Once Harry and Hermione both dropped the blood onto the parchments Lyra glanced at Ron. She rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Come on, Weasley." She said.
Ron stayed put and scowled at her. Lyra glowered at him and frowned. With a twitch of her wrist, her wand was in her hand and pointed at him.
"We do not have time for this and you don't want me to come over there." She said.
Ron fumbled for his wand but Hermione stepped between them. She turned to Ron.
"She wants you to be Harry's witness, Ronald." Hermione said with slight exasperation.
The redhead stopped fumbling. His scowl deepened. "She could have said that."
Lyra sneered and put her wand away. "You're a pureblood. I should not have to tell you that. You know full well that every magically binding contract needs to be witnessed."
Harry and Hermione spared glances at one another. Sure, Lyra could have said something to Ron about needing a witness but it was also true that Ron was a pureblood and he should know a lot of things already. What was clear was that Lyra didn't like Ron and Ron didn't like Lyra.
Ron didn't like her last name, her father or her brother. Lyra's dislike seemed to be growing. The youngest Weasley boy was not endearing himself at all to the youngest Malfoy.
"Out of curiosity, what would you have done if he wasn't here?" Harry asked, trying to defuse the situation.
"I would have witnessed both myself. Or asked one of the goblins to assist. But since you insisted on having your Weasley along, he might as well make himself useful." Lyra said.
Harry smiled at her. He couldn't help it. It was weird too because he knew that she was smart but sometimes, though he wasn't sure, but he was almost certain that there were times when she didn't know what she was doing. He would never tell her that to her face though.
Ron came to stand next to Harry and Hermione and Lyra moved closer to Gornuk. Both Lyra and Ron pricked their fingers and the same beautiful red scrip that formed Harry and Hermione's signatures also formed theirs with the word, 'Witness' right next to it.
Getting back to Hogwarts was easy. They simply took the floo from Gringotts to the Madam Puddifoot's and because it was so busy, they snuck out and took the secret tunnel from Honeydukes back to Hogwarts.
Lyra said goodbye to the golden trio. While she genuinely liked two thirds of them, they tended to wear on her with their constant questions. Why couldn't they just do what she wanted without question? Lyra laughed. Even though she was complaining to herself about them, she liked the fact that they were so free spirited and full of questions and they were very nice people.
She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice her brother, Draco Malfoy coming up to her.
"What did you do today, Lyra?" He asked. He wasn't insistent or ever mean. Instead his tone was resigned, like he had and idea of what she did but didn't want to admit it to himself.
Lyra smiled. "Why brother dear. I haven't the faintest idea of which you speak."
The exasperated blond studied his younger sister. She was the exact opposite of him. Yes they were both poised and well-bred but Lyra was far nicer when it came to certain facets of society.
"Alright, sister dear. With whom did you spend the day?" Draco asked with a polite smile.
Lyra grin widened. "Hermione Granger. She's lovely company and I have it on good authority that she has been recognized."
"You wouldn't happen to be that authority, would you?" Draco asked. Oh, he knew the answer but he wanted Lyra to admit it. She wouldn't of course but he still wanted her to.
"Brother dear, whatever do you mean?" Lyra asked.
It was clear that Lyra had no intension of giving up the act. Draco sighed.
"I don't know what you have planned and I don't know how Potter, the mudblood and the weasel fit into those plans but I am asking you, as your older brother and heir to the Malfoy name, to be careful." He said.
This was as serious as Lyra had ever seen her brother when he wasn't imitating their father. Lyra's grin softened to a very real smile.
"I'll be fine." She said.
"I'm serious, Lyra. I know you've got a plan." Draco said.
The two siblings stood just outside of the Ravenclaw common room. Lyra leaned against the wall while Draco stood stall and crossed his arms.
"I'll be fine, Draco." Lyra reiterated.
Draco faced his little sister. Then he turned, without another word and walked away.
Hermione walked down the silent corridor. Her bushy hair flowed behind her as her pace propelled her forward. It was an hour before curfew and Hermione desperately wanted to get a couple of books from the library.
As she went over the list of books in head for the fifth time, she was so distracted that she didn't notice Draco Malfoy heading her way until she quite literally bumped into him.
Rubbing her nose from the floor where she had fallen, she looked up at him. He sneered down at her; an insult hot on his tongue when Hermione rolled her eyes, got up and kept walking.
"How is it that you are somehow always underfoot, Malfoy?" she asked.
Draco turned and followed her, in disbelief and begrudging respect. "You've gotten mouthy, Granger."
Hermione noted that Malfoy hadn't called her a mudblood. She stopped and turned to face him.
"Why are you following me?" she asked.
For once, instead of being witty or insulting, Draco Malfoy decided to answer with the truth.
"I want to know what my sister finds so interesting about you." He said.
"You mean Lyra?" Hermione asked.
"I only have one sister, Granger." Draco's voice was dry and suspiciously close to condescending but Hermione chose to ignore that part and focus on the fact that Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy who had tried and failed to harm Ginny Weasley last year, was standing here having a semi-normal conversation with one Hermione Granger.
