Chapter 8

Dragons

A long painful argument ensued inside Minerva's office. Athena was tearing into Lyra, as Minerva listened to all the nasty things her sister was saying to the woman. She had half a mind of tearing into Athena; however, she stayed quiet.

"A broken nose…a broken jaw…a duel…with a respected professor…you know how bad this looks?! You should be thankful that I managed to salvage the situation. Thank Merlin, he doesn't want to press charges!"

"Like I've said already…some five billion times. Neither was this my fault, and nor am I apologizing for it!"

"I can't…I can't keep doing this with you, Lyra…I do not possess the patience your brother does. And you know what he may keep up with his position as your constant defendant…but I'm done! There's just no reasoning with you. You are arrogant and stubborn and I am done! You will apologize to that man!"

"I will not!"

"I am the headmistress of AIMS, I am responsible for the well-being of my school, its reputation…I will not have you besmirch AIMS over your over inflated ego! You will apologise, or Sarah will not have a mentor for the first task! Is that what you want?" Athena snapped angrily. Lyra pulled back what she was about to say and crossed her hands infuriatedly.

"If he used his words, why didn't you? You are rather quick with nasty comeback with the rest of us. And this duel…I can bet my life and say you provoked it! This has gone tits-up and I've had enough. Please stop making my life so difficult, Lyra!" Athena said exasperatedly.

"It wasn't…I was actually trying to…if you'd just let me explain…" Lyra snapped aggravatedly.

"Save it! Go to the hospital wing, apologize…or there will be consequences!" said Athena throwing her hands in the air. She then stormed out of the office.

Lyra sucked on teeth in contemplation. She then walked over to the large windows in the office, watching as the sun was beginning to set.

"Here."

Lyra turned to see Minerva holding a hot mug of something.

"Is…that…coffee?" Lyra asked in surprise. Minerva nodded.

"Thank you…I…I haven't had a decent cup of coffee in weeks…and I literally live on this!" Lyra said gratefully as she accepted the cup.

"Why don't we sit down?" Minerva offered. Lyra sighed softly and followed her aunt to the large armchairs in her office. Minerva then summoned a box, opening it she offered it to Lyra.

"Have a biscuit…"

"Ginger Newts!" Lyra said happily as she picked one up. She could literally cry right now!

"I love these…but you don't get them in Boston. I've tried everything…I even tried asking my…uncle…no…can't call him my uncle…my godfather's friend, Jacob to recreate them…he's a muggle baker…married to a…"

"I know who Jacob is…" Minerva said, smiling at her.

"Oh…" Lyra wondered, taking a bite out of the biscuit, and for the first time, feeling herself calm down. She had only felt uncomfortable since her arrival at Hogwarts, only with Minerva, did she feel like she could lower her wards. In just a short period of time, Minerva had won her over.

"You think I fucked up as well don't you, Aunt Minerva?" Lyra asked as Minerva looked at Lyra and nodded gently.

"Just a wee bit…" she added.

"Yea…I know…it's just that…I didn't start any of it…I was just sitting there minding my own business and then people started yelling and chanting Sarah's name. I only went to check if she was alright. Snape was trying to bait her into a duel with Shorthorn. He said some nasty things about her, and I wasn't going to let that stand."

Minerva shook her head and sighed.

"I beat his ass in the duel, although…I have to give it to him…he's rusty… but powerful." Said Lyra picking her third biscuit.

"Professor Snape is one of the most respected teachers we have Lyra."

Lyra raised an eyebrow and sent a laugh Minerva's way making her frown.

"No…see that's where you're wrong. He's not respected…he's feared. There's a substantial difference between the two."

"Lyra…he's not stupid. Yes, all of this…most feared professor act is a kind of pretence that he loves to keep up, and more often than not, it's my Gryffindors on the line. But he is actually a very powerful and intelligent wizard."

"I can't believe you're defending him!" Lyra scoffed.

"I am not defending him, Lyra…but your actions are reprimandable…not just for you, but your niece as well. This is not America, Lyra. The way they treat you there, they will not treat you here. Here you are a threat to them. So those glances and giggles and whispers…are not out of respect either. They're out of envy and fear."

"You think I don't know that…Minerva?" Lyra sighed in irritation.

