Chapter 6: Dementors
Hogwarts Express
September 1, 1993
Lyra glanced out of the windows of the large car that was claimed by herself and her friends. It was an old dining car, but of course they didn't serve meals on the express. Instead a nice lady came around with a trolley cart full of treats for purchase. Lyra preferred the openness of the dining car to the smaller closed in spaces of the cabins. She also liked that most of the Slytherin's could sit in the dining car and they could claim the cabins closest to it. The car was not only filled with Slytherin's though. There were Ravenclaw's scattered throughout the cabin as well. It really wasn't that uncommon for one child in a family to be sorted into Slytherin but another to be sorted into Ravenclaw. She had noticed that same trend tended to happen between Gryffindor's and Hufflepuff's. Though sometimes the Sorting Hat would put all a family in the same house. That had been done with the Weasley siblings.
Judging by the scenery they were now somewhere in Scotland. She, like the other Slytherin students, had now memorized the scenery along the route that the Hogwarts Express took to Hogwarts. By her guess they had another two hours, perhaps a little more, before they would arrive in the village of Hogsmeade. Then they would take the Hogwarts carriages to the school. She hoped that this school year would be filled with less terror than the last, but she was worried. Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban and many feared that her deranged cousin meant to finish off the last of the Potter's. The thought of Harry dead at the hands of her kin filled her with a fury and pain the likes of which she had never imagined. She had dreamt of Harry, his life's blood pooling onto the ground beneath him. His face had been so pale, his lips blue. Sirius Black had been standing over him laughing. She had awoken a few times screaming. She couldn't, wouldn't let any harm come to Harry if she could stop it. She refused to let herself consider why she felt so strongly about this that it disturbed her dreams. She refused to consider the depths of sorrow she had felt after such dreams. She focused on the only reason that she could let herself be comfortable with. He had saved her sister so she owed him.
"Lyra," Theodore Nott finally spoke up.
His voice pulled her attention completely back into the cabin and away from her dark thoughts. She gave him a soft smile. "Yes, Theo?" she asked of him.
He hesitated for a moment as though wondering if he should ask her this in so open a forum but then he chose to proceed. "Your letters this summer said you were staying at Ivy Hall," he began. "Was there some great business that kept your father away? I know that your mother despises being at Malfoy Manor when he is not there."
Most in the Pure-blood circles knew that Narcissa Malfoy disliked the grand Mausoleum-esque feel of Malfoy Manor. Narcissa had been brought up in a townhouse in Chelsea, London. The house had been luxurious, comfortable, and warm. A perfect place for entertaining yet still with a family feel. Malfoy Manor was too much like a showpiece for Narcissa's tastes. Ivy Hall was different. Yes, it was a manor house, but Narcissa had done much to make it feel like a home first and a place to entertain second.
"I'm not sure what my father was up to this summer," she admitted to Theodore, very much aware that the other Slytherin's in her year and even some of the older Slytherin's were also listening. "After the horrible events at the end of last year, my parents decided that Arya, Satyra, and I should spend the summer relaxing and studying at Ivy Hall," she explained. It wasn't the complete truth of course, but she couldn't tell them that Lucius Malfoy was responsible for the opening of the Chamber of Secrets and unleashing a monster upon the school. She also could not explain that her mother was seeking to divorce her father and maintain her standing in society and custody of the three Malfoy girls. Besides, the divorce was highly unlikely. The Malfoy lawyers were vicious and cunning, they would have created a practically airtight marriage contract between Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black. The Black family were probably just as willing to give Narcissa few options of escape. Andromeda had eloped with the man she loved rather than marry the man they had contracted her to wed. They would not have taken the same chance with Lyra's mother.
"I see," Theodore said softly. "Then you probably have not heard the rumors yet," he said.
"Theodore," she began with a little force in her tone. "If you have something to tell me that you really think needs my attention, then please share it," she ordered him.
