Chapter 16
LYRA HAD ALWAYS BEEN A LIGHT SLEEPER. And so, on the morning of the 1st of September, when she could hear a pitter-patter of footsteps behind her door, an amused smile danced on her face as she mentally counted backwards from five.
Five... Four...Three....Two...One-
"LYRA!" Regulus shouted with joy, jumping on top of her. "LYRA IT'S TIME TO GO TO HOGWARTS! WHY ARE YOU STILL ASLEEP?! WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE!"
"Regulus darling, it's six in the morning," Lyra told him.
"I KNOW! It's already SIX IN THE MORNING!" Regulus emphasised. "If we don't get up and get ready now, we are going to be late and I do not want to miss the Hogwarts Express!"
"Okay, okay." Lyra conceded, getting up, the blurriness still not completely gone from her eyes. "Did you wake up mum and dad yet?"
"No," Regulus scowled. "Their door was locked and even though I knocked on the door multiple times, they didn't respond."
That's smart of them, Lyra begrudgingly thought. "What about Sirius? Did you wake him up?"
"No, he stayed over at Aunt Dorea and Uncle Charlus' last night, remember?" Regulus asked her.
"Right." Lyra paused. It seemed that she was the only person to not take any precautions to Regulus' hyper state that he tended to descend into whenever he was excited about something. She turned to face the boy who wore on him the largest smile she had seen. "What about grandfather and grandmother? Both sets, I mean. They did tell you that they wanted to see us off, remember? And it would be a shame if we are late to the Hogwarts Express because of them..."
Regulus' eyes widened with horror at the thought of being late. "I hadn't thought of that! I'll go and wake them up right now. Thanks, Lyra!" He kissed his sister quickly on the cheek before running to the nearest fireplace to floo over to the Planetarium and the Constellation, the residency of Arcturus and Melania and Pollux and Irma respectively.
Lyra smiled at her brother's excitement before her eyes glanced at her lonely, inviting bed. And without another thought, she got into it, pulled up the covers and once again visited the realm of Morpheus. She properly woke up two hours later and got along her morning routine. She went down the stairs to find her parents, brothers and god-family already seated and having breakfast.
"Good morning," she greeted them.
Regulus frowned. "I woke you up at six. Why are you coming down at half-past eight?"
"It's not easy being a girl, Regulus," Lyra told him. "Getting ready in two and a half hours is early, actually." She said, taking a seat on the twelve-seater dining table.
Regulus' eyebrows furrowed, signalling that he didn't quite believe her. He turned to his mother. "Is it, mummy? Do girls really need two and a half hours to get ready?"
"Oh yes," Walburga replied, tossing Lyra a discreet wink. "It's very hard being a girl, Regulus."
"-And even harder living with one," Orion muttered, making Charlus nod seriously at his remark and in turn, prompting Walburga and Dorea to share an eye-roll.
Regulus turned to Lyra with a gaunt expression on his face. "I am very sorry that it is so hard for you." He told her, knowing that even if his sister lied to him sometimes, his mother never would.
Lyra held his gaze. "Thank you, I appreciate it."
They were getting stares thrown their way, but like always, the House of Black embraced them regally instead of shying away or feeling embarrassed.
Every single member of the House of Black had come to see Regulus depart for his very first year at Hogwarts, just like they had come together for the other children's as well.
Regulus was beaming like a Cheshire Cat from ear to ear and was practically bouncing on his feet with excitement. His euphoria was shared by James and Sirius, who were delighted to go back to Hogwarts after having had to be taken out in the middle of their first year.
When it was five minutes for the train to leave the station, kisses, hugs and reminders of "Don't forget to write back!" and "We love you" were exchanged between parents to their children before the latter entered the train.
Lyra had opted into making sure that her three little brothers found a compartment and were comfortable before she left for the Prefect meeting, where she found Lucius patiently waiting for her outside.
He kissed her on the cheek, grinning. "And so the goddess of beauty has finally decided to grace me with her presence."
Lyra laughed, leaning into him. "Oh yes, you should be very honoured."
"I am," Lucius smiled, opening the compartment door for them to go inside.
