Word Count: 3,008.
Warnings: None.
"So, how did you discover that Mad-Eye was really Barty Crouch Junior in disguise?" Dumbledore as me calmly, sitting forward in his chair.
It wasn't long before myself and Mattheo were found by Ministry members and taken back to the school. The Enforcers that found us insisted on bringing both of us to the Ministry for interrogation, but Dumbledore had strongly disagreed, telling them that he would talk to us himself and pass the information along. No one seemed to argue with the Headmaster.
I looked up at the man. Sitting on the other side of the desk inside his office, I felt his gaze harden on me. Mattheo sat beside me in silence.
The emotionless feelings that consumed me before had begun to vanish and fear was starting to eat its way into my mind.
The glass had broken, the flames growing high and bursting from its cage. It had killed Crouch, but that wasn't my worry at that moment. It wasn't the thoughts that enacted fear in my body.
There was a crack in the glass, a small break in the power's prison that I couldn't close up. No matter how much pressure I applied, pain I tried to push into the flame, I wasn't able to seal it.
"Ms. Black?" Dumbledore asked again.
"I'm sorry," I told him. "What was the question?"
My leg was bouncing up and down aggressively as the fear creeped further into my body. I couldn't stop it as it began growing quicker than I could keep up with.
"How did you discover Barty Crouch Junior was disguised as Mad-Eye Moody?" he asked again.
"I –" I stuttered.
A hand touched my upper leg, stopping my movements abruptly. His hand didn't move. Mattheo looked up to the Headmaster. "Lyra noticed a gesture Moody made after the second Task," he answered for me.
"And how did you know to look for this gesture?" His gaze turned to Mattheo, expecting the answers to come from him. The Slytherin struggled for words.
"Harry showed me a memory in the Pensieve. I saw Crouch's trial." I decided not to tell him of the attack during the Summer.
Dumbledore simply nodded at my response. "And Mr. Towler?"
My heart clenched. The fear only grew and I could feel my throat tighten as I spoke. "I found the real Kenneth in his dorm room. I went to find him after Cedric..." I trailed off.
The Headmaster rose from his desk, turning away from us to lock his eyes on a moving painting.
Mattheo's hand moved from my leg and clasped my fingers tightly. He gave me a comforting smile, but I couldn't find the strength in me to return it.
"What happened to Mr. Crouch, Ms. Black?" Dumbledore asked the question I was dreading.
I swallowed, leg beginning to shake again. I killed him. That's what happened. If I told the Headmaster the truth, he'd have me locked up. Regardless of my age. The Ministry would take any chance to throw Sirius Black's daughter in Azkaban. But could I lie to him? Would he see right through it?
"He killed himself," Riddle spoke up. My leg stopped bouncing abruptly. I turned my gaze to the Slytherin. His jaw was tense as his grip tightened on my hand. "The man is insane. Got himself all riled up and stabbed himself."
"And the burns? On his arms?"
Mattheo gulped. "I don't know. They were there when we found him. We barely got there before he..." he trailed off.
Dumbledore nodded his head, turning back around to face us. "Ms. Black? Is this the truth?"
"Yes," I answered without hesitation.
Dumbledore nodded again. "Very well then. I will pass this testimony along to the Ministry. Expect to hear word from them concerning an on-the-record one."
I moved to rise from my seat. Mattheo followed. "Ms. Black?" Dumbledore called before we could leave.
I took a deep breath, turning my head. "Yes Professor?"
"I advice you to be careful Ms. Black. If you wish to lie your way through this situation, then you will need to improve your skills. Riddle seems to have them perfected."
ᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜ
Neither of us spoke on the way back to the Common Room. Mattheo's hand hadn't moved from mine since we left Dumbledore's office.
I killed him. I killed Barty Crouch Junior, and I felt nothing. No remorse, no regret, simply fear. Fear, not for what I did, but for how I did it. Rather than fearing due to the fact that I caused a man's death, instead, my heart was ramming out of my chest because of the fact that I felt nothing towards it.
It was funny. How feeling guilty for something could make you scared, but not feeling guilty for something, that was terrifying.
"Are you okay?" Riddle asked, breaking the silence.
"No," I told him simply.
He nodded. "I wouldn't expect you to be." Mattheo took a deep breath before continuing. "I was working with him. I was working with the spy, but I only wanted to –"
"I know."
"I wanted to tell you when I found out that he was that retched Gryffindor but he put me under –"
"I know." I pulled the boy to a halt. He turned to me, face guarded. "Crouch told me everything. I know."
"I'm sorry. I didn't have a choice. And this thing." He pointed to his Dark Mark. "It's like being under the Imperious curse itself. It didn't let me tell you anything. I can't promise that I won't have to keep things from you again."
"Mattheo..." I tried.
