His green eyes bore into hers. "Come, my Princess." he said as his hand extend. They were alone in the first floor of the mansion. She could not tear her gaze from his as fingers slipped hand into his hand. His smile grew and in a wisp, he led her down the stairs.

"Where are we going?" she asked softly.

"You'll see. Don't be afraid." he assured her as they descended the staircase.

"I'm not afraid." she retorted but he could hear the lack of confidence in her voice. He snickered under his breath and she glanced at him. "What?"

He stopped in mid stride on the staircase and she nearly knocked into him.

"I know you better than you think, princess. When you are nervous, your hands get ice cold. That is way you always wear gloves when your father hosts guests."

She gaped at him and retracted her hand. He only looked at her with a cheeky grin.

"You are far too observant for-"

"For a servant?" he asked challenging.

"I wouldn't put it like that." she bit her lip and avoided his gaze before it absorbed her again.

His soft hand cupped her cheek while he stared at her with a serious expression.

"Lyra, I have never felt about anyone how I feel about you. The first time I laid my eyes on you in the Great Hall... there was this-"

"Keith, please stop." Lyra took a step back. "You are a muggle born... My father will use a cruciatious curse on you, or even worse! The A.K curse!" she replied heavy hearted.

"Lyra." his expression fell which only made her feel incredibly worse. He distanced the gaped between them and held her face between his two hands.

"Run away with, me. You are old enough to make your own choices, you don't need to fear your father. I promise to keep you safe wherever we go. You don't have to be afraid of anything." He promised.

He had such a silver tongue, so easily persuasive. Her heart melted in so many ways that it has never before. She has known Keith since they were children. They both were both in Slytherin House despite the fact that he was of muggle born and not pureblood like the rest of the house members.

Needles to say, they became good friends and got even closer when her father took Keith in as a common slave. Both his parents died in a car crash on the eve of his 16th birthday. Ever since, he tried to prove to Lyra that he is worthy of her.

Before Lyra could reply Keith, a deep voice boomed behind them at the bottom of the stairs.

"What is going on here? Why are you touching my daughter, you filthy mudblood!?" Lucius Malfoy drew his wand.

Lyra stepped protective in front of Keith, with her own wand at the ready. Keith anticipated something like this would happen so he had his wand ready too though he was never allowed to use it. He gently touched the small of Lyra's back to move her to the side but she would not budge.

"Daddy, please! It is not what it looks like!"

"Lyra Malfoy, what was it then? I heard enough when he asked you to run away with him. I have seen enough at how he vilely touched you. You know better than this, Lyra." her father spat. Little Draco peered around the corner from the landing of the staircase to see what the commotion was all about.

"Father, please." she begged again. "Yes, he asked me to run away with him but I did not consider it." she lied.

Lucius' cold blue eyes trained on the pair for a moment. "You know I do not like being lied to, especially not by my own daughter."

"Master, please-." Keith tried to interject.

"Silence. You won't speak you are until spoken to." Lucius warned. "Is this what you want, Lyra? A slave boy? A mudblood?"

Keith's jaw clentched, he was so much more than what Lucius Malfoy saw. He was the only muggleborn that ever was sorted into the house of Slyherin.

Ly brimmed with anger, how can her father say such things when he was the one that turned Keith into a slave.

"Yes, it is father. I love him." she stated. They both stared at her; Keith in shock and Lucius in horror. It was the first time that Keith heard her confess any really feelings towards him. Keith spun her around wearing a big grin on his face.

"Do you mean it, princess? Do you really love me?"

She nodded, smiling just as widely. His grinned eyes shimmered like emeralds, it was the most beautiful she ever saw.

"Lyra, how could you do this? Not only did betray your family but the all the purebloods!" Lucius said furiously. She glanced back at her father's cold stare. Blood purity was all this family ever obsessed about without considering anyone's feelings. That is why their mother was so unhappily married to this man. Her father even chose a suitable suitor for her.