"You think…people don't keep assuming that they know me…like I am the same person that they see in the papers? Most of my life…goes into keeping up with that pretence. For the coven, for the force, for the witches and wizards of my country. I am not some messiah...that they keep making me out to be. I am just really good at my job! I never asked to be put on some pedestal…they just left me there and expected me to operate on their terms. I am not someone who operates well within walls. But one foot out the line and suddenly everything I have ever done turns to ashes. One foot out the line, and they start treating me like I am some lost cause…it's not just England…it's everyone. I never asked to be a powerful witch, I never asked to be…who I am…gosh…sometimes I wonder that myself, don't I? Am I someone who's good? Am I someone who's bad? Hell, I don't even know where I come from, who my parents really are…how am I supposed to know who I truly am, if I don't even know who I identify as? All I know, is that I'm not perfect…far from it, actually. That's why I keep making sure…people know that I'm not…because if I stop…if I stop being the asshole that I am…I…I don't…know who I'll be." Said Lyra tiredly.

She didn't know why she had just released this vomit of feelings onto this unknown aunt of hers. Somehow, Lyra felt comfortable around her, which was very unlike Lyra. She didn't trust anyone so easily. But with Minerva came with an additional element, even though she was unknown, she was still family. And if anything, Lyra had learnt her lesson, pushing her family away wasn't ever going to do her any good. However, these things were easier said than done.

"You are a beautiful person…never forget that!" said Minerva looking right into her eyes. Lyra gave her small smile and looked away, a blush crossing her face. She knew Minerva said that out of pity. She didn't even know her. Lyra was not a beautiful person, good-decent people did not have to fight their constant inner demons, good-decent people, did not punch others in the face.

"You're one of kindest people I've met. But you would change your mind once you got to know me." Lyra replied shaking her head.

"I think I know you well enough my dear…your mother loves writing about you. And nothing, in this world would make me change my mind." Said Minerva placing her hand gently on Lyra's.

Lyra felt a pang of emotions surge through her heart, but she didn't address it. She never did.

"I…should go…apologize to him. I suppose, I don't have to really mean it…" sighed Lyra as she stood.

Minerva chuckled at the comment, and nodded her head.

"Right! Off I go! Thank you for this Aunt Minerva…this was…nice." Lyra said as she opened the office door, feeling much better than she had before.

"Sit still Severus!" Madam Pomfrey scolded. She scuttled around him.

"Merlin…did she smash your face with a rock? Your nose is completely broken!" Tsked Madam Pomfrey, moving his face from side to side as he winced each time.

"Could you possibly be a bit gentle?!" He snarled at her. She shot him a disdainful look in return. Dumbledore chuckled at them. Snape shot him a glare.

Dumbledore had sent Zeus away. Athena had rushed to yell at Lyra, after Albus had brushed aside this incident as a show of simple competitive spirit between schools. This gave him a brief window to discuss the happenings with Snape.

"Wait here…I have a feeling an Episkey won't do the trick…might have to reset it…let me get some skele-grow…you're in for a rough night!" Madam Pomfrey said shaking her head pitifully. Snape rolled his eyes at her. She went towards her cabinet to retrieve the bottle.

"This is your fault, Albus." The dark-haired man spat, lightly tapping his completely swollen and still bleeding nose.

"My fault?"

"You were the one who said, find out whatever you can about her…I tried to read her mind…"

"And…?"

"And…what? And...nothing! I saw brief glimpses of fire…and flashes from when she was a teenager…nothing that stood out. Basic cover memories…nothing deeper. She's not stupid to keep herself open. What was I thinking…listening to you! Besides, When I managed to catch her off-guard, she figured it out. She shoved me out instantly!"

"She…she knows?"

"She knows…and this is the result of it."

"She punched you in the face for reading her mind...is that really all there is?"

"Partially…" Snape commented gingerly.

"Severus?" Dumbledore looked at him over his half-moon glasses, asking him to go on.

"Partially…because I also called her an immature little bitch." Smirked Snape proudly.

"Merlin's beard, Severus! The objective of this was to get friendly with her…not to get punched in the face!"

"Why do we even need her?" Snape groaned as he raised his handkerchief to clean the blood that was now pouring through, hissing in pain when he touched it.

