#lyra lestrange

“It was in the marriage contract, regardless of gender she and my father were supposed to produce an heir.”

“Another interesting tidbit. The Lestranges have always had a male heir and a male Head of House.” The sorting hat mused.

The girl mentally shrugged as she glanced down at the black diamond encased in a gold band that was fitted on the pointer finger of her right hand. Corvus oculum corvi non eruit, the Lestrange Family motto engraved on the outside of the band always filled her with a sense of pride and dread. The Lestrange heir ring had been there for over a year now – ever since she turned ten. Lyra sighed, “Are you going to sort me or root around my head for juicy family gossip to tell the headmaster about later tonight after the feast?”

“I’m quite deeply offended. Everything that I learn, I keep to myself. Not even the headmaster will know of what we talked about. But to business then… you are vastly different from either of your parents… perhaps that has to do with who you were raised by…”

“Perhaps so…” Lyra mused.

“Well, there’s plenty of ambition and you’re quite creative, I can see that clearly. Loyalty, oh yes, very loyal but only to those who’ve earned it… and yet… yet there is only one house that would benefit you… you might not see it but I have a good feeling.”

“GRYFFINDOR!”

The entire hall was silent as Lyra removed the sorting hat from her head and walked over to the Gryffindor table. There was no clapping, just looks of shock and surprise from the house of the lions. The dark-haired girl sighed quietly as she took a seat in the open space next to Hermione Granger.

This was going to be a long year…

It was literally only the second day into term. She had only been to two classes…

And she was already being led to the headmaster’s office.

Lyra was sure she had done absolutely nothing wrong. She had kept her head down and kept to her dorm when inside Gryffindor tower – she alone of the first year Gryffindor girls had a dorm to herself since it was five to a dorm and there were six female first years. She had been on time to breakfast and both of her classes. She took excellent notes if she did say so herself. She had even earned five points from Professor Flitwick for being the first to master the Lumos wand-lighting charm.

But McGonagall had been waiting for her before she had even made it to the Great Hall for lunch. All she said was that she was going to escort Lyra to see the headmaster. Lyra wanted to ask the older woman what Dumbledore wanted but she couldn’t seem to get her voice to cooperate.

It wasn’t long before McGonagall stopped and muttered something to a golden griffin statue that she was fairly sure was a few corridors away from the Gryffindor common room’s entrance. The griffin moved in response and a staircase revealed itself. Lyra raised a brow as her head of house ushered her up the stairs and through a plain wooden door. Inside were hundreds of portraits of what Lyra assumed were previous headmasters and headmistresses. Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk with two others sitting across from him. The two were both tall, a man and a woman, each with long and pale blond hair. She had never seen either of them in person before. But Lyra had seen them in pictures, mostly the society pages. Lyra was looking at her Aunt Narcissa and Uncle Lucius.

Ce n’est pas bien. This could not be good.

Lyra looked to Professor McGonagall who placed an arm on her shoulder and guided her over to the three adults.

“Miss Lestrange, these people are Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy,” Dumbledore indicated towards the blonds with a tilt of his head, “Lady Malfoy is the younger sister of your mother, Bellatrix. They were quite pressed to meet with you – especially since they were unaware of your existence until very recently.” Dumbledore explained.

Lyra glanced at the Malfoys before turning back to Dumbledore and McGonagall (who had actually remained by her side instead of moving to stand next to Dumbledore or off to the side), “D’accord. Okay. It’s nice to meet you.” Lyra said, unsure of how to respond. She saw the way the two Malfoys looked at each other at her French accent. Even Dumbledore cast a questioning look at McGonagall. It wasn’t a heavily thick accent as she had grown up speaking just as much English as she did French.

Narcissa moved forward, giving Lyra an accessing look like she was judging Lyra’s very existence and held out her hand. “We were quite shocked when our son, Draco, wrote home about a first-year girl with the last name Lestrange who happened to be the spitting image of my sister.”

“And sorted into Gryffindor at that.” Lucius Malfoy cut in looking shrewdly at Lyra. While Narcissa seemed to still be judging her niece, Lucius clearly felt that being sorted into the house of the lions was an affront to her heritage and her association to the House of Malfoy.

Lyra merely raised an unimpressed eyebrow, the corners of her mouth turning downwards slightly. At the look, all four of the adults in the room had various looks of surprise on their faces. Dumbledore recovered quicker than the others in the room and continued the explanation for the presence of the adult Malfoys.

“The Malfoys arrived this morning wishing to meet you as they were unaware that Bellatrix even had a child.” Dumbledore’s face was calm as he explained but Lyra could tell that he was scrutinizing her just as the Malfoys were. She just didn’t know why.

Until her uncle opened his mouth.

“Everyone knew that it wasn’t a love match between Bellatrix and Rodolphus. Factor in their status as Death Eaters and her devotion to the Dark Lord… well it was quite a shock to find out that a Lestrange was starting at Hogwarts.”

Oh.

Oh.

They thought she was the child of—

Ew.

“I’m not Voldemort’s child.” Lyra stated plainly.

The reactions were instantaneous; McGonagall’s grip on her shoulder tightened for a second and her lips thinned, the Malfoys’ brows both raised – Lucius’s jaw even dropped open while Narcissa’s eyes widened at her audacity. Dumbledore’s reaction was, once again, the quickest: his eyes widened before narrowing, the calculating look back on his face clearer than before.

