It took approximately ten seconds before Estrella appeared at the top of the second floor flight of stairs and Remus from out of the drawing room.

"Where on earth have you been?" They chorused. Estrella ran down the stairs to stand in front of Lyra, looking at her with one eyebrow raised expectantly.

"I told you, out" She muttered, stepping around her and going to hang her jacket over the bannister. "I went to the library." She held her book up to them as proof.

"Lyra, you can't just leave like that." Remus told her. "It's not safe."

"Why not?" She quizzed him as she stood on the bottom step of the stairs, looking back to them both. "Like you said, I'm not the one he wants."

"It doesn't mean that you just get to leave the house and not tell anyone where you're going!" Remus moved over to the bottom of the stairs, standing next to Estrella.

Lyra scowled at the pair of them. "Neither of you get to play the worried parent role right now." She told them. "Not for a long while."

Remus sighed, closing his eyes for a moment to calm down. She was safe and that was the main thing. "Lyra, you have to know that we didn't keep this from you, either of you, because we thought you didn't need to know. We kept it from you because we didn't think you would understand this young. Even we don't understand why it happened."

Estrella nodded in agreement, reaching out to place a hand on Lyra's arm but she only pulled away.

"Which is exactly why you should never have kept it from me. I should have grown up knowing about what that man did. We should've told Harry in first year but you didn't. If you don't even understand why it happened now, at what point did you think Harry and I would ever understand? Who knows what else you're keeping from us? From me?" Lyra was practically shaking in anger as she ran up the stairs towards her room.

"Lyra don't be like this!" Estrella pleaded, following up the stairs with Remus in tow.

Lyra slammed her bedroom door and locked it behind her but it only took a wave of Estrella's hand and it was unlocked again. Lyra groaned and fell onto her bed dramatically, burying her head into her pillow. Estrella sat down on the end of the bed whilst Remus went to go fetch Harry from the opposite room.

Once they reappeared, Harry chose to stand in the doorway, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets while Remus walked over to go sit on the chair at Lyra's desk, facing it round to them.

"Now, we understand that you're both angry." He began, leaning forward to rest his forearms onto his thighs and clasping his hands together. "You have a right to be, but you both need to know that we didn't mean for you to feel like we were being deceitful or hiding it from you in any way. This wasn't a secret that we were planning on keeping forever. You were always going to know. There was never an ulterior motive behind anything."

Estrella's eyes bore into the back of Lyra's head as she attempted to soothingly rub her back. She looked up to Harry and held out her hand. "Come here Harry, please." She asked.

Harry was conflicted, looking into her eyes now, he could tell there was pain behind them. He didn't know the ins and outs of her relationship with this Sirius Black, but he supposed that finding out that your fiancée had been a spy for Voldemort behind your back had probably been a pretty traumatic experience to go through. From what Lyra had told him, he gathered she hadn't been with anyone since then either. Harry supposed that it was probably hard for her to trust anyone again since after that.

He sighed, but pushed himself off the doorframe anyway, walking over to her and sitting down by her legs on the floor in front of Lyra's bed. Estrella placed her hand on his shoulder and looked over to Remus helplessly.

After another moments silence, Lyra's face emerged from her pillow as she turned her head to the side. "Why live in his house then?" She mumbled, miserably.

"You'd be hard pressed to find another house this safe in the whole of England" Remus told her.

"What's to stop him coming here then?" Harry asked.

"Black's not stupid. He's weak and as far as we know he doesn't have a wand. Even if he managed to get past all the defences in place, Estrella and I can handle him. Despite this, it's best that you stay somewhere other than here for the rest of the summer, it's too obvious you'd be here. Your friend Mr Weasley perhaps?" Remus asked Harry who then shook his head in reply.

"He's in Egypt with his family still." He told them. "They're not due back until two days before term starts."

"What about Diagon Alley?" Lyra suggested. "He could stay in The Leaky Cauldron. The amount of wizards there alone, Black would have no chance of getting near Harry without someone recognising him. Plus, it would mean we could still see him whenever we like."

Harry turned around to look at his sister, sending her a grateful smile. "As long as I don't have to go back to the Dursley's."

"It's certainly a possibility, Remus?" Estrella looked to him.

"I can ask Dumbledore. I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon with him. We'll go from there. Now if no one is opposed, I asked Kreacher to whip us up a lovely meal, shall we go downstairs?" He stood up, clapping his hands together.

