Chapter 17
LATER THAT NIGHT DURING THEIR PATROLS, Lucius and Lyra were quite confused upon hearing lots of whispering and footsteps but not actually seeing anybody. It was just when they were about to dismiss the noises as being done by a ghost, did Lyra remember about a certain family heirloom of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and did all the sounds come to a screeching halt as they rounded the corridor.
"Bloody hell, it's Lyra!" They heard the space of air scream with a frightened undertone in a very familiar voice, prompting Lucius and Lyra to share an amused glance.
"Ssh, you idiot. Are you really going to shout it out so loudly?!" Another familiar voice yelled.
"Guys," A relatively unknown voice whispered heatedly. "The prefects are literally right in front of us. I'm pretty sure they could hear us even if we whisper. So please, SHUT UP!" Another voice exclaimed irritatedly.
"Oh no," Lyra said, turning to face Lucius the very next second. "It seems that I had been temporarily hit with a muffling curse, making me unable to hear any noise whatsoever from the past few minutes."
"Yes, I was hit by that as well," Lucius said loudly.
"I sincerely hope that if there were anybody out of bed, they didn't evade us and take the next corridor, considering that there are Ravenclaw prefects patrolling that area. And I certainly hope that they didn't go through the curtain towards my right where there is a direct passage to the Gryffindor Common Room which would allow them to successfully evade all the prefects." Lyra said loudly to Lucius, who nodded.
"I hope so too, Lyra. And I also dearly hope that the ones who are seen outside of their curfew do not learn the silencing charm or the shadow paralysis charm, which would allow their footsteps, shadows and sounds to be undetected."
A sound of footsteps was heard soon after, along with the opening and closing of a curtain.
"Thank you!" A mixture combining the voice of Sirius and James chorused.
"If anyone hypothetically had chosen to express their gratitude to me at this moment, I would tell them to go to sleep because it's late and your very welcome!" Lyra yelled back, waiting until the pitter-patter of footsteps along the secret hallway had muted before the King and Queen continued walking.
"Your brothers need to learn the art of subtlety," Lucius commented dryly.
Lyra sighed sadly. "They are a lost cause, I'm afraid; and if Bellatrix is to be believed, so am I."
Lucius chuckled before switching the topic to be about one of the Slytherin alumni who had recently gained a Mastery in Ancient Runes.
After giving Lucius a goodnight kiss and exchanging pleasantries, Lyra was just about to go into her room when she saw the shadow of a person walking in the Slytherin Common Room. She pursed her lips for a second before she realised exactly who the shadow belonged to and thus, followed it as the shadow moved along one of the many abandoned, empty hallways located inside the Slytherin Common Room.
Lyra recognised where the shadow was moving to.
Since the House of Slytherins were located under the Black Lake, there was a secret passageway through the portrait of Merlin that led to an underwater cave.
However, this cave was highly sub-rosa and was known to very few people.
Lyra followed the shadow into the underwater cave and found the person sitting on one of the enormous, jagged rocks, facing outwards.
In this twenty feet long cave, there was luckily only three feet deep of turquoise water and many large, craggy rock formations that peaked out of the sparkling liquid, allowing a person to sit on it. There were also remarkable stalactites that hang above like chandeliers and the mouth of this cave was only about five feet high, prompting Lyra to have to bend her head and knees while walking inside it.
Only a step inside, and she could already see the person's right hand dipped inside the clear waters and swirling it a bit in a lazy, circular motion. She took a seat beside the person on one of the rocks and mentally winced at the damp surface and the slight tear that her dress would no doubt have.
The two of them sat in silence, observing the numerous varieties of fishes and the winged insects that flew.
Finally, Lyra spoke. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.
Regulus shook his head. "Not really."
Lyra nodded. "That's okay," She said, dipping a finger into the freezing waters and swirling it much like her brother was doing.
Quietude and tranquillity descended upon them for a few minutes, before being broken by Regulus.
"Am I soft?" He asked in a whisper.
Lyra didn't answer. It was obvious that something was bothering him and it was better if he just let it all out. She understood from personal experience that most times, a person didn't want advice, they just wanted somebody to listen; and surely enough, Regulus continued to speak.
"I was walking with Amal and Bartimus when she accidentally bumped into this Slytherin girl who I didn't recognise, and the girl got so mad at Amal and so did her friend." He explained, eyes fixed on the blue-green hues of the crystal clear waters. "I told them that they shouldn't be so mad since it was an honest mistake and the girl told me that-" He paused to swallow and his eyes hardened as his voice became strained. "She told me that I don't deserve to be a Black since I am so soft."
An inferno burnt in Lyra's eyes upon hearing her little brother's confession as she mentally created a reminder in her mind to send her grandfather his stupid three-day notice.
Regulus' cheeks were flushed and a single tear escaped his eyes and ran all the way down his cheek before falling into the water as his lips began to quiver.
