Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the characters, plot-lines, dialogues from the shows, or books.
I do own Lyra Persephone Malfoy, her backstory, the storyline, and any additional characters that do not belong to Harry Potter books or movies. Characters in this story may not have the same opinion as you. These characters are all fictional.
OC - Elle Fanning as Lyra Malfoy and Tom Hughes as Tom Riddle AKA Lord Voldemort.
P.S: Don't ask why I came up with this unusual pairing. Neville's a girl in this - Anette 'Nettie' Longbottom.
Lyra's days have become a little more peaceful, and even though she never thought she would be thankful to Marcus Flint of all people —well, here she was.
Every day they both dueled, and every day, Lyra won, and at the end of each day, Flint would demand a rematch. At the end of the duel, they both grew exhausted and were literally dead on their feet. With their body aching, all they wanted is to give in to the darkness and sleep.
Fortunately for her, even when Flint managed to get her a good few times, he didn't put an end to their daily duels. Marcus decided Lyra was a formidable duel partner and asked her if they could continue. And Lyra wasn't going to lose the opportunity to rest peacefully at night without her past haunting her. So she agreed without any reluctance. And after a week or so, it had become a routine of sorts.
Lyra also knows Flint was suspicious about her new-found dueling skills. Because it had only been less than a year that she had sunk to her knees, gasping for breath in the dueling club conducted by Gilderoy Lockhart after being hit with a tickling charm by Harry Potter of all people in the wizarding world. And Flint had commented about it too many times, not quite believing she had learned the NEWT level spells during the holidays. But Flint, being a Slytherin understands the significance of secrets, how lethal and powerful they can be, so he didn't push it.
Not that Lyra would have told him a lick about it anyway, even if pried.
However, a lot of students had, of course, seen the couple together so often that a rumor came to life that they were dating. It traveled through the school like wildfire. People can be stunningly unobservant, Lyra thought. Besides, Lyra wouldn't have given them much thought about such things, but when her mother sent her an owl demanding to know if it was true, she could no longer ignore it.
As the only heir to Malfoy's fortune, Lyra was quite a catch among other noble houses. And unlike other heirs and heiresses, she didn't have any fixed betrothal contracts, making her available to many suitors. So it wasn't a surprise her mother demanded to know if she was really dating the Flint heir.
But how could Lyra explain to her mother and make her believe that Marcus bloody Flint is not interested in anyone that isn't Oliver Wood?
Lyra also knew Flint would never say anything against the rumor in hopes to not jeopardize the perfect opportunity to get his parents off his back. But in no way was Lyra letting him get away to deal with the mess all on her own.
Those demanding circumstances got to where they were now.
"Alright, Ladies," Lyra began in a cajoling tone. "Do you know just how badly my reputation will be ruined if someone were to see you two snogging in this broom closet?" She put her fingers on her mouth and widened her eyes, "The Scandal!" she imitated. "What if people start announcing that me being your girlfriend has turned you against dating any other girls, that you had to go get it from our arch-enemy, the Gryffindor Captain?"
"The fuck Malfoy?" Flint sputtered, looking stupified, covering Wood from her view. He took a quick glance behind the grey-eyed girl to see if anyone was there with a camera. "How the bloody hell did you find us?"
"It's called a Disillusionment Charm," Lyra faked a smile, twirling the wand in her hand. "Does quite the wonders, you know?" She paused, rolling her eyes, "You can come out now, Wood. No point in hiding."
Wood peaked over Flint's shoulders and saw the situation wasn't as bad as he expected. "You perfected a fifth-year spell?" was the only thing he could say.
"And?" Lyra said in a 'so what' voice.
"What do you want?" Flint asked, at last, with a solemn expression, mentally preparing himself to lose half his property.
"I want you to stop these tumors about us," Lyra folded her arms across her chest. "I don't care what you will do, but I don't want another letter from my mother about this matter." She paused a beat before continuing. "Also, I want you to be a little more subtle when you come to meet me for our next duel. I already have a place in mind. Come to the seventh floor after your patrol."
Flint scrunched up his face in slight distrust. "That's it?"
"Yeah," Lyra said, "Let's say with this, I have paid you back for your valuable insight that helped me in dealing with my problems." With that said, she pivoted on her heel and made her solitary way up the deserted hallways and back to Slytherin dungeons. Without turning, she hollered over her shoulders. "Good night, Captain. Let us all forget I was ever here today."
Things went back to normal after that. With the duo Slytherins' using the Room of Requirement; and Flint's influence and intimidation among his peers and other students, things grew quiet. The rumors died down at the same speed they began, and Lyra didn't get another letter from her mother regarding the matter.