He shook his head. "Lyra, I never wanted to hurt you. I just want to keep you save and the idea of losing you to my father. It made my skin crawl."
"Mattheo..."
"And I know everything has gone to absolute shit and we are both so tangled in it and that that's impossible to fix, but I don't want you to leave me because of that." His voice cracked.
"Riddle..."
"I messed up. I lied to you. I know." He moved closer to me. "But don't leave me. Please." He was all but begging me.
"I –"
"My father is back and his followers are returning. It won't be long until he drags me into it. It won't be long until you're dragged into it." He sighed, shaking his head. "Let's not waste anymore time trying to figure it out, because we never will. All of our problems aren't supposed to be laid out like words on a page, but if we need to decipher then in order to live, I don't want to do it alone. Not when I have the option of doing it with you," he finished, panting.
I swallowed. "Mattheo, the glass has cracked and I can't seal it. I just killed a man and I feel nothing. No remorse. No regret. Just fear. Fear for why I killed him. I took that blasted necklace off and suddenly I was a ticking time bomb with the ability to kill someone when I got angry."
I took a deep breath. "The flame is trying to leave its cage and I don't know what I'm going to do when it finally escapes."
He took my face in his hands. "What we're going to do," he corrected me. "I'm with you in this. Whatever this is, but only as long as you with me in this." His eyes flickered to his collarbone. "Okay?"
I nodded, smiling softly. "No more lies. No more avoiding and no more denying."
He scoffed a laugh. "I've never denied anything in my life."
I gave him a pointed look. He smirked light at my expression, rubbing a thumb across my cheek.
"Together?" he asked.
"Together."
He smiled, dropping his hand from my face and turning away towards the Slytherin Common Room. I followed. It wasn't long before we were interrupted.
"Merlin Lyra!" Theo ran towards us, throwing himself at me and engulfing my body into a tight hug.
"Hey," I greeted.
"I was so fucking worried. You disappeared from the Task and then they told us about Moody and Kenneth and I swear I could have ripped the guys –"
I pulled away from the boy, smiling lightly. "I'm okay. A little beat up, but I'm okay."
He smiled, pulling me back into a hug as we swayed from side to side. I embraced him tightly, burying my face in his shoulder.
"I'm okay too," Riddle spoke up.
Theo pulled away for a moment, placing a hand on the brown-eyed boy's shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay as well."
"Oh, Lyra, I was so scared!" Another voice came running down the hall, three figures following after them.
Pansy reached me first, following Theo's lead and engulfing me in a hug. Blaise followed Pansy, embracing me from the other side, sandwiching me between them.
When they pulled away, Nika approached me, punching my side lightly. "You're an idiot," she told me.
"I know," I replied, taking the girl in my arms and embracing her tightly.
When she pulled away, Draco was staring at me intently, the worry clear in his eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't follow you," he apologized.
I didn't let him say anymore, hugging the boy. He held me tightly. "You have nothing to apologize for. How's Harry?"
I could feel him smile. "He's okay."
"You need to stop getting in trouble Black," Theo told me as I pulled away from the blonde Slytherin.
"I can't help it."
A stinging pain pushed through my head I reached for Mattheo's hand. He took it quickly.
The crack grew, glass breaking off from the side of its opening. More of the flame pushed its way through my mind.
"Are you okay?" Nika asked.
I nodded, looking to her. "Tired."
"Well then, let's get you to bed." Pansy took me by the arms and began leading me down the Slytherin steps. My hand slipped from Riddle's.
I turned back to look at him, but his figure had been pushed to the back of the group as they all lead me down the stairs. He vanished from view.
ᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜ
I lay awake in bed, staring at the plain ceiling of out dorm room. I couldn't sleep. My eyes were tired and mind becoming fuzzy from exhaustion, but despite this, my eyes wouldn't close. They wouldn't let me rest.
I killed him. I killed Barty Crouch Junior. I lost control. I lost control of the one thing that I could be certain would stay the same. Every fear, every problem, anything that vexed me all went into that cage. Where I could keep it, without those feelings swallowing me whole. It was never going to be the same anymore.
I sat up, sighing heavily. Pansy was asleep in the bed next to me, Nika squashed in beside her, our other two dorm mates missing from theirs. No one wanted to be alone. Not after tonight.
I slowly pulled the covers back, leaving my bed and creeping across the cold floor. Pansy stirred, turning in her spot to wrap her arms around Lupa's torso. I froze, turning my head to watch her settle back down.
When I was sure that she hadn't woken up, I crossed the rest of the room, sneaking out the door. I quickly made my way down to the Common Room.
The fire was still lit, but there was no one left by it. The flames of the burning wood made my skin crawl. It reminded me of the pain in my mind that I was trying to push away.
There was a note on the table beside me. I thought it odd that someone would leave it there. That was until I read the name on the front. Lyra.
