I do not own Harry Potter. All rights go to J. K. Rowling as well as Warner brothers (For the movie rights).
Daughter of Darkness
Chapter Forty-Seven
When the weekend finally rolled around, Lyra was ever so grateful for the reprieve. They weren't taking their OWLs for another year, but it certainly felt like that was what the teachers were preparing them for. Plus, with the addition of the excitement of the tournament, it seemed that her mind was everywhere at once.
There was also the meeting with the entire Delacour family to look forward to. She'd written Narcissa, who'd said she be there as it wouldn't be appropriate of two heads of noble family's to meet when one of them was underage, despite the fact that Jean-Luc Delacour was happily married and had been for decades to his wife, Apolline.
Lyra scoffed when she read that. Purebloods were oddly back and forth on their children sometimes. One minute they were marrying their fifteen year old son or daughter to a fifty year old man or woman, the next they were saying it would be inappropriate to meet as heads of a house in private since she was underage.
"I'll see you all later," Lyra announced as she slipped on her gloves and cloak. It wasn't very cold, but the autumn breeze seemed to bring a little more bite with it as the winter months grew ever closer.
"Oh, you're going?" Hermione asked, shutting her book and setting it on her lap. Lyra hummed an affirmative.
"The formal invitation Fleur sent on behalf of Gabrielle indicated a noon meeting, as that was their father's lunch break, so I figure it best to get there a few minutes early," she explained. Hermione bobbed her head.
"Well, good luck," she said with a smile. "I'm sure Fleur will appreciate the respect for her parents," she added. Lyra gave her best friend an odd look before shrugging.
"Thanks? I'll see you when I get back. Don't spend all your time studying," she said as stepped through the portrait. If Hermione said something snarky in response to Lyra's quip about her overly zealous academic nature, then the only answer she gave was a hearty cackle in response.
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxox
"You are early," Fleur said as Lyra sat beside the older blonde and her sister.
"But of course. My godmother would kill me if she was here before me," Lyra replied with a grin. "And it'd be tragedy worthy of Shakespeare for one such as myself to be taken from this world." She gave a theatrical faint just to add to the effect.
Fleur laughed, and the sound sent Lyra's insides all funny feeling.
"You are funny. I like zat. I worried zat all ze pureblood nonsense in zis country would make you a bore," Fleur said. Lyra simply rolled her eyes with a smile.
"If I was like everyone else, well…I don't think that bears a thought," Lyra said softly, her eyes flicking down to Gabrielle for a moment. Fleur understood the hidden words.
Gabrielle most likely would've been killed…or worse.
Speaking of the little blonde.
She gestured wildly to her older sister, speaking rapidly in French as Fleur tried to speak to the girl. When it seemed the two were done, Lyra looked expectantly at the elder blonde. Fleur simply huffed.
"She said zat she iz ze one who invited you here, and I need to stop hogging you all to myself," Fleur huffed. Lyra laughed heartily before poking Gabrielle in the shoulder.
"Oh, don't you worry, kid, I didn't forget about you!" She exclaimed, running her hand over Gabrielle's hair. The girl pouted before pushing the hand off with huff. Lyra cooed at the very cute look on the girls face.
In all fairness to Gabrielle, she had a pretty adorable pouty face.
"So, is everyone hungry or are we waiting for the adults to get here?" Lyra asked after a moment. Fleur and her sister discussed the idea for a moment before Fleur turned back.
"We could eat, yes," she said. Lyra grinned.
"Excellent. I'm not really sure if they'll have anything from France here, but I do recommend the shepherd's pie," she explained.
"Zat iz fine," Fleur smiled. Lyra smiled and stood, heading to the bar to make her order.
She was just finishing up when she felt a familiar presence behind her. Turning, she saw her godmother.
"Narcissa!" Lyra exclaimed excitedly.
"Hello dear," Narcissa said warmly, though Lyra noted that her eyes traveled over the heads of everyone in the pub. She felt sad, knowing exactly what, or rather who, her godmother was looking for. Narcissa noticed her staring and blinked, snapping out of it.