Lyra hugged him immediately and Regulus wrapped his arms around her neck and started to cry on her shoulders. Lyra rubbed soothing circles on his arms and just held him like that, encouraging him to just let it all out and clear his mind while engulfing him warmly, as if the sheer force of her hug could convey to him all the love she felt.
She couldn't believe that somebody had dared to make her brother cry and there was no force on heaven or earth that would stop her from sending that person to the hell they deserved to rot in.
She didn't know for exactly how long they just sat there like that, in each other's embrace but Regulus slowly pulled away, his eyes bordered red, cheeks flushed and white streams of tears flowing from his eyes down his cheeks. He slightly hiccuped.
"Sorry," He said, eyes downcast.
Lyra gave him a soft smile, lifting his head. "You have nothing to be sorry about Regulus."
"B-but I cried." Regulus protested.
"So?" Lyra said, sitting closer to him so that she could still hold him in a half-hug position. "Everybody cries. Sirius and James cry at Quidditch matches, Narcissa cries at romance books, father cries upon finding never-before-seen historical documents and mother cries that Uncle Alphard hasn't died yet." She reminded him. "Crying is natural, baby brother. Everybody does it, and there is no need to ever feel ashamed for doing it."
Regulus let out a snort before looking at her with wide, precious eyes. "Do you also cry?"
"Oh, I cry a lot," Lyra told him in a whisper, head bent down as if she were telling him a great secret. "I cry whenever I look at the number of things I need to study and I also cry whenever I see any of my favourite people -like you- cry."
Regulus frowned. "Please don't cry because of me..."
Lyra gave him a small smile. "Only if you give me a smile."
Regulus' lips curved upwards slightly.
Lyra shook her head. "Not enough," she said and with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, tickled Regulus lightly, taking great care to not overdo it so that he doesn't fall.
Regulus laughed. "Stop, stop!" He commanded and she obliged.
"See? There is the amazing brother I know and love." She kissed him on his tear-stained cheek, encouraging him to smile properly this time.
"I love you, Ly-Ly."
"I love you too, Reggie."
The two of them exchanged a smile before watching the little fishes swim absentmindedly once again.
"Lyra?"
"Yes, Regulus?"
"Am I soft?" He asked, not meeting her eyes once again but she could tell that this time, Regulus expected her to answer and not for the first time, she cursed the girl who subjected her brother to such sadness and swore revenge against her.
"And what's wrong with that?" Lyra retorted, making Regulus look at her with visible surprise on his face. She fixed her eyes to his. "Regulus, what you need to understand is that just because a person is soft does not mean that he or she isn't a force. After all, honey and wildfire are both gold, aren't they?"
Regulus' face brightened as it grew thoughtful. "Yes, yes they are."
Lyra smiled. "I'm not kidding, Regulus. You are a member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black and there is nothing in the universe that can change that fact. But, if anybody even dares to think that they have the audacity to question your worth- then," She paused, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. "You do remember the incantation and the wand movements for the beheading curse, don't you? You'll finally have target practise then." She clapped her hands happily. "The option of hitting somebody with a knife is also on the table."
Regulus chuckled before his eyebrows furrowed. "But I thought we are supposed to give Grandpa Archie a three-day notice before committing murder. It's written in his policy."
Lyra waved him off. "That's more of a guideline than an actual rule. I'm confident Grandfather will allow exceptions under special circumstances." She told him, making Regulus nod with a look of deep concentration gracing his face.
"Okay," he said, going back to staring at the calm waters with Lyra following his action a second later.
"Do you know the story of the sun and the moon?" Lyra asked offhandedly a few minutes later, making Regulus blink at the abrupt and randomness of her question.
"...No..." he replied, curiosity fleeting in his pretty grey eyes. "What is it?"
Lyra smiled at the eager curiosity in her brother's voice.
"It's a love story," She stated before elaborating. "The Sun was a god of sorts. His light was so powerful it actually brought herbs to life and grew goods from the ground. Everyone, every day, came out to worship him. Meanwhile, the Moon was seen as a darkness: one that brought a cold presence to the world. Everyone hid in their homes when she rose. The Moon craved to be seen. She wanted a breath of fresh air up in the midnight sky. She wanted to be loved. Yet everyone admired the Sun. They sensed the warmth of his glow. They felt alive in his daylight." She said before lowering her voice theatrically.
"But the Sun had a secret: he admired the Moon. He recognized her secrecy and fell for the way she was timid with herself. She hid parts of herself from the world that he knew the world would embrace." She explained to the boy who was looking at her with wide, wonder-waiting eyes. "They were opposite souls, the Sun and Moon. They were lovers who rarely met and always missed one another. Yet they both waited patiently for the rare days when they might coexist peacefully." Lyra told him. "The Sun wanted to make his true love happy in his absence. He wanted to show the world what she had to offer. He thought for weeks upon weeks about how to give her the breath of air she wanted, leaving the world in a cloudy haze. Finally, he knew what he had to be done." She paused for effect. "He sacrificed his light every night to shine on the Moon so she could be seen in all her beauty. He gave up something he was admired for to let her shine. The Sun loved the Moon so much that he died every single night to let her breathe."
