Chapter Seven – The Founding Ball

The spirits of the students at Hogwarts continued their high after the Halloween Feast as the first Quidditch match of the season approached. It was a match up that brought out a lot of spirit, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Lyra had donned her old Slytherin scarf to show support for her house and there was a mixed reaction from students as she walked through the corridors to the staff room. A few students gave her a high five whilst others stared her down. The appearance of green silver gave Lyra a look of disappointment from the Gryffindor head of house as she took a seat at the staff table.

"Supporting your old house I see," McGonagall pointed out.

"Of course," Lyra said with a teasing smile as she took her place at the staff table, "Slytherin through and through."

"Well, I am pretty confident in our team," Minerva said, "We will win the Quidditch and House Cup this year."

"I am doubtful about that," Severus said, closing the book his nose was in. "Slytherin have had it for the past five years running and I don't think we'll be giving it up so easily. I've been enjoying it's display in my office."

"We'll see about that," Minerva said as she walked away with a coffee in hand.

"I think you got under her skin," Lyra said with a laugh, helping herself to some cereal.

Severus did not attempt to continue the conversation with Lyra though she didn't realise it was on purpose until they sat next to one another in the teachers' stand. She had attempted to engage him in conversation though he wasn't responding. She could feel the tension between them and simply just engaged with Filius who had taken the seat next to her.

"How's your set progressing?" he asked.

"Good, good," she replied, "I've got all my songs together, I think I'll only take about 40 minutes."

"And you're just performing by yourself?"

"Yeah, I've enchanted all the necessary instruments."

"That's amazing."

Their conversation was cut short as the commentator began and the balls were released. She enjoyed the atmosphere as students cheered and booed whilst red and green zoomed around the field. Slytherin quickly gained the lead and after about an hour and a half they finished with the snitch, winning by a landslide. Severus didn't even celebrate when the game ended and Lyra gave him a congratulatory slap on the back. She tried to shrug it off but it started to bother her.

As the weeks progressed Lyra noticed that Severus had begun to purposefully avoid her. Whenever she arrived at breakfast he would seem to just be leaving and he didn't dare approach if she was already there. Severus had put his thoughts into action, choosing to distance himself from the Lestrange girl, maybe a bit too extremely. She did try to confront him one night as her potion had finished. Lyra approached the Potion's classroom with a brave face.

"Severus," she called out.

Severus was in the room, hesitant to answer but he recalled that he had invited her to come around if she needed help. He braced himself for the possible onslaught.

"Yes, Lestrange?" he answered coldly as he opened the door.

"I've run out," she said.

With a curt nod he went and fetched the potion. It didn't take him long, he handed it over to her and attempted to shut the door but it was held open by her forearm.

"Did I do something, Severus?" she asked.

"No," he said, "I have things to tend to, Lestrange. I'm a Potions Master; I have orders to fill as well as managing an entire house full of trouble-makers, my apologies that I can't be at your beck and call."

"That's not what I want, Sev," she said.

Internally he winced at the name she gave him as it brought up the feelings he was trying to keep at bay. Severus was a master of composure and did not let his feelings reflect on his face. "Well, what do you want?"

"You've been a dick," she said plainly, "You've been ignoring me since Halloween."

"As I said," Severus said with a bored expression, "I'm a busy man. I have things I need to tend to. Goodbye."

Lyra surrendered, deciding that there was no point in fighting for his attention. She busied herself with her classes and her students' needs. The one positive thing that came out of it was that she was forming a proper relationship with her cousin.

"Professor," Tonks addressed Lyra as she approached her desk after class one day.

"Yes?"

"Are you going home for Christmas?"

"Not sure," Lyra said, her eyes narrowed as she thought of her plans, "Depends whether or not they need me here or not, why's that?"

"My mum's asked to invite you over for Christmas lunch."

"I'll try to make it," Lyra replied with a smile, "It'd be nice to meet your parents."

"I'll let her know," Tonks grinned as she left.

The end of term was quickly approaching and as the days ticked by to the Founding ball Lyra found herself becoming more tense. At least she was still getting sleep thanks to Severus' potion but he was still cold towards her. The other teachers were excited as they prepared decorations for the ball and were keen to see their old students perform. They all gave her words of encouragement which just really made her more apprehensive about the performance as she felt there was a greater pressure to do well. Her Aunt had written her words of encouragement, knowing that her niece was a talented singer and witch, that Lyra tried to focus on.

