14 Years Later
Lyra's POV
Lyra blinked a few times to find sunlight streaming through her window and the curtains around her bed pulled back. She glanced at the clock next to her bed and saw that it was 8:15am. She groaned and rolled over burying her head in her red silky pillow while pulling the black duvet tighter around her.
"Lyra Ileana Malfoy!" a voice screeched from the foot of the bed. "Get up this instant. Today is the day you and your brother are leaving for Hogwarts. You don't want to be late. Now get in the shower while I sort out what you are to wear today for your journey."
Lyra flipped over and looked at her mother standing there. Her hair and clothes were perfect as usual. The women practically radiated pureblood femininity and superiority over everyone including her daughter. There was scowl on her face, that would have scared Draco although he would never admit it, but Lyra just held her gaze before yawning loudly and stretching. Lyra threw off the covers, leaving them crumpled up on the edge of the bed, not bothering to make just to further piss off her mother, and padded to the ensuite bathroom. It was large for a bathroom and held a bathtub which Lyra had always compared to a swimming pool when she was smaller but now it seemed alright. She also had a large shower that Lyra loved as she could get the water up to a scolding hot temperature just how she liked it. The whole room was tiled, black on the floor and white on the walls and all of them gleamed, the surfaces around the sink were also black and a material similar to marble. It was all rather extravagant for a 15 year old but Lyra knew there was no point mentioning it to her parents as they wouldn't listen.
As she closed the door to the bathroom Lyra heard the small pop of apparition and her mother ordering a house elf to make Lyra's bed and lay out the clothes she chose for Lyra to wear.
Rolling her eyes Lyra shut the door and pulled off her black shorts and vest pyjamas dropping the on the gleaming floor before stepping into the shower and letting the scolding hot water run over her as she washed her rather short hair with the expensive shampoo her mother insisted on as it did 'wonderful things to your hair' and Lyra did admit that it smelt nice, like lilac flowers, but was it really necessary to spend 10 galleons on a bottle of shampoo. After quickly rinsing her hair and washing the rest of herself Lyra stepped out of the shower and wrapped one towel around her body while using another to pat her hair dry.
Walking back into her room Lyra went to her muggle stereo system she had bought, along with an MP3 both of which she got had charmed to block magical interference and had the MP3 done so that it would never run out of battery, without her parents knowledge and persuaded her father to let her keep (she was his favourite after all) and flicked it on. Out of the speakers on top of the desk that held the stereo came the strong guitar and drums of her favourite muggle singer 'P!NK'. The song was Raise Your Glass.
Despite being a pureblood witch with a set of prejudiced parents (and brother) Lyra found muggle things intriguing, and it annoyed her parents her mother especially which was always a good thing, but especially the music. It was so different from music by wizarding groups. Lyra felt it had a cleaner sound because it wasn't altered by magic. Although many muggle artists did the same with technology to change there voices but a lot more had a natural gift for music that couldn't be beaten by magical or technological enhancements. Lyra began to sing along with the music and turned up the volume on the stereo so it blaring out through the room.
Lyra loved her room. It was huge, with enough room to have at least 5 people to sleep round and still have enough room to walk around easily. On one wall was her bed, it was a double with thin black drapes around it so she could block out the rest of the world when she wanted to. On the opposite wall was a fire place that she used in the winter when the room got cold and a small single sofa in front of it that Lyra liked to curl up in when she was practicing her guitar, which was currently leaning against the chair in its case so she could take it to Hogwarts with her that she had taught herself to play a few years ago by listening to and replicating songs she liked through trail and error. On the right wall sat a desk that Lyra barely used except as a place to dump stuff she couldn't be bothered to put away. And it was the place her new kitten Onyx loved to sleep as through most of the day it was in direct sunlight.
Lyra turned back to her bed and looked at the clothes her mother had laid out on the bed; it consisted of a white and green knee length dress with pale green tights and pumps. Lyra scoffed as she looked at the clothes, like I'm wearing that, she thought and walked to her wardrobe where she pulled out a pair of black muggle jeans and a black and red vertically striped vest which she had customised, using a small kitchen knife she had cut an X over the heart and crudely stitched it up with pale grey thread. Lyra put the clothes on along with a pair of muggle military boots and laced them up tightly over the top of her jeans.
