She had never ventured further out from the castle before, going beyond that wooden bridge that graced the clocktower courtyard, stuck out like a sore thumb, compared the grandeur of the entire castle… with her turrets and scaling towers seemingly kissing the sky with such ease. Lyra remained side to side with Hagrid as he seemed to take her on, across this mighty bridge that lightly touched the forest that which met the sundial rock formation just beyond. Lyra found herself transfixed by the stunning view of the forest. These gorgeous pines scaled along the Scotland countryside and they adorned the castle's turrets so nicely~ She caught a peek over her shoulder, sighting just how massive this place actually was. Although, her stomach knotted tight with some common anxiety, along with the thought that she was not allowed to leave the grounds alone ever since those detentions. However, this felt different.

At once when they reached close to the hillside clearing of clovers, the two felt more comfortable~

"Has he… ever talked to you?" she found herself asking, whilst keeping the feline close to her chest.

" O'course he has, lass. Ol' Orphie, he… he's seen much fer one so young, y'know?" Hagrid held onto an air of solemness that was far too thick, even for him. "He ~ It is a harsh thing — for him. To trust…"

"Yes, I know…" Lyra agreed, yet feeling her heart sank further, and right then, she realized she was sadder than she thought previously. '…not even me,' she thought cruelly to herself. "Because of me…"

Hagrid furrowed down at her before he came to a gradual stop. "No. Not 'cause of you, darlin'~"

"After what has happened ~ The horrid choices of mine… They only made matters worse. I did not mean to hurt him more, I really didn't. This first year here, it was meant to give that back to me… The trust he had in me… Ever since—" Lyra almost began to cry but strongly refrained. "What am I going to do?" she painfully asked, meeting with the Half Giant's sorrowful, starry brown ones.

Hagrid seemed as though he did not know what to do besides letting her come close with the feline in hand and embraced her close with both of his mighty hands over her shoulders and back.

"He warned me and told me so much, time and time again, and I still messed everything up~" she choked. "Maybe I am just reckless…"

"Naw naw naw, now ye listen to crumbly old me, aye? If I know enough, is that he adores ya more than anythin'~ You light up 'is life. Yer that star in his eye… He's a harsh one 'cause he has to be an' it isn't 'cause of you. Ye learned well, didn't ya?"

"Like a fine kick in the pants, I did."

"Aye~ and just respect the rules he's set and… well, ye didn't hear it from me but um~ He's already forgiven ya. He knows just how strong you really are. We all know that…"

"Oh Hagrid~" Lyra sniffled and wiped her eyes with a piece of her robe.

"Come along~ I know just the thing to cheer ya up!"

Mrs Norris soon preferred to walk on her own, so with one nurturing lick to the girl's cheek, Lyra politely set her down onto the murky pathway so she could tag along while snooping about for a ground squirrel or two in order to pass the time. Alas, it was to let the girl with her own for a little while, given how broken she sounded to her own ear. Yet, while she caught one she followed the two down to the cozy little old hut just down the hill. It was only a single, rounded cottage nestled in a disarrayed garden of gourds and very massive pumpkins still connected to their tight thickened stems. A few bushes of strawberries randomly sprouted amongst them all like innocence trusting the strong against all odds. This place was so quiet with just the wind, the nearside creaks bubbling to the songs of distant birds. Such sweet things was always something to look forward to when life would feel too fast or boring…

Up the cobblesteps, she followed him, where she began to smell the stomach taunting scent of freshly cooked sausage. That with fresh wet grass and misty air and pine, Lyra's senses were overblown. So much so that she was nearly forgetting her problems, at least it was for a little time. Time went so fast as well, since they had been walking for almost twenty minutes, from the castle. Lyra was brave enough to look back at it for a moment, almost stunned at how towering she was. Her new home, admired from afar, it was a just reminder that how massive the changes in her life were. This castle — If she was not mistaken, this place felt so familiar to her, as though she was brought here before. Once in a dream… The changes in her Sire, her whole story, her way of thinking had to change. And if that were true, then her heart had to. How many times had Prince said how proud he was of her, encouraged her and taught her, and that half of what she had to go through was never her fault? None of these frightening shadows and that flash of green, she never deserved to be chased by them. Ever.

