WILD & WICKED / © yllwjckts
004 ⸻ No Rest for the Wicked

"You were born reaching for your mother's hands
Victim of your father's plans to rule the world
Too afraid to step outside
Paranoid and petrified of what you've heard"

— "Blue", Billie Eilish

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───

August 18th, 1628 ✦ East Lothain, Scotland

A scream danced atop Lux's tongue, a shout she could not emit no matter how hard she tried. Her vocal cords had long since gone raw, rubbed down to the bone with the shouting she'd attempted to project, only for them to come out in whispered howls, so quiet even those inches away from her would be unable to hear.

Even so, she would not go down without a fight.

"Please!" She cried, begged, yanked against the restraints holding her in place like a rabid animal they were preparing to put down. Her teeth, at this point in time, had not grown to the sharp points they now were, her skin not yet vulnerable to the sun and her harsh rays. No, Lux Erzsebet was prey in this scenario, the repeat of a memory that had played over and over in her mind, a record stuck on an endless loop.

She could never escape, not the dream nor the bonds that held her tight. Bonds that prevented her from bursting into flight, from running into the forest and never returning.

Little did she know at the time, monsters worse than the humans who snarled and jeered at her were located in that very forest, watching her with a keen curiosity, waiting to see her turn from human to beast, be rebirthed as she went from flames to ash to flesh once more.

The crowd grew larger as she was dragged along, those ropes digging into her hard enough to rub her skin raw, with the faintest trails of blood dripping down to the cobblestone she teetered upon.

Even in the distance, she could smell it. The smoke, the flames, the weapon that would be her undoing.

Struggling at her bonds once more, she attempted one final scream of protest, though the sinking in her heart told her it would be a fruitless endeavor. But when her lips parted and she pressed all the air out of her lungs, she found she could, in fact, scream.

And so she did, screaming her cries and pleas and begging for one more chance, for her life to not be taken from her, and if they must do so, not as cruelly as it was clearly intended to be. But as the air in her lungs waned, a voice echoed in her mind.

"Lux..."

Her mother's, it was impossible to mistake her for anyone else. Mary Erzsebet, she was calling her name, reaching out for her. She was here to save Lux from the pyre, from the flames, from her own mistakes.

"Lux!" The voice repeated, though this time her mother's voice was replaced with something unfamiliar, unrecognizable. Perhaps she'd heard it somewhere, but in the depths of her mind, she could only crave what had just been the soft, calming tone of Mary Erzsebet.

"Lux!"

Her eyes shot open, frantically searching the darkness she was engulfed in for the source of what had woken her, and when they settled on the frame hovering above her, she nearly screamed once again. The only thing that managed to settle the shout rumbling in her throat was the observation of the figure's long hair, settling something in her. It wasn't Philip, it was...

"Lily?"

Lily Evans let out a gentle breath of relief, an anxious smile scribbled onto her expression. "Good Merlin, you're awake. I've been trying to wake you for a few minutes now. You were screaming bloody murder."

"Was I?" Lux gulped, pushing herself up into a sitting position as soon as she regained full mobility in her body. Dead heart beating too fast, she glanced over at the beds that the three other roommates would be curled up in, to find all of them were awake as well, tossing and turning beneath their blankets. "Did I wake you all?"

"A bit," Marlene admitted from her position beneath the covers, her voice thick with exhaustion. "Thought you were being stabbed or something."

Lux's teeth found her bottom lip, and bit down, attempting to banish the remnants of the memory that had flashed before her. "Sorry. I was...it was a bad dream. Go back to sleep."

Mary murmured something under her breath, a jumbled up array of words that Lux couldn't quite comprehend, before turning over on her side and promptly reducing back into her gentle snores. Marlene and Dorcas followed suit, both drifting off to sleep within moments, but Lily remained stationed beside Lux's bed, eyeing her up and down.

"Can I sit down?" She whispered, voice low as to not wake the other three girls once again.

Lux frowned. "Sit? As in...here?"

She nodded.

