Magic in the Moonlight
CHAPTER Thirty Seven
Harry's hearing came around within a few days of him being escorted to the headquarters of the Order. Lyra was not pleased that Cornelius Fudge was trying to have Harry expelled, no doubt to throw further doubt on his and Dumbledore's accusations, and unknowingly throwing the boy to the wolves. Luckily she knew that the Headmaster of Hogwarts was on his side, and just like at her hearing, he would be just what was needed to turn the tides in their favour. So it was with that comforting thought she readied herself for the trip to Malfoy mansion. She had not been looking forward to this event but she figured that at least Lucius would not be present, no doubt curious to see if Harry would be expelled, but she was doubly glad that Severus would be there with her. Dressed in casual clothing, deciding comfort over looks with her black trousers and boots but kept her white sleeveless blouse and long leather coat. The silver charm bracelet around her wrist jingled quietly as she shrugged on her cloak, flicking her wand to tie her growing hair back in a small tail but for her unwieldy fringe and white, wavy strands to one side of her face. First she had to Apparate to the home of Severus Snape, Spinner's End which she had visited a few times as a teenager, the first being most memorable to her and probably what had really set their friendship, and more than that, in stone.
During their fifth year holidays, Lyra had been surprised when Severus had gone home for the Christmas holidays. He never went home apart from the end of school term and so she found it strange that he had. It had been the day before they broke up that he had received a letter, Lyra recognising the writing to be feminine as she glimpsed at it, but noticing by the pale look on Severus' face it could not have been anything good. Ever since he and Lily had broken apart she had stuck close to her Slytherin friend, fearing that he would distance himself further and it was because of this she had travelled to the small, and somewhat dull town of Cokeworth. Lily had told her all about it and had begrudgingly told her Severus' address after many hours of bugging her friend.
Coughing up her courage as she walked towards the door of a house identical to those around it, only the number different in anyway, she knocked lightly against the door. What had she to be nervous about? After all she had met his mother once and she didn't seem bad at all, even the neighbourhood wasn't that bad, a few kids running by laughing as they played. Sure the place was dull, the sky constantly grey but she supposed it couldn't be all that bad. When the door opened she found Severus' mother Eileen Snape stood in the doorway timidly. She hadn't changed since her first year but if anything she had become more waspish, her skin sickly pale and her long lanky hair trying to hide her face in a manner Severus had received, but her eyes were wide at the sight of her. Much to Lyra's horror one eye was rimmed in dark purple.
"Hi Mrs Snape, is Sev home?" she asked politely, fighting the urge to demand what had happened, having heard about Severus' father from said boy.
"You…you are…Lyra?" the woman asked quietly, voice sounding barely used and yet stuttering, was she afraid of something?
Nodding, she smiled kindly up at the woman, "yeah, the same who didn't know how to get onto the platform years ago…so is Sev home?"
Slowly Eileen nodded but she did not make a move to let her in nor call inside for her son.
"Y-You shouldn't be here."
Frowning she was about to ask why when a rough male voice suddenly shouted from within angrily.
"Who the hell are you talking to now woman?" before a man pushed his way roughly through Eileen almost sending her flying before he glowered down at Lyra.
Judging by the diluted pupils, slight slur and stench she got from him, the man was an obvious drunk. He had Severus' hooked nose but he didn't have the same warmth she could sometimes see in Severus' eyes, nor handsome features, in fact he looked like a hateful man and judging by the way his wife cowered, he was not a kind man. The reason for Eileen's purple eye became painfully obvious.
"Sh-She just knocked on the wrong d-d-door," Eileen whimpered, lying for some reason but Lyra spoke up for herself, not at all intimidated by the man before her despite the size difference, although she was quite tall for a girl her age.
"I'm a friend of Severus' and I'm here to see him."
The man looked her up and down before snorting, "a friend of his? I wasn't aware that brat had any friends."
Stiffening, Lyra's hands curled into fists at her side as her dislike began to grow for the man before her. Before she could say anything however there was a sudden black blur as Severus tore down the steps and was staring at Lyra as if she was insane, horrified almost by her being there.
"L-Lyra?"
His father spun on him with a dark glower, "what are you doing down here?! Do I have to remind you whose house this is?! I should beat your hide to remind you freaks who is boss around here!"
Shocked by what was going on, Lyra knew Severus detested his father and he was a horrid man but she had not imagined this!
"Hey!" she shouted angrily, drawing the attention back to herself, the fear on Severus' face almost overwhelming her own sense of rationality as he looked at her crazily.
"What?" the man narrowed his eyes at her, "I bet you're one of those freaks too, gonna use magic on me? I'll teach you damn freaks that you can't do what you want round here!"
He rounded on her just as Severus leapt up horrified but Lyra only narrowed her eyes. Tobias Snape was used to people bending to his will when he stood over them but Lyra only glowered back up at him equally. He was even used to them flinching as he raised his hand but she did not, even as he swung for her, instead his drunk addled mind registered shock as she managed to dodge his sluggish blow. His eyes widened as Lyra's booted foot suddenly connected with his groin making him double over in pain, the air knocked out of him before he looked up at her through gritted teeth.