Regulus' eyes shined under the dim light of the caves. "Woah," he said.
"The story doesn't just end there," Lyra smiled. "You see, the Moon and the Sun loved each other so much that they were by each other's side every day. Unfortunately, this confused the people greatly, for no one could tell whether it was day or night." She paused. "To correct this, the gods separated them."
Regulus' eyes widened drastically. "They did what!"
"The gods separated them," She repeated, "cursing them to chase each other in the sky forever, always apart and never together."
Regulus scowled. "I don't like this story." He said.
"But," Lyra began. "Their love was strong, stronger than the gods. The Sun would meet the Moon at night and cover her from the wrath of the gods, and the Moon would meet the Sun during the day, and would make him hide behind her, protecting her from the gods' rage." She finished.
Regulus' face held a thoughtful expression before nodding, happy that the ending wasn't horribly tragic. "Alright. What's the moral?"
Lyra tilted her head. "Moral?"
"Yes, every proper story has a moral," Regulus said. "Father said so!"
"A moral is a lesson that you take away from the story, Regulus," Lyra said. "So, what do you think the moral is?"
Regulus' eyebrows furrowed for a while before he shrugged with effortless grace. "I haven't thought of one yet." He told her, looking at her with curious eyes. "What is the moral you take away from it?"
Lyra's features twisted into a thoughtful expression as she hummed. "From this story, I take away that it is possible to protect somebody if you really want to. I take away that love is the strangest and most complex emotion ever known that is constructed with the strength and willpower of an individual." She told him, her lips curling into a smile as she met his eyes. "I take away that nobody is completely powerful and that it is possible to defy even the gods themselves if you desire."
The next day before breakfast, Lyra moved to where Dennis was standing.
"Dennis," she began, "Yesterday, Amal Shafiq bumped into two older Slytherin girls. Find out who."
Dennis nodded. "Yes, my Queen."
She received her answer from him just after they finished eating breakfast, with Dennis whispering four words in her ears. Lyra's mercury eyes turned stormy grey in colour, promising the wrath and rage of the mighty Zeus, himself.
Darla Selwyn and her cousin, Dolores Umbridge, giggled between themselves in an otherwise isolated washroom before gossiping about Theodore Nott's good looks.
"He is so handsome!" Dolores squealed.
Darla giggled. "I know. The two of you would make a lovely pair together."
Dolores' eyes lit up. "Do you really think so?"
"Of course! I wouldn't lie about such things you know." Darla smiled softly before her eyes became pained.
Dolores noticed her expression immediately. "Don't think about him." She ordered. "He isn't worth a grain of rice."
"I know, but I just can't help it." Darla sighed sadly. "I honestly thought that Lucy and I were going to get married." Her features twisted into a scowl. "But he dated me only to make Miss Perfect jealous."
Dolores hugged Darla sympathetically. "Don't worry, Darla. There are many fishes in the sea, like-" She paused for a second before her features once again lit up. "Think about Dennis Yaxley! He's handsome, rich and an heir. He'll be perfect for you."
Darla hummed thoughtfully as her features brightened and her lips curled into a smile. "Yes, he is quite attractive, isn't he? He has the prettiest eyes, much prettier than Lucy's."
Dolores nodded. "Yes, and Dennis is funny as well. He'll make you laugh."
"Yes!" Darla exclaimed joyfully, smiling wide as she and her cousin walked to the exit of the lavatory. "Lucy was never funny. He was always frowning."
"Exactly," Dolores smiled. "Dennis is much more suitable for you and just think, the two of us can have a double wedding- me to Theo and you to Dennis! Isn't that lovely?"
"Extremely," Darla giggled again.
"There are three flaws with that plan," A cold yet angelic voice suddenly rang across the restroom, startling the two girls. They snapped their necks to the source of the voice to find Lyra Black entering the washroom with a smile on her beautiful face.
Darla suddenly turned frigid. "Lyra." She said boldly, but the Queen didn't seem fazed by the use of her name as she closed the washroom door behind her.
"Hello," Lyra smiled. "Pardon me for eavesdropping, but I simply had to know whether or not the two of you needed to be admitted to the Janis Thickey ward at St Mungo's for your delusions."
Darla and Dolores both glared at her, but she paid them no mind.
"Anyway, as I was saying, there are three visible flaws to your otherwise perfect idea," Lyra continued calmly. "The first is that Theodore Nott and Cassandra Greengrass have the biggest crushes on each other and so if you ever try to make a move on Theo, Cassandra will -quite literally- crush you." She told them. "Secondly, Dennis Yaxley, no matter how aloof and player-like he behaves, happens to be asexual-aromantic, meaning that he is not going to find you or anybody attractive, let alone reciprocate your feelings." She smiled at their wide-eyed expressions. "And thirdly, it is very bold of you to assume that either of you will live long enough to have a wedding."
At her last statement, Dolores and Darla froze.
"What do you mean?" Darla demanded.