“I’m sure no one was implying—” Dumbledore started to say before Lyra interrupted.

Lyra raised her brows before holding out her right hand. The Lestrange heir ring gleamed brightly as the sunlight streaming through the window hit the black diamond. “I would not be able to wear this if I was Voldemort’s daughter. I wouldn’t even be able to wear it if I were blood adopted by a Lestrange. It would be line theft as there are others who were born into the family who would have more of a right to inherit – only those born into the Lestrange family can wear the heir’s ring. I am Rodolphus’s biological daughter.” Lyra stated as she put her hand back down.

Before they could recover from her use of the Dark Lord’s name for the second time, Lyra continued, “When my parents found out my mother was pregnant, my father sent her to France. I was born there, in the Lestrange ancestral home on 31 May 1980. Shortly after I was born my father made plans that should anything happen to him then I would be taken care of by one of his relatives across the Channel. When he and my mother and uncle were taken to Azkaban, I was delivered to a distant cousin of his and raised in France.”

“A distant cousin? You have plenty of family here that would have taken you in.” Narcissa stated, looking quite put out at not being considered to help raise her niece – one she had no knowledge of twenty-four hours prior to this meeting.

“Quite right. We would have been happy to raise you alongside our son.” Lucius mused, no doubt thinking about how his own standing would have increased by raising the Lestrange heir.

“Well, it’s what my father decided.” Lyra stated plainly.

“Surely your mother—”

“My mother didn’t care one way or the other. As soon as I was born, she returned to Voldemort’s side. I’m told my mother considered her pregnancy an unavoidable inconvenience. My father was the one to see to my care. He felt as the heiress to the British branch of the Lestranges that I should be raised by members of the Lestrange family and since there were none left in the UK after they went to prison…” Lyra delicately shrugged her shoulders as she finished explaining.

“You were sent to France and raised there.” Dumbledore mused. Lyra merely nodded. “You could have gone to Beauxbatons but instead chose to go to school here.”

“My tante would have preferred that but again, my father’s directives were that I attend Hogwarts.”

Dumbledore hummed at her explanation as the Malfoys shared another look. Lyra didn’t like how they looked at her. Lucius looked at her as if he were trying to figure out how she would be useful to them while Narcissa looked as if she had found something she didn’t know was lost. The Lestrange heiress didn’t want to spend another minute with them.

Looking down at the dainty gold watch on her left wrist, Lyra shifted anxiously, “Can I go now? Lunch is half over and I have to grab my books for my next class as well.”

The Malfoys looked as if they might protest but McGonagall stepped in before they could say anything.

“Of course, Miss Lestrange. I’m sure that if your aunt and uncle wish to speak with you again, they can send a letter.” McGonagall stated firmly.

Both Malfoys looked put out but Narcissa agreed that perhaps that would have to do for now. Lyra didn’t really like the sound of that but she nodded and allowed Professor McGonagall to lead her out of the headmaster’s office. The two were almost to the entrance of Gryffindor Tower when McGonagall asked her how she was feeling.

Lyra stopped and turned toward her professor.

“I don’t have to actually reply to their letters, do I?”

“No Miss Lestrange. Not if you don’t want to.”

Lyra nodded, “Good. I can’t imagine wanting to.”

To McGonagall’s credit she didn’t react other than the slightest tightening around her mouth.

“Would you all stop looking at me like I’m about to curse you!” Lyra yelled in frustration. “Yes, my parents were horrible people who did horrible things but that doesn’t mean that I’m anything like them!” Lyra shook her head, not bothering to wait for a reaction, she slammed her book shut and grabbed her school bag before angrily storming out of the common room, heading off in a random direction.

Lyra had been subjecting herself to the stares and whispers of her housemates every evening after classes ended by doing her homework in the common room. She figured that once the other lions saw her around more often, they would get used to her presence and they wouldn’t look at her like she was evil incarnate or talk about her as if she were deaf and couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Unfortunately, it was all to no avail. It was already mid-December and still they whispered and spread rumors about her.

She continued her path, aimlessly wandering around the castle. She had a few hours before curfew, so she didn’t have to worry about getting in trouble with Filch.

Lyra’s mind also wandered as she thought about the few times her cousin Draco had tried to interact with her ever since her somewhat… abrupt… meeting with her maternal aunt and uncle. The Lestrange heiress found the Malfoy heir to be quite pompous and arrogant. Plus, he was clearly a blood supremist. Lyra really had tried to give her cousin a chance, but she left every interaction with him wondering if she would have turned out like him if she had been raised by the Malfoys or worse her parents.

“Miss Lestrange!”

Lyra paused as she looked behind her to see Professor McGonagall standing in an open doorway. She quickly walked back to her head of house to see what she called her for.

“Professor McGonagall?” Lyra questioned.

“Come in for a minute Miss Lestrange and have a seat.” Lyra raised a brow and did as her professor instructed. McGonagall directed her to a sitting area where a kettle and biscuits were already laid out on a coffee table. She quickly pulled another teacup out of a side cupboard and served her tea as she preferred it.

“Thank you, professor.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Lestrange.” They were silent for a moment as they sipped their tea but then McGonagall was asking her about how she was settling in.

