"James, I'm sorry. I really am, but I can't. There just isn't anything for me to do. You've got to work this one out on your own. I can't get involved," Lyra told him.
James looked at her for a moment, looking hurt. Then, he sighed. "I understand. I mean, I guess if it were the other way around – if it were some girl I hardly knew – I'd want to get to know her myself."
"Thank you."
"But, I mean, I'm sure I'd appreciate a tip from a close friend," he tried one more time, looking hopeful.
"No, James," Lyra told him, as if scolding a child.
"Fine, fine, " James said, holding up his hands in surrender. "But I think that's all the studying we're gonna get done tonight. Go ahead to the common room, and we'll be right behind. A safe distance, as usual."
"You're sure you're not mad? I don't know if I could live with myself if you were mad." At his nod of assurance, Lyra went on to say, "Then I'll be seeing you. Goodnight, James. 'Night, Remus."
"Goodnight, Lyra," they chorused.
"And thanks," added James.
With one last smile, Lyra headed out of the library and up to Gryffindor tower.
On her way to the Common room, Lyra couldn't help but feel bad about letting James down. She didn't regret her choice of not telling Lily, as that would've only made this whole thing more complicated. She really believed James might just have a chance if Lily just took the time to notice how different he had become. However, she also knew that Lily could not be forced to change an opinion. The moment Lyra tried to tell her what to think about James, she would think the exact opposite. All James had to do was follow Lyra's advice, and his wildest dream would finally come true.
When she got to the portrait of the Fat Lady, Lyra said, "Marmalade."
"No, no, dear. The password's changed," said the Fat Lady condescendingly.
"Bollocks. Why didn't anyone tell me?" Lyra said to herself. She then asked the Fat Lady, "Can't you just let me in? I've been going in and out of this portrait hole for over six years!"
"I'm sorry, but it's strictly against my orders. You could very well be an imposter," she answered plainly.
"An imposter that knows the password from this morning?" Lyra yelled in frustration. "Ugh, forget it. I'll just sit here until someone else wanders up." Lyra slumped down against the wall a few feet from the portrait, too angry to be near it. She was only there a minute or so before she heard someone coming down the corridor. She looked up to see Sirius.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" he chuckled. "Get yourself locked out? You know, you have to actually memorize the password or else there's no point."
"Har har. It wouldn't have been a problem if this bloody password didn't just change at random times," Lyra snapped as she stood. "Can you just let me in?"
"But what if you're some Slytherin who brewed a Polyjuice Potion and all you want is to sneak into our Common room?" Sirius asked mock-concernedly.
"Because that's all any Slytherin wants: to break into Gryffindor Tower to steal your stash of whatever the hell you keep in your dorm," Lyra remarked.
"Language, Lyra. Some of us would like to maintain our innocence," Sirius said, putting a hand to his chest.
"Yeah? Is that what you told the last girl you were shagging in a broom cupboard?" Lyra retorted loudly.
"Just because I'm not a stuck-up prude – "
"Whoa, break it up, kids," Remus said as he and James came around the corner. "Star grass," he told the Fat Lady, and her painting promptly moved aside.
"Thank you, Remus," Lyra said tersely.
"Sirius apologizes," James said to Lyra's retreating form.
"No, he doesn't!" Sirius called.
Lyra flipped him the bird as she stepped into the Common room.
"Listen, mate, I gotta talk to you," Lyra heard James say right before the portrait hole closed behind her.
Emmeline looked up from her seat in front of the fire. She was sitting with Lily and a hovering Wizards' Chess board between them.
"What was that all about?" she asked as Lyra.
"I didn't know the password and had to wait around until Black showed up. No help at all. Don't know why I was surprised." Lyra rolled her eyes and plopped down on the sofa next to Lily. "Finally Remus came around and let me in, thank Merlin. I don't know how much longer I could've stayed out there without chewing Black's head off."
"Infuriating, aren't they? Black and Potter, I mean. Remus is the only decent one, in my opinion," Lily said, putting a comforting arm around Lyra.
