A/N: Wow! Thanks for following and reviewing! I'm glad people like this! I've decided to start in Prisoner of Azkaban with flashbacks to earlier years interspersed. Enjoy!

Hogwarts' Castle, September 1st, 1991

Minerva McGonnagall's heart nearly stopped in her chest when she glanced over the list of first years for the sorting ceremony. Two surnames caught her eye: Black and Potter. How very much like the originals to have children of the same age, she thought bitterly. She only hoped that these two would be easier to deal with than the last set had been. As she placed the Sorting Hat on the stool in front of the Great Hall, she began calling names.

"Abbott, Hannah!" McGonnagall called out. A trembling, pink-faced girl with pigtails went and sat on the stool. She placed the hat on her head and it called out almost immediately.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Black, Lyra!" She watched as the spitting image of an eleven year old Marlene McKinnon waltzed up to the front with the confidence a young Master Black had once had. Her heart clenched. Did the girl know? Or was she as clueless to her past as the young Potter boy? She placed the hat on her head and expected the dainty blonde to join her house. Instead, the hat sat still for a moment. After a ten second pause, the hat declared, "SLYTHERIN!"

McGonnagall looked at the young girl's face. Her smile faltered slightly, but she stood up and almost skipped over to the cheering silver and green table. Perhaps she wouldn't have to worry about Black and Potter at all... Perhaps they'd never become acquaintances and would avoid each other completely...

Hogwarts' Castle, December 10th, 1991

"MISTER POTTER! MISS BLACK!" Professor McGonnagall rushed over to where the two twelve year olds were wrestling each other in the back courtyard, which was covered in snow, while a group of Slytherin students egged them on. She waved her wand and the two students flew off of each other.

"TAKE IT BACK!" Lyra shrieked as she writhed against whatever charm was holding her back. "TAKE IT BACK, YOU STUPID LIAR!"

"DON'T CALL ME STUPID, YOU PUREBLOOD HYPOCRITE!" Harry shouted back. "AT LEAST I'M NOT RELATED TO MALFOY!"

"AT LEAST-" Lyra started to counter back.

"Enough!" McGonnagall cut them off. "The both of you. Twenty points from both Gryffindor AND Slytherin. Miss Black, I'll be speaking to the head of Slytherin house about this..."

Minerva struggled to contain her smile as she sentenced them both to detention for a week. As the two sulked and scowled at one another the entire way to the Trophy Room, Minerva recalled watching their fathers gleefully serve detention together. It was strange to think that a very different pair of Potter and Black had once been punished by being kept away from one another. Her heart ached as she remembered exactly what the other Black had done to Potter.

Platform 9 and 3/4, September 1st, 1993

Sirius Black's daughter. Lyra had to repeat that internally a few times as she stared at the wanted poster on Platform 9 and 3/4. I'm his daughter. I'm in Slytherin, I'm related to that git Malfoy... And even better, I'm a mass murderer's daughter.

"All right, Ly?" Ted Tonks wrapped his arm around her shoulder and steered her away. His sandy blonde hair was tousled from apparating to the platform. He smiled warmly at his goddaughter.

"I've definitely been better," Lyra muttered. She looked up at Ted. He was the man who had raised her as his own, had kissed her scraped knees better, and argued bitterly with anyone about why her blood didn't make her any less his daughter than Nymphadora...

"Right," Ted said. He squeezed her towards his chest. "You aren't still cross we didn't tell you, are you?"

She'd been cross all summer, but looking at Ted's earnest smile, she couldn't tell him that. She just smiled weakly and shook her head. Andromeda rushed back from the large luggage drop off carrying Calypso in her carrier. Nymphadora followed her closely. She'd made her hair look identical to Lyra's for seeing her off. She'd done that since she was in school, because it made her feel better to look at least sort of similar to Tonks.

"Remember what I told you when you were sorted into Slytherin house?" Ted kissed the top of her head.

"'Your house doesn't define you. The choices you make within your house does,'" Lyra repeated monotonously.

"I was a Slytherin! Remember that we love you, no matter what," Andromeda beamed at her. She pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear, "You're my girl, Lyra Cassiopeia. Don't you forget that."