Lyra sighed. “I’m the daughter of two of the most hated death eaters in the entire UK. Add in that I was sorted into Gryffindor – of all houses – well… I’m genuinely surprised no one has tried to hex me yet. Then again, it could be that they’re all afraid I’ll curse them. Or retaliate or something like that.”

McGonagall listened to her words and was silent for a moment. “The moment the Sorting Hat placed you into Gryffindor, I knew that your time at Hogwarts wasn’t going to be… easy. Your parents’ reputations would work against you in the house of the lions. You would have to spend the next seven years with the whispers and rumors, trying to be seen as your own person separate from the stigma of the Lestrange name. You would wonder about the motivations of those around you and if they liked you for you or if they were afraid of who you could be. It might have been easier for you if you had been sorted into Slytherin. Your parents’ reputations alone would have assured you would have been quite comfortable in Slytherin. You might even command a higher place in the hierarchy than that of your cousin.”

Lyra raised a brow at her head of house’s assessment. Before she could comment on it, McGonagall continued. “But you were raised by a woman who, despite being a Lestrange, is not a pureblood supremacist. I’ve never met your aunt but I’m guessing she raised you not to judge people by who their ancestors were but rather by who they are as people. I see it in the way you give your full attention to those around you, be they student or professor, you let them know you’re paying attention and that you hear them. I see it in the way you make time for your cousin, shaking your head in frustration after spending five minutes with him. I also see it in the way you’re conscious of giving Neville Longbottom space. You are a considerate and compassionate young lady. I think you will do well in Gryffindor, Miss Lestrange. You just have to remember that you are as strong and as fierce as the animal that represents Gryffindor house.” McGonagall proclaimed as she took a sip from her teacup.

Lyra couldn’t help but to smile at McGonagall’s words. Her classmates may not like or trust her but that’s because they didn’t know her. The Lestrange heiress had never been more determined to change how people viewed her family name going forward. It would be a long hard road but for now, she had McGonagall’s support.

Lyra was wandering around the castle again. It was a Saturday evening and she’d already finished all her assignments about an hour ago. After dropping her things back in her dorm, Lyra had decided to stretch her legs outside of the common room. The dark-haired girl sighed as she made her way down to the second floor. Things had improved since December. People were no longer talking about her in her immediate vicinity. Lyra still got glared at and she knew people talked about her family history but they never spoke where she could hear them. Which was better. It wasn’t great but she knew that people would need more time.

Well, the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs would need more time. The Slytherins never antagonized her nor did they shun her. They weren’t overly friendly but they were respectful and… courteous. What they said about her in private, Lyra had no idea though she didn’t think that it was anything too bad considering that Draco was attempting to build a relationship with her. The Ravenclaws were mostly indifferent to her. There were some who hated her because of her parents and uncle but they didn’t do much more than glare and make snide comments as she passed. She’d gotten used to it, mostly. The thing was that it was nothing new. The comments, the rumors, the glares, and the whispers. It was all the same. It didn’t matter that three-fourths of the school were talking about her, they never had anything to say that she hadn’t heard before.

Lyra wandered along to an abandoned looking corridor. The grey-eyed girl had noticed that there were many corridors on the various floors of Hogwarts that looked abandoned. Exploration of the rooms in the corridors showed that they were old classrooms or common areas. Lyra wasn’t sure if the classrooms were abandoned because they moved them to their current locations or if the subjects that were taught in them were cancelled. She also wondered whether the other students knew about the common areas. The rooms weren’t dusty or in disrepair so clearly the house elves still cleaned them up. The furniture was old and outdated, some even from the previous century as far as she could tell. The lack of student visitors made her believe that when the classrooms were abandoned so were the common areas. Which was a shame because those common areas would be perfect for the students from different houses who wanted to hang out or study or do homework together.

Looking to her right, Lyra noticed a door marked Girls’ Lavatory.

Huh.

Lyra turned around as she got her bearings on where exactly she was. She wasn’t that far from one of the main halls which means this bathroom was quite convenient for ducking into if she needed to use the loo between classes.

So why hadn’t she known about it?

Walking into the bathroom, she could see it was still in good condition though there was some water on the floor near one of the stalls in the back. Shrugging, Lyra walked over to the sinks to fix her hair in the mirror. She nearly screamed; it was a close thing. In the mirror behind her was the ghost of a girl who looked no more than a few years older than her. She was even wearing Ravenclaw robes that were a couple decades out of date.

Whirling around, Lyra regarded the ghost girl with raised brows, “Oh my goodness! You gave me a fright!”

The ghost girl scowled and demanded, “Why because I’m so ugly?! Were you dared to see “Weeping, Moaning” Myrtle?! You’ve had your laugh, now leave!”

“No that’s not… I didn’t know anybody was in here and you just appeared behind me in the mirror! It’s not nice to sneak up on people like that.”

The ghost girl, Myrtle, tilted her head as she regarded Lyra. “You’re in my bathroom.”

“The sign on the outside of the door says, “Girls’ Lavatory.” That means that any girl can use this bathroom. It’s only fair that you share with others.”

“You look like the mean girl but you don’t act like the mean girl.”