"That's not what all the other girls seem to think. Even Marlene being pulled into the trap. She hasn't stopped talking about Potions class all day," Emmeline commented.
"What, you mean how Black was undressing her with his eyes? He's disgusting. I've no idea what she sees in him," Lyra fumed.
"Probably the same thing he sees in her," Emmeline said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lyra questioned her.
"I dunno. Just, you know Marlene. When has she ever been interested in a guy for what he's got going upstairs?" Emmeline shrugged.
It was true. Marlene had her heart in the right place, but when it came to guys, she was more like, well – a guy. She didn't give it a second thought if a guy so much as looked at her the right way.
"I guess you're right. Still, I don't like where they're relationship is headed. What if she ends up just another one of his throwaways?" Lyra asked with concern.
"I'm sure Marlene can take care of herself. If anything, he's the one who should be worried," Emmeline reassured her with a smile.
Lyra nodded. "I think I'm gonna go up to bed. I'll see you two tomorrow."
"Goodnight, Lyra," Emmeline said.
Lily gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Sleep tight."
"'Night."
Lyra got up and went up to their dorm, seeing a sleeping Marlene in bed. Once Lyra was in bed with the hangings drawn, she slowly drifted off to sleep, thinking about the advice she'd given James, her little episode with Sirius, and how Marlene could possibly see anything good in him.
The next day, Lyra went down to the Common room early while waiting for Lily to finish getting ready. She wandered about for a few minutes before she heard her name called. Turning around she saw James nudging a reluctant Sirius toward her. He eventually gave in and headed in her direction. Lyra quickly turned back around, but that didn't stop him, as she found he just walked around to face her.
"What do you want?" she snapped.
"I've been sent to apologize," he told her. "Apparently, I acted rudely toward you last night. So, I apologize."
"I only accept apologies from people who mean it," Lyra told him, crossing her arms.
"Hey, I'm not the only who acted badly last night. I think I deserve an apology just as much as you, but you don't see me demanding one from you," Sirius argued.
"I never asked you to come over here! Just forget it, I can't believe I actually thought you'd come over to act decently," Lyra said, beginning to turn around to look for Lily and leave.
Sirius put a hand on her arm to stop her. "Wait, wait." He glanced at James for a split second. "I'm sorry. Truly. Let me make it up to you."
Lyra furrowed her brow. "Why would you want to do that?"
"I dunno. Maybe I just feel badly. Anyway, let me treat you to breakfast," Sirius said to her.
"Breakfast is free," Lyra deadpanned.
"Right, but I have something better up my sleeve. Come on, what do you think?"
Spending any amount of time with Sirius was the last thing Lyra wanted to do, and she wouldn't hesitate to tell him so, except she did have a better reason for not agreeing.
"Unfortunately, Black, I have prior obligations," Lyra told him coldly. "I'm having breakfast with Lily this morning. And most likely every morning after that."
"Come on, I'm sure Evans can survive one morning without you," he said in response.
"Give it up, Black. I accept your apology, how's that? And I, in turn, apologize to you. So now we're even. See you in class." With that, Lyra turned on her heel and headed back up to her dorm.
Charms class that day proved to be quite eventful, as the class was required to practice in assigned pairs on a new charm. Lyra thought the professors at Hogwarts must have a sick sense of humour, as Lily was once again paired with James, not at all an unusual occurrence. Thankfully, Sirius was paired with Marlene, and Lyra had Remus.
It was a long class, with everyone waiting for Lily to explode from something that James did, but nothing happened. James caught Lyra's eye at one point and winked. It seemed he was taking her advice by treating Lily like an ordinary girl. Sirius, on the other hand, didn't have any problem treating Marlene like she was the only other one in the room. Lyra was simultaneously repulsed and impressed at the two's blatant urge to begin snogging right there and the restraint they were showing from doing so.
Being the class right before lunch, when it was over, Marlene and Sirius immediately disappeared, probably to go find a nice broom cupboard to snog in. Lyra, Lily, and Emmeline couldn't help but to discuss the pair as they made their way to the Great Hall.