"Stay out of trouble, kid," Dora grinned. She ruffled Lyra's hair and pulled her into a warm hug. "Don't go looking for any either... And if there are any Black sightings-"

"I'll send an owl, straight away," Lyra assured them all. "See you at Christmas?"

"See you at Christmas," The three of them repeated back to her. Andromeda handed Lyra the cat carrier and as she stepped onto the train, she blew a kiss.

The Restricted Section, December 25th, 1991

Lyra sat cross-legged sandwiched in between two bookshelves with a muggle flashlight that Ted had given her between her teeth. She was reading an old biography about Salazar Slytherin. It was her first Christmas away from home, because Andromeda and Ted had won a vacation and Dora was in the middle of the toughest part of her auror training: stealth training. She didn't mind terribly, however, because as there were so few people around she could sneak into the parts of the Castle where she wasn't normally allowed... Like the restricted section. Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps. Lyra clicked off her flashlight and stowed it in her robe pocket. She peaked her head around the corner of a shelf and clapped her hand over her mouth.

There was a floating hand and a lantern coming down the aisle. Her blue eyes widened considerably as the hand suddenly became attached to Harry Potter. Of course, she thought. Of course someone gave him an invisibility cloak. She quietly closed her book, deciding she didn't much like the founder of her house and slid it back onto a shelf as silently as she could. Harry hadn't noticed her yet. He put the lantern down on a ledge and Lyra watched as he took a book off the shelf. He went to open it, when suddenly she recognized the book. Ted had a copy for a party trick back home.

"No, wait!" Lyra gasped as she ran over to him. Harry, startled that she was there, knocked over his lantern and dropped the book. It opened up on the floor and let out a blood curdling scream.

"What are you doing here?" Harry shouted as the pair of them struggled to close the book and hear over the ringing had developed over the piercing note.

"Reading, now, shut up!" Lyra clapped her hands over his mouth. They heard footsteps. Exchanging glances, Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak and placed it over the both of them. "How do you have one of these?" She whispered.

"You shut up," Harry hissed. The pair of them silently made their way back towards the door. As soon as they saw Filch, they stood rooted to their spot and pressed themselves against the bookshelf. Neither of them minded that they had to stand in such close proximity as Filch walked past. The pair of them, as soon as he was around the corner inspecting the broken lantern, bolted. Suddenly, they realized that they were lost as they stood in front of a suit of armour.

"Nice going, Potter," Lyra elbowed him. He shot her a look under the cloak. That's when they heard voices. Specifically, the voices of Snape and FIlch. The two men were getting closer and closer to the eleven year olds. Lyra looked around frantically, she nudged Harry again and pointed to a door that was ajar. The pair of them sprinted together and quietly shut the door behind them. As soon as the cloak was off they put as much distance between themselves as possible.

"So you were really just reading in the restricted section?" Harry said skeptically. Neither of them had noticed the ornate mirror in the empty, dusty room in which they were hiding.

"Yeah, that's what normal wizards do in a library, Potter," Lyra snapped. "What were you doing?"

"Why were you reading so late?" Harry ignored her question.

"Oh, I don't know," Lyra rolled her eyes. "Has Madame Pince ever let you into the restricted section during the day?" Harry nodded appreciatively of the fact, and Lyra continued, "Besides, I'm not the only one out late in the library. What were you looking for?"

"Information on-" Harry thought better of himself, "Information."

"Information on information," Lyra snorted. "Are all Gryffindors this articulate?"

"Whatever," Harry grumbled. He then turned around and Lyra followed his line of sight to a large, ornate mirror with a carving on the top. "Whoa..."

The pair of them walked over to the mirror. Lyra stared at it for a long time. In the reflection she saw Harry and herself, but then a group of people in the background turned and smiled at them. Ted and Andromeda walked over to her with a slender, but curvy blonde woman and a tall, lithe black-haired man with a crooked smile. She glanced over at Harry's reflection and noticed a man who looked like an older version of Harry himself winking at the black-haired man in front of her. Her heart started pounding.

"Dad?" Lyra whispered as she stared at the tall man. He simply grinned at her. "Oh Merlin... Ted... 'Dromeda.. These are my birth parents?"