"I could ask him to join me, next Hogsmeade, if you'd like," Lyra murmured. Narcissa hesitated but smiled a minute later.
"It's okay dear, we've been writing since you gave him my letter. He knows that Lucius was keeping my mail from him. He's still angry with me though for leaving, but give it time and, well…I think we'll be okay again," Narcissa said hopefully. Lyra gave a small smile.
"Alright. If you're sure."
"Absolutely. Now, did you already order?" she asked. Lyra nodded.
"Just for Fleur and Gabrielle. I thought it might be a bit rude to order for Lord and Lady Delacour since I didn't know what they'd like," Lyra answered. Narcissa hummed before turning to Rosmerta.
"The orders my god daughter just placed, we'll take them in one of the private rooms upstairs, along with the orders that come after," Narcissa said, handing the barkeeper a small sack of galleons.
"Of course, Ms. Black," Madame Rosmerta said, giving a small curtsy.
"Why don't you three head upstairs to one of the rooms, and I'll wait here for the Delacour's to arrive," Narcissa suggested.
"They have private rooms here?" Lyra asked, mostly to herself. "Who would've guessed."
She walked back to Fleur and Gabrielle and explained where they'd be having lunch instead.
"Of course," Fleur said. "It is getting a bit crowded in here anyway."
The three made their way up to the private room to talk.
"So, tell me about France. What's that like?" Lyra asked as the three sat down. .It was noticeably more comfortable and quiet inside rather than the dull roar of the pub downstairs.
"It iz beautiful zis time of year. I miss it already, but I am glad to be here. Ze competition…it will be exciting, I think," Fleur said.
"Do you think you'll be chosen?" Lyra asked.
"Madame Maxine hopes I will, though I cannot say for certain. But, if I am, I fear I will have much to prove, as I am a veela, and many still view me as more beast zan human," the blonde lamented.
"I think it's stupid that anyone can make that determination," Lyra huffed. "I mean, I'm considered human, yet I can make myself appear however I wish. I'm not classified as a shapeshifter or anything."
"It is a harsh world we live in," Fleur said, looking at her little sister.
"Well…at least we can cheer the fact that two disgusting people are gone from it," Lyra said with a smirk.
"So Gabrielle has told me. She said you knew the woman?"
"I…well, I know of her. But…know her is a bit much. I've met her a few times, but that's been the extent of our interactions. She gave me a journal, blank, and a golden galleon," Lyra explained, pulling the galleon out of her pocket and placing it on the table.
"Oh," Fleur gasped as she held it delicately up to her eyes. "Se magnifique! Ze rune work is exquisite!"
"I've been working on deciphering it, but so far nothing as I can tell, it's purely decorative," Lyra explained.
"Non, ze runes are simply in a language you have not studied yet. Zese are Elder Fuzark interconnected by an Icelandic stave. Elder Fuzark iz tricker to work wiz, but ze stave makes it stronger, amplified," Fleur explained excitedly.
"There's two forms of Futhark?" Lyra asked, her curiosity peaked now that she could research the runic patterns on the galleon more.
"Oh yes. Elder and younger Fuzark. Younger is easier to work wiz, as it more closely rezembles ze modern latin alphabet in ze translation," Fleur explained.
"Neat!" Lyra grinned before laughing. "I'm sorry. We're not really here exactly for me to learn lessons and study. Rude of me."
"It iz alright. Gabrielle doesn't seem to mind. In fact, she got out of her tutoring so zat she could be here," Fleur said with a smirk. Lyra laughed before turning to the girl.
"Well, I'm glad I could be of use to you once more," she said with a small bow. The blonde girl giggled in an adorable manor.
"And tell me, Gabrielle, how is school for you? I assume it's different over in France?"
Fleur and Gabrielle conversed for a moment before Fleur turned to Lyra.
"It iz different. Everything feels more…rigid, at Hogwarts than Beauxbatons," Fleur translated. Lyra nodded.