“The mean girl?” Lyra questioned, sinking feeling in her gut. She knew Myrtle must be speaking about her mother.

“She was a Black. There were a couple of them in my year when I went to school…and in the years above and below…but the mean girl came after. She was mean to everyone. Including me. She would call me “Moaning Mudblood” and laugh at me.” Myrtle admitted, voice taking on a teary quality.

Lyra blinked slowly and shook her head. “Was her name Bellatrix?” Lyra gazed up at Myrtle as her eyes narrowed and she nodded. “Bellatrix is my mother. I’m Lyra Lestrange. She should have never done that to you. It was wrong of her. I know it can’t mean much but I’m sorry she was horrible to you.”

Myrtle was silent for a few moments as she regarded Lyra. “You act like my friend.”

“Your friend?”

Myrtle nodded, “My friend. They danced with me at Sir Nicholas’s death day party six years ago and they've always been nice to me. They graduated in June. Said good-bye to me too. Most don’t say good-bye or anything like that.”

Lyra nodded, “Your friend sounds wonderful. If you want, I wouldn’t mind visiting with you.”

Myrtle’s eyes widened before squinting at her suspiciously. “Why?”

“My parents were horrible people. People think I’m just like them even though I was a baby when they were arrested. I don’t have… any friends and it would be nice to talk to someone who knows I’m not mean like my mother.”

Myrtle looked thoughtful before nodding. “I’d like to be friends.”

Lyra smiled a rare, genuine smile. “Great! So, tell me about yourself, Myrtle.”

There was no moon this night and the torches that lined the staircase down to the common room had been extinguished earlier in the night. Even the fireplaces down in the common room itself had been doused. But not for long. Lyra couldn’t sleep. She didn’t know why but something about the way Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been acting earlier had caused the silver-eyed girl to take notice. She wasn’t sure what they were up to, but Lyra hoped that whatever it was they were doing wouldn’t cost them another hundred-and-fifty points. She didn’t think it was possible, but she didn’t want to find out if they could go into the negative.

It was so stupid though. Yeah, Harry and his friends had lost a hundred and fifty points, but Harry had more than earned that exact number of points when he caught the snitch at his first Quidditch match. And every match since then. Hermione was also one to earn Gryffindor tons of points but she had taken to keeping her head and hand down during class because of the looks and comments she would get from the other students. Again, so stupid. If they would just let Hermione earn the points without comment, they probably would have double what they lost. Or close to it.

She wrapped her robe tighter around herself and stole across the common room to one of the fireplaces. “Incendio.” Lyra muttered as an orange ball of flame came shooting out of her wand and lit the wood sitting in the fireplace on fire. Leaning back, Lyra stared into the flames as she mused on her unease. She was startled from her thoughts by the croak of a familiar toad.

“Trevor!” Lyra scolded as she whirled around to see the escape-artist toad that was constantly running away from Neville Longbottom. “What are you doing out here all by yourself?” Lyra questioned as she moved over to the armchair he was sitting on. Shaking her head, the Lestrange heiress couldn’t believe the number of times the Longbottom heir had gone looking for this toad over the course of the year. Lyra was about to scoop up the toad when she noticed a pair of slipper-clad feet on the floor behind the chair. Peering around the chair, wand back in hand, Lyra couldn’t help but gasp as she saw Neville Longbottom frozen on the floor, eyes moving wildly back and forth.

“Neville!” Kneeling at his side, Lyra clearly cast the general counter-curse with the correct hand movement. Neville quickly sat up with a harsh gasp. “Are you alright?”

Shaking his head, “I’m fine. Harry, Ron, and Hermione snuck out again.”

“Wait, they snuck out? They cast the body bind curse on you?” Lyra asked incredulously.

Neville shrugged, muttering, “I was trying to stop them but they said that they were doing something important.”

“They shouldn’t have done that.” Lyra stated firmly. “Come on,” Lyra said, holding out her hand to her fellow Gryffindor. Neville hesitated briefly before grasping her hand. “We’ve got to tell McGonagall.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Neville questioned as they made their way out of the portrait entrance.

“Maybe not, but I’ve been feeling uneasy all night. Whatever they’re doing – important or not – it’s probably dangerous.”

“Well…you’re not wrong…”

Lyra whirled around so she was facing Neville. He started at suddenly having her sole focus on him but she ignored this as she questioned him. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well… I… I heard them talking before I tried to stop them. They’re going to the forbidden corridor—”

“The one with the giant three-headed dog in it?”

Neville blinked, “How did you know about—”

“I was curious. After seeing that enormous beast, I wasn’t so curious anymore.”

Neville shook his head, “You still want to tell McGonagall?”

“We have to.” Lyra said determinedly. “It’s forbidden for a reason. They could get themselves killed. Come on.” Lyra brushed passed Neville and exited the common room through the portrait. She could hear Neville following her even with the Fat Lady demanding they return to the common room. The two first-years quickly rushed off to McGonagall’s office. Hopefully, they could get to their professor in enough time to get Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Lyra was sitting on one of the ledges in the courtyard. It had been a curious couple of days. After waking McGonagall from her sleep and telling her about their classmates, she quickly summoned the other heads of houses and they went after the other three Gryffindors. But not before ordering Lyra and Neville to stay in McGonagall’s office. It was a long night for the two Gryffindors. Neville and Lyra were quite silent for a while. They would make a comment here and there, wondering about their classmates. Eventually McGonagall had came back to them. She informed them that their fellow lions were currently in the hospital wing but that they would be all right.