"How long do you think that'll last?" Emmeline asked the other two.
"I give it two weeks and he finds someone else," answered Lily.
"I say one and she realizes she's too good for him," Lyra commented.
"It's strange, though, isn't it? Black's all over Mar, meanwhile Potter didn't even give you a second glance when Flitwick said you'd be partners, Lil," Emmeline observed.
"Yeah, well I'm not complaining," Lily told them.
"Do you think he's finally moved on? Maybe found another girl?" Emmeline suggested.
If Lyra didn't know any better, she'd say Lily looked concerned for a brief moment before saying, "Good for him. I feel bad for whoever the poor girl is, though." She paused. "I wonder what made him change his mind…" Then suddenly, "No, no, I don't care. He's free to do whatever he pleases."
Lyra wasn't sure she quite believed Lily's supposed indifference. Maybe her plan with James was working. She hadn't expected it to be this fast, at any rate.
That night at dinner, Lyra and Lily were sitting and chatting after having finished eating when they were approached by Remus and Sirius.
"Alright, Lyra, it's time to make up those lost breakfast plans. And I'm not taking 'no' for an answer," Sirius said.
"Can't you see I'm talking to Lily, here?" she responded irritably.
"Ah, yes. Conveniently, it would seem good ol' Moony is here to keep her company." Without waiting for a response, Sirius proceeded to pull Lyra up and out of her chair, and soon they were on their way out of the Great Hall.
"Some may call this kidnapping," Lyra grumbled.
"You really are such lovely company, I don't know why we don't do this more often," Sirius responded sarcastically.
In the Entrance Hall, Lyra thought he was leading her up the marble staircase, but instead he turned to their right side and held a door found there open for her. Lyra had never been this way before, but she recognized it as being where the Hufflepuffs could often be seen entering and exiting.
"What, you're taking me to see the Hufflepuff Common room?" Lyra asked her captor as they descended a staircase.
"Would you just trust me?" he asked in return.
"I don't see any reason to," she muttered, mostly to herself.
Eventually, Sirius came to a stop in front of a giant painting of fruit.
"Yeah, lovely. Is this what we came all the way to see?" Lyra said.
Instead of responding, Sirius began to tickle the pear in the painting, and it turned into a large green doorknob. Lyra couldn't help but be impressed. After all, she had never even been down here. On the other side of the door lay a high-ceilinged room with five huge tables, set up just like the Great Hall. Around the room were various pots and pans stacked up. Most surprisingly, the room also contained what must have been dozens and dozens of house-elves.
"Welcome," said Sirius with a flourish of the arm, "to the kitchens."
Lyra stepped inside. "How did you ever find this place?"
"There isn't a corner of this castle we don't know as well as a childhood home," he answered, taking a seat at the nearest table.
Lyra followed suit, placing herself at the opposite side, and soon a small house house-elf came over to them.
"Master Sirius! What a pleasure. How can Plinky help you?" she asked earnestly.
"Two bottles of your finest butter beer, please, Plinky." He turned to Lyra and said, "Unless Lyra would prefer something stronger?"
"Butter beer's fine, thanks," Lyra answered.
"Right away Master Sirius, Mistress Lyra." Plinky hurried off and returned only a minute later with two cold bottles, placing them on the table between Sirius and Lyra.
"Thank you, Plinky," Lyra told her.
"Of course! Be sure to tell Plinky should you need anything else," she answered.
"We will, Plinky. Thanks," Sirius told her before turning his attention back to Lyra. "So, what're you thinking?"
At the moment, Lyra had only been thinking how amazing it was that she had gone all this time without every really knowing this place existed. The first thing that came to her mind when Sirius spoke, however, was:
"So what's this all about? We hardly ever speak, why the sudden interest in spending time with me?" Lyra questioned.
Sirius sighed. "Well, it's kind of embarrassing… I wanted to talk to you about Marlene," he said, looking away.
"Marlene? Why don't you just talk to Emmeline? She's much closer to Marlene than I am."
