The Tales of Lyra Black

by lumosmancer

Long ago, a bard named Beedle made a remarkably grievous mistake. Centuries later, his mistake fell into the hands of 2 exceptionally bright wizards & history repeated itself. 5 decades later, a cunning young wizard discovered this mistake & gave his entire life for a single drop of this power. But Death wanted revenge. And so revenge was born on All Hallows Eve, 1979...

20. Lunch with the Malfoys

Lyra scowled at her reflection in her dirty mirror, flustered by the girl that was glaring back at her. She didn't want to admit it but she liked what she saw… Maybe Danielle was right?

"So…? What do you think?" asked Danielle nervously, clasping her hands together as she watched Lyra take in her new appearance. The pair had spent the entire morning getting Lyra ready for her important lunch with the Malfoys. Danielle wanted to turn her into a picture-perfect orphan who was simply too adorable not to adopt, and Lyra hated the whole rigmarole. She didn't want to look perfect and she certainly didn't want to get adopted but she didn't dare fight Danielle. She hadn't looked this giddy in a while and Lyra couldn't crush her spirit.

"It's… nice," answered Lyra, trying to catch the back of her head in the mirror, "but the bow? Really? Are you trying to turn me into Annie? I'm not doing any singing or dancing, that was one time and you promised that you'd never make me do that again!"

Danielle stifled her snicker at the memory of Lyra recreating a few scenes from Annie one rainy afternoon and she held her hands up. "I'm not turning you into Annie, I promise. You look great, trust me."

For the first time in her life Lyra's ratty bc black hair was glossy and smooth, not a single knot in sight, and a crisp white bow was pinned to the back of her head, keeping her long curls out of her face. The outfit Danielle had picked out was an adorable sage and white gingham dress with a square neckline, slightly puffy sleeves, and way too many pleats in its skirt. Unfortunately for her the muted green colour complimented her silver eyes and the dress shape wasn't as horrifying as she anticipated — it wasn't too long nor did it look frumpy on her body. A pair of white knee socks hid the nasty splotches on her legs but she tugged them a little higher when she spotted a new bruise forming on her knee, hating how vibrant her injuries looked against her pale freckled skin, and her shiny new black doll shoes looked fine enough. She knew her shoes were eventually going to get ruined but she didn't protest when Danielle picked them out. If anything this would be the perfect excuse to show her carer that delicate shoes weren't for her, so she slipped them on as she mentally planned their downfall.

"The bow is more functional than fashionable," commented Danielle, readjusting her lettuce trim neckline, "it was either that or the hairband—,"

"The bow's fine," Lyra rushed to say, scowling at the matching gingham Alice band that she had thrown under her bed. She looked almost comical in the accessory and she didn't want Draco to laugh too much at her appearance. He was going to have a field day now she was turning up in a dress.

"Then stop complaining, you look beautiful," assured Danielle, stepping back again to admire the twelve-year-old before her, "and thank you for letting me dress you up, I know how much pain you are in right now and I appreciate your sacrifice."

Lyra tussled her glossy hair and rather enjoyed how easily her fingers fell through her waves. That was new.

"It wasn't that painful…" she mumbled, still staring in the mirror, and Danielle's brows almost shot past her perfectly flat hairline. She had taken her own appearance very seriously (Lyra wasn't shocked at all when she knocked on her door that morning dressed to the heavens in a pristine fitted yellow jacket, houndstooth skirt, and killer black heels). The pressure to impress the Malfoys had skyrocketed ever since they turned up in their lavish, expensive clothes and Lyra knew Danielle admired them greatly for that aspect.

"So you like the dress?" asked Danielle, and Lyra nodded in a stiff manner.

"...Yes, it's pretty," she said, barely coherent, and Danielle beamed.

"It's very pretty and it's perfect for today. After all, this is a big moment for you — your first ever inquiry!" she cheered in an attempt to hype Lyra up, but Lyra could only pout. This wasn't how it was supposed to go, the first family to show interest in adopting her shouldn't have been the Malfoys. It should have been the Weasleys.

Lyra never dared to say her wish out loud in case she jinxed herself. She wanted it so bad that the mere idea gave her a stomach ulcer but she wanted to join her mother's side of the family more than anything. She wanted the Weasleys to express interest instead, she knew it wouldn't take much persuading as Fred, George and Ron were already keen on having her with them for as long as possible, but she wasn't sure if it was an appropriate topic of conversation. She guessed it might be a little rude of her to push Mr and Mrs Weasley into adopting her but a small part of her knew that they wanted it too, they were just as desperate to have her.

"What's wrong?" Danielle prompted, taking a seat on Lyra's bed when she spotted her sad expression. "Is this about your case notes? Because I already told you, Sandra signed off on the Malfoy visit before I could protest. I really did try to stop them but the Malfoys seem nice so this might be good for you, sweetheart."

Lyra shrugged, finally tearing herself away from the mirror. Danielle profusely apologised the previous evening when Lyra sulked and whined at her to explain why she ignored her case notes and her frustrations were redirected towards the head carer. Sandra wanted nothing more than for Lyra to leave Coles, of course she'd push her towards a family she loathed and disregarded her opinions.

"I know, I know. They might be secretly incredible and they might be the family I've always dreamed of, blah blah blah," Lyra moaned, bored of Danielle's usual inspirational spiel, "but I really wish you spoke to the Weasleys on the platform instead, they could have been on their way here to pick me up instead of the Malfoys."

"I understand that but…" Lyra looked up from her squeaky shoes when Danielle trailed off and she saw how uncomfortable she looked, "there are certain requirements a family must meet when inquiring to adopt a child and I'm really sorry but the Weasleys don't qualify," she disclosed, her voice soft and soothing so the brutal truth that was embedded in her words didn't sting, but Lyra felt a peculiar whining in her stomach. Wait, does this mean they can't adopt me?!

"Why?" spat Lyra, a little offended, "why can't they adopt me?"

Her emotions were very sensitive recently, it didn't take much to irk her. Thankfully Danielle had gotten used to the moody pre-teen that had returned from Hogwarts and she gestured for her to join her on the bed. Lyra took a seat and inhaled the wave of shea butter that always accompanied her key worker, it reminded her of Hermione's frizzy hair oils and it started to give her a sense of sanity and logic whenever she caught it now. Her stiff shoulders relaxed a little.

"I don't really know how to put this without sounding snobbish but the Weasleys aren't financially in the position to have another child," explained Danielle delicately, and Lyra snorted.

Oh, was that it? Ron had told her about his family's money problems but Lyra wasn't worried in the slightest — they were family, she had their backs and they had hers.

"So? I have money, can't I just give them my money?" she asked as though it were an obvious option, but Danielle shook her head and smoothed her thumb over Lyra's palm, preemptively consoling her. She had been waiting for Lyra to ask, it was written all over her face.

"No, if the Weasleys were to adopt you then you lose all rights to your inheritance," she said softly. A crease appeared between Lyra's brows and she gulped. Wait, what?!

"But, wait no, what if I give them all my money first and then they adopt me?" she rushed to come up with alternative options but it only hurt her more when Danielle shook her head again.