"Mum?" Harry looked at the crying redhead in front of him. "Dad?" He glanced over at Lyra who had pressed one of her hands against the glass and looked paler than she normally did. Was she seeing what he was seeing? Why did that make her emotional? As far as he knew, she'd lived with two parents who loved her... He watched as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Are you crying Black?"

"No," She said defiantly. "...Maybe," She looked back at the blonde woman who had hugged Andromeda before walking to the forefront. She was pressing her hands against the glass because this was the closes she had been to her mother before. It wasn't that Andromeda hadn't been a good mother figure, it was just that she'd also made sure to tell her plenty about the kind of woman her mother was: brave, resilient, strong, kind... None of these things had anything to do with Slytherin house. Lyra had never felt more distant from the memory of her parents than she did watching them grin at her in the mirror. Lyra forced herself to look over at Harry. He looked equally as pale and shocked.

"D'you think that this is a portal to the other side?" Harry whispered as though he was in a chapel.

"Those don't exist," Lyra said. "Not even in the wizarding world."

The pair of them sat in silence for a long while, staring at the mirror. It was the kindest they'd been to each other in the four months that they'd known each other. Harry shifted uncomfortably, thinking how much he'd rather be sharing this experience with Ron, his real friend.

"I'll walk you back to the Slytherin common room," Harry said. He looked at his parents and family in the reflection.

"I don't want to go," Lyra said weakly. "They all look so happy."

"Snape and Filch are gone, if we leave under the cloak now, maybe he won't notice you've left the dormitory," Harry said diplomatically. Reluctantly, Lyra got up from her seat where she'd been watching her parents interact with Ted and Andromeda as though they were all one big happy family. Lyra missed them sorely, Ted and Andy, but she knew she'd see them again soon... Her birth parents however... She might never see them again. "C'mon, Black. Let's go. I don't want to have to serve detention with you."

"Fine," Lyra resigned. She didn't want to feel the wrath of the head of her house, so she let Harry escort her back to the Slytherin house entrance. She looked over at him and said, "Let's never talk about this again, yeah?"

"Fair enough," Harry said.

"We're still not friends," Lyra insisted.

"I'd never be friends with a pureblood Slytherin like you," Harry said with the corners of his mouth tugging upwards.

"And I'd never be friends with a reckless Gryffindor like you, Potter," Lyra shrugged her shoulders.

That would be the closest thing to a civil conversation the pair of them would have for two years.

The Hogwarts Express, September 1st, 1993

As Lyra walked through the corridor, she was greeted by an overexcited Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis. Calypso started meowing loudly as they approached. The pair of them dragged her into a compartment with Blaise Zabini, with whom Lyra was never close but Daphne seemed to adore.

"Hello Lyra," Blaise said formally, as though they hadn't spent two years in each other's presence. "Trying out for Quidditch again this year?"

"Of course," Lyra replied. "I'm the best chaser Slytherin's had in years."

"That's right, you are," Daphne nudged her. "Mum got me a new broom this summer. A firebolt. Fastest there is!"

"I'll have to struggle to catch up with you then," Lyra grinned as Daphne took Calypso out of her case and started to cuddle with her. Calypso squirmed around in her arms. Her ears reached back and she looked over at Lyra with a face that said, Every year you let this crazy person pretend I like her, and every year I scratch her to oblivion.

"Hmm," Blaise turned and looked out the window. "Tracey, what do you think about this Sirius Black fellow?"

"You mean convict-on-the-run, Sirius Black?" Tracy laughed. "Dunno. Seems like a bit of a nutter... Mind, he did escape Azkaban. What do you know about him, Lyra?"

"Me?" Lyra said, her heart starting to beat faster and faster in her chest. "Oh, er... Not too much. Just that he's a relative of mine."

"Oh yes," Blaise smiled. "That's right, he would be. How closely related?" The glint in his eye as he asked let Lyra know that he already knew the answer.

"No idea," she lied through her teeth. "But all purebloods are related, so you're probably his distant cousin as well."

Calypso leapt from Daphne's arms into Lyra's lap and curled up into a ball there.

"At least he was fighting for a decent cause," Blaise waved his hand dismissively. Tracey stiffened, she looked at Lyra who shook her head. Tracey Davis was a halfblood. It was one of the reasons she and Lyra had become friends. In first year, Draco was speaking poorly about muggleborns and the pair of them had jumped down his throat. Ted was a muggleborn, and Tracey's father was a muggle.