"I suppose you do." She answered.
"Hm." Draco made a noncommittal sound at the back of his throat. He stared at Hermione for a long time. The two of them stood still and quiet in the middle of the corridor. Silence reigned.
"Have you figured it out yet?" Hermione broke the long hush.
Draco shook his head. "I suppose I've always known. I just never cared because of your … status."
Hermione laughed, short and humourless, "You make it sound like a disease."
"I was raised to believe it was." Draco said.
Hermione wasn't known as the brightest witch since Lilly Potter for nothing. Her mind immediately zeroed in on his wording. He didn't say, 'we.' He said, 'I.' Quickly, her mind worked out that Draco and Lyra had very different upbringings and it was more than just being sent to separate schools.
"So you and Lyra weren't raised together." Hermione said.
Draco chuckled and smirked at her. "Clever."
"Thank you." She said with a little curtsey.
Draco eyed her, his gaze going from the top of her frizzy head to her shoes and then back again. Neither wore robes opting in stead for the school uniforms. He met her eyes and his smirk deepened.
"I still don't understand what my sister sees in Potter or the Weasel but I'm beginning to see what she sees in you."
"And what's that?" Hermione asked.
"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet. Still, I'm not going to tell you. You're clever. I'm sure you'll figure it out." He nodded at her, turned and walked back down the corridor. "See you around, Granger."
Hermione stayed rooted to the spot for a while longer, her mind trying to puzzle through the exchange with Malfoy. Lyra was using both her and Harry, but for what? She knew that Ron was simply collateral damage since Lyra didn't seem to care for him at all but what did she want with them? And what brought on Malfoy's change of heart? Now Hermione didn't think Lyra had planned whatever she had planned all along but still, now Hermione was worried. After all, Lyra was a Malfoy, the daughter of Lucius Malfoy and sister of Draco Malfoy.
There was still the problem of the Dementors and Harry's terrible reaction to them. Professor R. J. Lupin had the perfect solution.
"The Patronus charm." He said.
"The what?" Harry asked.
"The Patronus charm, its powerful magic that allows the caster to draw upon powerful positive emotions in order to create a shield that repels Dementors." Lupin said.
Harry frowned. "Would I be able to do it?"
"Well, it's advanced magic and ridiculously difficult to master."
"I want to do it." Harry said, conviction strong in his words.
"It's very complicated."
"I don't care. I want to learn. I have to learn." Harry said.
Neither Harry nor Hermione cared for Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. Harry always thought rats were filthy and Hermione was a cat person. On top of that, Harry never really fully trusted the rat.
It was strange but there was just something off about it.
One night, while doing some research with Lyra and Hermione in the library, Harry happened to glance at the Marauder's Map. On it was listed a name that couldn't possibly be there.
"Hey, Lyra?" Harry questioned.
She looked up at him with a question in her eyes.
"Is the map ever wrong?"
Both Lyra and Hermione looked at the map. On it was listed none other than Peter Pettigrew.
"Could that be a mistake?" Hermione asked.
"Maybe but the map has never been wrong before." Lyra said.
"Maybe he's a ghost?" Harry asked.
Lyra shook her head. "He can't be a ghost. Ghosts have attachments to the place they died in. It's why Binns is still a professor here."
Hermione leaned closer. She gasped. "Is that Ron?"
Both Harry and Lyra leaned in. Sure enough, Ronald Weasley was chasing behind Peter Pettigrew.
Harry frowned. "Why is Ron chasing a dead man?"
"We have to…" Hermione started.
"…Get a professor?" Lyra finished.
Harry shook his head. "We have to help him?"
Lyra pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Okay. I know you're Gryffindors, famous for your bravery to the point of stupidity but hear me out. What if Peter Pettigrew isn't dead? What if he's alive and well? With Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, what possible reason could he have to come out of hiding?"
Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her brain going a mile a minute. "What if he's still in hiding?"
Lyra furrowed her brows. "There are a few ways he could get away with it. But why stay in hiding? Why not come out and be hailed a hero?"
"Because with him alive, people start asking questions." Hermione said.
"None of this makes sense but why come to Hogwarts?" Lyra said.
Harry closed his eyes. "What if he didn't come to Hogwarts on his own. What if he was brought in and is now trying to escape?"
"Yeah but escape from what?" Hermione asked.
"Sirius Black." Lyra said.
Harry shook his head. "He's not here."
Hermione nodded. "Actually, that makes a lot of sense. Sirius Black was a Death Eater. A devoted one apparently. You killed the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He escaped Azkaban for revenge."
"All the more reason to go and get a professor." Lyra said.
Harry shook his head. "Come on, 'Mione. We've got to get to Ron before Black does!"
Hermione stood quickly with Harry. They both dashed out of the library. Lyra, left behind, frowned then smoothed out her forehead. She gathered he books, papers and the map, shoved them into her bag stood up. Calmly, she went in search of a teacher.