Lyra laughed coldly and the famous Black insanity revealed itself as a bright twinkle in her eyes. She once again smiled at them, but this time, in a predatory way. "The two of you told my brother that he is too soft and not worthy of being a Black." She stated as her hand pulled out a wand from a holster that Dolores and Darla didn't recognise.
Lyra's wand, as far as Dolores' knowledge, was eleven and a half inches with Blackthorn wood and dragon heartstring, unyielding. However, the wand that she was currently holding looked to be Cherry with dragon heartstring.
For a second, Dolores felt confused as to the reason why Lyra seemed to have two wands, but then, the realisation hit her like a bombarda.
If ever dark magic is performed within school grounds and the wands of every student are checked, then Lyra wouldn't be caught if she used her second, unknown wand. That enlightenment frightened Dolores as she understood why Lyra had taken out her second wand and was presently expertly twirling it in her hand like a baton.
Dolores took a step back and reflexively hid behind Darla.
Lyra smiled at Dolores' action and took a single step forward. "The two of you thought that since you couldn't do anything to me, surely you could do it to my eleven-year-old, first-year baby brother." She tilted her head. "I wonder why, and I would like to correct that assumption."
She took another step forward, prompting Dolores and Darla to instinctively take another step backwards.
Lyra's cold eyes glanced between them as a sadistic smile twisted itself onto her heavenly features. "The two of you are going to be an example. I thought that I had made myself quite clear last year when somebody had hurt Sirius, and clearly, I would have to repeat myself considering the two of you hurt Regulus." She smiled. "Did you really think that being in Slytherin meant that you would be safe from harm? From me? No, you must pay for your sins. I had falsely assumed that everybody would take last year's incident as a lesson," She paused, lips curled up in disgust. "I was wrong."
She took another step forward and Dolores and Darla walked backwards until they felt their backs hit the wall.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you," Lyra smiled absentmindedly. "My grandfather demands a three-day notice and I am much too impatient to wait so long." She told them offhandedly. "However," she continued. "I must punish the two of you, lest you get the wrong idea that it is okay to do it again."
Darla shivered while Dolores was trying to make herself as small as possible.
Lyra's glaring eyes shined bright with madness. "I like poetry, and I just wrote a two-liner especially for the two of you," she told them as she smiled once again, pointing her second wand between Darla's eyes. "You made my brother frown." She stated. "And so, you will drown." She winked at them. "Silencio."
That evening, just before dinner, a large crowd gathered around the Black Lake as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick fished two Slytherin students, Darla Swelyn and Dolores Umbridge, out from the lake.
The two girls had been body-bond, thrown deep into the Black Lake and hit with a variety of creative curses, leading them to have blisters everywhere, snakes for hair, crabs to come out from their noses, their skin turned green and so much more.
In fact, it was only due to Darla's brother, Otis, alerting the teachers that his sister and his cousin were missing were they able to search every nook and corner of the castle and had hence found them deep inside the Black Lake.
The only mercy their attacker seemed to have given them was by placing them inside a Bubble Head charm and thus, keeping them alive.
"Oh, Miss Swelyn!" Professor Sprout cried out as she wrapped the shivering girl in a towel. "Let's get you to the hospital wing, shall we?"
Darla nodded frantically, unable to form words. But that was mostly because her teeth had been replaced by flowers.
"Miss Umbridge," Professor McGonagall began as she led the girl to the infirmary. "Do you know the identity of your attacker?"
"N-No," Dolores replied soon after the Deputy Headmistress had transfigured her tongue back to its original state rather than the bright green grass that it had been. "T-the attacker-r was m-m-masked." she managed to say. "A-attacked from behind. D-don't know." She said before bursting out into tears, except, instead of tears, yellow urine began to leak out from her eyes.
"And that's alright, Miss Umbridge," Professor McGonagall comforted. "Let's just get you better, okay?"
Dolores numbly nodded, allowing herself to be taken to the infirmary.
Meanwhile, Lyra Black stared at the sight of Darla and Dolores being taken away with indifference. She personally felt she had been too light on them. They made Regulus cry, and for that, they deserved a fate worse than death.
Stupid three-day policy.
"Anything you would like to tell me, Heiress Black?" Albus Dumbledore asked pointedly with a frown as he suddenly stood beside her.
Lyra smiled, her eyes still fixed onto the retreating forms of her victims. "Yes, but I don't think such profanities are appropriate to say in front of a teacher," She said, making an amused smile appear on the Headmaster's face which still did nothing to hide his troubled expression. "But I do like what you are doing with Remus Lupin." She told him.
Albus Dumbledore's lips twitched at its corners as he stated, "I see that you realised that Mr Lupin is a werewolf."
Lyra huffed "I'm actually a little disappointed that it's taken me so long to figure it out, but yes, I do know that he is a werewolf."
Albus Dumbledore chuckled. "I couldn't help myself. Mr Lupin is a brilliant boy and to deny him an opportunity to educate himself is far too cruel." He paused. "Are you going to tell your grandfather?"