"What, like your parents did?" Daphne teased. "Not sure anyone would be brave enough to admit that these days. Those were dark times, Blaise. And he killed twelve innocent people as well as his best mate."

"I just think that You-Know-Who wasn't too far off," Blaise shrugged. "His methods were... questionable, but he wasn't wrong, per se."

"Oh, sod off," Tracey tossed her sweater over at him as she spread out over her side of the compartment. She reached her hand over into Lyra's lap and pet Calypso's bunny-soft head. The cream-and-beige cat purred. "I mean, I'm not saying that some witches and wizards aren't better than others, I just think it's daft to use blood as a grounds for that, right Lyra?"

"Right," Lyra agreed. She swallowed, feeling Blaise's eyes burning into her. He knew. He had to know. The more they talked about blood purity, the more uncomfortable she became. He wouldn't stop staring at her. Andromeda's voice echoed in her head, 'You're my girl, Lyra Cassiopeia.' But she wasn't. She wasn't Andromeda's girl. She was Sirius Black's daughter. She was the daughter of a mass murderer, a former Death Eater, who had no right to defend halfbloods or muggleborns or anyone. She felt like she might pass out.

"You alright, Ly?" Daphne asked from beside Blaise. "You look a bit paler than usual..."

"Oh, I'm fine..." Lyra smiled weakly. It didn't reach her eyes and she laughed hollowly for effect. "Just a bit tired. Dora kept me up all night to tell me about auror training."

"How's that going?" Tracey asked, though Lyra knew none of them cared to hear her answer.

"Good," Lyra smiled. "She likes it."

"My cousin says she's a bit clumsy," Blaise shrugged. "She probably won't pass the final exam if she can't be stealth."

"What does your cousin know?" Tracey rolled her eyes. Daphne shot both Lyra and Tracey looks of disdain. Blaise was the most popular boy that any of them knew. Daphne and Blaise had grown up together. It was almost as though Lyra and Tracey were constant tests on whether or not he'd continue to spend time with them at all. Lyra didn't care. Not really.

Professor Snape's Office, January 20th, 1993

"My office is closed to students at this hour, Miss Black," Snape said monotonously as a familiar blonde head peaked its way in.

"But Professor," She started to say.

"Have you seen any Slytherins behaving in a less than savory manner?"

"No, but—"

"Any Gryffindors? Ravenclaws? Hufflepuffs?"

"No! But I—"

"Are you fatally injured?"

"No, but Prof—"

"Is any other Slytherin fatally injured?" "No, we're all fine, but—" "Is this about Potter, Weasley, Granger or any combination of the three?"

"No!" "Longbottom then?" "This hasn't got anything to do with any of them, can you let me—"

"Then I see no reason for you to be disturbing me outside of office hours, Miss Black," Snape closed his notebook and looked up at her. She looked exactly like Marlene had when angry, but the shape of her eyes and nose gave way to something distinctly Black.

Lyra let out a frustrated groan at being dismissed by the professor again. She turned to walk back out of his office and then paused.

"Why do you hate me?" She asked. "I'm good at potions. Some might say brilliant, though probably not you. You're my favourite teacher even though you're ridiculously unfair when it comes to grading. I just- I don't get it. I'm no where near as annoying as Granger or as petulant as Potter, so what is it? What have i done?"

"I am a professor, Miss Black, I do not need to explain myself to a second year," Professor Snape repeated. He looked down his long hooked nose at the girl.

"Are you saying that I'm worse than Draco Malfoy?" Lyra huffed. "I'm loads better than he is in your class. I actually pay attention!"

"For a Slytherin, Miss Black, you certainly lack self-preservation," Professor Snape stood up from his desk and walked over to where she stood. Grabbing her by the collar, he started to walk her down the hall. "You are not 'loads' better at anything. You're a show off, just like your father. You are as petulant as Potter and as annoying as Granger, only worse because you are in. My. House. Now I suggest," He let go of her collar as they approached the entrance to the Slytherin common room, "That you head to your dormitory and never disturb me outside of class hours again, or I'll be forced to deduct points from my house... And if there is one thing I detest more than teaching-" He stopped mid-sentence as he saw the tears well in her pale blue eyes.

