Hey everyone! It's been a week of ups and downs and still trying to deal with it all but I'm here with new updates at least. Thanks you for the views and support. They really keep me writing. Enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers!

Lots of love,

LM xxxxxx

Hidden Child-Part 37:

Narcissa wasted no time in getting to the Castle. She had been told that both Draco and Lyra were fine but her overprotective motherly instinct had kicked in and she had hurried to the school.

"You didn't need to come," Dumbledore said as soon as Narcissa had brushed herself down.

"Albus Dementors have just attacked my children and you tell me to stay at home? You full well know that means I would come. Where are they?" Narcissa said coolly, "Dementors are here because of my sister and they openly attack my children, the very people those creatures are meant to be protecting. Tell me how that works Albus."

"The Dementors went for Lyra; not Draco," Dumbledore said, "you know they feed on bad memories Narcissa. While Draco was older and able to understand what was happening Lyra was a young child and heard everything but was unable to understand what she was hearing. This makes her more of a target for the Dementors. It's just a good your niece was there or that could have been a whole lot worse for Lyra."

"That's completely beside the point Albus. The village is meant to be protected. Now please tell me where my children are," Narcissa said.

"They are in the Hospital Wing. Where…?" the headmaster wasn't allowed to finish his sentence before Narcissa's heels could be heard exiting the office and then she appeared in the Hospital Wing moments later.

Her plan had been to rush into the Wing but when she saw Draco sat on the same bed as Lyra and making sure she ate her chocolate she paused wishing their father was there to see it. She couldn't believe how the two had begun to repair their fractured relationship and she couldn't help but let a soft smile grace her lips as she watched her children. How proud she was of Draco in that very moment. He was starting to show that he could be a big brother and keep his younger sister safe. She knew that he'd done his best to keep her safe in Hogsmeade and that was all any older sibling could have done.

"Mother…?" came Draco's voice as she was pulled from her thoughts and she lost the smile from her face and swept across the room to her children. She crouched down in front of them and then looked at them,

"Are you OK?" she asked beginning to check them both over. Draco first and then Lyra.

"They went for Lyra. Madam Pomfrey says it's because she had it far worse growing up and she didn't understand what was going on," Draco said, "I'm fine but Lyra won't talk."

"Oh my darling," Narcissa said turning her attention to her daughter and stroked her cheek.

"Mother… you came…" Lyra said softly as she finally spoke again and ate the rest of her chocolate.

"Of course I came. I was told that everything was under control but I had to come and see my precious children and make sure that they were OK," Narcissa said softly, "your father would be here but he got called to the Ministry this morning and hasn't come home," she said, "so I had to come and make sure you both were OK. I'm not stopping either of you going to Hogsmeade either," she said softly before she spent some time with the two before they were allowed out of the Hospital Wing. Lyra had been told to tell Zenon about the Malfoy Christmas Ball.

Zenon was relieved to see Lyra walking into the Common Room and he hurried over to her before the two went and sat down.

"Mother said I could tell you before you got the official invite," Lyra said, "you're invited to our annual Christmas Ball. I'm not sure what as yet," she said, "but you're invited either way."

"I don't care how I'm there as long as I'm there with you," Zenon said, "it is your debut ball after all and I'd love to share it with you. That's what matters, not what I'll be there as." Lyra couldn't help but smile and hug her best friend tight.

The days began to pass and Aurora, Lyra's owl, began to get used rather a lot as things calmed down and the homesickness finally kicked in. The witch was missing her mother dearly and was now beginning to realise that she was so far away from home and she withdrew into herself a bit. Draco was worried and asked Astoria to help his sister as she was spending time in her dorm and he didn't want her to cut herself off from the rest of them.

The two were sat in a quiet corner of the Common Room going over a nasty essay that Snape had set that Lyra had been struggling with and it was due in the next day.

"There is no way I am going to get this by tomorrow," Lyra sighed as she put down her quill.

"You're doing really well Lyra," Astoria said, "have a sip of your drink and then we'll carry on with this."

Lyra nodded and sighed. Classwork was one thing she was starting to struggle with and she wondered when Narcissa would write back. She normally sent Aurora just after breakfast and Narcissa wrote back just before she went to bed.

She picked up her quill and listened to Astoria before she began to write again and remembered things to write in the essay. Snape had set a nasty one and it was a lesson that Lyra had missed and hadn't managed to catch up and Zenon couldn't help her so Draco had asked Astoria to help as she was closer in age to his younger sister.

They finally began to make some progress and that was the main thing after the 11-year-old had struggled with it for so long but their progress was soon interrupted by Tonks, or rather Miss Davis, bursting into the Common Room.

"Draco and Lyra…your father is with the Headmaster right now," she said and it wasn't long before the brother and sister shot out of the Common Room and rushed up to Dumbledore's office wanting to see their father.