"You're easier to talk to than Emmeline. But listen, do you think I've any chance with her?" Sirius asked.
"What are you on about? Didn't the two of you disappear after Charms today to go snog?" responded Lyra, confused about why he was so concerned.
"That's what I thought. But she wouldn't have any of it. Kept trying to talk and all that rubbish," Sirius complained.
Now, that really confused Lyra. It didn't sound like Marlene at all. Sure, Marlene liked to talk, but she'd been known to snog guys she'd just met after a quick greeting. Suddenly, it made sense. Marlene was playing with Sirius; Lyra couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before. Marlene always needed to have the upper hand when it came to guys. With someone with as bad a reputation and as many admirers as Sirius, Marlene was making sure he didn't get to full of himself, thinking he had her in the bag. Lyra could've laughed out loud then and there, but she thought she'd play along with Marlene's game.
"Is notorious womanizer, Sirius Black, losing his touch?" Lyra teased.
"Of course not! I could've handled it myself, I just thought I'd see if the inside sources had anything useful to say on the matter. Clearly, they do not," he told her, obviously trying to hide his bruised ego.
"If you say so, mate," said Lyra, holding in a small laugh.
"I haven't seen you with any blokes lately. Is your love life as dry as your sense of humour?" Sirius grinned cheekily.
"I've more important things to concentrate on than idiotic guys like you," she retorted.
"Like helping James with his?"
"How do you know about that? I literally just gave his some advice last night. Not even advice. I just told him to stop acting like a prat around her," Lyra responded.
"He told me immediately after you two discussed. He's convinced himself it's going to work," Sirius told her.
"He might not be wrong about that. She seemed a little put off today after Charms. Didn't seem too happy that he wasn't drooling all over her. It's weird, though. I thought it would take longer than one class to change her mind."
"Maybe she's always fancied him. Thinks her chance is gone," mused Sirius.
"I don't know about that. She probably just grew so used to it that the change threw her off a bit," Lyra said.
"I wonder if he'll finally get her after all these years…."
"Beats me. At any rate, I don't care what he does as long as he keeps me out of his plans. I don't want any part in his scheming. I feel bad enough letting him tutor me," Lyra mentioned.
The two were silent for a few more minutes until Sirius spoke up.
"Still regretting coming down here with me?" he asked.
Lyra pondered that question for a moment. The time she'd spent with him hadn't been bad at all. She'd even go as far as to say she'd enjoyed it. It was this sort of adventure she'd been longing for all year, granted they hadn't ventured that far into unchartered territory. She was honestly looking forward to doing this again.
"I suppose not." she told him.
"Then to new friends," Sirius said, holding up his butter beer.
"To friends," she echoed, clinking her bottle against Sirius'.
When Lyra returned to her dorm later that night, all of her roommates were there, and she was almost tackled by Lily.
"Where have you been?" she asked Lyra, who now held a hand to her chest trying to get back her breath after being startled by Lily.
"Black just took me down to the kitchens as a sort of apology for the other night," Lyra shrugged.
"You shouldn't have left me alone!"
"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Lyra questioned while seating herself on her bed.
Lily sat down next to her. "While you were gone, I ended up having a long conversation with Remus!"
"So…" Lyra prompted.
"So," Lily insisted, "Potter was there."
Immediately Lyra thought he must have done something stupid to ruin his work in Charms. When Lily didn't elaborate, she asked, "What did he do this time?"
"Well, I mean… He was there. Isn't that enough? Granted, he didn't actually say much to start off with, but – "
"Lily, could it be possible he acted like a normal human being?" Lyra pressed.
"Potter? No, of course n – "
"Lily," Lyra warned. She was too tired to put up with Lily's irrational James-hating.
"Alright, so he was perfectly decent. But it can't be real, can it?" Lily said, scepticism evident in her voice.
"Gee, Lil, maybe he's just different than you remember. When was the last time you properly spoke to him? You probably of it, can you?" Lyra raised her brow.
"I guess not," Lily sighed. "It's just, I know how he is."