"So you really do hate me," She said quietly.

Half of Severus Snape thought the best thing to do was to ignore her. If he simply repeated that she should leave, he'd never have to look at her again. After all, she was as much Black as Harry Potter was Potter. The only difference was that she didn't have any redemption in her matriarchal line. Marlene McKinnon was not Lily Evans.

The other half of Severus saw a child who was good at a class everyone hated, stuck in a house with people who were obsessed with blood purity in a passive aggressive way that clearly bothered her, and one who was picked on by Gryffindors.

How could he ignore a child who was so much like he was in school?

"If there's one thing I detest more than teaching you, it's deducting points from my own house," He finished with half as much enthusiasm as he had before.

"I'm sorry, Professor," She mumbled, bowing her blonde head. She didn't look much like Sirius Black at this angle. Sirius Black never apologized for attempting to feed him to the wolves.

"It's quite alright, Miss Black," Snape said before he could think better of himself. She turned to skulk down the steps to the Common Room. Severus felt like kicking himself as he said, "If you ever feel the need to chat again, please, just come during my open office hours."

Her blonde hair flipped around and her smile was wider than he'd ever seen it.

He shouldn't have said that. He really shouldn't have said that.

Hogwarts Express, September 1st, 1993

"Calypso!" Lyra called out as her tiny cat darted out of the compartment as soon as Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy stood leering at them from the door. "Thanks, Draco, now I have to go bloody chase after her."

"Well, try not to run into your daddy on the way," Draco teased maliciously. Lyra's shoulders stiffened as he stood with a satisfied grin on his face. Tracey and Daphne exchanged looks behind her. "I hear he likes to murder those who stand between him and escape. D'you take after him, Lyra?"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Lyra whispered.

"What's he talking about?" Daphne asked. "Ly? What does he mean by your dad?" Draco's pale eyebrow arched with curiosity.

"Oh ho," Draco chuckled. "She hasn't told you?" Blaise cocked his head to the side as he studied Lyra as she tried to push past Malfoy.

"Let me through," Lyra grumbled. "I've got to go get my cat before she-"

"Hasn't told us what?" Tracey said. "Lyra, what's he on about?" Lyra deflated. She felt cold all over.

"About Sirius Black? She hasn't told you that he's her father?" Draco said innocently. "Well, well, Lyra... That's quite curious, isn't it? Can't trust your friends with that information?"

His pale eyes bore holes into her skin. The ice in her veins was replaced with fire. She felt angry. Her skin started to prickle with a blush as she violently shoved him out of her way. She swore at him under her breath as she started to run down the hallway, pushing past anyone that stood in her way. Calypso darted into the last compartment door. As she calmed herself down, she clenched her eyes closed and walked inside.

"Sorry, my cat just-" Lyra started to say quickly. Just then, the train came to a screeching halt. She fell down and landed on two people: Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. "Of course," She grumbled.

"Is this your cat?" Hermione Granger said cooly from the other side. Lyra picked herself up and straightened herself out. She glanced at Hermione who had two cats on her lap, one mangy looking orange cat with a pressed in face, and one pretty, delicate cat with a tiny nose and huge ears; Calypso.

"Yes," Lyra said equally as cool. "I'm so sorry she's disturbed you..."

"She's quite sweet, actually," Hermione said. Lyra reached down and picked up Calypso, but as soon as the cat was comfortably in her arms, all of the lanterns went out and they were plunged into complete darkness.

"What's going on?" Weasley said.

"Ouch!" Lyra gasped as she felt a sharp pain in her toes. "That was my foot!" Calypso hissed and leapt out of her arms running down. "Oh, great! Calypso-"

"D'you think we've broken down?"

There was a squeaking sound. Lyra watched as a figure appeared to be cleaning some condensation off the window and peering out.

"There's something moving out there," Weasley's voice said again, "I think someone's coming aboard."

The compartment door swung open, Calypso hissed in distaste and yelped in pain as someone tripped over her and knocked Lyra to the floor.

"Sorry- Ouch- Er- Sorry, who is this?"

A hand pressed itself against Lyra's recently blossomed chest and a smack resonated around the compartment.

"Not the floor, Longbottom!" Lyra growled as she shoved him off of her and scrambled to find a seat.

