Reversed Role

Her throat was dry and her head was throbbing, she fluttered her eyes, trying to get used to the light, she could hear someone breathing beside her. 

"The lioness is waking from her long nap," came a singing voice. 

She let out a groan and opened her eyes in earnest, only to see the grinning face of a woman she had only read about in the newspaper. 

"Bellatrix Lestrange," she said quietly. 

"That's me." 

The woman had long curly black hair, tied up in the most untidy bun she had ever seen, and wore a dress made for battle rather than a tea party; it was mostly leather. "Where am I?" She asked, keeping a wary eye on Lestrange. 

Bellatrix began to walk around the bed, "This is your room in my sister's manor, she decorated it herself"

Green was everywhere in various shades, the walls were a rich bottle green, the carpets a sage green, the bed linen a dark first green, and there was a discreet touch of pale violet and pale blue on the cushions of the sofas or the embroidery on the curtains. The furniture was mahogany, as was the floor.

Lily saw that her wand was on the bedside table beside her and she grabbed it immediately. 

Bellatrix giggled, "Are you scared little mudblood?" Lily glared at her, wondering what the hell she was doing here. 

"I'm sure you'll agree that you don't want to be separated from your wand," she said in false politeness. 

The woman pouted, "I don't need a wand to beat your ass, Mudblood, even if you are good in a fight, how does it feel to be a murderer?" Lestrange grinned, swaying on her feet like a little girl.

Lily swallowed, "What?" 

"Oh, of course you don't know! Silly me! You've only just woken up! Your dear..." 

The door opened with a bang and Narcissa entered, looking furious, "Bella, out! I told you she was off-limits, our Lord told you she was off-limits! Can't you listen to a single command?" 

"Fine, fine, I'll go, don't get your knickers in a twist Cissy" She left the room bouncing on her feet. 

"She doesn't like me very much," Lily said simply.

Narcissa huffed and put the box of first aid on the bed, "Let me have a look at your shoulder, the burns were deep when you got here, your ankle was broken, you had significant bleeding at your thigh and you cracked two ribs, you were also bleeding internally". 

The redhead sighed, "Charming”

"Bellatrix can't stand the fact that she's no longer our master's favourite, especially when the new favourite is a Muggleborn," Narcissa said as she tended to Lily's wounds. 

"I don't want to be his 'favourite'. I joined him because I wanted to join you and the Selwyns and all the people who want to make good changes. I don't want to be that kind of servant," she protested, wincing as the blonde woman changed her bandages. 

"Your ankle is healed, but don't overdo it, don't dare use your shoulder, though your skin is inflamed and the curse you took is dark magic, so it will take time to heal. You should rest now," the new Malfoy rose and headed for the exit. 

Lily frowned, "Narcissa? Are you all right?" 

The woman just smiled at her, "Yes, rest Lily." 

She didn't believe her but she desperately needed to sleep so she just nodded and lay back under her warm blanket. 

- - - ✦ - - -

Lily woke up the next morning feeling like she had run a marathon, but more rested than the first time she woke up, her bandages had been changed again she noticed. 

She carefully untangled herself from the blanket and made her way to what she assumed was the bathroom. 

She was right and wrong.

 "Is this an Olympic pool or a bathtub?" Lily muttered, her eyes wide open as she took in the immensity of the room, suddenly the 'pool tub' - a word she had made up - began to fill, she detected the smell of donkey milk, a product she adored, and a bit of lavender, something she also adored. 

Lily nearly drowned in the sheer joy of taking a bath, the water soothing her shoulder, she really could get used to it. 

Then, after she had dried herself and brushed her hair up into a messy bun, she opened the wardrobe and took a step back, "Okay, this is creepy" The clothes were all new, perfectly tailored for her, and... perfectly suited her taste, there were even three piece suits and that was her guilty passion! She sighed, looked around and shrugged before picking up a grey suit with a white shirt tucked under the vest. She let out a giggle of delight, Petunia always called her a boy when she said she loved suits. 

Then she left her room. She had no idea where she was going. She decided to turn right, after several corridors she spotted the stairs and squealed with delight, then she heard voices coming from a door she never went in, to the right of the door leading to the ballroom, she opened the door discreetly. 