For a long moment, there was silence, filled only by the sounds of the three girl's snores, and Lily's ever quiet breathing.

Eventually, and though she was not sure what compelled her to, Lux conceded, sliding across her bed to make room for Lily to sit. "If you wish."

The redhead beamed as she took her place beside Lux, green eyes alight as she sat atop the mattress, pulling the blankets over her legs until they were aligned with Lux's position. "Bad dream, yeah?"

She said nothing in response, her eyes fixed in front of her, gaze burning invisible holes into the door. She could flee if she must, run away to avoid such a conversation. Sleep in the common room. Avoid her in classes, never face Lily Evans again.

But instead, she grit her teeth, clenched her fists, and exhaled a breath. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Don't be sorry, that's a silly thing to apologize for," Lily chastised. "Do you want to talk about your dream?"

She remained quiet, not a word escaping her firmly shut lips.

"I get bad dreams too," she continued at the silence Lux offered. "Awful ones. My sister, she always complained about me waking her up with shouting too, but I started some muggle medication that helps. Maybe you'd like to try it? I have loads of extra."

Lux's narrowed her gaze at Lily, searching her green eyes for any malicious intent. Though none came up, she didn't determine that as a sign of Lily's innocence. Instead, it simply showed that this girl was better at hiding her intentions. "I'd rather not."

"Not a fan of muggle stuff then? Can't blame you there. It's always hit or miss," she laughed softly, a sort of siren song that seemed capable of luring the minds of even the most hardened of men to her trap. But Lux was no man, no mortal. No, she was stronger than mere men, and she would not be fooled by Lily and her pleasantries.

So, she kept her mouth shut, in hopes that perhaps, if she tried hard enough, she could ice Lily out. Her silence could get her to back off, slink back to her own bed and forget that Lux existed.

But if this Lily woman was anything, it was clueless. Perhaps, Lux thought, she wasn't out to get her, didn't have bad intentions, but instead simply did not understand social cues. "Do you have any siblings? And a mother? Or is it just you and Professor Ingelger?"

"It's just us." It wasn't technically a lie, the answer that Lux muttered. Her siblings were long dead, and unlike her mother, the faces of Elijah, Matilda and Anne had merged together, morphed into something unrecognizable, unidentifiable. What once had been three distinct voices, personalities, appearances, were now one. It was impossible to distinguish one from the other in her mind, to remember which of the three had liked art, which was the dancer, and which did the farm work with their father.

Lily's lips pressed together. "That must be nice."

Lux nodded in agreement, for the first time not sensing an ulterior meaning to Lily's words. It was nice, she supposed. As much as she longed for what had once been, the safety she felt with Fulk was unlike anything she'd experienced back as a human, when the time of her next meal depended on her father, and the spellbooks she'd owned needed to stay hidden from sight.

"We should go back to sleep," the redhead finally exhaled a breath, rising out of Lux's bed and onto her feet. Flashing her an uncertain smile, she seemed to be waiting for Lux to respond, and when she gave nothing, she cleared her throat, eyes flickering towards her own bed. "Well...goodnight."

Though exhaustion was swimming in Lux's veins, she refused to allow herself to fall asleep as she pulled the blankets up to her chin, ears perked and listening for the sound of Lily's own breath. Time seemed to pass in slow motion as she waited for her breathing to grow into gentle snores.

When she did drift off, this time her dreams were consumed with images of Lily holding a stake, and shoving it through Lux's heart, all while wearing the sorting hat.

September 2nd, 1977 ✦ Hogwarts

EVERLIN FAMILY MURDERED IN BEDS, LORD VOLDEMORT ON THE RISE

Lux gulped, insides churning as she glanced at the article James was showing off over the breakfast table. Her eyes, which had been drooping from lack of sleep the night prior, grew wide at the blatant cruelty this Voldemort man showed. Part of her had been hesitant to believe Dumbledore's words, that surely this person couldn't possibly be more than a rogue vigilante. But as it seemed, he had followers, numbers growing by the minute.