December 20th arrived despite Lyra's protests and dread of the day approaching. She resented Severus for volunteering her talents and now he wasn't even speaking to her. She attempted to channel her frustration at the situation into determination to perform well.

Lyra's classes for the semester had finally finished and she spent the next hour preparing herself for her set. She did vocal warm ups as she styled her hair from its usual unkempt thickness to sleek loose curls that framed and softened her face. To add to the frame Lyra drew on her makeup, highlighting her features that would otherwise be blurred out by the intensity of the stage lights. Finally she pulled on a patterned silvery-white velvet dress which clung to her curves and dropped to the floor. Her waist was accentuated by a wrap belt of the same material and her sleeves were loose, reaching just below her elbows. Lyra admired herself in the mirror for a few moments and her confidence built. She didn't look as amazing as when her Aunt did it all but she still felt good and if she could sound as good as she looked and felt then she would have no problems. With that, she made her way down to the Great Hall, ready for her performance.

There were already students lining up, dressed in their dress robes, excited for what was to come. Lyra felt her nerves prick up but she pushed them aside. She had performed in front of Hogwarts before, maybe not solo but she knew she could do it. Lyra found her way into the Great Hall through the teachers' entrance to the High Table as she didn't want to draw attention to herself.

"Lyra!" Filius greeted, "You look stunning, are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she laughed.

The Hall was set up ready for a ball, the house tables had disappeared and instead were replaced by smaller round tables that were towards the back of the hall whereas the rest of the area near the High Table was left open for students to dance. The High Table itself was also removed and instead acted as a stage. Lyra observed her instruments sitting there ready for her performance alongside some wizard rock instruments which she assumed belonged to the other alumni students performing, The Weird Sisters.

Lyra pulled out her pine wand and with a wave the string and brass instruments levitated into the air and seemingly tuned themselves to the piano. She started up an instrumental to play as students began to quickly fill the hall. It was as if as each person entered Lyra found herself getting more and more nauseous. Each student looked in wonder as the decorations in the hall were more festive with ice sculptures and silver walls covered in garlands and Christmas wreaths. Albus walked in, followed by the majority of the staffing team and he approached the front of the hall.

"Welcome, welcome," Albus said with his wand pointing at his throat, amplifying each word he said over the noise of the crowd. "Welcome to Hogwarts' Founding Ball. As I know you are all keen to get dancing I'll allow Hogwarts' own Lyra Lestrange to take it away."

She directed the instruments to become jazzier although she felt as if her heart was in her stomach and she was about to throw it up, she began to sing along to the song and after a few moments her nerves were gone. Her voice enhanced the atmosphere, her warm and sweet tones contrasted vastly from the cold winter vibe of the Great Hall. Lyra began to lose herself in the music and was no longer being eaten away by the nerves that she had felt leading up to this event. She smiled as she watched as students dragged one another to the dance floor and began to dance.

Each song ran seamlessly into the other and her performance was well received by her audience. Severus watched on, pretending he was overlooking the students as Minerva danced gleefully with Albus, his eyes were glued to the witch who he had chosen to become so distant from. In all honesty, she looked stunning and he was mesmerised by her voice and the way she moved her wand to direct the instruments which supported her melody. Lyra had a natural talent and on stage she seemed so charismatic, she could enchant every witch and wizard in the room to fall in love with her by the tone of her voice and Severus was beginning to feel that tug again.

Severus pushed those feelings aside and instead his self-loathing came out. He told himself that Lyra Lestrange would never want him and that he should save himself the embarrassment of rejection. He got annoyed as he thought of Septime Vector who insisted that he supervise the students inside the ball whilst she patrol the corridors when he truly wanted to avoid Lyra and participating in the ball. Severus felt his arm being dragged as he was absorbed by his thoughts by Minerva who encouraged him to dance to Lyra's music.

"Not enjoying yourself, Severus?" she asked as she attempted to make him move to the rhythm.

"Not particularly," he replied with an annoyed expression.

"Usually you're a wonderful dancer," Minerva said with a sly wink.

"That's usually after I've downed a few bottles and you and Albus drag me to the dance floor," he said.

"Well, here we are," she smirked. "Try to enjoy it for a bit Severus, isn't Lyra talented?"

