*Edited as of 09.04.2017*
Nothing major in here. When re-reading however I noticed that I put in that there was a full moon and I realised that I'd already had Remus going home for a full moon from James' and thought that it was probably a bit too soon for another one.
Hope you like and please R+R
'I'm sure he's heard the rumour – the same one most pureblood families have heard.'
By the time Lyra climbed through the portrait hole, she was so exhausted that she hadn't noticed that the Common Room wasn't empty. All she was focussed on was the staircase that would take her to her bed, to peace and quiet, even if just for a few hours.
'Lyra?'
Lyra looked around to see James, Peter and Marlene sitting in the armchairs in front of the fire.
Great.
'Are you alright?' James asked.
'Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.' Just the effort of talking had her head swaying. 'I'm just a little tired is all.' She made a poor attempt at a smile. 'I think I'm just going to go to bed. Goodnight.'
She was so relieved to find the dormitory empty that she sagged a little on the door before walking further into the room.
With a simple twitch of the fingers, her pyjamas soared into her hands as she entered the bathroom.
Closing the door with a soft click a wave of nausea crashed over her and she lurched forwards, gripping either side of the sink. The room span and swayed. Once she could stand to have her eyes open without feeling as if she were at sea, she looked up into the mirror.
She looked horrible.
Her face was pale and sickly. Her eyes were red and they looked as heavy as they felt, dark smudges stained the skin beneath them. She could see the film of sweat that covered her face and felt it clinging to the rest of her body.
She was shaking slightly as she started to fumble with the buttons of her shirt.
If she'd thought her face looked bad, it was nothing compared to what lay concealed under her shirt.
Three long, thick, deep scars tore across her stomach. All three were excruciatingly pink, raw, spots of blood outlined the edges of the largest scar. But the state of the scars was not what sent Lyra into a horror-stricken panic. The scars had been getting progressively worse since she'd returned to Hogwarts, so the blood starting to peak through wasn't surprising, in fact, she'd been half expecting it. It was the skin surrounding the scars that had her gripping the sink tighter.
The veins around her stomach, normally hidden and forgotten, had become black and raised. They stretched from the scars, a festering, scrambled maze trying desperately to crawl it's way outwards. It had definitely spread. And it had definitely become more painful, in fact, it was excruciating. Intense waves of pain radiated from them, making the room sway.
Lyra closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Ignoring the pain, she concentrated instead on the pressure that had been slowly building from deep within herself. She imagined it as a pile of bright light, she scooped the light up in her arms and swept it over herself. The pressure now moved throughout her, rolling waves of heat, she felt it travel down the length of her arms and pool in the tips of her fingers.
When her hands had been enveloped in a comfortable warmth, bordering on heat, Lyra opened her eyes again.
Never taking her eyes off the reflection of her stomach, she raised her hands to her wounds. Her hands were glowing, her fingertips most of all and they contrasted so shockingly against the blackened veins as she pressed them against the fettered tendrils.
With a long exhale, Lyra released the hold she'd been using to keep that pool contained to her hands.
It was like dipping into a pool of cool water on a hot summer's day. Instant relief had her eyes closing and her head lolling forwards as she sighed.
The tendrils receded at a steady pace. The longer she held her fingers against her stomach however, the less her hands continued to glow and the more effort she had apply in order for them to remain bright.
When the last of the black vanished, Lyra let her hands fall. She was panting again, but this time her breathlessness had nothing to do with pain, just exhaustion.
XXXXXX
'Do you think she's alright?' Peter asked when Lyra disappeared upstairs. 'Only, she looked awfully pale.'
Marlene looked to James and saw her own concern reflected in his face. He opened his mouth to respond but at that same moment, the portrait hole opened again.
Sirius, followed by Remus and Lily, stumbled into the room, all three were laughing deeply. Their laughter died quickly when they caught sight of the other's faces.
'What is it?' Lily asked, looking straight at James.
James, looking rather unsure as to how to respond, looked first to Peter, then to Marlene before settling on the stairs to the girl's dormitories.
'Is it Lyra?' Sirius asked at once.
Marlene quietly noticed how Remus's posture tensed somewhat. Whether it was due to Sirius' tone or the fact that Lyra's name had been mentioned, she wasn't sure.