Lyra ran a brush through her shoulder length rough bob flicking her charmed white streak to the side out of her face, before she grabbed her MP3 and flicked off the stereo, glancing at the clock seeing it read 8:45am and left her room making her way down to the main dining room to get some breakfast. Lyra had decided to get her hair charmed a few years before so that she could 'fit in' with the rest of her family who all had white or platinum blond hair where Lyra had black hair. Putting the headphones in, playing the same album as before she walked into the dining room and slumped down in one of the empty chairs at the table. Her parents already sat on one side of the table and Lyra sat down opposite her father. Not bothering with a plate Lyra picked up a piece of buttered toast and began to eat it while closing her eyes and letting herself get lost in the beat of the music. Before she knew it Lyra was playing out the melody for her guitar in the air.
After a few minutes Lyra felt her headphones being yanked out and looked up to see her brother sitting down in the empty seat next to her.
She glared at him. "I was listening to that."
"Obviously," He countered.
Lyra switched off the MP3 and picked up a second piece of toast before walking out of the room and returning to her own to check over her bag to take on the train one more time.
Draco's POV
Draco was awoken rather rudely to the sound of his sister atrocious muggle music. How can she listen to that stuff he thought as he opened his eyes to look around his room which was bathed in a soft green light from his thin curtains. It was a large room identical to his sisters but mirrored.
Knowing he would never get back to sleep with that sound assaulting his eardrums he decided to get up. He looked at his clock; 8:30am.
Sliding gracefully out of bed, picked up a white shirt and dark grey slacks from the folded pile on the end of his bed and made his way to his bathroom. After a 10 minutes shower Draco stood in front of his bathroom mirror and preceded to slick back his hair as he did every day. When that was done Draco shrugged on a blazer style jacket that matched his slacks and made his way down to breakfast.
As he neared the dining hall Draco could hear raised voices from inside. Peeking around the door he saw Lyra sat at the table with there parents, Lucius red faced, Narcissa yelling at Lyra, Lyra sat there not paying attention eating a piece of toast.
How can she ignore mothers screeching? Draco thought. Then he saw Lyra shift in her seat and a black cable was visible for an instant against her shoulder.
Draco rolled his eyes and walked into the room his mother stopped her screaming to nod at her son and greet him with a sweet 'good morning' which he returned.
He sat down next to his sister before reaching across and pulling on the cable so the headphone fell out of his sister's ears.
He saw her glare at him. "I was listening to that."
"Obviously," he said uncaring.
He watched as she grabbed another piece of toast before storming out of the room.
Lyra's POV
Lyra shuffled around in the shoulder bag she was to take onto the train with her making sure everything she would need was in there; wand, money, various other things her mother must have put in.
After that Lyra sat in her room looking out of the window thinking about things, many of them to do with the school she was about to go to once again.
Her thoughts were interrupted with a knock on her door. Knowing it was probably her brother collecting her so they could leave for the train station Lyra picked up her bag, trunk and guitar case. All the rest was already in the main hall having been taken by the house elves earlier when they were all at breakfast.
Beckoning to Onyx the little black kitten ran over after jumping off her desk, Lyra left the room the kitten right on her heels. She followed her brother down to the main entrance hall of the house. Her parents were already waiting there with her and Draco's various bags. Lyra put Onyx in the small cage that was with her bags and held onto it tightly as she took her fathers hand with her free one while Draco took there mothers and the four of the apparated with the bags.
They appeared outside King's Cross Station in London, in a dark dingy alley out of sight of passing muggles.
Slowly the family walked out into the light and made there way into the station, the children loaded there trunks and bags (and Lyra her black cats cage) onto two trolleys and followed there parents through the station.
When they got to the walls that lead to platform 9 ¾ Lyra looked at her father for confirmation. He walked behind her and put his hands on the trolleys handle near hers and pulled her along with him as he speed walked towards the wall. Lyra closed her eyes as usual as they 'hit' it, but when they didn't crash yet again she opened her eyes and found herself on the platform in front of the Hogwarts Express.
She gasped at the size of the train before her and at all the people around her. It never failed to surprise and amazes her. Her mother and brother came through the wall behind them, his face blank but a glint in his eye showed her he was just as excited she was.
The parents led there children to the side of the train where they got some help loading the trunks and most of the bags. When someone tried to take Onyx, Lyra's cat, the girl snatched the cage out of the hand of the person helping them load the bags and held on to it while hoisting her small bag for on the train higher onto her shoulder and glaring at the man who had tried to take the cage. No one said a word as the girl walked away still clutching the cage with the young black cat inside to her chest as she boarded the train.
Two minutes later her brother joined her in the compartment she had chosen to sit in. Onyx was on the seat next to her out of her cage curled up sleeping while Lyra stroked over the silky black fur of her back softly.
