Happy New Year everyone! Ok have to ask... who said Jumanji instead of Happy New Year at midnight? Mine was a cross between the two but luckily I was on my own which meant nobody else heard it thankfully. I hope everyone has a better year than last year was and just make the most of whatever this year throws at us. I'm hoping to get some chapters written before I have surgery next week. It's only planned to be day surgery but yeah... hoping to get some done.

Stay safe!

Lots of love,

LM xx


Hidden Child-Part 86:

The Malfoy and Greengrass siblings, Zenon and Jasmine were all stood in front of Dumbledore's fireplace as they waited to head to Malfoy Manor. It was Saturday and Lyra's birthday weekend at home had arrived and Lyra herself was looking forwards to the break from everything, including training. She was, however, dreading the conversation that she would no doubt be having with her parents about the War and what she could remember from that time. It wasn't something that she really wanted to speak about but if her parents asked her then she would certainly speak about it all.

She arrived through the Floo Network to see her mother and father welcoming each child through, paying Astoria extra attention as their, as yet unknown, daughter-in-law. The others were shown to the room Lucius and Narcissa had put aside for them all before stealing their daughter away for a conversation they wished to have before the Grandparents arrived.

"What do you remember of the War Lyra?" Narcissa asked, as she had decided to take the lead with the conversation.

"Not a lot…" Lyra said, "Bellatrix outside my room, screams from elsewhere but inside the Manor. That's all I can really remember," she said as she looked at her parents, "nothing else is really clear currently."

"OK that's good," Narcissa said, "Bellatrix didn't know about the prophecy at that point or else we are sure she would have tried to kill you in that time. The screams were probably more than likely victims of the Dark Lord and maybe even Bellatrix, especially when they came too close to your bedroom," she added, "back then she cared about you deeply. It was only after learning about the prophecy did her attitude towards you changed," she said.

"She used to care about you… as if you were her own daughter," Lucius said, "but things changed after she left the Manor and was arrested. That's when she learnt who you were…"

A knock on the door disturbed them and Lucius was surprised to find his mother there.

"Cygnus wishes to duel Lyra to see where she's at now her memories are returning," she explained and the three nodded before following Priscilla outside and Lyra looked, seeing her grandfather stood waiting for her. She went over and faced him before launching a hex at him, trying to catch him out.

The two duelled for at least an hour before Lucius shot spell blockers up and Narcissa announced that the lunch was ready. Lyra didn't want to stop but Cygnus said that it was about time to stop and have a break. She finally accepted it when Priscilla rested a hand on her shoulder and slipped her wand back into her hiding place.

That afternoon was spent with Lyra opening her presents and treasuring everything that she'd been given. Some were books that would help her with spell learning and others would also help her to learn what spells did the most damage. She didn't really want to look at the books so politely thanked everyone and said that she would look at it when she was back at school.

Much of the evening was spent in front of the fireplace in the parlour for the adults and Lyra had resorted to building a den just like she used to do as a child when she was alone. Astoria and Daphne told tales of when they'd done the same thing and began to tell stories and tales from their youth.

The next day and Lyra retreated to her favourite area of Malfoy Manor, the library and she went to sit in her window seat and was soon lost in her book once more.

She was so lost in her book that she never heard the heals of her mother getting closer as she was curled up by the window. She eventually looked up and hurried to put her book down.

"Sorry mother. I was reading my book," she said as she sat up properly causing Narcissa to chuckle softly.

"You are so like me with that," she said softly stroking her daughter's blonde hair, "too like me."

"Can I help you mother?" Lyra asked.

"How do you feel about your memories returning?" Narcissa asked, slightly catching Lyra out.

"If I'm honest I feel relieved that I am beginning to remember things that I will need in order to duel Bellatrix. There are just some things I wish that I didn't remember…" Lyra sighed.

"The War memories I'm guessing," Narcissa said and Lyra nodded, "well that's one thing you and your father have in common. Sadly you will remember but they are also reasons as to why Bellatrix must be stopped… so she cannot hurt others in the way she hurt them. She tortured people who didn't deserve to be. She did it for fun and that's wrong. Nobody should be punished unless they deserve it."

Lyra looked at her mother and nodded softly as the book rested on her lap.

"Then surely what I am doing is bad…?" the daughter questioned.

"No. It is not because you will be doing good by stopping the reign of terror that Bellatrix can cause," Narcissa explained to her daughter as she moved to sit beside her daughter, "Bellatrix cannot be allowed to carry on her reign of terror and only you have the power to stop her. That is doing a very good thing, even if it feels like a bad thing right now. I know you don't want this fate but you have my darling and when you defeat Bellatrix you will see how much safer you have made this world."

Lyra sighed. She wanted to believe her mother but she wasn't sure if she really could see a world of light beyond the battle right now.

"I can't really see that right now. I'm trying not to think too far ahead because I don't want to get my hopes up," she told her mother and now the mother sighed understanding why her daughter was thinking that way.

That evening the kids headed back to Hogwarts, refreshed and ready for the end of year run in, hoping that things would be easier for Lyra than they'd been.