"That won't look good in court, and it would have to be a Muggle court too since you're in a Muggle establishment, so the process would be even fiddlier. The judge would see the transactions and assume the Weasleys were only after you for your money," Danielle tried to say but Lyra wasn't having any of it. This was rubbish! Utter bullshit?!

"But they're not after me for my money?!" Lyra exclaimed, gently slipping into a furious fit. "That doesn't make any sense! Can't I talk to the judge? I can tell them what I want, I can tell them that I gave them my money willingly and that this is the best case scenario! Please Danielle! Why won't anyone listen to what I want?!" It came out before she could stop it and her fists balled up, "I don't want to be adopted by the Malfoys, I don't want anything to do with my father's side of the family because so far they're all just like him! Draco is the worst person at Hogwarts, he hates me and this is all an elaborate ploy to do something evil! Ron told me that Lucius is a nasty person who shouldn't be trusted and I really don't think we should go to their manor!"

Danielle blinked, absorbing her outburst, and her flawless pencilled brows dipped anxiously.

"In what way are the Malfoys horrible? Every time I've spoken to them they are the friendliest, most polite people I've ever met and I just don't see what you're seeing. Fair enough, I can see Draco being a pain in the arse, but I can feel a genuine warmth from his parents and I truly think you need to give them a chance! Wouldn't you like to live with a family of wizards? I don't think they're like your father at all," she pleaded, searching Lyra's eyes for her acceptance to her proposal, but her obliviousness hurt Lyra's heart. She hadn't told Danielle that they were blood purists yet, she couldn't find the right words every time she tried. She had seen her carer deal with discrimination in the Muggle world, why should she have to make her suffer in the Wizarding world too?

But she had to.

"Danielle, they're racist. Well, blood purist, is that a type of racism? It's discrimination but from what I remember from your books, racism is prejudice against a person because of their race and not their blood," Lyra spat out, rambling on nervously, "thats why I can't stand Draco. He's been so horrible towards Hermione all year, he has this scary fixation with Purebloods, about how they're so much better than everyone else, and I can guarantee you that he got this attitude from his parents. That's what you taught me, that hatred is usually passed down from parent to child, right?"

Danielle couldn't believe what she was hearing and she deflated in shock. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because I didn't want you to feel awkward or uncomfortable around them, you have enough crap to deal with already," she mumbled, and Danielle almost laughed.

"Sweetheart, that's really thoughtful but I would have loved to have known that the Malfoys were practising blood purists considering I'm a Squib?!" she spat, on the thin line between hilarity and hysterical, and her maturity was starting to crack.

Even though she was the youngest social worker at Coles Danielle tried her best to act older than her twenty seven years so her co-workers would treat her with respect. At heart though, she still felt like a teenager and the impending panic at her involvement with people who wanted her dead forced her mature facade to melt away and she squealed.

"Aw coc y gath!"

Lyra giggled, infatuated with the Welsh swear.

"Exactly! I'm sorry I didn't tell you but now you know, can we please skip this lunch?" She crossed her fingers in her lap and fluttered her eyes up at her carer, adding to her cuteness in the hopes of succeeding.

Danielle nodded, her shimmering made up face crumpling as she scrambled to think of a plan, "Absolutely, luckily I've only met nice wizards and witches so I've never met a blood purist before, I didn't know! Are you one hundred percent sure that they're racist?"

"One thousand percent," reiterated Lyra, "Ron said that Lucius was evil, and Fred and George backed him up saying that the Malfoys used to be dark wizards and that they practised dark magic! They're totally the type of people to follow Voldemort—,"

"Lyra!" groaned Danielle, flinching.

"—sorry! But they're definitely like that and we shouldn't associate ourselves with them. They know that I know this too, Draco would have told them both about our fights so I dunno what they want with me because they know I don't want to be a part of their little ghoul family," she concluded, shrugging her shoulders. It didn't make any sense, what were the Malfoys up to?

Danielle pursed her lips and calmed down a little, focusing on her closed bedroom door as she came up with a plan. "That is weird… I should've checked with Dad and Jason first but I didn't recognise the Malfoy name from Jason's stories…" she muttered to herself, annoyed with the situation she found herself in.

Lyra arched a brow, intrigued. Danielle never spoke about her family before she was introduced to the Wizarding world but now she knew about their true nature Lyra couldn't stop herself from asking. "Is Jason your brother?"

"Yeah, he's a couple years younger than me," said Danielle, miles away in thought, "we haven't spoken properly in years, I tried to separate myself from the Wizarding world when I started secondary school so I never paid much attention to his school tales. He's lovely, quite quiet but very sweet." She sounded rather blue and Lyra rushed to comfort her in some way.

"How come you guys don't talk?"

"It's all on me, really. I got jealous, he grew distant and shy," she waved her hand lightly, not wanting to dive into her background, "but now I've got you I kinda have to force myself back into the Wizarding world so I guess I did all that hard work for nothing."

"You're so welcome," joked Lyra, "are you going to write to your brother?"

"I think I might have to," she sighed, "he'll know more about the Malfoys than Mum and Dad, and he'd tell me the truth too. My parents tend to get a bit… fictitious with information when it involves people who want to cause me great harm."

"Parents, am I right?" tutted Lyra, rolling her eyes, and Danielle couldn't stop her snort of laughter but she sobered up when she checked the sparkly gold watch on her wrist. Her smile froze.

"What?"

"It's noon," whispered Danielle, and as though the universe were waiting for their realisations, the chiming of the front door bell rang out through the home. Lyra's blood froze like ice. They were here, it was too late, or could they still send them away?

"Danielle—," Lyra began, staring at her door like it had just sprung to life and verbally attacked them, but Danielle had already torn it open and rushed to go and greet their new arrivals. Lyra's heart jumped onto her tongue and she ran after her, her legs wobbling still from her anxiety. It was too late, they would have to see this through now.

"Good afternoon Narcissa," greeted Danielle, her professional glossy smile on her worry-free face as she opened the front door. Lyra struggled to calm her racing heartbeat when Narcissa Malfoy stepped inside, her pale blonde curls glowed in the warm sunlight and she looked rather angelic. She was wearing a deep purple summer dress that knotted at her waist and a flashy gold pendant balanced above her bosom, glistening in the summer daylight. She removed her sleek sunglasses as she airily kissed Danielle on the cheeks. Lyra couldn't deny that she looked elegant and charming, it was difficult looking past her alluring exterior.

"I do hope I haven't kept you waiting," she drawled but the slight smirk on her lips showed she knew she was right on time, and Lyra quickly ruffled her hair as Narcissa turned to inspect her. Suddenly she was incredibly thankful that Danielle treated her like a Barbie doll that morning.

"Jane, you look beautiful! Dare I say that green suits you?" tittered Narcissa, and Lyra's stomach dropped. Don't say something stupid! Don't do it! She's the only one here who can legally perform magic!

"I much prefer red, but thank you very much," she giggled falsely, and she glanced at Danielle, hoping for her to say that the lunch was cancelled… but she didn't.

