INSTEAD, james potter [1]

Chapter Three

Magic, witches, wizards and spells helped Lyra pass through her first year at Hogwarts quickly. Before she knew it, her friends were hugging her goodbye, swearing they would keep in touch throughout the summer. And Lyra had to face reality, and her family. 

She knew there were things underneath the surface just waiting to be brought up and ruin the illusion of their perfect family. But she didn't have it within her to shatter the picture of the world she had been brought up with and had been taught to have. 

She had secretly looked the other way as Andromeda snuck out to snog her muggleborn boyfriend, she had attempted to avoid Sirius and his friends all year so she didn't have to realize she would accept him no matter what, because she wasn't sure if she wanted to. But she knew that ignoring the issue forever would be the same as making her choice. 

But there were more important things going on during the summer of 1972. Bellatrix Black, Lyra's oldest sister, was marrying Rodolphus Lestrange, another well-known pureblood supremacist. A part of her was excited for the wedding, but at the same time, it meant hours of pretending to care about her great-aunt drunken rambling about how her obviously dead husband must have faked his death. 

But still, there was something interesting about having your sister get married. She may have only been twelve, but Lyra felt like it was a sign she was growing older. Bellatrix was getting married, Andromeda had graduated and was head-over-heels for her secret boyfriend, Narcissa was constantly found in broom cupboards with another boy. Lyra barely talked to boys. They freaked her out a bit. 

Lyra watched her eldest sister try on her wedding dress for the last time before the wedding, which would be taking place the next day. Lyra couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. "Oh, Bella, that dress looks amazing on you!"

"It really does," Narcissa sighed. She seemed slightly jealous of the fact that she wasn't the one getting married, wearing the white dress. She had always adored being the center of attention, but she was hoping her bridesmaid dress would be enough to attract the eligible bachelors attending the ceremony. 

Bellatrix grinned widely at her two youngest sisters. She then noticed Andromeda sitting silently, as if deep in thought. "What do you think, Andy? It's not too much, right?"

Andromeda snapped out of her trance and forced a smile. "Yeah, it's fine. Don't worry, Bella. And the dress isn't as important as the man you're marrying. As long as you love him, nothing else matters."

The eldest sister's smile faded at these words. She sighed and turned to them, looking more vulnerable than Lyra had ever seen her, it was a bit freaky. "If I tell you guys something, do you promise not to tell anyone else?"

As she got reassurances from her three younger sisters, Bellatrix sat down on Andromeda's bed with them. "I don't love Rodolphus, not at all. I don't really like him, honestly. The reason I'm marrying him-"

"Is because of our parents," Andromeda finished. The brunette rolled her eyes, as if it was no great surprise. "We already knew that, Bella. And frankly, it's quite stupid. I mean, we're in the 1970s, it's the modern age. Our parents shouldn't dictate who you marry."

"Shut up, Andromeda!" Bellatrix hissed, her normally hostile facial expression returning. She took a deep breath, as if to calm herself. "It's not just because of mum and dad. Have you heard what's been going on? With muggles and mudbloods?"

Andromeda shuffled around uncomfortably at the slur, but nodded. "They're being hunted, and killed. It's some rogue gang of prejudiced extremists."

"The Death Eaters," Bellatrix corrected, nervously twitching, as if it was dangerous even talking about it. "Their leader is called the Dark Lord. He came to see us."