'Is she back already?' Sirius pressed on. 'Where is she?'
'She's gone to bed,' James said, holding up his hands for Sirius to slow down. 'She wasn't looking the best.'
Sirius trudged towards the closest chair and fell into it with a certain level of grace only he could manage without meaning to. Remus, after a beat, mirrored Sirius' actions, sitting down on the lounge next to Peter where Lily took the place next to James.
After a short silence, Sirius looked up and found Marlene's eyes instantly, his own full of desperate worry. He went to say something but found that he didn't have to.
Marlene rose from her spot. 'I'll go check on her,' she said, placing a hand on Sirius' arm on her way past.
Sirius didn't say anything, didn't offer any form of thanks as she climbed up the stairs. He simply stared at the spot on his arm where her hand had touched him.
XXXX
Lyra was halfway through pulling her pyjama top gingerly over her head when someone banged on the door.
'Lyra?'
Lyra jumped, wincing immediately. She went to answer but decided that the effort required to do so wouldn't be worth it, Marlene could wait.
'Lyra, are you alright in there?'
Marlene may as well have been pounding against Lyra's skull. She held her head, rubbing her temples hard, trying to get it to just stop throbbing.
But Marlene's pace had increased. Without looking in the mirror, Lyra spun around and yanked the door open. Marlene stood before her, mouth open mid-yell, hand up ready to bang on the door that was longer there.
Her dumbfounded expression held as Lyra brushed past her, but she recovered quickly. Sensing Lyra's mood, Marlene merely walked toward her own bed.
'How was detention?'
'Fine,' was all the response she got as the dark haired girl climbed into her four-poster.
'Well, what happen- '
She was cut short when Lyra pulled the curtains around her bed closed.
With a silent sigh, Marlene made her way back down to the Common Room, all the while cursing the Black temper.
She'd long since recognised the difference between the twins and how they dealt with things.
Sirius, she imagined, would have been the sort of child to throw immeasurable, painful tantrums. She could just picture a five year-old version of him, throwing things, stomping his little feet into the ground, shouting in a high-pitched squeal. Even now, as an almost-adult, Sirius seemed to live by the motto 'do now, think later.' If ever.
Lyra, however … Marlene was secretly incredibly grateful that she had never been the cause of upsetting her dark-haired friend. To say that Lyra gave the silent treatment would have been a gross under exaggeration. After all, Lyra was a Black and along with the temper, the twins had also inherited the signature Black mask. Unreadable and unrelenting.
But where Sirius didn't quite know what to do with it or how to use it, the mask fixed could fix itself so naturally to Lyra's features that anyone meeting her for the first time whilst she was in a mood would have them checking their every move for fear of annoying her further.
It had taken a few years for Marlene to figure out how to handle the two.
Confront for Sirius, retreat like hell for Lyra.
Although she didn't really have to concern herself all that much with the former, which was a shame really. Out of the two, Sirius' reactions did prove the most entertaining.
'Maybe talk to her tomorrow,' she said when she re-entered the Common Room and found six pairs of eyes on her – Dorcas had joined them from her late night wonderings.
As she walked back to retake her spot on the lounge, she noticed that Sirius' jaw was clamped, a muscle in his jaw twitching, his hands wringing together slowly. Lily's cheeks had adopted an angry red tinge.
I leave them alone for two seconds.
Trying to diffuse the obvious tension, she added, albeit half-heartedly and probably very unconvincingly, 'She's very tired.'
Silence fell thickly around the room for a moment before Lily went to say something.
'Oh shut up, Lily.'
Dorcas, Peter and Marlene stared at Sirius as he raced up the stairs to his own dormitory, taking them two at a time.
Lily, seething, glared from the stairs to James.
Annoyance flared to life, as it so often did whenever Marlene caught Lily exploiting James. It was so obvious and it frustrated her that he couldn't see it, or didn't want to.
But James, catching Lily's glare, nodded stiffly and followed his best friend.
No one said anything for a long while, nor did they fill Marlene in on what happened.
XXXX
Sirius didn't talk to Lyra about it the next day, or any day after that. Countless years of experience told him, simply and without room for question, that there was absolutely no point in trying.
