▎AMOUR ▎
CHAPTER SIXTEEN ━━ the pink lady
the chapter after this one isn't important, so don't read it lol
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AFTER THE ACCIDENT, LYRA'S MOTHER DEMANDED HER TO COME BACK HOME. Lyra thought she was being overbearing when she put about a hundred cushions on her bed for her to sleep on. They were able to heal her leg in a day anyway. Her mother had come to bring her breakfast when she sat down on her bed, having a mixture of unsureness and concern on her face.
"What is it mum?" asked Lyra, noticing the odd look her mother was giving her.
"So," she began, "your father and I have been thinking-"
"You mean you've been thinking. . ." Lyra cut in.
"No, your father and I. We've been thinking about not letting you play Quidditch this year." Her mother went in explaining about how worried they were when they heard about her injury but Lyra didn't listen. They couldn't possibly let her not play Quidditch, she had only played one year. Of course she thought Alicia wanted to play for her last year but this hit hard, very hard.
"I'm fully healed so there's no need for that," Lyra drawled.
"Sweetheart we know that, but we just don't want any accidents to happen again," she went on, trying to sound as gentle as she could.
"But this didn't even happen during Quidditch, it was because muggles don't know how to cement their grounds!"
"We know that but it can might as well happen during a Quidditch match." Then realisation hit and Lyra knew why they were doing this.
"I know that Draco's your favourite, but this is just cruel," she deadpanned.
"That's not true and what do you mean?"
Mum stop lying. "You're not letting me play because then It'll upset Draco like in second year when Gryffindor won the cup."
"Lyra that's in no way true and you know we don't play favourites," her mother soothed.
"So explain then why I had to stay away from home this month and Draco didn't." Again her mother didn't respond, just like her father didn't those weeks ago. Why were they not answering her questions?
☆
Weeks had passed until school started. Draco had flaunted about his prefect position the minute he got the letter. Lyra didn't get it at all, why would Dumbledore make a sod like her brother prefect? Didn't he notice all the taunting he did or did that not matter?
She wrote to Alicia about how she couldn't play that year and she said it didn't matter. Last time she wanted to focus more on her studies since Quidditch had been in the way so she let Lyra play.
After a short hug from her mother and a swift goodbye from her father, Lyra boarded on the train. She quickly found Harry and Ginny but no Ron and Hermione. "Where are the others?" she asked them, letting go off Harry.
"Ron and Hermione are prefects so they're getting instructions now from the Heads."
"You will never guess who's Slytherin prefect."
Harry gave her a look of pure annoyance before replying, "Your brother?" She confirmed it, getting a loud groan from Harry.
"Come on," Ginny moaned, "if we get a move on we'll be able to save them places." She pulled Lyra's arm, making her feel those sparks again. Sirius had told her the best thing she should do is relax a little around her, act like she would do around Natalie and Zayna. Of course she was able to, sometimes.
They glanced through each door to find an empty compartment, after some time they found Neville. "Hi everyone," he panted. "Everywhere's full. . . . I can't find a seat. . . ." But the two girls saw their friend Luna sitting in the compartment behind him.
"What are you talking about?" asked Ginny, "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here —"
"Luna," Lyra corrected her. Neville was mumbling something she didn't quite catch though Ginny did and assured him that she was alright. She slid the door open and the three followed.
"Hi Luna," the girls chorused. "Is it okay if we take these seats?"
Ginny thanked her by smiling when Luna nodded. "Had a good summer, Luna?"
"Yes. Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. You're Harry Potter," she added.
"I know I am," noted Harry.
Neville chuckled and Lyra snorted. Luna turned to him. "And I don't know who you are."
"I'm nobody," answered Neville hurriedly.
"No you're not," Ginny interjected sharply. "Neville Longbottom — Luna Lovegood. Luna's in our year, but in Ravenclaw." she informed them.
"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," Luna sang and held up the Quibbler she had been reading. The boys looked at each other while Ginny giggled, butterflies erupting in Lyra's stomach when she heard the pleasant sound.
