Once the classes for sixth year had started, Lyra already felt like it would much less stressfull than fifth year with its O.W.L.s looming over the students' head. She had already passed a few crying fifth years and it was only second day of classes for them. Regulus always had his head stuck in a book, hoping for an O in every subject.
But Lyra could finally relax. Sixth year was the year between the two worst years at school, and she was going to enjoy it as much as she could. But spending time being chased by James Potter wasn't part of her plan. Even if he was a damn good Chaser.
So when she caught sight of him trying to run to her side when she was walking towards Charms class on her own, she cursed internally. She tried to walk quickly, not run so it was suspicious. But her legs were quite a bit shorter than James' and he caught up quickly.
"Hey, Lyra!" he grinned, rushing to keep up with her. She didn't even turn to smile at him, keeping her gaze straight forward so she didn't have to acknowledge. "You never showed up last night."
She sighed, throwing him a quick glance of annoyance. He chose to ignore the annoyance, of course, and mostly focused on the fact that he made eye contact with her, no matter how brief it was. "Didn't Remus say I wouldn't?"
He shrugged, messing up his hair. "I mean, he said so. I had hope that you were a bit embarrassed of your super strong feelings for me and didn't want to admit it. I wouldn't blame you, it's a bit awkward to involve a common mate in this."
"This?" she repeated, scoffing while laughing. "There is no this, Potter. Also, there are no super strong feelings. I wasn't planning on showing up. You didn't stay there long, did you?"
"Only for a few hours..." he trailed off awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. She looked away, not sure what to think about it. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for leaving him there into the late hours of the night, hoping she would come and see him.
"Look, James..." Lyra trailed for a moment. Internally, he took her using his first name as a win, no matter what would come next. "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to date you?"
"Look, Lyra..." James mocked, making her raise an unimpressed eyebrow at him. "I can't just walk away now. I know the reason why you don't want to date me now and it's the most stupid reason I've ever heard."
Something about his words felt like a challenge, and Lyra Black wasn't about to back away from one. Especially from James, who had been her competitor for years in Transfiguration already. "Enlighten me. What is my stupid reason?"
"Remus told me all about why you said you can't even entertain the idea of dating me," he revealed, smirking like he had caught her. Like he was winning. "I think you told him last year, during patrol?"
"Merlin, Remus," Lyra hissed to herself, but he still heard and chuckled. She wasn't sure what exactly she had said, as she had talked to him about a million different things, and James had come up more than once. "What'd he say then?"
"Well, supposedly, you just don't think out lives are compatible as you're a Black and from a completely different world than I am. Stupid," he enunciated the last just to emphasize how stupid her reasons were.
She narrowed her eyes, not enjoying her perfectly reasonable thoughts being insulted, especially by a guy she considered the epitome of stupid. "That's not being stupid. It's called being realistic. You should try it sometime."
"There's a thin line between realistic and cynical, love." It was only then she noticed that they had stopped walking and were looking right into each other's eyes. "In case you forget, Sirius was in the same situation. We have no issues now, do we?"
"Sirius is different. I'm not Sirius," Lyra reminded him. She felt like Sirius himself forgot it sometimes, and that she wasn't about to do the same he had. "I'm never going to leave my family, or Pureblood society. It's part of who I am."
"Bullshit," he retorted, rolling his eyes like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're so much more than that. If that's the only reason you won't consider me as an option for you, then I don't understand. You can be anything you want, you're a smart girl, Lyra."
"I know I can be anything I want, Potter," she said stubbornly, not wanting him to tell her what she could be. "And that's not the only reason I won't consider you, you twat. I also don't have any feelings for you."
That left James a bit stumped. He had heard it before, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. Especially because he knew there was a chance if she was willing to take it. But he could see she was afraid. If not for the fear, he wasn't sure where they would be.
Therefore, all he wanted to do was to show her how much she could like him, how possible it could be for her to fall for him. One day, hopefully, she wouldn't be able to resist the feelings he knew were underneath the surface, and they would be more than any fear she could ever feel.
Until then, he knew he just had to be James Potter. He had to show who he was so she could get to know him, to see there was a person beneath the surface and not just the git she thought she knew during their first four years at school.
So he quickly composed himself as she looked at him smugly, like she had won an argument about her feelings for him. He returned the smug look, raising his eyebrow. "Will the fact that I'm now Quidditch Captain change your mind?"
"I like you even less for it," she retorted. They both knew she wasn't serious and she couldn't help the chuckles that emitted from her lips at her own words. "But congratulations, though. You really deserve it. You're a great Chaser."
"I had a feeling you'd think that." James laughed to himself before even finishing his sentence, knowing he had some good comebacks. "Especially you who think I am just so gorgeous and irresistible when I fly. You fancy me when I'm in the air, won't take long until you fancy me on the ground, too."
"Alright, that's it. Can't take any more James Potter for today. Can't take any more for the year actually. Goodbye, see you next year!" Lyra smiled, fake and polite. She turned around to walk away, waving.