"It'd be interesting to see Beauxbatons. I'd love to visit France, see the magical alley. I bet it's a lot different from Diagon," Lyra smiled.
"I have been to Diagon Alley with my family a few times. It iz very different," Fleur said. "Place Cachée is open and bright, sunny, and the weather is always perfect. Diagon is…"
"Dark? Kinda gloomy?" Lyra joked. Fleur nodded, bringing a laugh out of the metamorph. "I understand. I'd love to visit someday. Maybe I'll go over the summer?" she thought aloud to herself. Gabrielle immediately began to babble to Fleur in rapid French.
"She insists that if you come, you must stay wiz us for a few days, see our manor and the grounds around it. I cannot disagree, as the land iz beautiful during ze summer," Fleur said.
"I'd love to," Lyra said, right as the door opened.
"You'd love to what, dear?" Narcissa asked, leading in Lord and Lady Delacour.
"Papa! Maman!" Gabrielle exclaimed.
"Ah, ma petite belle!" Apolline exclaimed. She talked with her youngest daughter in such rapid French that Lyra had no hope of keeping up before the older woman turned to her. "And you are Lyra. You saved my daughter!" she said breathlessly before hugging the life out of the young Lady Black.
"It was…no problem!" she groaned, trying to take a breath.
"Maman, she needs to breathe!" Fleur said. Immediately the pressure released, and Lyra took a breath before sending a grateful smile to Fleur.
"Forgive me. I…I am so very grateful for what you did for our daughter. She wouldn't be here if not for you," Apolline said, a few tears in her eyes threatening to fall.
"It's alright, Lady Delacour. I did what anyone would've done. All the credit cannot go to me however. We would've died if it hadn't been for the other woman," Lyra said, trying to be modest.
"I know, but she is not here, and you saved my daughter by buying time for the other woman to fight off the Death Eaters. There are no words to adequately thank you," Apolline said. "And please, we are in private, call me Apolline."
"And call me Jean-Luc. After what you did, you are a friend of the family," Jean-Luc said as Lyra extended her hand to him. He did not kiss her ring, as she was still a minor, and they'd never really talked before today.
"Call me Lyra, then. All my friends do," she said, curtsying at the waist.
"Lyra, then," Jean-Luc smiled. He gestured to the large table that Fleur, Gabrielle, and Lyra had sat around. "Please, sit back down. We were told lunch would arrive shortly. I would very much like to talk with you."
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Far outside the protective wards of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, a very different discussion was taking place.
"Minister, I feel I must protest the astonishing lack of an auror presence at the tournament," Amelia growled.
"I know, Amelia, but what else can I do? The budget was slashed this year for the DMLE, and we need auror to be visible to the public, to reassure them that we have things well in hand after the fiasco at the world cup!" Fudge exclaimed. Amelia took off her monocle and sighed.
"I understand that, Minister, but you are allowed to issue emergency funds to the DMLE if you feel it necessary. I would say that only having a small force of twenty aurors to be security for the entirety of the tournament is just plain irresponsible!" Amelia argued.
"And those twenty aurors will be lost to the DMLE for the year, only making reports to you on the happenings and minor infractions. That's twenty less aurors we'll have for the year. I can't allow you to send any more."
"Then give me a bigger budget, Cornelius. He may or may not be back, believe what you wish," she said, cutting off his usual protests over he who must not be named. "But you cannot deny that the world cup exposed a serious lack of manpower in the DMLE. We need to train more aurors, we need more people to defend this country!"
"I can't do that without causing a panic, Amelia! It send the wrong message when if I were to drastically increase the DMLE budget in a time of peace!" Cornelius argued.
"No, it tells the people that you take these threats seriously! We look weak right now in the eyes of the world!"
"We are stronger than ever, and I will hear no more of this, Amelia!" Cornelius shouted right as an auror and her assistant came in. "We're done here. Go select your twenty aurors."
Amelia stood with an angry huff, storming out of the ministers office followed by the auror and her assistant. "How's the preliminary list?" she asked, rolling her eyes. Her assistant handed over a clipboard with the thirty best aurors on her payroll.
