xviii. A New Friendship is Born

Hogwarts Fourth Year


"How was your talk with your father?" Scorpius asked as they got back to school. Albus cringed but smiled.

"It actually went really well." Albus munched on his breakfast.

"What did you two talk about?"

Albus hummed in thought, reliving the conversation...


"Sorry, Al." There was a long silence of awkwardness until Harry apologized.

"I'm sorry too for lashing out, Dad." Albus apologized too.

"I don't think Slytherins are evil... A few Slytherin I know are nice people as well. They helped in the war and such... Draco Malfoy and his mother helped me too. It took a lot of courage for them to defect. Without them, I don't think we'd ever win the war." Harry retold the story about how the war went. "There was also Professor Snape. I named your middle name after him."

"I know. I've heard and read about the stories a lot, Dad..." Albus gave a little smile.

"I know, I know. Times have changed... I also thought your Mother would let go of her prejudices... But you know how Weasleys are?"

"They're headstrong."

"And stubborn. So maybe you could give her some time. I'm sure she'll change her mind one day."

Albus nodded. He wasn't really angry after what Lyarra had told him. He felt bad to his Dad now, since he had lashed all of his stress to him.

"And I approve of your friend Scorpius." Harry put his hand on top of Al's shoulder.

"You do?" Al blinked.

"Yes. He actually kind of reminds me of your Uncle Ron, you know?" Harry tried to search for the exact words, "I can see how all night he was trying to ask Rosie to dance."

"I think he likes her, honestly."

"I can see. He got the Malfoy confidence as well, Ron's glares doesn't really affect him!" Harry laughed.

"But he still haven't gotten his dance!" Albus laughed along. Their laughter eventually died down.

"And his sister, Lyarra. She's very straightforward. Did you know she talked to me earlier? Made me open my eyes about everything."

"She does have that effect..." Albus muttered with a smile.

The two then were comfortable with their silence. Who knew when two awkward people talk it would be like this? Could it be because of Lyarra's explanation? She was really good at summing things up, no wonder she's his tutor.

Or maybe Harry was drunk. Al did hear there was some punch spiking going on...

But oh well. It went better than what Al expected.


Fred was annoyed.

It was Hogsmeade weekend and the New Marauders were supposed to spend it together. Fred was excited about it (even if he doesn't look like it).

But James just had to bail last minute, because he was going on a date with his new (and obsessed) girlfriend, Mandy Summers. The two had gotten together just a few days when the new term started, and had confused Fred greatly. James had just broken up with Mirelle Mckinnon over the fire incident, and he didn't expect James to have a new girl.

Fred was so sure that deep down inside, James liked Lyarra Malfoy or was interested in her at some level, and something happened between them last year back in that Ministry Yule party.

Fred had known James since they were little, so of course he knew his best friend's mannerisms. He knows that when James and Lyarra first met at Madam Malkins, James had found her pretty. He knows when James found out that Lyarra was a Malfoy how disappointed he was. He knows how throughout the years of their rivalry James likes to stare at Lyarra when he thinks no one was looking.

He knows. Maybe Fred what that observant, or James was too easy to read.

But he was even more sure of it now.

James had avoided Lyarra Malfoy like the plague. Their 'prank war' halted as James had decided to prank someone else or to snog his new girlfriend instead. But does James even like Mandy? From what Fred had seen, Mandy was just a distraction for something bigger in James' life.

So he decided to talk to Lyarra Malfoy.

"Hi," Fred greeted with a polite smile. Even though James and Lyarra had a rocky relationship, Lyarra had always been polite and nice to him. Lyarra looked up from the book she was reading confusedly.

"Hi, Weasley..." Lyarra put a dried flower as a bookmark inside the page she was reading then closed it.

"Fred. You can call me Fred," He corrected.

"Fred... What brings you here?" To the side of the Black Lake, on a Saturday morning, under a nice shaded tree.

"Can I sit down first?" Fred motioned to the spot next to her.

"Sure," Lyarra scooted over, making room for him in the blanket.

"Thanks." Fred thanked and sat down.

"So. What do you need?" Lyarra asked curiously.

"Straightforward, are we? I'm just wondering if you might be free the whole day. Are you going to Hogsmeade?"

"I was... But my friends seemed to have sudden appointments with different people. Christophe and Jemma had some book hunting to do, Sarah was not feeling up to going out since it's her time of the month, and Blaise is probably snogging someone somewhere around the castle. So yeah I'm free... I decided just to use my time to read." Lyarra explained, showing Fred the Muggle book she was reading.

"Great! James is gone as well, and we're missing just one person to do stuff with. Would you be delighted to join us?" Fred offered with a grin.