Narcissa and Lucius were alone, eating breakfast, reading the newspaper and sewing respectively. 

"Let's see..." Lucius started to turn the pages "Ah, oh...dear?" 

"What is it?" Narcissa immediately left her needlework to look over her husband's shoulder "Oh, well, given the severity of her wounds, it was to be expected..."

Lily decided to show herself, "Who are you talking about?" She gulped. 

Lucius glanced at his wife and then at Lily, "Good morning Miss Evans, please take a seat." 

She complied, but never let the paper out of her sight. 

"Can you eat first? There's some marmalade." 

She was starving so she started to eat some toast before asking again, "So who died?"

Lucius looked at her with a blank expression, "Minerva McGonagall." 

Lily struggled to swallow her last toast, "Oh," she twisted her finger and grabbed her napkin, "I killed someone. 

The Heir Malfoy leaned back in his seat, "She knew the risks, she supported Dumbledore from the beginning". 

"She didn't agree with the way he handled Severus' death." 

"But did she leave his side? No, she chose her side. Guilt won't help you Miss Evans, you were brutally attacked by your Headmistress and you defended yourself, it wasn't a fair fight but you won and took justice into your own hands, you impressed a lot of people". 

Slowly, Malfoy's words eased her guilt and disgust and she decided to let it go for now, "Okay, okay, what about Moody?" 

Lucius actually laughed. "You'll have to teach me that spell, he was found unconscious but alive, his head sewn to his knee, he'll have scars and an eye missing, brilliant move dear" He took a sip of coffee. 

Lily remained silent for a while, slowly processing the consequences of her actions, "Is that why you have been... distant with me, Narcissa?" 

The woman blinked, "Not at all, I... during your escape several students from our side tried to divert their attention, Celeste Rosier was injured and I was worried, she is my cousin". 

"Oh, I'm sorry, is she all right?" The fact that people were putting themselves in danger for her made her uncomfortable. 

Narcissa smiled, "Yes, she is perfectly all right."

"Good. How long was I asleep?" 

The blonde took on a thoughtful air, "You were asleep for less than two days when you woke up, and today we are the Eleventh." 

"Okay," Lily nodded, "Is Voldemort around?" 

The couple sighed together and Lucius replied, "No, he is in Romania trying to get the vampires to ally with us, he has promised them a place in the Wizengamot. We don't know when he'll be back and we haven't warned him of your presence here". 

She smiled, "That's a good idea, we could form a government where every being has a voice" She took another toast of marmalade. 

"You really love marmalade that much?" The Malfoy heir asked. 

She frowned, "Yeah, why? Is it a problem?" They were strange, the two of them criticising her passion for citrus fruits just because Voldemort happened to like them too. 

"Not at all." 

The rest of the day passed slowly, Lily staying very quiet and mostly reading, careful not to overuse her ankle, her right legs and her shoulder. 

After a few days at the manor, mostly helping Narcissa with the plants and avoiding the Malfoy matriarch as much as possible, she was curled up on a sofa on the veranda where they ate their dinner when the sun shone through the glass. Narcissa was tending to some plants, Lucius had decided to work on his finances here to enjoy the sunshine, his father was advising him and, to everyone's relief, Araminta was brooding in her quarters. 

Lily was reading a book on Blood Magic, something she found absolutely fascinating, when the door opened with a bang and Voldemort strode like a king to the table, pulling out a chair and immediately a glass of fire whiskey appeared in his hand. 

"Your sister is getting on my nerves, Narcissa," the blonde tensed, 

"What has she done now?" Her tone was deceptively calm, but her anger was barely contained. 

Voldemort looked at her, he hadn't seen Lily in the opposite corner, watching the scene intently. "She came to me in Romania, barged into the Council office, drunk, threatened Lily and insulted the Vampire Council with racist slurs. She almost ruined the Alliance." 

Narcissa swallowed, Lucius and Abraxas also looked worried, the Malfoy matriarch cleared her throat, "And where is Mrs Lestrange now?" He asked cautiously, the air seeming to freeze. 

Voldemort smiled a little, "She's not dead...but I threw her in a fireplace at Lestrange Manor, I hope she survived such a long journey...the Floo is not really made for long distance travel".