"Harry Potter's name flying out of the goblet wasn't a coincidence, Severus, we both know this. Yet, we don't know what is to unfold this year as a result of it. Our approach might be risky and having someone as powerful as her on our side would be a beneficial."

"For that…I need to know her motives, Severus. The 27 Coven…have always been interested in the boy. Tessra Jones…did address my worries. However, we must be certain."

"You're powerful enough, Albus…you're the original Dumbledore! Why do you need this ridiculous copy of yourself around?" Snape joked darkly.

Albus sighed.

"Be that as it may…we need her. I had hoped you'd win her over…"

"What do you want me to do, Albus…she clearly despises me…"

"You have given her every reason to. I had hoped that you might be able to entice her…"

"Am I supposed to charm her? If you've forgotten, my personality is not exactly conducive to when it comes to…women like her…insufferable Gryffindors."

"Your personality is just fine."

"She's most smitten by you anyway…perhaps it is better if you charmed her instead…" Snape scoffed. Albus chuckled.

"I could be her father Severus…I don't think she'd be interested in me…" Albus laughed. Snape seemed to find humour in this as well.

"I am sure you've still got it Dumbledore…don't sell yourself short." Snape replied chuckling alongside as he winced in pain.

"However, something...must be done." Albus muttered. Snape continued the painful ministrations of his nose.

"She's really done a number on you, my boy…dignity and nose." Albus chuckled as Severus shot him a glare.

"Yeah…about that…" Lyra muttered appearing behind Dumbledore. The two men were startled as they heard her voice.
When the hell had she gotten here? Had she heard their conversation?

"Ms. Marks…I didn't see you come in…" Dumbledore stated slowly, trying to access the possible damage. But it seemed like she was oblivious to his previous conversation with Snape.

"I just got here…"

The three of them stood in silence. Dumbledore noticed Lyra shuffling her feet, as Snape glared at her, still holding the now completely bloody handkerchief over his nose.

"I came here to apologise Mr. Snape. Although, I don't know why…" She trailed off at the end.

"…but…I'm sorry." She said half-heartedly.

Snape smirked as she curled her fists. However, Dumbledore had to ruin the moment by clearing his throat and looking pointedly at him.

"I…I apologize for what I said as well." He said half-heartedly. Neither convinced by the apologies they had received.

"I hope this settles the differences between both of you. This tournament is after all, nothing, if we do not build on harmony between our nations." Said Dumbledore sagely. They both rolled their eyes together at his sermon.

"Here…show me…" She said walking over to the bed, feeling slightly sorry for him.

Her chest was exceptionally close to his face as she examined his nose. He tried his best to keep his eyes on her face, but he couldn't help it. The tattoo on her breast, peeping through her shirt every time she inhaled, was extremely distracting.

"Keep your hands off me…" He growled as her hand swatted his away. She touched his nose to check for breaks. He hissed in pain.

"Stop being such a baby…" She snapped checking his nose, grabbing his face and moving it harshly from side to side, as he winced in pain. It was clearly very badly broken. No wonder her knuckles were still horribly sore.

Lyra then pulled out her wand and waved it in swirls over his nose. His broken nose, set itself back into place as she continued to mutter the spell under her breath. The bleeding stopped and the swelling subsided completely, even the bruise disappeared slowly.

She moved back to admire her handiwork.

"There…good as new…" She said smirking as she looked at his face. He touched his now perfectly fixed nose. The pain had disappeared and he could breathe freely again.

"Thank you." He grumbled. Severus knew an Episkey could never have done the same job. She had clearly used a more advanced healing charm to fix it so painlessly.

"How the…how did you do that?" Madam Pomfrey asked in surprise.

"Skele-grow is a fucking scam!" Lyra replied looking at the bottle tersely. Madam Pomfrey looked affronted by her statement.

Lyra turned back to the two men and addressed Snape, who was still checking his nose.

"And—you don't need to thank me, Mr. Snape. However, a gentle word of caution, I'd appreciate it, if you'd stay out my head. It's not a lovely place…I don't know what you were looking for in there. But, it's a complete mess. Stay out, perhaps for your own safety." She threateningly. Severus leaned back a little. She looked intimidating as hell. He felt schooled by her.