"Have you taken enough precautions to keep us all safe from a werewolf?" She asked instead.
"Yes."
"Then I won't." She smiled, finally turning to face him. "As I said before, Headmaster, my response depends on yours. As long as you do your job efficiently, why must I bother my grandfather with nonexistent concerns?"
Albus Dumbledore smiled. "I appreciate it, Heiress Black."
"Just like how I appreciate you not telling anybody your doubts regarding the identity of the attacker of Miss Selwyn and Miss Umbridge." She returned the smile, making the Headmaster stiffen.
He would have to be a fool to not recognise what she had just done. This was blackmail at its finest.
Lyra flashed him a blinding smile. "Have a wonderful day, Headmaster." And without waiting for a reply, she headed back to the castle.
Rage and anger were two terms that Lyra was quite familiar with. It was also the couple of emotions that Otis Sewlyn was feeling at the moment as he looked at the woman he had once fancied with eyes burning with hatred and disgust. His rage was justifiable, of course, considering what had been done to his beloved twin sister and cousin, however, Lyra personally felt that her wrath had been justified as well.
They made Regulus cry.
The thing about anger was that it was a dominant feeling and tended to overtake all your other emotions and fuel your very being with its vengeance.
One of it's dreaded side-effects was that it muted your ability to think cleverly and kept you driven for your singular goal of expressing that anger in not-so-productive ways such as revenge in order to 'restore honour'.
Lyra sincerely doubted that Darla and Dolores had any honour in the first place, but she didn't think that it was appropriate for her to say that out loud as a Queen.
"LYRA BLACK," Otis yelled, glaring eyes fixed on her amused ones. "I challenge you to the Ruler's Duel." He announced shortly after they had all returned from having dinner, drawing shocked gasps and pitying looks from the rest of House Slytherin.
If only he realised who exactly the pitying looks were directed at.
Lyra laughed at his proclamation. "Thank you," she said with a smile. "I was getting quite bored."
"Wait," A third year suddenly interrupted. "It's after dinner. Don't the King and Queen have prefect patrols now though?" He asked pointedly.
"I suddenly have a headache," Lyra said monotonously in reply. "It hurts so much that I couldn't possibly bring myself to not be a hundred per cent best while patrolling."
"And I would be a complete savage if I were to leave my dear lady love all by herself in terms of distress," Lucius said, just as emotionlessly.
"Any other very important enquiries you have?" Lyra asked dryly and the third year wisely kept his mouth shut and shook his head.
Upon sensing no other vital inputs, Lyra stood up, making her way to stand beside where Otis was standing in the middle of the Common Room. While standing side by side, she couldn't help but notice that both of them were the exact same height and so, she could very easily meet his determined eyes with her mirth-filled ones. "I accept, of course."
"You are obliged to." He spat.
Lyra smiled. "Yes, yes I am. I am also obliged to inform you about all the rules behind calling a Ruler's Duel." She replied before giving Narcissa a nod.
Narcissa stood up and also made her way towards them until she was standing right in front of them. "Otis Sewlyn, since you have called the Ruler's Duel, that means that you are challenging the current ruler for her position. Should you win, you will take her place as the ruler, and should you lose," Her lips twisted into a sadistic smirk. "You will be treated as being invisible and not part of the Slytherin House. You will not be given any assistance by us in the future whatsoever and you will hold no right to call yourself a 'Slytherin'. You will also not be eligible to be selected for the Quidditch house team nor the Slytherin Court." She turned to face him. "Do you understand the full weight of your consequences?"
"Yes," Otis replied boldly, making Narcissa raise a disbelieving eyebrow. She refrained from commenting her thoughts out loud, however.
"Okay," Narcissa nodded. "Second thing you need to know is that in this duel, anything but the killing curse or spell that would cause extreme physical deformation is allowed. The first person to become unconscious loses. The duel will take place in the Ruler's Arena," she gestured to where a ten feet picture of a basilisk was hung, which contained yet another secret entrance. "And in the Arena, the only people allowed are the duellers and two witnesses, one chosen by each contestant." Her eyes turned to Otis'. "Who do you choose?"
"Darla Selwyn," He said confidently.
Narcissa turned to her cousin's. "Lyra, who do you choose?"
Lyra's lips curled into a smirk. "Dolores Umbridge." She said, causing a few eyebrows to be raised at her unexpected witness selection.
Usually, the witnesses were chosen as a sort of moral booster for the contestants. But the Queen's selection left no doubt in the minds of the wise that she chose her witness to make a statement.
She chose Dolores Umbridge so that both Darla and Dolores could watch their brother and cousin respectively be beaten badly in a duel he started.
Lyra smiled, gesturing to the basilisk portrait. "Shall we?" She asked casually with a hint of mockery to Otis, who simply glared at her in reply before haughtily walking towards the secret Ruler's Arena.
Dolores and Darla quietly followed them, eyes downcast.