"Do you?" Lyra asked. Thinking about it, she was sure Lily didn't know anything about James. She'd never really given him a chance before.
Lily remained silent for a time. Lyra loved Lily dearly, but she had little tolerance for pig-headedness. Slowly, Lily got up and moved to her bed. Lyra decided it was best not to disturb Lily's train of thought, so she instead got ready for bed herself.
Over the next couple of weeks, Lyra watched as Lily and James turned their relationship, or lack thereof, around. Lyra continued her tutoring sessions with James, and during each one he would shell out stories of little moments that had happened over the week. How once James had asked if he could have a spare bit of parchment, she agreed. And later how she had needed to borrow a quill. Sometimes she would greet him when they entered a room at the same time, and she would return his smiles in the corridors. Lyra had seen some of these things take place, but the bigger moments always happened when she wasn't around.
The other day, for instance, Lyra had just entered the Common room after a conversation in the corridor with Sirius when Lily dragged her upstairs to tell her about the one on one conversation she had just had with James. It was interesting to think that had she not run into Sirius at the precise time she did, she may have inadvertently stopped James and Lily from spending some alone time.
Sirius had been spending more time with Lyra lately, after he and Marlene stopped their snogging sessions. Lily had been right in saying they'd only last two weeks, while Lyra had been correct in saying Marlene would be the one to put an end to it. Neither one seemed at all bothered by the breakup of sorts.
In fact, it was just as Lyra's latest study session with James was coming to a close when Sirius entered the library.
"Hey, Prongs, I was just talking to Moony in the Common room. He needs your help with something he's working on. I don't really know the details."
Lyra had heard the use of these nicknames enough recently to know that he was talking about Remus.
James stared at him for a second before saying, "Oh! Oh, right. Yeah, I better go help him. Lyra, we're just about done here, right?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess. I think I've got a good enough handle on this to pass the exam," she assured him with a nod.
"I'll help her put away these books, you better just hurry," Sirius told James, who wasted no time getting out of the room.
Lyra watched as he practically raced away. "Must be some problem Remus has," she mused.
"Hm? Oh, I guess so." He stacked a few books. "Listen, you've done a lot of studying tonight. How about you take the rest of the night off? Relax before our exam tomorrow?"
Lyra thought it over. She did want to get her mind off Transfiguration for a while. "Yeah, why not? As long as we aren't out too late..."
"We'll be back plenty early, don't you worry."
Several hours and rounds of Odgen's Old Firewhiskey from Sirius' stash in the kitchens later, Lyra suddenly remembered the time. She was slightly tipsy, but not enough that she didn't remember that she needed to be well-rested for her exam the following day. She quickly left the room with Sirius, and they soon found themselves back in the Entrance Hall.
"It's past curfew. If we get caught, we'll have more to worry about than a little test."
"Relax, love. We've got nothing to worry about unless we run into – "
He stopped at the sound of a cat mewing behind them. Turning, they spotted Filch's newest cat a few feet behind them.
"That," he finished.
Next thing Lyra knew, they were racing up the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower. She was almost certain they would make it out unscathed until she heard a yell and footsteps behind a corner they were just about to round. Suddenly, Sirius pulled her behind a tapestry and into some sort of passage. She didn't question it, and he eventually led them to the safety of their Common room. Finally, they were able to stop for a breath as they slumped into one of the cushy armchairs in front of the still roaring fire.
"That was fun," Sirius chuckled, still panting from the chase.
"I was sure we'd had it before we slipped behind that tapestry. How'd you know about that passageway?"
"I told you. We know everything about this castle. Now let me catch my breath. I haven't done that much running since James decided we needed some extra cardio before our match against Slytherin."
Lyra laughed. She was pretty worn out too, and the late hour was finally catching up with her. It had admittedly been a good night, one full of the adventure she had in mind when she had started her seventh year, and the warm fire was the perfect way to end it. She just couldn't wait to curl up and sleep.
It was still dark when Lyra's eyes fluttered open. Her body felt weightless in the way it only can in the first moments of waking, and as her shut again, she wondered how long she had until breakfast.