Lyra found that time seemed to slip through her fingers so quickly as she was enjoying her performance. Soon enough, her set was finished and her audience applauded and cheered as she bowed at the end. The next performer took their spot, starting off with a more classical and mellow sound. Lyra helped herself to a few canapés and found a few of her colleagues standing grouped together in one corner of the room. They all complimented her of course and Lyra sheepishly accepted their words as she stuffed food down her throat to excuse herself from talking. As she was engaged in conversation with Professor Burbage the Headmaster interrupted the conversation, offering Lyra a dance. She accepted with a smile and a nod, taking his hand they moved towards the dance floor. They began to dance to the slow tune and held a conversation during their movements.

"I suspect everyone has said so already but your performance was lovely, Lyra," Albus remarked.

"Thank you," she replied happily.

"I haven't spoken to you much this term," he said, "But how are you finding things?"

"Good," she said, "I've been enjoying it. It's a lot better than St. Mungo's, I'm hoping that I can stay."

"But alas, the curse," Albus said with a frown. Lyra exhaled a small laugh in response and it turned Albus' mood around. "How's everyone been treating you?"

"Well."

"And Severus?"

She sucked in her bottom lip, attempting to not let the frustration that had grown over the past few months to spill out. "He was good, initially. A bit hostile at times but he warmed, though I'm afraid he has been rather distant lately."

Albus nodded and waved Severus over, "Do you mind taking over for a bit? I have some business to attend to."

The three of them knew that Severus was not able to refuse the request so with a nod his hands replaced the Headmaster's. The two of them didn't know what to say, both attempted to not look one another in the eye. The awkward tension between the pair made them feel uneasy and one of them mistimed a step resulting in Lyra being trodden on.

"Ouch!"

"Learn to keep in time," he said.

"You stepped on me," she rebutted.

"Your foot wasn't supposed to be there."

She glared at him, thinking it was his fault but decided not to start an argument, at least not about that. "Why have you been such an asshole lately?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been avoiding me," she said, "Ever since Halloween. Is it because I asked you to join me in the shower? I was only joking."

"I believe that our interaction that night was inappropriate," he said plainly.

"What wasn't appropriate, Severus?"

"The drinking, you sleeping in my bed," he muttered in a voice so only the two of them could hear.

"And you couldn't have discussed your issues with me?" She asked, "Instead you acted like a child and ignored me."

Severus remained silent at her statement. He knew that she was right but he wasn't about to acknowledge that. "You did the exact thing to me when you were in my class."

"That was warranted," she said, "You were the reason everyone knew my real name and I hated you for that. I was 15, for fuck's sake. We've been over this."

Severus gritted his teeth as he tried to look expressionless as he danced with the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. Too his luck the song had ended and he excused himself politely as possible. Lyra found herself at the bar and began drinking to unwind. A few students from her classes approached her, asking her for a dance and she happily agreed. The slow dancing stopped as the Weird Sisters stepped out onto the stage and the students started a mosh pit. Lyra merely supervised with a wine glass in hand, chatting to Minerva in the corner. The hours ticked by and the crowd was thinning out, Minerva had taken to watching the students as they returned to their dormitories, ensuring that they didn't get up to trouble elsewhere.

Severus and Lyra found themselves to be the final teachers remaining in the Great Hall and found themselves to be a bit disgruntled by the fact. It was nearing midnight and the Weird Sisters finished their set and the pair of teachers began shooing out the remainder of the students. As the musicians were packing their things and the two professors found mutual ground over a bottle of wine.

"That was fun," Lyra beamed still energetic.

"That's because you're young," Severus said, throwing the wine in his glass back. "I thought it was awful. Your performance was wonderful though."

A small smile darted across her lips as she accepted his compliment. The pair continued to drink, quickly falling into the same scenario as they did the night of Halloween. The wine loosened their tongues and they began to talk.

"How've your classes been?" Lyra asked.

"As dull and uninspiring as ever," Severus said, "I suspect that most of the fifth years won't be taking it on next year."

"Do you enjoy potion making?" she asked.

"You know what I would've preferred." He paused for a moment, taking a deep sip of the wine in his hand, "Merlin's beard, how have you been drinking this? It's awful."

Lyra giggled before touching his thigh in a more than affectionate way, "Well, I do have a better bottle in my room."

