The Youngest Malfoy
Chapter 12: Lyra's Birthday
Her parents and brother were sitting on her bed with her and they were sharing a breakfast containing her favourite things. Though she couldn't eat much of it, it was still rather tasty and enjoyable. Her baby was asleep in the cot next to her bed, and she kept glancing between her family, her baby, and the pile of presents at the very end of the bed.
It was her birthday.
She was fourteen… again.
And she had a baby.
And this time it was the thirtieth of July rather than the thirty-first.
It was weird.
And yet she felt no different than she had the previous year, other than the extra pain.
It was also weird because she had an actual family to spend it with. Her parents, her brother, and her baby.
The pile of presents wasn't as large as the piled Dudley received each year, but it was still a large pile to her. It felt like too much.
She didn't deserve it.
She was nothing.
Fred and George's present was at the top of the pile. She hadn't opened it. She didn't want a howler, despite knowing that they would just send it to make her laugh again.
She glanced over at the flowers they had given her and blushed slightly at their beauty, and the fact that they took the time to remember her favourite flowers and make a bouquet for her.
She sighed and turned back to her food.
"Are you okay, baby?" her mum asked, concerned.
"Mhm," Lyra hummed, "Where's Sev and grandpa?"
"Sev is meant to be here, but he floo'd this morning to say that he may be a bit late due to an emergency he would fill us in on when he was able to get away. Tom is meeting with our lawyer this morning and will be coming in to see you as soon as he is done," her dad said and she nodded in understanding.
"How is everything going?" she asked her dad quietly, needing to know what was happening, and yet also not wanting to know.
Really she just wanted to forget everything, she was actually rather grateful that she couldn't actually remember her marriage or Ron… well, yeah. She just wanted to forget everything.
"We were going to tell you later, but your… Petunia and Vernon have been arrested by the muggle police, although the case is being completely covered by squibs and muggle-borns who work with the muggles, and once they have been sentenced; which they will be even without your testimony thanks to the evidence collected at the house, including the… cupboard, and your cousin happily telling them what happened in the house, at your primary school, and such; they will serve five years in muggle prison, which I have heard is quite bad for child abusers, then they will be brought to work in the goblin mines here in Gringotts for the rest of their lives for hurting a magical child,
"Things with Dumbledore and the idiots are taking a bit longer due to the influence he has. But, we are gathering evidence on everything he has done to you, and for a multitude of other things he has done. And when the time is right we will start releasing things to the press and undo the influence as quickly as we can and eventually take him to trial also. That is unless he does something completely idiotic which gets everything cleared up earlier, which would be nice as I need to see him punished for everything he has done to you, and the baby, but I also do not want to see what he will resort to," her dad said, his voice going through many changes as he spoke, from calmness, to anger, to well, a lot of emotions.
She just nodded, her throat bobbing at the information.
"Right, let's move onto happier topics, shall we? It is Lyra's birthday after all," her mum said, smiling at her daughter before placing a kiss on Lyra's forehead.
"When do you want to open your presents?" Draco asked, a beaming smile on his face.
"Erm, I don't… I don't know. I've never really… Erm, when do you usually open your presents?" Lyra said, looking down at her legs, the tray of food that was there had vanished when she had finished eating what she could.
"Usually straight after breakfast, but you can open yours whenever you want," Draco said gently.
"Yes, sweetie, you can open your presents whenever you are ready. It is your day after all," her mum said, taking Lyra's hand in hers and squeezing it comfortingly.
Lyra just nodded again.
The door opened and shut quietly and Lyra looked up to find Severus and her grandpa walking over to her with small smiles on their faces. Though she could tell that Sev was rather tense and worried also.
They both kissed her on the forehead and she melted into their touches.
"Happy birthday, Lyra," Severus said gently to her.
"Happy birthday," Tom said as he sat in the chair next to the bed, in front of the cot.
"Thank you," she muttered as she melted into Severus' arms as he sat next to her. It had been a few days since she had seen him and she needed to feel his comforting hold again.
"You okay, sweetie?" Sev whispered to her.
"Mhm," she hummed again, resting her ear over his heart so she could listen to the soothing beats, "What was the emergency?"
"I don't think we should ruin your birthday with that right now, Lyra," Sev said, his voice gentle.
"It's not like I've ever celebrated my birthday before, my fake one or my real one. I don't really know what I'm doing. And I want to know. I… Only if you wanted to tell me anyway," she said unsurely.
"Well, you deserve to celebrate your birthday properly now," Severus said, "But, if you really want to know, I suppose I can tell you now. Just this once, of course. Next year, when things have calmed down and you are safe, we will have a proper celebration, without all these extra worries,"
"Okay, what's going on, Sev?" she asked nervously.
Severus sighed tiredly, "Dumbledore knows you aren't at the Dursleys. He also knows they have been arrested. But he can't find them, and he can't find you. So he is panicking, and that is putting it lightly. He called the Order together, including the two youngest Weasleys and Miss Granger, and the three are also panicking. He has the Order searching everywhere for you and he has said that he was going to try some of his own methods to find you, but he hasn't divulged what methods they are. I will find out though, no matter what. We need to keep you and the little one safe," Severus said, his voice still gentle.
But she couldn't help but worry.
Dumbledore knew.
He knew that she wasn't where he put her.
He knew that she was gone.
He was trying to find her.
He was trying to find her baby.
And he would.
She knew he would.
She could feel it in her bones.
He would find them.
R-Ron would find them.
"Lyra, it's okay, breathe for me. You're alright, everything's alright. He won't find you, I promise. We'll protect you," her mum said, her voice meant to be soothing.
But Lyra couldn't help but panic.
He would find them.
He would find them.
He will find them.