She turned and walked out of the hospital wing, leaving the two men watch her until she was out of their line of vision.

Lyra was grateful she had kept her composure as best as she could. Athena was right, this was perhaps the best way to fix things. Lyra flexed her hand as it cramped in pain from the punch. She knew she needed to soak it an ice bath and bandage it before it got worse. She needed her right hand to be in perfect working condition if she was to help Sarah pass the first task.

"Lyra!"

"What are you doing here?" Lyra asked Sarah who was standing by her quarters.

"Dragons, Lyra! They've got us fighting dragons for the first task!"

"What!"

"Harry Potter found out. He was so thankful that I defended him, he told me."

"How?"

"I have no clue…except…all the other champions know as well…I've written a letter to Grandpa…asking for help."

"That's a good idea Sarah…but you release it'll take the owl half a month to even get there!"

"Can we not send Burst?"

"Burst is close to her burning day…a trip like this would be too much for her."

"I am scared Ly! How am I going to fight a dragon?" Sarah said panicking rubbing her hands over her arms.

"Well…you don't have to fight it alone…" said Lyra pretending to be calm, panic bells were sounding in her head.

"But…"

"We'll figure it out! Go get some sleep."

The first task was drawing closer, and Lyra still had nothing. She had scoured through very thing she knew about defence, but she knew nothing about defence against dragons! All she remembered from her Magical Beasts class was the professor saying they were magnificent yet extremely dangerous creatures.

Sarah had been hunting through the library for anything useful, but found nothing.

Lyra had made up her mind. Whatever happened, she was going to protect Sarah from the beast, even if that was the last thing she did.

Lyra tried to think of every spell she knew to work on the dragon, but nothing struck her as useful. As the day grew closer, Lyra's panic triggers began building terrible scenarios in her head. So that night, Lyra set off into the village to look for some 'liquid courage'. She had been very good the past few weeks with avoiding alcohol as much as she could. However, she needed it to clear her head of the dark thoughts that pierced her mind constantly.

She decided to skip dinner and go down to the village instead. Dobby had told her about the Three Broomsticks, an inn where students would go enjoy a butterbeer, but when she had pushed him for a proper watering hole. He had squeaked out that there a rather nasty and unsavoury place called the Hog's Head towards the outskirts of the village.

The November winds made Lyra shiver; she pulled her heavy cloak closer around her. It was around eight in the evening and the village was already half asleep. All the shops were closed and not many people loitered the cobbled streets. Lyra walked quickly, finally coming upon the disreputable establishment. She stepped into the sparsely crowded pub, hurriedly, wanting to get out of the cold.

Lyra walked up to the bartender as she took of her cloak. The man was tall, with a thinning hairline, but had his long silver and brown hair tied into a large bun at the back of his head, his beard could easily rival Dumbledore's. Although, he had specks of brown in it. He looked at her…no…he literally stared at her, with his mouth slight agape. She felt extremely out of place as she sat down on the stool in front of him. She brushed him off as one of those people who recognised her, and had a moment where they froze.

She cleared her throat, hoping to capture his attention. He finally blinked, giving her a sour look.

"We don't have Gillywater here!" He snapped at her.

"Fire whiskey will do just fine…please." Replied Lyra sharply. He laughed at her, some of the patrons chuckled darkly alongside him.

"You're clearly lost, Miss…this isn't the Three Broomsticks…" He snapped cleaning a glass.

"I am in the right place. Now, do you have any fire whiskey, or do you want me to take my business, elsewhere?"

"Slow down…slow down…your majesty! You're not going to get fire whiskey anywhere else in Hogsmeade." He snapped at her. Cracking open a bottle, he poured her a small glass.

"Large. Please." She said watching him pour. He chuckled at her.

"You sure you can handle that? Fire whiskey isn't a joke…you really shouldn't be getting drunk around this lot…not a pretty face like you." He replied in a very paternal way. Lyra shot him a glare.

"Alright…alright…don't get your knickers in a twist! Just hope you know your way home." He muttered under his breath.

"Leave the bottle." She snapped.

"That's fifty galleons!" The bartender snapped in surprise. No one ever bought the bloody bottle of fire whiskey here! What was she made of gold?

