Chapter Five

Lyra

Lyra Granger-Malfoy-Nott heard the commotion downstairs that signalled that her mother had returned from work. Honestly Lyra didn't understand why her mother or her Papa worked. Their family was ridiculously wealthy after all. Father even had a noble title that he could throw around if one of the muggle neighbours got too difficult.

Lyra couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts so she could be outed as the Malfoy Heiress. She was going to wear Edwardian gowns and listen to her mp3 player and mess with the albino peacocks. After she was sorted into Slytherin of course.

Paige Parkinson-Zabini was only three months younger than her. They planned to be the Slytherin Princesses of their year. And if the way Paige flashed her dimples and raised her eyebrow at Lyra made Lyra's heartbeat a little wild, it didn't mean anything. They were only eleven after all.

Lyra loved her mp3 player. She had a wide variety of centuries of muggle music. She and Paige had managed to get a CD at the last Weird Sisters concert they went to in Italy with their parents, after leaving their younger siblings with Nonna Yasmine and Grandmere. Lyra hadn't hesitated to rip the songs off with her laptop and upload them to her mp3 player. Even her muggleborn mum was impressed with it. Lyra honestly hadn't thought it was that exciting on the scale of things that she was capable of, but she was happy to accept the praise.

Lyra was tech savvy and clever. Her father already talked with her about Malfoy Industries and she'd convinced him to start a muggle side of the business that worked in similar fields but for muggles. The Wizarding side of Malfoy Industries sold potions and owned two large apothecaries so the muggle side of Malfoy industries bought multiple pharmaceutical companies with interesting patents and research projects and a chain of muggle pharmacies. The magical side of Malfoy Industries handled magical real estate, so the muggle side began dealing in large luxury property developments. Lyra was proud to see her suggestions causing their family's wealth on the muggle side of things to grow as well. She had four younger siblings to think about after all, and someday their families. She took her responsibilities as the eldest daughter very seriously.

She kept her headphones on as she came down the stairs looking forward to seeing her mother and asking about her day and whether they could take a three day weekend to Italy. What she didn't expect was Harry Potter with her Papa's wand in his neck sitting on one of the dining room chairs.

Her mother was trying to comfort Cassie who was crying due to all the tension in the room and her father had pulled his wand too. Lyra considered summoning her wand, but decided against it. Her two dads more than had this under control when it came to fire power.

Lyra cleared her throat and her father, mother and Harry Potter all swung their heads in her direction. She used their focus to sit down in a chair and cross her legs demurely.

"So, I guess this means I get to go Hogwarts." Lyra crossed her arms and leaned back. "Cat is out of the bag as the Muggles say. I bet he saw the whole herd of us. I mean mum could obliviate him though, so there's that."

"Lyra, this is grownup business can you take your sister and go-"

"Oh, absolutely not," Lyra cut her mother off, "I will not be put off like some overgrown babysitter. Call the twins if you want her gone."

Lyra could tell her mother was counting to ten, her jaw clenched and she knew she'd almost made her mother lose her temper. She understood why it was her father's favorite pastime.

"So, you're Harry Potter?" Lyra looked him up and down, "I mean I'm not super impressed at how easily you got caught outside our house. Aren't you the Defense professor? Papa, do you think I could take my OWLS this year and test out of his class for a few years?"

"Lyra, angel, this really isn't the time," her father stared at her, his wand still at Harry Potter's neck.

"I disagree, " Lyra said confidently, "I think this is exactly the time. I don't think that Mr Potter wants everyone to know he was spying on mum. It's rather creepy honestly. We could press stalking charges with the muggle police, but then I bet the Prophet would find out about the half blood horde."

"Lyra-" her father growled. She threw her hands up.

Harry Potter was looking from her father to her mum to her Papa to Lyra herself.

"Oh, my God, Hermione. She's a female clone of Malfoy with your brain."

Her father snorted.

"Lyra is actually much smarter than I am, to my eternal chagrin. I know now how my mother must have felt dealing with me." Her mum answered, "Why are you here Harry? It's been years since we even spoke."

Lyra watched as Harry Potter sheepishly looked at the floor and did nor answer.