They took their seats and Narcissa and Leonard, the current year's fifth-year Slytherin prefects, took a seat beside Lyra, prompting the four to share a smile. Valarie and Patrick were there as well, as the seventh year Slytherin prefects and nodded to the King and Queen before taking their seats beside Lucius.
Andromeda, this year's Head Girl, cleared her throat as she took her own seat, drawing the attention of them all to her. "Now that everybody is here, we can start this meeting. For those of you don't know, I'm Andromeda Black and I will be your Head Girl for this academic year."
"-And I'm Ted, your head boy." The Hufflepuff grinned. "Let's get this show on the road!"
"Tracks." Andromeda corrected with a small smile on her lips, making Narcissa narrow her eyes and Lyra tilt her head.
"Ah, yes." He said sheepishly. "Let's do this. First matter of business-"
It was sometime during the middle of the prefect meeting when Lucius accidentally dropped his quill, causing him to bend down to pick it up. He abruptly sat straight after a second and discreetly squeezed Lyra's hand.
She gave him a questioning look from the corner of her eye.
Lucius quickly wrote something down on a piece of parchment in front of him and passed it to Lyra who read it.
Andromeda and the mudblood's hands are intertwined.
Lyra froze for a second before squeezing her boyfriend's hand back, conveying that she acknowledged the message.
She knew that Lucius wouldn't lie about such things and to be honest, she was a little suspicious of the Head Boy and Girl's snippet of the exchange earlier.
In fact, with this epiphany, so many things became clearer: Andromeda's sudden hesitance in participating in such conversations, the way she would attempt to discreetly glare at anybody who said the word 'mudblood', the way she would anxiously shift her feet whenever particular policies were being discussed, the way she would eagerly keep looking at the window for something and the way her whole face would light up whenever she received a letter recently.
Andromeda was in love, and Lyra was reluctantly impressed that she had managed to keep that fact a secret for so long.
So after the meeting, before they were going to one of the Court's compartments, Lyra dragged Andromeda into a random one which, luckily, was empty. Narcissa -the only one who had noticed her cousin's blue action- looked confused at it before shrugging, confident that Lyra would tell her what it was about later.
"What's wrong, Lyra?" Andromeda asked, confused.
Lyra scoffed. "I cannot believe you have the audacity to ask me that right now." She stated, causing Andromeda to frown harder.
"Pardon?"
"You love him," Lyra stated with her grey eyes dancing in amusement and a hint of disbelief, making Andromeda freeze. "You love the mudblood."
"I don't know what you are talking about." Andromeda denied immediately, her face going blank.
"Oh please, you understood every word that left my mouth perfectly well, we both know that," Lyra said. "So don't even bother denying it."
"Fine. I love him." Andromeda replied coldly, defiance in her voice. "Now you know. What will you do?"
"That, my dear Andromeda, depends on what you will do." Lyra tilted her head. "So, what will you do?"
Andromeda's eyes bore into hers before she abruptly began laughing. "You don't approve of him." She stated.
Lyra scoffed. "Of course I don't, and you know that as well. You could do far better."
"I really couldn't. Ted is the best."
"And that's your opinion," Lyra replied. "One that you have the freedom to have. I only ask that even if you don't agree with my opinions, you still respect them."
"And why should I, huh?" Andromeda asked angrily. "Ted is the smartest, kindest, sweetest person in the entire world. But you don't care about any of that. All you care about is blood, blood, blood! I'm sick of it!" She said in a mixture of frustration and tears. "Well guess what? All our blood is red- you cannot tell them apart and so I honestly cannot understand what is yours and everybody else's in our insane family's obsession with blood!"
Lyra was statuesque and un-answering, just letting her rant it all out.
"Well guess what, oh great Queen?" Andromeda mocked. "No house in Hogwarts but Slytherin cares about blood."She spat.
Lyra smiled sarcastically. "I agree. But you forget that although our school does not care about blood, the world certainly does." She tilted her head. "Or do you still think that it is a coincidence that the Heads of all important departments in the Ministry of Magic are all purebloods excluding the scarce half-bloods that still came from a powerful pureblood family?" She asked, her tone mocking.
Andromeda fell silent at that.
