-------------------> 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.
------> 0o0 <------
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."