November 2008
Wizarding London, England
Grimmauld Place
Wednesday

"Lyra, you lazy ingrate! Why are you corrupting my son!" Ginny called to her melodramatically from upstairs.

"I didn't mean to!" She called back. "I'm so sorry I'm late! I overslept!"

"Come up! Bring food!" Ginny commanded.

"Like any food or something in particular?" Lyra asked, looking about the large kitchen.

"Tea. Cookies. Make it quick, I'm dying."

"This is slave labor," Lyra griped quietly to James, who smiled at her excitedly. "Alrighty, James. I need you to get the cookies while I heat the water. Then we can take take these to the queen so she lets us keep our heads."

The boy squealed with laughter as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard and proceeded to talk her ear off about Quidditch while she prepared the rest.

Lyra corralled him up the stairs while she carried the tea and met Ginny in the sitting room.

"Your tea, my lady," she said setting it down with a little bow before plopping down into an armchair across from her.

"Excellent!" Ginny exclaimed, preparing herself a cup and resting it on top of her round belly.

Lyra smirked over at her, taking in her appearance. She was wearing maternity robes, which never looked good on anybody, but the cream color looked nice with her pale skin.

"Are you wearing makeup?" Lyra asked.

"I felt like I had to! I didn't want the earrings to see me without it!" She replied, turning her head back and forth so that the pear-shaped emeralds glinted in the light.

"They look even better than I thought they would," Lyra chirped, clearly pleased.

"I knew it was your doing. So he just lets you command him to buy jewelry for your friends?" Ginny quipped, tenderly stroking one of the earrings, feigning nonchalance.

"I didn't command him to do shi...anything. I told him it would mean a lot to me and he did it," she answered.

"Well, thank you for picking them out. I adore them," Ginny said.

"Believe it or not, I didn't pick them. He did. I gave him colors only, the rest was him."

"Huh." Ginny mused, before leaning in to whisper to her. "I mean, he is straight, isn't he?" She joked.

Uh, yep. Recent studies have shown that to be the case, she thought to herself before electing to say nothing and roll her eyes at her friend.

"Harry wanted me to give them back, the sod," Ginny informed her.

"Well then Harry can sleep on the couch and you can sleep next to the earrings," Lyra responded.

"I said the exact same thing!" Ginny exclaimed. "So does that mean you've seen him?"

Here we go. "I have. By accident, actually. I'm staying in Westminster at some spare Muggle apartment that Narcissa Malfoy owns. He was trying to escape the press one day and just showed up."

"And?"

"And he caught me by surprise and I sort of passed out," Lyra replied honestly.

Ginny snorted. "Ok, what then?"

"Nothing really. We sat next to each other on the couch. Watched TV. Ate food," she explained. "Talked a little. Nothing serious. He's more the same than different, I think."

"Did you snog him again?"

"What?! That's ridiculous!" Lyra exclaimed, suddenly terrified that Ginny Potter was some secret wandless Legilimens that was after her soul.

"It is ridiculous. The whole bloody situation's ridiculous. But that wasn't a no." Ginny prodded.

Lyra's face blazed with guilt and embarrassment. She had to contain this.

"MUMMY SAID A BAD WORD!" James exclaimed.

Oh thank god for James, she thought.

"Yes, Mummy is very naughty. Be a dear and go see if Albus is awake from his nap, will you love?" She directed.

James huffed dramatically, channeling his mother, and trudged out of the room to check on his brother.

"You did, didn't you?" Ginny pressed her. "I'm not judging you, there's a lot of emotions flying around. Plus, he's not completely unfortunate looking...for a ferret."

Lyra gasped in mock surprise. "Ginny! Look at you, all sweet on Draco Malfoy because he made you sparkle."

"Oh come off it," her friend replied. "It would take a lot more sparkle than this, but I do have eyeballs, you know," she said, sipping her tea nonchalantly.

Lyra chuckled before switching gears. "How's Harry? I haven't seen him since Saturday because I've been off. I'm worried about him."

Ginny sighed. "He's...he's a little raw, to be honest. He hasn't said it, but I think what bothers him the most is that he feels like he failed you."

That made Lyra's heart sink. "I need to talk to him. I just...I don't want to talk to anybody lately about anything that matters," she sighed, frustrated with herself.

"Lyra, it's only been what, a week? I don't think anyone can fault you for needing some time," Ginny offered, reassuringly.

"I get that, but what does waiting do? It just creates walls. And do you know what happens when you don't speak your mind? Other people try to speak it for you. They assume your motives and then everybody gets hurt," Lyra said, looking off into the distance.

"Are we still talking about Harry?" His wife inquired.

"Yes...but also no," Lyra answered sadly.

"Ah. Well, can't you and Malfoy just read each other's minds or whatnot? It doesn't need to be anything special," Ginny offered.

"I don't want to," she admitted.

"Meaning you don't want to see his thoughts or you don't want him to see yours?" Ginny asked.

"Both," Lyra answered.

"Hmm.." Ginny hummed as James bounded back in the room, effectively putting an end to the conversation.

They spent the afternoon entertaining the boys, James with coloring and Albus with copious amounts of Lyra snuggles. It was getting late and Lyra had an appointment to keep with Draco and Scorpius, but she wanted to see Harry before she left.

"Where is Harry? I was hoping to see him," Lyra asked, helping Ginny with dinner in the kitchen.

"He's on a raid," Ginny replied, surprised she didn't know.

"WHAT?!" She exclaimed in genuine offense. "He's raiding without me?"

"I don't think it's like that, you hotblooded thing," Ginny dismissed. "I think he signed on to it to keep busy. He's worried about you and the baby and the inquiry he's facing."

Lyra felt bad. "Yeah, no. I get it. It's what I would be doing, if Shacklebolt hadn't banished me to Purgatory. Hopefully I'll get to see him tomorrow." She replied forlornly.

"Gods. Aurors. You're all so moody," her friend fired at her.

"I want to be mad at you for that, but you're not wrong," Lyra answered with a smirk. "It's why we're all so good in the sack."

"Eew. No." Ginny replied.

"Really? No?" Lyra quipped with a poke at the redhead's pregnant belly.

"Run along, before I eat you," she said, waving a wooden spoon at her.

"Alright, fine. See if I get Draco to buy you anything else now," she teased, gathering her things.

"Tell him I look stunning in blue," Ginny replied, focusing more on the stew than her words.

"Will do. Bye Boys!" Lyra called to them, stepping in front of the fireplace.

"Lyra, don't forget the crumble-crusts!" Ginny called out to her, in what Lyra swore was Marla Black's exact voice.

"Ohmigod, Ma. I've got it." She retorted, stepping into the fireplace to go back to the Savoy.