Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize. But I do own the plot line of Bonds of Blood. Arabella Figg, Sirius Black, James Potter, Lily Evans, Peter Pettigrew and Harry Potter all belong to the wonderful goddess J.K. Rowling.

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After two months Lily had gotten used to the procedure at Luna Orior. She woke up, got dressed, went to breakfast with Anna, then went about cleaning. She soon knew the manor as well as she had known Hogwarts and it's many secret passages. But, although she passed it many times, Lily never ventured back into the North Wing. And soon, she knew why Master Seamus was the most liked of her three masters and why Master Melvin was the least liked. And Master? Nobody really had an opinion on him. Since he was rarely at the manor, nobody really knew him, except for Anna.

As Lily's third month at the manor approached, news flew through the servants quarters like wildfire. The masters were throwing a ball. At first, Lily didn't understand what the fuss was about. They were servants. They couldn't attend these balls. Until Anna told her.

"Lily! Come on. We're all going to the dressing rooms to choose gowns!"

"For…what?"

"The ball, stupid! Remember what Luna told you? That our masters are kind and caring. They let us attend their balls, like real people! Because otherwise, there would be no women there…"

"True…true…"

"Well, come on! Lets go!"

And with that Anna grabbed Lily's wrist and sped off towards an area Lily had never visited. It was like the potions dungeon at Hogwarts, but it was filled with hundreds of racks of ball gowns.

It's like Harold's Prom Season, on pot…

Lily shuddered. She remembered once, long ago, when Petunia had been 17 and was going to her Prom and her mother had taken Petunia to Harolds, and dragged Lily along. It had been torture. Four hours of lace and puffy dresses, topped with screaming 17 year olds and chattering mothers. As Lily shuddered, she looked around. Pink poof in the front, but looks are deceiving, right?

"Anna…is there anything other then…pink?"

"Of course silly. You think that Krystal would wear pink? Or Ashley?"

Ashley was Lily's newest friend. As tall as Lily, Ashley had long black hair and pale skin. Lily chuckled at the thought of Ashley wearing pink.

"Not a chance. Ashley would die and Krystal would burn the dress…"

"Right. So, come on!"

Pulling Lily's wrist, Anna led her through half the room, which was filled with two things. One, giggling girls. Two, pink poofy dresses. And then…Heaven. No more pink fluff obscured Lily's vision as Anna dropped Lily's wrist and pointed to two girls looking closely at a shimmery dress. The two seemed to be arguing. Anna and Lily made their way over to the two girls.

"Krystal! That's not a dress, it's a cocktail napkin!"

"It is not a cocktail napkin!"

"IT'S A COCKTAIL NAPKIN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

Lily chuckled as Ashley stole the 'cocktail napkin' from Krystal and put it back on the rack. Lily and Anna, who had regained control of her laughing, walked over. Lily tapped Krystal on the shoulder.

"To say the least, it looked more like a cocktail napkin…"

Krystal glared at Lily, then burst out laughing.

"I can't stay mad at you. It's not fair!"

Lily grinned.

"It's a gift, my dear."

"Gah! Nooo! You sound like Trewlawny. That Ravenclaw 'seer' who graduated a few years before us, Krystal. She graduated when you were a third year Lily. Same for you Ashley."

"Her? Ugh…I hated that girl. She was so…ugh. I couldn't breath with her around."

"Anyway, switching to a nicer topic…Lily, look at this dress…"

Anna was holding up a dress that resembled a nothing more then a piece of shimmery black fabric. Which was basically what it was.

"Anna! That's short as hell! Honestly!"

Lily glared at Anna, who put the dress back on the rack, laughing.

"Lils, you know I was kidding!"

"I know, I know."

With that final note, the four girls began to sift through the masses of fabric, sometimes crying out if they found something potentially nice. And finally, after hours of sifting, they each had a dress to wear. Lily held a simple emerald gown, so dark it was almost black, which shimmered when it moved. Ashley was holding a dark blue dress that ended just above her ankles and clung to her. Anna and Krystal both had similar gowns. Anna's was a deep purple while Krystal's was a deep crimson. Both had hundreds of ties at the sides.

