It was October first the leaves were changing colour, the air was growing cooler, the nights were getting longer and Lyra was getting older.

Today was her sixteenth birthday. She had been alive for sixteen whole years, the earth had orbited the sun a grand total of sixteen times since she was born. It was basically nothing in the grand scheme of things but it felt monumental to her. Like everything was going to change somehow whether she wanted it to or not.

She smiled to herself as she sat up in bed that morning she was officially sixteen years old!

All the events of the previous week had been forgotten. Well Lyra was blatantly ignoring them. Ignoring everything. Scorpius, Albus, her feelings. She had filed everything away determined to never open the drawer again.

She felt old, no not exactly old but more grown up.

Lyra had always loved her birthday. It was the one day of the year that was hers. The one day when everything was about her.

If she had been at home with her mother they would have woken up at the crack of dawn. Well they would have woken up at six am this had been a rule they had ever since Lyra was four.

Lyra remembered it clearly she had strutted into her mother's room as if she owned it and everything in it at six am on the morning of her fourth birthday declaring that it was the most important day that had ever or would ever be. Then she climbed up onto her mother's bed and started jumping on it vigorously while stating that such a day shouldn't be wasted by spending half of it in bed.

Her mother had just laughed amused at her little hellions antics and sprang out of bed grabbing Lyras hands and jumping up and down on the bed with her.

Since that day they never again slept in on Lyras birthday.

They'd always start the day off by jumping on her mother's bed after that they would head down into the kitchen and start on baking Lyras super special birthday cake.

Every year the colours and themes of the cake changed but the hands, warmth and love that made them stayed the same.

It was always vanilla flavoured, the sponge and the icing would always be vanilla. It was Lyras favourite.

She didn't hate chocolate cake by any means but it could never top vanilla in her opinion she would always pick a vanilla cupcake over a chocolate brownie given the choice.

When the cake was finished they would go into the living room put Toy story on the telly, her annual birthday movie and proceed to eat the whole damn thing.

Then they would spend the whole day doing whatever Lyra wanted to do.

Whatever they did changed from year to year. Some years they stayed in and did puzzles, played board games or hide and seek. Sometimes they would play Xbox Lyra absolutely loved call of duty black ops but only the first one she didn't really like the newer ones, she also loved playing just dance on the Wii.

Sometimes they would go out and visit the zoo or play laser tag, they had been to Disneyland in Paris twice and honestly it was one of Lyras most favourite places on earth! When she was a little girl she was sure nothing could ever top it not even Hogwarts.

They would always go to Waterstones her favourite muggle bookshop where Lyra would be allowed to pick out all the books she could possibly want, it was the best birthday present she could ever ask for. While they were there Lyra would constantly pick up books and look at them for several minutes then slowly put them back down only to come running back ten minutes later to snatch them back up.

At the end of the day they would always end up at her grandparents house. She loved it there it was her second home. A small three bedroom house with a play room for an attic and a home made cinema in the basement.

Her grandparents house had always been full of muggle things. Her grandfather loved it insisting that he still learned something new about muggles everyday. Lyra couldn't imagine him as a Pureblood or being in Slytherin or growing up in the stuffy Yaxley family estate in the Scottish highlands. The picture she painted in her head of his childhood just didn't fit the man she loved so much today.

Lyra loved her grandparents and she knew that she always had a place there with them.

Her Grandmother would cook a huge dinner full of all of Lyras favourite foods and there would be another cake at the end of the dinner.

All of her cousins and her Aunt and Uncle would be there too. She would open presents and everyone would sing as she blew out the candles on her birthday cake.

Everyone was together, everyone was happy, everything was perfect.

When she was little she would have this moment of sadness just as she blew out the candles on her cake at the exact moment where she would use her one special magic wish of the year to wish for her daddy to be able to be there too. She wished he could make it to at least one of her birthdays. She wished so hard with all of her little might that he would come home even if it was just for her birthday. That wasn't too much to ask for right?

One day with her daddy, just one. Other little girls had hundreds so why couldn't she just have one.

As she grew older and became more aware of the world she lived in the real world, that one moment of sadness turned into one of anger.

The bastard had never been to any of her birthdays because he didn't care enough, he didn't care about her. She doubted he even knew it was her birthday at all. She felt sorry for her younger self the poor innocent sad little girl who hadn't yet figured out that she simply wasn't good enough.

she thought that he had to have a good reason. For him not to have been there all her life. Her little self had so much faith in him. In a man she had never even met.