The fact that he was the anointed Potion's Master meant so much more than just teaching foolhardy youths how to successfully brew a helpful medicine with wisdom and care ~ A Potion's Master nursed and tended to those who were ill and hurt. As proven with poor Rebecca, with what, Lyra feared, she had. He brewed potions specifically for Madame Pomfrey to use, who too had her own concoctions to assist the restless and the pained. It was a tricky and risky profession~ to have sole responsibility for one's health.

It spoke that this man deemed Orpheus Prince held so much more in a hidden heart that no one could see at first glance. A heart she definitely knew… One that did not need another crack, to make it bleed.

Finally, Lyra turned away from the sight as soon as the heavy door was opened. What greeted her inside was the welcoming spark of a nice fire and the gargled grunt of one large grey loaf resting upon one of the leathered chairs. Mrs Norris wisely hopped up onto the window sill and almost seemed to smirk at the dozy dog meanwhile as the Half-Giant took a large wooden bucket of rainwater and filled up a heated tin kettle that hung over the fire, which came off to Lyra as curious…

"You do things ordinary," she brought up without judgment but with honest fascination.

"Oh? Ah, yeah… most things I do are ordinary…" Hagrid said, almost feeling ashamed of the fact.

"Oh, sir, I love it~" Lyra lightly laughed. "I grew up doing things ordinary. It was something he always encouraged, as he did when he was a child. For the most part… I-I love it because … well, it brings me back to some kind memories, that drown out the bad ones."

"Blessed, you~ Ah, ol' habits die hard, y'see…"

"Not habits. Just routines. It's a strange thing, to have your father be your professor at the same time. Not sure if you can imagine Prince telling me a folk tale, holding a two-year-old me in a quilt during a thunderstorm…then seeing him silence a whole class with his own presence and a single word — it is just baffling."

"Great man, Prince is. A great man!" Hagrid then agreed. "Partnered with Dumbledore, one of the most powerful wizards of the age, I couldn't be any happier fer him. 'specially the day when he fully decided to take you in."

Soon, Lyra was presented with one massive spotted mug (at least it wa massive in her eyes) as she managed to climb up onto one of the leather chairs. Hagrid soon sat himself down as the kettle was still heating, and the two found some solice for a moment, among the large dog's disgruntled huffs towards Norris.

"That loaf there, that's Fang. Had 'im since puppyhood for twelve year so far. A little crinkly, but he guards the garden well enough. From gnomes, fairies an' the lot. A bloody coward though. Got lost once when he got spooked by a fairy. Learned 'is lesson rightly enough."

Lyra gave a warm laugh, reaching down to pet the big dog's nose.

"He does not take to cats, I see." Lyra commented before looking down at the wrinkly grey face. "Be kindly, Fang. She is the castle's eyes and ears, as it were. It would do Hogwarts a great offense."

Hagrid chortled.

The tea kettle soon began to rattle and scream and Hagrid rushed and took an oversized mitten and took the kettle off the iron hook. As some tea leaves and herbs were taken out in some kind of straw net out of the kettle and began to pour the fresh tea into these large mugs. Lavender kindly hit her nose as he poured it into a mug meant for her. Of which Lyra graciously took. The mug she was given may have been half the size of her face but she sipped the hot drink, feeling her stomach grow soothed from her nervousness and it kept her mind sharpened on current events the left no room for cowardice. Finding her way back on the path, this small separation from school and real life were justly needed. Here, her Mark was quieted and all she heard were the birds and the fire. Escort and all, she was happy. Which was another reminder that whatever drama that ran the students of each House amuck was trivial and hardly mattered. Defending her new friends had to be looked at in another way~ A way that even her Sire could easily agree with.

"This is good, sir… Thank you for letting me come with you. I felt a little odd because… well, I used to never be trusted with anybody, really. So this is a spur of the moment, for me." she said before taking another sip.