"Damn yourself if you want, Andromeda, but don't damn any of your future progeny with you," Lyra told her, voice icy. "If you run away like I have a feeling you might, you will surely be disowned; but if you actually talk to Grandfather Arcturus, then there might be a chance for another fate. Hope." She said. "You're already prepared to risk so much, so why not do this as well?"
Andromeda didn't have a reply to that. Lyra rolled her eyes and turned to leave. Her hand was on the handle when Andromeda found her voice once more.
"Would you kill him?" She asked boldly. "Or me, for committing the simple crime of loving each other?"
Lyra turned to face her with a false sympathetic expression. "Oh sweet Andromeda, you know better than most that if a Black wanted you dead, by now, you would have already been on your next great adventure."
Andromeda glared at her. "I'll really run away." She threatened.
"Do it," Lyra said, smiling predatorily. "I will enjoy hunting you down."
Andromeda's nose flared on the outside as she continued to glare daggers at her cousin, but on the inside, she was a second away from bursting into tears because she knew that even though she didn't want to believe it, Lyra was right as she always was.
A half-blood getting a nice job without the backing of a powerful pureblood family was next to impossible. Not to even mention, the wrath of the House of Black if she dared to run away.
"Talk to grandfather and sort this mess out, Andromeda. I'm not playing." Lyra said coldly, turning once again to leave. "You have a week from now. Talk it over with your boy toy if you must. Either you tell him or I will." Lyra's eyes fixated themselves on Andromeda's one last time. "And believe me when I say that you don't want me to tell him." She flashed her a blinding smile. "I hope you have a lovely day." Lyra closed the door behind her as she left and Andromeda could still hear the clicking of her cousin's heels on the floors, the sound haunting her as she was left alone with nothing but her thoughts.
After finishing his dinner, Regulus Black excitedly chatted with Amal Shafiq. From the corner of his eyes, he could see his sister smiling as she talked with her peacock-like boyfriend.
Regulus knew choosing peacocks over toad had been the right decision.
He could see his cousin, Narcissa, stand up and make her way over to where his fellow first-years were seated with a boy by her side. Regulus recognised him as Heir Rowle.
The conversations between the first-years were silenced upon the arrival of the two fifth-year prefects.
Narcissa flashed him a smile before speaking. "Merry meet, everyone. I am Narcissa Black and standing beside me is Leonard Rowle. I am sure you all are very tired right now, so shall I just show you to the dungeons?"
The first years chorused an excited, "Yes", eager to see their Common Room.
Leonard Rowle flashed them a lopsided grin. "And one more thing, congratulations on being sorted to the greatest house in the universe. Please, follow me."
He began walking and all of them followed him dutifully.
Regulus kept trying and failing to calm his nerves with each step he took.
Ever since his sister's first year, he could see some sort of secret pact had been formed between his parents, grandparents and herself; and it was like everybody was in on it but himself, James and Sirius. Also, whenever he had asked his father about what to expect when he got sorted into Slytherin, the only reply he would receive was a mysterious smile and the simple answer of, "Patience, my son."
His grandfathers were no better and neither were his grandmothers, aunts and uncles. And so, one could not blame him for being so nervously excited about his first day as a Slytherin, especially considering that he had been anticipating it for so long.
All he knew about tonight was the things his father had told him before he had boarded the Hogwarts Express: "You'll be meeting some very important people tonight. Don't be too surprised."
Well, thank you, father. It isn't like that sentence is enigmatic or puzzling at all.
He must have been musing for too long, it seemed, for when he flashed back into reality, neither Narcissa nor Leonard was there.
He was in the Slytherin Common Room now, and he took a second to just admire it.
It was more beautiful than he had imagined it to be.
His eyes turned to where fourteen cloaked figures were sitting regally in a semi-circle formation.
Was this the ' very important people' his father was talking about?
It clicked to Regulus at that second, and all the whisperings he had heard about the Royal Slytherin Court dawned into his mind and his eyes widened with shock as all the information he knew about the Court suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks and that was the moment it finally became clear to him the reason why all those peculiar people seemed to constantly surround his sister at parties and balls.
He watched as Lucius Malfoy revealed himself as the Green Ruler and so, he wasn't that surprised when his sister's beautiful face smiled back at him as she removed the hood from her head.