Ignoring Narcissa's eye twitch, Danielle broadened her grin and gestured towards the door, "I just need to grab my handbag and then we'll be ready to go! Jane, do you mind waiting with Narcissa outside while I fetch our purses?"

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! Lyra shot Danielle subtle daggers as she nodded.

"...Sure!" She said through gritted teeth, and Narcissa smiled as Lyra led her outside onto the porch where they stood alone for the first time.

It was another glorious day outside. The sparse fluffy clouds popped against the cerulean sky like splatters of bleach and seagulls cawed as they flocked towards the cliffs, but the salty sea air stung Lyra's nose and her stomach turned at the thought of the ghastly deep ocean nearby. It was hard to disassociate the refreshing sea air with the actual sea, the trauma of drowning her every time she caught a whiff but she shook it away when Narcissa finally spoke up.

"You must be exhausted with your Muggle facade," she said coolly, pretending to survey their surroundings, and Lyra suddenly wished the front garden of the salmon cottage wasn't as chaotic as it was. The grass was overgrown, disused toys were left on the ground to bake in the sun, and the peeling white paint on the fences felt more prominent than ever — Coles Childrens Home wasn't exactly the Malfoys' cup of tea.

"It is a little annoying, sometimes I forget to answer to Jane and it gets awkward," admitted Lyra under her breath, purposely standing on a crude drawing that had been etched into the porch floor, "but it's better than the Muggles finding out I'm a witch."

"I suppose so," muttered Narcissa, side-eyeing Lyra, "but you deserve better than this dump, Lyra. No witch should grow up in a house like this."

She's right about that, living here is the worst!

But is their house any better?

"I suppose so," Lyra muttered back, dwelling on the odd feeling Narcissa had conjured, but the sounds of Danielle's footsteps brought her back and her frown returned as she snatched her leather backpack from Danielle's hands. She couldn't believe she was going along with this? What if they attacked Danielle when they got to their place? What if this was a drawn-out plot to kill both of them?

"Everything is sorted, we're free to leave," announced Danielle, sliding her purse onto her shoulder and flicking her braids over her shoulder, but when Narcissa took the lead leaving the porch she caught Lyra's eye and silently motioned for her to check her backpack.

As the trio wandered up the dirt road in search of a secluded spot, Lyra subtly poked her head into her bag and found her instant camera, a bunch of fresh film, and a quickly scribbled note that she instinctively hid from Narcissa's view:

Too late to cancel, sorry!

Be careful around them, don't let them see your camera, and ask about your family, we need to see what they're up to.

We won't be there long x x x

Lyra's heart soared and she fought the urge to celebrate Danielle's daring note. Her key worker knew about her prior investigation work and her obsession with Scooby Doo, and suddenly the impending lunch transformed into something exciting. What was she going to find at the Malfoys? What was their plan? I guess Danielle's forgiven…

Securing the note in the bag's pocket, Lyra tightened the straps on her shoulders and gave Danielle a sneaky wink as Narcissa came to a stop in the deserted public footpath at the end of the road past the farm. The roaring of the sea was a lot louder up here, the cliffs were hidden behind bushes of prickly sea holly and the trail leading down to the beaches a few dozen feet below them was quiet. Nobody was around.

"This may be a little peculiar at first but the sensation will pass quickly," said Narcissa, revealing her wand from her dress pocket, and Lyra exchanged a look with Danielle. Oh God, what's happening?

"Have you Apparated before?" asked Narcissa, a hint of cynicism in her voice, and Danielle straightened her spine although her nervous face was unchanged.

"A couple of times," said Danielle, her voice strained. Lyra's eyes widened. It's something bad!

"What's going on?" she blurted out, and Narcissa offered her arms to the girls with a kind smile.

"It's easier if I show you," she explained, and Danielle gingerly took her arm, a single bead of sweat rolling down her face. Lyra hesitated before copying, and all of a sudden she felt as though she was a grape being squished in between a giant's fingers. Her whole body lurched through the space around her and she retched when she felt her feet leave the ground.

CRACK!

"What the hell was that?!" Lyra groaned, letting go of Narcissa's arm as she stumbled, staring at the gravelled ground beneath her as though she were afraid it would disappear again, but Danielle caught her shoulder and steadied her. She looked surprisingly pale, Apparition clearly didn't agree with Danielle either, but she pushed through her nausea and comforted the shaken girl.

"It's ok, your first time Apparating is tough but at least you didn't throw up!" she chuckled, rubbing Lyra's back as the girls took in their new surroundings.

"Apparition is a magical form of transportation," explained Narcissa expertly, not a single hair out of place, "it's far easier and much quicker than any Muggles methods, and we're miles from the nearest Muggle town…" she trailed off, stopping herself from adding a cruel remark, but the pair caught her hesitance and tried not to look at each other.

The trio were at the peak of a magnificent gravel driveway that stretched across the lush green grounds of Malfoy Manor and culminated at a set of wrought-iron gates. Lyra's eyes were immediately drawn to the curving high hedges lining the front garden and the albino peacocks that were lazily sauntering on top of it, cooing softly to each other as they displayed their monotone feathers. She had never seen an albino peacock before and she never would have thought to put them on a hedge. I guess showing off runs in the family…?

The manor behind Narcissa was almost exactly how Lyra imagined it — huge, handsome, and very extravagant. It was clear that the house had been here for a very long time and Lyra took her time checking out the finer details of the manor as Narcissa led them into the magnificent entrance hall. Rich carpets covered the cold stone floors, paintings of past Malfoys lined the tall walls, and reptilian metal details scattered throughout as though constantly reminding those who walked its halls who came before them. Lyra found the painting of Draco in the entrance hallway immediately and fought the urge to grab her camera when she realised he was posing. Not now! Later!

"Welcome to our home, Malfoy Manor has been in Lucius' family for centuries and we are happy to have you here," smiled Narcissa, brandishing her arms as she showed off their grand foyer, and Lyra bit her lip. Ha! Sure you are!

"It's beautiful, thank you so much for having us," said Danielle adoringly, putting on a brave face in front of the Pureblood witch, "there's so much to look at!"

"Wait until you see our drawing room," mused Narcissa proudly, but footsteps echoed from the sweeping staircase that took up most of the space in the entrance hall and Lyra's stomach flipped nervously when she spotted Draco. He looked much more normal in his casual black wizard's robes but Lyra mentally cursed him when he strolled over to them, visibly judging the cutesy dress she was wearing.

"Draco, say hello to our guests," Narcissa said courteously, smiling at her son who mirrored her and he nodded at them, a smug smile stretching his pink lips.

"Hello Jane—,"

"Don't even try it," huffed Lyra, cutting him off with a glare, but Narcissa swiftly stopped her son from exacerbating the situation with a single look and Draco painfully took the comment.

"Mhm," he gritted his teeth and shoved his hands in his pockets to hide his balled fists, "Mother, when is lunch ready?"

"One o'clock sharp," informed Narcissa.