"Why yer qui' welcome, miss. It is good to spring out of the mundane once in 'er while."

"Nothing about this place is mundane, sir." she began to say before she began to spot more wonders about her, even as they say before a fire. A few sprites sprinkled about giving some sort of sparkle in the air that she thought was curious also. There was green, white… even blue enlightening the dense air of the cottage. Owls, among crows and ravens, called on either side of the hut. "It is truly beginning to feel like home. It really is."

"Home. It is not where ye sleep, it's where the heart is~" Hagrid almost tearfully replied, glad the girl was enjoying herself. "…and there is no safer place."

"Hagrid," Lyra spoke up again, thoughtful. "…if you would know anything going on though, you would tell me. Right?"

Although that particular question was probing, Hagrid understood why she asked it. His promise to the Prince's remained strong that he would always be there for Lyra, such were the times that called for it. Should Orpheus ever vanish under any circumstances, the girl's care would fall to him.

"…because, he did share of what happened in the forest as of late. You were accompanying him."

"It is a solemn duty of the Headmasters and Mistresses to patrol the outskirts through the night, fer the well being of us all. And I, er, I keep watch over the Forbidden Forest." Hagrid continued to explain, quite sadly, in fact.

Lyra was pained to ask that in truth, but all she wanted was to protect her Sire, as much as she could help it. His dismay he had formed for her did not matter as far as that. As her father, it was only part of the package, but she had a very intense intuition that even a wizard as strong as he needed a protector as well. That sweet voice that she always recalled in her dreams, always seemed to come back to remind her.

"I have no care if he is angry with me~ with all due respect. When he told me, I had a horrible realization that he was nearly killed by whoever killed the unicorn. You too, Hagrid?" the worried girl's green eyes tensed with fear.

"Lass, now now. What ye need t'know about that is —"

"Hagrid, sir, please… do not push me away like the others, I am not like any of the students here." Lyra had to harden herself before the Groundskeeper. Hearing him sigh, she continued in a much calmer fashion.

"Yer not givin' up. Merlin, yer just li' him."

"…thank you."

"Aye, fine, lass — Fine. It is our duty to keep the school safe, you see. T'is none of your affair, so stick to what he commanded ye…" "If such affairs threaten his life every day, than I have right to know! Please…? He is all I have, besides my lost parents. I can't lose him even to one lonely night. He is honest with me and so I am certain that he expects that from you too."

"Ah, ya got me there… There are just some things that he wishes to keep hush hush."

"Such as the matter with Professor Quirrell?" Lyra bravely prodded.

"Ah, we figured you'd know all about him." Hagrid grumbled under some hefty breath.

"Know? Quirrell is no teacher, no one of a special role in Hogwarts… He who was caught stalking me at the start of the year. He is why father is always watching and always nearby." Lyra began to go down the nearly endless list of prime examples, almost getting emotional.

Hagrid understood where she was getting at, but Prince was very relunctant at first to entrust him with such a task concerning his charge's inner circle, as it were. The man's heart was bleeding in silence back at Flourish and Blotts, as soft as butterfly wings while masked and hidden off. It was painful to see and listen to that baritone nearly crack at the truth that the future holds. The girl had to be ready before she had to act for herself. She had the bravery and vigor, but she lacked some skill set. She was protective of her rescuer and adoptive family, just as Prince was for her sake. Something was formed here, as crystalline and as brilliant as blue moonlight.

Hagrid came close, taking the girl's hand, tight and sure and with glittering eyes staring back into her own, he began to say…

"These are things that are not meant t'be meddled in, lass. Yer scared and that's a'ight. We're scared too. I be certain that he told ya many things, to keep you on yer toes. But I can speak fer the teachers of Hogwarts that there is nothin' too big or too powerful for us to handle. We keep you and yer fellows safe and happy so ye can learn yer own ways of magic. I know Prince has been hard on ya, an' he has to be hard on ya. He worries when ye don't eat. He worries when he can't find ye and he worries when you get into scuffles. He wants ya to learn and know how to defend yerself. We know who ya are, Miss Prince. We haven't forg'ten that. If he wants ye to stay focused on yer work, than I'd trust that and stick to it. Yer here to become a splendid magician, jus' like him one day. We all vowed to take care o'ya, an' take care o'ya we shall… Stay away from Quirrell, do not meddle, stay with your friends and take care of yerself. Aye?"