He nodded then and leaned a little across the table toward her and lowered his voice so that not all within the cabin could hear him. "Your father was seen in Wizarding France with Blaise's mother," he said. "He was shopping with her in the Coeur de Lion and he was footing the bill. Also, they were seen kissing after they had finished dinning together. It was not the casual kiss of greeting or parting."
She frowned at that and felt anger surge through her at her father's infidelity. How dare he betray his vows to her mother? She knew that males of the aristocracy often cheated on their spouses. She even knew that Lucius had betrayed her mother in the past. Narcissa was not the birth mother of Satyra, after all. Yet she had hoped that her father had become more devoted to her mother. Now she knew better. Claire Zabini nee Rosier, her mother's cousin, was a beautiful temptress. She was also known as La Belle Dame de sans Merci among her generation of Slytherin children. The woman had never had a lover that had not met some sort of mortally unfortunate accident. Now Lucius had made her his mistress. Claire was a great beauty to be sure, but surely the dead bodies she had left her wake should have deterred him. Claire would seek marriage. She would want to replace Narcissa not just in Lucius's bed and affections but in every respect.
"Lyra," Theodore's voice held worry and she focused her gaze upon him and gave him a small smile.
"Thank you for telling me. I had not yet heard the rumors and I know you wanted to see me prepared for what others might say," she told him. "I suppose this explains why Blaise has not yet approached me."
Theodore nodded. "Though his motivations remain unknown. He is not bragging about his mother's conquest of Lucius, but then he never brags about his mother's conquests," he said. "I think that he worries that you will want him gone from your side because of what his mother has done. However, Pansy thinks he is eager to become Lucius's step-son and then he may try to replace you as the Prince."
"Being Lucius's step-child would not give him the right," she reminded Theo. "It's a blood rite. I have it, he doesn't. Blaise is not a fool. He knows this. He also knows that I have a stronger magical core than he does. I have more raw power," she said the last as a statement of fact, though a tiny smirk curved her lips. It was a source of pride for her that she did have more raw magical power than even the seventh year students. She believed that only Harry Potter had more than she did, and if he did she was only a step or so behind him.
Theodore smirked then. "Yes, you do. I think that you are the strongest witch in Hogwarts, and that counts the seventh years.
"Many would think it was Granger with the way the Professor's dote upon her," Pansy snarked from her place beside Theodore.
Lyra smiled then. Pansy absolutely hated Granger and she never lost a chance to make some sort of derogatory comment about the bushy haired Gryffindor. It had started in first year when Pansy had mocked Neville Longbottom. Granger had defended the boy and soon enough Pansy was calling her a buck-toothed, bushy-haired ignoramus. Granger had taken immediate offense and had proceeded to call Pansy a pug-nosed cow. The two girls had been enemies ever since. Lyra had stayed out of their squabbles. Pansy didn't need any help standing up to Granger and she honestly thought that Granger was more than a match for Pansy. The two girls were very much alike, as far as Lyra could tell. If they had not gotten off to such a bad start, they might have been able to be friends.
'Now that's just ridiculous,' she told herself. A Slytherin and Gryffindor friends? Hadn't the thing with Potter already taught her that it was an impossible idea. No Gryffindor would ever trust a Slytherin. Not after Voldemort. Too many of the last Generation were Death Eaters. There had been Gryffindor Death Eaters as well, but not in the vast numbers as there had been Slytherin ones. It made it easy for the Gryffindor's to pretend that none of their own had followed that madman. Slytherin was synonymous with Death Eater and Evil Wizard in the eyes of the current generation of Gryffindor's and the Lion's always held deep grudges.
"Granger is a highly intelligent Witch for all of her lack of knowledge of our world due to her upbringing," Lyra commented. She smiled when Pansy made a scoffing sound of pure disgust. "Also, she is Muggleborn and the Professor's tend to dote on all Muggleborn's."
"Yes, and Granger is their Queen," Pansy snickered.