"Oh my gods, you thought Mum was involved with the Dark Arts!" Lyra screeched. "What's wrong with you? Didn't Mum save your life like a dozen times when you were kids? You were right, Father, what a lousy friend "The Chosen One" was to Mum! Can you even imagine?"

Lyra could see that both of her dads were trying not to laugh, and seemed unlikely to Crucio Harry bloody Potter in their kitchen now.

Harry Potter blinked at her owlishly, "Hermione, is she a legilimens? It's eerie."

"No, I'm bollocks at legilimency." She ignored her mother's yell of "Lyra! Language!"

"Occlumency though, I'm really good at that." She turned her chair and crossed her arms over the top, shrugging a little. "It's a family talent." She smiled sweetly at the Chosen One. He really wasn't very impressive. He had a gut. His robes were old. Her dads were way more put together. She shook her head. Celebrities were always so underwhelming.

It was the same experience as when she'd seen Ronald Weasley playing Quidditch in Ireland when she'd gone with her Papa. He was being extra petty that week and Lyra was dying to see what he would do at the match. She'd loved cheering for the opposing team and when her papa admitted that when he left for some concessions he spread a rumour about the ginger's tiny endowment amongst the Quidditch groupies with a little legilimency, Lyra just about died laughing. Papa did remind her not to mention that little tidbit with her mother however.

The youngest male Weasley was a pathetic older man trying to hold onto his youth and basically blocking the Quaffles with his oversized bulk. Her papa had crowed when Lyra asked how on earth his broom could hold up his weight. Papa had pointed out Weasley's wife and five red-headed kids further down in the stands. The oldest daughter looked like she was around Lyra's age. They'd most likely be at Hogwarts together. Lyra sized her up like her Auntie Pansy showed her and Paige how to, and wondered if this is what it was like to see your future enemy in advance and to recognize them. Lyra doubted the girl was anywhere close to her in intellect though, from the way she stared at the game she was probably Quidditch obsessed.

Lyra hoped she didn't play seeker. That was Lyra's position.

Reminding herself that the current situation was more interesting than reminiscing, Lyra turned back to her parents and tried to pay attention to what the adults were talking about. A lot of being sorry and claims of invasions of privacy. It was horribly boring.

"Are you going to be fair to me when I'm sorted into Slytherin and in your class next year? Or should I let my dads go ahead and send me to Beauxbatons?"

The tension in the room returned in full force and could have been cut with a knife.

"Yes Harry," her Mum said in a menacing tone that even Lyra recognized as meaning business, "Do you treat Slytherins fairly? Or is it more of the same like when we went to Hogwarts?"

"Ho-how do you know she'll be sorted into Slytherin?"

Her father scoffed. Her Papa snorted. Her mother rolled her eyes.

"I'm a Malfoy," Lyra laughed, "of course I am going to end up in Slytherin. I wouldn't accept any other sorting."

"How about rather than obliviating you and dumping you in Diagon Alley covered in lipstick and fire whiskey for the Aurors to find you," her mum said, "You can make a vow on your magic to treat all students at Hogwarts regardless of House or parentage fairly, that will get us out of this mess and then I can send Lyra to Hogwarts with a clear conscience that she will be safer than her fathers were. And you and I can go back to being former friends turned awkward acquaintances."

"An Unbreakable vow," Theo demanded.

"And he has to swear he won't divulge our location or spy on our family ever again," Draco added.

"You would really ruin my marriage?" Harry Potter asked, staring at Lyra's mum in shock.

"In a heartbeat Harry, but if it makes you feel better Theo would implant a great memory of a drunken threesome for you."

"So you could suffer the guilt of cheating on your wife as well, Potter, not for the enjoyment of it."

"Well, it looks like I don't have much choice doesn't it?" The Boy Who Lived To Be Annoying spat.

000000

Lyra loved it when she got what she wanted. It was literally her favourite thing. And going to Hogwarts with Paige Zabini was absolutely what she wanted.

She spotted The Chosen One giving their family a dour look from across the platform where he stood with a woman who had to be his wife. They had three children with them, a boy who looked like he was heading to Hogwarts who looked like his mum, a clone of the Chosen One himself who kept stealing looks at Scorp, and a little girl who was about the twins' age.

