Feeling the tug on my jacket I opened my eyes and found Matt standing there. Looking behind him I saw Sai. She was looking around, confused and a bit curious.
"Lily, this doesn't look like that freaky haunted house that zombie man calls home." Matt said.
"Um, What?" Sai asked.
I whispered a reply.
"This isn't Malfoy Manner Toto."
Matt stoped dead and suddenly turned his head to look me in me eye before very seriously saying...
"Did you just quote The Wizard Of Oz?"
I blushed.
Sai looked through some trees and spoke in a quiet meek voice.
"Um, guys?"
Matt ignored her and continued talking.
"Shut up Weasley."
"Jeez, sorry Potter, I didn't know you were such a fan."
Sai interrupted again, this time a little louder.
"Guys?"
We ignored her.
"You are fans of way worse things that you quote on a daily basis." I said.
"Oh yeah like what?" He asked.
"GUYS!" Sai yelled.
"WHAT!" Matt and I yelled back.
"TIGERS!" She screamed.
"TIGERS?" Matt screamed back.
I peered around Sai to see were she was looking.
"Ah, Tigers." I calmly said.
"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM?!" Sai yelled.
"She's got this." Matt said.
Sai looked utterly confused and had that look that said 'I'm the only sane one here.'
I spoke again.
"Right, so either you two can use the necklace and get out of here or run and let me handle this."
Matt and Sai looked at each other. Matt looked calm and reassuring but Sai looked exactly the opposite.
"Trust her Sai, trust me." Matt said.
"You. Are. All. Insane." She said, but nodded anyway.
They grabbed each others hands and ran.
I turned to face the tigers. Merlin, I was so glad it was tigers and not something else. There were about three of them, one was a fully grown female, one was a fully grown male and the third was an adolescent male.
"Sorry to have disturbed this family gathering but I can't have you hurting my friends, they can be stubborn and riotous and way too awkward but they are my family. And I will protect my own, just like you are going to protect your own. So what do you say?"
Of course I wasn't expecting an answer, they couldn't even understand me, but talking to them calmed me down.
The male bared it's teeth and made a low sound in it's throat, the three tigers began to circle me.
"Right then, let's get this over with."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Matt's POV🦁~~~~~~~~~~
I ignored the tightness in my chest and the aching in my legs, I just knew I had to run. I didn't know how many tigers there were, and to be honest I didn't care. I just wanted to get Sai out of there alive. But now, as I was running through what appeared to be savannah, I felt a huge weight of guilt drop on my shoulders. I was trying to run from the guilt. I had left my best friend and cousin, my own blood, to possibly die. I should have stayed and helped her, I know some spells that could hurt them. Sai could have helped. I was pulled out of my thoughts by Sai. She was sweaty and out of breath, but still perfect.
"Matt, please stop for a second, we've been running for ages." She panted.
"Oh yeah, um sure." I said, not really thinking.
She sat on the ground, panting. As soon as she got her breath back she spoke.
"It wasn't your fault Matt, she's probably still alive and if not then she did it for us, so we could escape."
I said nothing but I nodded.
A while lateer I heard a rustling in the bushes behind us. I drew my wand and pointed it in the direction of the sound.
"Matt?" Sai asked.
"Get behind me." I said, my tone serious and flat.
There was a growling in the bushes, then a female tiger emerged. It was covered with cuts. It came up to us and positioned it's self to pounce on me. Before I could do anything I heard Sai cast a spell, I spoke as she said the first syllable, time seemed to stand still.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"No!"
The female adolescent tiger fell to the ground, dead. I ran over to it, I fell to my knees infrount of it, I lifted up her head. Blood was rushing out of her cuts. Merlin, she hated blood. My tears wet her blood stained fur I tried to use it to wash the blood off.
"What have you done?" I whispered.
"Matt, I know you love wildlife but that monster was going to kill us! We need to go back and find Lily! We can deal with the consequences later."
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! I yelled, unshead tears in my eyes, this time I looked at her.
"Matt? It's just a tiger?" She said, uncertain.
I said nothing, I no longer had any words. I picked myself up, grabbed the tigers paw and Sais wrist. I touched Lilys necklace and whispered some words.
~~~~~Author Interruption🐈~~~~~~~~~~~
I am actually so sorry. I didn't mean for it to get this bad. You've going go need some tissues for this next one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sorry~~~~~
Third person POV
Harry and Ginny knew their little girl had only been gone a few hours, but they also knew why. Lily and Stryker had be inseparable since they met at Diagon Ally. She protected her own and Merlin help anyone who tried to hurt one of her friends.
Ginny was becide herself with worry and was on the couch, sobbing and rocking herself back and forth.
Harry was nervously pacing the living room, every now and then whispering gentle words to his wife. He had lost too much family already, he couldn't risk another.
There was a sound of a whip cracking, it came from upstairs.
Ginny didn't hear it and continued crying.
Harry stopped pacing and looked up at the roof, he held up a finger.
"Shush! Ginny I love you but right now just be quiet for a second."
Ginny stopped and looked at were Harry was looking.
There were voices coming from Lilys room.
"Matt? Why are we at Lilys house?" Sais voice came from upstairs.
Ginny and Harry were suddenly hopeful. A bright spark lit up in their eyes. Adrenaline rushed through them as they jumped and ran up the stairs. They reached Lilys bedroom door and quickly pulled the door open.
They found Matt crouching over a dead tiger, cuts covering it's huge body. Matt's arms were wrapped around the big cat, his tears wetting it's blood stained fur. Sai was also there, she looked confused and was awkwardly standing near Matt. She obviously didn't understand the significants of what had happened.
Harry and Ginny looked at Matt, they were at a loss for words. Harry opened his mouth but no words came out. Matt looked up and nodded, answering the unspoken question. Ginny sank to the floor, all her strength had left her. She would never feel her baby girls walm skin, she couldn't even bury her in a cemetery. Harry was also on the floor, he was crouched down behind his wife. His hand resting on her back as she cried and he tried very hard not to cry with her.