"Well girls, if I don't say so myself, I think we've done a very good job."

"I agree Lils."

The four girls chuckled as they left the dungeon, still filled with girls, and headed towards their rooms. On Sundays, they were free, which was why the dresses had been set up. They had no bells on Sundays, except for dire things. The house elves took care of the usual duties, while the girls got brief reprieves. And now, they gathered in Lily and Anna's room, sitting on Lily's bed. The ball would take place in six days, on Saturday. And Lily knew how fast the week would go for the girls who weren't looking forward to it, and how slowly the week would go for the rest.

---

And she was right. In no time at all, it was Saturday evening. At 5:30, Anna, Lily, Krystal and Ashley were all in Anna and Lily's room again, getting ready. The ball started at sundown, which today was 6:49. And getting ready took a long time, especially with the four of them. At 6:30, Lily was the only one in her dress, doing her hair with Anna's wand. (Yes, Anna gets her wand, because she's been at Luna Orior for the longest and she is the most trusted there. ) Ashley was finishing her makeup and searching for her dress, which was sitting on Lily's bed. She let out a cry of triumph as she found it and slipped into it. Anna and Krystal were in their dresses now, and doing each others hair and makeup. And now, it was 6:45 and the four girls, along with the other servants, were waiting outside of the Great Hall (A/N: I'm so creative! ) to go in, chattering excitedly. And then, the last streaks of sun faded from the Entrance Hall floor and the doors opened. The girls filtered in and moved towards a stage, where the three masters were standing.

"Alright girls. We've let you come to the ball, but you must behave. Do not do anything that might in any way embarrass us. There will be severe conciquences. The most prominent men in the wizarding world, along with the servants they bring, will be here tonight. The list includes; Mr. Remus John Lupin, Mr. Sirius Kevin Black, Mr. Cory Riddle (A/N: Voldemort's second-in-command. His younger brother. I know, THE HORROR!), Mr. Lucius Draco Malfoy V, Mr. Lucius Draco Malfoy VI, Mr. David Alexandre Delacor, Mr. Alexander Jacob Flint, Mr. Andrew Jarod Wood, and others. (A/N: I ran out of ideas for names! ) Please treat all of them with the utmost respect. The guests have started arriving, now have fun and behave…"

Seamus and Melvin split that speech. Melvin beginning it, Seamus listing the attendee's, and Melvin finishing it. He sneered the word fun, and looked around the hall, his dark eyes scanning the girls. Some shuddered under his look, others averted their eyes. The crowd dispersed and Lily was feeling estatic. Lupin and Black would be here. Which meant that with any luck, Bella, Kari and Katrina would be here. And when asked, Lily explained to her three fellows about what had happened. As she spoke, she rubbed the spot on the back of her head where she had received that blow to the head on the platform. And soon, men were streaming into the hall. At least 170 men, not counting the servants they had brought. Lily saw Remus Lupin and Sirius Black walk into the hall, talking fast, with, collectively, ten or fifteen girls behind them. Among them, Kari and Arabella, who were looking sad and drawn. Lily waved them both over and looked around.

"Where's…"

"Kari's dead."

Lily paled, then felt herself falling as darkness consumed her vision.

---

"She's waking up."

"She's only been out for a couple of minutes though…"

"Doesn't matter…She's awake!"

Lily opened her eyes and found herself behind a plant, Anna and Katrina's arms holding her up. She pushed herself to her feet and stumbled out from behind the plant.

"What happened?"

"You passed out once we told you that…Kari died…"

"How…?"

Arabella let out a dry sob and Katrina took a deep breath before recounting what had happened.

"Kari and I were bought by Lupin, aye? Well, he's pretty cool and all, but he has this…thing…"

"He's a werewolf. I know."

"How…"

"I helped Potter and Black with a potion and a few charms in fifth year. They accidentally let slip that Lupin was a werewolf."

"Right. Anyway, it'd been two months since we'd come to his home and Kari was feeling sick. Pretty stressed out, I think, because she'd been working on the Wolfsbane potion and cleaning up for a while because I had been sick…And sometimes I think she'd still be here if I hadn't gotten sick. Anyway, it was an off day and she went off into town. And she didn't come back. Master Lupin went out to find her and…he found her in the middle of the street. Killed herself with her wand. Stole it, I think. Master Lupin was devastated, but he sent her body to our parents, with a note and her wand. I think my parents were grateful."