Her Papa had one of the twins in each hand. Scorpius was standing looking around at the people on the platform trying to spot people he had read about in the Daily Prophet or Witch Weekly. Her father had Cassie strapped to his back and she was singing to herself and playing with her little stuffed ferret that had once belonged to Scorpius. Her dads looked like they were facing a firing squad, which based on the dirty looks they were getting, they were. Her mum was trying to smile encouragingly. Lyra knew that she was struggling with feeling like she was "in a fishbowl" as she had overheard her say earlier this morning to Father.

Lyra basked in all the attention that had happened since she'd gone school shopping with her parents in Diagon Alley last week. The Headmistress of Hogwarts had known about her for months but had been very discreet because her mum had requested it. However Lyra walking between her father and mum had set the Wizarding World to talking. By the time Lyra had gotten her cauldron and books from Flourish and Blotts, there were reporters and photographers on the street. Lyra had flashed her best smile. And had willingly answered questions.

Yes she was Lyra Malfoy, technically Lyra Granger-Malfoy-Nott, but for the sake of her peers and professors she had decided to only use the Malfoy name at school. Yes she was legitimate. Yes she was looking forward to attending Hogwarts as her parents had done. Yes she was well aware that her parents marriage and her birth had removed the Malfoys from the Sacred 28. No, she did not care what her grandfather would have thought about her birth.

Lyra had gotten very annoyed then and in her most aristocratic tone she said, "if you want to be exceptionally precise, my younger twin sisters, Emilia and Thea, have ended House Nott's inclusion in the Sacred 28 as well. So perhaps one should refer to it as the Sacred 26 now. And I also end the inclusion of the Ancient and Noble House of Black. As do my sister, Casseopeia, and brother, Scorpius. Please do note that we were named according to House Black's naming tradition to your readers." Lyra was about to call it the Sacred 25 and continue her rant about Pureblood inanity because Muggleborns aren't muggle born they are descended from squibs, but then she realised her mum's research on that was still confidential at the Ministry and that would maybe cause her parents some issues if she shared that publicly. It was very difficult to keep her mouth closed about it. Magical blood is Magical blood she wanted to scream.

Her grandmother had appeared just at the perfect moment and linked her arm with Lyra's.

"As Lady Malfoy, I love and support all my grandchildren and couldn't be more proud of the next generation of our family."

It was quite the media coup, but her mum seemed unsure how it would look when it came to print. She'd had some bad experiences with the media in her own youth and never trusted them now to do more than try to sell papers.

"Hidden Halfblood Malfoy Heiress Revealed! Golden Girl in secret triad marriage to Lord Nott and Former Death Eater Draco Malfoy! Their Secret Family!"

It was a bit sensationalised, but Lyra thought she looked fabulous in her new wizarding robes. She was obviously a Malfoy with her pale skin, white hair and pale eyes. They had chosen the image of Grandmere linking their arms for the main picture. One with her three parents had caught them all with very blank expressions, but the magical camera person zoomed in on their linked hands before the photo looped again.

It was nice to be heading to Hogwarts as someone who was notorious already. She could see the other children and their parents attempting surreptitious glances and whispering. Lyra adored attention. She was also very excited to get away from her special Muggle school for the "Gifted."

It was going to be fun to be the smartest person in the room for a change. She knew she was brilliant, but there had been a handful of Muggles that had put her to shame. One of the boys her age had sixteen patents already and was constantly inventing new things. Lyra was excellent at determining flaws in things but coming up with new things wasn't a skill she naturally possessed. William knocked it out of the park as he was fond of saying. He was American and obsessed with sports metaphors. Lyra had learned a lot about American no-maj culture from him, without his knowing of course.

Sajjad and Anahit were better than Lyra at physics and quantum mechanics.

Lyra only played three instruments to Lin's sixteen. Lin specialised in mediaeval and ancient Asian instruments, but of course also played piano, violin and lyre. They were the three instruments that Lyra played. Most Pureblood children only played one instrument at most. Her dads both played piano and Aunt Pansy and Paige played the trapezoidal yangqin, also known as the Chinese hammered dulcimer.