After that it was a whirlwind of events. No one really knew what happened in the forbidden corridor. So naturally the whole school knew. Or they thought they knew. What they did know was that Professor Quirrell was dead after trying to kill Harry Potter. There were rumors going around that Quirrell had been a supporter of Voldemort, out for revenge. Ron and Hermione had only been in the hospital wing for a night. Many students had tried to get the story from them when they were released but they kept quiet about everything that had gone on. Harry, on the other hand, had been in the hospital wing for three days. Whatever did happen it was clear that Harry had been injured worse than his best friends.

Just last night they had the end of term feast. In a surprising twist Gryffindor had won the house cup despite being dead last. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had each received fifty points each for stopping Quirrell. In another surprising twist both she and Neville had received twenty-five points each for standing up to their friends and alerting the professors to the danger.

Lyra didn’t know how she felt about it. While it was nice to be recognized, she would have rather received the points before the feast and not have the Slytherins have their victory stolen from them. Partially because it would have been the right thing to do and partially because she would rather not have to deal with her cousin going on about Dumbledore and Potter. Lyra had just finished telling Myrtle goodbye for the summer when she had run into Draco. He had been ranting about how Dumbledore had stolen Slytherin’s victory because of golden boy Potter. Her cousin had assured her he didn’t blame her. At least she had gotten points for telling on Potter and his friends.

Sighing, Lyra was surprised she had made it through her first year without being attacked by any of the other students. In fact, some of the Gryffindors had been a bit…warmer towards her after she had been awarded points at the end-of-year feast. Granted it had only been a night and part of the morning. The students were leaving in another hour for the summer holidays. Whether this new attitude would last or disappear next year was unknown. Considering how wishy-washy the students were towards Harry Potter…well she didn’t hold much hope for herself.

“Lestrange?”

Lyra turned in surprise to see Neville Longbottom standing there.

“Hello Neville.” Lyra responded unsure as to why Neville was seeking her out especially since he had done his novel best to avoid her at all costs throughout the year. “Anything I can do for you?” She questioned when the Longbottom heir remained silent.

“Well… err… I just wanted to say… to say thank you. For casting the counter curse. The other night when you found me. So, um, yes. Thank you, Heiress Lestrange.” Neville managed to stutter out before giving a short formal bow to Lyra.

Lyra knew that it was no small thing for Neville Longbottom to thank her – the daughter of the people who had tortured his parents into insanity – she knew she could not be so blasé in her response. The Lestrange heiress slowly stood and nodded her head. “You’re welcome, Heir Longbottom.”

Neville nodded his head once, “Right… so. I guess I’ll see you on the express. Or… um at the welcome feast.” Neville nodded his head once more before turning and walking away. He’d only gone a couple of steps when Lyra called out to him. He turned back, questioning look on his face.

After the Sorting Hat had sung its song Minerva instructed the first years and began calling out each name. She was reminded of a game she’d play with the other students who sat near her. They’d whisper their guess and the person with the most correct guesses would receive a galleon from all of the losers. As the game gained popularity Lyra and her friends got significantly richer.

Lyra began the game in her head and she managed to get the first few right. She looked to the wizard on her right and began whispering her guesses smugly.

“Belby, Marcus,” McGonagall called out.

“Slytherin,” he whispered in a voice loud enough that Snape could hear her.

The Sorting Hat repeated her choice with a loud voice. The Slytherins cheered.

“He’s pure blood,” Snape rolled his eyes.

“Bell, Katie.”

“Gryffindor,” she whispered again.

“Gryffindor!” the Sorting Hat yelled, a fierce applause erupting from the far left hand side of the room. From the corner of her eye she saw Professor Snape cock an eyebrow.

“Carmichael, Eddie.”

“Gryffindor.”

“Ravenclaw!” she frowned in response to the Sorting Hat’s announcement.

“Chang, Cho.”

“Ravenclaw,” she said.

“You can’t say Ravenclaw just cause she’s a-” Snape began.

“Ravenclaw!” A playful smirk came across Lyra’s face as she guessed correctly.

The game continued with Snape joining in. They both guessed all the Slytherin’s correctly, it was easy enough as most of them were pure bloods or as Lyra used to describe they looked like douchebags.

“Edgecombe, Marietta.”

“Ravenclaw,” they whispered in unison.

The Sorting Hat agreed. The Potions Master noticed the Headmaster give them a sideways glance and he pointed it out to Lyra. She looked over and smiled at the Headmaster then turned to Snape and smiled cheekily. She felt like a schoolgirl getting caught passing notes in class. They watched the remainder of the Sorting Ceremony in silence, instead of guessing their house Lyra attempted to remember the names that matched the faces. She looked towards the far end of the hall where most of the older students were and recognised quite a few faces of students who were in younger years when she attended.

Albus Dumbledore stood up to welcome the students. “Welcome! Let’s get straight to it!”

Lyra enjoyed watching the first years’ eyes widen in surprise as the tables filled with food. She helped herself to some food in front of her and Professor Vector engaged Lyra with conversation about the latest discoveries in Arithmancy.