"He's getting stronger every day," Peter whimpered from behind his porridge, his skin pale. "Soon enough, we'll all be dead."

"Don't be silly, Wormy," James reached across the table and patted him on the shoulder, earning a small smile from the boy, though it didn't meet his brown eyes. "None of us are going to die anytime soon. I'll make sure of that."

Peter shrunk in his seat, paling even more.

Lux opened her mouth, then closed it again, catching herself just before she could inquire more on the boy. She didn't care, she had no reason to. Peter was pathetic at best, and downright useless at worst, so why would she inquire on what had him so nervous? Even so, something about the horror on the boy's face struck a string of pity within her.

"This Voldemort bloke won't get away with it for long," Sirius assured the group. "I've heard rumors about a counter group, building themselves up to fight him. Walburga and Orion would occasionally speak about them, but never in much specifics."

"Walburga and Orion are Sirius's parents," James leaned in and whispered to Lux, causing her to flinch. Sirius, who didn't seem to notice his mate speaking about him, was going on a quest to reassure an even more ghastly pale Peter, and James continued under his breath, "He's not spoken to them in over a year, though."

This time, she couldn't restrain her curiosity. Sirius, a boy who seemed so put together, so confident, was not the type that came to mind when she envisioned a teenager estranged from their parents. "Why not?"

"They're awful." James shrugged. "Complete pieces of shit. All of them are blood supremacists as well. Big fans of that Voldemort bloke. Wouldn't be surprised if they've gotten Sirius's brother to join him."

"He's a big deal, then, Voldemort?"

She could've kicked herself for how idiotic she constantly made herself out to be, but she maintained composure as heat filled her cheeks.

"Voldemort?" James frowned, and through his glasses his eyes searched her for any hints of a joke. When he came up with nothing, he exhaled a breath. "Yeah, I'd say he's a big deal. Everyone's awful afraid of him, and I mean..." he nudged his chin towards the newspaper he'd just been showing off. "I mean, fuck, he's killing people. It isn't just stupid, ignorant words anymore. It's actions. It's Grindelwald and his bullshit all over again."

"We're going to fight, though," Sirius declared, interjecting their conversation. "James and I have already agreed, we're fighting him the moment we graduate. Joining the war that's brewing against him."

"Right we are, Pads." James reached over and high fived him.

"What'd I miss?"

Lux and the three boys pivoted their heads to watch as Remus practically stumbled up to the table, voice slurred and massive dark rings hanging under his eyes. For a brief moment, Lux wondered if he was drunk, until he was close enough for her to properly observe him. No, he hadn't consumed any alcohol, he was simply exhausted. A poor night's sleep had ailed him, perhaps.

When he took a seat next to James, sandwiching the boy between himself and Lux, her heart jumped. Too close, he was too close. Even with James as a barrier, he wouldn't last long if Remus was to attack.

She shook her head. Her concern regarding Lily the night prior had been of a similar nature — delusion. Not that they would consider attacking her, no, all was fair and possible in the world they lived in. No, Lux was a hunter, and she should not feel fear at the concept of an attack. Lily, Remus, neither of them were humans she could possibly lose against.

So why did they strike such fear in her?

"We should get to class," Peter interjected as he took one final sip of his porridge and set the spoon back in the bowl. With wide eyes, he glanced between James and Lux. "Your dad isn't mean, right Lux? The last Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had it out for me."

"Adair did not have it out for you," Sirius scoffed before Lux could speak, as he rose to his feet, Lux, James and Remus all doing the same. When Peter remained seated, Sirius sighed, leaning down to grab onto the boy's arm and tug him upwards. "You were just a dimwit in his class, just as you're being now."

"Am not!" Peter attempted a feeble protest, glaring as Sirius practically dragged him out of the Great Hall and into the halls of Hogwarts.

Lux followed in suit, picking at her nails with her fingers as she felt the ever looming presence of Remus lingering just feet away. Remus, who she could feel the eyes of burning holes into her skin as he watched her like a hunter watches their prey before striking.

