A Legacy of Pain: Rising from the Ashes

Chapter 15: A Much Needed Reprieve

Last Time: Poppy arrived after Sebastian had used the Imeprius curse on Lizzy and assaulted him before Lizzy explained she had asked him to. The three argued for a while before Lizzy showed signs of deteriorating mental state and Poppy began to comfort her. Sebastian seemingly saw that what they had been doing was too dangerous and that he couldn't trust himself with power of Liz like that. The trio eventually made their way back to Hogwarts. That evening Poppy helped Elizabeth clean herself of the phantom blood on her skin before broaching the topic of needing to be included in future decisions like what had happened tat day. In the end Lizzy agreed to go to see Nurse Blainey on Sunday and the couple made plans for a date on Saturday.

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Friday had been difficult for Elizabeth as she struggled to keep her emotions under control. Especially when Callista had happened upon and approached her while she was with Annie and Nyxia during the second period of the day, which all three girls had free. The raven-haired witch had approached them while they were enjoying some sun near the lake under the guise of checking in on the first years and praising them on how well they had done in her first class. The way the woman acted kind and caring around her little sister and friend was sickening. Even more so when the woman had leaned in before leaving to remind Elizabeth she had until the end of the weekend to keep her part in their bargain. It had taken every ounce of her self control not to break down around the younger witches after that

The rest of the day had been spent attending the two classes she did have as well as doing the reading that had been assigned in her classes so far that week. Elizabeth was a bit disappointed that they hadn't been given any true assignments yet; but understood it was only the first week of class. Dinner that evening had been more amusing however when Sebastian convinced Ominis to enter the Founders Festival with him by writing their names and then placing a drop of blood on the other's entry slip instead of their own. Sebastian had gone on and on about wanting to test if Black had been overselling how powerful the enchantments for the selection process were. In the end an exasperated Ominis had agreed to go along with it just to allow for a change in topic.

By the time she had finished running her errands in Hogsmeade on the morning of Saturday the fifth, including picking up what she had been working with Albie on and speaking with Professor Kogawa to make certain their agreement was still in place; the ravenclaw was beginning to grow nervous over her plans for the evening. She had already used her portrait to make the necessary preparations with her father and to check on Evelyn's health. So everything should have been in order; yet she still couldn't help but be nervous. It was rare that she and Poppy went out in public together for a date and she wanted everything to be as perfect as it could be. Her conversation with the hufflepuff on Thursday evening had been like splashing cold water on her face in the morning. It had woken her up to how much she had taken for granted in their relationship. As such she saw their date this evening as a way to show that she was trying to do better on top of simply wanting to spend time with the witch she loved.

So it was that the young couple found themselves in the Room of Requirement getting ready for their evening out a little after four in the evening. "Thank you Lizzy. I always have trouble getting into these elaborate gowns on my own." Poppy giggled as Lizzy helped to fasten the back of the hufflepuff's dress so that everything would stay securely in place. Stepping back to make sure everything looked right; the ravenclaw's heart skipped a beat as Poppy giggled again and twirled around in her gorgeous sinfully deep red gown. "How do I look?" The brunette asked with a wide grin while slowly spinning for Lizzy.

Despite the modest design of the dress and the very little amount of skin it showed; Lizzy couldn't help how much the sight of Poppy in it heated her core. It had been weeks since the couple had allowed themselves to participate in more intimate activities and it was beginning to become straining. Seeing Poppy in the gorgeous dress was not helping the ravenclaw to restrain herself. "You are beautiful. That shade of red pairs so well with your fair skin, My Love." Lizzy beamed at her lover, forcing herself not to march over to the hufflepuff and ravage her likes she wished. "I shall have to keep a close eye on you while we are out to make certain no one tries to abscond with you." She teased playfully to distract herself from indecent thoughts.