"Hullo, Neville," Harry said as he felt around and pulled Neville onto the seat beside him.

"Harry? Is that you? What's happening?"

"Haven't the foggiest," Harry replied. Hermione's voice came from right beside Lyra, "I'm going to go ask the driver what's going on..." Lyra felt the air suddenly cool from beside her. The door slid open and then there was another two thuds.

"Who's that?" "Who's that?" "Ginny?" "Hermione?" Lyra rolled her eyes. Gryffindors.

"I was looking for Ron-" "Come sit down!" "Not here, I'm here!" "Ouch!"

"Quiet!" A hoarse voice said suddenly out of the darkness on Lyra's other side. She couldn't remember who was there, but he sounded older than any of them. There was a soft, crackling noise and then Lyra looked over to where a handful of flames illuminated a tired, grey face with wary, alert eyes.

"Stay where you are," The man said. He slowly got to his feet and held out the fire in his hands. Lyra's eyes followed him. The door slid slowly open before he could reach it. Lyra's heart pounded so heavily in her chest that she thought she might explode. Standing in the doorway, with the dancing light of flames on a black cloak, was a dark figure with a face concealed entirely by a cloak.

Then it felt cold... Colder than it should have. Lyra felt as though someone had just stuck her in a freezer. Her breath came out in clouds. Out of no where, a nagging voice started to fill her head, 'Nobody wants you really, Lyra... You're just as bad as he is...' She watched in horror, the cloaked figure head right to Harry. Oh my god, oh my god. She watched as Harry suddenly went limp, and then his eyes rolled back. He was twitching uncontrollably. Oh my god. Lyra thought, It's my fault. She didn't know how, but she suddenly felt hit with a weight of guilt. Her father was responsible for the death of his parents, so of course she would end up responsible for his death.

"None of us is hiding Sirius Black," The man said to the creature that hung over Harry. "Go."

But it didn't move... Harry started to convulse even more. He slipped off his chair and twitched on the ground. 'He's dying, Lyra... He's dying and there's nothing you can do. He'll die and it'll be all your fault. No one will love you then... Not even Ted and Andromeda.' She wanted to scream at the voice to shut up, but she didn't have the strength to. She sat, petrified and watched as Harry went limp.

The older man took out his wand and said something Lyra couldn't quite make out. A silvery wisp came out of his wand and chased the creature out of the room.

As soon as the Dementor was out, she saw the Professor run a hand over his face. The lights flicked back on. Lyra sat frozen, her entire body shaking. The professor turned and stared at her for a moment. A flash of recognition in his eyes sparked as he studied her face. Did he know? Lyra wondered in her mind. She turned her head away from him, her blonde hair shielding herself from the reality that it was likely everyone knew.

"Is Harry alright?" Hermione asked frantically as she rushed to her friend's side. Lyra sat, frozen, beside Ginny and Neville. No one was speaking to her. They all just fussed over Harry and made sure he was okay. The professor ushered Neville and Ginny out of his way. They moved as Hermione smacked Harry until he woke up. The professor pulled out a large bar of chocolate and began breaking it into pieces. He offered a chunk to Lyra who had tried to press herself further into the wall.

"Here, Lyra," The professor said softly. Lyra's head jerked around. She stared at him in shock. She hadn't introduced herself to him.

"Who are you?" Lyra whispered.

"I'm Professor Lupin," He smiled weakly. He pat her on the shoulder, but she wasn't comforted. A tear slid down her cheek. He then turned and offered a large chunk of chocolate to Harry who was awake now, and distributed the rest of it equally among the rest of the students. "Eat it. It'll help."

"What was that thing?" Harry asked Lupin.

"A dementor," Lupin said. "One of the dementors of Azkaban. Looking Sirius Black."

"Well, I'm not Sirius Black," Harry said. "I'm not even a Black," all eyes fell on Lyra. Her cheeks went red and she swallowed wiping tears away from her cheeks.

"Eat," Lupin gestured to the chocolate in each of their hands. "It truly will help." He glanced over at Lyra who looked very out of place with the students around her.

"I should go," Lyra muttered. "I have to find my cat and change into my robes and-"

"I'll walk with you," Lupin said. The pair of them left the compartment.

