Chapter 3: Eavesdropping
Lyra never had a chance to question Professor Snape on his motives. Maybe it was her lack of preparation during Potions that kept her working until the bell, or perhaps she didn't really want to question him. Professor Snape, she had learned, was not someone to be toyed with, no matter what house a person was in. But being in Slytherin had proved to be useful for Lyra. Anything she could have ever wanted- or needed- was at her fingertips, thanks to Professor Snape.
Something about him made him oddly comforting, at least to Lyra, but she would never admit that out loud. Maybe he was the father-figure she never had. Maybe they had a lot in common…she was the dark, silent type too…Whatever it was, Lyra quickly forgot it one morning at breakfast.
"Have you read the papers yet, Lyra?" Draco smirked from across the breakfast table. "I never read the Daily Prophet, Draco. You should know that. I don't like puking before breakfast…" Lyra absently buttered some toast. He rolled his eyes, and threw the Daily Prophet over her plate. Jumping back as bits of egg flew on her robes, Lyra grabbed the prophet to see what Draco's gloating was all about.
"Lucius Malfoy released from Azkaban, full pardon made…" Lyra read. She smiled. "Congratulations, Draco. I'm sure you and your mother are elated." She handed Draco back the newspaper and picked her breakfast off her robes.
"I found out last night, got an owl from Mother, you know," Draco bragged. "But I wanted to keep the secret until this morning."
Lyra rolled her eyes. He couldn't help but show off. Lyra knew he was excited about his father's release and full pardon. How Lucius got a full pardon was beyond Lyra, but she was excited nonetheless. She knew how much Lucius meant to Draco, he was forever talking about his father. By the way Narcissa Malfoy talked, Lyra could also tell Lucius was smitten with his only child. Draco was spoiled, that was obvious. But it seemed Lucius wanted to take Draco under his wing and teach him everything there was to know.
If Draco did something wrong, however, Lucius was quick to point it out and scold his son. Mistakes could not be tolerated. Even so, Lucius was proud of the way his son was brought up. A tough, strong background, a solid, pure blood line, excellent schooling, and a strong will.
A few weeks after Lucius's release from Azkaban, Draco received another positive letter from home.
"My father's coming to the Quidditch game this Saturday," Draco loudly announced in the Slytherin Common Room. Rolling into a green velvet armchair near the fire, Lyra could hear every word Draco was saying. "I knew there was a reason I got a new broom. Even Potter doesn't have a Firebolt X1000."
"A Firebolt X1000? Even some international Quidditch teams don't have it!" shrieked Pansy excitedly. Lyra rolled her eyes. Pansy couldn't care less about Quidditch, let alone what brooms were ridden by international teams.
"Don't touch it, Fitch, I've just polished it," Draco said to a 3rd year. Lyra heard the smack of flesh being hit, and someone whimper in pain. Draco must have slapped Fitch's arm. Lyra got up out of the comforts of the chair and headed to the small group that was gathered around Draco.
"Draco, that's enough. Put that damn broom away," Lyra said.
"Oh? And what are you going to do if I don't?" Draco taunted, laughing. He turned around to his fan club, which included many 1st and 2nd year girls. Draco began spouting off facts about the Firebolt X1000 as girls giggled in the background. Lyra pulled out her wand.
"Draco, put your damn broom away," Lyra said, struggling to keep her voice calm.
Draco turned around again. "What are you going to do, Lyra? Curse me?" Draco laughed.
"When I'm through with you you're going to wish that's what I've done," Lyra threatened, taking a step closer. Draco didn't seem to falter.
"Quit faking, Lyra. Go study with your mudblood friends. In fact, why don't you go be a Gryffindor?"
Lyra laughed. "I wouldn't be a Gryffindor if my life depended on it. I couldn't stand spending my time with my head that overly inflated."
The group standing around Draco laughed, loudly. Draco scowled.
"Then go hang out with your mudblood friends."
"She's helped me study a few times, Draco. You're jealous because she's done better than you in just about everything," Lyra retorted.
Draco mocked a laugh. "Me? Jealous? Of her? You can't be serious, Lyra. Why would I be jealous of a mudblood? Her parents are muggles. The Malfoys are one of the last remaining pureblood families."
"Thank you for the lesson, Draco, but it is unnecessary," Lyra replied harshly. She didn't lower her wand.
"Get your wand out of my face, Lyra."
"Put away your damn broom, Draco. Stop gloating, you look like a fool."