But James had other plans. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She ended up a bit too close for comfort, their chests pressed together as she took a deep breath in shock. He smirked down on her but she shoved him away, rolling her eyes. "Shove off, James."
"Look, you don't have to date me," he started, his hand still on her arm. She opened her mouth to retort with some sort of snarky remark as always but he cut her off. "We can just snog if you want. I'll take what I can get, honestly."
Lyra tried to come up with some sort of fierce angry glare, to show him that what he was saying wasn't funny and he had no chance, that there was no reason for him to ever approach her again.
But she cracked. Her lips started tugging up as she looked into his eyes and saw the troublemaker spark in them that made him James, and made his words funny. They wouldn't have been from anyone else.
Before she knew it, she was chuckling, and he couldn't help but grin at making her laugh. He felt like a laugh was just one step closer to winning her heart, which was his great task for the year. He had a plan, and he hoped more than anything that it would work.
She used her hand to grab his, the one that was on her arm, and pushed it off while smiling tightly, trying desperately to suppress her too obvious laughs. "Thanks for the offer. Really appreciate it."
James finally felt like he had broken down some sort of wall, and was about to do anything he could to keep their conversation going when someone ran up behind them. "Lyra! Lyra, hey, what's going on?"
They turned to see Lucinda Talkalot rushing up to them. She had probably only seen that Lyra was talking to a guy, and wondered if she had a secret boyfriend or something. But when saw his face, her face scrunched up in disgust. "Oh. Potter. Gross."
He smiled sarcastically at her. He wasn't sure if he was more annoyed by the way she looked down on him for being a Gryffindor or because she interrupted his conversation with Lyra. Probably the Lyra thing, though. "Charming as always, Talkalot."
"Well, we should be going to Charms. Flitwick will kill us if we're late," said Lucinda, pulling some mousy brown hair behind her ears. She gave Lyra a very pointed look that made her afraid to argue. "Probably won't see you there, Potter. You need to pass your classes to take N.E.W.T.s."
"I got an O in Charms, actually," he revealed, which made Lyra's ears perk up. She knew he was a Transfiguration genius and that he was pretty good in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions. But Charms was news to her, as the last time they had it together was during their first year. "See you two there. Can't wait."
With that, James turned around and walked away. He would have stuck around and offered to walk with them to class just to spend more time with Lyra, but the idea of spending five minutes with Lucinda made him want to jump off the Astronomy Tower.
"What was that about? Why were you talking to James Potter?" Lucinda asked, but before Lyra could respond, she continued to talk. "I mean, I know he's fit and all, but he's still a git. A fit git. It rhymes, I'm going to use that later."
"You're a genius," the blonde responded, smiling slightly before lying. "And it has nothing to do with him being a fit git. Just a git. Torturing me, as always. Telling me he's better than me in Transfiguration and telling me off for being a Slytherin."
"Well, you're welcome for saving you then. Let's go." Lucinda linked her arm with Lyra's, giggling as they headed for their first class of sixth year, as N.E.W.T.-students.
▹▹▹
The next day, Lyra was already tired. She always forgot just how much energy school could steal from her when she was on vacation and missed it. But she decided that as long as she got a good breakfast, she would be happy.
She grabbed scrambled eggs, bacon and rolls, filling her plate up as much as it could be filled. As she went to grab another roll, Rabastan stole a piece of bacon from her. She hit him in the arm playfully as she noticed. He threw her the last sausage he had been saving, so she supposed it was a fair trade.
Suddenly, an array of owls started flying through the air, dropping off letters to their owners. Lyra frowned as she recognized a deep, black owl that she had gotten several letters from through the years. Bellatrix's owl.
She frowned as it quickly released a letter for her and flew off. The owl really did remind her of its owner, not bothering to stop to be petted or get a snack. Only business all day, every day. Lyra couldn't help but roll her eyes.
She grabbed the letter, noticing how Rabastan was eyeing it in interest. She took a second to prepare herself for its contents before sighing and ripping the envelope, waning to get it over with.
Dearest Lyra,
Hope your sixth year is going well. I remember own being a welcome break from the hectic schedule of fifth year and a way to relax as I felt myself dreading seventh year and the feared N.E.W.T.s. That is no excuse to slack off in your studies, however. It is more important than ever that you are focused and keep your eyes on the prize.
I very much hope you'll be able to return home for the Christmas holidays to spend time with your family. Cissy desperately wants you to spend more time with Marcus. I, personally, don't care about this. I'm just looking to set you and Rabastan up with a meeting with some very important people during Christmas time. Please send me an owl quickly and give me your answer.
Love, Bella
Lyra wasn't stupid, but she used to be a lot more naive. It was strange to know that she once would have accepted this proposal without question, thinking it was about her future, to make it good on her own terms.