Lyra couldn't disagree with that. She had noticed the favoritism that many of the Professor's showed to Hermione Granger. Oh, the girl was studious, hard-working, and intelligent. She deserved the House Points that she won for her House. The trouble was, Granger helped inspire laziness in her house. More than once in classes she had seen Gryffindor students not bother to raise their hand because they knew that Granger would do so. Lyra had also noticed that her Slytherin's didn't try to participate in the classes that they had with Gryffindor any longer. There was no point when they knew that Granger would answer the question and even in the few instances where they were called upon they always received less House Points than Granger received. Is it any wonder Severus Snape seemed biased toward his House? There were only two Slytherin Professor's in the whole school. At least McGonagall was mostly fair when it came to points, but she still called too often upon Granger and half the school knew that McGonagall was subtly trying to groom the girl. She had a vested interest in Granger that would make her biased. Lyra had no doubt that if it came down to her word or Granger's that McGonagall would never believe her. She would not trust the child of Lucius Malfoy.
"I'll speak with Blaise later," she said, changing the subject from Granger. "Slytherin needs to stand united this year more so than ever."
"Because of Black?" Pansy asked.
Lyra nodded. "Yes, because of Black," she said simply and let them absorb that. "I'll speak about Black at the House meeting. If it is true that he wants to harm Potter, then I want a better watch on that reckless Gryffindor," she snapped out. "Black will not get to him on our watch."
Pansy sighed dramatically. "Are we really going to become bodyguards to the Boy Who Lived?"
"No. He'd never accept that and no one else would either," she said. She smirked at Pansy. "That is also far too blatant. I would expect it of a Gryffindor. No. We are Slytherin's, our arts are subtle."
Pansy smiled then. "So, I can pick fights with Granger, but that is really just to get close to the Golden Trio to keep an eye on Potter?" she asked.
Lyra nodded. "I would never order you to curtail your fights with Granger unless it were truly important," Lyra said offhandedly. "I know you need your hobbies and verbal sparring with Granger helps to keep your wits and your nails sharpened."
Pansy laughed then. "You aren't wrong," she agreed. "It is refreshing to be able to do verbal battle with someone that has the wit and intelligence to properly fight back. It's a pity she's such a do-good Gryffindor. I might have been able to like her otherwise."
Lyra didn't let her know that she had already thought as much. They lapsed into silence for a few moments and then there was a shudder through their compartment as the train began to screech to a halt. Lyra gripped the table before her and frowned as the lights flickered in their cabin.
"What's going on?" she heard an older Slytherin, Marcus Flint, ask. He was echoed by many in their compartment and children began looking out of the windows.
Lyra glanced at the window and gasped in alarm as it slowly began to ice over. She thought she saw a shadowed figure just outside of the glass but it moved away. She turned in her seat, her gaze going slowly toward the door and dread filled her. She could see puffs of her breath in the air and felt cold to her very bones. Then the door opened and two dark robed figures seemed to glide within the room.
She gasped as she recognized what they were. Dementors! The ministry had sent Dementors unchecked onto a train full of students to search for Sirius Black. She felt fury rise within her and she welcomed it since it kept the despair at bay. Then she watched in horror as one of the cloaked figures approached where Satyra was seated with her friends.
Lyra struggled to her feet then and her wand sprang into her hand. She knew the incantation for the spell but she had never succeeded in creating a materialized Patronus before. It was an advanced spell, and one that Lucius would never have cared to ensure she learned. She had wondered more than once if Lucius were even capable of producing a Patronus. None of that mattered now. All that mattered was that the horrible soul leach was swooping down upon Satyra.
She stood straight and kept her wand in a firm hold. She summoned up a memory, one of her childhood playing with her sisters and with Nymphadora. "Expecto Patronum," she cried and wisps silver escaped her wand. It was not enough to repel the Dementors.
It did gain her the attention of one of the Dementors and it began to glide toward her. She glared at it and then closed her eyes. She summoned up happy memories. When Nymphadora put her on a broom for the first time and taught her how to fly. The feeling of the wind in her hair. Teaching Satyra Etiquette. Arya's laughter as she read something amusing from a book. The voice of Abraxas Malfoy, his rich voice as it whispered an incantation of protection over her. The warmth of her aunt Andromeda's hugs. The unique scent of her mother's perfume. Singing and dancing in the rain at Ivy Hall, carefree for a few precious hours. Arya and Satyra, alive and well cuddled beside her their last night at Ivy Hall before they would start school that year. She opened her eyes then and stated firmly "Expecto Patronum!"