Harry nodded, climbing back up to his feet and following him out the room. Estrella caught Lyra's arm before she could leave, tugging her around to face her. Now that it was just the two of them, Estrella couldn't hold her tears back.

"Don't hate me for it." She said quietly. "I loved your mother like a sister. I came to love your father like a brother. I lost them both. They died that night along with the man I thought I knew. That man out there is far from the who we all thought we knew." She reached forward, running her fingers through Lyra's sleek, long black hair. "Now, after all that, I love you like my own. This isn't what I wanted, or asked for, I promise you. Remus and I can never replace your mother and father, but we love you. I can't bare the thought of you thinking I would never be on your side."

Lyra looked down at her aunt, chewing the inside of her cheek. "I just wish you hadn't kept it from me." Her brow furrowed as her voice began to crack. "You're right, you can't replace our parents. But you both raised me when they couldn't anymore. Lily and James will always be my parents, but you two are the only mother and father figures I have now. Harry doesn't know you well enough yet, but he will. So while I'm still so, so angry about you keeping it from me. I'm not angry at you for wanting to know the truth about someone you loved too. You did what you thought was best." She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Estrella's neck.

Estrella held her tightly, relieved that Lyra didn't hate her after all. She had spent the whole day worrying about what the repercussions of their actions were going to be. "You're far wiser than any witch your age, young lady..." She murmured.

Lyra let out a small laugh, realising her and tugging her aunt up from the bed. "You've clearly never met Hermione Granger." She rolled her eyes as they headed out of her room.

"I don't need to. I know Lyra Potter" She patted Lyra's head affectionately. "I know what she's capable of."

*

After Remus' meeting with Dumbledore, he had came back with both the news that not only would Harry be staying at The Leaky Cauldron but also the news that he had been offered the position of the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. He had been hesitant to accept it at first, nervous that Sirius may have been more likely to turn up at No. 12 if he found out it was just Estrella living there.

Estrella had told him however, by no means did she need Remus to babysit her. She had almost been insulted that Remus felt she couldn't handle herself. However, she felt much more comfortable knowing that one of them would be able to watch over the twins at Hogwarts whilst Sirius was still at large.

So it was agreed, Remus would go off to Hogwarts to prepare for the new year and then return on the first day of term to escort Harry and Lyra on the train.

It had been three days since he had been gone. Three days since Harry had been staying at The Leaky Cauldron. Each day, Lyra would make the half an hour walk to meet him for lunch and then afterward, the two would either study, explore Diagon Alley or go for ice cream at Florean's.

This day was no different. Lyra woke up, had her breakfast, replied to Daphne and Blaise's letters before spending the rest of the morning with Estrella practicing her Transfiguration homework. She then disappeared back upstairs to get dressed for the day, shouted her goodbye to Estrella and headed out the front door, slinging her bag full of books over her shoulder.

She hopped down the first few steps, humming quietly to herself before her eyes landed on the same shaggy black dog she had seen the other night. In the daylight, he looked even bigger than she had originally remembered and he looked even scruffier. She looked around for any sign of his owner but much to her dismay, no one was around at all. The dog remained still, staring back at her.

He remained there until Lyra began to walk off, immediately springing to his feet and crossing the street as he began to follow her. Lyra turned her head at the sound of his claws tapping against the pavement and she stopped again.

"No! Bad dog!" She scolded.

Once Lyra stopped, the dog followed suit and stopped just behind her, sitting down again and cocking his head to the side.

She huffed slightly before spinning back round and carrying on down the pavement. Once again, the dog got up and followed after her. It went on like this twice more before Lyra gave up and accepted that the dog wasn't going to give in either. She had half expected him to try and follow her into the pub but instead, he walked ahead of her and sat outside the entrance, watching her as she walked in.

Then, after Lyra had spent two hours inside with Harry, studying the work they had been set for over the summer holidays, she came out to find the dog exactly where she had left him.

She let out a small laugh of disbelief as he rose to his feet when she came out the door, kneeling down to his level. "You are strange." She told him quietly, reaching forward to scratch him behind the ears. She smiled as his head leaned into her touch, "Don't you have a home you should be getting back to?" She asked.

The dog barked back at her once as though he were answering her question, putting his paw out and resting it on her knee.