"Trying to get rid of us already?" Lyra scoffed, but Danielle subtly poked her in the back and she held her tongue. This is gonna be a long afternoon…

"Actually, I was going to see if you wanted a tour of the manor but if you're going to be like that then I won't bother," said Draco, looking down his nose at her, but Lyra nodded, yearning to nosy around his enormous house. She could feel the camera pressing against her back in her bag and she was itching to use it.

"No, wait, I take that back," she blurted out, catching Draco off guard, "I'd love a tour of your house, it's very pretty." She knew he simply wanted an excuse to catch her alone and insult her but she could handle Draco with her eyes shut. He was a wimp and he didn't scare her.

Quite stunned at Lyra's positive reaction, the grown women praised the two children for attempting to get along with each other and left them on their tour to chat in the kitchen over a cup of tea. Once they were alone, Draco dropped his smile and his recognisable lour was back.

"I don't want this, by the way, I'm against the whole adoption idea," he shot at her, crossing his arms, and Lyra guffawed, rolling her eyes.

"Duh, I figured," she sighed, taking her time in admiring the hall, "like you could handle having such an awesome, intelligent, cool sister anyways."

"Shut up, like I'd want a stupid blood traitor for a sister," he sniffed, and Lyra paused, turning back to face him. The last time he said that was the day they met on the train. He called the Weasleys traitors, but what exactly did it mean? Blood traitor…? Who did I betray?

"What does that mean?" asked Lyra, excusing his insult, and he snickered.

"You don't know—?"

"Oh whatever! I dunno why I bother," Lyra moaned, pre-emptively stopping his roll of taunts at her obliviousness, "if you're just gonna mock me the whole time I'm here then I'll go and talk to your Mum, at least she's pretending to like me whereas you couldn't act to save your life!"

"Wait!" Draco grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back with a huff, "I'm supposed to give you a tour, don't make this harder for us than it already is."

Lyra shoved his hand off, giving him her best bitch face, and she lightened up somewhat when she noticed it worked. He recoiled and dropped his gaze, scowling at his freshly waxed shoes.

"Look, you don't want to be here and I don't want you here but my parents have told me to try and be your friend so let me at least give you a tour of the manor," he spat out, pained by his admission, and Lyra crossed her arms, feeling like she finally had the upper hand.

"Well, well, well," she purred smugly, "so I have all the power?"

"No," he countered, holding his head high, "this is my house, you're on my turf so I'm in charge here."

"Then why do your parents want us to be friends? Why do they want to adopt me?" challenged Lyra, pressing Draco for information, and something glinted in his cold icy eyes.

"Because we're trying to do you a favour," he told her, looking her up and down, "we're simply giving to charity, so to say, and you should take our donation. It's the smart thing to do and we're your only option."

"You're not my only option," spat Lyra fiercely, trying to hide her hurt, "I have other options."

Draco's face spasmed but he caught himself. "Oh yeah? Who?"

"The Weasleys," Lyra told him matter-of-factly, "they're a billion times nicer than you lot."

Draco stifled his snort but he pushed on. "For your sake I'm going to pretend that you didn't say that, you already know my opinion on them," he said as he inspected his fingernails, "but apart from the poor Weasels who could never afford another child, who else do you have?"

But Lyra couldn't answer. He was right, she didn't have anyone else. She didn't know any other family members who were both alive and willing to take care of her, but by the look on Draco's face she knew he was right, there was no one else out there for her.

"That's what I thought," said Draco, satisfied by Lyra's grimace, and he nodded towards the stairs, "so stop looking like an injured Niffler and let me show you around, your Muggle dump is nothing compared to this place."

The whining in Lyra's stomach got worse and she slumped, a little put out by the truth, and she followed Draco up the grand stairs. The tour took her mind off the dark thoughts in the back of her mind. She sneakily slipped her camera out of her backpack as Draco showed her the spacious, elegant bedrooms that were fit for nobility, and she made sure the flash remained off once they reached his bedroom. Lyra was surprised when he willingly allowed her inside but she realised straight away why he was keen to show off his private sanctuary when she took in his rich possessions. His bedroom was bigger than she imagined, with a huge silver four poster bed, plush sofas surrounding a fierce fireplace, and a wardrobe the size of Lyra's entire room back at Coles. Woah…

"That's a really cool broom," muttered Lyra, mesmerised by the shiny sleek black broom sitting in its polished walnut stand in the corner of his room. Draco's smug grin grew bigger and he picked it up to stroke the clipped twigs at the bottom.

"It's the Nimbus 2001," he proclaimed, "it just came out and it's the best broom out there, it's so much faster than anyone's broom at school."

Lyra noticed the same shimmer of passion in his expression that she had whenever she spoke about Quidditch, and the clown inside of her urged her to try and make the most out of her day. If she had to be here then she was going to have some fun.

"Do you play Quidditch?" she wondered casually, moving onto the neat posters on his black wallpapered walls, and Draco scoffed, joining her side.

"Obviously, I guess you missed seeing how good I am since you never had a flying lesson," he teased, but Lyra simply smirked and glanced at him with a challenge in mind. He would take the bait, no doubt about it.

"What position do you play?" she prompted.

"Seeker," he said proudly.

"Mhm, but from what I remember didn't Harry catch the—?"

Draco shoved her. It wasn't as hard as she expected but she still staggered a little.

"Don't mention his name in my house, the manor has already been tainted by your Squib," spat Draco sourly, and Lyra stomped her foot. She had expected him to insult Danielle a lot faster than he did but it still hurt nevertheless.

"Ok, first of all, if we're going to make it through today without killing each other then you need to keep your filthy blood purist crap away from me. Don't say Squib like that," she demanded, standing her ground, and Draco snorted at her determination.

"Like what?"

"Like she's a piece of dirt under your shoe, she's incredible and quite frankly not worth your time so no talking about Danielle in front of me," threatened Lyra, and Draco looked unfazed.

"Whatever, she's more put together than I assumed she would be," Draco mused, beckoning Lyra to follow him out of his room, but she took his diverted gaze as an opportunity to snap a couple pictures of his room, "and her father works for the Prophet, I suppose that's admirable."

Lyra arched her brow as she hurried to stuff her photos away, "How do you know that?"

"It was in the papers, duh," drawled Draco, mimicking Lyra's voice inflections, and she accidentally snickered at his imitation. Aw dammit! I hope he didn't notice.

Draco noticed and his smirk got wider.

The tour continued. Draco showed Lyra the impressive upstairs study that he exclusively used and she fizzled in envy when she eyed up the immense, jewel-encrusted telescope on a plinth pointing out of an embellished hatch in the ceiling. It was the perfect place to study, her Astronomy homework would have been completed in a blink of an eye if she worked here and she tried not to pout too much as Draco showed off the constellation maps on the wall.

"—and this is my one, the constellation Draco," he proclaimed, coming to the end of the drawings on the wall, and Lyra pursed her lips. Of course his stars were really cool!

"It's a dragon," he added, wanting to pester her even further, and she narrowed her eyes as she inspected it closer.

"I think it looks like a worm," Lyra closed one eye, "or if you do this then it looks like a face."