Standing in front of the portrait, Lyra glanced at the diamond ring with a silver band that was on her right-hand ring finger, the one which proved that she was the Silver Ruler of the Royal Slytherin Court.
Turning her hand in a way that her palm faced her pretty face, Lyra carefully and gently moved her hand in such a way that the diamond of the ring perfectly fit one of the empty, hollow eye-sockets of the basilisk.
Lucius Malfoy made his way over as well, placing his emerald ring with a gold band -the one which signified his status as the Green Ruler- on to the other eye socket.
Three seconds later, the basilisk in the painting hissed long and loud, a sound that approximately translated to, A fool wants to challenge a ruler. Open the arena and let us laugh.
The painting flew open, showing an archway and a dimly lit corridor.
Lyra smirked at the words of the basilisk before she confidently entered the Arena, Otis following her steps cautiously and Darla and Dolores mimicking them warily.
The door shut behind them.
"Last chance to retreat," Lyra warned.
"Are you speaking to me or yourself?" Otis retorted making Lyra pause in her steps for a second and turn to face him with the eeriest smile he had ever seen on her.
"Oh how I am going to enjoy making you scream," She purred before turning back around and walking ahead like nothing happened.
Otis shivered at her words, confident dampening.
At the end of the corridor was another door, one that automatically opened as soon as they came near.
"You do realise how I became the Silver ruler, don't you?" Lyra asked offhandedly, looking straight ahead. "I've been here many times before. The first time, I was eleven and had begun Hogwarts that day." She cast him a glance from the corner of her eyes. "I had to defeat a seventh year muscled Quidditch player." She told him. "The same night, I also had to duel and be victorious over the previous ruler's successor, Lucius Malfoy, so that I can be the Silver ruler rather than the Green." She explained with a faraway look in her eyes and a hint of nostalgia in her smile.
Otis frowned and became a tad skeptical of his abilities now, but over all, he still wasn't too worried. He shook those doubts away. To win, he would have to have the utmost confidence in himself and not let himself be swayed or trapped in Lyra's manipulations.
If only that poor boy had understood that she was quite genuine in her warning.
"The next few years, I had to crush every single person who doubted that a woman can lead them, anybody who doubted that a child is more powerful than them and anybody who assumed that I became the Silver Ruler because of privilege instead of by making my enemies bleed and beg." Her face tilted sideways enough for him to see her and on her face was the most angelic smile he had ever seen in his life. "Like you."
Otis, Lyra, Darla and Dolores entered the actual Arena, which consisted of a humongous raised platform in the middle and two seats in a corner.
Darla and Dolores took their seats silently with visible fear in their eyes while Otis and Lyra took to their favoured duelling stance, with the latter once again pulling out her second wand rather than her primary one.
Lyra's eyes swirled with insanity and power while Otis radiated arrogance and doubt.
"One of you, call it," Lyra ordered, mad eyes never deviating from her victim.
Seeing that Darla was mute with fear, Dolores nodded. "One, two, three, begin!"
Otis Sewlyn had learnt the Renaissance Curse, especially for this occasion. The Renaissance Curse, when properly performed, transformed the victim into a marble statue of themselves. The victim, under this curse, was still fully alive and cognisant, but couldn't do anything they desired. They could scream, but no sound would come out considering they would have no lungs and no mouth.
Otis was determined to put his opponent under the Renaissance Curse, to show her how his sister might have felt when she was stranded in the bottom of the Black Lake, unable to call for help no matter how much she wanted to.
An eye for an eye, after all.
Plus, this way, he could hit her with any curse after this and she wouldn't be able to defend herself.
Lyra's voice was already so melodious, so he could only guess what her screams would sound like. A choir of angels, perhaps?
Otis smirked, doing an elaborate show of wand movements before finally aiming for his target, the centre of his fantasies and rage. "Evada-"
"-Crucio."
Otis dropped his knees and fell to the ground, his wand flying mid-air away from him in the process as he screamed under the effects of the terrible torture curse.
The pain was so bad, so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was. It was like one thousand white-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain; he was screaming more loudly than he'd ever screamed in his life. It was pain beyond anything Otis had ever experienced; his very bones were on fire and his head was surely splitting. Otis didn't know precisely how long he was under the cruel crucatious curse, but he wanted it to end. To blackout. To die. Anything to stop the pain.
While Otis may not have known for how long he was under, Lyra certainly did. She was counting each delightful second in her mind as she focused all her rage towards her victim.
Anything but the killing curse or spell that would cause extreme physical deformation is allowed, Narcissa had told them.
The thing was, the crucatious curse did not physically harm the victim. Instead, it only greatly stimulated the pain receptors.
And while it did have some mental side-effects, it only occurred when a person was kept under the crucatious for longer than a certain amount of time. So Lyra had made quick arithmetical calculations in her mind to figure out how long she could keep dear Otis under the crucatious and not let it affect anything he did long-term.
She reckoned thirty-three seconds, which also happened to be a very powerful number arithmetically.
"Stop it!" Darla pleaded with a yell, while Dolores continued to stare at the scene in silent horror.