A ripple went across the Slytherin Common Room as Draco Malfoy set his broom on a chair. He dug into his robes and pulled out his wand and turned to face Lyra.
"Care to say that again, Lyra? My father's out of Azkaban, you know. You wouldn't want to make a bad impression the first time you meet him…he doesn't know you're staying with us, you know," Draco said, smirking.
"Quit holding the threat of your father over your enemy's head, Draco. You're not going to be a little boy forever. Be your own man, not your father's little boy," retorted Lyra. The look on Draco's face was priceless after this remark. He held his wand a little higher, and poised his body for attack.
"Going to curse me in the middle of the common room, Draco?" Lyra asked, crouching just a bit. "Go ahead, Draco. Let's see what you're made of."
Draco paused a moment, wondering if he really wanted to duel in front of all these people. He might get in trouble by Professor Dumbledore, that was true, but Professor Snape would not do anything to him. Or at least Draco hoped. Draco lowered his wand, not wanting to get into any trouble. Lyra stood up straighter, but did lower her wand.
"My new broom is in here. I don't want it getting ruined over one of your misaimed spells," Draco said, grabbing his Firebolt. He retreated to his dormitory, and didn't come out the rest of the night.
Misaimed spells, thought Lyra. I'll show him misaimed spells. Seething in anger, Lyra fell asleep in the Common Room, to full of hatred to move up to her dormitory.
That Saturday proved to be an interesting one, to say the least. It was the Slytherin vs Gryffindor Quidditch game, one that each team looked forward too each year. Malfoy had finally quit bragging about his new broom, and switched energies to bragging about how bad he was going to beat Potter. Finding her time wasted, Lyra finally stopped promising to hex Draco if he talked about Quidditch one more time.
Even the teachers were feeling the heat of this year's game. Professor Snape managed to put four Gryffindors in detention after they failed to get out their books when asked to. Professor McGonagall stopped giving out homework, pleading her Gryffindors to win this match. It wasn't hard to tell which teachers favored which house. Professor Flitwick kept giving Gryffindor ten and twenty points after Hermione, Ron, or Harry answered a simple question. Lyra got a twenty point deduction when the iguana she was supposed to be putting to sleep accidentally burst into flames.
"Are you feeling okay, Draco? Can I get you anything?" Pansy asked. She was by Draco's side constantly, but Draco didn't mind the attention.
"I'm fine, Pansy. Go cheer for me in the stands, alright? Start up "Weasley is Our King", too," Draco said. Pansy shrieked in delight, and made her way out into the stands.
"Good luck, Draco, not that you'll need it or anything," Lyra said. Draco nodded, and Lyra found a spot between Pansy and Blaise. Lyra scanned the stands, looking for Lucius Malfoy. And she found him, in all his glory, sitting pompously next to Professor Snape. His hair was still long and blonde, the manner on his face was still smug. But his face…it looked thinner and gaunt from his time in Azkaban. Lyra heard Azkaban did that to a person. It changed their physical appearances…but their emotions too.
Somehow, Lyra thought, Lucius Malfoy was the type of person who couldn't be changed by Azkaban. He was too full of himself to let his demeanor change.
Soon the game started, and Lyra found her thoughts engrossed in Quidditch. She thought the game was overdone, but Lyra enjoyed the game when it came time to watch it. The three Chasers were doing an excellent job, but then again, the tall red-heard Lyra first met when she walked off the train, the Weasel, was doing an awful job Keeping. He would get more and more flustered the more goals he let in. Even with the encouragement of his team, the Weasel- Lyra still didn't know his real name- kept letting in more and more goals. The Slytherin Keeper, some 7th year Lyra thought was annoyingly cute, had only let in three goals so far.
The score was seventy-thirty, Slytherin, when Potter caught the Snitch. However, in catching it, he managed to knock the cute Keeper, Yaley, off his broom. He landed with a sickening thud on the ground. The Slytherin crowd booed at Potter, Lyra being one of the many expressing her anger and frustration. Lyra saw the angry look on Draco's face as he stormed into the changing rooms. The game was over, Slytherin had lost again…
Draco would be angry, no doubt. So Lyra decided to wait outside the changing rooms for him. Even though the two argued and constantly threatened to hex each other, Lyra liked Draco's company. He was the closest thing she had to family, and Lyra knew Draco felt the same. He would need some cheering up, and if she got to him before Pansy, the two might cease the hexing for a week or two. Sighing, Lyra sat against the cold stone wall of the changing room. What on earth is Draco doing? Lyra thought. It didn't take a year to shower and change.