"You little bitch!"
But Lyra was now the one glaring down at him, her grey eyes oddly dark and the visible scars only making her look more intimidating. She didn't even look at Severus as she grabbed his hand, pulling the stunned teenager away from the steps and out of the door passed his surprised and yet oddly relieved mother.
"G-Get back here!" Tobias yelled, staggering forwards, "you think I'll let you leave, you freaks!"
Lyra spun round and Tobias realised too late that she was not like his wife and son who did not dare lift a hand against him. And for a fifteen year old girl she packed quite a punch as her fist met his face with a crunch.
"Be glad it's not a full moon tonight," she almost spat disgustedly at the man who stumbled backwards onto his fear end, holding a bloody nose as he frowned in confusion before something seemed to click in his mind, a sobering fact.
"Th-That's not…" he spoke, muffled by his hand as he tried to stem the blood flow.
Lyra smirked, "no one messes with a werewolf's friends, you better remember that when you start throwing around the title 'freak', you pathetic excuse of a man," with that she stormed down the street, still pulling a stunned Severus by the hand, "You're staying with me for Christmas again this year."
Finally snapping from his shock, the dark haired wizard pulled them to a halt a few streets away, glaring at her.
"What the hell were you thinking Lyra?! You shouldn't have come here!"
Lyra spun round on him, surprising her friend by the dark look that still remained in her eyes as she pointed up at him.
"You listen here Severus, I came here because I'm your friend and I was worried. I punched that piece of crap back there because he was a horrid man, and by any luck he'll be looking over his shoulder every full moon from now on. So don't question me Severus Snape, you're lucky I didn't wipe the floor with him, I never thought those muggle self-defence classes would ever come in handy."
Severus just stared at her with an open mouth before the anger melted away, a small smile replacing it instead. He didn't say thank you, he didn't need to when she already knew.
"You should have, I wouldn't have minded."
Finally lightening up, Lyra smiled back at him before chuckling.
Smiling at the memory, Lyra left her room in Grimmauld Place and headed down the steps. Of course Tobias Snape had been overly wary every night of the full moon since then, something Severus had taken delight in telling her, but she was glad she had at least helped even if it had meant revealing her curse to someone. In such a case she hadn't minded one bit. Another time she had done such a thing had been when she had met Remus' parents, a kind couple, who had been surprised to learn about her own werewolf curse but they had seemed happy that the two were close. Frowning at this, her momentary joy was lost as she thought about Remus. Shaking her head, she tried to forget how much it hurt to think about their distance, but it was hard when she found him stood helping around the kitchen with Molly. The latter looked up at hearing her enter and looked surprised to see that she was leaving.
"Going somewhere, dear?"
Nodding, she smiled lightly, "I've been invited out."
She didn't miss how Remus' shoulders seemed to stiffen, his back straight but he carried on with his cleaning as if nothing had happened. Frowning, she was about to say something when Fred and George sudden Apparated either side of her.
"Bet its old Snape that asked you out, isn't it?" Fred grinned while his twin mimed puking.
"He's getting pretty daring if he thinks he can have our mum's cousin."
Rolling her eyes, Lyra chuckled, "really you two have got it wrong."
"Uh huh?" they both said at the same time with a grin before George carried on, "so you'd rather be with dungeon bat than some charming wizard out there?"
"Suppose we can't have her a spinster can we?" Fred chuckled, patting Lyra's shoulder, "maybe we should ready ourselves for the worst."
"Oh stop it you two," she sighed, lightly smacking them both over the back of their heads with a chuckle before heading for the door, "see you later, I should be back before too late and don't tackle that Boggart we found till I get back Molly!"
"Have fun dear!"
"Not likely," she couldn't help but mutter as she left Grimmauld Place, unaware of eyes staring after her before the door shut.
Apparating to Spinner's End, she knocked lightly on the familiar door before it was answered by Severus who looked her up and down with his frown in place as usual.
"Do you not think it would have been wise to at least try and look somewhat formal?"
"What's wrong with my clothes?" she huffed with crossed arms before grimacing, "let's just get this over with. I want to be well away from that place before Lucius decides to come back."
Severus rolled his eyes but nodded as he locked the door behind him with a flick of his hand, dressed in his usual black dress jacket and trousers but without his long, flowing black robes for a change.
"Are you most definitely sure you wish to do this?" he suddenly asked, clearly wondering if she had thought the implications through.
Of course she had but nonetheless she lightly patted his arm, "don't worry Sev, you being there makes me feel much better."
His dark eyes strayed down to the hand that lightly grasped his arm for a moment, catching the flash of silver from her bracelet before her hand moved away. Even if he could do nothing so as to appear loyal to the Dark Lord, if something happened he had no doubt in his mind that he would react. Apparating to the gates of Malfoy mansion, Lyra glanced around, pulling a face at the expensive looking mansion and its large gardens.
"I see he has only made his mansion bloody bigger, I wonder if he's improved his alarms?" she couldn't help but mutter, catching a small smirk from Severus before the gates opened, allowing the pair inside.