But these weren't Lyra's terms Bellatrix was looking after. These were the Dark Lord's terms. She swallowed a lump in her throat, knowing she probably looked as white as a ghost as she studied the paper once again.
The blonde felt a pair of eyes on her, so she turned to look at Rabastan next to her. He was smiling cheerfully, his eyebrows raised in question and strange excitment. "So? What do you think?"
The Black girl frowned, glancing between him and the letter. She took a deep breath, hoping she didn't look quite as caught off guard as she felt, because she knew someone would know something was up then. "You knew about this? I just got the letter..."
"Yeah, Rod told me during the summer," the Slytherin boy referred to his brother, Lyra's brother-in-law. His leg was bouncing, like he couldn't wait for the holidays. "Well? Isn't this amazing? We're only in school and we're already being scoped out!"
"Yeah, it's unbelievable," Lyra breathed, her mind spinning as she tried to come up with a way, any way, for her to get out of this. "I just don't think doing it during Christmas is a good idea. I already had plans for the holidays."
"What plans?" asked Rabastan, finally stuffing his mouth with the piece of bacon he had stolen from Lyra earlier. "If you're going to Lucinda's or something then you can do it during Easter or something. This is really important, Lyra."
"I know it is, Rabastan," she answered, trying to cover her face with her hair so he couldn't see the obvious fear on it. "I had planned to stay behind at school actually. Slughorn has these extravagant Christmas parties and I'd like to be invited so I could make some connections. Connections that will further all of our futures."
"Oh," he said, frowning. He processed her words for a moment before shrugging, smiling again. "That's good, I suppose. I understand. I'll still be going home, of course. But if anyone asks, I'll say why you didn't come. It's a good reason, after all."
"Thanks, Rabastan," Lyra smiled, although it was fake. Her mind had once again started racing as she realized she had to try even harder than before to become a favorite of Slughorn's, even if she was sure she was a shoe in for the Slug Club.
She looked back at the letter, and couldn't help but purse her lips. She felt herself growing pale once again at how casual Bellatrix was about the thought of her meeting Death Eaters, or even the Dark Lord himself.
Once again, she felt someone looking at her, except it was from a lot further away this time. She looked up and found Sirius looking at her. He raised an eyebrow, as if asking her if she was okay. She only looked away.
▹▹▹
The second she was back in her dorm, Lyra had burnt the letter to a crisp so she didn't have to look at it anymore, or let anybody else find out about it. The rumors about Bellatrix being a Death Eater was enough to make people suspect Lyra, the letter wouldn't help at all.
She had asked her friends to go to dinner without her first, just so she could do that. The unfortunate part was feeling lonely as she took the trip from the Dungeons towards the Great Hall.
Though, it seemed like she wasn't the only one who had the idea to walk to dinner by themselves. As she neared the Great Hall, she saw Sirius walking on his own. Judging by the small bruises on his neck and his discheveled clothes, she could only believe he had been snogging someone.
"Had a good day, I see..." Lyra chuckled, raising a teasing eyebrow at her cousin. He only sent her a mocking grimace, which made her laugh even more. "Who was it this time? Please tell me it wasn't that Hufflepuff girl... the annoying one..."
Sirius shrugged, smirking smugly. It was clear to see that his session with the girl had sparked more confidence that the dark-haired boy definitely didn't need. "It was Alison Denbright, actually."
The blonde's eyes widened as she gaped, the name ringing some very loud bells. "The Head Girl?"
"She's Head Girl?" Sirius asked, as if these were news to him. Most people new about their Heads, he just hadn't paid much attention. He then smirked again, as if this made him feel even better about his conquest. "Nice."
Though he did crack her up with his nonchalant attitude, Lyra also had to roll her eyes at how proud he seemed to be of the girls he had snogged. No wonder Lyra hadn't trusted most boys "Merlin, Sirius."
"And, hey, I've been meaning to ask you something all day..." Sirius started, but quieting up as he saw the look on her face. She already knew what he was going to ask. "I was just wondering what letter you got that made you look so shaky at breakfast."
It took a quick second for her to come up with a believable lie. "Not that it's any of your business. I just got a letter from Cissy. Marcus has a fever and had to be taken to St. Mungos so I got worried."
Sirius frowned, confused. "Who's Marcus?"
"Seriously?" she asked, giving him a blank look that made him raise his hands in surrender. "Marcus Flint. My nephew. Cissy's son, she had him this summer. Yeah, well, he's okay now. I got another letter in my dorm."
He looked genuinely offended that she thought he would believe in her words. "Yeah, I don't believe you. There's something else going on, I can see it. You don't have to lie to me, Lyra. If something's going on then you need to tell me."
"Can't you just piss off, Sirius?" the blonde said, glaring. She didn't know what she could say, so she just wanted to get out of the conversation. "My letters are none of your business, so stop meddling."
Dramatically, Lyra turned around, her blonde locks hitting Sirius in the face as she turned. He got some hair in his mouth that he had to spit out. "Merlin, that's gross."