She took a deep breath and moved to stretch her sleep-filled muscles. Her duvet felt tight, and she kicked her legs trying to untuck it.
"Oof!"
Lyra froze. She had seen self-cleaning duvets, some that tucked in their owners on their own, a handful that changed colour based on the user's mood. She had never, however, come across a duvet that reacted to being kicked, and certainly not on her own four-poster in the Gryffindor tower.
She open her eyes again, this time allowing them to adjust to the lack of light. It was not before sunrise, as she had initially suspected. There was a faint stream of light coming in through a crack in the drapes surrounding the bed.
Slowly, she lifted herself up onto her elbows and turned toward the source of the aforementioned noise. In the dim light, she could only make out a mass of dark hair framing a pale face, which led to a neck and – to Lyra's horror – a chest uncovered by both duvet and clothing. Lyra whipped her head around and peered through the bed hangings.
The sun had risen, but only just, and the other three beds in the room contained sleeping boys (definitely not her dorm, then). Rationally, she knew she ought to be upset with the circumstances, but for the moment, she was simply pleased that she had not slept through her exam. That was until the boy beside her shifted, and his arm snaked its way around her waist, pulling her toward him.
Even asleep, Sirius was strong, and she dropped down beside him again with a sound similar to the one he had made when she had accidentally kicked him. She kicked him again.
He mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "Easy, love."
She rolled her eyes, twisted around under his arm and hissed, "Black!" as close to his ear as she could get.
To her relief, his arm released her and moved toward his face to rub the sleep from his eyes. She used this opportunity to lift herself so she was kneeling beside him.
"We've regressed to the use of surnames, have we?" he muttered, his voice thick. "Is this standard protocol for all those lucky enough to bed you?"
She couldn't help it. She smacked his chest. There was a resounding thud.
"You did not bed me!" she said through her teeth. "We were hardly drunk enough for anything of the sort to have happened last night, and anyway I distinctly remember dozing off in the common room. The question is: How did I get here?"
Sirius sat up, and Lyra was relieved to see that he was at least clothed below the waist.
"It was between leaving you there and giving you a bed to sleep in before the exam today," he said in the same hushed tone she had used.
"So you chose yours?!"
"Well I couldn't very well wander into your room, could I?" he asked.
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"Believe you me, I tried. You wouldn't wake up. And even if you had – no offense – but I really didn't trust you to make it all the way up to your dorm alone."
Lyra sighed and peered outside the bed once more. There was no visible movement, but the sun had risen higher in the sky and snoring from the bed against the far wall that ceased. One of them was likely to wake soon.
Glancing back at Sirius, she asked quietly, "Where's my wand?"
"What're you planning to do to me?"
Lyra scoffed. "Despite what ever the thoughts that preside in that enormous head of yours are telling you, Black, not everything revolves around you. I plan to take my wand and get out of here before any of your roommates wake!"
"Oh. Bedside table. Top drawer."
Lyra shot another glance around the room before popping her head and hand out into the open air. She opened the drawer and found her wand right on top. She was glad to note that it was not touching any of the dreadful things she had imagined would be in the troublemaker's bedside table, but indeed had only come in contact with what looked in the dim light to be nothing more than a folded up spare bit of parchment.
Once her wand was safely grasped in her hand, Lyra turned to face Sirius, hissed a quick, "Coming, then?" and rolled off of the bed, landing nimbly (she was pleased to admit) on her feet. Within seconds, she had reached the door and was on her way down the stairs that led to the common room and, more importantly, her own dorm.
It was still early enough that the common room was empty, and for that, Lyra was immensely grateful. She sat down on the arm of the nearest sofa, and waited for Sirius to follow her down. He didn't take long, and soon he was trudging toward her.
Lyra convinced herself that she was either immensely tired or hungover because, try as she might, she could not stop her eyes from running the length of his body. His sleeping bottoms hung dangerously low, revealing toned muscles she was pretty sure her body could not have produced if she wanted it to. He was muscled, yes, but still lean. Nothing like the meatheads she often encountered in Witch Weekly. A glance to his rumpled hair which still maintained its usual elegance had her patting her own dark tresses self-consciously. He stopped in front of her.