"Lyra, who do you think will be Quidditch captain this year now that Wood's gone?" Harry asked her.
"Dunno, I suppose Angelina but I'll hear it from you, won't I?"
Harry frowned. "You aren't going to play Quidditch this year?"
"Rather say, not allowed." Lyra huffed, crossing her arms.
"Who said so, Dumbledore?"
"No. My parents- I meant the people who let me stay in their house won't allow me after I broke my ankle."
"Ankles can be healed at St. Mungo's in a second!" Ginny protested.
"I know right! But no mum said that they don't want any accidents happening again," Lyra scoffed.
"How did you break your ankle anyway?" asked Harry.
"It wasn't even that bad to be honest, so after I visited—"Lyra stopped talking, realising she couldn't talk about the headquarters. "I'll tell you later. Neville! Your birthday was a month ago, what did you get?" she asked, making everyone turn to him.
He excitedly showed them a Mimbulus mimbletonia. "It's really, really rare," he beamed. "I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Iran. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."
"Does it — er — do anything?" asked Harry.
"Loads of stuff. It's got an amazing defensive mechanism — hold Trevor for me. . . ." The toad sat down on Harry's lap as Neville took a quill from his bag, Lyra noticed Luna peering from above her Quibbler. Neville held the plant and when finding a good spot, he prodded the plant.
Oh no, Lyra had just put her hands in front of her face as Liquid spurted from the boils of the plant. Hitting the ceiling, windows and Luna's Quibbler. Ginny had done the same thing as Lyra while Harry got a full blast of it. "S-sorry," Neville gasped. "I haven't tried that before. . . . Didn't realize it would be quite so . . . Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous," he added, as Harry spat a mouthful onto the floor.
Lyra took his glasses off, cleaning the lenses with the not ruined part of her clothes as Cho Chang stood in the doorway. They had a very awkward exchange which ended in Cho leaving in a hurry.
"Bye Cho!" called Lyra, before the girl closed the compartment door, smiling.
"Never mind, Look we can clean all of this easily." Ginny pulled out her wand and cleaned it with a simple Scourgify.
For the next hour, the four talked. While swapping Chocolate frog cards, the compartment door slid open and Ron and Hermione had arrived. "I'm starving." Ron placed his owl next to Harry and Lyra's and sat down next to them. "Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each House. Boy and girl from each."
"You already know who's Slytherin prefect, I suppose?" said Ron bitterly. Harry nodded, now having the full confirmation that Lyra's brother could take points from him.
"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson," Hermione seethed. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll . . ."
"Who's Hufflepuff?" Harry asked.
"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," Ron replied.
"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," Hermione informed.
"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil." Everyone turned to Luna.
"Yeah, I know I did," Ron commented.
"She didn't enjoy it very much. She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded. I don't like dancing very much." And then she went back to reading her magazine. Ron stared at it, then glanced at Ginny who tried not to giggle.
Ron explained how they were allowed to take points from people. After Hermione scolded him for saying he wanted to take points from Goyle, he made a joke that made Luna laugh a little too loudly. "That was funny!" she said, gasping for breath.
The others laughed at Ron's confused look. "Are you taking the mickey?" he frowned at her. "Baboon's . . . backside!" She choked, holding her ribs.
Some minutes later, to everyone's annoyance, Draco and his cronies opened the compartment door. Before he could even open his mouth, Harry asked aggressively, "What?"
"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," he drawled. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments," he preened.
"Yeah, but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone." The others expect for Luna laughed.
"Honestly Draco, just leave the compartment. Literally no one asked you to stay here." Lyra got ignored as Draco turned to Harry again. Forgot, he's a mood changer.
"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he asked.
"Shut up, Malfoy," Hermione snapped.
"I seem to have touched a nerve," he smirked. "Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line."