Part of her wanted to demand why he was looking at her, but when she pivoted her head to meet his gaze, he turned away within a moment, suddenly quite interested in the back of Sirius's head.

The breath she was holding only released once she entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and Fulk came into her view. He lingered behind the desk, speaking to a greasy haired boy with a sly smirk on his face, though when his icy blue eyes flickered towards Lux, the smirk increased.

"I see we have more students here. We may finish this conversation later, Mr...?"

"Snape," the boy answered, before moving to take a seat near the very back of the classroom.

"Looking good, Snivellus," Sirius jibed at the boy as the passed him, and he recoiled in response, eyes shifting towards the floor. "Still haven't given a thought to that shower, have you? It's easy, you know. You just strip naked, turn the knob and—"

"Cut it out, Black," Remus elbowed Sirius with a glare etched into his expression. "Leave him alone."

"You're no fun," Sirius whined, but like a dog to his master, obeyed anyways.

Lux understood that even young boys had power dynamics within their peers, and she could sense Remus was higher up on the food chain within the small friend group they'd collected. Perhaps he wasn't intimidating to the average student, but whatever it was that Lux's vampire senses picked up on also struck at least a mild, subconscious fear within Sirius, James and Peter.

Or perhaps it was simply loyalty that had him conceding, which Sirius certainly struck Lux as possessing a large quantity of.

Either way, it was evident that Remus held some sort of authority over Sirius, for one reason or another. Sirius might not have even been aware of such a dynamic existing in his friend group, but it was blatantly obvious to someone who'd spent three hundred years silently observing the intricate details of power, how it was gained and how it was lost.

Sirius and James took a seat at a desk together, leaving Remus with Peter. Lux wasted no time before shoving herself as far away from the boys as she could, winding up near the front, at an otherwise empty desk.

Though it wasn't vacant for long, as Lily and the other three Gryffindor girls sauntered into the classroom moments later, the former's face lighting up as she made eye contact with Lux. She rushed up to her, eyeing the empty seat next to her with a hopefully optimistic expression. "Mind if I take this seat?"

"Go ahead."

"Thanks!" Lily beamed as she sat down at Lux's right. "You sneaked out of our dorm so early. Was everything okay?"

She nodded, hating how Lily was so easily able to observe such things. "I woke up while you were all asleep. I was hungry."

"Good. Just keeping an eye on you, yeah?" Lily nudged her with her elbow. "Us girls need to stick together, especially when dealing with those ones."

Lux didn't need to follow Lily's gaze to know who she was referring to.

"James is obsessed with me," she continued without prompting. "He's been asking me out on dates since we were twelve. It was annoying, but it's kind of flattering. I don't know what to make of it. I might as well say yes soon enough, don't you think? I mean, he's cute, and he'd make a good boyfriend. Part of me just feels like if I say yes to him, it's just giving in. But like...I want to."

Lux shrugged, frowning. Why did Lily care what she thought? Why was she dumping all of this on her, of all people, instead of Mary or Marlene or Dorcas? Did she look like someone who knew a thing about teenage relationships? "Do what you wish."

She watched as Lily's smile faltered ever so slightly, but she kept quiet as Fulk began the class.

"Hello, class," he greeted, blue eyes sparkling as he spoke, scanning the classroom. "I am Professor Fulk Ingelger, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. It appears as though your last one had a nervous breakdown and is now living under a false identity somewhere in Oceania."

"Rest assured, I will be a very patient professor, but I expect all of you to participate to your fullest ability in class. I do not tolerate laziness. If you have an assignment late, it will result in house points being docked. And of course, there will be no special treatment." His eyes flickered over to Lux as he spoke, who responded with a quivering lip. The ghost of a smile.

"Are there any questions?" He asked, gaze ripping away from Lux as he scanned the classroom.

Sirius's hand shot in the air.

"Yes, Mr...?"

"Black."

"Mr. Black. Go on."

"Has anyone ever told you that your first name kind of sounds like fuck?"

