One Different Choice [Lucius & OC]

Where It All Began

Disclaimer: All belongs to J.K. Rowling (except for my Elizabeth Rennold).

oOo

(This story based on the idea of "A Hideaway Secret" with a different female lead's name)

Elizabeth's right hand squeezed her chest tightly. Her day finally came. She wore a light blue nightdress that hung on her body loosely. She weighed less than 80 pounds and was not much different than a skeleton. Her hair was dry and had fallen off most of them. Her thin face had turned completely black as the rest of her body. She curved into a ball as the pain continued on and it was getting more difficult to breath. Another pain went across her body and... everything went still. Her right hand slowly fell off on her bed. A small drop of tear slowly went down on her cheek. I wish there is a second chance at life...

Elizabeth Rennold took her last breath on December 24th, 2012 in a vacant house somewhere located in London at the age of 38.

oOo

"Liz, are you listening to me?"

A familiar voice was calling out but she could not detect who it was from. She felt the ache in her head painfully as if she had a bad hangover from the previous night. Has the curse suddenly stopped? She took a deep breath, checking to see if the headache still remained. Surprisingly, nothing came back. What happened? However, before she could answer her own question, a hand shook her shoulders, bringing her attention back to the voice.

"Elizabeth, are you alright?"

When her eyes finally opened, the person who was talking to her was her old boss, Lucius Malfoy. No! Her eyes widened. What is going on? It had been ten years since she left the resignation letter on his desk and disappeared from the Wizarding World. Why is he here? What does he want? She kept staring at Lucius without replying. The old man seemed to notice the change in her eyes as he took a step closer and looked into them. As his palm touched her cheek, she finally regained her gaze.

"What happened?" she asked, knowing that something had gone terribly wrong.

"You lost your focus for a second there," Lucius said calmly and his hand still stayed on her cheek. "Do you need a break?"

She stared at him for the second time but it did not last long before saying, "Yes." She used her hands to push herself up from the chair, thinking she would fall down anytime. But, again, nothing came. She did not feel the weakness that had lived with her for ten years. She coughed out of habit but no blood came out of her mouth. For a second, a thought of regeneration appeared in her mind but she could not believe it. It can't be... can it?

"Don't you want to take the book?" Lucius asked her curiously. The girl did not look like she was herself. She completely forgot the book she had begged him to let her borrow.

Book? She turned to where Lucius was pointing and froze. That book... She still remembered that day vividly. The day she held that book to her chest and rushed happily to the other side of this hallway to a small office at the end of it. The day she witnessed the first bloom of something between Severus Snape and Hermione Granger. The day she knew she would always be the second one, the invisible one, in his life.

That day was May 15th, 1999.

Today was May 15th, 1999.

"No, I don't think I need that book anymore," she shook her head sadly. "Thank you for letting me borrow it, Mister Malfoy."

Lucius watched as Elizabeth walked out of the office without taking her bag. Then he eyed the book on her desk and something did not feel right. They had been working for almost seven months and he knew her very well. It was his habit to invade someone's mind even before talking to them. She was the first one he took a look at after he came back to work at the Ministry. She had no ambition, well, if he counted her little plan of making Severus Snape happy was one, but he did not. It looked more like a silly crush of a young girl to someone much older than her. However, he had watched her crush turn into something much more deeper. He did not dare to say it was love, but at some point, he wanted to have someone look at him the way she looked at Severus. It was so pure and beautiful, her feelings for his best friend.

So when she came and asked him about a forgotten potion book, he knew the girl had completely lost herself in that love. She was a hopeless case but he could not bring himself to tell her that "Severus would never love you back, dear..." Hence, he agreed to look for the book and helped her. He did not know how to explain his actions in helping her to win Severus's heart. But seeing her smile made his heart sing beautifully, he continued supporting her without a reason.

Yet, she left the book behind and walked away like it was nothing. Today was supposed to be the day she would bring her finding to Severus, to have the man of her life finally acknowledge her existence. What is happening to her?

After leaving Lucius's office, Elizabeth walked straight to a nearby restroom and took a look at herself. In front of the mirror, she saw a much younger self of hers. A young woman in her mid-twenties with flawless skin, beautiful long dark hair, and there was more meat on her body than what she could remember. Her body showed no black colors, no dark curse, no unhealthy signs, nothing... nothing at all. She was completely healthy and free of any worry in the world. Standing there in the restroom, looking at her own reflection, she finally came to her senses... Some unknown power had given her a second chance in life and she would live it with open eyes now.

Unfortunately, fate always was a cruel thing. She somehow found herself at the end of the hallway, the one across from Lucius's office. His office. Again, from the crack of the door, she could see Hermione Granger held the same book as hers and shyly gave it to him. He did not smile but from where she stood, she could see the small joyfulness in his eyes. He liked her, always and forever.

However, unlike that time, Severus Snape noticed the crack on his office's door and he saw Lucius's little assistance. He raised an eyebrow and watched the girl. He knew she had a little crush on him but he did not enjoy it as much as with Hermione. He just disliked her for no particular reason. It was almost like the hatrest that bloomed between James Potter and himself. So, he leaned down slowly and gave Hermione a kiss on her forehead, knowing very well that little girl would cry for days.

Elizabeth was slightly surprised to see Severus kiss Hermione. This scene did not happen in her previous life. What changed it? She frowned slightly but she felt nothing as the scene unfolded. She did not feel sad, angry, or even jealous. Somehow, his action looked very childish to her at that moment. She tilted her head a bit to the right and smiled softly at the scene. If she had this second life, she would never associate herself with him again. Never!

She nobbed at Severus, acknowledging his action, and turned around. Suddenly, she felt her heart lighter than it had been for all these years. She was a fool to believe she could change someone's heart despite his hatrest against her. It gave her a painful life for ten years, both mentally and physically. She never understood his actions but she knew this time he would marry someone he loved and wanted. She had nothing to feel guilty about anymore. She never made the decision to marry him, to take away his chance to be happy, and to destroy her life.

Severus was a bit taken aback to see Lucius's little assistance's reaction. Her eyes were calm and much more mature than the last time he looked at them. Even Hermione who had lived through a war did not have that kind of look. It was the same look... as his mother...

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A/N: Fixed and updated on Jan. 18, 2024.