…
She woke up blearily to find Severus lying next to her, looking at her with sad, apologetic eyes.
"I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have told you. I should have waited until we were done celebrating your birthday," Severus said, and she smiled at him sadly.
"It's okay, Sev. I wanted you to tell me. And as I said, I'm not used to celebrating my birthday, so it doesn't really bother me. This is the best birthday I have had just because I got to have breakfast, with my family. And you are here, and grandpa. I am glad I know now. The sooner the better, you know," she sat up and moved to the edge of the bed when she heard her daughter let out a whimper.
She carefully picked up the baby who's face was screwed up and the baby was quick to nuzzle into her chest. She blushed slightly as she moved to lean back against the headboard of the bed and pulled her knees up, and lowered the sleeve of her top to feed her baby.
She needed her baby close in that moment.
Yes, she still didn't know what to do, but she loved her and she needed her close whilst she tried not to worry about her safety.
"Where is everyone?" Lyra asked as she looked around briefly to find that Severus was the only one with her.
The pile of presents still sat at the end of her bed, though.
"They are warning the goblins that Dumbledore knows you are missing and he has people, as well as himself, searching for you. There will probably be some extra security measures now, but we will see. The lawyers are also being warned, as well as a few others, including some of the inner circle so that they can keep an eye on things elsewhere. They will be back soon and you can open your presents," he said.
"Okay," she whispered, "Erm, why do I have so many? I mean, I am grateful for them, don't get me wrong, it's just… why? I don't deserve them. I… I don't need them. I… Why?"
He smiled at her, placing a kiss on her hair, "You do deserve them, try to believe me, and the rest of us, when we say that you deserve all the presents in the world. We are also trying to spoil you… to make up for lost time partially, but also because you deserve it. You are worth it, and all the stars in the sky,"
They passed some time in comfortable silence as she tried to believe him, but it was rather difficult. She really just watched her daughter feed, though.
It was fascinating.
It was weird.
But it was beautiful.
Seeing her tiny hand reach up for something to grab, and her pale cheeks bob as she drank.
She loved her daughter more than anything else in the world, despite everything.
She couldn't not love her. She had spent so long longing for a family of her own that it was difficult not to, not that she had tried not to love her. And even though she now had her family in her life, there was still something about it that felt… unreal. Like she was just floating in a dream. She wasn't used to it. She wasn't used to the love, the care, the gifts, the bonds. She didn't know how to be a daughter.
Not that she knew how to be a mother.
But her daughter felt more real. More special. And yet she was terrified of doing something wrong, of becoming like the people she thought were her relatives, of her baby being hurt by anyone or anything. She was terrified of Dumbledore, and Ron. She may not have her memories, and she was sure that she wouldn't get them back, she couldn't deal with them, but he terrified her.
Everything terrified her.
Everything was so confusing, and scary, and new.
Despite all of that though she loved her daughter. Her daughter was beautiful, special, real, and the most important thing in her life.
And yet she still didn't know what to do.
She hadn't even thought of a name for her.
Dumbledore was after them both.
Ron was after them both.
How could she keep her baby safe when her baby needed to be here, to heal?
How could she keep her baby safe?
The door opened again and she looked up to find her parents, brother and grandpa entering the room, closing the door softly behind them. She blushed as the baby finished feeding and she moved to burp her, Severus had placed a cloth over her shoulder for her already.
"How are you feeling, baby?" her mum asked as she sat on the other side of Lyra. Her dad and brother sat opposite her on the bed, and her grandpa sat in the chair he was in before her panic attack.
"Tired," she said quietly, smiling slightly as her baby girl let out a little burp.
"Are you ready to open some presents?" Draco asked happily.
"Erm, sure," she gently passed her baby to a shocked, yet awed, Severus, she didn't want to put her baby in her cot yet. She wanted her close.
Draco started passing her presents and she opened them, not really sure how to react to everything and feeling slightly more overwhelmed with each new gift.
It was just basic things mostly; new clothes, some necklaces, some earrings, an art set, some chocolates, some books, etc.
But the amount of presents was overwhelming her. She didn't know what to do. She didn't deserve them. Though she thanked them all after each one she opened.
What was she meant to do with the wrapping paper?
Did she have to clean it up after?
She could do that.
She would do that.
Fred and George gifted her with the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. The amulet on it was stunning and seemed to be a bunch of strands of silver woven together to form the protection rune they had created together the previous year, the rune was encircled by vines and leaves of silver strands, interwoven with tiny crystal chips of various kinds.
She had tears in her eyes as her mother helped her clasp the necklace around her neck, and she felt a warm thrum of magic coming from the amulet, the twins' magic, as she settled back against the headboard.
It was all a little much as she accepted her baby back into her arms and thanked them all profusely for the gifts, feeling like it wasn't nearly enough with all that they had spent on her.
She didn't deserve it.
She didn't deserve the cake that she had been gifted with after either.
None of it.
She wasn't special.
She wasn't worth it.
And yet they kept telling her that she was special.
That she was worth it.
That she did deserve it.
She wanted to believe them.
Really, she did.
But how could she?
Why was she such a mess?
Why was everything so confusing?
Hiya, how are you all?
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Lyra's a bit of a mess, but so am I, so, ya know, gotta release some emotions somehow I suppose, haha.
I have a Facebook group called Maraudering_Paige which you are all welcome to join if you would like to and are able to. It is where we can talk about Harry Potter, fanfics, life, share memes, and more. It is also where I have an update schedule and will be keeping you up to date on what I am working on, both with original works and fanfics, as well as with some other bits and pieces that I do, or want to do. So, if you are interested then feel free to join, I am happy to accept anyone into the group.
I hope you are all having an amazing day! It is snowing where I am.
Kind regards,
Paige xx