He had even stopped going to the library. He couldn't afford to have her shut him out anymore. They had been back at Hogwarts for less than a month and the twins had been on rocky footing the most of it.
Sirius could only think of one other time where he and Lyra had been at such odds for so long. And what made it so much worse is that he couldn't pin-point a reason why it was like that now.
As was habit these days, Sirius quickly glanced from the teachers table to the Slytherin table upon entering the Great Hall for breakfast. Dumbledore was sitting in his usual seat, reading from a book whilst eating a bowl full of porridge.
Regulus had not yet arrived.
James didn't even wait for Sirius to take a seat beside him before he started. 'You wouldn't happen to have a pepper up potion on you by any chance?' The exhaustion in his voice was unmistakeable, whether it was genuine or not, was less so. Although it was James, and he did have a tendency to be somewhat over dramatic.
Sirius smirked, child.
'Why? Realising that being wonder boy isn't as easy as you thought it was going to be?'
'Lily just told me that we have a prefect's meeting tonight. I was looking forward to clocking off from fourth period. Now I'll spend my entire free period thinking of what the hell happens at a prefect meeting.'
'Hey, at least Snape'll be there, so it won't be a complete loss.'
'No,' James said. 'I'm not doing anything to Snape with Lily watching. She seemed genuinely impressed when I gave her my notes the other night.'
Sirius looked at him in mock-shock. 'Why? Why must you always try to ruin my fun?'
'Because that's how the rest of us have fun, Black.'
Marlene, Dorcas and Lily approached the table. The former smirking smugly as she sat down.
Sirius groaned loudly. 'No, that's just you, McKinnon. No one else is as much of a sadistic bi-'
'Anyway,' James interjected. It was far too easy for Sirius and Marlene to start throwing hexes at one another. But the looks on the other's faces, they agreed. Although from the looks of Lily's pursed lips, she might not have minded the two coming to blows. No doubt she was still sore from last night.
Still glaring intermittently at the smug blonde across the table, Sirius allowed himself to be absorbed into a conversation about the upcoming Quidditch season.
Tryouts had been held a few days before and Davies had the team training almost every night since in order to 'create and bolster a positive energy within the new team dynamic.' It quickly became apparent that the only other person whose enthusiasm rivalled Davies' more was James, who had appointed himself as deputy captain and whole-heartedly agreed with his new captain's approach. Sirius really didn't know how he was managing it what with his Head Boy duties and the tonnes of homework they'd already received.
'We have to practice, Sirius!' James said after catching the beater rolling his eyes. 'I'll be damned if we lose to the Slytherin's in our first game of the year.'
At the mention of their rival house, Sirius involuntarily glanced over to the far table. He only had enough time to register the continued lack of a certain someone before he spotted Remus and Lyra walking into the Hall.
He didn't really need to look at her all that closely to realise how tense she was. Her lips were a little tighter than usual and her thumb was kept busy by twisting the silver ring on her index finger.
No, she was just worried about school work, no doubt.
Lyra, always the worrier.
As the pair got closer to the Gryffindor table their voices got quieter and quieter, making it impossible for anyone to listen in. Not that Sirius was trying all that hard too, he just didn't really know why this had him feeling so uneasy all of a sudden.
He was forced it ignore it however when he felt a rush of air brush past his cheek and something falling onto his plate.
Confusion clouded over. Who would be writing to him? Everyone who he would normally expect letters from were currently all sitting at the same table he was. He supposed that the Potters may write to him, but why would they be writing to him and not to James?
But then he saw his name written in a sharp cursive along the parchment. He recognised the handwriting from distant memories. It was as if someone who was used to writing very neatly and in a fine way had been forcing their movements into a style that was the complete opposite.
Sirius pulled the letter subtly off the table and slid it into the inside pocket of his robe. From the corner of his eye he saw Lyra now talking to Peter and Dorcas. He swallowed. He wanted nothing more than to pull out the letter and read it right then and there. But he couldn't, not with her right across from him.
Whatever his uncle had to say, it could wait till lunch.
XXXXX
He couldn't wait till lunch.
As soon as McGonagall's back was to him in his first lesson after breakfast, Sirius whipped the letter out of his robes. He smoothed it out across the table and began to read as quickly as he could.