“I’m disappointed that you didn’t continue the subject,” Septima said. “You did so well in your OWL.”

“I wanted to put my best effort into my other subjects,” Lyra said with a fake smile. In all honesty she had little to no interest in Arithmancy.

“I heard you got all O’s,” the Arithmancer said.

Lyra nodded, “Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology and Music.”

“You could have been an auror with those grades,” she replied. “I suppose Healers are important too. You could’ve done without Music and done Advanced Arithmancy.”

Lyra gave a fake laugh and replied, “Well, I just needed something creative to maintain my sanity.”

“Music is a lot of work though,” Septima continued.

She looked towards Severus with wide eyes hoping he would take note and save her from the conversation but he smirked and continued talking to the teacher next to him. Septima resumed her meal and Lyra did the same.

A few moments passed and conversation in the hall was at its height, most students had finished eating. The Headmaster stood to address everyone.

“Now that we are done with our feast I would like to give my usual start of term notices,” Professor Dumbledore announced, “As most of our students should know by now, the Forest is out-of-bounds, magic is not permitted in the corridors between classes and there are a number of objects which have been banned, the list is fastened on the door of Mr Filch’s office.”

“I would also like to take the time to introduce our new Muggle Studies teacher who has taken over Professor Quirrell who will be away, Professor Burbage.” Charity stood up and happily waved at the students. Oh god, Lyra would be next. “We also have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lestrange.” Lyra stood briefly, giving a half smile then sitting.

“Try not to seem too excited,” Severus said to Lyra in a low voice. She was starting to question whether this was a good idea. She shrugged it off, most teachers only last the year anyway, then she could be off to continue her studies.

“Also, this year we have decided to host a ball to celebrate a thousand years since the founding of Hogwarts,” the Headmaster continued, “It will be held on December 20th prior to the end of the school term and it is open to all students.”

With that the Headmaster dismissed the students and they headed to their common rooms directed by their prefects. The teachers soon dispersed, some of them were responsible for patrolling the corridors until 10pm where Mr. Filch and Mrs Norris would take over, the rest returned to their rooms. Lyra made her way to her living quarters and began to prepare her lessons.

~

Monday came around a lot quicker than Lyra had hoped, though she was relieved that her first two classes were first years, Gryffindor and Slytherin followed by Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. At 9am sharp Lyra opened the door to her classroom and welcomed the first lot in. The children were so small and cute, she couldn’t have imagined she had ben that little at age eleven. She smiled at them as they went past, each student finding a place for them to sit.

“Good Morning, students,” Lyra said as she walked to the front of the room once the students had all settled in. “I am Professor Lestrange and I will be teaching you Defence Against the Dark Arts this year.” The words felt so strange on her tongue. “The purpose of this subject is to best equip you for the world in a practical sense against things that you may encounter. I realise that all of you will come from different backgrounds so you might be wondering what you will encounter.”

With a wave of her wand the blinds were drawn and another switched on the projector. “For those of you from non-wizarding backgrounds you may have grown up thinking that creatures such as werewolves,” an image of a werewolf transforming played on the screen, “vampires,” the image switched to a woman being bitten, “and ghosts,” the projector went blank and the Bloody Baron emerged from behind it and walked down the aisle between the desks resulting in a few students jumping from their seats, “are all myths and legends but I assure you they are real.”

“It is my job to equip you with the knowledge on how to best defend yourself against not only these creatures but also from witches and wizards who may want to harm you,” she said. “I do not mean to scare you but it is best to be honest and I assure you, no harm will come to you as long as you are in Hogwarts and you are sensible. Defence Against the Dark Arts is a compulsory subject up until your fifth year, with good reason, so I suggest you all put the effort in.”

“I’m sure you are all excited to learn how to use your wands,” she continued, “So I thought I would teach you a simple spell.” “Lumos” she cast, her wand emitting a bright white light from the end of it. “Handy when you find yourself in a dark cave or you have lost something under your bed, it also is effective against some spectrals and spirits who do not like light.”

The class got out their wands and Lyra demonstrated the proper wand technique, encouraging students to follow her movements. Once the period was over she assigned the students to practice the spell as homework, expecting them to be able to do it by the time their next class would come around on Wednesday. Lyra found that her method was successful and repeated the same thing for the first years in next period. She was surprised that she actually found teaching enjoyable, seeing the students learn the wand-illuminating charm was extremely satisfying. They’d beckon for their attention excitedly as they succeeded in their attempt, she awarded 10 house points for the first successful charm.

Lyra had a short break to eat before she had to teach the fifth years which she was dreading but not as much as the seventh years. Both these groups of students were in their examination year which meant that she would have to cover any incompetence that the teacher prior to her had, she just hoped it wouldn’t be a complete disaster.

Third period came around and she highlighted the importance of the OWLs before handing out an exam to test what they had learnt over the past few years. After they had completed it she asked the students what they had learnt with their last teacher. It all seemed to follow curriculum but she didn’t manage to fit any actual theory or practical into the lesson so she had no homework to give. She spent her free period sorting through all the exams and highlighting areas she thought she would need to cover over the year. She had managed to spend the hour adjusting her lesson plans to include their gaps in knowledge and it seemed to all work.