She flashed him a direct wink, prompting him to return a grin before she made eye contact with every single one of the first years and a smirk graced her pretty face. "Let us reveal the Court."
Andromeda Black was thankful that she was Head Girl, not because of holding the honour of the position, but because she got to stay alone with Ted in their private Head dorm's, far away from the Slytherin Dungeons and her cousin.
As she watched with a soft smile as Ted blabbered on about something, she couldn't help but think that this was what it was going to be like if she wished to spend the rest of her life with him.
And she loved every second of it.
But she unknowingly frowned as her cousin's words echoed in her mind once more.
Although our school does not care about blood, the world certainly does. Damn yourself if you want, Andromeda, but don't damn any of your future progeny with you. If you run away like I have a feeling you might, you will surely be disowned; but if you actually talk to Grandfather Arcturus, then there might be a chance for another fate. Hope. You're already prepared to risk so much, so why not do this as well?
"-meda? Andromeda?"
Andromeda blinked, only to see Ted looking at her with concern.
"What's wrong? Are you alright?"
She gave him a small smile. "I'm fine, Ted. Just thinking."
"So deeply?" Ted asked, sitting beside her and rubbing soothing circles on her hands comfortingly. "What are you thinking about that has put such a frown on your face?"
Andromeda shook her head. "Nothing much. Just something my cousin said."
Ted's eyebrows furrowed. "Lyra, right?"
Andromeda nodded. "Yes, but if you are ever to meet her -and I cannot emphasise this enough- you must call her Heiress Black until she gives you permission otherwise." She told him seriously.
"Why? Is she going to kill me if I don't or something?" Ted joked with a laugh, which soon became anxious as Andromeda didn't join on his merriment, only looking gaunter. "She- She won't actually kill me, right Dora?"
"Do you want a truth or a lie?" Andromeda asked instead.
"Truth, I think?"
"Then no, she won't kill you," Andromeda told him, making Ted breath out a sigh of relief. "She'll personally torture you until you are a millimetre away from death before hiring somebody else to finish you for her; after she gives Great-Uncle Arcturus his three-day notice, of course."
Ted went pale, but he couldn't help but ask, "Three-day policy?"
"Great-Uncle Arcturus insists that everybody in the family gives him a three-day heads up before committing murder so that he has enough time to solidify alibis and find a place to hide the body."
Ted went wide-eyed. "You aren't serious, right?"
"Of course not, Ted. My cousin is Sirius." Andromeda replied, making Ted gain a small smile. "But I am not kidding about my cousin or family. We really need to talk about them." She turned to him, her grey eyes fixed on his honey ones. "Lyra knows."
"How?"
"She's Lyra," Andromeda replied with a slight shrug. "I'm honestly surprised that she didn't find out sooner," she told him. "And like always, my cousin does not have a hint of kindness or understanding within her and has given us an ultimatum: either she tells my Head of house, or I do."
Ted looked bewildered. "She's going to tell your Great-Uncle?"
Andromeda nodded. "You don't know the way my family functions, Ted, and for that, you must count yourself lucky. But I do- and Ted, I'm scared."
Ted was quick to immediately reassure his secret girlfriend that nothing was going to happen to them and everything was going to be fine.
"What do you think we should do then, 'Ro?" Ted asked softly. "Because I'll agree with you no matter what and I'll follow you to the ends of the earth and beyond if you ask." He promised, making Andromeda flash her a small smile.
"I think we should tell my Great-Uncle Arcturus. It's better if he hears it from us than her because Merlin knows that my cousin can spin the story in any way she wants."
Ted smiled. "Okay. If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do."
Andromeda returned a smile and they shared a kiss before simply sitting beside each other silently.
"So... How exactly do we just tell him?" Ted asked. "Like write a letter or something?"
Andromeda shook her head. "No. We should tell him personally. It's better to convince him."
"You honestly think he'll let a muggleborn marry a member of his perfect pureblood family?"
Andromeda's heart fluttered at the sound of Ted's voice when he said the word 'marry', but she forced those butterflies down. "I don't know." She said honestly. "But I'm already prepared to risk so much, so why not go a step further? At least this way, I'll know that I exhausted every option and every flame of hope had been put out before I went extreme."