Dear Sirius,
I must say it was rather a large surprise having received a letter from you. A delightful surprise but one none the less, for I cannot remember the last time we met, or indeed had any sort of correspondence for that matter. But here your letter is, in my hand, nonetheless and I suppose that's all that matters now.
Sirius could've cursed him out loud. He remembered why he rarely got in contact with Alphard, even if the old man couldn't. With Alphard even something as simple as instructions on how to pour juice into a cup could lead to multiple and equally as boring tangents that lead absolutely nowhere.
Making sure that McGonagall was still occupied, Sirius returned to the letter.
As for your enquiry, I'm not too sure how much assistance I can offer you. My health is not what it used to be, I'm afraid and my memory seems to be failing me more and more as the days pass.
I do not recall too much from those years – I had already been cast out by that point and so was not privy to the familial gossip wheel. But I did try to keep informed on rumours.
It was said that Walburga had indeed become a little mad – a possibility I'm sure is not too much of a hard thing for you to believe, given what rumours I have been hearing about you recently, my boy. She had apparently even started to avoid parties of any kind towards the end of it, obviously not wanting to confront the whispers of why she had not yet made any announcements of being with child yet.
I heard that she sought help from her most trusted, personal healers, took the latest potions and even went to visit her sister – you know, that particularly old and nasty one.
In the end, I suppose someone must have provided fair advice, for you, along with your sister, were born not twelve months later. And what a blessing you two turned out to be. Your mother must be beside herself with anger at the current moment. All that effort and for what?
Well that's all, I'm afraid. I cannot remember anything else I may have heard on the subject, I was especially bitter at the time and did not really concern myself all that much about any of it.
But, alas, my house elf is becoming rather insistent that I take my daily potion – vile stuff and I swear it has no vital application whatsoever.
But Sirius, if you need any more help, anyone to turn to, I hope you keep me in mind.
Say hello to your lovely sister on my behalf.
All the best,
Alphard.
Sirius had to quickly charm the letter to convince McGonagall that it was actually his notes and that he had been adding to them voraciously whilst she wasn't looking. For the rest of the day, however, his thoughts kept returning to that letter, now folded neatly in his Transfiguration textbook.
She even started to avoid parties.
If there was one thing Sirius was sure of, it was the fact that his mother was incapable of avoiding anything. She delighted in boasting and condemning those around her too much to ever miss out on such a golden opportunity to access what wealth of information was offered in abundance at social events, no matter how poor a condition she was in. But then, what would keep her from attending?
Her sister. Sirius knew from the brief description given to him, who Alphard had been referring to. She wasn't really his mother's sister, in fact, he wasn't too sure if she was related to him at all. Sirius had met her only once. She was an extremely old lady, tall and haughty, and if it weren't for that manic glint that shone so brightly in her eyes, she may have even been considered to be an approachable witch.
Sirius still remembered how she had stared at Lyra throughout their entire meeting. It was as if she would have liked nothing more than to cut Lyra open to see how she worked. But that was when they had been very young. Sirius still wasn't sure who she was, nor did he know anything about her family. And if there was one way to find out about a pureblood, it was to find out about their family.
But he knew someone who might know and so all thoughts of Quidditch matches, of full moons and crazed uncles soared from his mind as a plan started to take shape – a plan to get into the Headmaster's office.
XXXXX
She waited somewhere she knew he would eventually pass.
He always went to Prefect Meetings the same way – a habit she was grateful for, otherwise it may have left her waiting for a rather long time for no one.
She heard footsteps but didn't move. Instead, she watched him as he passed her.
Such a leisurely pace, he could have been on his way down to the lake on a sunny afternoon. If only it wasn't so forced.
'Need some company?' She asked, stepping out of the shadows.
Remus didn't even jump, he just smiled broadly as she walked towards him. He looked awfully tired, his skin pale and slightly gaunt and a ring of bright amber encircled the blacks of his eyes. Nevertheless his smile brightened his features, it settled her stomach, if only slightly.
They hugged briefly but deeply before continuing down the corridor to the Hospital.
'You know, technically, I could give you a detention for being out after curfew,' Remus said after a few steps in silence.
Leaning back, she narrowed her eyes with a sly smile as if daring him to. 'Well, I best be getting back to the Common Room then.'
