Emerald on Silver

Story Before Dinner Time

Lyra had changed into a white gown that her mother told her she was to wear for their company. Her hair was, however, just as messy as ever. Her mother blamed her father completely for that. She didn't mind, though. She liked her hair just the way it was. They had about a half hour before their friends showed up. Her mother was with her brothers trying to get the two balls of energy ready.

With nothing better to do in the meantime, Lyra began hunting down her father. She had already been told so much about magic from her mother. She wondered what her father would tell her, too. Her mother had explained that he also didn't know that magic existed before he got his letter as well.

Lyra found him once more in his study, pacing. At first he didn't notice her. She figured that he probably wasn't used to the door being wide open while she or her brothers were in the house. Lyra pushed the door open and he paused in place as she walked into the room.

"I'm still not used to you coming in here." He said as he turned to his daughter. He was smiling at her. He made his way over to her and knelt, giving her an affectionate squeeze on her shoulder. "You look just like your mother, you know?" He snorted lightly and shook his head with a small smile.

"Are you okay, Dad?" Lyra asked. She had never seen her father seem so apprehensive. He was usually one of the most decisive people she knew. She started to wonder if getting magic was a good thing or not. She never liked being any cause of worry for her parents, especially her father. He pulled her close.

"Of course, sweetie." He said as he hugged her. "It's that our life here is a pretty big secret. Well, it was." He reached out and lifted her up, placing her in one of those large comfortable chairs she had waited for him on. He squeezed into the seat right next to her and ruffled her hair lightly, eliciting a giggle. "I'm just anxious. I know they will all love you, but they may be a little hurt that they had to wait so long to meet you."

Lyra took the time to look around the room again, taking all the odd sights. It made her mind wander back to the story her mother had just told her. About how she and her father had become friends. She hoped to get a little more of the story since her father had come home before her mother could finish. Her mother made him sound like a perfect gentleman. She wondered what her father had thought of her mother.

"Hey, Dad?" She asked, leaning into her father's side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as her weight pressed into him.

"What is it?" He asked as he looked down at her with a kind smile. The one he always gave her. The one that told her everything was good, safe.

"Mum was telling me the story of how you guys met." She said as she played with her fingers. She rarely made requests from her father. He had always given her everything she could want, even when she never showed him any outward interest in something. He always gave so much to her and others that it never felt right.

"Was she now?" He grinned at the confession. "And what did she tell you?" He asked as he shifted his body to better look at her. He moved her to sit on his leg as he relaxed fully into the cushions. Lyra adjusted to her new seat with excitement.

"Just about how you found her on the train to Hogwarts crying." She said, swinging her feet back and forth. "She said she met her best friend that day." He smiled at what she told him, giving off a silent laugh.

"Draco never put it that way for me." He mused softly to himself. "I happen to agree with her, though." He said as he tapped her nose with a single finger. He had a face splitting smile that she couldn't help but return.

"What was it like becoming friends with Mum?" The question obviously sidelined him. He stared at her for a moment, seeming to be lost in thought. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. Lyra wished she knew what he was remembering.