"I assume you have more to say?" he said, arms raised lightly at his sides.
Lyra huffed. "What if one of them had been awake last night? Or pulled open your hangings?"
"Obviously I checked first. And we only pull the hanging when we don't want to be bothered. They wouldn't have done anything. Am I even going to get a 'thank you'?"
Lyra wanted to object. She could think of a handful of insults to throw at him. Yet she was reluctant to utter anything harsh. He had shown her a preview of what it was to have fun at Hogwarts. She had woken up in plenty of time to dress, eat a leisurely breakfast, and mentally prepare for Transfiguration. And she had slept soundlessly. She flicked her gaze to his grey eyes, which were peering at her curiously, and down to the floor.
"Thanks, I guess," she said. "For everything."
"Right, well…" he cleared his throat of the small amount of sleep that could still be heard in it. "Now we've gotten over that. Are we okay?"
She considered it. She looked at his face once more and raised a hand in front of her. "No one hears about this."
"Naturally."
"I mean it," Lyra pushed. "Not even James! Promise me."
Sirius brought a hand to face and rolled his head back. "Alright, I promise." He dropped his hand and looked down at her. "It's our secret."
A few minutes later, Lyra was back in the safety of her own dorm. The first signs of life were just occurring in room as she prepared to hop in the shower. It was quick, just enough of a wash to rid herself of any and all proof of having spent the night in Sirius Black's bed.
Emmeline was the only one to comment on how early Lyra was awake, and Lyra was naïve to think she had gotten away with it all until a small while later at breakfast.
She was in the midst of scooping a second helping of eggs and potatoes onto her plate when she glanced down the table to see if there was any pumpkin juice within reach. Much to her dismay, her eyes did not spot a single pitcher of the stuff, but instead landed on the smug grin of Sirius, who sat gorging himself a ways down. Of course, she had not been looking for him, and if she had been, he would not have known it; being that as it may, what he did not know was that she was not looking for him, nor that he would not have known had she been. In the end, she was still without pumpkin juice, Sirius was certainly contented with the notion that she had indeed been looking for him, and Lyra received a cheeky wink from the utter buffoon.
"Did Black just wink at you?" Lily asked from beside her.
"What a good question," Lyra commented, not at all as condescendingly as the phrasing might suggest.
"I should think so," Lily responded without missing a beat. "And I'll try my hand at another. What kept you out so late last night? It was a couple of Slytherins on rounds – you're lucky that lot didn't catch you."
"What?" Lyra said, turning to face the girl. "You don't believe I was in the library and lost track of time?"
"And I still want to know what business Black has winking at you."
Lyra pulled out the guiltiest face she could manage, which was not particularly difficult. "You've caught me, I suppose. I did not, in fact, return to the seventh year Gryffindor girls' dormitory on evening past. Instead I found myself sleeping peacefully in the arms of one Master Black until the break of dawn."
Lily gaped at her. Lyra stared back. There were fewer students around them than there had been before. A smile broke out across the face of the redhead.
"Lyra," she said, "please don't ever enter the world of acting."
Lily turned her attention to the bowl of Cheery-Owls in front of her, and Lyra turned away, eyes wide with disbelief. Lily was losing her edge. Once again, Lyra's eyes met those of Sirius.
She did not imagine that he had nothing better to do than eavesdrop on a conversation between two teenage girls, and if he did not, she further speculated that he was rather too distant to have heard any of it. But then again, the crowds had thinned as the younger students had rushed out to be early to class, and Lyra could hear snippets of the animated, apparently one-sided, conversation that James was having with Remus about some professional Quidditch team or another just a seat down from their friend. Their friend who had his eyebrows raised almost imperceptibly and his jaw slackened to the same degree as he stared at her.
Lyra felt the corners of her mouth upturn as she sent him a cheeky wink.