Flint had, of course, questioned how she had come to know about the mysterious room within the walls of Hogwarts. Well, Lyra couldn't bloody well say she learned about it while she was stalking Harry and trying to help the pink toad called Umbridge to out Potter's DA and sack Dumbledore, now can she?
A fat lot good that did.
So, in the end, Lyra said Professor Snape showed her of it. It was not a secret the head of Slytherin favored Lyra. So it didn't raise other suspicions from the older guy. And with her Godfather in a particularly vindictive mood these days, courtesy to the Nettie Logbottom's boggart incident in the first defense class, Lyra didn't even have to worry about Flint discussing the details regarding the come and go room with her Uncle Sev even by accident.
The rest of September ended without much of the fanfare. Lyra didn't particularly encounter any of the Gryffindors or Potter's gang, except for Granger, who became her bench partner for the rest of the school year in the Arithmancy class. The muggleborn often took it upon herself to inquire about the upcoming assignments whenever she catches Lyra's eyes in the library. It wasn't Lyra's fault Lyra was extra good at solving the problems she had already solved in her past life. And then there was Oliver Wood, who seemed to be appearing everywhere these days.
So, maybe, she should've specifically urged Flint not to tell anyone about the Room of Requirement when she first showed it to him— then, perhaps, he wouldn't have used their secret dueling room as an upgraded broom closet for their makeout sessions. However, unlike Granger, who can't seem to look, or notice who exactly she is talking to while working on a problem, she and Wood wouldn't communicate— they just acknowledge each other with their eyes. Small mercies, Lyra decided.
As October rolled in, every Quidditch fan became excited about the upcoming Quidditch season. Marcus Flint, Captain of the Slytherin team, called a meeting one Wednesday early morning to discuss a few unorthodox tactics for the new season.
There was a quiet sort of resolution in Flint's voice as he addressed his six fellow team members in the chilly locker rooms on the edge of the brightening Quidditch field at the crack of dawn.
"We have one the Quidditch Cup for the last 7 years now," Flint told them, striding up and down in front of them. "Then the tournament getting called off last year...but that doesn't matter as no one in particular won. However, this year, all the remaining three houses will be fighting very hard to see someone else's name on the Cup. But we can't let them. This will be my last year as the team captain, and I want Slytherins to win the Cup by any means necessary—"
Derrick, a Slytherin team Beater, snorted, interjecting. "I think with the Gryffindor team's luck, Potter would do something that will land him in the hospital wing, and they will be eventually forced to call off the game, leaving us to deal with the other two."
Montague and Warrington, the fellow chasers of Flint, guffawed in agreement, while Bole, the other Beater, and Bletchley, Keeper of their team, snickered lowly.
"What are you thinking, Malfoy?" Flint addressed the seeker, who seemed deep in thought. It wasn't like Malfoy if she didn't laugh at the expense of Harry Potter.
"Nothing," the pale-eyed witch muttered, "I am just thinking it's entirely possible. With the dementors roaming on the school grounds and Potter's particular aversion for them, I think it isn't impossible that he wouldn't fall to his death when he sees one flying over his head during the game."
The team exchanged a glance, probably thinking the same diabolical plan, but Lyra stamped on that one with absolute conviction.
"You are not assigning someone to dress in a black cloak and scare away Potter," Lyra announced. "If someone were to really encounter the Dementors, they will just piss themselves if they cannot perform a bloody Patronus charm. And we are not letting a Slytherin die just because we got it in for Potter. Nothing's more pathetic than dying for him."
"That's true," Warrington agreed. "If it wasn't for Lupin, half the students on the train would've been admitted to our hospital wing."
And so, it didn't take long for Lyra to thwart their plan and vindictive spirits before they could go on any further. The last time Lyra, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint tried that stunt, they lost fifty points each and earned detention from a furious Professor McGonagall. Lyra was definitely not looking forward to being the schools' subject of ridicule in this lifetime. Oh, the embarrassment it caused the last time.
Within no time at all, the meeting ended, and the team decided the training schedule will be four mornings a week starting then.
One Friday, Lyra woke extremely early, so early that it was still dark. She checked to see it was past four in the morning, but Lyra didn't have any Quidditch practice that day, nor does she have any assignments to complete. With nothing to do and finding it hard to go back to sleep, Lyra got up from her comfy bed and got dressed for the day.