"What?" Lyarra blinked. Did Fred just ask her to join him and his friends for a day at Hogsmeade?

"So what do you say?"


Lyarra did not expect it to be this fun.

When Fred had dragged her along the 'boys outing', his friends had looked at her arrival in confusion. But they didn't quite care about what house she was in or what gender she was, and for that day she was 'one of the boys'. No house, no pureblood, half-blood, muggleborn stuff. Just teenagers hanging out.

Not like she doesn't hang out with her friends... Hanging out with the Gryffindors were different. They gathered at Madam Pudifoot's for drinks, and their table surely caught the eye of people.

They shared jokes. Terrence was on the floor laughing from Lyarra's unexpectedly good (and some corny) jokes, and Lyarra almost choked on her drink hearing his blasphemous ones. Fred had to pat her back to help her from choking.

Then eventually Danny and her switched the topic and started discussing Quidditch, which four of them seemed to have the same interest in. They talked about tactics from official Quidditch team matches that happened, what have gone wrong, what could've been done, and much much more.

They lost track of time from the talks that they had, and it was only when an annoyed James with a clingy Mandy Summers on his arms came by. Lyarra knew something about her was off.

He was furious when he saw her. The sight of her with his friends, and also the pretty face of hers that reminded him of the kiss they shared at the Ministry's Yule Ball.

"Why is Malfoy here?!" James pointed accusingly to the blonde who rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. No more was the smile, her face was back to ice. Mandy also had a frown on her face.

"I invited her, mate." Fred defended her.

"Why? I thought it was supposed to be an all boys day!" James argued.

"If you didn't go on your date, it would be." Danny said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Terrence nodded.

"Plus Malfoy isn't so bad. I could say she's more fun than you."

James scoffed at that. Lyarra's face was so smug as she drank her Butterbeer. Her eyes went to the girl latched on his side, and James saw red as she rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe you chose the Slimy Slytherin over me!" James didn't know how, it just came out of nowhere. He felt bad as he saw the slight hurt that passed her eyes for a second.

Gasps by the boys were heard from the table.

"How dare you!" Danny said shocked. "You were the one who disregarded the bro-code and went to snog some girl!"

"We have a bro-code?" Terrence blinked confusedly, only to get nudged on the elbow by Fred. That shut him up.

"She's not some girl! Mandy is my girlfriend!" James argued.

"Yeah mate. And Lyarra's our friend." Fred scooted over to Lyarra and put an arm on her shoulder. Lyarra's eyes widened at his statement.

Her heart warmed. They had defended her for being here rather than siding with James. Oh how the times has changed...

"Ugh! You're upsetting Jamie!" Mandy finally decided to open her mouth annoyedly. "Aren't you lots his friends? Why would you hang out with some Pureblood Bitch from Slytherin?!"

It must have shocked everyone when she made the statement. Even James.

"Mandy, I don't really mean--"

Mandy detached from a confused James and walked up to Lyarra Malfoy, shadowing over her.

"It's just banter--" James tried to explain, but Mandy wasn't listening.

"I don't like you, Malfoy." Mandy said as she crossed her arms. "First, you made MY Jamie busy with all of the prank war planning and making him have no time for ME,"

Oh so that's why they weren't pranking each other now.

"Then you go off and steal his friends from him like the slut you are!"

There was pure silence after that. Everyone was in disbelief, yet Lyarra was simply amused. She smirked as she stood up, and squared up on Summers.

Lyarra was taller by half a head, and she was menacingly scary. She took a step closer to Summers.

"For a Hufflepuff, you do sure have a potty mouth," Lyarra smirked and took a strand of Mandy's hair. "Are you sure you're not a Gryffindor?"

"How did you--"

"I also know that the term 'slut' applies to you more than me." She cut her off.

"How dare you--"

Lyarra took a step closer as Mandy took a step back. She grabbed Mandy's chin to make her look up to furious, silver-grey eyes.

"Weren't you the tramp that was kissing another bloke when you were seeing a fellow Slytherin of mine, Blaise Zabini?"

Gasp.

"Or was it two blokes? Or three blokes? At the same time?"

"What! I did not know this--" James fumed. "When was this?!"

"Before Yule," Lyarra informed. She had won. She took out several bills and put it on the table.

"I'm sorry boys, I'm going first. I'll pay for everything in return," She smiled at the shocked Gryffindors at the table. "Don't wanna be in a room with a slut like me." She said sarcastically.

And with that, Lyarra Malfoy was gone, but the problem still remains.

"We're done." James stated.

"B-But Jamie! You'd believe that Slytherin more than me?"

Fred's eyes looked over to his best friend and cousin. James looked so pissed off, yet resolute. He wanted to say something in defense to that, yet held something off.