"No it doesn't!" Draco exclaimed, nudging her out the way to look properly, "it's definitely a dragon. Look, there's the head."

"That's the eye, not the head," Lyra continued to wind him up, and she swore she heard him laugh.

"Shut up! At least mine's a cool animal, yours is just a musical instrument," he scoffed, pointing towards the map on the far wall, and Lyra felt weak as she noticed her name above the drawing. Her heart thudded in the most peculiar way as she crept closer, and Draco followed her without another word, considerate of her reaction.

"I didn't realise you had mine," she mumbled, feeling uniquely shy, and Draco shrugged.

"We have all the Black family names on the wall, Mother wanted to keep the tradition alive, you're not special or anything," he assured him spitefully, not wanting her to grow emotional, and Lyra snapped back to reality with another scowl.

"Cheers, cuz," she mumbled.

As the pair left the study, however, Draco had trouble clearing his throat and he groaned. "This heatwave is unbearable — Dobby!"

Pop!

Lyra jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of a house elf in front of her, and she quickly closed her jaw before Draco could tease her for being uninformed. They had a house elf?! She should have known.

The elf whimpered and bowed, scraping his freakishly long nose against the stone floor, and his pointed ears flapped as he smoothed his hands down the dirty rag that was his… uniform? Lyra tried not to make a sound, she had so many questions but she stood back and watched the pair interact first.

"Master Draco," squeaked Dobby, waiting for instruction, "what can Dobby do for you, sir?"

"Get me a glass of water," barked Draco, barely looking at the elf, "quickly."

A fogged glass of iced water appeared from thin air, melting into existence before her very eyes, and Lyra watched in awe as Draco gulped it down in one and carelessly tossed the glass back at Dobby, not fazed by his reckless actions. It was obvious that Draco didn't care for the elf, he barely acknowledged him!

"That's it, go away—,"

"Wait!" Lyra blurted out, standing in between Draco and Dobby so she could introduce herself, "What about me! I'm thirsty too!" She wasn't but she needed an excuse for the elf to stick around. What else could Dobby do? She had never met a house elf before and she wasn't losing this opportunity if she could help it.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Fine. Dobby, get Lyra a glass of water."

"Actually can I have a cup of Earl Grey please?" added Lyra, smiling sweetly, ignoring Draco's daggers as the elf obeyed. His bulbous eyes doubled in size as he realised who the girl standing before him was, and he rushed to bow again.

"Lyra Black, what an honour," he babbled, and Lyra graciously took his hand after pinching the fresh cup of tea that popped into existence.

"Right back at you! I've never met a house elf before," she shook his hand vigorously, and Dobby gawked at the gesture, tears welling in his leaf green eyes.

"Ew, don't touch him! Are you mad?"

Lyra snarled, snapping back. "What do you mean, don't touch him? You've never given your elf a hug before?"

Dobby looked thunderstruck. "Master Draco? Hug Dobby?!"

"I take that as a no," muttered Lyra, shaking her head. Judging by the shaken demeanour and poor clothing, the Malfoys treated their house elf as if he were a Squib and she hated how easily he flinched whenever Draco moved. Do they hit him?

"Dobby, do you like living here?" asked Lyra after chugging down her tea, pretending to interview the elf, and Draco looked aghast that she was continuing their conversation. Dobby's eyes flicked to Draco, anxious to say the truth, and he jerkily nodded his head, his large ears jiggling. He was only a couple of feet tall, the tops of his ears brushed their waists, and Lyra enjoyed being tall for once as Draco had overtaken her by a couple of inches.

"Dobby appreciates the Malfoy family and everything they do for Dobby," he eventually said, avoiding Draco's curious expression, but Lyra noticed the wobble in his shrill voice and the panic in his eyes. He was lying. He hated living here.

"That's all I needed to know," sighed Lyra, reaffirming her decision to reject the Malfoys. She had to make a scene, she needed to put Narcissa and Lucius off the idea of adopting her. If they treated their elf like he was nothing then how would they treat her?

"Come on, I still have to show you downstairs," sighed Draco, wanting to move away from their house elf without protest, "Dobby, go away—,"

"Wait!" Lyra stopped him again by grabbing the elf by the arm, she didn't want him to leave yet. As Dobby stumbled back from her force, something shifted under his tea towel and a flood of letters came tumbling out from the hem of his rags. A dozen letters fluttered to the ground and Dobby gasped in fright, rushing to collect them before his audience saw, but Lyra beat him to it and picked up one of the letters.

Harry Potter.

It was her handwriting. This was her letter to Harry?

Lyra's jaw dropped and she glared at the elf, suddenly enraged. Is this why Harry wasn't replying?! Because Draco was stealing his letters?!

"What's that?" wondered Draco naively, reaching out to swipe the letter, but Lyra roared and leapt at him as a flash of red overtook her vision. She couldn't help it.

Yeah! Get him!

"You hateful dickhead!" cried Lyra, clawing at his face as she knocked him to the ground, "you've been stealing Harry's letters?!"

Draco smacked her hands out of the way and pushed her off him, livid and befuddled by her sudden attack.

"Get off me you lunatic! What are you talking about?!" His white hair was dishevelled and his robes wrinkled as he scrambled to his feet before Lyra could pounce again.

She shoved her hair out of her face and pointed at the trembling elf who had gathered the envelopes in his shaky hands.

"Those! Those letters are from me to Harry! Why the hell does Dobby have them?!" She was seething, absolutely raging that Draco had done this. Was teasing Harry at school not enough? Did he have to make his home life worse too?

Draco was lost. "What? I don't know? You're talking rubbish."

"Don't bother lying now, it's too late," scoffed Lyra, trying to stand tall as Draco stared down at her. A light pink scratch pulsed on his cheek, it wasn't much but it looked like it irritated him quite a lot. I guess that's better than nothing.

"I'm not lying," assured Draco, and he snatched the letters out of Dobby's hands before he ran away. The elf whimpered and hid his face, ashamed of the whole situation, and Lyra's anger softened when she spotted the genuine surprise on Draco's face. He wasn't lying, or he was a really good actor.

"What the—?" Draco shuffled through the envelopes, mouthing the same name over and over again, "Dobby, why do you have these?"

Without warning Dobby burst into tears and fell to his knees, his wrinkled shoulders bouncing as though he were having trouble breathing, and Lyra hated how small and weak he looked as he sobbed. She instinctively bent down and grazed his arm again, hoping to get some sort of positive reaction out of him, but he only cried harder.

"Why do you have Harry's letters?" asked Lyra as gently as possible, but Dobby didn't reply. His cries had grown weak but his face was planted firmly in his hands, unmoved. It was like he was cursed to ignore her, some type of magic was controlling him.

"Dobby? What's wrong?" muttered Lyra, worried that the elf thought she would attack him next, "Can you please give Harry his letters back? I dunno why you have them but if you give them back then we'll forget this ever happened? Will that make you stop crying?"

"Or hold onto them, I don't really care," shrugged Draco, but Lyra slapped his arm and he added, "Ugh fine! Dobby, give Potter his letters back."