Just when Lyra thought she would while away the hours until dawn, in front of the fire in the Slytherin common room, with a book of her choice, her stomach rumbled, needing a quick snack. Lyra headed through the portrait hole alone and made her way down a flight of stone steps. Within no time at all, she found herself to a broad stone corridor, brightly lit with torches and decorated with cheerful paintings. The Malfoy heiress stood in front of the picture of the giant fruit bowl, stretched out her forefinger, and tickled the green pear. It began to squirm, chuckling, and suddenly turned into a green door handle.
Lyra had come to know about the kitchens from Theodore Nott of all people in her sixth year. Even though they both knew each other for years, Lyra had struck a friendship with the solitary boy in her fifth year. If Lyra remembered correctly, Nott had dragged her to the kitchens and all but forced food down her throat when he saw her pale-deathly face, after having spent countless nights awake planning to please the Dark Lord and playing spy to Dumbledore.
Nott, as part of the Dark Lord forces —though unwilling and in an attempt to appease his father— knew Lyra was tasked to atone for Lucius Malfoy's shortcomings, even if he wasn't privy to the detailed plot. Yet, seeing his only friend getting worried sick of herself, he took it upon himself to take care of her.
Lyra let out a sigh when she thought about her friend. She could imagine the predicament she pushed him to when she left the Dark side to spy for the light. There was a reason Lyra didn't involve herself with Theo when she came back. She killed his father, after all —in a pathetic attempt to not blow her cover when Nott. Sr got to know about her false loyalties. Even if it was Uncle Sev who made the poison and killed him without leaving any trace, making it look like a natural cause, in the end, it was done because of her —by her.
There was a reason she avoided going to the astronomy tower— where she spent days plotting and planning or the Kitchens where Lyra could still relive the days she didn't kill her friends' only family like it was nothing. It didn't feel right for her to sit there and reminisce about the stuff she wasn't fond of —things she didn't deserve.
So without another look, Lyra left the kitchens with a couple of toasts the elves already prepared for her and went outside of the confined castle walls that seemed to not let her breathe for some reason. After what seemed like hours, Lyra found herself on the edge of the great black lake, away from Hogwarts Castle. She plopped herself down on the lakeshore and took a deep breath, staring at nothing in particular.
She dropped the packed toast in her lap, and buried her hands in her hair, and shoved it back away from her face, letting out a harsh breath with her eyes closed. When she looked up again, she couldn't help but yelp and fall backward when her gaze landed on an enormous black dog. The dog took a step back when it saw Lyra pointing her wand towards it, ready to cast a spell and defend herself.
"Fuck," Lyra muttered harshly, sitting up straight and lowering her wand when she saw it was just a Grim. "Where the fuck did you come from?" she asked, only to shake her head seconds later at her stupidity for both asking a question to an animal and being absolutely scared by it seconds ago.
When the Grim didn't leave after a few seconds, Lyra raised her eyebrow at it, "What— What do you want?" she asked, narrowing eyes at the shaggy black dog. Her eyes landed on the toast in her lap, and with a scowl, Lyra unwrapped the toast and held it out for the animal to eat. "I guess we can share," she murmured to herself as she held the other one in her left hand.
The dog eyed her with an expression that looked something akin to suspicion, but Lyra shook it off, thinking she was just being imaginative and overly paranoid. Once Lyra completed feeding the nicely buttered toast to the jet-black dog, she carefully unpacked hers and took a bite off her food.
She turned her head to the side to see the dog staring at her food, still hungry. "Hey, I am hungry too," She scolded it, and Lyra swore to Salazar she saw the dog rolling its eyes at her. Still, when she decided to ignore and eat the remaining bread, she couldn't. With a bitter expression and a huff, Lyra gave the leftover food to the unsatisfied Grim, who ate it without a single once of dignity.
"Don't expect me to do this again," She said, with a biting tone as she watched the canine chomp at her food. "You should feel lucky, you know. Malfoy's are never one to share." The dog stilled for a split second at her family name, but Lyra didn't notice it as she cast her eyes towards the great lake, not minding the beast next to her.
Lyra stayed like that for the next few hours until the first light of dawn rose over the horizon. At long last, Lyra thought it must be time for the other students to get ready for the day, so she headed back into the Castle, giving one last glance to the Grim.
So what do you think?
I decided to go for a Flintwood pairing. I heard it was quite popular, so I thought it might be fun. And of course, Lyra met Sirius, though she doesn't know about him being an Animagus since Sirius kinda died during Harry's fifth year, and Lyra joined them only in her sixth year.
BTW, did you know Nott is so intelligent that he created two illegal time-turners for Lucius Malfoy in 2020, according to cursed child? I didn't.