Chapter 6: Running Away to Nowhere
The Death Eater wriggled in pain on the ground. His screaming reminded those around him of a young girl in pain unimaginable. His shrieking echoed up to the castle walls and to the Shrieking Shack. But the amount his voice carried was of no concern to Lyra. She wanted him to pay.
Breathing in deeply, Lyra ended the spell. The Death Eater had stopped screaming, but he still continued twitching on the ground. The other two Death Eaters around him ran towards him. One grabbed his wrist, and the three instantly apparated.
Lyra's breathing became shallower, she was gasping for breath. Her heart was racing as she turned around. Standing behind her, with a look of horror on their faces, were Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape. All three were too horrified to speak. Lyra could have sworn she saw Professor Snape's face pale even more than it already was. Without saying a word, Lyra turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could away from her three teachers. The only thing Lyra could hear as she sprinted away from Hogsmeade was the newly fallen leaves crunching beneath her feet.
Lyra ran until her legs had no more capacity to run anymore. Collapsing on the dusty roadside near an old wooden fence, Lyra tried her best to catch her breath. But catching her breath was the least of her worries. She had used an Unforgivable Curse. She was going to be expelled from Hogwarts. She was going to be sent to Azkaban. Lyra shuddered as she thought of the small prison in the middle of the North Sea. The Dementors were gone, but their influence, Lyra was sure, was still felt.
Lyra looked at around at her surroundings. She could still see Hogsmeade in the distance, but the night was growing dimmer and so was Lyra's visibility. Shivering, Lyra wished she brought an extra cloak. But then again, she didn't think she'd be running away from her problems. Preparing herself mentally and physically for walking even more, Lyra slowly came to her feet. She checked behind her back to see if anyone was following her, and began walking.
But Lyra walked into something and fell backwards on the dusty gravel road. It surprised her more than she would have liked it too. Dusting herself off, Lyra saw Professor Snape standing in front of her, and he didn't look happy.
"Running away, Miss Malfoy?" he asked, his arms crossed. Lyra didn't want to admit she was running away, but it seemed like the only thing to do.
"Well, it's better than the alternative," she replied, walking past him. He grabbed her arm, perhaps harder than he should have, and brought Lyra directly in front of him.
"And what do you think is the alternative?"
"Getting expelled…getting sent to Azkaban like my mother," she sneered. Professor Snape let go of Lyra's arm immediately.
"What do you know about your mother?" he asked.
"That she was sent to Azkaban for using the Cruciatus Curse," Lyra replied. "And I used it too, and now I'm following in her footsteps. But I won't go. I am not going to live my life like her!"
Professor Snape laughed. "That's all you know about your mother, Lyra. That one tiny bit of information." Professor Snape seemed amused at Lyra's answer.
"What difference does it make?" Lyra asked before trying to walk past Professor Snape again. He stopped her once more.
"I can assure you, Miss Malfoy, that you will not be going to Azkaban."
"How do you know? Or are you just saying that because you don't want Draco running off and telling his father you let me rot like a dead carcass?" Lyra asked.
Professor Snape smirked. "Let's think, Miss Malfoy. Who did you use the Cruciatus Curse against?"
"A Death Eater. Why are you asking me this? I already know-"
"-And why would you use it against one?"
"Because he was attacking my friends! They were going to kill us!" Lyra said.
"Well, because you were with Mr. Potter, who is a law unto himself, and because of the circumstances, I am fairly certain you will not be taken to Azkaban. The Ministry would rather catch Death Eaters than prosecute those who almost caught them. Now, if you'll come with me, it is time to report back to the castle." Professor Snape looked firmly on the young girl, who looked scared out of her mind.
Nodding slowly, Lyra turned around and followed her Potions master, who maintained a firm grip on her upper arm during the long walk back to the castle. When the front doors were in sight, it was already dark. Lyra felt the sweat perspiring from her body now begin its attack to drench her clothing. Breathing heavily, Lyra followed Professor Snape into the castle. She thought she might faint from exhaustion as they passed the usual way to the Common Rooms, and instead walked straight up to Professor Dumbledore's office.
"In," Professor Snape demanded, holding open the door for Lyra. Using the last bit of energy she could, Lyra forced herself to walk through the doorway. Professor Dumbledore abruptly stopped his conversation he was having with two wizards who were in his office. They both looked angry, and one had been pointing his finger at Professor Dumbledore.
"Ah, Miss Malfoy," the elder wizard said. He was a tall, well-built wizard with hair like an untidy crow's nest. He was wearing robes of the finest calibur, and he looked to be very important. He slowly circled Lyra as she collapsed in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. He muttered inaudible things to himself, even smirking when he stopped to examine her from the front.