She got to a certain point where she refused to be sad about it.

You can only be sad for so long it was much easier to be angry. Anger was like fire, it spread quickly and had the ability to destroy everything in its path but it felt good it felt so easy to her.

When the sun had been set for hours and the moon was high in the sky Lyra would be back in her own bed at home ready to go to sleep.

And as she did every year just as she was about to go to sleep she would creep up to her bedroom window tip toeing so she wouldn't let her mother know she had gotten out of bed.

Once she had got to her window she would open it quietly and put her hands together praying to God and Merlin and when she was a little girl, sometimes even now though she would never admit it Harry Styles and whoever else she thought would listen.

She would thank them for the day.

She would thank them for her family.

She would thank them for magic and happiness and laughter.

And just as she was finishing her prayer, every year like clockwork. A jet black owl would appear at her window clutching a parcel and a note that always said the same thing.

Happy birthday

My Willow tree

-

It was always the same present, every year since she was four years old. A beautiful hardback leatherbook. Luxurious and undoubtedly very expensive. The pages always blank when she opened it and no matter what pen or quill she used to write in it no words every appeared on the page.

Lyra sighed, while she had learned to love it here at Hogwarts she still missed her mother terribly and spending her birthday without her always amplified that awful sunken lonely feeling tenfold.

Even though she missed her and was sad that she couldn't be here with her she was so grateful that she had people to share her birthday with at Hogwarts.

She was sitting in the common room with Theo both of them tucking into the birthday cake her mother had sent her. It was their Hogwarts tradition what had once been only for Lyra and her mother had become theirs too, it made the ache of loneliness she felt just a little bit more bearable.

They would always sit in the same spot, a little alcove by one of the smaller windows that looked out into the black lake.

Lyra had sat here alone for all of first year and some of second year. She was convinced that the only good thing about being sorted into Slytherin was the possibility of maybe one day seeing a mermaid swim by.

She was determined to see one, she sat there in the mornings, late at night. Hours moved by while she sat looking out the window.

She was convinced it was the only thing that kept her sane for that first year.

While everyone else moved about the castle making friends and going down to breakfast, watching quidditch matches, or joined school clubs.

Lyra would be here at this window sometimes with homework sometimes with a book but always alone.

Until Theo.

Her first friend.

"You think we will ever see one?" Lyra asked him softly.

Theo who had just shoved a massive fork full of cake into his mouth looked towards her swallowing thickly.

He shrugged.

"Maybe, who knows. We've sat here how many times now?".

She let out a puff of air.

"Merlin, I couldn't even begin to tell you".

"Exactly! And how many times have we actually seen a mermaid?".

She shrugged her shoulders so he continued.

"I'll tell you. None. Not once have we ever seen anything go past that window other than the giant squid and fish. Regular, normal, boring fish.

"You think it's pointless?"

"I didn't say that now did I? To avoid being seen they have to be lucky every time. For us to see them? We only have to be lucky once. The odds are in our favour it's basic mathematics."

He looked proud of himself as if he just single handedly explained and solved string theory or something equally as impossible.

She smiled brightly at him and turned to the window and knocked on it several times. She knew that nothing would swim by but there was a tiny part of her that hoped she had drawn their attention. She wondered if they could see her. If they were lurking nearby in the dark icy waters. Staring at her but refusing to emerge from the shadows.

The water remained still and unchanged.

"Please it's my birthday" she whispered.

Still nothing.

She sighed and turned to Theo.

"So what's the birthday plans? birthday girl".

"The same as every other year really. I'll have lunch with my cousins outside by the lake like we normally do but after that I have classes and homework. Plus there's this book about magical creatures that I was really hoping to get through tonight".

"Woah calm down party girl try to save some fun for the rest of us" he said sarcastically.

She glared at him.

"Well I happen to think that sounds very fun thank you very much.

"Oh yeah your a real marauder in the making".

"Shut up... I have fun".

"Sure"

"I do"

"Uhuh"

She grabbed one of her textbooks from the floor and started whacking him with it.

He tried to get away but she had a firm grasp on the side of his robes and her quidditch skills were doing her justice.

"Okay okay, I'm sorry your fun your fun, your like the funnest person I've ever met".

Her eyes were narrowed at him but she let go and picked up her fork.

