You'll Lie and I'll Believe

A/N: This is my first fanfic *gulp* so please treat it accordingly. However, do keep in mind that constructive criticism is encouraged :)

The chapter title is from "Thistle and Weeds" by Mumford and Sons.

Cora Potage loved to run. She loved the wind whipping her face, the endorphins coursing through her bloodstream and the pounding of her heart against her ribcage. It was a freeing experience which allowed her to channel negative emotions into a positive outlet. Everything else seemed so small when she was determined to leave a trail of dust in her wake.

Running also averted her thoughts from the troubling situation brewing at home. Her father had recently discovered that her mother was a half-blood. How this had only recently come to his attention after twenty years of marriage was puzzling to Cora, though she suspected it had something to do with her father's busy nature.

He was a business man and ran Potage's Cauldron Shop on Diagon Alley; it had been in the family for generations. The bulk of his time and energy went into managing the shop. Her mother had essentially raised Cora and her younger brother by herself.

Cora's father was a pure-blood, so he naturally saw his bloodline superior to that of half-bloods or Muggle-borns. Cora wouldn't go so far as to say that he hated those with impure wizarding lineage, but he definitely had his reservations.

She wasn't sure whose side of the struggle baffled her more. Her father had blindly assumed that he had married a pure-blooded witch. Her mother had kept her lineage a secret for the entirety of the relationship, even before the marriage. Cora was fearful of entering the conflict and choosing a side. She didn't want to upset either of her parents because she loved them deeply, despite their obvious faults.

In short, it was incredibly stressful and upsetting for Cora to be caught in between her feuding parents. She desperately missed her younger brother Duncan; he was her best friend and closest confidant. He was currently finishing his fourth year at Hogwarts, locked away in the magical castle. Cora and Duncan wrote letters to keep in touch. She had no doubt these posts were intercepted by the ministry for evaluation. Ever since the death of Headmaster Dumbledore and the return of You-Know-Who, Hogwarts was a dangerous and depressing place.

Cora was not only scared for Duncan but for her friends still attending Hogwarts. Dementors and Death Eaters combed the grounds while Severus Snape and the Carrow siblings established their new order over the once-harmonious school. Cora felt helpless and agitated knowing she could do little to help her brother's situation.

Fortunately her chosen occupation helped to ease the turmoil of her personal problems. She was a trainee healer at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. She worked on the third floor, specializing in potion and plant poisoning. She appreciated every moment of her shift at the hospital. It was the only stable aspect of her chaotic life.

Every day after work Cora would Apparate to a forest just outside of her town of Winchester. She was in the habit of running for at least an hour; this way she released enough tension to put on a happy face. Since the start of the conflict her father had made it his personal duty to arrive home from work extremely drunk and belligerent. Her mother's spirits didn't seem as low when Cora remained optimistic and helped out around the house.

Cora stopped running as she felt a sudden stitch in her side. She learned against a tree for a breather. Pulling out her wand she muttered "point me" and it immediately veered left to that of her standing position. She scanned the area. The forest was quiet and still. The twilight sky was a hazy purple color. Cora decided it was time to leave since dusk was at hand. She always felt uneasy at nightfall; her being alone in an expansive forest did not help this situation.

She heard the caw of a raven as it took flight from one of the trees close by. For Cora, the setting sun turned the forest into an ominous and uncomfortable place. She didn't like it one bit. Bracing herself and closing her eyes, Cora prepared to Apparate to the safety of the wrought iron fence surrounding Potage Place.

Her heart skipped a beat as she heard the snap of a twig. She quickly turned around.

"'Ello beautiful."