"Father, I am 17 and recently graduated from Hogwarts. I can make my own choices. I did not betray anyone!" she retorted. In his anger, a flash of green light blasted from Lucius' wand and hit his daughter. Lucius actions caught them both by surprise thus Lyra didn't have time to defend herself. Her wand fell to the ground and she howled in pain and fell, rolling down the remaining stairs.

"Stop! Stop it!" Keith demanded as he ran towards Lyra's lifeless form at the bottom of the staircase. He could not stand seeing the girl he loved being tortured and was prohibited from using magic against his master. Knowing this, Lucius wore a wicked grin before his eyes were fixed on the muggle born. "This is just the beginning." he sneered before he cursed Keith as well. Draco cowered in fear and ran towards his room. He wondered where his mother were. If she were here, would she save her daughter?

Keith laid groaning from the pain while Lyra still seemed unconscious. Lucius prepared himself to curse them again when Narcissa apparated in the living room. She stared at horror as her beloved daughter was unconscious laying on the floor.

"Lucius! What have you done?" this was the first time she spoke accuse her husband about anything, always fearing his wrath. Her motherly instincts took over this time.

"She was going to run away with the mudblood." he replied simply.

"And you cursed her?"

"At least I didn't kill them." he spat. "Although, I should kill the boy."

"Lucius, this is your daughter!" Narcissa tried to speak some sense into him, hopefully to soften his heart.

"No daughter of mine would ever betray me." his eyes were cold and distant. "Make sure she is gone before I get back." Lucius turned on his heel and left the room. As always, Narcissa was left to clean up her husband's mess. He banished their daughter and that broke her hear. She drew her wand and she used a spell that lifted the two bodies. She moved them to Lyra's bedroom, they needed to rest the curse off before they could leave. She would have to remind Lucius that before he loses his temper again. Although, Keith was aware of his surroundings as he groaned from the aftermath.

After Narcissa gently placed them on the bed, Draco peered into the room.

"Mommy?" Draco whispered.

"Draco." Narcissa was startled at the sweet whisper and she hurried to meet him at door of his sister's room.

"I saw what happened. I saw what he did. Why did he do it, mom?"

Narcissa was rendered speechless, how could she explain the situation to a 5 year old?

"You see, Draco.. your sister was naughty. Your father felt that she needed to be punished."

"Was Keith naughty too?" he asked sadly. The boy had a liking in Keith. Narcissa bopped her head.

"Is he going to punish me too?" he asked afraid.

"Did you do something naughty?" she asked and he quickly shook his head a no.

"Then you have nothing to be worried about." she reassured her son and grabbed him into a tight hug. She longed for the days when she could hug her daughter like this.

"Go play." she told her son when she heard a stir on the bed.

Keith sat up and looked at Narcissa fearfully as she approached the bed with a cold expression.

"I told you to stay away from Lyra. I warned you at what Lucius would do to you. You were hired as just a servant here."

"Well," Keith scoffed, "In this house, it is hard to stay away." he glanced over at the bed next to him. Lyra's brown hair gently caressed her face.

"Lucius wants you both gone. Thanks to you I lost my daughter!"

Keith's face turned pale. "I'm sorry! You are right, this is all my fault. She shouldn't be punished. Lyra didn't want to-" he was interrupted with a cold slap across his face.

"What's done is done, Keith. You got yourself and her in this mess. I will give you money, just enough to survive. You'll have to take her away some place where Lucius will never either of you."

It saddened Narcissa that she won't see her daughter ever but she was more afraid of what Lucius might do if he sees Lyra again.

"Go! now!" Narcissa ordered.

"But we don't have anything with us." Keith objected. He wanted his clothes and other things.

"There is no time, he might kill you when he sees you are still here. Take her and go."

Keith nodded and picked up Ly's sleeping form in his arms.

"Thank you, Narcissa." he said before he left the room.