Ted nodded, rubbing more circles on his girlfriend's hands. "How are we going to make contact with him?"
"I'll ask Lyra to set it up." Andromeda's lips thinned. "It's the least she could do considering she's the reason for this mess and web of doubts."
"Do you sincerely think she'll do it?"
"I'm still family." Andromeda gave him a soft smile. "and no matter how much I fault Lyra, I cannot deny her loyalty to family." She told him. "She didn't have to warn me or give me a week to choose. If it had been Narcissa or Bellatrix, they would not have hesitated. And although I know that Lyra might not approve of you, I am confident that she will help us out as much as she can without betraying the trust of her father and grandfather."
"Honestly?"
"Honestly," Andromeda replied. "And speaking of which, if you are going to meet my Great-Uncle, it is very important to make a good first impression on him. So, that means you'll have to dress smartly and act regally."
"Me? Regally?" Ted asked in disbelief. "I don't think it's possible, Ro."
"Oh, but it is." Andromeda grinned. "I happen to know a person who is not only capable of doing the impossible with ease but is also my Great-Uncle's favourite person in the whole wide world. If there is anybody who can convince him to change his decision, it's this person." Her grey eyes connected with Ted's honey one's and a smirk graced her face because she knew that this person believed that family was everything and would help her out no matter what. "How would you like to formally meet my cousin, Heiress Lyra Black?"
Three days later, Lyra's face held a bored expression as she watched him. "I've seen better sitting posture in my brother when he's asleep."
Ted scowled at her remark, shifting and trying to sit up straight. The action prompting Lyra to throw her hands up in the air with frustration. "I don't know how this is possible, but your posture got worse! Honestly! Moros has better posture than you do!"
"Who's Moros?"
"My pet black mamba." Lyra smiled at him. "They're highly venomous, you know? Would you like to meet him?"
"No thank you." Ted Tonks replied hurriedly as he shook his head frantically.
"Lyra," Andromeda said in a warning tone making her cousin roll her eyes.
"You're no fun, Andy."
"Yes, because threatening people is so much fun," Andromeda replied in a dry tone.
"Of course it is," Lyra said, turning back to Ted. "Look, you asked for my help, not the other way around. So at least try to behave properly and not like a slouch?"
"I'm trying, okay? This is harder than it looks." Ted said in frustration.
Lyra scoffed. "I sincerely doubt it. Now," she observed him with sharp eyes, "chin up. You may be a mudblood, but you must show my grandfather that you are proud. Otherwise, he'll break your poor, fragile mind so completely that all the repairo's in the world wouldn't be able to fix it."
With every attempt Ted did to behave more 'properly' in order to make a good impression, Andromeda cringed and Lyra winced. As members of the House of Black who had taken into such behaviour and mannerisms with elegance and ease, Ted's attempts were rather sad for them to look at.
When Ted shifted once more in his seat, Lyra stopped him. "Okay, let's go with speaking skills now and work on your dreadful posture later." She suggested.
"'Kay," Ted replied.
Lyra closed her eyes and managed to take a deep breath. "First of all, the appropriate answer that is acceptable is 'okay' and 'alright' and 'yes, please'. Do not under any circumstances use half-words when speaking to my grandfather, especially if you want to make a good impression like you claim you do. Also, speak formally, never informal unless you are given direct permission from him and most importantly, always address him as Lord Black. Okay?" She emphasised the last word.
Ted nodded slowly, still in the process of absorbing information. "Okay."
Lyra nodded, satisfied, while Andromeda let out a sigh of relief.
"So, there's hope?" Andromeda asked her.
Lyra nodded with a small smile. "There is hope," she confirmed. "I might not approve of him, but you could do worse. At least it isn't a muggle." she joked, making Andromeda laugh.
"Thank you for understanding."'
Lyra gave her a half-smile. "I'm not understanding, Andy, just not fond of losing my cousin for anything but death."
"Still," Andromeda said softly, "I know this must have been hard for you to accept and the fact that you not only did but is also helping us really means a lot to me, so thank you."
Lyra winked. "Thank me only after this sloth in human skin attains some semblance of manners."
"Hey!" Ted called out, pouting. "That's rude."
"No," Andromeda said slowly. "What's rude would have been her calling you a mopey magpie due to your sitting stance." She stated, causing Lyra to laugh.