Katrina finished with a choked sob, which drew the eyes of many surrounding party-goers. As Lily attempted to calm her semi-hysterical friend, she felt a set of eyes on her back and looked around. Melvin was glaring daggers at her from across the room. Lily gulped,
remembering the speech that he and Seamus had made earlier, but she continued to comfort her friend.

---

(Hmm….Shall I stop here? I don't want to split the ball into two sections, cause that'd be mean…but…-ponders-

Voice 24: Mus3, 1 d0nt th1nk y0u sh0u1d st0p h3r3. 1 th1nk that y0u sh0u1d k33p wr1t1ng…

Muse: What the heck? –stares at the ones and threes and zeros blankly-

Voice 25: What 24 was trying to say was, that she doesn't think you should stop here. You should keep writing this chapter…

Voice 24: 1 sa1d that stup1d! g0d! any1 w0u1d th1nk 1 was sp3ak1ng an0th3r languag3 0r s0m3th1ng…

Voice 25: -blinks then turns laughter into hacking cough-

Muse: -edges away from the voices- GET OUT OF HERE!

Voice 26: -wanders in- Though we would very much like to leave…

Muse: --sharpens knives threateningly-

Voice 26: I mean, we can't leave because we're inside you head! We love it here, right guys?

Voices 1-69: -murmers-

Muse: -sharpens knife-

Voices 1-69: YEAH! WE LOVE IT! Can ya put away the knife now? –all look scared-

Muse: Right…

Voice 13: Please excuse this strange, strange moment…Back to the story!

---

Needless to say, the news of Kari's death had left the six girls in quite a slump. Anna, Krystal, Ashley, Katrina, Bella and Lily sat in a corner for the rest of the night, talking quietly, with an occasionally sob or cry. And more than once, Lily found herself being glared at by Melvin. And for some reason or another, she felt unnerved whenever she found his eyes glaring at her. Melvin was a strange character, that was for sure. He was almost like Lucius Malfoy VI in some ways. And from the things Lily had heard about him, she was sure he would have done well to be put in Slytherin. But, amazingly enough, he was sorted into Gryffindor, along with his brothers. But that was about all Lily knew about Melvin. Not a lot to go on, but she had already formed the impression that Melvin was a sly, devious man who only did things when he saw some benefit in it for himself.

Around midnight, the ball began to wind down and people were slowly leaving. Katrina left with Lupin and a few others around 11:30, while Bella and a few other servants left with Black at 11:45. And at midnight, Lily, Ashley, Anna and Krystal were walking back towards their rooms. Talking quietly, they held a slow pace as they walked down a hallway, eyes fixed on the ground. And quite suddenly, Lily, who was at the very edge of the group, felt a hand fix over her mouth and another hand pull her into a room before she could blink. It was dark and the door behind her slammed shut almost immeadantly. The candles lit themselves and Lily looked around. Melvin was sitting in a chair by the desk, glaring at Lily, fire buring in his dark eyes.

"Evans, your friends caused a disturbance tonight. You should have kept her quiet."

"Sir, I tried but…"

Lily began to speak but Melvin stood up and strode over to her, glaring.

"I don't want explinations Miss Evans. You failed in your duty to keep order, as I stated in that speech before the guests arrived. You should have kept her quiet. That girl was not quiet, and you shall pay the consequences."

Lily looked determinadly at the floor while Melvin spoke. And suddenly, she felt a stinging pain on the side of her cheek and was lying in a heap in a corner. She cried out in pain. Melvin hissed angrily.

"Shut up, you stupid wench."

Lily screamed, loud as she could, hoping one of her friends might hear. Another sharp slap and Lily tasted metal. She wiped her mouth on her hand and saw blood on it. Melvin was hovering above her, fury etched into his face. (Yeah yeah, I know it's a stupid reason, not keeping Katrina quiet, but oh well. Melvin's not a reasonable guy! XD) She opened her mouth, hoping to scream out one more time, but before she could make a sound, Melvin's fist connected with her stomach. She gasped for air and he pulled her roughly to her feet. She stood shaking, hunched, trying to make herself seem smaller, as her angry master stood infront of her.