"Oh really?" Severus asked as he swirled the remainder of his drink in hand.

She hummed in amusement before retracting her hand and using it to prop up her face against her crossed legs, "But I'm afraid that two teachers drinking together when they're not on duty in the privacy of their own quarters is inappropriate."

Lyra watched him as he pursued his lips, knowing that she had gotten under his skin. Severus wasn't about to admit defeat and apologise for his behaviour. He merely continued to drink the rubbish wine that was supplied and ignored his female companion. He noticed that they were officially the only two left in the Great Hall, the house-elves wouldn't come out to pack until they had cleared out.

"Let's go," Severus said as he stood.

Lyra downed the rest of the bottle and took his arm, "Where are we going?"

"Back to our rooms," he said, "You're much too drunk to find your own way."

"I can handle my liquor," she said defiantly, letting go of his arm and walking to the door. In her head she was walking a lot more elegantly but Severus could see her stumbling every few steps.

He rushed to her side and took her arm, "Come on, I'll escort you to your room."

Lyra didn't protest, enjoying the company Severus gave her. She was heavy on her feet, swaying slightly as they made their way up to the Serpentine Corridor. Severus was relieved that all the students were probably in bed by now and hopefully most of the teachers. That relief was short lived as they turned a corner and ran into Professor McGonagall.

"Ah, Severus, Lyra," she said, "Everyone is in bed, except you two of course. Everything alright?"

"She's had a bit too much to drink," Severus explained.

"Severus here is being a gentleman for once in his life," Lyra said, slurring slightly. "He said he'd escort me to my room, even though I am perfectly fine."

"Nice to see you getting along again," Professor McGonagall said, "I can take her from here."

"It's ok," Severus said, "I can handle her. I know you have things to attend to."

Minerva was hesitant, unsure of what may happen but she trusted Severus so with that she said, "Very well," and made her way to the Headmaster's office.

When Severus and Lyra finally arrived at her classroom he knew better than to let her climb the stairs up to her office without assistance. He finally let go of the young witch and she began to go through her drawers.

"What on earth are you doing?" Severus asked.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, triumphantly brandishing a bottle of wine, "Let's drink."

"I think you've had too much already," Severus said as he pried the bottle out of her hands.

"I feel much too sober now for that statement to be true," she said.

"It's time for bed," Severus said as he guided her into her room with his hand at the small of her back.

She frowned initially but then a more mischievous look flickered across her face. "Will you join me?"

He looked strangely at her as though she had come from another planet, "What?"

The liquid confidence took hold and she stood closely to the wizard, "Well, I can think of a lot more inappropriate things that we could do other than drinking."

"Lyra," he said, pushing her away, "You're much too drunk."

Lyra reached around to the back of her dress, unzipping the back and allowing her dress to fall to the floor. "Am I?"

Severus took a big breath in as he drank in her presence. The velvet slipped off so easily, revealing a matching cream and black lace set. How could he resist a beautiful, near naked witch who had been tempting him since she arrived? He had imagined what her body looked like under the robes and it was better than the images he had conjured in his own head.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," she said as she leaned in and kissed him.

Against his better judgement, Severus kissed back. His hands found their place on her hips as Lyra began furiously disrobing him. It felt like it was taking an eternity to unbutton the front of his vest and under that there were even more buttons to undo. She had half a mind to rip them off but she didn't think he'd appreciate it. Instead she used it as foreplay, leaving kisses down his neck with each button she popped out. With a swift movement Severus I did her bra and fondled her breasts whilst she was undressing him. Once his top half was bare Lyra found her way to her knees and undid his pants, releasing his hardened member from its restraint.

She kissed the tip and teased, "You can't tell me you don't want this."

"Shut up, Lestrange," he said as he reached his hand down and pushed her head towards his cock, encouraging her to take him in her mouth. He moaned as the warmth of her mouth engulfed him, her tongue swirled and teased the underside of his rod. Heavens, the feeling alone made him want to come down her throat at once but he resisted.

Lyra would admit that it wasn't her proudest or best blowjob; the alcohol still had its hold on her brain resulting in sloppiness but she didn't care. Consumed by lust, Lyra continued her best efforts on working his manhood with her mouth, encouraged by the moans of pleasure that would past his lips. She looked up at the man towering over her, his face expressed his pleasure and bliss in the moment as she worked up and down his shaft. She felt her knickers get damp as she enjoyed the situation a little more than she should've.