"So glad to see the two of you bonding at my expense," Ted grumbled.
Lyra tsk'd loudly. "Do not mutter or mummer or mumble in front of someone who you aren't close to." She told him before adding, "Also, don't grumble or whine. It's annoying to hear and a little pathetic, to be honest."
Lyra, with the help of the Heads, Prefects and teachers, had asked for the first Hogsmeade trip of the year to be conducted within the first month of the school; and on this trip, she had asked her Grandfather Arcturus to meet her at the Three Broomsticks.
Upon sending her letter, she had received a quick reply from him asking if there was anything wrong. Admittedly he had the right to be worried considering the incident that took place last year, but Lyra was quick to reassure him that all of them were fine but it was just that Andromeda needed to talk to him personally about a vital matter. Her confused grandfather had sent his second letter with the simple word of, 'Okay'.
Lyra hadn't told anybody about this matter, not even Lucius or Narcissa, just because it wasn't her secret to share and while she had threatened Andromeda to expose it, she honestly had no intentions of doing so. All she had wanted was Andromeda to do was tell Grandfather Arcturus about the person she was in love with instead of having him find out about it by her running away because like herself, grandfather Arcturus valued family more than anything and Lyra was confident in the fact that her grandfather would think of an acceptable solution and that he wouldn't disown Andromeda.
She had watched with a hint of pride as Ted's sitting stance transitioned into a tolerable one and his manners improved significantly and while she did not entirely approve of him, she understood that he made Andy happy and so she accepted him.
Call her naive, but Lyra believed in the concept of soulmates.
She believed that everybody had that one person made especially for them by Lady Magik who was not meant to complete you because you weren't a half or a part. But, that person would embrace you with all your flaws and smiles and accept you for who you were.
Lucius was her soulmate and Ted was Andromeda's.
It was that simple.
And if Ted could continue treating Andromeda like the goddess she was, then Lyra just may begin to approve of him. Emphasis to be put on the word may.
On the day before their first trip to Hogsmeade for that academic year, while Lyra was sure of her understanding of her grandfather, it didn't help her from worrying over it a bit and her mind from coming up with possible scenarios that could occur or what help she could offer Andromeda if things went south without completely betraying her family's trust on her.
It was when she was having these internal musings did Lucius take a seat beside her in the Slytherin Common Room.
"Remind me to buy some more ink when we go to Hogsmead tomorrow." He told her, making her pause.
"Excuse me, but did you just say 'when we go to Hogsmeade tomorrow'?" Lyra asked.
"I believe so, yes."
"I didn't know we were going together," Lyra stated, making Lucius raise an eyebrow at her.
"... We are in a relationship." He reminded her dryly.
Lyra tilted her head. "Your point?"
"I was under the impression that we would be going to Hogsmeade together."
She gave him a sympathetic, pitying look at his statement. "Well, I apologise for having to be the one to pop this delusion, but I don't quite remember you asking me out to Hogsmeade tomorrow."
"We're dating," Lucius repeated pointedly.
"I remember that," Lyra assured him. "but unfortunately, the memory of you asking me out to Hogsmead tomorrow is still flashing as nonexistent through my mind."
"You want me to ask you out for Hogsmeade even though we are already dating?" Lucius asked in a mixture of bewilderment, disbelief and amusement.
Lyra made a show of letting out an exasperated sigh. "I feel like I've given you enough hints regarding that matter, Heir Malfoy. Must I spell it out for you next time?"
A smile graced Lucius' pale, handsome features as he let out a chuckle. "Not required, Heiress Black. I humbly ask you to please forgive my ignorance and I will try my very best to not repeat such mistakes next time." He replied, eyes shining in merriment.
"Only if I must, Heir Malfoy," Lyra said, false sighing once again with twinkling eyes.
Lucius flashed her a wink before clearing his throat. "Lyra," He began.
"Yes, Lucius?"
"Would you do me the greatest honour of accompanying me to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"
"No."
"No?" He echoed, bewildered.
"Yes."
"So, you've accepted?" He asked to confirm.
"No," Lyra answered.
"But you just said yes." Lucius pointed out with confusion lacing his features.