Soon enough it was lunch, having skipped breakfast out of nervousness Lyra was keen to head to the staff room and help herself to some sandwiches. Whilst she was there she noticed Professor McGonagall and Professor Severus talking, she was worried that it was about her but they invited her over to sit with them.

“I heard your classes went well,” Professor McGonagall said. “All the first years couldn’t stop talking about it in my class. You’ve given me a real challenge.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause a distraction,” she said.

Minerva laughed, “Not at all, I think it’s a good thing.” She held her shoulder and gave her a smile, “You seem to be a natural, don’t stress too much.” The Transfiguration Professor let go and moved off.

“How have your lessons been?” Lyra asked Severus.

“Another untalented bunch,” he said. “The Weasley twins managed to blow up their cauldron. They are trouble, keep an eye out for them.”

“Bill and Charlie weren’t that bad,” Lyra said, she knew the boys from her years in Hogwarts.

Snape shook his head, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Severus had warmed to Lyra a lot quicker than he had expected. He originally wanted to keep close see if she would be up to anything that would put the staff or students in danger but he didn’t see any evidence of this. Instead Severus felt himself forming a friendship with the witch. Seeing her in the state she was in the other morning made him feel partially responsible for taking care of her but he didn’t understand why he felt obligated. He had known Lyra when she was a child during his days as a Death Eater and when she was a teenager at Hogwarts, maybe he felt like he was still her teacher. Nonetheless he had set aside some time researching potions that might be suitable for her.

Severus drew one out of his pocket that he had discovered and brewed over the weekend. He handed it to her, “This might help.”

She smiled and took the bottle out of his hands. “Thank you, Professor.”

“One teaspoon an hour before you go to bed,” he instructed. “No more, no less. Also, you may as well call me Severus, most of the staff have invited you to call you by their first name and it would seem improper if I allowed it to continue.”

“Thank you, Severus,” she smiled.

The remainder of Lyra’s day was uneventful. She taught the third years about boggarts and had them each face it with no problems. The fourth years were her final class for the day and they spent their time practicing counter curses. After dinner in the Great Hall Lyra was exhausted, Severus reminded her to take the potion he had given her and she did follow the instructions.

Lyra managed to fall asleep with ease that night and the next morning she woke up well-rested. She was relieved it worked, it allowed her to have time to go and have breakfast before the start of her lessons. She had hoped to run into Severus to thank him but he was nowhere to be seen. She sat with Filius and Septima, both complimenting her success on her first day.

When the daily post arrived Lyra was surprised to see that the Malfoy family owl was circling overhead and held two letters with a small package. She opened the letters, both addressed to her and read them carefully.

Lyra,

I hope your first day of teaching went well. You know if you have any problems you can come back here. I’ve sent you a small treat just in case they aren’t feeding you right. Lucius sends his regards.

Your Aunty Cissy x

Lyra laughed to herself at the brief letter her aunt sent her. She opened the small package and saw that there were six cupcakes that Narcissa had decorated green with an animated silver snake. She placed them aside and opened the other letter that was delivered.

Hi Lyra,

I miss you. Mother said I can write to you when I want. I helped her make the cupcakes, I chose the colours. It matches the scarf you wore when you were at school.

Crabbe and Goyle came over and they lost the toy snitch Father bought me for Christmas last year. He said that he wouldn’t buy me a new one.

How is Hogwarts? Is everyone nice to you? Do you have friends yet?

I hope you come to visit soon.

Love from,

Draco

She smiled fondly at the messages her family sent her. It placed her in a positive mood as she dismissed herself from breakfast and went on to face her classes for the day. She promised herself that she would write her replies when she was finished. The first few periods went by smoothly and soon enough Lyra was teaching the seventh years. It was considerably smaller than the rest of the year groups she had taught, as she only had one seventh year class whilst with the others she had two. She was familiar with a few of the students as they were in their third year whilst she was in her final year. The two who stood out were Charles Weasley and Nymphadora Tonks, her cousin.

The bubblegum haired girl approached the older Slytherin student who was standing in front of the lake. She had recognised her as Lyra Malfoy, or should she say Lestrange as the rumours had recently circulated the school. “Are you alright?” the younger of the two asked.

“I’m fine,” the older girl said. “Who are you?”

“Nymphadora Tonks, most people call me Tonks,” she said, “Actually I prefer it if you call me Tonks.”

“Right,” Lyra said dismissively.

“I actually spoke to my mum and she said you were my cousin,” Tonks said.

“Most pure-bloods are related,” Lyra responded.

“I’m only half,” Tonks said, “My mum’s your mum’s sister.”

“Oh, the blood traitor,” she said. Tonks’ hair turned red in response. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that it’s just the way my aunt and mother spoke about it. They never referred to her by name, just said that they had a blood traitor sister that tainted the Black family tree. I honestly couldn’t care less about the whole blood purity thing.”

Tonks’ hair returned to the bubblegum pink it was before.

“You’re a metamorphmagus,” Lyra pointed out.

Her hair turned a lighter shade of pink, “Yeah.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Lyra said. “Would be a useful skill for an Auror.”

She wondered if that was why her cousin was in her classroom, it was an essential subject to become an auror. She shrugged off the thought and stepped forward to address the class.