"Merlin, how are you so bloody strong" he said rubbing his arm where she had grabbed him.

"You wanna know what I'm gonna find extremely fun?"

"What"

"The pain this fork is gonna cause when I ram it into your eye" she snapped at him holding her fork like a miniature sword.

He held up his hands as the universal signal for I surrender then he started laughing.

She glared.

He laughed.

She kept glaring.

He kept laughing.

Then she couldn't help herself she started laughing too. Soon enough they were laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

They clutched their sides as the laughter started to hurt, Lyra managed to gasp out a few words between laughs.

"What... hahah... what are we even laughing at"

Theo was absolutely cackling and slid off the stone seat of the alcove as if sitting had become too much for him.

Now he was lying on the floor of the common room laughing his arse off while Lyra was looking down at him trying but failing to hold hers in.

He managed to push out a few words in response.

"I...I don't even know anymore".

They couldn't seem to stop Lyra had slid onto the floor beside him.

She brought her knees into her chest and put her head into them trying to control her laughter.

People were coming down to the common room to head to breakfast and they were starting to stare at the two friends lost in each others company.

before Theo she was miserable here

Lyra didn't care what they thought. It was good to have a friend.

"Okay so I've brought all the goods." Cade said as he dropped a pile of food onto the grass.

Toby, Atticus and Lyra looked down at the mountain. There was chocolate frogs, fizzing whiz bees, cauldron cakes, liquorice wands, Bertie bots every flavour beans, pumpkin juice, and cherry coke.

Toby frowned at Cade always the disapproving older brother. "All you've brought is a load of sweets, where's the actual food. I'm starving."

"Oh sorry I haven't met your expectations my lord." Cade said mockingly going into a bow. "If you had wanted to bring the food then why didn't you volunteer to be the birthday picnic bartender."

"That's not even a real thing you just made that up. God your an idiot" Toby said completely fed up with his younger brother.

"excuse me?"

"what you didn't hear me? Oh sorry, I forgot your attention span only lasts 0.5 seconds."

"well at least I'm not a Ravenclaw prefect with a giant stick up his arse!"

"How is being a prefect a bad thing? It's more than you've ever accomplished. You whining Gryffindor simpleton."

Cade turned red. He looked like he was ready burst any second. He screamed in outrage and looked around Wildly for something to throw at his brother.

He took off his own shoe and hurled it at Toby's head which he ducked quickly and spluttered at Cade once he had righted himself.

He picked up the shoe and chucked it back at him. It hit Cade right in the face.

Lyra and Atticus watched on and the as the oldest and middle brother went back and forth throwing insults at each other.

Lyra was highly amused at their antics. Cade and Toby were always at each others throats. They were just so different. Cade was fun loving, cheeky and a bit of trouble maker while Toby was more serious, less adventurous and a stickler for the rules. She adored them both for vastly different reasons. Lyra was used to their arguments she spent so much time with her cousins growing up that they were more like brothers to her.

They didn't spend much time together during Hogwarts with them being in different years and different houses.

Toby was a Ravenclaw and he was the oldest of out all of them. He was in his sixth year. Then there was Lyra, a Slytherin and Cade, their resident Gryffindor. They were very close in age both fifth years and only three months apart. Lyra born in the October and Cade soon followed in the January. Then there was little Atticus who was the sweetest out of the lot of them.

He was a Hufflepuff and two years younger than Cade and Lyra.

"okay enough, stop with the squabbling. It's my birthday so you have to get along."

Both of them looked over at Lyra with sheepish expressions. They had agreed beforehand that they wouldn't start arguing. Lyra deserved to enjoy her birthday. It was her favourite day of the year and they were acting like idiots.

Cade spoke first "sorry Ly. Your right it's your birthday it should be about you. Now what's been happening in the house of the snakes recently. Give us all the gossip!"

Toby nodded along. "For once I agree with him. I am terribly sorry about my behaviour Lyra it won't happen again. Now usually I am not one for gossip but I am sure I can tolerate it just for today."

He smiled as he sat down and Lyra was taken aback by how handsome he was. He had really grown into his features and his style. He constantly dressed like he was going to a job interview. At age 11 it looked ridiculous. At age 17 it looked smart and sophisticated. Toby was hard to get along with and at times he was insufferable. Because of his ego and his rule following anything to get ahead attitude a lot of his other attributes often went unnoticed. Lyra felt a twinge of sadness at the realisation. Her cousin, her annoying but someone she always admired older cousin had grown up and Lyra hadn't even noticed. Maybe they had grown father apart then she had realised. The thought made her heart ache.