But Fred knows too, that Lyarra Malfoy never lies.

"Good bye, Summers." James turned around and angrily left the shop.

"Jamie! James! Wait! I-I can explain!" The girl pitily follows him out of the shop, begging for a second chance.

Fred's eyes trailed to James's figure, who was going to follow Lyarra Malfoy, but since Mandy Summers was following him, he went another way.

"Huh. Interesting." It confirms more of his theories.

James Sirius Potter cares about Lyarra Malfoy.


She heard footsteps.

"Why did you follow me here, Fred?" Lyarra sighed and turned around to his figure.

"Caught me red handed!" He laughed and held his hands up. "Just wanna say sorry about all of that."

Fred walked closer to Lyarra, who chuckled.

"Don't worry. I'm already used to it. The name calling and all, everything are just words." She shrugged.

Fred smiled not pressing onto the topic, then looked curiously upwards.

"Is this your go-to place? The Shrieking Shack?"

"Yes. I like to go here and think alone sometimes. No one is ever here because they're scared." She smiled softly.

"But you're not."

She caught the implying message.

"It takes a lot to make me scared, Freddie." She hummed. "The words of Mandy Summers isn't one of them."

Fred suddenly burst out laughing in amusement, making Lyarra look at him weirdly.

"I like you, Malfoy. You're a cool bloke." He patted her shoulders.

"Thank you...?"

"I've seen you each year since we were little, just in front of our family shop and wanting to go in. if you have the chance, just come on in and I'll show you inside."

Lyarra's eyes widened in shock. He noticed?

She had always wanted to go in. The shop was magical, as you can hear laughters from people inside from miles away.

"I'll even give you a private tour, how does that sound?" He winked. Lyarra giggled.

"That will be very nice, thank you for the offer. I might take you up for it soon." She thanked genuinely. Her mood felt better now.

"Alright then, I'll leave you alone. See ya," Fred waved, and Lyarra waved back, and he left her alone to her thoughts.

It was very kind of Fred to offer that. Lyarra's lips curled into a smile.

"What's got you all smiley like that?" A scowl was heard behind her, but it didn't make Lyarra turn because she already know who it was.

"Curious, Potter?" She actually chuckled.

"I thought that the name calling would affect you in a way, but I didn't know you were a masochist." He walked until he was next to her, and followed her line of sight.

"Of course it's the Shrieking Shack. We always end up accidentally meeting here, but now that I think of it, you are the one that's always here." He concluded.

"Aren't you scared like everyone else being here?" She asked curiously, but not taking her eyes off.

"Why would I?" James knew that the Shack was never haunted. He had his suspicions, but it was only ever confirmed when he saw the Map. There was no names in the Shrieking Shack at the Marauder's Map. There is no way the map is faulty, James had went above and beyond to confirm every logic of it.

"I do not know. Other people are just scared to be here." Lyarra pointed out. Then the two went back to their own thinking.

"And are you?" He asked, surprising himself. Lyarra turned to him confused. "Are you scared to be here, I mean." He elaborated. It unexpectedly made Lyarra laugh out loud.

Dumb question, James.

"If I was afraid, I woudn't be here every Hogsmead, or even every Year, wouldn't I?"

"Then, what are you afraid of?" He pushed the question more. Curious, and just wanted to know more.

Lyarra crossed her arms and studied him closely, "Are you trying to apologize for what Summers did earlier about what she said to me?"

"Um..." James gulped.

"If you are, I don't care what she says. They have no effect on me." She sighed, "Words are only words. Why must I be afraid of them?"

"That is true, but..." James turned fully to her. "Aren't you afraid of anything? You're the all mighty Slytherin Princess and I have never seen you be afraid of anything."

Lyarra didn't answer, but had a knowing look on her face that James noticed but couldn't decipher. It was quickly masked by another emotion of hers.

"Are you asking me because you want leverage on the prank war, Potter?" She questioned him back.

She avoided the topic.

James played along.

"No!! And for the record, I'm winning so far."

"Oh are you?" With that, James slipped and fell from thin air. "Now we're even."

Lyarra smiled, finding it funny.

James took a second and noticed that she felt better. He sighed in relief then just snapped,

"Come here, you!!"

Lyarra giggled while avoiding his spells, and threw some back.

"Can't catch me!"

The two went on a prank duel right there, their troubles forgotten, and just having fun.


A/N

Sorry for the very long wait. I've been very busy and moved to another country! I really hope I can update more chapters in the future!

Thanks for the reviews!

drew1998: Thank you for your review! I hope you'll be satified with Harry and Al's heart to heart, I'm not that good at writing heartwarming stuff.

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