“You’ve probably heard the speech a million times by now,” Lyra began. “This is your final year of Hogwarts and you will be tested at the end of the year. The results of your NEWTs will play a huge determining factor in the career you wish to choose. I also have no doubt that the teaching of this subject has been rather inconsistent so I’d like for you all to partake in a quick test to see where your learning is at.”

It took about 15 minutes and Lyra quickly flicked through the papers. She was shocked at the amount of information missing from their learning. “Seems like you’re all quite behind in the subject,” Lyra said. “No matter, I will get you up to date. First and most important question is have you observed the use of the unforgivable curses?” The students shook their heads. Lyra sighed, she didn’t want to have to do this but she knew it was necessary. “You’d usually learn and see the spells in your sixth year, can anyone name them?”

“The Imperius Curse,” an unfamiliar student called out.

“5 points to Ravenclaw,” she said. She summoned a rat that was in her office. She pointed her wand at it, non-verbally casting the spell. She didn’t want the students to know of the incantations. She made the rat run in circles jumping every so often.

“Under the effects of this curse you are subject to the caster’s bidding,” Lyra explained, continuing to control the mouse making it attempt to do star jumps on its hind legs, “This curse may be used in your NEWT exam though it is more likely to be tested on if you would like to become an auror. It takes great self-control to resist the Imperius curse and even great wizards who are trained to resist it can still be affected if caught off-guard. The next one?”

“The Cruciatus Curse,” Tonks said.

“5 points to Hufflepuff,” Lyra said. She cast it on the rat it starting squeaking noisily. She did not enjoy doing this to an innocent mouse and as a result the spell’s effectiveness waned. “This was my mother’s choice of weapon, in fact, she taught me how to use it. It is why she’s in Azkaban right now. The use of it on another human being results in a lifelong sentence in Azkaban. It causes immense pain to the victim as you just saw. Finally?”

“The Killing Curse,” Charlie said, “Please don’t kill it.”

A flash of green light and the rat was dead. “5 points to Gryffindor,” she said. “Don’t stress too much Charlie, it was an old rat, he lived a good life but yes the killing curse. An instantaneous and painless death to the victim, it is unblockable and uncounterable.”

“But that Harry Potter child survived,” a student piped up.

“Yes,” Lyra said. She knew of the downfall of the Dark Lord all too well. “We don’t know why or how though so I wouldn’t take any chances against it. When was it legal to use these curses?”

“Aurors  were allowed to against You-Know-Who and his followers,” Tonks said.

“Correct, 5 points to Hufflepuff,” Lyra said.

Lyra continued her lecture on the Unforgiveable Curses and soon enough the class had come to its end. She assigned them homework to prepare for the next lesson and they all trailed out except for her pink-haired cousin.

“Tonks,” Lyra said, “What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m planning on becoming an auror,” Tonks replied.

A happy smile grew across Lyra’s face, “Really? That’s great, I’ll be sure to teach you as much as I can.”

“Thanks,” her cousin said with an equally big smile.

“If you need anything don’t hesitate to let me know,” Lyra said, “I know we’re not close but you’re still my cousin and I’m here for you.”

Tonks’ smile began to fade, her hair turning into a bluer hue. Lyra looked questionably at her as Tonks gathered the nerve to tell her what she had really wanting to tell her. “Before we started, a lot of students in my year were questioning whether it was ok for you to be teaching because of what happened when you were here.”

Lyra sighed, “I assure you Tonks that I’m not like that anymore. You should tell them to trust Professor Dumbledore’s decision.”

“You’re right,” Tonks said as she turned to leave.

“Tonks,” she called out after her, “I haven’t used the Dark Arts since I left, even using those curses was difficult for me. Trust me, I do regret what happened, that’s why I became a healer.”

Tonks nodded before dismissing herself. Lyra was unconvinced that she had managed to sway Tonks’ opinion on what occurred during her schooling years but did not allow herself to dwell on it for too long. Instead she found herself going through the exams she had set for the fifth and seventh years that they had completed in class and began to assess what needed to be covered in order to make sure her students would be prepared. She worked all through her lunch break she snacked upon the cupcakes that her Aunt sent her rather than grabbing something from the staff room. From the taste along Lyra could tell that her Aunt Narcissa had actually made it herself instead of telling the house elves to do it. She set aside some time prior to her class resuming to write a letter of thanks to her family.

Aunty,

Thank you for the cupcakes, they tasted delicious. Everything is going well so far. I’ll keep in touch.

Lyra x

Dearest Draco,

Thank you for the cupcakes and letter, it brightened my day. I hope you continue to write to me as I also miss you, Draco.

I’m sorry to hear about your toy. If your dad doesn’t buy you one then let me know and I’ll get you something special for Christmas.

I am enjoying my time at Hogwarts and I have befriended most of the teachers.

If all goes according to plan I will be home for Christmas.

I love you. Be good to your parents.

Hugs and kisses from your cousin Lyra x

She sat the messages aside, intending to send them prior to dinner which arrived much sooner than she expected. Lyra felt as though the day progressed significantly faster than her days at St. Mungo’s, possibly because she would usually get stuck doing paperwork but this teaching position allowed a lot of time for interaction with other people which she preferred. Lyra walked to the Owlery and found her Snowy Owl, Silver waiting for her.