"No...I didn't think so. You really are a state, come on." She rose from her crouching position and began the walk back home, this time the dog following by her side.

"You're more of a wolf really aren't you?" She said as she looked back down at him. He was certainly larger than your average dog, he came up to Lyra's hips in height. She scratched the top of his head as they walked, oblivious to the strange looks she was receiving from the muggles she passed by.

Once they arrived back at No 12, Lyra watched as the dog automatically crossed the street and took his place back where he had been sat this morning. What a strange creature. She ran back up the steps and entered the house, glancing back once more at the dog before she shut the door.

Later that night at dinner with Estrella, Lyra decided to try and bring up the topic as subtly as she could manage.

"Aunt Estrella?"

"Lyra." She replied in an amused fashion, looking over at her with a small smile.

"Have you ever thought of getting a pet before?" She asked.

"A pet?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, a pet."

"Well I already have you...so I imagine adding an animal to the works would be terribly hard work."

"Ha ha" Lyra replied, rolling her eyes as she shoved a forkful into her mouth. "I just mean, it would be nice don't you think?"

"Lyra, I asked you if you wanted a cat to take to school back in first year and you said you couldn't be bothered with one." Her aunt frowned at her in confusion. "If you're asking for one now that's fine, but you're still responsible for it when you come home again."

"No, I still don't want a cat, or an owl or anything to take to Hogwarts for that matter." She shook her head, wrinkling her nose at the thought of a cat. "I was talking about you, especially now that Uncle Remus is going to be gone. Aren't you going to be lonely?"

"Thanks for reminding me." Estrella scoffed, placing her fork back down onto the table.

"I'm serious! What about a dog or something?"

"I think that would tip Kreacher over the edge, don't you? Who would walk it Lyra?" She asked her.

"You could! It's not like you've got a job or anything to keep you busy!"

"Ooh Lyra, please don't hold back with the punches. Maybe I'll get a job now as I'm going to be oh so lonely." She laughed, folding her arms and leaning forward onto the table. She raised an eyebrow at the young girl before her. "You're up to something." She said suddenly.

"I am not!" Lyra replied defensively, holding her hands up innocently.

"Lyra. Let's not forget who covers for you whenever Remus is on to you. Tell me. Before I make you." She grinned at her wickedly, raising her hand up and wiggling her fingers at her.

Lyra shook her head, pointing her fork at her. "Don't you dare!"

"Oh, I dare." She replied before she clicked her fingers, watching as Lyra doubled over, clutching her sides as she laughed.

"Stop it!" She protested.

"Then tell me!" Estrella countered as she continued with her tickling charm.

"No!" Lyra continued to giggle, trying to shove away the non existent fingers that felt as though were digging into her sides. After a little while longer she gave in. "Okay! Okay, I'll tell you!" She gasped between giggles, finally managing to sit back up straight once Estrella clicked her fingers again with a satisfied smirk.

"Go on." She pressed.

"So there's this dog..."

"Mm?"

"...He sits outside the house nearly every day. I saw him the other night when I was on my way home from Diagon Alley. Then today he followed me all the way to The Leaky Cauldron and waited two hours outside for me before following me home again! All he does is sit outside the park! I just thought...that seeing as he obviously doesn't have a home...and you're about to be alone until Christmas, maybe we could keep him." She rambled, looking down at her hands the whole time.

"We? You mean me?" Estrella groaned. "Lyra, I don't want a dog!"

"But he'd fit you so well!" Lyra whined, looking back up to meet Estrella's eyes. "At least let him in for some food? He's starving, he's all skin and bones." She pouted at her. "Who knows if he'll make it through the night..." She trailed away dramatically.

Estrella narrowed her eyes at Lyra, examining her carefully. Well she could hardly be the person that made a dog starve to death could she? Lyra knew that, and played it to her strength.

"We feed him, then he's back out." She pointed a finger at her in warning. "I mean it Lyra, I don't want a dog. He goes when he's fed."

"Deal!" Lyra squealed, jumping to her feet and sending the chair clattering to the floor. "Sorry!" She picked it up before dashing out the room to the front door.

Estrella groaned, following behind her without sharing the same enthusiastically. "Well?" She asked, folding her arms as she leaned against the staircase.