"Y-Yes Master," spluttered Dobby, actively avoiding Lyra's bizarre gaze, and he vanished with another loud pop! Lyra continued to stare at the spot where Dobby disappeared, reflecting on the elf's strange behaviour for any hint as to why he would stop Harry from writing to his friends, but Draco's exasperated moaning snapped her out of her daze.

"It looks like Dobbys finally made himself useful around here," he sniffed, amused at his elf's antics, "I didn't even think about messing with Potter but now—,"

"I swear to God, Draco! Don't you dare! Leave Harry alone!" defended Lyra, showing off her new bitch face that seemed to hit a nerve within her second cousin, "I mean it!"

The threat of being randomly attacked again seemed to resonate with Draco and he held his hand up to show his innocence.

"I'll think about it," he taunted, unable to help himself, and Lyra eventually dropped it. She was still suspicious, she had an inkling that Draco already knew Dobby had Harry's letters but she let it go since she knew Harry had finally gotten his mail.

"Is this what you do here all day? Torture poor house elves and use them to pull sick pranks?" scrutinised Lyra, begrudgingly following him down the corridor, and Draco shot her mean smile over his shoulder.

"Don't act like you wouldn't use a house elf to prank someone," he drawled, his voice echoing in the airy albeit dim hallway, "in fact, I'm surprised you haven't already."

Lyra snorted. Did he really think that Muggles had house elves? No one was that stupid. "And why on earth would you think that?"

Draco paused and spun on his hell, gobsmacked.

"You mean you don't know? The Blacks have a house elf too," he said patronisingly, but again her lack of awareness was music to his ears. "You really are clueless, aren't you?"

Wait, what?! His insult went in one ear and out the other, Lyra went deaf after hearing the breaking news.

"I have an elf?!" she exclaimed. "Where are they? What's their name? You're not lying to me, are you?"

"No I'm not lying, and if you don't already know their name then you can't call them," Draco sighed, elated that he had information she wanted, but Lyra turned the tables on him and played him at his own game.

"So you're lying then, you don't know their name either or I don't have one," she snapped back, forcing her bottom lip out and faking a pout, "that's a shame."

"I told you I'm not lying, there really is a Black family elf."

"Oh yeah? Then prove it! What's their name? Can't you call them here since we're family?" she challenged him, and Draco bit the bait almost instantaneously.

"Of course I can't, I'm not and never will be a Black. My mother might be able to call him but I cannot, but I guess that's just another thing you have no idea about. Really, Lyra, I thought you would have been more clued up on our family than this," he sniffed, arching a brow in scrutiny, and Lyra guffawed. Deep down she knew he was telling the truth but she pressed him for more.

"That sounds like bullshit, I'm going downstairs," Lyra brushed past him, purposely nudging him into the wall as she walked ahead, but Draco gave in as she reached the top of the staircase.

"It's not bullshit! His name's Kreacher! Go on, call for him and I'll prove to you that I'm telling the truth," said Draco smugly, and Lyra turned to face him with a grin.

Ah ha! Thanks idiot!

"Kreacher!" Lyra called out, her entire body vibrating with anticipation as though she had been infested with a million bees, and her heart skipped when another loud pop! echoed through the corridor.

"Ew!" Draco recoiled at the appearance of the infamous Black house elf, but Lyra was in sheer awe.

He wasn't as lively or scared as Dobby, but he certainly didn't look any better. His lightish skin was wrinkled aged parchment, tufts of white hair stuck out of his bat-like ears like old cotton and his dark eyes were bloodshot and squinting as if the dim lighting of the hallway was hurting him. He wore a black rag similar to Dobby's, it knotted at his shoulders and draped down to his knobbly knees, and Lyra took a moment to fully absorb the elf's existence. He was real — her very own elf!

"Oh my God!" Lyra squealed, running over to Kreacher and shoving her hand out, "Hi Kreacher!"

The elf blinked and looked her up and down, thoroughly confused.

"Kreacher has not heard your voice before," he croaked deeply, his vocal cords getting used to moving again, and Lyra only smiled brighter.

"Uh, yeah, well I've only just found out about you but don't worry, you'll be hearing my voice a lot more now!" she assured him, snatching his small, spidery hand to shake it. "I'm Lyra, it's so nice to meet you!"

Kreacher's confusion transformed into disgust and he grumbled under his breath, eyeing her suspiciously as he let her shake his hand.

"Kreacher knows who you are now," he admitted under his breath, "the lost daughter of that scum."

Draco scoffed, suddenly very interested in the elf's take on Lyra's immediate family, but Lyra saw to his malicious plans straight away.

"Uh, yeah maybe. Hey Kreacher, can you go back to… wherever you were before please?" She asked him sweetly, and the elf vanished with another pop! She'd have to talk to him away from Draco, she didn't want him butting in and ruining their first meeting.

"No fair, he was just getting interesting," moaned Draco, and Lyra shrugged, flicking her hair over her shoulder and skipping down the stairs.

"Life's not fair, get used to it!"

With lunch mere minutes away, Lyra and Draco descended onto the ground floor and begrudgingly finished the tour of the manor. None of the rooms were as interesting as the study upstairs and Lyra lazily snapped a few more pictures, hoping to catch any nefarious details in the frame once she returned back to Weymouth to properly examine them. As the pair exited the drawing room, a dark archway caught Lyra's eye and she poked Draco's arm.

"What's in there?"

"Our cellar," he whispered coldly, trying to freak Lyra out, "I wouldn't go down there if I were you, you might accidentally lock yourself in one of the cells."

Lyra looked horrified. "Cells?"

"I told you not to mess with me," he threatened, wiggling his brows, but Lyra dismissed his claims with an eye roll and she moved on, not wanting to dwell on the reason why Malfoy Manor had a cellar. Evil! They're evil people! It all makes sense! It's their torture chamber!

"Mhm, maybe we'll skip that part of the tour then," mumbled Lyra, and her gaze landed on the final door the pair had yet to explore. It was a set of double blackwood doors with menacing bronze handles, no light shone through the cracks and no life could be heard behind it. Draco noticed her gaze and sobered up with a head shake.

"That's Father's office, don't even think about it. No one is allowed in there," he informed her, his tone harsher than before, but Lyra wasn't listening. Something unnerved her about that room, she felt some sort of cold aura around it and the voices in the back of her mind were intrigued.

You've got to go in there.

Hmm… I'm not sure about that.

I wonder what's in there? What's Lucius hiding?

Let's find out!

Whatever it is, it's dangerous. Can't you feel that?

Lyra's chest tightened and she tried to ease it with a subtle clavicle massage but it didn't let up. The invisible bubble of pressure was growing in her lungs, it was getting harder to breathe. Suddenly she snapped out of her daze when the office doors swung open and Lucius Malfoy sauntered out, pensive and proud as he locked eyes with the two pre-teens.

"Lyra, a pleasure to see you again," he drawled, gently closing the door and walking over to the pair with a charismatic smile on his face, "I hope Draco is treating you well on your tour?" He was wearing a set of lavish emerald robes and a silver serpent cane twirled delicately in his hand, its molten eyes twinkling in the bright daylight. Lyra happily returned his smile to evade any suspicion.