"How was I supposed to know my wife would drag Lyra back into our lives?"
Lyra's ears perked up at the sound of her name. The voice came from the end of the hallway. Lyra slowly crept nearer, but not so close she was to be seen.
The next voice who spoke she recognized to be Professor Snape's. "Lucius, have you seen her? The first time I saw her, I thought I was seeing her mother again. She looks exactly like her mother, Lyra." Lyra noted a hint of anger in his voice.
"I sent her away the moment she begged Narcissa to take her. Once she was safely in Azkaban…"
Lyra's head was spinning. She looked like her mother? Lyra didn't even know her mother's name, let alone what she looked like.
"Well, even Azkaban couldn't keep her from inheriting her mother's looks. Or her ability to…curse…other people." Professor Snape seemed amused.
"Does she have any idea, Severus?" asked Lucius. The tone of his voice made him seem concerned.
"Are you kidding me? She's completely clueless. Thought I don't understand why, she's a very bright student. All the resources are under her nose," Professor Snape mused. "She's exactly like her mother, Lucius. I've seen her duel…I wouldn't be surprised if she used the Cruciatus Curse. Her mother seems to favor that one…"
"Yes, well," Lucius snapped quickly, "it's what put her in Azkaban the first time. Stupid girl, you'd think she had more sense than that."
"Do you think her father knows?" Professor Snape asked.
"He's gone mad, Severus. He hasn't seen the light of day since he was carted off to Azkaban for the unfortunate torturing of…never mind. He wouldn't even know his own wife. The Dark Lord has seemed rather pleased with her of late, though. Why, I'll never know…"
"You don't think, Lucius. Maybe perhaps…? There were rumors of it last time," Professor Snape prompted.
"That is the Dark Lord's business, Severus. You should know that."
"Absolutely, Lucius. I apologize for bringing it up."
There was a silence between the two men. Lyra wished they would be more specific during their conversation. Maybe then she could find out more about herself.
"Keep an eye on her, Severus. I want to know if anything…unusual happens. And you know what I mean."
"Absolutely Lucius. Keep in touch."
Lyra heard the clicking of heels touching the floor. Lyra scrambled to get back to her place in front of the Slytherin Changing Rooms. Draco came out just as she fell back in front of the door. His hair was drenched, and he was wearing the same look of utter disgust.
"Did you try and drown yourself, Draco? I was beginning to get worried," Lyra said, concerned.
"Go bother someone else, Lyra," Draco replied, and left her standing in the middle of the corridor.
"Ignore him, he's mad at himself. He'll get over it, though," came a voice behind Lyra. She turned around to see the heavily bandaged Yaley limping towards her. Lyra felt her heart skip a beat. Her insides her churning, she felt her knees start to go weak.
Never let your enemy find your weakness, Lyra was told once. Weakness is the quickest way to death.
Lyra somehow managed a faint smile. "You played really well, Evan. Well…until Potter…" Lyra made a vague motion to his bandages. He smiled.
"Potter's an idiot. He can't even brake. I don't know how he could have managed playing Quidditch this long," Evan replied, brushing a strand of his dirt blond hair out of his deep blue eyes. Lyra became entranced in them…she wanted to stare at them forever…
Evan was staring at her too…and suddenly Lyra found herself being pushed up against the wall. Evan's face came nearer to hers…he was so close now, she could make out the faint freckles on his nose…his lips were closing in…Lyra felt their lips come into contact. She closed her eyes tight, but even then she could still see stars.
"MALFOY! YALEY! What are you doing?" Lyra jumped back to reality as Evan backed off. Professor Snape was walking towards them, his black heap of robes billowing behind him. Lucius must have left already, Lyra thought. Damn him.
"I was…escorting him back to the Common Room, Professor. Potter has struck once again," she replied.
"Well, keep escorting him, then." Lyra nodded. She was still seeing stars from Evan's kiss. They began to walk down the long, dark hallway. Much more slowly than Lyra wanted too, because Evan had sprained his ankle in the process of falling forty feet.
"Miss Malfoy?" This was it, Lyra thought. He was going to tell her to stop and let Yaley find his own way back. Professor Snape was going to explain everything. Who she was, who her parents were, and why Lucius Malfoy sent her away. Lyra was going to learn the things she so desired to learn since she was four. Professor Snape was going to be her savior.
"The Common Room is the other way." Blushing furiously, Evan and Lyra turned around and ran to the Common Room., not daring to look Professor Snape in the eye.