The room went silent, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Lux felt her heart seize within her chest, and next to her, Lily stiffened, green eyes wide and darting between Fulk, Lux and Sirius.

But to everyone's surprise, Fulk let out a laugh, his blue eyes growing large and shining with amusement. "I admire your nerve, Mr. Black. Five points to Gryffindor, for sheer cheek."

Sirius let out a loud whoop, pumping his fist in the air.

Clapping his hands together, Fulk reverted his attention back to the initial topic — teaching. "Now, for this units lesson, we will be learning about dark magical creatures. Specifically, vampires and werewolves."

Lux instinctively rushed to run a hand through her blond curls, all the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as she struggled to comprehend what on earth Fulk was thinking.

"I see some of you are afraid." Fulk tilted his head to the side as he examined the silent classroom. "No need. We won't actually have any vampires or werewolves in this class, of course. We will simply be learning about them."

Lily raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss...?"

"Evans, Sir."

"Go on, Miss Evans.

"May I ask why we're learning about these creatures? I thought those were Care of Magical Creatures topics, not Defense Against the Dark Arts."

His lips curved up. "Yes, well, I deemed them necessary for your education. These creatures are not to be messed with, children. Not to be underestimated. You ought to be careful. They could be closer than you think."

A shiver seemed to run down Lily's spine as she rubbed goosebumps on her arms.

"Now, who here can tell me three facts about werewolves?"

From behind them, Snape's hand shot up.

"Yes, Mr. Snape?"

Lux craned her head backwards to observe Snape, fingers crossed as she prayed nothing incriminating would be said about her. Even so, her heart seemed to pound to a previously unfounded beat, both from anxiety and anger.

Snape smirked, his eyes flickering in Peter and Remus's direction for a brief moment, before haughtily answering, "They change into wolves on the full moon, and lose sense of all control. They have practically superhuman strength when in their wolf form, and their weakness is silver."

"Very good, very good, Mr Snape. I see someone has been doing some research on werewolves. Five points to Slytherin." Fulk clapped his hands together. "Now, who can tell us three facts about vampires?"

This time, Lily Evans lifted her hand. Lux stared up at the hand, though she swiftly looked away, redirecting her gaze to her lap.

"Miss Evans, yes, go ahead."

"Vampires feed off of the blood of humans and animals. They cannot walk in the sunlight."

"Can you tell me a third fact?"

Lily thought hard for a moment.

"And...I believe they can be killed by a werewolf bite."

He clapped his hands together, an eager grin on his lips now. "Brilliant job, Miss Evans. Five points to Gryffindor."

Lily grinned back as Sirius let out another whoop, evidentially oblivious to the emotional turmoil Lux found herself drowning in. Well, perhaps that was for the best — if he couldn't tell she was upset, then he must not be suspecting her. No one knew what she was, and that was what mattered.

"I will be assigning you all into pairs," Fulk continued, now slowly pacing back and forth within the classroom. "And I want you to write an argumentative essay together on which you think is more powerful — a vampire, or a werewolf."

Lily's hand shot into the air once again. "Do we get to pick our partners?"

He shook his head, and Lily, alongside half of the other students, deflated. "Unfortunately, not this time. I will be assigning them, for...maximum effect."

Waving a hand, from atop his desk, a paper went flying into his grip, his fingers creasing into the delicate parchment as he read aloud from the list. "Miss Evans, I have you with...Mr. Snape."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lux observed as Lily's already saddened nature seemed to increase by a tenfold.

"Mr. Black, you're with Miss McKinnon."

Marlene emitted a loud groan as Sirius beamed.

"Miss Erzsebet," Fulk began, and she straightened her posture, nearly laughing to herself at the name used for her. Formalities were something rare indeed between the pair of vampires, with terms like Miss and Mister being absolutely foreign.

"You're with Mr. Lupin," he finished off, and it took everything in her not to groan as Marlene had with her partner's reveal.

"Lucky," Lily leaned in and whispered, causing Lux to frown. How could she possibly be lucky? Certainly being paired with that Snape boy would be much better than Remus, despite his disgustingly greasy hair. At least Snape didn't have an aura of constant attack radiating off of him.