"Mhm, he's been quite the gentleman," lied Lyra, hoping Lucius didn't notice the pink scratch on Draco's cheek, but her response seemed to suffice. Lucius gave Draco a stiff nod, his lips curling slightly, and he pressed on towards the dining room where lunch was about to be served.

"Perfect, simply perfect. Let's eat," he announced, gesturing for the pair to follow, and they rushed to catch up. Draco seemed rather tense around his father, his shoulders hitched up and his brows furrowed when Lucius entered the room, but the need to prove himself to his father was written plainly on his face as though it were written in blood. The dynamic between the father and son was rather frosty, it was hard to ignore, and Lyra kept that information to herself. Was Draco scared of his father? She wasn't sure yet.

Danielle and Narcissa were chuckling over their second cup of tea in the drawing room when the Malfoy men and Lyra entered, and Danielle silently asked Lyra how her investigation work was going with a quick eyebrow raise. She immediately thought of Kreacher and grinned, dying to tell Danielle about her latest discovery, but she kept her mouth securely shut when Dobby brought out the delicious silver platters of fresh salads and steaming pastas. She didn't want to talk about Kreacher in front of Narcissa and Lucius in case they meddled and somehow took him away from her, she wasn't sure if that was possible or not but she didn't want to chance it.

The lunch was pleasant enough, the food was just as delectable as expected and the conversation stayed light and casual, but the urge to spit out questions concerning their family bubbled up inside of Lyra the longer the five of them sat at their grand dining table. Danielle had told her to pry into their family and the idea rattled around in her head ever since she stepped inside the manor. She couldn't help being curious, the Malfoys expected her to be interested in them too, and as soon as Narcissa called for Dobby to refill their goblets the first question came flying out of her mouth.

"So, Mrs Malfoy," piped up Lyra, and Narcissa smiled.

"Please, call me Narcissa," she offered.

"Sorry, Narcissa," Lyra corrected herself, "were you very close to my mass-murdering father?"

Danielle choked on her water and thumped her chest, trying not to splutter all over the table. The pink in Narcissa's cheeks was faint but she swallowed down her pride and swiftly answered the girl's blunt question, avoiding the curious gaze of her son. Lucius, however, kept his eyes firmly on Lyra.

"No, your father and I weren't close," she said stiffly, narrowing her eyes as she looked up from her plate, "I don't associate myself with dangerous fools like him."

Huh… Well that's good to know.

"I see," Lyra nodded thoughtfully, picking at her green pasta, "what about my mum? Did you know her?"

"I'm afraid not, I finished Hogwarts the year before she started," admitted Narcissa, and Lyra frowned.

"Then why do you want to adopt me if you didn't know them?" she asked dubiously. Surely she meant nothing to them if they weren't close to her parents?

"That's irrelevant, Lyra. We want to adopt you, you're still family whether we spoke to your parents or not," countered Narcissa, her tone still as light as before, but her blue eyes were much colder now.

"A bright, Pureblood witch such as yourself shouldn't be locked away in some Muggle hovel," interjected Lucius smoothly, "we would be doing a disservice to the great House of Black, your grandmother would be turning in her grave if we didn't do something to help."

Lyra blinked, fascinated at the idea of having a grandmother. What was she like? "My grandmother? My Dad's mum?"

"Yes, Walburga Black," sighed Narcissa with a pout, "she was such a wonderful woman, very fiery."

"And very proud too," added Lucius, patting his wife's hand sympathetically, and Lyra guffawed at the name. Wizards were weird.

"I'm assuming she's dead?" asked Lyra bluntly, desperate to hear them evaluate her family tree, and Narcissa nodded.

"She died seven years ago, her poor heart gave out and there was nothing we could do," she said wearily and Lyra felt a pang of sadness for the grandmother she would never know.

"Are there any family members that are still alive? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Or did my parents have any? Is there a distant cousin that we all share that lives in Spain or something?" wondered Lyra, hooked on the rush she got whenever she learnt something new about herself, and the Malfoys exchanged a secret look. There were?!

"Your parents both had brothers but they're no longer with us, most of the Black family have passed on, and I have two sisters," admitted Narcissa carefully through pursed lips, and her hard exterior started to grow. "But I don't think talking about my sisters is appropriate."

Lyra raised her brows, latching onto her words. "Why?"

"Lyra!" hissed Danielle, trying to sway her from dwelling on the topic, and Narcissa's sneer slid onto her face as though it had been lingering just under the surface, waiting to be summoned in a blink of an eye.

"There are many things you will have to learn about our world, Lyra. This family has a dark past that is both utterly irrelevant and absolutely unnecessary for us to bring up so heed my warning when I say that we do not speak about my sisters under this roof — understood?" drawled Narcissa, catching Lyra's eye, and Lyra gulped.

Crap, were her sisters dark wizards too? Were they locked up in Azkaban with Sirius and Quirrell?

She decided to move on before Lucius' sneer smashed the mirror behind Lyra, he was staring at her like she was the poor house elf running around the legs of the stretching mahogany table and she dropped her gaze to stop herself from burning up. Has she gone too far already? Her cheeks felt uncomfortably hot, she needed fresh air.

"Listen to your aunt, Lyra, and don't ask anymore questions. It's not very becoming, a young woman should know when to speak and when to stay quiet," instructed Lucius, using his stern fatherly voice, and Lyra straightened in her chair as a chill rolled down her spine. She didn't like that.

At the end of the table, she noticed that Draco looked delighted. Dick!

"Sorry," muttered Lyra, "I'll shut up. May I use the bathroom, please?"

"It's the third door on the left, by the stairs," said Lucius, and Lyra grabbed her backpack and rushed out of the room with the remnants of his glare stuck on her back.

The foyer wasn't any cooler but Lyra finally took a deep breath, dreading going back into the dining room. She had more questions on the tip of her tongue but clearly the Malfoys weren't the type of people who gave direct answers. They either teased her for not already knowing or snapped at her for prying. She couldn't win!

The excitement of investigating her family was fading fast, the allure of traipsing through the manor to find some hidden clue to her mysterious past had lost its magic and she wanted nothing more than to go back to Weymouth where she could freely talk to Kreacher while she waited for Harry's reply. It was pointless her being there, she wanted to leave right now.

Wait, don't go yet…

I can feel it. What is that?

Something softer and colder than a breeze nipped at Lyra's ankles and her chest constricted when she caught sight of Lucius' office doors again from across the foyer, and she arched her brow. She felt an unusual energy in the air, it hissed against her tongue and pulled her towards the door like a powerful magnet, but the closer she got to the door, the tighter her chest grew. Something was in that room, something that should have been hidden, something she needed to have.

No, it needed her.

What is that?

You can feel it too?

I think it's calling out to us, it wants to be found.

But what is it?!

Without hesitating, Lyra twisted the bronze handle and delicately pulled the door open wide enough for her to slip inside, and the latch clicked into place as she was plunged into complete darkness. She didn't dare turn the light on, she didn't want Lucius to catch her snooping in his forbidden office — he'd definitely murder her.