Mohammed was better at robotics on the hardware end, but he always wanted to be paired with Lyra for the programming part of his creations. He'd promised to write to her and she'd promised to put in a good word with her father for a job for him. She knew that her father would love to expand the Muggle side of the company into something exciting like "Research and Development" ever since he'd seen it in one of the American superhero movies that her papa had brought home.

Lyra knew that compared to other girls from Pureblood families she was exceptionally well educated. They tended to focus on calligraphy, beauty charms, etiquette, genealogy and dancing. Lyra had joined all Paige's lessons for those, but she'd also studied business with her father, charms with her Papa and her mother had been varying their reading between fiction and nonfiction about things like the Goblin Wars or the philosophies of 19th century muggle feminists, the suffrage movement in Britain or the history of the merfolk as told by themselves. So after years of being solidly average at her Gifted school, Lyra was very excited to be among average kids where her excellence could be more visible. She wasn't bad at Quidditch either although she was no Harry Potter so she'd probably have to wait until year two to try out for the house Quidditch team like father. She thought it was past time for "MALFOY" to be on the back of a Slytherin Quidditch Jersey again.

Mum had promised to forward any letters that she got from her old school mates, although they knew she was getting sent to some fancy boarding school in Scotland that didn't allow students the post. She'd see Marguerite and Angelique, her two best Muggle friends, over the winter holidays. They'd made plans to attend a week long small marine submersible training near Brighton. Lyra was really looking forward to it. She wasn't willing to give up her Muggle life and she supposed that was going to be the thing that was going to set her apart the most from others.

"LYRA!" Her best friend Paige Zabini came running toward her, nearly knocking her off her feet in her excitement to be reunited. Paige's mum laughed behind her hand the perfect vision of Pureblood elegance.

"Hi Aunt Pansy. Hi Uncle Blaise."

"Hey Princess," Uncle Blaise smiled, "Can I get your autograph? I hear you are famous now."

"Blaise," Mum cried, smacking Lyra's uncle on the arm.

"Argh, Hermione, you are so violent." Uncle Blaise cried.

"Blaise, do shut up. You are going to end up quoted in the Daily Prophet," Aunt Pansy hissed at him. Uncle Blaise immediately was perfectly comported. And Lyra's mum raised an eyebrow at Aunt Pansy who did the slightest tilt of her head that Lyra knew was the Pureblood lady equivalent of a full shoulder shrug.

"Whipped," Paige whispered in Lyra's ear and the two girls chuckled. Aunt Pansy and Lyra's mum looked over at them suspiciously.

"You girls have everything you need?" Aunt Pansy asked, making polite conversation, "Lyra you still planning to take your mp3 player?"

"Certainly, I got it to work at your house and Grandmere's. I'm sure I can get it to work at Hogwarts. And I brought extra batteries because charging it is the only thing I'm not sure about."

Mum, Father and Papa all smiled at Lyra with pride. She knew they didn't understand her interest in computer programming and tech, but they were always so proud of her accomplishments, even if Lyra personally thought remembering batteries wasn't much of an accomplishment.

"I once managed to charge a Walkman at Hogwarts with wind power and part of an adapter," her Papa mentioned as an aside. "The book I figured it out from should still be in the Ravenclaw lending library. If you make a Ravenclaw friend on the train they should be able to borrow it for you. Introduction to Basic Electrical Projects I think was the title."

"Papa, have I mentioned I love you today?" Lyra smiled. Ravenclaw had a lending library? Now that was a selling point to the House if Lyra hadn't already decided to be Slytherin Princesses with Paige.

"No, I don't think you have," her Papa flashed her a dimpled smile. She had hugged him at home and been given thirteen kisses on top of her head and an amulet with a tracking charm and a strong protective blood ward. And she told him she loved him more than the moon.

Her mum had held her tight and gave her a disillusioned cuff bracelet with anti theft and what appeared to be another tracking charm. Lyra also suspected it provided her vitals to someone wearing linked jewellery, but decided to let her mum have some security in knowing she was alright. Her mum had told her some terrifying stories about being petrified by a basilisk when she was twelve and she was pretty sure no one told her parents when it was happening and how she couldn't live with something like that happening to her first born.