Remus Lupin was already beginning to reach the end of his tether. Never had he felt his restraint so strained as he had lately. He had believed his move to be necessary, that the space between them would eventually point out what they should do. By no means did he wish to forget about Lyra but that did not mean he wanted to continually stress and worry about her…and yet he still found himself doing so. And the closeness he had noted between her and Severus the other day did not help matters, nor the teasing of the twins earlier that afternoon. It had made several things known to him, one that she was in fact a woman in her prime – something he seemed to have forgotten – and that despite her werewolf curse she could easily be with some other man who would love her should they accept her monthly change. Not to mention he knew of the past between her and Severus, or at least the feelings she had for said man…he couldn't help the spark of jealousy at knowing that she was with him at that moment of time. How come their friendship seemed to have lasted the years and yet their relationship was proving trying to keep intact?
He found himself daringly thinking thoughts that should not be thought. Were they really the perfect couple everyone seemed to think they were? Maybe once upon a time but they had both changed, he admitted that, but Lyra had only just realised that she too had changed. Remus couldn't help but wonder why she had been with him all these years. Sure she loved him, but why? In the end he found himself voicing this question to Molly as they worked alone in the kitchen. Surely her cousin should know the woman in question greater than anyone else? Surprisingly Molly had looked at him sadly, pausing in her washing up to sigh and turn to him.
"Remus, have you ever thought about going further with Lyra?"
Frowning, confused at her meaning, she decided to rephrase her question.
"You two have been together for quite some time, longer than most even if your relationship has been a bit unsteady at times, don't you think that there is another step that you could take with Lyra?"
It took a moment before a small light finally clicked in the werewolf's mind and his hazel eyes widened in shock.
"You mean…marriage? You think Lyra wants that?"
Chuckling, there was mirth shining in Molly's eyes, "really Remus you have a lot to learn about women still it seems! You should have seen the look in her eyes when I mentioned it the other day, she looked as if she was having one of her daydreams as a child."
Running a hand across his stubble lined jaw with a sigh, he suddenly felt his age catching up on him. Was that really what Lyra wanted? He should have guessed after all what woman didn't want that sort of stability after being together for years? Maybe he still did have a lot to learn about women, something Sirius constantly had reminded him even to that day, but could he give her what she wanted? He no longer knew. Seeing that he was beginning to understand, Molly nodded and returned to her washing the plates in the sink.
"But really, you two have been growing distant for a while now, its times like this that you need to take a leap to save a relationship…that is if you are still in love with her," she shot him a calculative look but Remus could not look her in the eyes.
How could he answer that when even he didn't know the answer?
Sighing quietly, Remus finished what he was doing before leaving, thanking Molly for her advice as he went to find his old friend. It didn't take long for him to find Sirius dwelling in one of the rooms of the house, one with the walls decorated with a huge tapestry, a family tree stretching across all the walls. He was stood there staring at it thoughtfully when Remus entered, his friend turning with a small smirk.
"So, got any good advice from Molly?"
Blushing a little in embarrassment, the ragged wizard cleared his throat before shaking his head, he should have known Sirius would have listened in to the conversation.
"She's right you know though, although Lyra tries not to show it, she's just like other women and she wants what other women have," he sent Remus a knowing look, "like marriage and I'm guessing kids."
Flinching at the accusation, Remus glared at the tapestry in front of him, not really taking in the names and faces, "you know how I feel about that Sirius."
"That I do," he patted his friend on the shoulder comfortingly, "but that doesn't mean you should avoid it all your life. So what about the 'what ifs' and the 'might's', its time you did something without worrying about what might happen because you're a werewolf. Lyra's better at it than you even though she was hiding that fact most of her life, she tries her damn hardest to have a life that's not affected by it."
Scoffing lightly, Remus rolled his eyes, "oh yes and that worked out fine. She almost ended up in Azkaban for trying to have a normal life. It was time Lyra finally understood that we can't have normal lives."
"And who says that Moony?" Sirius asked with an arched eyebrow, "You? Every other damn werewolf you've met? I wonder if you're willing to even give it a try."
"Of course I am!" his friend finally snapped, hazel eyes dark before he calmed himself, running a hand through his waspish, greying hair, "I've never felt happier than when I've been with her…"
"Then stop listening to that head of yours for a bit, and listen to that," Sirius tapped his chest where his heart lay, "I know it might sound a bit clichéd but you really need to stop relying on your head and listen to your heart more. You only live once so let yourself live a little."
The two friends stared silently at the tapestries, Remus taking in his friend;s words, surprised by how wise he sounded. Usually it would have been him giving advice, or at least in the old days, it was funny how these things changed around. That's when Sirius suddenly made choking noises, staring wide eyed at a spot on the family tree. Arching an eyebrow at him, he followed his friend's gaze before his own eyes widened. On one of the branches that had surprisingly not been burnt out was a small portrait of a rather familiar raven haired witch, the name Lyra Sanguine beneath it.
"I don't believe it! I'm related to her!" Sirius gasped, "and…oh Merlin, I used to flirt with her nonstop…she must have known!"
Remus laughed aloud at his friend's distress, clapping his back with a false look of sympathy before offering his friend a well needed glass of Firewhiskey as they left the room.