Chapter 7, Year 3, Part 2: Loyalty and bravery
Lyra's Third Year had so far been as normal- at least for someone like her- as the last two years. She, Newt and Leta were still friends (despite the tension between the two girls), and they all still loved magical creatures and loathed Quidditch. Newt had been having a bit of trouble with the Gryffindor boys, most likely because they didn't have their 'leader' anymore, Theseus Scamander, who had graduated the previous year. These boys had been his followers, mostly because they were a year below the Scamander. Their new leader, Allan Shay, was bulky and on the Quidditch team. His second-in-command, Brian Birch, was exactly the same. They were prone to picking on younger students and despoiling the noble name of Gryffindor.
"Hey Hufflepuff!"
The shout echoed across the mostly empty Great Hall. It was after school hours, and the students were either in the Hall, the library, or their common rooms. Newt, Lyra and Leta had chosen to have a change of pace and work in the Great Hall, which was proving to be a bad idea.
Lyra rolled her eyes. As Hufflepuffs, many people thought of them as the 'dunderhead' House, since their qualities weren't as obvious as Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, or even Slytherins, which made them prone to a lot of name-calling and mockery. Eventually, they learned to ignore it, but sometimes confrontation couldn't be helped, as in this case. The Gryffindors had become bored with doing homework, and had been looking for some activity, and they'd easily spotted the odd trio with their heads bent over their work.
The group of boys got up and walked to where the Slytherin and Hufflepuffs were sitting. "Isn't strange to see dunderheads doing their homework, Brian?" asked one of the Gryffindors
Brian grinned "yeah, I think they'll fail. I bet the Snake is getting them to do it for her as well, although that's not the best idea since they're idiots."
The trio had been trying to ignore them and continue with their work, but Lyra, who'd always had a rather short fuse when it came to temper (since she was constantly under pressure to control her curse), turned around and glared at them "I'm surprised that you want to read anything besides Quidditch rules- which you have a hard time understanding anyway."
This last bit was quite true, because although Slytherins were almost expected to play dirty, even the least-enthusiastic sports fan (such as Lyra) knew that the Gryffindor team focused more on dirty tactics and brawniest players than it did on pure talent.
The Allen, rolled his eyes. "that was a surprisingly good comeback for a Hufflepuff, although we'd have to actually care what you thought in order for it to affect us. Besides, everyone knows how we play anyway."
"Just leave us alone, why don't you?" asked Leta, who was only helping to get rid of them because they were also targeting her.
"I don't think so. Not until we have some fun, anyways." second-in-command Brian said
"And what would that be?" asked Lyra, getting irritated at the boys' nonsense.
"I think I'd like to talk with the little Scamander here. After all, his brother was my best friend. If he shows promise, I'll look past the fact that he's in Hufflepuff."
Lyra glowered at the bulky Gryffindor boy. "No way, Shay."
Allan smirked. "I don't think you're in a position to tell me what to do, Mudblood."
Lyra's eyes widened. She'd known about the derogatory word used for Muggle-born students, and had heard Slytherins use it, but a Gryffindor? That was almost unheard of. It wasn't so much that she was affected by the word- after all, it was a combination of two of the most important things in human life (blood for being alive, and mud (dirt) for growing food), but it was still surprising, as no one had called her that directly.
Newt, however, knew of the word as well and was more affected by it. Although he was uncomfortable in situations like these, since he'd always been more of a pacifist, stooping low always got under his skin, because it reminded him of unfair times when he and his brother had argued. Whirling around in his seat so that his legs were on the other side of the bench, he glared at the taller boy. "Shut up" he snarled
Everyone in the vicinity stared at him in surprise, since he usually stayed out of these conflicts as much as possible. Allan grinned. "I didn't know I struck a cord there. little Scamander. No matter, I have a deal to make. I'll let you be the leader of our group if you ditch your stupid friends. I know that's what your brother would want you to do."
The thirteen-year-old glared at the older boy "you don't know what he'd want. And the answer's no, so leave me alone."
"Are you sure, little Scamander? It's a great chance to ditch the Snake and the Mudblood."
Lyra stood up, balling her hands into fists, furious with Shay that he was trying to get Newt to be the next Scamander 'leader' and take him away from his friends. "He said leave him ALONE!"
"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do to make me leave? Punch me?" Allan thought that there was no way this girl could do anything to hurt him. The top of her head barely reached his shoulders.
"Lyra" Newt said, sensing her reaching a boiling point "he's not worth it." He placed a hand on her arm to try and calm her down.
Lyra was desperately trying to wrestle her agitated emotions under control. She couldn't afford to lose control, and she squeezed her eyes shut to try and block out the source of her anger.
"What's the matter, Mudblood?" Allan asked mockingly "are you trying to wish me away?"
Alright, that's it she thought, opening her eyes. If he couldn't leave her alone peacefully, she'd unleash her fury on him. Before Newt could stop her, she drew back her arm and punched Shay right in the face. There was a loud crack that could be heard. She hadn't hit his nose, which she had been aiming for, because he was so tall and she'd misjudged the distance, but she had hit close to it. Along with her punch, she released the magical energy that had been building up inside her and let go of it through the only easily accessible point: the contact of her punch. The shock of the hit coupled with the explosion sent the bulky boy reeling backwards and toppling over onto his back. Staring up at the girl with wide eyes and a visible bruise forming on his face, he scrambled away from her, trying to stand. "What the hell was that?" he gasped "stay away from me, freak!" Finally able to stand, he and his followers quickly left the Hall.
