HIDDEN BLACK

✧ENCOUNTER WITH THE GOLDEN TRIO✧

"DUMBLEDORE WAS REALLY angry," said the bushy-haired girl in a quaking voice. 

"I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wand at the Dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium right away... He was furious they'd come onto the grounds. We heard him—" 

"Then he magicked you onto a stretcher," said the red-head. "And walked up to school with you floatingon it. Everyone thought you were..." His voice faded.

"Did someone get my Nimbus?" asked Harry, and Lyra was wondering why he was thinking about his broom if he had fallen 50 feet. However, his two friends looked quickly at each other. 

"Er —" 

"What?" said Harry, looking from one to the other. 

"Well... when you fell off, it got blown away," said the girl hesitantly. 

"And?" 

"And it hit — it hit — oh, Harry — it hit the Whomping Willow." 

Lyra tilted her head at this. What was a Whomping Willow? It seemed bad from Harry's expression and the friends' nervousness.

"And?" he said. 

"Well, you know the Whomping Willow," said the red-head. "It — it doesn't like being hit."

"Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around," the girl said in a very small voice. Slowly, she reached down for a bag at her feet, turned it upside down, and tipped a dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto the bed.

✧✧✧

THE TWO FRIENDS LEFT shortly after showing Harry his broom, and it was obvious that he was wallowing in sorrow. Madam Pomfrey still hadn't come back, so Lyra honestly didn't know whether she was allowed to leave, seeing as she felt quite warm now with the blankets.

Nonetheless, she tried to strike up a conversation.

"Um... hello?" she said quietly, and Harry nearly jumped out of the bed, clearly surprised at seeing someone else there. However, Lyra nearly groaned as Harry looked down to her green and silver scarf and narrowed his eyes.

"You're Harry Potter aren't you?" she asked, even though it was quite obvious. Harry looked quite annoyed at the question, but nodded stiffly. "I'm Lyra Rogers." He nodded again in acknowledgment, though Lyra continued trying.

"So... why are you in here?" Lyra could take a guess based off of what she had heard in the conversation, but she needed something to say.

"Dementors... you?"

"Freezing."

This seemed to grab Harry's attention. "How'd you freeze?"

"Well, if you didn't notice, it's pouring out there," Lyra responded sarcastically before adding on, "And the bloody dementors love to chase me."

"The dementors chase you?" Harry was no longer glaring at the young Slytherin, instead looking at her with curious eyes.

Lyra nodded, even though she mentally berated herself for giving away that information. It was quiet for a few moments, a bit of an awkward silence, before Harry asked the question that he was obviously dying to know.

"You're a Slytherin?"

Lyra nodded again, this time a bit more hesitantly, hoping that Harry wouldn't turn around and refuse to speak to her, but he didn't.