Severus felt his orgasm building inside of him but he wasn't going to allow this moment go to waste, he gently pulled her head away from his cock. "Get on your bed, all fours," he ordered. Lyra obliged, following the instructions from the older wizard and offered up her body for him. Severus slid her underwear down, revealing her puckered asshole and juicy pussy. "Wet already?" he asked as he ran a finger down her slit. She moaned as his finger grazed her clitoris on its way down.

Lyra was too embarrassed to respond to his question, she lowered her head down onto the sheets, arching her back and pushing her ass out more. She felt a finger slide into her and she squeezed hard at its intrusion. It slowly began to move in and out, the friction was less than enough for her to get off. She craved to be filled by something more adequate.

"May I fuck you, Lestrange?" he asked.

"Please," she begged.

The tip of his cock teased her slit, her hips sliding back, begging for him to enter her when he was pressed against her entrance. "Severus," she said, "I thought you were going to shag me."

"I was just making sure," he teased before pushing his member all the way in with one quick movement. Lyra moaned loudly, encouraging Severus to continue his movements. He thrusted in and out; driving out more moans from Lyra. It had been so long since either had been intimate so neither had expected to last very long.

This wasn't passionate sex shared between two lovers, this was sex driven by pure lust and too much alcohol. It became more about achieving an orgasm rather than making the other feel good. Lyra reached down between her legs and began to rub herself closer to the edge whilst Severus continued to move at a steady pace. The tension began to build within both of them as they neared their peak. He felt her tighten around him and he told her, "Come for me."

And she did. The orgasm wracked through her body, setting every nerve alight. Severus felt her pussy pulse as she came and it set him off as well. He came inside her, collapsing on top of her once he had completed. Lyra was drifting off to sleep, the combination of alcohol and sex had completely drained her energy. Severus prompted her to get under the sheets before she could fully drift off.

Severus wanted to join the sleeping witch in bed but decided against his impulsive mind in this moment and got dressed. Before he left he ensured that Lyra was tucked in before making his way to the dungeons. It would be best if the Head of Slytherin would be found in his own bed the day the students were supposed to depart for the Christmas Holidays. He knew that it was an unwise decision to sleep with the Lestrange girl but who could resist a gorgeous witch presenting himself to him, it was all consensual of course. He hoped that when Lyra awoke that she wouldn't regret what had transpired. It wasn't something Severus allowed himself to dwell on for too long once he landed in his bed and fell asleep.

When Lyra awoke the next morning she found it strange that she was naked until she recalled what had occured the night before. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered how daring she'd been with Severus and their naked bodies moving primally on her bed. Her one night stand was nowhere to be seen and no trace had been left behind so she thought that maybe that's all it was, a quick meaningless shag as a result of too much alcohol. She wished that she had been a bit more sober so she could at least remember more vividly how his hands felt against her skin.

As she got up to prepare herself for the day she felt her thighs ache, a fact that irritated her more as it was obvious that he had given her a thorough fuck. It had been years since she had felt the touch of a wizard. She smiled to herself as she noted that he had neatly placed her dress and her bra on her dresser though she noticed her panties were missing, no doubt a trophy he thought he had earned. How Slytherin of him.

Severus awoke early the morning after the Ball and begrudgingly rolled out of bed. The fact that he got laid the prior night had no effect on his mood but the lack of sleep certainly did. When he exited his office he was faced with a sea of students heading up to the Great Hall for breakfast, chattering excitedly about their plans for the Christmas break. He watched on for a brief moment before joining the crowd to help himself to breakfast.

"Ah, Severus," Minerva greeted as he took a seat, "Where is your charming partner?"

"In bed I assume," he said shortly.

"So nothing happened?" she prodded.

"Did you expect something to happen?" he asked in return.

"Well you are the youngest teachers," she said, "And Lyra is a beautiful young women."

"Do you think I'd be appealing to her?" he asked.

"You're not that ugly, Severus," a woman said from behind as she took the seat between them.

Of course, Lyra Lestrange had to overhear that conversation. Minerva dropped the topic and allowed them to eat in peace. She left and once she was out of earshot Lyra spoke up, "I seem to be missing my panties from last night. You haven't seen them, have you?"

"I wouldn't have the faintest idea," Severus said with a smirk.

"Curious."