Lyra quickly placed the money on the table. He looked at it in surprise, he then grumbled something about bloody American hot-shots coming into his bar and ruining the ambience.

Lyra nursed the drink for a while and then kept pouring herself more.

"Ms. Marks…?" Called a cheery voice. Lyra looked up from her silent pondering to see a large man. She scanned him with her eyes. Remembering, he was one of the professors at Hogwarts.

"Oh…hello…professor…uh…"

"Hagrid…Rubeus Hagrid. You don't need ta' call me professor!"

"Right…Mr. Hagrid…it's nice to meet you…if you wouldn't mind, I would like to be left alo…" She began, but he was rather drunk to register her resistance towards him sitting down.

"Ya…know…ya know…your work is just marvellous!" He said banging his glass of mead on the table, the bartender glared at him. Hagrid noticed.

"Uh…thank you…" she replied, trying her best to ignore him.

"Go on Aberforth…ya know who this is!" Hagrid drew the bartender's attention who looked up disinterestedly.

"Mr…Hagrid…" Lyra tried to stop him. She didn't know what kind of people she was surrounded by. They could have been dark wizards.

"The American Dumbledore! Lyra Marks!" Hagrid proclaimed jubilantly. Lyra buried her head in her hand. Aberforth looked at her keenly and chuckled lightly.

Lyra's head moved lower. However, the bar seemed to ignore the giant.

"Don't worry…Ms. Marks…I'm not very fond of the name Dumbledore either." Commented Aberforth tartly. Lyra wondered, what he meant by that.

"Go home…Hagrid…you're drunk!" One man slurred from the back as the pub laughed.

"Aye! I am…but I am still the one looking after those great beasts in the forest…so best not mess with me right now, Collins!" Hagrid said in retort. The pub chuckled at him again as if he was a big joke.

Lyra's ears perked up. Did he say, he was looking after great beasts in the forest?

"What sort of beasts, Mr. Hagrid?" Lyra asked suddenly very interested in this man. His eyes shone brightly as he drank deeply from his mug.

"My favourite kind, Ms. Marks…Dragons!"

"Oh…that's most fascinating…Dragons…you say…?"

"Yeah…they're really difficult beasts ta' tame! Very misunderstood creatures…the poor things! Strong hides…but they've got a weakness for gold…you take just a bit close ta' them and it'll knock them right out! It's really easy ta' knock one out ya know…not a lot of people know this...but I've been doing it with just parts of me wand…just keep knocking it out with a sleeping charm and they're harmless, I tell ya!" Hagrid whispered drunkenly.

"Yes, misunderstood, indeed." Lyra said trying to keep him indulged in conversation, but it seemed like that was all he had in him. The next moment, he had passed out cold on the bar top.

"Merlin, Hagrid! Not again!" Snapped the barman trying to poke the man awake.

Lyra suddenly felt a lot lighter. She wasn't so worried about her dragon problem anymore; the solution had literally just walked into her hands. She continued drinking, now in silent celebration. Soon she had finished half the bottle herself.

Checking the time in her gold watch, she began to light herself a cigarette.

"OYE! This place is made of fucking wood you imbecile! Want to burn us all to death…get out!" snarled the bartender. So, Lyra picked up the bottle and stumbled out of the bar.

"Fucking idiot!" She grumbled as she put on her cloak. Placing the bottle down, Lyra finally lit the cigarette. The cold had returned but the whiskey in her bloodstream and the cloak were both working tirelessly to keep her warm. In the middle of her cigarette, Lyra noticed a pair of eyes shining in the dark. Lyra took a step back in fear, she blinked.
Was that…was that a fucking grim? What was Erasmus doing here? Had he returned with another horrible mission like this?

The dog growled at her, but she took out her wand. The dog sniffed as he then sat there and panted. Lyra was too drunk to understand what was happening. She crouched down with the cigarette in her mouth.

"Not that scary are you…you're just hungry…you poor boy!" She cooed slurring. She then pulled out a broken cookie she had stolen from lunch that day.