Lily bit back a squeal, if Lestrange was not badly splinched it would be a miracle. She knew that Voldemort was temperamental, but... she shook her head, she knew, there was no going back now, she was committed. Anyway, her best life was now on this side. She killed McGonagall. 

Narcissa pursed her lips, her hands shaking slightly, "T...thank you, I'll see if she needs me..." She bowed her head and left quickly, throwing her gardening gloves carelessly onto a chair. 

Lucius sighed, "My Lord... Bellatrix, despite her... faults, is very dear to my wife..." 

Voldemort's eyes flashed red. "If I hadn't punished her publicly, the vampire would have wanted revenge for the offence she caused them, and Narcissa's pretty head and yours would be on a spike by now. Vampires like to kill family members for revenge," he took a sip of his fire whisky, crossed his legs, he really did look like a king. 

His clothes were all black with red outlines, it looked very old-fashioned, but it suited him perfectly. It wasn't fair.

There was a silence, Lily swallowed and asked in a low voice, "And have you secured an alliance with the vampires?"

The man - was he really a man? - froze, glass in hand, then slowly turned his head towards her, tilted it... and smiled. 

"What a pleasant surprise... shouldn't you be at Hogwarts?" He asked, swirling the liquid in his glass. 

Abraxas cleared his throat, "Miss Evans escaped an ambush organised by Dumbledore."

Lily straightened in her seat, "They were watching my post and decided to act when I said I wanted to see Narcissa," she added. 

Voldemort looked at her intently, his good humour gone and his face a mask of impassibility, "And how did you escape?" 

Lucius started to answer for her, but Voldemort raised his hand and immediately closed his mouth, she shifted nervously in her seat, "Er...I...well, there was Auror Moody and Mcgonagall...I don't think there were any other Order members," Voldemort remained silent, "I was disillusioned, but Moody spotted me and, well, we fought, Moody cursed me, a sort of burning curse on my shoulder..."

"...it was the Flesh Eating Curse, my Lord, Narcissa removed all traces of magic, it will heal normally," Lucius cut her gently. 

Lily blinked and scratched her neck nervously, "Then... to be honest it was sheer dumb luck, I just threw several stunners as I ran to stop them throwing any curses at me, then... I cast the spell from the book...you know the book and it hit Moody...and Mcgonagall talked to me, she...annoyed me and it was rather impulsive and stupid but I cast a Bombarda Maxima and got away..." 

"Minerva Mcgonagall died of her wounds a few days later," Abraxas spoke, "Lily has a warrant for her arrest and Dumbledore or any member of the Order hasn't been heard from since. 

Voldemort placed his empty glass on the table, clicked his tongue, rose to his feet and walked towards her until he was towering over her, "Sheer luck indeed, you could have died at least a dozen times. Firstly, using a Disillusionment Charm to fool an Auror is the worst idea you could have, they are trained to spot it very early in their training. The Stunners, why not, but they could have reflected back to you and you wouldn't have seen it coming, so I don't know if they failed to reflect them or if your speed in casting overwhelmed them, we'll have to check. In the end, you let your emotions get the better of you, the Bombarda was unnecessary and only the stairs behind you saved your life. At least McGonagall died, congratulations on your first kill," he finished with a smirk and she shot him a dirty look. 

"I'm not proud of it," she said with a dark look. Lucius and Abraxas were gone, she noticed. 

He raised an eyebrow, "Still, you don't seem overly affected by it." 

It was true. She felt more guilty about the fact that she didn't feel guilty, "She was on her way," she muttered, averting her eyes to the garden, the snow glittering in the sunlight. 

Lily felt a finger grab her shin, "Exactly, that's why I want you on my side, you're moving forward, you have potential in your ideas but also in your magic, because what you've done takes a lot of magic, especially for a sixteen year old".

The redhead looked into his chocolate eyes, "Really? I always thought I was average. 

He chuckled and let go of her shin, looking a little incredulous "That's not going to be enough, you have to use your potential Lily, otherwise it's a waste". 

Lily swallowed, "So what am I going to do? The whole country is looking for me" Her revenge would have to wait, she thought bitterly. 

Voldemort looked at her, a flash of red in his eyes, "I will train you myself and you and I will change this broken society"

Lily just nodded.