November 2008
Wizarding London, England
Ministry of Magic of Great Britain
Office of Magical Law Enforcement, Auror Department
Tuesday

Lyra spent the morning in Harry's office, helping him catch up on some tediously boring paperwork. Namely, they were in the process of finalizing Harry's report on his raid from the week prior. He and Godwin's team had a lead on a number of people harassing the pupils and staff of a day school for young Muggle-borns. When discovered, it turned out that the culprits were a handful of teenage wizards who mostly cried forlornly for their rich parents as they were being hauled away in ropes. It sounded like a great time. Lyra was sad she missed it.

"Hey Harry?"

"Hmm?" He replied, absentmindedly.

"What do you know about the Vox Prima?"

He paused and looked up, puzzled.

"Draco," she explained, answering his unspoken question of where she'd heard the name.

He nodded. "Secret society. Rich purebloods mostly. Lot of power hungry businessmen. Politicians. Mostly supported Voldemort during the Wars. He himself was one of them, if I'm not mistaken. Quite influential in their day. Supposedly all dried up now though after The Second. These blokes we picked up on the raid would've fit right in. Malfoy would have too, if things had turned out differently."

"What do you mean supposedly all dried up?" Lyra asked, choosing to ignore his dig at her boyfriend.

"Well, they never really go away do they? They just hush up. Go deeper before they find an opportunity to come back into the light," he explained, looking suddenly tired. "The problem is that it's all around, I mean, the blood supremacy that is. It jumps out at you in work meetings, at dinner with friends. A mention here, a line there about what muggle-borns should and shouldn't be allowed to do. I overheard a witch at Gringott's this weekend say that a muggle-born Minister of Magic would just be 'wrong'," he added. "It's hard for the ideas to truly die when we reinforce them in little ways everyday."

"I see," she replied.

"Those kinds of people, meaning the type who would've been in The Vox, you find them in boardrooms, banks, stuffy cigar bars or one of the Nagini houses. Places like that," Harry informed her.

"Nagini houses?" She inquired.

"Yeah they're all over...it's a...er...a kind of gentlemen's club that was affiliated with a lot of that stuff back in the day."

"Gentlemen's club?" She questioned.

"Er...yeah. You know...women," Harry added, embarrassed.

"It's a whorehouse," Lyra offered with a shrug.

"Well...yeah. It was a place that powerful men would go to rub elbows and make connections. It still is, if what I hear is true," he added.

"Lyra laughed and pointed at him. "You said 'make connections'..." she said with air quotes for emphasis.

He rolled his eyes at her and snorted. "The one in London was a bit of of a hotbed for Voldemort in terms of planning and recruitment," he explained.

Lyra laughed and pointed at him. "You said 'hotbed'..."

"Shut it," he quipped. "Listen to this, though. Voldemort had an enormous pet snake. She was a horcrux, meaning that he actually put part of his soul in her. He kept her with him at all times. Talked to her, let her kill for him. I think he bloody well loved the thing."

"Okay..." Lyra said confused.

"Nagini. He named the snake Nagini."

Lyra balked before collapsing down into her chair in a fit of laughter. "Oh man. He should have just gone full on and named her Oedipus."

"Huh?"

"Psychology reference. Don't worry about it," she explained.

They were interrupted by an urgent knock on the door from Colin. "Auror Potter, I just received a flyer from the MLE review board. They've moved your professional inquiry up to today," he stammered.

Lyra sat up intently in her chair. "What? When?"

"An hour. It's at one o'clock. I've already owled Auror Shacklebolt but I know that he's flying back from Wiltshire right now and I don't know if he'll be back in time." the young wizard replied.

Lyra looked pointedly back at Harry who was leaning forward at his desk. He looked ill.

"Harry, they can't. They can't do a board review on you without your supervisor," she implored.

"Watch them," Harry said, weakly.

Oh hells no, Lyra thought. "Colin, go get Auror Gold, tell him we need him at the review board at one. Go now," she instructed, sending him out of the room.

She turned back to her friend and stood up. "Harry. I need to read you right now."

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "What? Why?"

"Because I just fucking do. We don't have time. I'm very good. You know this. I won't go poking around to find out if you and Ginny are into weird bedroom stuff. My default guess is that you are." She drew her wand, causing Harry's eyes to widen. "Sit back in your chair. Take three deep breaths."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but it was to no avail.

"Legilimens," she muttered, hitting her friend between the eyes with her magic.

What the hell!? That was totally unfair and I think you know that.

She got down to business. She was looking for one thing. One very specific thing. There it is...Oh...Oh shit. Awww...buddy. Well I can't really use that. I can't really use any of that. Fuck, she thought to herself.

