CHAPTER FOUR

The last month there was until Lyra and Draco's departure passed rather quickly, between potions' lessons with Severus, seekers games with Draco, spending quality time in the library and trying to avoid Narcissa and her nagging to put this and that in her trunk. The only notable problem she had with her packing appeared when it came to packing books. She was told Hogwarts' library had a large choice, but knowing who was the current Headmaster, she would be restricted in what she could learn there. Lyra had pondered quite some time on the matter and decided to take some books at Hogwarts with Lucius' approval.

Lyra looked at her bedroom one last time to be perfectly sure she hadn't forgotten anything before she only took her endless purse, a gift from Narcissa for her eleven's birthday, since Dobby had already put her trunk at the entrance. When she came down and went to the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor, she saw Lucius and Narcissa already waiting.

- Are you all set, Lyra dear ? The older woman asked when she spotted her.

- Contrary to someone I know and will not name, I started packing a week before as to not forget anything, while this someone began panicking the night before.

- Hey ! That's not true ! I was perfectly ready, but then I had a doubt and had to verify, said an indignant Draco who was coming down the stairs.

- Right, whatever makes you sleep at night, answered Lyra with a snort.

- Will you stop bickering, you two, or we are going to be late, cut Lucius before Draco could add something.

- It is not even half past ten, we have time.

- We do not arrive right on time to run like common plebeians because we do not have enough time, Lyra, we are the Malfoy family, said Lucius while stretched out his arm.

She took his outstretched arm and grabbed her trunk while rolling her eyes at his antics, but she quickly forgot it when she felt herself apparating. Oh how she hated the sensation of side along apparition !

When the feeling of being abruptly reaped from one place to another stopped, the young girl allowed herself to look around. They had apparated in the Platform 9 and ¾ of King's Cross, she could see families beginning to fill it, some composed, others with teary eyes. Truth to be told, there was not a lot of thing to look at except for the large red steam engine named the Hogwarts Express. While Draco and her were not expressing their glee like the other louder children, you could see it in their eyes. But they quickly came back to themselves when Narcissa begun speaking.

- Remember, the train leaves at 11 o'clock and you will arrive at Hogsmeade Station in the early evening, so do not forget to eat during the afternoon, and when I say eat, I mean what the house-elves packed for you, not just the candies you will certainly buy during the journey. And do make sure to change into your robes before you arrived, you need to be presentable for your first true step in Hogwarts. And...

- And they know what they have to do, you have been nagging them about it during a whole month, my dear. Let them be, they will be back for Yule, nothing could really happen, they will just be at school, cut Lucius with a composed voice, and if you didn't know him you would not hear the fond exasperation when he talked to his wife.

Narcissa sighted and looked at the children in front of her with hided sadness, she truly had gotten used to have the two of them at home with her nearly all day, even if Lyra went who knows where during quite some time. The older woman reached for them and hugged them as long as pureblood etiquette allowed it in public areas.

- I will miss the two of you, take great care of yourselves and do not forget to owl us after the Sorting and at least once a week after that. Enjoy your stay and I will see you for the Yule holidays, she finished as she straightened herself.

As they turned to say their goodbyes to the older Malfoy male, Lucius graced them with one of his rare true smile while surrounded by strangers.

- Take care, and if you were to be up to something during your stay, be sure to not get caught, the true snakes are the ones who always manage to get out of trouble without being accused. Keep that in mind. Enjoy Hogwarts, but do not forget to work, we expect good grades from you. Now, off you go.

Lyra and Draco smiled at them and said one last goodbye before they grabbed their lightened trunk and walked to the nearest train's entrance. They climbed the stairs and came up to the long corridor which went on the entirety of the passenger carriages. The two children entered the first free compartment near the prefects carriage they found, which did not take that long when the majority of the students were still arriving or on the Platform with their families.

They put their trunk on the storage unit on top of each of the compartment' seats before they sit down on said seats, side by side. Lyra looked out of the window to see Lucius and Narcissa still there, she made sign for Draco to look at them, and they waved before apparating away.

She heard their compartment's door being opened but did not look at the newcomers when Draco greeted them with a "Crabbe, Goyle", how he put up with them she did not know. The young girl decided to ignore them, not like they would notice it, and continued looking through the window without really seeing the families. Well until one drawn her attention, it was a red haired family, two parents and 5 kids, that must be the infamous Weasley family. The eldest child, who was standing on the Platform with a self-important air around him, was wearing the golden P badge of a prefects and trying to get away as quickly as possible from his mother's embrace. The twins of the group had put an innocent look on their identical faces when their mother turned to them, they had an air which screamed trouble to anyone who had the misfortune to come near them. Nothing with them seemed peculiar, no what had attracted her attention was the fact the mother seemed to search for something or someone while trying, and failing miserably, to be discreet about doing it and the constant wails of the youngest and only girl.

- Where is she?! Mummy, you said she would be here and with us! Where is she?! I want to see her! Get her here!

- Shush Ginny! Ronald, do not forget, you have to be nice with her, she must be so lost, being here all by herself without truly knowing anything. Act like a proper gentleman, the poor dear must feel so alone...the mother said to her two youngest with a sad look on her face.

Frowning, Lyra diverted her attention from this quite strange exchange and waited for the train to start before reaching for her pulse and took out the diary she had found two years ago while she was looking around the library to find something to read. She had been surprised to find a black diary with the letters "T.M.R" carved in golden on the cover, but not as much as she was when she noticed there was absolutely nothing written in it. Pushed by her curiosity, Lyra took it with her, because why would Lucius mind if she used it to make her own diary, there was nothing in it. She became more and more intrigued as time passed and she discovered it could talk back to her. For some odd reason, she never told Lucius about it, she did not want Tom to be taken away from her.