"I said yes to indicate that I said no," Lyra explained calmly. "Ask me again, Lucius, but add much more flavour into it. Your proposal came out quite bland." She told him before pausing. "Also, add flowers to this request. And it never hurts to add some chocolates and a declaration of undying, immense love in there as well. Make it big and bold." She advised with a tilt of her head. "Your mother did raise a gentleman, did she not?"
Lucius let out a tired sigh upon just hearing her words. "You Blacks are too dramatic and too much work." He muttered under his breath.
Lyra grinned, pecking his cheek. "Took you long enough to realise!"
On the morning of the trip to Hogsmead, Lyra had been given two feet long lists by Sirius, James and Regulus, naming things that they wanted her to buy which thoroughly consisted of different types of sweet treats and products manufactured by the joke shop, Zonko's.
Lyra's eyes met Andromeda's as she linked her arms with Lucius and flashed her a smile.
Good luck, Andy. You'll need it.
She nodded to her before leaving with Lucius to the village, the white wildflower which her boyfriend had had to pluck from the forbidden forest due to the short notice was prettily tucked behind her ear. Later, with their hands full of bags of chocolates, quills, ink pots and books, Lucius and Lyra waved goodbye to the rest of the Slytherin Court and broke away to take a walk on their own.
They made their way to the Shrieking Shack, an abandoned house towards the end of Hogsmeade.
"Is this a good idea?" Lucius asked with his nose scrunched up in disgust at the condition of the building.
Lyra shrugged. "I don't know, but I heard that ever since last year, many shouts and screams were heard coming from this shack. I'm curious."
"Yes, curiosity definitely explains why you practically forced me to enter this horrid abomination of a house where there may or may not be terrifying creatures," Lucius said dryly, making Lyra raise an eyebrow at his statement.
"I never forced you." She said, entering the house. "You're very much free to leave, Lucius. Please don't stay on my account. After all, this is to satisfy my curiosity, not yours; so it is admittedly unfair for you to have to risk your precious life where there may or may not be terrifying creatures."
She disappeared into the house and as she expected, Lucius followed her with a scowl on his handsome face.
He scoffed. "Believe me, I would love to do so, Lyra, but I love you and it is my duty to protect you from terrifying creatures. So alas, I must come as well!"
Lyra raised an eyebrow at his answer and pressed her weight onto a loose wooden floorboard, causing a noise to occur and subsequently prompting Lucius to jump up high in the air, composure lost.
"Are you sure it shouldn't be me protecting you?" She asked with a tilt of her head, making Lucius flash her a glare.
He let the matter drop, knowing that if he took it forward, he would risk more embarrassment.
Both of them took the chance to look around the shack. The wallpapers were peeling away and had claw marks on them and there were stains of dry blood, splattered sporadically on both the floor and the walls. Every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up.
Lyra traced the claw marks on the walls with her own fingers.
"Whoever did this can't be too big. My hand fits perfectly into it."
"Then are we sure that it isn't you who is doing all this?" Lucius questioned dryly, sitting on the heel of his legs in order to examine the floor. "Lyra," he called out, eyebrows furrowed. "Doesn't this look like.. hair?"
Lyra immediately crouched down beside him, observing his discovery with a sharp look in her eyes. It did, indeed, look like a strand of hair. "Interesting..." She hummed.
"There's more there!" Lucius pointed with a finger at a corner in the shack, prompting both of them to go closer to it where strands of similar hair colour had been spread around. "Whoever is doing this is quite hairy." He stated.
"Whoever is doing this is.. shedding," Lyra stated. "Or has extreme hair fall." She leaned down a little closer, trying to get a better view and her eyes widened upon seeing something move among the strands of hair. "Lucius! Is that-"
"-a tick?" He finished, equally confused as his eyes spotted the pest.
Lyra's lips pursed into a contemplating expression before her eyes widened. "Once a month." She stated, making Lucius frown.
"Pardon?"
"The villagers only heard screams and shouts once a month." Lyra elaborated, the pieces coming together in her mind like a puzzle. "And there is shedding of hair, a tick, claw marks- do you see where I'm going with this?" She asked with an excited undertone in her voice.
"Not really," Lucius replied honestly.