"You didn't say goodbye to mother and father" it was a statement her brother made as he sat down in the seat opposite her and leant back in the seat.
Lyra replied, "Are they gone?" still looking at the cat.
Draco looked out of the window of there compartment. There parents were indeed gone from sight, which probably meant they were already back at the Manor, having apparated directly off the platform. "Yeah, looks like it."
"Good." Lyra said and stood up quickly and picked up the hard guitar case along with her small shoulder bag she had brought onto the train with her and pulling out her charmed guitar (so it could play acoustic or electric depending on the song), and began to strum a tune.
"Did you have to bring that thing with you?" her brother asked from his seat opposite.
Lyra shrugged and carried on strumming a random pattern of notes which soon developed into a song she knew although couldn't recall the name.
Soon two other boys joined them seeming to be acquainted with Draco as they began talking to him as if they has been friends for years, which could be the case as Lyra had never paid much attention to what her brother did. One of the boys was quite tall for fifteen, while the other was short and rather plump. Lyra had to quickly grab Onyx off the seat next to her as the plump boy almost sat on her. She glared at him and saw Draco smirking at her.
Lyra sneered as him as she packed up her guitar and put Onyx back in her cage before leaving the compartment with all her stuff, leaving the now laughing boys behind, no doubt laughing at something her brother had said which was most likely about her.
She wandered down the train looking for somewhere new to sit, peeping through the glass door of each compartment but found most of them full of student of various years all chatting and laughing.
Eventually she came across one with only one girl her head in a book and two boys one of which was reading a quidditch magazine and had bright orange hair while the other was asleep against the window his black hair falling over his eyes. The girl had bushy brown hair, which stopped mid back and was curly bordering on pure frizz. They all looked to be the same age as Lyra so Lyra carefully opened the door hoping not to startle the girl, but her head shot up out of the book and she looked at Lyra almost hostile before her face softened into a small smile.
"Mind if I join you?" Lyra asked cautiously.
"Not at all." The girl replied.
Lyra moved slowly into the compartment and sat on the bench opposite her as she put her bags on the floor and took Onyx out her cage again. The kitten walked across the floor to investigate the new girl ignoring the boys and began running around her ankles.
"Onyx." Lyra reprimanded her cat, but the girl just giggled and picked up the kitten and began petting her softly. The girl also had a cat, a large ginger thing that looked like it had run face first in the back of a bus, it's nose was completely flat. Lyra smiled and opened her guitar case and pulled out the instrument, her prized possession. Just as Lyra began to play the tune she had been earlier the other girl spoke.
"Hi. I'm Hermione...Granger. And that's Ron Weasley." Lyra noticed her hesitation about saying her last name.
Lyra just smiled at her and said. "Hi. Lyra Malfoy."
The girl's eyes widened at the name and the ginger boy looked up from his magazine. Lyra flinched slightly as she heard the girls projected thoughts. Lyra didn't bother trying to block the bombardment of thoughts as she knew it would do no good, but instead tried to order them as they came at her. The most prominent she could pick up on was the fact that Hermione was worried as she was a Muggle-born and Lyra was a Pureblood and a Malfoy.
Lyra managed to shake off the thoughts of the other girl. "Don't worry." Lyra told her. "Unlike the rest of my family I don't care about blood purity, actually I hate it. It's just prejudiced."
Hermione looked relieved and nodded and decided not to ask how Lyra knew what she had been thinking, she would find out later. She went back to her book with the little kitten next to her having decided not to return to her owner for the time being.
Lyra began strumming her guitar until it developed into a song she knew. She sung quietly along to her playing:
You took my hand, you showed me how
You promised me you'd be around
Uh-huh, that's right
I took your words and I believed
In everything you said to me
Yeah-huh, that's right
If someone said three years from now
You'd be long gone
I'd stand up and punch them out
Cause there all wrong
I know better, cause you said forever
And ever, who knew
Remember when we sere such fools
And so convinced and just to cool
Oh no, no no
I wish I could touch you again
I wish I could still call you friend
I'd give anything
When someone said count your blessings now
For there long gone
I guess I just didn't know how
I was all wrong
They knew better, still you said forever
And ever, who knew
Yeah, yeah
I'll keep you locked in my head
Until we meet again
Until we, until we meet again
And I won't forget you my friend
What happened?
If someone said three years from now
You'd be long gone
I'd stand up punch out
Cause there all wrong
That last kiss ill cherish
Until we meet again
And time makes it harder
I wish I could remember
And I keep your memory
You visit me in my sleep
My darling who knew?