I picked it up, unfolding the parchment and scanning the words on the page.
Black,
I've gone to the room that I require. Meet me there if you read this.
Yours,
Riddle.
I sighed, folding the note back up and grasping it tightly in my hand. It seemed that I wasn't the only person unable to sleep. I made my way to the Room of Requirement.
ᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜ
Mattheo was sat at his desk when I entered the room, writing aggressively on a piece of parchment. I smiled at his state.
"Couldn't sleep either?" I asked him, holding up the letter he had left me.
His gaze turned to me, smiling softly. "How did you get in?"
"I walked through the door."
He shook his head, dropping his quill and leaning back in his chair. "The Room of Requirement changes for each person. It shows the person wishing to enter it what they require most."
"I do read, you know," I told him.
He laughed lightly. "So what is it that you require, Lyra?"
I let out a sigh, my stomach churning. "I don't want to be alone. Not when I feel like this."
He nodded. "Then I won't leave you."
Putting aside whatever he was working on, Riddle turned the lamp light off, standing to face me. My eyes caught a glance of a golden chain on his desk. The necklace. I began drifting towards it.
"You take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor." He moved for the door at the back of the room.
"Don't be stupid," I told him, my attention moving to him. "There's more than enough room. If Nika and Pansy can fit together in a single bed, we can fit in a double one."
He suddenly looked quite nervous. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable," he told me.
I smiled at his words. "I don't think you ever could."
I made for the bed, pulling back the sheet and settling beneath them. Riddle sat down beside me, lying down and turning away from me. We both faced outwards.
I let out a shaky breath, the fear eating its way into my chest. I still didn't relax.
"Can you hold me?" I asked him suddenly.
I felt Riddle's head turn. "What?"
"Can you hold me?" I repeated.
Riddle sighed and for a moment, I thought that he would say no. Then he shuffled closer to me, bringing an arm over my body and resting it across my stomach. His breath tickled my neck.
"Better?" he asked. My body was still tense.
Turning around, I faced the boy, his arm still around my waist. Our faces were now inches apart.
"I'd prefer to lie on your chest if that's alright. I think your heartbeat might calm me," I told him.
He nodded, turning on his back and resting an arm underneath me as I laid my head in his chest. My hand came up to rest on his stomach and his other hand rest on top of mine.
"Better?" he asked again.
My body became less tense as I became comfortable in his arms. I nodded into him. "Yes."
Riddle shuffled in the bed slightly, reaching for something behind him. I turned my head to watch him pick up a small object. He held it out to me.
"Your ring," he told me.
I smiled, looking at the silver band that I had so dearly missed. "My ring." I took it from the boy, sliding it on my finger gently.
Dropping my head back into his chest, I got back into a comfortable position, letting him settle underneath me.
"Goodnight Lyra."
"Goodnight Riddle."
I closed my eyes, letting my mind relax and the exhaustion catch up with me. I began to doze off, listening to the steady beat of Riddle's heart.
"I'm here until you figure it out," a whisper echoed through the room.
I ignored it, grasping onto Mattheo tighter. He returned the embrace, his arms becoming protective around me.
Taking a deep breath, I let the gentle rise and fall of his chest lull me into a dreamless sleep.
ᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜ
Third Person POV
The night before
Figures stepped out of the darkness, watching the young woman kneeling beside a dying man.
"I love you Estrella," he managed, chest moving up and down rapidly.
"I know you do Barty, I know," she replied, brushing the hair from his face. Then, he was gone.
"Is he dead?" a tall figure asked the woman.
"Yes," she replied, eyes moving to the unconscious girl. "She killed him."
"That wasn't the plan," another voice joined the conversation, raspier than the rest.
Voldemort stepped forward from the shadows. "No, it was not, but it may be just what we needed."
"How so, my lord?" the woman rose from the ground, waving her wand over her body. The group of Death Eaters watched as her appearance changed, ageing the woman almost two decades.
"She had lost control before this ever happened. He was right to give her the pendent. It will help her progress."
"My Lord, what do you wish me to do?"
Voldemort turned his face to the woman, a cruel smile forming on his lips. "I'm going to need you to play the mother for a little while longer."
"My Lord?"
"She needs guidance. If we let her continue without it, she may fall on the wrong side of this war. We need to push her towards us. I believe her mother coming back from the dead may help that."
Estrella Nott matched the Dark Lord's cruel expression, turning her eyes to her daughter. "When will I show up on her doorstep?"
"Not yet but be prepared. It's not only her you will have to fool. Soon they will need to know you are alive but believe the story you make. They cannot know that you aren't on their side."
She turned to her leader. "They never found out before my unexpected interruption, why would they find out now?"
The moon hung low in the sky, the early morning light beginning to peak its way through. The light may have been rising then, but when the dark overtook the world again, things would never be the same.