Lyra's lips curved upwards. "All of these signs point to a werewolf." She proclaimed, making Lucius' eyes widen.
"You can't possibly be serious!"
"Of course I'm not. I'm Lyra, remember?" Lyra said, making him roll his eyes. "But no, I am unfortunately not kidding about this. In fact, considering that my hands could fit inside the claw marks, I would go as far to say that the werewolf is a child and that-" She abruptly stopped talking mid-sentence as she understood the wider view of the picture.
Images of a small boy with honey-coloured eyes and the most horrific scars on his face testifying against Severus Snape flashed through her mind along with James and Sirius informing her about how their best friend, Remus Lupin, was always getting sick so often.
She flashed Lucius a blinding smile. "Let's explore." She said, making Lucius' eyebrows frown at the sudden change in the topic before he slowly nodded.
"Okay, lets." He agreed.
They found an old rusty-sounding piano in the second floor of the Shrieking Shack and Lucius, after muttering every cleaning charm he knew, played a delightful song for himself and Lyra, which prompted the latter to reward him with a long, warm kiss.
"Well, that's a sight every grandfather hopes he wouldn't see."
They immediately broke apart and their necks snapped to where Lord Arcturus of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black was regally standing, looking so out of place with his surroundings.
A smile broke out of Lyra's face. "Grandfather!"
"Hello Lyra dear," He smiled before nodding curtly at Lucius. "Heir Malfoy."
Lucius bowed. "Lord Black." He greeted, confused as to why Lyra's grandfather was at Hogsmeade, but he decided to keep his questions to himself. After all, the Blacks never did anything without a proper reason and he was sure that since Lyra didn't look surprised upon seeing him (just startled by his appearance), she had known he would be coming. He trusted Lyra.
"May I have a minute with my dearest granddaughter?" Lord Black asked.
"Of course, Lord Black. But I'm afraid you must be directing the question to Lyra, not I, considering that it is her that you are talking about." He replied, prompting an approving gleam to run through Lord Black's stormy grey eyes.
Lord Black faced Lyra with a raised eyebrow and non-verbal question. Lyra laughed with a nod, pecking Lucius on the cheek and mumbling an "I'll see you later" before following her grandfather down the stairs, out the Shack and to a somewhat nice location for them to talk.
And like the innate paranoia dictates, both made sure to put up multiple privacy enchantments before speaking.
"So," Lyra started, her voice devoid of emotions. "How was it?"
"I was admittedly surprised," Arcturus replied before a small smile stretched his mouth. "The boy was shaking so much upon seeing me, I honestly thought he was going to faint. It was quite fun."
Lyra hummed at his answer and Arcturus' eyes softened.
"I'm glad that both you and Andromeda decided to inform me about this matter first." He told her. "I would have hated to have to find out about it from the Prophet."
"Of course, grandfather," Lyra half-smiled. "Sticking together is policy number nine and I know how much you hate finding out things about our family from the Prophet."
Arcturus chuckled before giving her a sad smile. "Andromeda was going to run away if you hadn't interfered, wasn't she?"
"Maybe."
Arcturus nodded. "I thought so. She looked very happy with the mud blood. It's the first time I've seen her smile so wide and real." He told her with a soft smile. "And as Lord of House Black, it is my duty to first and foremost take into account the happiness and safety of every member of our family. This... situation... came out of the blue, so I'll need some time to think about it." He met her eyes. "So don't you worry about it, Lyra. I'm not kidding, I'll take care of it. Merlin knows you have enough on your plate already."
She smiled lopsidedly with a slow nod. "Alright, grandfather."
Arcturus hugged her. "Do your best in school. And notice how I said 'your best' and not 'the best'. It's completely okay to take a break Lyra dear, just please don't stress yourself out too much."
Lyra just smiled at his comment, refusing to answer.
After flashing her one last smile, Arcturus was just about to leave when Lyra called out, "Grandfather!"
He turned to look at her, confusion painted on his face.
"Did you-" She cleared her throat as curiosity and calculation burned brightly in her eyes. "What did you tell Andromeda's boy-toy now?"
Arcturus' lips curled into a smirk. "I invited him to spend Yule break with us, of course." He threw her a wink and apparated away before Lyra's mind caught up with the answer.