Twin Flame 》Lucius Malfoy

2. ❝Little Nightmares ❞

"Oh, Lilith." The man hummed as if he were singing a children's lullaby, his voice as soothing as waves during a calm breeze. "Lilith, where are you, my dear?"

The girl used her tiny hand to cover her mouth, eyes wide as she watched the light between the cracks in the ceiling fade as he drew nearer, the squeaks of the floorboard causing the young girl to flinch with each step.

"Lilith, my light," The man continued, the latches on the cellar door slowly being unlocked, as if he wanted to taunt her. The door swung open and the man ascended down the stairs, each step ringing in her ears.

"My love," he continued down until he was in full view, his usual tidy shirt tattered with grease stains, his hair slick with sweat as if he had just taken a jog. His gaze landed the girl, his lip twitching with disgust, hatred spewing from him. He ran a hand through his hair, wetting his dry lips before speaking once more,

"My little girl."

Lilith woke in a panic, her throat straining a sob as she jolted up, her fingers wrapping around her neck as if she were suffocating. Strands of hair clung to her neck, her skin slick with sweat while her lungs reprogrammed themselves to breathe. Each breath was like swallowing glass, each movement was like trying struggle after being buried by an avalanche.

She pressed her fingers to her forehead, breathing in deeply while rocking back and forth in hopes of calming herself, her skin aching with remembrance.

After what seemed like eternity, she collected herself. She gathered some clothes from the dresser next to her bed and, slowly, she slid her legs off the mattress and pushed herself up, the cold floor stinging against her skin as she stumbled towards the bathroom, using the walls to keep herself sturdy as if she would collapse any second.

Lilith hung her clothes on a rack near the shower she was going to use, thankful that nobody else was in here to see her disheveled state. She peeled the clothes from her skin, tossing them aside and slipped inside the showers, standing under the scalding heat.

By the time Lilith was done in the showers, the other students were slowly waking, some of them still snug in their beds with a book or chatting out in the common room to not wake their sleeping roommates.

Lilith, already in her class robes, she left her dormitory and found herself being drawn to the library once more. At least a good book could drown out what she couldn't.

✹

Lucius had awoken with an early start to the day, his lessons already planned and his classroom tidy for when students would eventually pile in, but it was only 7 A.M, and most students were in the Great Hall eating and socializing. Lucius had no desire to be in a room with a bunch of children smearing food on their faces for amusement.

Though he expected students to eventually come in, whether it be early or late, he hadn't expected a student to come in an hour early.

The girl opened the door, noticing there was somebody in here and quickly trying to leave before she was spotted, but Lucius caught on, "Miss Romanov?" He cocked his head to the side, watching as she peeked her head in, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"S-Sorry, sir." She gulped, "I thought the class was empty." She avoided his gaze, looking at the floor or paintings on the walls and the shelves with jars containing curses.

"Usually, it would be." He suppressed a grin, "Come, sit." He motioned to a chair near the front, watching as she reluctantly pushed past the door, making her way to the front of the classroom. "You seem bothered."