During break time Lyra found herself sitting in the library, joined by Aisling.
"My birthday's next month, did you know that?" Aisling's voice cut through the silence of the library.
Lyra hadn't known that. "When?"
"October 13th," Aisling said, her eyes in her lap. "Mom says I might have to move in with her after my birthday."
She looked none too pleased at that fact, which Lyra didn't understand herself, seeing as how she was under the impression Aisling loved any time she could spend with her mom in France. But then again near the end of the last school year Aisling's mom had decided she was going to try and have a second child, which could be what was sending Aisling into this view of things.
"Oh."
Aisling looked up at Lyra and nodded, "I don't want to move to France with her, I don't even know how to speak French." That was a lie. Aisling could speak fluent French, German, and Gaelic. She had been taught all three languages when she was just learning to speak, so it was easy for her to comprehend from a young age.
Lyra bit her lip, looking at her book. It was a herbology textbook, and Lyra found she didn't care for it very much. "Why's she making you move there? Can't you just stay with your dad?"
"She mentioned something about family heritage. Don't really understand it myself," Aisling answered, shaking her head with a frown as her eyes scanned over the library around us. Most of the students were starting to migrate out of the library.
Nodding Lyra rested the textbook on the table. Now that she was getting a good look at Aisling's face, she was finally able to notice that she looked nervous. As if she might be keeping something to herself.
"Did she explain it?"
"No."
"Why don't you just ask her?"
"I did. She didn't answer."
Lyra finally decided she wasn't going to get anywhere with the textbook, and closed it before placing it on the table. Folded her hands in her lap, she sat back and instinctively started fiddling with her thumbs. "Oh. Maybe she has a good reason?" Aisling's eyes flickered to the ground, and she gnawed on her lip in silence for a moment. She looked bothered by something.
After a moment she released a breath, before gathering her stuff rising to her feet, "I have to go. Have some stuff to take care of." Lyra's eyes followed her retreating form as she walked past her to the library's exit, and Lyra's nose suddenly twitched as a sharp, bitter scent reached her senses. Her lips curling distastefully,she sneezed. That was weird. Hadn't happened before.
"Gesundheit."
Jumping, Lyra whirled around in her seat, eyes flashing. People rarely were able to catch her off guard so easily, so she was startled.
Remus was standing behind her, his hands raised in defense, "Whoa. Sorry about that..."
Jaw stiff, Lyra turned back around in her seat to face her book. "It's fine," she muttered. The rustle of clothing sounded beside her, alerting Lyra that Remus had sat down in Aisling's now vacant seat.
It was silent for a while, the two of them respecting the silence of the library. Lyra could hear Remus' steady breathing from her seat, it was somehow calming in a way. Every now and then she could feel his eyes roaming over her face, and she tried her hardest to ignore it. It was quite strange how often Lyra found Remus' eyes on her, more often than not when they were both at the Gryffindor table she'd notice him peering her way when he thought no one was looking. It was strange having a boy always have his eyes on her, it definitely unnerved Lyra.
Even Aisling had started to point it out, how sometimes it seems like he was looking straight through her, peering into her very soul. It was a bit unsettling, seeing as how they've only been back at school for a few days, and Remus hadn't stared so often last year. At least, she hadn't noticed he did.
Sighing Lyra tilted her head towards Remus, and seeing his head turn away at the last second a frown came upon her face. "All right?" she asked.
Remus glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, before turning back to the parchment he had laid out on the table. Nodding once, he folded his hands in his lap with a small smile. "James is planning on pulling this massive prank in the boys dormitory, and I got a warning to leave before it all went down so I decided to come here and ah, get a bit of work done."
Slowly nodding she picked up her quill and scribbled a reminder to remember to check out her book for DADA, "Well what are you working on, then?"
Remus laughed nervously and fixed his eyes to the parchment again, "Not sure if I'm supposed to tell anyone, really. Your brother might skin me." He said the last bit with a chuckle, and Lyra sensed there was a joke she was missing out on.
"Well that's alright, no need to share. I imagine my brother can be a bit uh, tedious, at times."
Laughing, Remus nodded. "That's for sure, there was this one time he and James were planning on pranking John Matthews, from Hufflepuff, and Peter accidentally tipped Hufflepuff off..." Lyra hadn't meant to tune him out, but she had noticed her younger brother, Regulus, glaring at her from across the library.
Lyra's younger brother and her definitely weren't as close as Sirius and herself, he hadn't truly spoken to her in about a month. Which Lyra understand under the given circumstances, she was the reason he was raised with a mother that never gave him attention. He has to strive for attention every time they see her, they all do. Sirius was the only one of her three children that seemed uncaring of her lack of attention, and Lyra could admit he was better off that way. Once Regulus saw her looking towards him, he briskly turned around and made his way out of the library, without looking back.
"Lyra?" Remus' voice startled her out of her internal thoughts, she had forgotten they had been talking a minute ago.
"Yes? Sorry, Remus. Something caught my attention, what was it you were saying?"
Blushing slightly, he scratched the back of his neck, "Never mind that, I'm sure Sirius has told you already anyway. I actually have something to ask of you?"
Lyra's steady grey eyes settled on Remus' face, a frown had appeared between his brows. It made him seem older, she noticed vaguely. "What is it?" she asked.
"You're mates with Aisling, yeah?"
Lyra's expression went shuttered immediately, and this was it. This was why Remus was constantly staring at her, he wanted a quick snog with Aisling. Exhaling through her nose, she sarcastically muttered her reply to him, "Not really no, I'm more of a lone wolf myself, actually."
Grabbing her books and parchment, rising from her seat Lyra ignored Remus' stuttered reply, and marched out of the library to her Transfiguration class. Three days in and she already wanted to leave. Later that night, Lyra was sat up in her dorm, huddled up in her blankets with her wand shining on her journal.
Sept 3/ 1973
I saw Regulus today, and as usual he glared at me. All of my wounds are now finally healed, 20 more days to go. Something's up with Aisling, I can tell. I feel as if I should confront her about it but I know I can't. She smells off, and weirdly bitter. Sirius didn't talk to me today, maybe he's finally understanding I'm not interested in spending time with him and his friends. And something about Remus is bringing out a bit of hostility inside me, I feel as if he shouldn't want Aisling. I don't want Remus like that, which is what is mostly off about this situation. I don't want him. I can't have him, I know that I'm already spoken for, in a strange way. I just can't help but wish I wasn't. I'm thinking of writing too mother and father tomorrow, even though Sirius would call it a waste of time on my part.
The itching feeling is finally faded from under my skin, but now I have the feeling something else is going to appear. Always does.