My darling, my darling
Who knew?
My darling I miss you
My darling who knew
Who knew?
Hermione listened as the girl opposite her played and sang the muggle song. Her voice is really pretty she thought as Lyra played the last chord of the song. Lyra noticed Hermione watching her curiously while Ron had lost interest and was back with his magazine. Lyra was about to apologise for disturbing Hermione when the girl spoke.
"You have a really pretty voice. But how do you know that song?"
"Um..."
"I mean its muggle, so how?"
"Unlike the rest of my family I find a lot of muggle things fascinating, especially the music." Lyra explained.
Hermione nodded in response, before she began to giggle. "Sorry." She said when Lyra raised an eyebrow at her. "Since I found out I was a witch I looked into a lot of magical things, including famous and influential families and the Malfoy's was one of them. But you're not what I expected."
Lyra laughed along with Hermione as she said "Well I've always been the odd one in my family."
When the giggles subsided the two girls, now seeing themselves as friends, talked about random things. Hermione telling Lyra about muggle things and Lyra talking about some of the things less known about the wizarding world that she learned by being a pureblood. Hermione already seemed quite knowledgeable about a lot of magical history and the basics of magic, which was more than Lyra who had never been any good at the academic side of education magical or other wise. Both listened to the other with fascination. After what felt like hours, and probably was, Hermione looked at her watch and her eyes widened. "Is it that time already? We better change" Lyra nodded and picked up her small shoulder bag. Hermione watched her confused as Lyra's arm disappeared up to the elbow inside the tiny bag. Lyra noticed her confusion.
"My mother charmed it so it has almost infinite space inside, makes it easier to transport stuff." Lyra explained as she pulled out her uniform. Hermione took her robes out of a bulging rucksack as Lyra pulled down the blinds on the door and windows so they could get changed without risk of anyone seeing. At this moment Ron left the carriage with his own bag to change. The black hair boy was still fast asleep so there was no risk there. She sat down again after changing packed her guitar away knowing they would be arriving soon. Her uniform consisted of a black knee length skirt, grey knee high socks with black pumps held on with a black ankle strap. On her top half she wore a blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a grey jumper with the sleeves again pulled up to her elbows. She wore no tie as she didn't see the point if she would only have to wear it for a short time tonight at the feast before bed anyway. Over the top she put on a floor length black robe with the Slytherin logo of Hogwarts on. Hermione's was the same except with tights instead of socks and with slightly different shoes.
After about another ten minutes of talking the train rolled to a stop, the sleeping boy woke up and the girls picked up there stuff and left the train with all the other students. They walked onto the platform and followed the rest of the fifth years towards a set of carriages that would take them to the castle.
Before they got there though they were intercepted by Draco who sneered at the black haired boy who now had glasses on. "I'm surprised the ministry is still letting you walk around free. I'd be careful if I were you I bet there's a cell in Azkaban with your name on it."
The boy lunged for her brother but Ron held him back. Draco glared at her as he walked past obviously displeased with the company his sister was with. Good she thought.
"What did I tell you? Complete nutter!" Draco said to the two trailing along behind him like lost puppies.
"Just stay away from me!" the boy shouted at Draco retreating back.
"It's just Malfoy mate. What do you expect?" Ron comforted him while looking suspiciously at Lyra. As if at any moment she would turn and attack him then run off to join her brother and the other Slytherins.
As they got into a carriage Lyra tripped and knocked into the boy with black almost curly hair from the train, interrupting his conversation with Hermione and Ron. Lyra stood back up and apologised to the boy as she sat down next to Hermione in the carriage. The three joined her as the carriages were made for six people; they were also joined by Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. He tapped Lyra on the leg and she looked up from her lap to face him. "I'm Harry Potter." He said.
"Oh..." Lyra stammered at meeting such a famous wizard. "Lyra M...Malfoy." she managed o say. He smiled at her and she smiled back. She knew of Harry Potter of course and that he was in her year but she had never met him. It was a hobby of her brothers to torment him but Lyra never hung out with her brother at school. A minute later they all looked at each other and the four of them got into a conversation about what house they were currently in. Harry and Ron were both in Gryffindor, whereas Hermione would have been happy with Ravenclaw. When they asked Lyra she sighed. "I'm in Slytherin. My family has been in that house for generations."
"Yeah, but what house did you want to be in?" Harry asked.
Lyra had to think for a minute. "Well, I would have liked to be in... ... I don't know really." She confessed. "I never really had to think about it." She shrugged and turned back in her seat before muttering, "I had hoped I would not be in Slytherin."