"Here you go buddy…" She said offering it to the dog, who hungrily ate it from her hand and then licked her hand. She petted the dog gently as it began licking her face. She rough-housed with it for a few more minutes, leaving gentle drunken kisses all over its face. She began to stand, her hand reaching for her bottle. But the dog was faster. He grabbed the bottle out of her hand and made a run for it.

"What the fuck…get back here you thief!" She snarled at the dog who vanished down the road.

Lyra then blinked multiple times as things began to spin. She somehow made her way back to Hogwarts. Finding a comfortable bench on the grounds, she passed out.

The light hurt her eyes, as Lyra woke up with the worst headache she had ever had. She looked around to see that she was in a comfortable bed. This was Hogwarts, but it wasn't her room. She sat up holding her head in her hands. She was in a long bedroom robe, she checked under it, she wasn't wearing anything but her inners Where the hell was, she? She remembered coming to the castle, she remembered sitting down on a bench…and then she woke up her. She could hear children laughing in the distance. Merlin…had she, had she slept with someone from Hogwarts, who she met in the bar last night and didn't remember? No, that couldn't be right…could it?

"Thank Merlin…you're finally awake…I was afraid I'd have to get Madam Pomfrey!" Said an angry voice as Lyra tried to clear her vision. She needed to take another of Zenia's patented vision potions to help with her genetically bad eyesight.

"Accio glasses…" She said hoarsely as her glasses came flying into her hands from her cloak nearby. Putting them on she saw Minerva standing by the bed, looking extremely angry. Lyra had seen that look on her mother many times. It was just odd how all three sisters looked so alike, thankfully none of them looked like their mother. Lyra squinted as the light hurt her head more.

Minerva sighed and drew the curtains. Lyra rested her head on the headboard.

"Here…drink this…" said Minerva sternly, giving her a hangover potion. She had felt so awkward walking to Severus's office early in the morning to ask for one. He had given her a nasty smirk and laughed a little at her discomfort before handing it over to her.

"Had an enjoyable evening professor? I saw you with Ludo Bagman…rather interesting choice in drinking partner…" He had commented teasing, insinuating much more than just a night of drinks.

Lyra took the vial of black liquid from Minerva and shot it down, feeling better instantly.

"Thank you…" She said sheepishly.

"What were you thinking Lyra…or were you not thinking at all?!"

"Drunk out of your mind…passed out in the middle of the grounds…what would have happened if…"

"I know…I know…if the students saw me…" Lyra sighed waiting for Minerva to continue chastising her carelessness. Stepping out of the bed and summoning her clothes. Lyra stripped off the robe and changed into her clothes. That was when Minerva saw her tattoo. It was a large red and gold Phoenix flying out of a storm of fire, it ran from her left shoulder to the middle of her cleavage. It was rather intricate and striking.

Lyra buttoned her shirt as Minerva shook her head.

"No. I don't care about that…what if you got hypothermia?!" Minerva scolded as Lyra blushed and smiled. It was kind what her aunt had just said. She was so unlike Athena; she would have just brought the roof down on Lyra for being so reckless around students.

"That's sweet, Minerva." Lyra replied smiling. Minerva's nostril's flared angrily.

"May I request…we keep this…between us…? I'd rather not have to listen to Athena going off on me today…I am going to have a bad headache…it's building…I can feel it."

"Lyra…why were you even in that hole in the wall…?"

"To get away from the noise. I think, I'll have to go back there…I forgot my favourite scarf." She said making up an excuse. She definitely was going back for more than her scarf.

"The Hog's Head is a place for petty criminals…not an establishment you should be frequenting!" Minerva snapped loudly catching on to her blatant lie. Lyra chuckled at her. The second, she laughed so freely, Minerva's expression seemed to soften, she looked at her with this odd…longing. Lyra ignored the look she received.

"I should get going. I am sure you have a very busy day as well." Lyra said picking up her coat. Minerva gave her a rather pointed look.

"Thank you, for your hospitality, Aunt Minerva. I appreciate you out looking for me." Lyra said smiling as Minerva watched her leave her quarters.

Minerva sighed, rubbing her eyes in frustration. There were so many things she wanted to say to the woman, starting with her behaviour from last night. But every time she smiled at her; Minerva couldn't help but hold back.

AN/- Do leave a review if you like the story. Thanks!