Lyra's eyes, as she listened on, were welled up with tears. Feeling the silver ring rub against Hagrid's gruff hand, her little heart began to settle down its beat. He gave her a loving pat on the side of her head.

"Trust 'im. Trust 'im good an' soon, he'll trust you."

"Do you… really believe it will be that easy?" she humbly asked.

"Hm. Yes … and no. It depends on that. How much ye love him. I know from 'xperience that he loves you more than he lets everyone else on. Even to Dumbledore. Yet, it's not much of a secret, never has been."

Mrs. Norris so far had stopped taunting the dozy dog after hearing the upset in Lyra's voice. So, she hopped down to settle down into her lap again as she wiped her eyes with a handerkerchief Hagrid had spared her. Lyra had faith that she was at the safest she had ever been. How could she allow her faith to become so fickle?

"Th-thank you, Hagrid — Thanks." Lyra still sobbed.

If it were not for his created charm, Professor Orpheus Prince would have been panicking. Softly, the ring allowed him so peace of mind that Lyra was with the Groundskeeper for her free hour. There was no rest reserved for him especially these days, even for her and he could easily have a sense that Lyra was very upset, and rightfully so… All this planning and a constant vigil would prove crucial in the long term, even to having to haggle about certain aspects of what this school should view as potentially problematic and helpful to the student body, as a whole. Once again, he had to undergo another council with Dumbledore, just so to keep the castle alone full of protective enchantment besides the matter with the Malfoy Family.

It was due time between merging classes that a private word had to be suffered with… It was in order to have things continue on as planned, and they all had to be fairly careful about it.

Prince was gracefully greeted by one mighty stone guardian Gryphon with both wings, opened and widespread and bent, that which stood within a spacious niche. It took notice of the Professor and slowly lowered its beak just so to size him up. Its eyes held a golden glow. Prince proceeded to close his eyes due to some kind of annoying thought as this guard was anticipating a password, and the Deputy sighed.

"Sherbert Lemon."

Right then, the stone bird's form thus began to rise and a set of stone stairs began to rise from the floor, spiraling upward following the guard. He then took a step through the narrow niche, and eventually, he was led to a small chamber. From there, what greeted him was a heavy door that had magically began to open for him. A warm elderly voice greeted him at once.

"A tremendous conclusion to a perpetual conundrum." Dumbledore wearily stated, shutting one dusty old book, having it float back to whence it once rested among one of the highest, eldest shelves. Prince entered with a natural grace as his eyes scanned over the crowns of the shelves until they landed on the shriveled form hooked upon a stand.

"As it stands, it would become far more of an ulcer should we wait another night, Headmaster." Prince was blunt in his approach to Dumbledore before his eyes were gently drawn to the shimmering lights from the nearby stone basin that stood embraced by a niche of mirrors.

Albus observed Orpheus approaching the Pensieve with such a soft grace that the moment began to come off as rather beautiful. The man had begun as such an angry, frightened youth only to become so well known… So beloved.

The anger was rightfully placed. The distrust was permanent as to why the silver rings were made. Such a quaint little charm just to serve one purpose of providing a parent with a peace of mind… Dumbledore joined Orpheus Prince at the basin as Prince slowly but surely slipped his ring off from his finger, and twirled it about in his hands as though timidly.

"Do what you must, Orpheus. Not long now must we wait, only that our friend has gotten too nosy as of late, too close for comfort…" Dumbledore was stating as he observed Prince gently held the ring in his open palm and proceeded to dip the ring into the crystalline waters of the Pensieve. In his eyes played a scene of his emotional daughter displaying her heart for all to see before an eager listening Hagrid and her assigned escort. As a single father, it was a natural thing for him to feel a slight jolt of anxiousness after acknowledging that she was close to the forest's foot, however, for her to feel that safe with the friendly tamer, he had to fight the impulse to go down and fetch her. She needed to be free…

"…providing that she is as safe as could be, especially under you. This will be a simple task to overcome." Dumbledore's voice broke through the Potioneer's thoughts.