The other wizard, the one who had been pointing his finger accusingly at Professor Dumbledore, wasted no time to get to the point. "Miss Malfoy, you have broken one of the most stringent rules the Ministry has. Unforgivable Curses are never to be used at any time, even against Death Eaters! And then to think you ran away from your problem? Did you not think we would find you?"
Lyra looked at Professor Snape, who glared at her. She turned to Professor Dumbledore, who nodded encouragingly. "I'm sorry, sir. I wasn't thinking, I should have never used that curse."
"That much," the wizard said curtly, "is obvious!"
"Quinten, I barely allowed you to interrogate my students, and I will certainly not allow you address them in that way!" Professor Dumbledore said warningly. He peered at the wizard named Quinten, the twinkle in his eyes gone.
"You are lucky you're underage," Quinten said. "We would have taken you to Azkaban if you were seventeen. A few more months…"
Lyra fidgeted in her seat. She didn't like to be under this type of stress and pressure. She unceremoniously played with her hair, needing something to do with her hands. She watched as two Ministry wizards decided her fate silently in their minds. The wizard named Quinten looked at Lyra with curiosity in his eyes.
"Miss Malfoy, were you raised by Lucius and Narcissa?" he asked.
"No sir. Lucius is my mother's cousin. She died I was little, I was raised in an orphanage. It wasn't until recently that the Malfoys tracked me down," Lyra explained.
Quinten was quiet for a minute. "How deeply curious…so you're related to the Malfoy side, then? Not the Black side?"
"That is enough!" Professor Snape said, cutting in. He grabbed Lyra by the arm. "You're shaking, Miss Malfoy. When was the last time you ate?"
Lyra suddenly became aware of the growling in her stomach. "Breakfast, I think, sir."
"You need to eat. Come, we will go down to the kitchens," he said, pulling her out from her seat. She did as she was told. Professor Snape didn't release his grip on her until she was sitting in an armchair next to the fire in a little room off the kitchens.
A very peculiar house-elf named Dobby came to her service at once. "Dobby has never seen you before, miss. Are you a friend of Harry Potters?"
Lyra saw Professor Snape smirk before she answered. "I know who he is. I'm Lyra Malfoy."
Dobby went slightly pale in the face. "Dobby knows them, miss. He used to be in their service. But Dobby was released, and works at Hogwarts now!" His chest swelled with pride as he announced this fact. "What can Dobby get for Miss Malfoy?"
Lyra hadn't thought about this. She had the entire Hogwarts staff of house-elves at her service. "Not a lot, Dobby. Maybe a turkey sandwhich and some butterbeer."
Nodding, Dobby returned to the kitchens, and soon returned with two more house elves carrying a tray of sandwiches, bread, butter, and butterbeer.
"I trust you can find your way back to the dungeons?" Professor Snape asked, raising an eyebrow. Lyra nodded, she was too busy stuffing her mouth with the food. Then it occurred to her, that she was sitting here eating food while her friends were in the hospital wing. Hermione. Evan. She had to see them. Finishing her food and gulping down the rest of her butterbeer, Lyra made her way to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was nowhere in sight, which made Lyra sigh in relief.
"Lyra? Is that you?" Hermione's voice from across the room. A lamp flickered on, luminating Hermione. Smiling, Lyra rushed over and hugged her friend.
"I'm so glad you're alright!" Lyra said, sitting on the edge of Hermione's bed. "I was so worried, I thought for sure you had died."
"My neck was broken, but Madam Pomfrey mended that in about a second. I'll be in here for a while, I got hit with a lot of spells," Hermione said. Her voice dropped lower. "I heard about the Cruciatus Curse."
"Oh…that," Lyra said, fiddling with Hermione's bedsheets.
"I don't know exactly what to say," Hermione said. "I should tell you off for using an Unforgivable Curse, but if you hadn't used jumped in when you did…" her voice drifted off.
"Don't mention it. I don't think I'm in trouble, I've already talked with some idiots from the Ministry. Besides, what are friends for?" Lyra smiled, and Hermione did the same.
Never in Hermione Granger's life did she think she would become friends with a Slytherin. Lyra wasn't like the rest of them, and Hermione liked having friends other than Ron and Harry. Sure, Ginny was a girl and her friend, but Ginny was a year younger. Hermione liked having someone equally as smart as she was.
"You should probably go. Madam Pomfrey just went to the dungeons looking for a potion from Snape. She could be back any minute," Hermione said, her eyes flicking towards the door.
Nodding, Lyra stood up. "I'll try and visit whenever I can." She turned to leave.
"Lyra?" She turned back around.
"Thanks," Hermione whispered. Lyra smiled, and quietly left the hospital wing.
Lyra could only hope in the future she would be this lucky.