"How do you know my name?" Lyra asked as soon as they were out of the Gryffindor's earshots.

"I just assumed. You look a lot like your mother, you know," Lupin replied with a hint of pain creeping into his words as it stabbed into Lyra's gut. "I knew your mother... And regretfully, your father... I met you once, too, when you were a baby." Lyra studied the man's scarred face. She didn't recognize him, but he spoke so earnestly that she knew he was being honest. "I take it you aren't friends with Harry Potter?"

"No. I'm in Slytherin. And they're just a bunch of reckless Gryffindors who act as though they're better than I am just because they wear red and gold and-" Lyra saw the corners of his lips tug upward. "What? Why is that amusing?"

"You're in Slytherin?" He said.

"Yes," She said defensively. "What? D'you think I'm evil like... Like my father is too, just because of that?"

"Not at all," Lupin assured her. "I simply think it's a strange twist of fate. Your father hated Slytherin house."

"Really?" Lyra felt a weight lift off of her shoulders. She felt a new surge of pride for her house. She wasn't like him. She looked like her mother, and she'd be sorted into a house that her father hated.

"Yes," Lupin replied. "Now, I've got to go be a proper professor. And look, I do believe that's your cat. I'll see you later." He smiled and then rushed off down the hall. Lyra looked down to where Calypso was lounging in the middle of the hall. She laughed and shook her head.

"C'mere you," Lyra said to the cat. She lifted her up into her arms and then went to her compartment. Bracing herself for questions, she wandered in.

"Hi," She said weakly to the astonished eyes of Daphne and Tracey. She noticed Blaise had left.

"Where'd you go?" Tracey asked as if nothing had happened. "Blaise went to look for you, but I think he really just went to sit with Draco..."

"Yeah," Daphne said without a hint of bitterness in his voice. "I don't mind though. If he's going to get all weird just because your birth father's a serial killer.."

"Mass murderer, Daph," Tracey corrected. "There's a difference."

Lyra felt a smile creep onto her lips as she stared at her two friends.

"You don't mind?" Lyra said to them. The two girls looked at her and laughed.

"Lyra," Tracey said. "My dad's a muggle."

"Yeah, but he's never killed anyone," Lyra grumbled. Daphne nodded in agreement, but the smile never left her face.

"No," Tracey said. "He hasn't, but you've never met your dad. You weren't even raised by him. If you didn't judge me for being raised by a muggle, then who am I to judge you for sharing fifty percent of your genetic material with a man who killed twelve muggles out of cold blood?"

"Yeah," Daphne laughed. "I mean... They probably asked for it, right?"

The three girls stared at each other in silence for a moment. They fell into laughter and hugged each other. The door slid open behind Lyra, and Professor Lupin peaked his head in.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I thought I'd let you know that there's only ten minutes until we arrive. You best change into your uniforms."

"Thanks," Lyra smiled at him. The door closed. Daphne was staring at her with a bemused look on her face.

"Who's that?" Tracey aked.

"Professor Lupin. He's a new teacher here," Lyra replied.

"He's cute," Daphne said. Tracey and Lyra whipped their heads around and gave her a strange look. "In the sort of, rugged-old-man kind of way... You know..."

"He's old enough to be your father," Tracey playfully hit her knee. The three girls took turns holding up a towel in front of the window in the door as they changed into their uniforms and got their things together. Lyra had never been more relieved to have the friends she did. She remembered something Gemma Farley, the prefect in her first year had told her...

"We Slytherins are brothers. The corridors of Hogwarts can throw up surprises for the unwary, and you'll be glad you've got the Serpents on your side as you move around the school... As far as we're concerned, once you've become a snake, you're one of ours..."

As Lyra looked between Daphne and Tracey, she knew it was true. While not every Slytherin, Draco, might agree, those who had been her friends would continue being her friends no matter what. After all, Slytherins are all plucked for the seeds of greatness, Lyra thought to herself. Maybe that's why my dad hated them... Because they would always be greater than he would be.

She was wrong, of course, but it comforted her as she got off the train and looked at the Hogwarts lights twinkling in the distance.

A/N: So I stole a bit from the Pottermore Slytherin house acceptance letter here. Anyway, please review (gently), it means a lot to get feedback. I hope you enjoyed this. More to come!

xo,Sophie