Lux shrugged, unsure what to say.

When the class was over, the rest of the students wasted no time before pouring out of the door, with only Lux lingering behind.

"You coming?" Lily called after her, but she shook her head as she remained stationed in her position, hovering above her desk.

"I need to have a word alone with...my father. I'll see you later."

"Right, see you!" She waved, tossing her red hair over her shoulder as she stepped through the door, trailing after Mary.

Only when she was certain everyone was out of earshot, having exited the classroom and were likely now halfway down the hall, did Lux approach Fulk's desk. Her hands trembled as she slammed them down on the wood, sending a reverberation of sound through the stone walls surrounding them.

"What were you thinking?" She raged.

Fulk cocked an eyebrow. "Are you upset?"

"Am I—what kind of question is that? Of course I'm upset! Are you actually mad?"

"I'm not mad, but you might be, considering the volume of your voice, my dear. Unless you're willing to have everyone nearby be informed of our...differences." His gaze flickered towards the wide open door, then back at her, expression cold and unfeeling.

She yanked her wand from the pocket of her robes, and waved it at the door, causing it to slam shut with enough aggression that the hinges seemed to rattle. "Better?"

"Calm down," he commanded, spiking her rage even further. That desire she had buried within her was beginning to sink out, steam radiating from her skin as she desperately attempted to keep it suppressed. The craving to rebel, to yell, to protest and fight and push and see how far she could go without suffering consequences.

The side of her that desired peace, that desired her own safety, even if it meant keeping her lips shut and her tongue on a leash won. She exhaled a breath and released her rage alongside the air from her lungs. "I don't understand. Why would you even...what was the point? Do you want to draw attention to what we are?"

"Of course not." He tilted his head to the side, smirk increasing. "Don't you see, if we talk about vampires, if we discuss them as a foreign concept, that is what they will be to the peers around us. Who would suspect a vampire to talk about vampires so openly? They'd never suspect us."

He had a point, as much as she hated to admit it. He was smarter than her, she was well aware of that fact, with over a thousand years on his back. He was sure to think things through far better than her. "And werewolves? Why bring them up? We aren't werewolves, and I highly doubt any reside within Hogwarts' walls."

He lifted his shoulders in a casual shrug. "I felt like it."

And that was that.

Lux couldn't help it. This time, any restraints were lifted, and when she smiled, she smiled fully. "You're strange."

"That I am," he agreed, a soft smile reflecting off of his own expression. "Tell me, how has your first day been? I see you've made a friend in Miss Evans."

"Lily isn't my friend," she responded a little too quickly, folding her arms over her chest as her heart sunk to the floor and her smile dimmed.

His eyebrows lifted in gentle curiosity. "Then why'd you sit with her?"

She shrugged, holding her tongue.

"We aren't here to make friends, but it won't hurt to find some allies. As long as you remember where they stand, and where we do." His eyes shone as he spoke, a mutual understanding passing between the pair.

"We're hunters. They're hunted." Lux repeated a mantra so often spoken, not by Fulk, but by Philip. Even after so many years, it remained drilled into her brain, nailed into place despite her initial protests. The fact had made a home inside her.

Fulk exhaled a breathy laugh, though even he couldn't fully mask the concern in his eyes. "If you insist."

"And pairing me with Remus Lupin?" She pressed. "What was that about? Why not...I don't know, Peter? He's normal."

He cocked an eyebrow. "You deem Mr. Lupin as abnormal?"

"Do you not?"

"I've not a reason to think so. Though I will say, I do pick up on a strange aura from him," Fulk admitted, running a hand through his midnight black hair. "Something about that boy rubs me in a weird way. I don't know what to make of it."

"So you paired me with him? With someone dangerous?"

"It's a school project, my dear, not a battle to the death." A crafty smirk slid onto his parted lips. "Besides, as I'm sure you know, it's best we keep our friends close, and our enemies closer."