Her father had an antique piece of Malfoy family jewellery for her that absorbed hexes and curses. The jewel in the setting was clear but would become cloudy if someone tried to curse or hex her, the colour would reflect the type of spell that had been cast. He also provided her with a Malfoy signet to wear and advised her to never take either of them off.

Her parents might be overprotective, but Lyra always reminded herself that they had been fighting in a war only a couple years older than she was right now. They had reasons to be nervous.

Paige leaned closer to Lyra's ear and whispered "don't look now, but there are two redheads staring at you."

"Which way?"

"Three o'clock."

Lyra subtly spun herself like she was talking to the twins which she did and gave them each a kiss on the cheek, but really it was to look over their shoulder. Harry Potter had been joined by Ronald Weasley who was staring daggers at Lyra's mum and dads. It made her rather unsettled if she was being honest. His blonde wife looked like she had escaped from one of those terrible shows on the telly: hair too big, makeup too overdone. It was their eldest daughter that was giving Lyra a glare though.

"What's Ronald Weasley's eldest daughter's name, Mum?" Lyra asked, standing up.

"Why?"

"Because she is behind you and she looks like she would like to Avada me for existing."

Her mother had less Slytherin instincts than the rest of the family and turned to lock eyes with first Weasley, when his daughter. turned to look at the people behind her. Harry Potter had the decency to look sheepish. Ron Weasley glared even more markedly at Lyra's mum, and Lyra gave the eldest daughter who was clearly heading to Hogwarts her best Malfoy sneer.

Suddenly out of the blue, a huge red headed man Lyra had never seen had her mum in an embrace and was swinging her around. Her dads both had their hands on their wands.

"Hermione Granger," the man smiled, "It's been years! How have you been?"

"George Weasley, put me down this instant before one of my husbands hexes you and then I have to speak to your trollbrained brother."

"Ugh, I wouldn't want to talk to widdle Ronniekins if I could help it either," the man, George Weasley, said, sitting Lyra's mum down. "You remember Angelina," he said gesturing behind him to the beautiful black woman behind him.

"Of course, congratulations! I heard about your wedding from Percy when I bumped into him at the Ministry," Mum smiled. "You remember Draco and Theo of course. And Blaise and Pansy Zabini."

"Of course," George smiled, "I believe we used to play Quidditch together back in the way back, hmmm? If you boys are ever up for a rematch, I'd love it."

"Weasley," her father inclined his head politely, "I've heard your business is going well."

"Yours too, Malfoy."

"George, Angelina, these are my children: Lyra, who is off for her first year at Hogwarts, Scorpius, who will follow her the year after next, our twins, Emilia and Thea and Cassie our littlest." The twins were hiding behind mum now, they weren't really fond of new people. Cassie offered a little wave and Scorp gave a half bow.

"Well. hello Lyra," George bent down to speak with Lyra in the way that people who were familiar with children often did. "And what house are you hoping that you'll be sorted into?"

"I'll be a Slytherin, of course," Lyra huffed, while Paige snickered in her ear.

"So certain?" Mr. Weasley grinned at her.

"Malfoys are always sorted into Slytherin," Lyra grinned back cockily.

"I'll tell you a secret, the sorting hat nearly put my brother Fred and I in Slytherin our first year, but all my family has been in Gryffindor forever, so it was probably for the best."

"Although we were quite your fans in Slytherin," Lyra's papa shared.

"When we weren't the ones you were playing pranks on," Blaise pointed out.

"I was particularly fond of the swamp you made," Father said, before turning to Mum, "How did they drain that? I don't remember it being there in eighth year."

"Filch had to hand carry it bucket by bucket down to the Black Lake apparently," George smiled, standing up, "McGonagall sent me a bill for his time. I paid it, of course."

"He framed the bill," his wife added.

"Of course you did," Lyra's mum replied, "and your children can't be old enough to be at Hogwarts yet. What are you doing here today?"