Lyra didn't come to full awareness yet, only that she felt slightly dizzy, so she sat down on the bench, eyes closed. After a minute, the reality of what happened set in. Eyes opening almost comically wide, she gasped "oh no! I hit a student. I'm going to get expelled!"
She turned to Newt, who was looking shocked. The only force he'd experienced had been when he'd been trying to get her to open up in First Year. He supposed that when her magic was concentrated to one area (her fist), then the force was much stronger- enough to knock a large boy like Allan Shay to the ground. Recovering quickly he said "I don't think you will be, we just have to get to Dippet before they do to explain what happened. Leta and I are witnesses. It's a good thing no one else was here, though. That would've been bad."
Leta, who had no knowledge of Lyra's curse, was also staring at her with wide eyes. "What was that?"
Ignoring her for possibly the first time since he met her, Newt helped Lyra out of the bench. Picking up their stuff, he told Leta that they'd be back later, and exited the Hall with the curly-haired girl.
"I'm going to be expelled, I'm going to be expelled." Lyra repeated anxiously, knowing that whatever Newt said, he didn't really understand the situation.
"No, you're not." he said firmly, and then, trying to put light on their current state, he added "at least, not before me." (Referring to the beginning of their friendship in First Year.)
They got to the Headmaster's office all too soon (in Lyra's opinion), and Newt spoke the password. He knew where the Headmaster's office was (and password) because he'd been there right before Theseus had graduated, since his brother had gotten an award for being 'academically outstanding,' and he'd been required to attend the meeting. It was a good thing that Newt had a good memory and Professor Dippet didn't change his passwords.
The eagle that guarded his door started turning to reveal a set of stairs which the two thirteen-year-olds stepped onto and rode up. After knocking on the door, they entered the study. There was a large desk at the back of the room, which was surrounded with portraits of previous Headmasters. The front of the room had books scattered around on many tables, as well as interesting devices that neither Lyra nor Newt knew the uses of.
"Mr. Scamander, Ms. Maywell, to what do I owe this pleasure?" the man sitting at the desk in the back spoke to them in a friendly manner. He had shoulder-length white hair and a short-clipped beard. He wore robes of dark blue lined with brown fur, likely that of some big cat. Professor Dippet was a well-respected, wise man who was sometimes a little too trusting.
"Well, professor, we have a bit of a problem." Newt started
"If now's a good time to talk." Lyra added.
"Of course, go ahead. Would you like to sit down?" he asked
The two students sat down and began to explain their situation. Professor Dippet listened carefully, growing concerned when he heard about Lyra's explosion. After the two students finished their story, their Headmaster waited a minute before he spoke. "I'm glad that you have come to tell me what has happened before hearing it from another source. While this is concerning, I think I am able to ask Mr. Shay and his friends to keep quiet about this. You said there wasn't anyone else in the hall?" he asked
Lyra nodded, and then remembered one other person "Leta was there, too, sir. We wanted a change of scenery to do our homework."
Professor Dippet smiled understandingly "Of course. I'm sure Ms. Lestrange is wondering what happened. Are you not as well, Mr. Scamander?"
Newt shook his head. "I've known since First Year, sir. I asked Lyra to tell me."
The old man nodded "I suppose it helps to have someone know everything, doesn't it, Ms. Maywell?" he asked, not unkindly
She nodded. "Am I in trouble, Professor?" she asked hesitantly
"I think not. After all, you were provoked. It might be difficult to have Mr. Shay keep quiet about this, but I'll see what I can do. You've been a very good student, and have tried hard to keep it under control, so since this is the first time it's happened, I'll let it slide. I understand it's challenging, but perhaps there is some way to control it."
"Thank you, Professor." Lyra said, extremely relieved
"Now, I have one more question for you." their Headmaster said "did you happen to notice the pattern that went along with the explosion? I remember your father say that the first time it happened, there was a sun pattern."
Lyra paused for a moment, thinking. "I didn't see anything, but I also wasn't paying attention to the floor. Did you see anything, Newt?" she asked the boy
He shook his head. "We can check at dinner, if you like."
"It's alright." Professor Dippet said "I think that it wouldn't be very noticeable because the table's benches cover it. I'll talk to Mr. Shay and his parents tonight and inform you of what has been agreed upon, but you needn't worry."
Pleased with the outcome of their meeting, the two thirteen-year-olds exited the office.
"That was very brave of you, Ly." Newt said, finally able to think about what happened without worrying about her being expelled
Looking slightly embarrassed, she said "it's nothing. I was just drawing on my Hufflepuff loyalty."
He grinned. "I'll have to remember not to get on your bad side."
She rolled her eyes. "I don't think you ever could."
A/n: A long chapter! (twice as many words as usual!) I'm not sure how well I did on the comebacks part since I'm not particularly good at them myself, so if you could let me know how I did, that would be great! (And if you wanted to give me some ideas for good comebacks for future chapters, I'll give you a shout-out when I use them). I know that Hufflepuff is usually the 'stupid' House, so I wanted to prove that they weren't :) Next chapter: more drama!