, he needed to know that there was still so much good in his life even if he didn't think so. She hoped that this gift would allow him to see that for himself. Picking up the chosen item before she had the chance to argue with her own logic, she paid for her gifts and left to meet Minerva again.

"Minnie I am completely in acceptance of the fact that there is no dress here for me, now can we please leave." Lilith begged.

The two women had been in Gladrags for an unruly amount of time, trying on the assortment of dresses the shop had to offer. Customers had long since come and gone as the shop resided in an almost empty state. Minerva had picked up the first dress at hand and yet was so hellbent of finding the perfect dress for Lilith, which Lilith herself couldn't comprehend the reasoning behind.

"Lilith, can I ask you something personal?" Minerva imposed.

Lilith huffed from inside the changing room, taking off another dress that Minerva was in rejection of.
"I assume you're going to ask anyways, so is it really worth me putting up a fight?"

Minerva laughed at her response. "Smart girl." There was a pause in her words as she hesitated in broaching the subject.

"Where do you stand with Severus." Her choice of words had been refined, not wanting to overstep her boundaries.

"Depends where you're coming from. Approximately six steps away from each other near out living quarters but the distance between our classrooms is obviously much greater."

"Lilith. I'm serious." Lilith muttered a series of curse words under her breath in response.

"I heard that." Minerva tutted.

"You were supposed to." Lilith joked back. She opened the changing room curtain and sat on a small stool beside Minerva.

"Honestly Minnie, I don't know. We spent all this time hating each other and then suddenly we were acquaintances?" She shook her head not knowing the right word for it. Lilith hadn't even had this conversation with herself yet but she felt vulnerably comfortable speaking on the topic with Minerva.

"I think our connection has breached the spectrum of friendship numerous times." She turned to Minerva who was wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"You're disgusting." She chuckled. "Not like that."

"There's something between you both. Honestly the amount of times I've caught Severus looking at you in the Great Hall and then him turning his head once he's been caught."

Lilith blushed at the thought, partially because Severus had been caught staring at her and also because she had most certainly done the same thing with him one too many times before. There was a long pause in the conversation, Lilith half anticipating Minerva's next words.

"Do you want Severus?" She finally spoke, confirming all of Lilith's anticipation.

Lilith never knew what she wanted during dinners in the Great Hall, let alone whether or not she wanted a specific Potions Professor. The interrogation from Minerva had sent Lilith's mind into a frenzy, a battle of fight or flight. It was too much to question right now. Her eyes looked everywhere except at Minerva hoping that the world could just swallow her up whole. Her eyes continued to roam the room until she locked eyes with it. She stood up and walked over to a dress leaving Minerva in a state of confusion until she turned around to Lilith's direction; equally in awe at what Lilith was now bringing back over with her.

"If I wasn't at Pensioner's door I would have fought you for that." Minerva humoured as she rubbed her hands together in excitement. "Try it on."

Lilith stood rubbing the material between her fingers, looking at the beauty that had completely caught her off guard. She walked into the changing room, tugging the curtain across and changing out of her clothes once more. She raised her hands to put on the dress that slipped down like liquid silk, she watched the dress as it touched the brim of her ankle and was too afraid to look up into the mirror in front of her. Slowly she inhaled and lifted her head to stare back at her own reflection. The reflection that copied her own movements made her overwhelmed, it had been a long time since Lilith had felt any validation with her beauty. It was a subject that she was sensitive to and thus often ignored but this dress, it made her feel beautiful.

The dress itself was black and ankle length, with two thin straps holding the dress up. The majority of the beauty of the dress was with the intense black glitter that covered the dress entirely, each twirl and slightest of movements made the dress glisten as the light refracted on the glitter. It was simply stunning. Simply perfect. She tugged back the curtain and walked out revealing herself to Minerva who gasped at the sight.

"Oh Lilith, you look beautiful." she spoke breathlessly as she held her hands in front of her mouth.

Amongst both of their adoration towards the dress, neither one had noticed the shop door chime open and in fly Fawkes, Dumbledore's companion, who dropped a small piece of parchment onto Minerva's lap.

"Thank you, Fawkes." Minerva said as she gently patted the head of the phoenix who then flew away. Minerva opened the letter reading its contents, her face contorting into a look of concern. She handed the paper over to Lilith, who worriedly looked down scanning its contents.

'Lilith please come to my office as soon as possible.
Strictly important and can not be postponed. Regarding DH.
- Dumbledore'

DH. Deathly Hallows.

"Minnie, I'm so sorry I have to leave." She quickly entered the changing room again and hurriedly took off the dress and put back on her own clothes. She placed the dress back on it's hanger and left it beside Minerva as she pecked her cheek as an apology.

"I'll see you later."

Lilith flew through the door leaving behind both Minerva and the dress that she had been admiring just moments ago.