Silver wisps came out of her wand and slowly took shape into a beautiful Lioness. The animal seemed to snarl at the Dementor that had been advancing upon her and then it attacked it, driving the Dementor away. Then the Lioness attacked the Dementor that had approached Satyra. It seemed to claw at the Dementor, driving it back. The Lioness continued to prowl the compartment for several moments as though searching out anything that could be a threat.
The Lioness finally came to stand before her and slowly sat back on her haunches and she stared at Lyra as if awaiting instructions. Lyra slowly raised a hand to the head of the animal as though to pet it. It seemed to purr for a moment and then it slowly disappeared. She stared at the spot in amazement for several seconds and then she looked up and noticed that a man she didn't recognize stood in the doorway. He was staring at her with a bit of awe and amazement. She opened her mouth to address the stranger, but then the Slytherin's and Ravenclaw's began talking all at once.
"Lyra that was incredible!" Pansy exclaimed.
"Well done Malfoy!" cheered a Ravenclaw boy.
Lyra ignored them and focused on her youngest sibling. "Satyra, are you alright?"
Satyra nodded though she was clearly trembling. "Still so cold," she managed to say. In response two of the Ravenclaw's situated themselves beside her and began to cuddle her. One of the Slytherin's got their trunk down from the overhead and dug into it until she found a throw blanket. She swiftly draped it around Satyra. "Here, I always bring this one with me. It's a little bit of home," she said.
Satyra thanked her and sighed as she felt the warming charms woven into the blanket begin to help her. The strange man came forward then and gave Satyra a bar of chocolate. "Here, you need to eat this. It will help," he said.
Lyra watched Satyra take the chocolate bar in a shaking hand and then one of her friends took it from her to assist her in opening the wrapper so that she could have some of the chocolate. She sighed softly, releasing the breath she wasn't aware she had been holding.
"Miss, may I speak to you for a moment?" the stranger asked of her.
She frowned at that but a glance toward Satyra told her that her youngest sibling was well taken care of. She shared a look with Theodore and he nodded sharply. She then looked to the stranger. "Yes, Sir," she said and followed him into the hall.
She stared closely at the man, assessing him as she followed him further down the hall. Thread bare clothes but of decent design. The clothes were simply old. They were ideal for doing hard labors in and even travel since they were worn and comfortable. She knew her father would never be caught dead in such attire, but then Lucius was anything but humble.
"Where did you learn the Patronus Charm Miss?" the man finally asked of her.
She frowned at that. "Malfoy, Lyra Malfoy," she said giving him her name. "I learned the Patronus Charm when I was young sir. My Grandfather gave me a book that had information on the charm and the incantation within it. Until today, I have never achieved a full maturation of the charm before."
"I see," the man returned. "Your grandfather was Abraxas Malfoy?"
She nodded her head. "Yes, the Old Dragon," she said simply.
"You are Lucius's child?" he asked.
"His eldest child, yes," she informed him.
"I cannot imagine that Lucius Malfoy would be happy that his daughter's Patronus was a Lioness," he said.
She frowned at that. "I cannot imagine how my father's disappointment should be of your concern Sir," she said. "My Lioness saved my sister and me. If my father cannot be happy about that then I would say his priorities need reassessing, wouldn't you?"
The man chuckled at that. "Oh, I would indeed," he returned. "You are more like your mother than your father, I think."
"You knew my parents then? I had thought as much. I thought you at least knew my father's reputation," she admitted.
"I knew Narcissa better than Lucius. Both were a bit above me in school," the man returned. He held out his hand to her then. "Remus Lupin."
She didn't hesitate to take the man's hand, which seemed to both surprise and please him. "It is nice to meet you Mr. Lupin," she returned politely.