---

Anna looked around.

"Where's Lily?"

Ashley and Krystal started and lifted their heads. Lily wasn't with them. But, only a moment ago, she had been beside them…Where was she?

"She was here a minute ago…Where'd she—"

Ashley was cut off by a piercing scream, coming room behind a door several yards back. In an instant, the three girls registered two facts. One; behind that door was Melvin's private study. And two; that scream was unmistakably Lily.

"Krystal, Ashley, go find Master Seamus and tell him what's going on. Lily's obviously getting hurt…"

Not a moment later, another scream pierced the air.

"Go!"

Ashley and Krystal shot off towards Master Seamus's rooms and Anna ran through a tapestry that led to the North Wing.

---

Krystal and Ashley ran through hallway after hallway and skidded to a halt outside of Master Seamus's quarters. They hammered on the door and it opened. Seamus, still in his dress robes, stood there looking rather annoyed.

"What is so important that you have to come and rap on my door at 12:15?"

"Lily Evans is in trouble."

"Say what?"

"Lily. We were walking down the hallway and she sort of vanished and then we heard screaming coming from Master Melvin's private study. And it sounded like Lily…"

Seamus looked startled and closed the door behind him as he ran after Krystal and Ashley, down hallways and towards Melvin's study.

---

Anna, on the other hand, was yelling through Master's door at the top of her voice.

"GET UP YOU LAZY BUM! LILY EVANS IS IN TROUBLE!"

Half a moment later, Master was following Anna through the tapestry, his cloak still covering his face. (XD I know you hate me for keeping his identity a secret…But all will be revealed…soon!)

---

Inside Melvin's study, Lily was pushing herself into a corner, making herself as small as she could, desperately trying to avoid the punches and slaps that were raining down on her. (Melvin's…weird. Don't ask. He's just physco…Ok? XD) She closed her eyes, huddled into a ball, when she heard the door bang open. Melvin was pulled away from her and she thought she heard a thud on the other side of the room.

(Flashback…)

Moments before Seamus and Master had pushed open Melvin's door, Seamus had turned to Ashley, Anna and Krystal.

"Go back to your rooms."

"But—"

"No buts! Go!"

"We want to be here for L—"

"Just go!"

Seamus roared, sending the three shaky girls off towards their rooms. Well, more like Anna and Lily's room.

(End flashback)
(That was just to explain why Anna, Krystal and Ashley didn't dash in and over to Lily as soon as the door opened. XD)

Lily opened her eyes to see Seamus levitating Melvin, who looked uncouncious, on the other side of the room. And in front of her, her Master stood, his eyes flashing from beneath his hood. (XD) Lily hurriedly, shakily pushed herself up, leaning against the wall for support.

"I'm s…s…sorry M…Master…Master Melvin was j…just angry at m…me...—"

Before Lily could finish her sentence, her legs collapsed from under her. She moaned, bracing herself for hitting the ground, which would hurt, although she was very close to it. But the fall never came. Instead, her Master caught her in his arms just before darkness consumed her vision.

---

A/N: And that's the end of the chapter! It was pretty long, aye? 12 pages. Longest EVER! You all better be thankful! –grins- XD It took longer cause I just got the SIMS 2 NIGHTLIFE! AHAHAHA! No new chapter this weekend though. I won't be in the country. I shall be in England, participating in some study my mom signed me up for when I was little. –mutters- Heck, maybe somebody who reads this might be there…-dances- I hope they are. That'd be wicked awesome! So, if you think your going to a study thing in England in the following four days, look for a brunette teen with gold streaky highlights that make her look dirty blonde, in some peoples opinion. Some of my friends say my hair looks dirty blonde, some of them say it's brown with gold highlights. More of them. XD I'm a highlight slut. XD. Whatever. Hope to see one of you. It's doubtful, but I can dream! Love you people! So do voices 1-69! Bye!

-Muse