"Alright. I'll see to this this afternoon. When I give you the names back, I want you to have them ready to leave for Hogwarts by the end of the day. Shuffle off their cases to as many competent people as possible," Amelia ordered before looking at the list. She had to choose twenty of her aurors. A few of her best would be gone for the better part of a year. The trick was figuring out which she could afford to send for security, and which she needed to help run the DMLE.
Xoxoxoxoox
Tonks sat at her desk, where she'd been for the last week. He hadn't taken on a single case since Mad eye had declared her fit to be a full auror. She'd been in a funk after everything had gone down with Lyra.
She and her mother hadn't talked in the last two weeks. Not a word. That was fine with her. She didn't want to hear her mum's excuses anyway.
She was looking over a few cold cases when a departmental memo settled onto her desk.
Unfolding it, she read over the contents, and then read over them again.
When she was sure it wasn't a trick or prank of some kind, she stood from her desk and headed for Bones' office.
"Ah, Auror Tonks. If you'll wait one moment, Director Bones is in a meeting. It's almost over though so you might as well just hang around," the secretary said.
Tonks did as was suggested and stood outside Bones' office, fiddling with the small card of paper in her hands, reading it over again. Surely Bones wasn't serious about this?
The door opened, and Dawlish stepped out, looking far grumpier than usual. He sent a glare her way as he stormed back to his office.
"Tonks. Inside!" Bones called from the door. Tonks immediately moved to obey, hurrying into the director's office like a scolded child who'd been caught doing something naughty. "Sit," Bones ordered, flicking her wand. The door slammed shut and the chair pulled out, exactly like it had the last time Tonks had been in this office.
"Boss, I-"
"Save it. There's no arguing out of this. You're the lead auror working security for the tournament," Bones said, scribbling over a few bits of parchment.
"Please, just…give it to someone else," Tonks pleaded.
"I've made my decision, Auror Tonks," Amelia snapped, looking up sharply into the metamorph's eyes. She held her gaze for a few moments before pulling off her monocle. "Look, the decision was between you and Dawlish and Dawlish has no business being a lead of anything with this much diplomatic responsibility," she explained.
"But Director, I've only been an actual auror since the middle of the summer!" Tonks exclaimed. "I've never lead anything."
"Tonks, just say why you really don't want to do this? Is it because of Lyra?" Amelia asked. Tonks sighed before nodding, her hair turning a mousy brown.
"Yeah," she whispered. "She doesn't want to see me. I don't…I don't want pressure her or anything. I…I want it to be her decision on if we ever speak again. I just – If I'm there…" Tonks paused to gather her thoughts. "I don't want it to be a problem but it might, and that might effect my ability to do my job."
"Tonks, that's a load of shite if I've ever seen one. You're scared, yes, but also one of the most dedicated aurors I have at my disposal. I knew this might make you uncomfortable, but I think you can handle it. That being said…it's why I've also decided to send Kingsley with as well. That wasn't an easy choice, mind you," Amelia said. "I think you can handle it, Tonks," she said firmly.
"Right," Tonks hesitantly replied. "Well…I guess that's that, then."
"You leave at the end of the day, so go home and pack. You'll be gathering at the three broomsticks, and rooms have been prepared at Hogwarts for you," Amelia said as Tonks stood and gave a halfhearted nod.
"Alright then Boss," she said before leaving the office.
Amelia watched her go, and was tempted for a moment to warn Lyra, but thought against it. It wouldn't be good to get Lyra fired up over this.
AN: Late update? Me?
Yeah…Late update. Sorry. Hit a bit of writers block and then got wrapped up in other things, but here's an update. A little short, but I think it's good.
Red=angry
Gray=nervous/anxious/irritated
Orange=happy/excited
Blue=sad/overwhelmed
Purple=worried/concerned/frustrated
Green=jealous/suspicious/grossed out
Brown=content/relaxed
Yellow=afraid/shocked
Pink=amusement/surprise/mischievous
Silver=determination
Light blue=embarrassment