She made to move but two strong arms encircled her waist and she was pulled back into him. 'Oh no, you don't,' he laughed. He let her go but kept her hand in his as they walked.
'You are going back to the Common Room after this though, aren't you?'
Lyra didn't answer him, she looked out the windows they passed instead.
Remus groaned. 'Lyra.'
'I just want to talk to him, Remus. I want to see how he is. I want to explain why we left.'
Remus' eyes darkened. 'If he can't figure that out for himself Lyra, then he doesn't deserve an explanation.'
Lyra clenched her jaw, recalling the conversation she'd overhead the other night. For a brief second, she considered telling Remus what she'd seen, but something held her back. She didn't know whether it was she knew Remus would eventually tell Sirius or whether she just wanted to protect Regulus. He had seemed so lost the other night, and so young.
The grip on her hand squeezed.
'Please, promise me you're not going to try anything only Sirius would do.'
She nodded but said, very quietly, mostly to herself, 'In a sea of enemies can I not have just one friend?'
This time when Remus brought her into his arms it was gently, tenderly. He tilted her chin so that her eyes met his. 'You have me and no matter how deep the sea becomes I will always be there. I'm your anchor.'
Lyra shook her head. 'No, I already have an anchor. You're what keeps me afloat.'
His returning smile was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
XX
She didn't go the whole way to the meeting with him but instead kissed him goodbye and bid him good night when they were a few corridors away.
The corridors had become steadily colder from the howling draft that rushed into the castle. Even the smallest walk through the halls required a scarf to be worn – especially in the late hours of the night.
Lyra was just adjusting her own red and gold scarf tighter around her neck when she saw movement from further down the corridor. She looked up just in time to see someone walking away from her. A dark, long-haired haired someone. They rounded the corner and she caught a flash of green material.
'Regulus?' Lyra said, walking towards the corridor he'd just turned into. 'Regulus!' She rounded the corner in time to see him already half way down the corridor. 'Regulus, wait!'
She wasn't sure if he hadn't heard her or was simply ignoring her but he continued to walk as if she wasn't there.
She'd reached a jog by the time she rounded the next corner. Skidding to a halt she was startled to see that it wasn't Regulus at all who stood by a window to meet her.
'Snape.' She tried not to let her frustration and confusion show but it was difficult. She knew who it was she'd seen. Even though Snape, too, had long and dark hair and wore the green Slytherin robes, she knew that she had been following Regulus.
Snape raised a single eyebrow at her but said nothing.
Lyra debated whether to ask where Regulus had gone but instead said, 'Decided to take a stroll in the moonlight?'
Light from the moon was indeed bathing the corridor in a pale blue, beaming glow, flooding through the open window. Snape turned to peer out of it, surveying the grounds with passing interest.
'Well,' he said calmly, 'it does seem to be a rather popular activity amongst some.' He looked right at her now, as if daring her to say something else on the matter.
She turned to leave but hadn't made it two metres away when he spoke, clear voice carrying through the hall like a leaf on a river.
'I heard the most interesting rumour the other day.'
She tensed immediately and suddenly was acutely aware of her breathing, of the air rushing into her lungs and struggling to escape them.
'Well,' she mocked him, grateful to discover that her voice was steady. 'you know what they say about rumours,' she turned to him, 'best just to ignore them, they often lead to more trouble than they're worth.'
He hadn't lowered his brow. 'And yet it's surprising how many of them tend to be based in fact.'
'And who did you hear this rumour from exactly?' She asked, having lost her patience for subtlety.
Snape didn't answer, but after a few moments of looking at one another, she discovered that he didn't have to.
'Of all the people in the entirety of the world, there is no one I would trust less than Rabastan Lestrange.'
Snape pursed his lips into something that could have passed as a smile … or a sneer. 'Really? Do you distrust everyone you were once close with?'
Lyra tried not to bristle, she tried to twist her mouth into a placating, condescending grin and not into a lip-curling snarl. 'Like I said, it's best to ignore rumours.'
She walked away before he could say anything else, but she couldn't ignore her heart which was pounding just as furiously as the thoughts running through her head.
Where did Regulus go? Had he heard her? She had to find him, talk to him. And what was Lestrange playing at? She shivered at the prospect of having to talk to him as well.