"No," Lyra said simply, not releasing her hold on the curse.
Darla jumped off from her seat and attempted to run to help her brother, but was thrown back the microsecond she came in contact with the raised platform by an invisible force shield.
"Please!" Darla cried, tears streaming. "Please! Stop it!"
Lyra looked at her coldly. "You made my brother cry." She told her, turning back to face the screaming figure of Otis as her face twisted itself into a sick smirk. "So it is only fair that I do the same."
Darla pleaded, begged and cried while Otis screamed as loud as his lungs would let him. It was a shame that the enchantments around the Ruler's Arena wouldn't let anybody hear their plight.
Narcissa had warned them that anything can be used. She had warned them of the consequences and Lyra herself had given him a chance to back out.
Now, he must fly on the broom he made.
At precisely thirty seconds, Lyra stopped the crucatious curse and sent a simple stunner in his direction, making him unconscious.
The shields around the platform disappeared and Darla ran to help her brother while Dolores remained frozen to her seat.
Lyra threw them a mocking smile before turning around and walking down the platform, through the corridor and out the door.
None of the eagerly awaiting members of the House of Slytherin looked particularly surprised to see her exit the Ruler's Arena first and completely unharmed, and Regulus, Lucius and Narcissa even smirked while Andromeda let out a relieved breath that she didn't know she had been holding.
Lyra returned their smirk before walking straight to the brightly burning fireplace. She watched the fires for a second, fascinated by their ombre of colours before she tossed the second wand that she held in her hand directly into the fire, which immediately engulfed it and thus, wiped away any real evidence of her using the unforgivable and most illegal curse.
She watched as her second wand caught on fire and burnt because at the end of the day, no matter how much powerful magic the wand had been used for, it was still a wooden stick.
"Now that the thrash has been taken out," Lyra began, turning to face them all with an enchanting and entrancing smile. "Let's go on with business as usual, shall we?"
And as if a switch had been turned on, the normal conversations and mundane activities of the House of Slytherin resumed. The only evidence of the duel that had taken place not a minute ago was Dolores' horrified face and Darla's tears as she dragged her brother's unconscious body out of the basilisk portrait, which closed behind them; sealing itself and patiently waiting for another person to dare challenge the authority of the rulers of the most esteemed and powerful House of Slytherin.
Since Otis Selwyn had been warned of the consequences of the Ruler's Act and had still insisted on following through it and had lost, now, he was completely ignored and his very existence was being denied by the whole of the House of Slytherin.
And considering Darla had refused to abandon her brother, she was also put into the same league as him.
Despite everything, Lyra could appreciate Darla's value for her family, considering the girl had sacrificed all the benefits of being in Slytherin for her brother.
This event also led to Dolores Umbridge's true colours being displayed, seeing as the toad-faced girl had been avoiding both Darla and Otis -her 'amazing cousins who she had loved so dearly a few days ago- like they were dragon pox.
Darla's betrayed, shattered expression was a pleasure for Lyra, as Dolores had clearly, unhesitatingly chosen her future over the bonds of family and loyalty.
Unfortunately for Dolores, family and loyalty were two things that purebloods valued the most, so her decision hadn't gained any favours with them, no matter how much the pink-obsessed woman chose to believe otherwise.
In other news, her darling godbrother James, tried out for the position of Chaser in the Gryffindor Quidditch team and managed to get in, prompting Lyra to give him a big congratulatory hug and with the permission of her father, buy him the newest broom on the market as a present, much to the second year's delight.
With respect to their own Quidditch team, there was only the need to replace the position of Keeper, having had reserves for all the others, and that position was filled in by Theodore's brother, Thomas, who demonstrated exquisite talent for the sport. In fact, he made Lucius smile so widely during the try-outs, that Lyra took that as a sign that the Quidditch Cup would yet again make its home in the House of Slytherin.
She only hoped that his confidence would finally allow him to let go of his silly superstitious pre-game rituals.
In Thomas Nott, Lyra saw a thirst for greatness and a potential that could grow into something beautiful if taken advantage of, a thought that she filled in the back of her mind to put to use in the future.
Regulus was slowly re-gaining the flame of confidence that had nearly been extinguished due to the efforts of Darla, thanks to the constant praises sung of him by Professor Horace Slughorn over his skills at potions and Amal Shafiq who gushed over his heroic defence over her during their confrontation with the older Slytherin girl. He had also become their recent history professor's favourite and had managed to break records with his history tests, a fact that according to her mother, had made her father quite teary-eyed as he proudly bragged about his son's achievements to anybody and everybody.
Sirius, James, Regulus, Peter and Remus had gained quite a reputation for their pranks and had been appropriately bestowed upon the title, 'Marauders' by an angry Professor McGonagall when they had caused her pie to explode on her face one weekend.
The Marauders and the Prewett twins had created an unholy alliance and had successfully unleashed a tornado of pranks and tricks onto the students, teachers, portraits and ghosts of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (excluding Lyra and Narcissa, of course. The two girls were perhaps the only persons the boys were afraid of, especially the former whose tricks were as brilliant as their own).