He smiled at her and then reached into his pocket and brought out a chocolate frog package. "Here, that Dementor was very close to you," he said. "It will help."
She smiled as she took the chocolate frog. "It is amusing that chocolate can be such a curative to such unpleasantness," she murmured as she opened the package and swiftly bit into the chocolate frog. She always hated how they twitched so she went for the head first. She really did prefer for her chocolates not to move around so much.
"I will be informing the Headmaster and your Head of House of your Patronus," Lupin informed her. "They'll need to know what you did to help yourself and your fellow students. Also, I imagine that your Head of House will want to cultivate your new abilities."
She frowned then. "I see," she was not happy with the idea of Dumbledore being told of what she did, but she knew she couldn't stop it. "Is it true then, that Dementors shall be stationed around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade?"
"Yes," Lupin told her. "It is the belief of the Ministry that Sirius Black will come to Hogwarts in search of Harry Potter," he told her.
Her hand clenched into a fist at that. "The Dementors are just as likely to give the Kiss to Potter rather than find Black," she snipped. "They are a menace!"
"I agree, but I have less power to influence the Minister of Magic than you do," he said.
She nodded. "Hopefully then the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor will decide to teach all of us the Patronus Charm," she said.
The man looked amused by this. "You think he should?" he asked of her.
She nodded her head. "Yes, considering that we will be surrounded by them and they didn't hesitate to try to Kiss students on this train," she muttered darkly. Then she sighed. "However, the new teacher will probably be another idiot just like the last two years," she lamented. "I think Dumbledore likes changing out teachers each year. He says that the position was cursed by Voldemort, well why doesn't he get a Curse Breaker in to try to break the Curse?"
Lupin frowned at her then. "Professor Dumbledore tried to break the curse himself but he failed," he pointed out to her.
"Yes, he failed. So, he's acted like no one else could break it ever since then, but that is silly. Dumbledore doesn't have a Mastery in Curse Breaking," she reminded Lupin. "Dumbledore is a powerful Wizard and a very knowledgeable one, but he's not a Master at Curse Breaking. And could it really hurt that much to let a Curse Breaker or a team of them make the attempt?"
Lupin seemed thoughtful then. "Perhaps you should suggest this to the Headmaster," he stated.
She laughed then. "Me? Oh no. He'd never listen to me. Perhaps if Potter or Granger suggested it, but not me. He'd never listen to the suggestion of a Malfoy or a Slytherin," she stated simply.
He winced then. "You don't have a very good opinion of the Headmaster, do you?"
"I respect Headmaster Dumbledore," she said firmly as she eyed Lupin closely. "However, I am not a fool. I have seen how he disregards those who were sorted into my House. I also know that he is a political rival of my father. He has two instincts against trusting someone like me. I am a Malfoy and a Slytherin," she said simply.
"I am sorry that you feel that way," Lupin said with a frown. "I hope in time the Headmaster will be able to change your mind."
'A Dumbledore follower then,' Lyra thought of Lupin. He seemed a nice man though, so she didn't bother to argue with him further. She had the feeling that hearing that Dumbledore showed favoritism toward Gryffindor would only distress him. "I look forward to that," she said simply.
The man nodded. "You may return to your compartment now," he said. "But do not be surprised if you are summoned to the Headmaster's office sometime within the first week. He'll want to speak with you about the incident."
Lyra inclined her head in assent. "Very well," she agreed. "It was pleasant speaking with you Mr. Lupin," she said before she turned away from him and returned to her own compartment.
Once she entered she was pulled into a hug by Arya and then Satyra. "Tell us everything," they urged. Lyra laughed at their eagerness. Then once settled into a seat, she began to tell her sisters and the others listening in about her conversation with Mr. Remus Lupin.
I want to thank everyone who has been patiently waiting for me to update this story. I really struggled with what I was going to do with this chapter. I had half a chapter on Sirius written before I realized that it just would not fit here and that his chapter would need to come later.
Next Chapter: Lyra speaks with Headmaster Dumbledore.