She looked up from the grass to see them all staring at her awaiting for the apparent gossip she was about to lay before them.

"I don't have any gossip to tell."

She was lying.

"oh come on! That's complete shite. You're trying to tell us that absolutely nothing note worthy has happened in Slytherin at all this year. I don't believe it the place is full of drama."

"It's only October Cade." Toby muttered at him still a little miffed about their earlier argument.

He was ignored.

Lyra felt the need to defend her house. "No I think you have us mistaken with your over dramatic indulgent Gryffindors."

"this is really starting to feel like an I hate Gryffindor club. You guys are tag teaming me!" He says incredulously eyes flicking between Lyra and Toby accusation clear in his voice.

"Yes that's exactly it. Congratulations you've figured it out. We planned all this to humiliate you because you don't do that enough yourself already."

Cade went to respond but was immediately silenced by Atticus Shoving a cauldron cake into his mouth. He started coughing clearly not ready for the invasion. And everyone laughed.

Lyra loved this. Her family. No matter how far apart they had grown over the years her cousins never missed her birthday. Even if they annoyed eachother. Even when they were fighting or life got too busy. They were always here every year.

I hope it will always be like this Lyra thought to herself as she tucked into a chocolate frog.

It was late. She had gotten caught up in the library researching memory spells it was a ridiculous endeavour but the thought of losing the memory of how she acted that day with Scorpius was a nice one. She knew she couldn't cast the spell on herself it was far too dangerous. But at the very least she could obliviate Scorpius and his friends and then she wouldn't have to deal with the confused and angry looks they had all been sending her way.

"hello little snake." A voice spoke from behind her.

She jumped and whirled around and there he stood.

James Sirius Potter. Leaning against the stone wall as if the world around him was made to accentuate his very existence. He always seemed to fit everywhere it was so unfair.

Lyra tried so hard to make herself fit but no matter how many times she broke herself apart and tried squash the pieces of her down to conform nothing ever worked. For him it was like breathing. He never had to cut himself down to make others comfortable. He just was. It was hard to find the vocabulary to describe it.

He was alone. That was rare for him. Normally he had a whole army of Gryffindors around him at all times. It was a little strange to see him by himself under the cover of darkness. She had never been alone with him like this, not at night in the dark with only the fire lamps on the wall lighting their figures. Her cheeks heated and she had no idea why. The flu was going around the Slytherin common room. She must have caught it somehow.

"what do you want Potter, I don't have time for this."

He ignored her question and threw one of his own at her .

"what are you doing skulking about the castle at this time?"

"Skulking? Me? You must be joking. If anyone skulks about it's you and your band of merry little Gryffindors looking for trouble."

"oh I never look for trouble Yaxley, it seeks me out."

"well have fun with that, I'm going to bed."

"my brother told me a story about you." He said his tone darkened at the edges letting just a bit of bite into his usual mischievous tone.

Lyra froze. Shit. Albus told him. Double shit. Of course he had what was she expecting. That they would keep quiet? Never mention it again?

Lyra never really Saw James and Albus together but clearly just because she didn't see them together didn't mean they never talked.

Albus had run to his big brother and tattled on her. That little snitch. She hated this she didn't want to talk to him. Didn't want to talk about the other day. Lyra just want to go to sleep.

"I have no idea what your talking about Potter. I don't see how stories your little brother has concocted for your entertainment has anything to do with me." She said in that awful haughty superior tone that only seemed to come out when she was around him. She hated it but he hated it more which made Lyra hate it just a little bit less.

She was about to leave but then froze again. Every single part of her body had stiffened. While she was lost in her thoughts he had moved and was now standing directly behind her.

Her heart raced. Pumping rapidly in her chest. Lyra felt as though it was going to escape out of her mouth. She willed her body to move and stepped forward a few paces and then turned towards him. Never turn your back on a lion especially a vindictive one.

"what on earth are you doing! Get away from me." She exclaimed indignantly. Her body was on fire now and she felt as stiff as board. Her hand clutched her wand certain he was about to attack.

He snorted at her obvious horror at his close promixy and folded his arms as he surveyed her from head to toe. His gaze scraping down her in a slow unimpressed motion as if he had evaluated her and found her wanting. He had a habit of making her feel like nothing.