As soon as she entered the office, the force calling out to Lyra got stronger and she blindly clutched her knees to help her erratic breathing. It was a type of magic, like electricity in the air before a storm, and she could almost reach out and touch it — but it wasn't in front of her, it was nearby.

Trusting her instincts, Lyra pulled her camera out of her backpack, switched on the flash, and the office lit up momentarily as she snapped her first photograph to gauge her surroundings. For a split second she expected to see a figure through the darkness like she had in the Forbidden Forest last year but her fretful heartbeat relaxed when she figured out she was alone. She was just being silly, of course Voldemort wasn't in here! Another extravagant fireplace was straight ahead of her, a towering yet intimidating bookshelf was directly to her left, but it was the grand writing desk to her right that caught her attention the most. It was coming from over there.

Navigating the darkness had become a sixth sense to Lyra, her adventures sneaking around Hogwarts at night seemed to have paid off and she reached the desk without banging her shin against a piece of furniture. Holding her breath, she felt her way around the desk and used the tightness in her chest as an indicator. She still didn't know what she was searching for but the closer she got to the lowest desk drawers, the harder it was to breathe.

In there. The bottom drawer.

It's a trick drawer, twist the handle.

Lyra's fingers found the cold metal knob on the front of the drawer and twisted it until it clicked. Something shifted in the atmosphere, the forces at work were exhilarated that someone had finally heard them, and it yanked a little harder. Lyra gasped as she pulled the drawer open and shoved her hand inside, yearning for the mysterious item calling out her name.

But her stomach plummeted in disappointment when she felt only one object inside — a tatty, leather book. It wasn't very big, and in the flash of Lyra's second photo she noticed that it didn't look at all special, but from the moment the book touched her fingers she knew it was exactly what she was looking for. Maybe it was Lucius' secret diary? Had he written down all of his evil blood purist ideologies in it? Was it a spellbook? It was magical for sure, the tingles shooting down her arm were remarkably powerful and she was immediately infatuated with the book.

It's mine now!

Giggling to herself, Lyra slipped both her camera and the leather notebook into her backpack, silently closed the drawer, and crept out of the office on her tiptoes to stop her shiny new shoes from making a noise. The smooth stone floor made sneaking a lot harder but the second she touched down on the plush carpets near the drawing room door she loosened her tense posture and fixated a false smile on her face, pretending to dry her freshly washed hands on her skirt as she waltzed back inside. Now she really needed to leave, she didn't want Lucius to find that book in her bag.

Fake a stomach ache, Danielle knows that you're on your period and she'll believe you.

Lyra crumpled her face up and mustered a weak groan as she slumped into her chair, her backpack still on her shoulders, and she gave Danielle her saddest, cutest pout.

"Uh, Danielle?" she whined, purposely avoiding the Malfoys' watchful glares.

Danielle looked perturbed. "Sweetheart? Are you ok?"

Lyra faked a blush and shielded her face with her hand, shutting out their audience as she mouthed at her key worker. "Code red! We need to go!"

"Oh! Right!" Danielle caught onto her girly issue and rushed to her feet, offering the Malfoys her most professional smile. "I'm very sorry but I'm afraid we need to leave," she said courteously, slipping her handbag back onto her shoulder, and the Malfoys swapped looks of concerned confusion.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" offered Narcissa, accurately guessing what the girls' exchange meant, and Lyra frantically shook her head.

"I wish there was but there's not," she laughed nervously, pretending to clutch her agonising stomach, "lunch was delicious, my compliments to your thieving house elf."

Lucius' straight-lipped smile twitched into a frown at Lyra's remark and Narcissa blinked hard, taken aback.

"Excuse me?" she snapped, looking at Lyra as though she had just spat in her face, and Lyra bit her lip. That slipped out, she didn't mean to say that.

"...Lyra?" whispered Danielle, quite disturbed at how quickly the Malfoys' demeanors changed, but the power of the knowledge Lyra held felt too good. She didn't want to pass on the opportunity of making a dramatic exit and she knew Danielle would understand in the long run.

Besides, Draco looked way too happy at the end of the table and she wanted to ruin his day.

"Dobby has been stealing Harry's letters, that's why he hasn't been replying to me," clarified Lyra, scowling at the Malfoys, "I don't know about you but that doesn't sound like a very healthy environment for me to be in. They treat him like crap too, I think they abuse their elf."

"What in the…?" Danielle looked thoroughly puzzled but she believed Lyra regardless of the bizarreness of the claim, "I see."

"That's preposterous," sniffed Lucius, sneering at Danielle, "you don't actually believe the girl, do you?"

Danielle's brow sharpened and she stood taller than before. "Of course I do, why would she lie?"

"Clearly she thrives off of attention and is making up lies to entertain herself," replied Lucius, his warm tone had disappeared completely and Lyra tried not to wince under his intense gaze, "my elf would never do something as ludicrous as stealing Harry Potter's correspondence."

Lyra widened her eyes and gasped, pointing at him. "How did you know it was that Harry?! I never said it was Potter! IT WAS YOU!"

Danielle stifled her snort with a strategically planned cough and swiftly grabbed Lyra's shoulders, trying to herd her out of the drawing room before she made the situation worse. Lyra was enjoying herself far too much.

"I think it's time we left," said Danielle coyly, and the Malfoys leapt to their feet and followed them out, outraged at how quickly everything was falling apart.

"You won't be able to get back to your dump that way, Squib," tutted Narcissa, openly disproving of Danielle now, but the pair ignored them and strolled out of the front door, breathing in the hot summer air.

"I'm sure we'll find a way, thank you," replied Danielle kindly, being as sweet as humanly possible, and Lyra flashed them a wide grin over her shoulder, driving the knife in deeper.

"It was so nice to meet you but do not contact me ever again," she said cheerfully, savouring their hateful glares for the last time, "and for your information, starting a house tour by calling your guest a blood traitor isn't very smart!" Her voice floated down the driveway as she cupped her hands around her mouth, "and for the record, my dirty Muggle dump is a palace compared to your racist hovel! Bye! Have a good life!"

"Oh my God, are they still staring at us?" Danielle wheezed through her giggles, refusing to turn back and face the Malfoys as they walked away, but Lyra continued to stare at the fearsome pale family. Lucius looked murderous, Narcissa looked deeply offended, and Draco looked almost crestfallen.

"Yup!" chirped Lyra, finally spinning around and looping her arm through Danielle's as she embraced the hot sunshine beaming down on them from above, "I don't think they like us anymore."

"I don't think they liked us in the first place," sighed Danielle, coming to terms with the wrought-iron gate that gently creaked open wide enough for them to shuffle out. Lyra shrugged in agreement and took one last look at the gruesome Malfoy Manor, praying that she never had to return, but the hissing voices in the back of her mind reminded her of the stolen goods pressing against her back. She tightened the straps with one more tug and thought of the mysterious leather book that was hers now.

I guess this lunch wasn't a total waste of time…?