Lyra was stood at the door, trying to call the dog over. Unsurprisingly, he was sat in the same place that she left him hours before, under the street lamp outside the park entrance. "Come on, boy!" She knelt down, patting her knees in an attempt to coax him over. "Maybe he's scared?" Lyra admitted disappointedly, looking back to her aunt.

Estrella sighed, pushing off from the bannister and walking to the doorway to see the dog for herself. "Lyra! That's a bloody bear not a dog!" She exclaimed as her eyes widened. "Look at the state of it!" She wrinkled her nose.

"He'll look better after a bath!" She insisted.

"I agreed to feeding him, not bathing him." She looked down at her disapprovingly.

"Come on boy, we've got a nice meal for you!" Lyra called over again, continuing to pat her knees. "Why doesn't he want to come in?" She complained, her shoulders sinking in defeat.

Estrella continued watching the motionless dog, who hadn't looked away from Estrella since the moment she appeared at the front door. If possible, it had only stilled more when he saw her. "Maybe he has a home." Estrella suggested, in no way believing her own words.

"You said it yourself, look at the state of him." She mumbled, resting her head against the door frame.

Estrella tutted, folding her arms and shifting her weight to one side. "Come on! In!" She called to the dog before whistling sharply.

Immediately the dog sprung to his feet and bounded across the street and up the steps of No. 12. It was as if he had been waiting for the approval of Estrella before he moved anywhere near the house.

Lyra's face lit up excitedly and greeted him with a scratch behind the ears before clambering back to her feet. "See, he was meant for you. He listens to you." She shot a look to her aunt who was currently closing the door behind the dog, looking down at it in disgust.

"He needs more than a bloody bath, Lyra." She muttered, rolling her eyes at the pair of them. "Go on then, I'm sure there'll be something in the kitchen for him" She jerked her head in the direction of the kitchen.

She watched as Lyra nodded, rushing down the hallway and simultaneously shouting for the dog to follow her. Yet the dog stayed put for a moment, gazing up at Estrella with his ears pinned back to his head. "Go on." She said quietly, gently nudging him with her foot. He stayed still for a moment longer before letting out a soft whine and followed Lyra down the hallway.

Lyra rummaged around the kitchen cupboards, pulling ingredients out in an attempt to find something for the dog. Kreacher had yelped loudly upon seeing the beast of the dog enter the kitchen, backing into the china cabinet and sending multiple plates crashing to the floor.

Estrella sighed loudly and closed her eyes, mentally counting to ten before she headed into the kitchen. By this point, the dog had backed Kreacher into a corner and was barking loudly.

"Bad dog!" Estrella scolded, reaching for the copy of The Daily Prophet and rolling it up before she proceeded to tap it off the dog's head. "Leave him!"

The dog continued to bark a couple more times before skulking off to sit by Lyra's feet who was currently spooning something meaty out of a can she had found at the back of a cupboard.

"Beast! Big Beast!" Kreacher squawked out, picking up the remains of the smashed plates from the floor in distress. "No, no, no. No big beast, Miss Flint" He shook his head.

"It's alright Kreacher. We'll keep him away." Estrella reassured him, bending down to help him.

"Miss Flint must not help Kreacher. Kreacher broke!" He panicked.

Estrella sighed and straightened back up, turning to face Lyra. "Well, it's been less than five minutes and your dog has broke Kreacher, Lyra."

"He was probably scared!" Lyra protested, placing the bowl down in front of the dog who immediately stuck his nose into it, greedily scoffing the lot. "He's probably never seen a house elf."

The two observed the dog eat two more helpings of food before Estrella clapped her hands together. 'Right, now that he's full I think he can go back out now dont you?"

Both the dog and Lyra turned their heads to look at her.

"You can't kick him out now!" Lyra exclaimed, gob smacked. "He's had a taste of the good life now!"

"Lyra, I told you..." Estrella warned her.

"Oh come on!" Lyra replied, throwing her hands into the air. "We both know you didn't mean it! He needs a home! You're going to regret not keeping him when you're stuck here by yourself with Kreacher! You know it and I know it. At least let him stay for a little while? Then if you don't like him by the time I have to go back, we can take him to a shelter!"

Estrella pursed her lips as she looked back and forth between the dog and Lyra. "One night." She said after a long moment of silence before leaving the room, annoyed at her own lack of will power.

"Yes!" Lyra whispered triumphantly, ruffling the large dog's hair. "Come on, I'll make you a bed."