"I had no alternative but to be justly honest with her from the start. She is aware of the dangers we are currently in." Prince then replied, in a voice nearly drawn on in mourning. "All this, may I remind you, is not done for you." he then warned, both in voice and gaze.

"It was never for me." Dumbledore was loving in his old voice.

"So it would seem," Prince tightly took a breath in, as he took the ring out of the basin and lightly dried it by swiping his frock for a moment. He turned towards Dumbledore, seeming more curious than callous. "On top of this growing disgust, we all have been harboring, among this being Lyra's starting year with us. As the first match approaches, the sharper it becomes."

"Indeed, she has worked hard enough to earn our favors again. You have taken good care of her, which was a venture all on its own. As she accompanies you, Quirrell will accompany me, as we carry on our duties as if on any ordinary day. He will not be that dull to try something whilst under our scrutiny. Quidditch would prove useful in your eyes this time around, may I say?"

Prince slyly rose his eyebrows thickly. "If you find adolescents going to and fro in midair, knocking each other senseless endearing, then I have nothing else more to say on that matter." was a sentence so laced with dry sarcasm, that it could scrape along glass. "All I desire is for her to follow her Mark's call and steer clear of the menace, however she is becoming so headstrong," he continued out of sheer annoyance.

"Perhaps that would prove most important when the time calls for it. Instead of a hinderence, this time around, it might become our blessing. The beauty I see though, dear Prince, I am certain that you see it… how much she values you, as her rescuer, her father."

"I am not her real father," Prince stated, in a voice nearly grated, as he remained nearly hunched over the Pensieve. "I was never supposed to be near them," he stated, aghast. "Fate has its way, regardless of past undoing. Regardless of how far I have gone to avoid it, it vowed to find me. Deep into the night, I would simply walk and right in the corner of my eye, I would spy a light. Only a fragment, just like the flash of a star… only to find it gone, in an instant, leaving me to question my own sanity for only a moment, or question the possibility of even being awake…"

"Good things come to those who wait, yes?" Dumbledore hummed, calmly coming over to Orpheus.

Prince replied, rather pained. "…reluctant with the idea, but we have reached an agreement. I am well aware of how much she strives for approval. She is only a child… Her slips are only going to get her into worser danger, more than the thick she is in now. I adore her more than anything in this silly world… I cannot afford to ever lose her, especially to a bout of uncontrollable curiosity. Quirrell is on the move, having eyes set on her. I will lock him low in those chambers with my bare hands! He took the life of that poor foal… and families globally falling like trees, and for what reason may that be?"

Dumbledore nodded tiredly and rose from his chair, gentle in his approach towards the Potion's Master.

"The forest knows… The whole damn forest knows, Albus." Prince continued. "I trust you are up to date or null to the fact that Firenze had noticed theft of specific Moonkissed Quartz stones."

"Only one reason for that would be murderous intent." the elder began, soft-spoken. "Orpheus, dear son, I assure that she will be kept in the safest place. He shall never come near her as we trap the animal with its own desires. Your life however lies in that balance, right so with hers."

"I firmly hold the belief that Quirinus is in creation of a weapon, a poisonous one." Prince pointed out. "… as the obvious stands out so clearly. Moonkissed Quartz are among the sole ingredients for Living Death, next to the root of Asphodel and Wormwood. If that is the case, I do not believe it is her that he wishes to victimize, but… it is I. Throw me aside, and take her. All this meanwhile, living off of the blood of unicorns, it only tells me that he is on someone's orders. Of someone I… S-someone I had once… served —"

"Served not on your own will, Orpheus. Remember that." Dumbledore reminded. "Oh, Quirinus will try. Indeed, but he is but one against many on the chessboard. Not a hair will be touched upon her head, nor anyone else. It is time. Accompany me to the Chambers. There is one more thing I need you to assist me with~"