"Oh we are part of the grand Weasley send off contingent. James - you know Ginny and Harry's son - is heading out to first year, and Rosie - that's Ronnie and Lav-lav's eldest, as well. I suspect they'll both go to Gryffindor. Quidditch mad and not very studious, very competitive and you know how Ron feels about Slytherins, no offence meant, gentlemen."

Aunt Pansy rolled her eyes as the men made understanding noises. Lyra did wish she was better at legilimency, she'd love to be reading the adults' minds right now.

"I recall," Papa said, "you are getting a bit of a death glare from him at the moment. You won't be shunned for speaking with us will you?"

"Oh well, I couldn't miss out on seeing our Hermione and her family could I? It's been far too long." Lyra did not care for the warmth in his eyes, nor for the way he touched her mum on the arm, "Be less of a stranger, yeah? Bring the kids by Wizard Wheezes and we'll set a dinner date. I'd love Freddie and Roxanne to meet your kids. I'm not keen on our children being strangers."

Lyra did not care for the way her mum's lips twitched and her eyes welled with tears. Who was this man that could make her mum get so emotional in public?

"I'd like that," Mum choked out.

Angelina gave Lyra's mum a big hug. "Maybe a girls' day out too. You can bring the twins and the little one, and I'll bring Roxie. You're welcome to come if you like Parkinson, oops I mean Zabini. Sorry." Angelina looked like a woman who was rarely nervous.

"Don't you play for the Harpies?" Paige interrupted.

"I used to, I've been off a few seasons now."

"You should go back to it, you were really good."

"Our Paige is getting sorted as well," Aunt Pansy shared, "She's also Quidditch mad, but we are not assuming a Gryffindor sorting."

George laughed. "I wouldn't imagine so. Honestly I think the old mouldering hat looks at surnames more than anything. Our Hermione ought to have been in Slytherin."

Papa opened his mouth to say something, but Mum stepped on his foot and suddenly he was very quiet.

"Well it was really nice seeing you, George, I promise we'll come by this week. You should go through before your brother comes over here and drags you by the arm."

"Ronniekins making a scene, an extremely likely event, but yes, let's all avoid that. Well Lyra and Paige, good luck on your sorting. Hope you have an excellent year at school and get up to all the best mischief."

Lyra smiled and curtseyed, "And I hope your year is excellent as well, Mr. Weasley, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Pretty manners," he smiled, "But call me George. Mr. Weasley is my dad or my older brother Percy."

"I think Percy prefers Mr Undersecretary," Angelina cut in, "But Hermione isn't wrong and now your mum's arrived and is glaring as well."

George sighed and allowed himself to be drawn off.

Lyra looked over and saw that Angelina wasn't kidding, the old redheaded crone was looking like she wanted to cast a hex on the lot of them.

Rosie and James then, Lyra thought as she looked at the redhead boy standing next to Harry Potter. Their eyes met for just a second and Lyra felt her magic react, but he quickly looked away.

"James Potter looks like he might be interesting," Paige whispered in her ear, "I've watched him steal glances at us several times while Mr. Weasley was speaking. His mum and uncle clearly were saying rude things about our parents, but he didn't look scornful like Rosie Weasley. He looked like he was considering us."

"Maybe, but he'll probably be a Gryffindor," Lyra whispered back, "And house rivalries are still house rivalries."

"True enough," Paige whispered, planting a light kiss on her best friend's cheek.

Louder, Lyra said, "I love you all very much, but I'd like to find a compartment to sit in, so Paige and I are taking our leave now."

Lyra had to suffer through the indignity of a round of hugs from all the adults and her younger siblings before she was allowed to escape.

As she sat in the compartment and waved to her family on the platform, Lyra was forced to deal with the fact that she was going to miss them horribly. Maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as she thought it would.

Paige pulled her down into her lap and gave Lyra a huge hug.

"We are gonna do great. It's gonna be great." Paige said, cheerful as ever. "Slytherin here we come."

Lyra looked up right as James Potter walked by their compartment and again their eyes met, his were the brightest leaf green that she had ever seen. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something and then shook his head and kept walking.

Lyra shook her own head and looked back to Paige, "Hogwarts won't know what hit it."

No, it wouldn't.