"stay away from my brother and his friends."

" Glady infact I'm just in the market for a new seeker and chaser, know anyone?" She asked him mockingly. Desperate to get under his skin, to be the one with the power for once.

His eyes hardened into rock as he looked at her. She hated being under his gaze having to look up at him. If was just another way to make her feel less. To loom over her like a vulture watching its prey. She felt uncomfortable and hot and she hated it. Hated him. Why did he have to be this way towards her and on her birthday. Why couldn't he just leave her alone. He never had not since the day he refused to sit next to her In transfiguration.

"I'm being nice. Okay. This is a warning. Don't go near my family, don't talk to or about my family and matters that you don't understand at all. Just stay the hell away from Albus and add me into that equation too."

Normally Lyra would have just called him an idiot or a spoon or a twat faced beanpole and stormed away desperate to get away from his judgmental stare. But she'd had enough. She'd had a crappy week that had started crappy and ended crappy and this was her birthday for gods sake. Her one day were nothing could touch her. Nothing would bother her. The one day of the freaking year where everything else melted away. All her problems and worries and fears waited for a day disappearing until the sun rose on October second when real life returned. It was HER day and James Potter was ruining it.

She was seething. She wanted to pay him back for every time he wrecked her homework, tripped her up in the halls, every time he had laughed at her with his friends, every time she had been the butt of one of his pranks, every time he stared at her, every time he called her a snake. For every single time he had made her feel stupid or small. And for the one time he had refused to sit next to her. It was weird but after that one transfiguration lesson he had never refused to be near her again. He saw her humiliation that day how horrified she was and liked it. He hadn't left her alone since that day and she was so sick of it.

She thought it was over in fourth year. He hadn't spoken to her at all. If Lyra didn't know any better she would have thought he was deliberately avoiding her.

But then fifth year started and so had he.

Acting as if fourth year had never happened. As if he hadn't gone a whole year completely ignoring her.

He was so irritating so confusing. Yeah on a normal day she would have walked away on any other day she would have walked away but this was her day. And she would be damned if she ever let James potter ruin it.

"Being nice?" Her tone was dark and low and completely furious.

"When have you ever been nice to me? Why did you do this? Why did you start this?

She pushed at his shoulders determined to get her ground back. Like she was on a battle field pressing back against her enemy. He let her stepping back as she continued to step forward.

I did nothing to you. And you decided to hate me based on what? Me being a Slytherin? Because you had to sit beside me In transfiguration first year?

Do you hear how stupid that sounds? Where do you get off deciding who's good and who's not. How is that your choice?"

She pushed. He stepped back. She followed him.

"YOUR FATHER DEFEATED VOLDEMORT NOT YOU."

"You've done NOTHING. You deserve NOTHING. You've earned NOTHING.

Lyra shoved him as hard as she could his back to the wall as she stood in front of him.

He didn't say a word as Lyra unleashed five years of repressed anger onto him and poured out the Darker parts of her soul. He looked down at her his eyes sweeping over her face until they settled on her lips.

His eyes stayed on her lips and before Lyra could even comprehend what was happening he was leaning down towards her. Their lips brushed and then pressed together for just a second before Lyra realised what was happening and slapped him across the face before she stepped away in astonishment.

Had he completely lost his mind?

She started speaking again. No longer shouting her voice had lowered to a volume barely above a whisper.

"Everything you've ever had has been handed to you. I May be a Slytherin but I'm not ashamed of it and I am so sick of you trying to make me be. At least I don't ride off the back of my parents coattails desperately trying to be what I never will. At least I know who I want to be. Your one personality trait is being Harry potters Son. Seeing enemies where there are none. Picking on Slytherins just because you think your untouchable. There is no war to fight no dark lord to overcome.

Your sad and pathetic. A scared insecure little boy.

"hear me now because I will not be repeating myself. Do not touch me ever again stay away from me."

And then she walked away from James Potter. Leaving him behind. She didn't turn back to look at his reaction to her words. She couldn't process what he had tried to do or why he would ever think of such a thing. Another way to try and get under her skin no doubt. To steal her first kiss. To brag to his friends about? Another method of humiliation?

She couldn't fathom it. Even though she had stood up for herself this time. Had told him exactly what she thought of him. Lyra still felt like he had the upper hand. Like she had fallen into a trap she would never escape from.