Hey Tom, I am in great need of an intelligent interlocutor. Unfortunately, I have to spend the journey with brainless walking stomachs. Well there is Draco but I am pretty sure he is going to start a game of Exploding Snap with his little followers.

Now, now dear, while I am flattered, it is not really nice of you to talk about them like that, I am sure that somewhere, deep down, they have a brain. But then again, if they do not, that can just benefit you, they will never question your orders and always do what you want them to.

They have to understand it first, and that is not an easy task. I swear to you, they spend their times eating and eating... And some purebloods are all for inbreeding... a group of many mini Goyles and Crabbes... I shudder at the thought... but that is beside the point, I am not here to complain about the company Draco keeps.

And what do you want me to tell you to keep your oh so demanding person entertained?

Tell me more about the Sorting, Hogwarts and it secret passages, please Tom.

Very well. Like I already told you, Hogwarts is...

Lyra ate the meal the Malfoy's house-elves packed for her, carried on conversing with Tom and even indulged Draco by playing a game of chess, bought some Pumpkin Pasties from the trolley, told a bushy haired girl she did not see any toad and advised her to seek help from the prefects and conversed with Tom some more. That is until she looked out of the window she noticed it was already dark outside.

The young girl stoop up with her endless pulse in her hands and locked gaze with Draco.

- I'm going to go and put my uniform on, I'll advise you three to take advantage of that time to do the same, I think we will soon arrive, she told him before getting out of their compartment.

The young Potter went in the search of an unused bathroom to change her clothes and when she found one she heard a voice resonated in the whole train saying they ere nearly at Hogsmeade Station and they should change to their uniform, she entered the bathroom and quickly got undressed before putting on her school uniform and folding her previous clothes and put them in her bag. While leaving the toilets, she felt the train halt.

Lyra joined Draco and his shadows in front of the door leading outside and followed some gigantic man who was calling for the first years to accompany him to the shore and got on a boat with the same trio. Magic truly was a marvelous thing, she truly did not see herself paddling all the way to Hogwarts. Just after having to bend themselves to avoid hitting their head on who knows what, they all had their first sight of the castle. It was really has beautiful as she was told. By passing through the Black lake, you had the possibility to see the castle right on top of a mountain in all its magnificence. The fact it was dark outside and all the windows were illuminated only added to its charm. For a 10 centuries old monument, it was in truly good state and certainly as beautiful as it was at its creation, the founders could truly be proud of themselves.

After getting out of their boats, they were all ushered in a hall, listening to Professor McGonagall while she made her speech.

- Welcome to Hogwarts, said Professor McGonagall. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. Her eyes lingered for a moment on a boy's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on one the ginger from before's smudged nose. I will return when we are ready for you, said Professor McGonagall. Please wait quietly. (from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) she added before leaving through the immense doors.

Five minutes later, the doors to what she supposed was the Great Hall opened fully, and Professor McGonagall ushered them inside. Two by two, they entered and were awed by the vast place that was the dining hall, the ceiling was as peculiar as Narcissa, Lucius and Tom told her, she truly had the impression of still being outside in the pleasant weather of an end of summer's night. While she was observing the ceiling, she did not hear the Sorting Hat's song nor did she notice the Sorting had begun. It was not until Draco slightly shook her before going to the stool at the head of the Great Hall to be sorted that she got out of her daydream.

Lyra was not surprised when the talking hat proclaimed Slytherin even before it was fully on his head, she clapped for her only true friend, and waited for her name to come out.

- Potter-Black, Lyra, said Professor McGonagall loudly.

The dining room became perfectly silent, before the students all begun talking at the same time. While marching to the stool, she managed to grasp some bits of it: "she said Lyra Potter?", "can you see her scar?" "why does she have also the name Black?", "what does she look like?". She quickly decided to ignore the lot of them, and sited herself on said stool and waited for the Hat to be put on her head and it began talking.

- Well, well, what do we have here? A Potter, uh, who do not like the attention, well more like who do not like this kind of attention, so unlike your father... where to put you? You are loyal, but only to some rare persons, and you are honest only when it can benefit you. No, Hufflepuff would not suit you, the poor badgers would run scared for life if you were yo be put with them. Gryffindor would clearly not do, while you can be brave and daring, you do not take kindly to "stupid reckless persons" like you say. Hum. You value knowledge, and would do anything to acquire more, Ravenclaw would suit you just well... but you are a really cunning person and you have so much ambition, oh yeah you truly are an ambitious person young Miss Potter. Actually, you remind me of some else, a boy who studied here nearly six decades ago, yes so much like him with dream of greatness and power... Yes, I know where to put you, but remember young miss to not loose yourself in the process of gaining power...you would not be the first one to do so but you could be the first one to rise and still be herself. As for now, better be... 'SLYTHERIN!'

The Hat's word echoed in the silence of the Great Hall. The hat was taken from her head by a stunned Professor McGonagall who quickly got a hold of herself and smiled to Lyra while indicating her to join the now loudly applauding table on her right.

Lyra elegantly walked and sited herself on Draco's left while smiling sweetly to her new housemates. The young girl barely paid any attention to the rest of the Sorting, too engrossed in her own thoughts.

At last, she was at Hogwarts, everything could finally begun. She looked at the seat of the Headmaster with a barely hided smirk, not that it was of importance since Dumbledore was not paying her any attention to happy to hear himself talk. Game on.