"Get out!" ordered Hermione, standing up. Draco gave Harry a last malicious look and left, Crabbe and Goyle following him. They finally arrived at the castle, seeing Professor Grubbly-Plank instead of Hagrid leading the first years to the boats. Ginny and Lyra arrived with Hermione's cat and went to look for their friends.
"I suppose you broke your ankle after you visited the headquarters," Ginny concluded.
"Yeah, I was playing a game with the muggle kids who lived there and when I came back I stumbled over a brick."
"Sounds painful."
"Ginny! Lyra! There you are." exclaimed Zayna's voice. She and Natalie were sitting in one of the carriages already.
"Did you also see Grubbly- Plank?"
"Yes," Natalie replied to Lyra. "Weird isn't it, Hagrid can't have left, right?"
"No, even if he did he would've definitely said Goodbye." Zayna was right, he would. Then again he went to Azkaban three years ago without saying it, but that had been because he couldn't.
"Who do you guys think will teach Defence this year?" Ginny asked them.
"Oh I know, heard my father talk about how Fudge wanted to employ someone he trusted. A Dolores Umbridge, I think her name was."
Natalie groaned, "Not her! I heard stories about her, from my mother. She said that Umbridge's a pink lady who looks like she just came out of a swamp. Extremely prejudice too," she added.
"Then we'll get along great," said Zayna sarcastically.
Entering the lit great hall, the quartet got called by some other girls they knew and sat by them. Leading the end of the year, the four decided to instead of always being together, to talk with the other fourth years.
"Ginny look, Michael!" Aoife Smith gushed. Ugh thank you Aoife, just the one thing Lyra didn't want to talk about and had succeeded in until that moment. Michael Corner, who started dating Ginny end of the year. Last year, after the two had decided it was too cold outside, they went back to the ball. Lyra accidentally spilled punch on his dress robes and he had taken an immediate interest in Ginny.
Lyra almost choked on her bread when Ginny told her they were dating, days before the third task, and she never felt so bad in her life. She looked as Ginny smiled at her boyfriend. . .how Lyra hated that word. After McGonagall entered with the first years, the hat broke into its song.
In times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school And pass along their learning. "Together we will build and teach!" The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they Might someday be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere As Slytherin and Gryffndor?
Unless it was the second pair Of Huffepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong? How could such friendships fail? Why, I was there and so can tell The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those Whose ancestry is purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those With brave deeds to their name," Said Hufflepujf, "I'll teach the lot, And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had A House in which they might Take only those they wanted, so, For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him, And only those of sharpest mind Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepujf she took the rest, And taught them all she knew, Thus the Houses and their founders Retained friendships firm and true. So Hogwarts worked in harmony For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us Feeding on our faults and fears.
The Houses that, like pillars four, Had once held up our school, Now turned upon each other and, Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and with fighting And the clash of friend on friend And at last there came a morning When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four Were whittled down to three
Have the Houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here And you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs, The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within.
I have told you, I have warned you. . . . Let the Sorting now begin.
"That was a mouthful," mumbled Zayna after the applause died down. When everyone finished their meals, Dumbledore stood to hold his yearly speech.
As he was talking, they heard an annoying sounding, "Hem Hem." Which made him stop. Many realised it was Umbridge. No new teacher ever interrupted Dumbledore.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome." Even her voice sounded annoying, no wonder Mrs Soots didn't like her. "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled broadly. "And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!" Lyra glanced around, seeing none of those.
"Which happy faces is this woman talking about?" Zayna hissed.
"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"
"Not bloody likely," Natalie scoffed.
Another "Hem Hem" came out of Umbridge her throat as she continued: "The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."
She went on about how Hogwarts would change and something about perfecting things that need to be perfected. Lyra was sure she would've fell asleep if she didn't stop.
"What a load of rubbish," Aurora Philips whispered, once she was finally done. "Hogwarts is fine now. . ."
"Yes, but now's the Ministry interfering," Candice McDean said. Forgot we're supposed to be nice to her again. "That's good right?"
No it isn't, it totally isn't.