Lyra had been particularly amused when they had managed to put a drop of polyjuice potion (no doubt supplied by Grandmother Malania) onto everybody's -bar hers and Cissa's of course- drinks, giving them all the pleasure of turning into one Albus Dumbledore. Lyra had a feeling that the hair had been voluntarily given by their Headmaster himself.
But either way, the incident had been an honour to watch, especially when the students and teachers had tried their very best to imitate the Headmaster while Albus Dumbledore himself walked freely among them, thus obscuring who the real Albus Dumbledore was.
When the effects of the potion had worn off, Lucius had nearly fallen off the table when he realised that the person who he had been having a pleasant and enjoyable conversation with was actually Albus Dumbledore himself! Lyra was never going to let him forget about it.
But despite all the fun things that were occurring at Hogwarts, it, unfortunately, could not distract her from the worry she felt for the upcoming Yule break.
Andromeda, Grandfather Arcturus, Ted Tonks, Grandmother Malania and herself were the only ones privy to the knowledge of the invitation that had been extended to the mud blood, so she was afraid of the reactions the others would have.
And more importantly, she was still concerned about the decision that her grandfather would have to take on the matter.
Lyra was sure that whatever conclusion he made, either way, he would end up upsetting somebody and either way, he would be losing the trust and belief of somebody in the family. If he said "No" to Andromeda's relationship, Lyra knew her cousin would run away. Andromeda was prepared to risk it all for love, she knew. On the other hand, if he said "Yes" then starch, unbending believers in blood purity such as Bellatrix would disagree with him and feel betrayed.
Lyra didn't envy her grandfather one bit.
But she would try her best to at least give Ted Tonks a somewhat fair chance to make an impression with her hard-minded and stubborn family by attempting to instil the customs and traditions of her ancestors into his small-minded head.
At least that way, he won't end up accidentally offending somebody and risk losing his life.
And for the first time in forever, despite the wedding of her cousin Molly scheduled to take place, Lyra was not looking forward to Yule break.
There was something in the way Lyra Black walked, with her chin cocked upwards like she was either awaiting a heaviness that she'll forever have to bear or biding her time until the heavens burst under the weight of long-forgotten dreams and poured down on her, purifying her of her many sins.
With her perfect posture, pronounced words and the way her amused eyes held a hidden twinkle of insanity beneath their depths, nobody could doubt her title as Queen, for every step she took and movement she made was like she was awaiting her coronation.
For many, it was extremely hard to believe that she continuously consciously carried the baggage of others around like it was her own, never complaining and wearing it like a crown. Those were the same kind of people who would loudly scoff at honest confessions of mental issues like anxiety, stress, depression and so much more, happily clouded and completely believing in their delusions and their cliche assumptions of heirs and heiress being born with a silver spoon in their mouth with a perfect life where nothing could go wrong and where they faced no challenges.
But the unfortunate truth was, they did.
The only difference was, the so-called 'privileged' were taught how to mask it ever since they had been younger.
It angered Lyra how the mudbloods and lesser half-bloods naturally blanketed themselves with false thoughts that since purebloods were entitled, they didn't face any hardships.
Lyra was willing to bet her entire family fortune that none of those ignorant, simple-minded hippogriffs would successfully last a day in her life, where pressure, expectations, manipulations, deceit and curses were burdened upon her like the weight of Atlas.
The sad part was, she was so used to carrying the weight that she could hardly remember a time that she didn't. The weight didn't hurt anymore and she could hardly feel any change whether it lessened or grew. The only thing she detested was the silent voice in a corner deep in her mind that told her that the only way she would be able to fully get rid of the weight truly was through death.
But honestly, she didn't mind it.
After all, some duties you just had to bear so the others you loved could remain oblivious in their comfort, and to be honest, Lyra would much rather be the one who held the world on her shoulders like Atlas, than risk a bead of sweat from exhaustion from her loved ones.
All she wanted was for them to be safe and happy.
She wanted all her brothers to stay frozen in this age of mirth and laughter, and not grow up to have to face the harshly cruel world. She wanted Bella to realise that while fighting for what you believed in was a phenomenal thing, the word 'fight' didn't always have to be physical, it could mean in a court of law with a battle of words as well, where people wouldn't be killed left, right and centre.
She wanted Andy to understand that as much as she was in love with the mud blood, it wasn't going to change the truth that most of the magical population did not share her opinion, that running away wasn't the answer to everything and that getting Grandfather Arcturus to even agree to host a mudblood into their most noble house was a very big deal- something that had slipped Andromeda's mind in her euphoria.
Lyra was in a dilemma.
On one hand, they should be aware of all the things but on the other, she was afraid that they would change if they were exposed to that kind of knowledge for so long and Lyra feared that she didn't know if the change would be positive or negative.
And so, she would continue to worry for them and bear the burden of ugly truths simply so that didn't have to.