She pulled out of his mind, leaving him panting and weary behind his desk.

"Bloody hell, Lyra! What are you playing at?!" He exclaimed.

"I am playing at trying to help you keep your job, kid!" She fired back. "Look, I need to go get Draco. I will meet you at one," she said in a rush. "Listen to me. When you are in there, you stick to one thing, okay? You stick to the fact that you don't remember casting that curse. I've read your mind. I know that that is more or less true. You do not let them push you into anything else. Nothing, you hear me?"

He looked at her like she was a dementor, coming to turn his bones to ice.

"When I speak up for you, you do exactly as I say. You do not question me. Do you understand?"

He stared at her.

"We don't have time! Do you understand me, Potter?"

"Yes! Merlin! Fine!" He exclaimed. "I hardly see what sodding difference it will make now," he said with a wary pout.

"It's gonna be fine," she said with false bravado before she fled the room to Floo to Draco's apartment. She just hoped he was there.


November 2008
Wizarding London, England
Tuesday

Lyra tumbled out of Draco's fireplace into a verbal warzone. The sitting room was empty, but she could hear the yelling from the kitchen.

"We barely know her!" Astoria shouted at him.

"That is such bollocks! YOU barely know her. I've known her for ages. Longer than I've known you!" Draco fired back.

"Look, she's a sweet thing and I'm grateful to her, but she's just not like us! It's not proper! I mean, do you really intend for our son to have an American stepmother someday...one who works?" She said incredulously.

"Scorpius adores her, Astoria." Draco replied.

"And don't I know it! She's all he ever talks about. Lyra this and Lyra that. And now because of those pictures and that stupid article, my friends are at it too! I've spent the last four days of my life talking about that bloody woman. Why do I have to suffer just because you feel like publicly tossing off into the steerage section? Why can't you just pop off to Nagini for a romp like a normal person?! Like you used to?!" Astoria quipped bitterly, walking into the living room with her angry ex-husband hot on her heels.

The blonde witch paled to white when she saw Lyra standing in front of the fireplace.

"Fuck. Lyra, I'm so sorry..." Draco started, while Astoria fumbled for something to say to excuse her ugly words.

Lyra was trembling with rage. She wanted to scream. She wanted to explode.

"I..." she stopped, to stabilize her shaking voice. "I need you to come with me. The idiots at MLE moved Harry's inquiry to today at one," she said to the ground.

"What? Can they do that?" Draco asked, walking towards her.

"Beats me. But they did it," she mumbled at her feet.

"Let me change and I'll come with you," he replied.

"No. Just. Just meet me. I'm leaving," she said, cheeks blazing.

"Lyra. What I said..." Astoria began.

"I heard what you said." Lyra cut her off. "I don't really think I want to hear anything else you have to say right now."

Lyra disappeared into the fireplace with tears quivering in her eyes.


November 2008
Wizarding London, England
Ministry of Magic of Great Britain
Office of Magical Law Enforcement, Auror Department
Tuesday

She stood stunned in the middle of the Auror's common for a few minutes until Gold grabbed her by the arm to get her attention.

"You alright, lass? You look like you just drank a fifth of firewhiskey," the Scot said to her.

"Fine. I'm fine," she whispered to reassure herself more than him.

"If you say so," he quipped.

She turned to him. "During the inquiry, I'm going to ask you to do something for me. I need you to just do it, okay? No arguing, no bullshitting, no being late to make out with Narcissa Malfoy," she said to him very seriously.

"Now, I don't think you should be puttin' onto me about that, do you?" He asked sweetly, trying to poke fun at her.

Lyra narrowed her eyes dangerously at him.

"Do what you say. Leave my woman alone until later," he conceded.

"Lyra," Draco said gently from behind her back. Lyra closed her eyes, not sure if she'd be able to look at him. Fuck him. Fuck his snotty ex. This is about Harry. Harry Harry Harry Harry. She turned to him coldly, not meeting his eyes. "Draco. Thanks for coming. I only need you for one question. You can sit in the gallery and I'll call you out when it's time, alright?"

Draco opened his mouth to pour apologies at her feet. To beg her forgiveness, but he stopped himself. "Right," he replied.

"I need a few minutes to prepare and grab my notes from Harry's office. Can I meet you both at the lift in ten?" She asked.

She walked away before hearing their responses. She made it to Harry's office just in time before the tears came in earnest. Harry was gone, probably in the bathroom, losing his lunch. Lyra gave herself exactly six minutes to cry. She took the remaining three and a half minutes to spell her face back on and headed back out the door to fight for her friend.