Lyra Malis never saw herself becoming anything extraordinary, and she never really wanted to. She was perfectly content with her family on their farm in the Highlands, learning magic at the school just on the other side of the forest. Seeing how fam...
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"PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?"
Lyra sat passively on the tire swing, staring at the spot the dog had been. The events of the previous day were replaying in her mind on a loop that she couldn't seem to stop, but the thought that was most prominent was of the dog.
Why had none of them told the Aurors about it? Aunt Delaney was convinced that it was connected to her father - to Sirius Black. If it was his dog, and if it was there, on their property, less than an hour before the Aurors arrived, why did no one mention it? Lyra thought she would have herself, had she not been so caught off guard by it all.
Maybe it lied in the fact that her mother wasn't convinced it was his dog, but Delaney had been right again - she hadn't seen it. Of those that had, only Delaney would have been able to recognize it for what it was, and she did. Her mother's comforting words of reassurance - that it would be impossible for her father to be here - had fallen flat the moment they all realized he had escaped. And yet they said nothing.
The Aurors were gone now, and, as Lyra grimly realized, so was their protection. What was she to do if that large black dog came back out of the forest, this time with it's demented owner following in it's footsteps? With only two years of Defense Against the Dark Arts under her belt, her last with a very sorry excuse for a professor, Lyra was poorly equipped to defend herself and her family.
She heard the screen door of the cottage close, but she didn't bother to look up to greet her mother. While she knew it was unfair of her to be, Lyra was most upset with her mother. Yes, she never expressed interest in knowing anything about her father, but yesterday she had been completely blindsided by how much she hadn't known. For one thing, she would have liked to have known that she wasn't Muggleborn, especially with all that had happened at Hogwarts the previous year.
She felt her mother standing awkwardly beside her, but still she didn't look up. "Penny for your thoughts?" Lyra clenched her teeth at how normal she sounded.
"When are the Aurors coming back?" she asked without looking up.
Delphi sighed, shoving her hands in her pockets. "Shacklebolt said he'd be stopping by from time to time to check up on us," she said casually.
Her mouth hanging open, Lyra finally looked up at her mother. "Only from time to time?" she cried. "What if he shows up when Shacklebolt's not here? What are we supposed to do, call him?"
"Lyra, your father is not going to come here," her mother said firmly. "He wasn't an idiot - he'd know that this would be the first place the Ministry would look for him. And besides, the Ministry is keeping an eye on us. If any magic is performed on our property, they'll be here in a heartbeat."
Lyra stood from the tire swing and looked her mother fiercely in the eye. "And what if they're too late?"
She didn't give her mother half the chance to answer, walking back to the cottage.
"Lyra!" her mother called after her, and for some reason, that was what set her off.
"Do you still love him, or something?" yelled the young girl as she whipped around to face her mother again.
Her mother was shocked and speechless, but Lyra was going to wait for an answer this time. Finally, she spoke. "What would make you think that?"
"The dog?" Lyra quickly responded. "The fucking dog, Mum?"
Delphi's face hardened as her daughter swore at her. "Hey - "
But Lyra wouldn't let her chastise her just then. "You told me, not two minutes before the Aurors arrived, that Aunt Delaney was so scared by that dog because she thought it might've been his. But neither of you told the Aurors. Why? Are you protecting him?"
"Lyra Anne, you stop that." And her words did just that - because never before had Lyra heard such an authoritative voice come from her mother. "This situation is not as black and white as you're making it out to be. There is so much that you don't understand, and won't for a long time. But in one way or another, your father made his own bed, and he has to lie in it. I'm not protecting him, nor is anyone in this family. You have been and always will be my number one priority. Your safety. Now I would appreciate it if you would stop with these ridiculous accusations."
Lyra stood in utter awe. She'd seen her aunt and uncle like that, and even her grandmother a couple of times, but this had been the first time her mother had ever really yelled at her. Suddenly she felt tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said in a small voice. "I'm sorry, Mamme. I'm just so scared."
Her mother filled the space that was between them and held Lyra as she began to cry. "It's alright," she soothed. "We're gonna be okay."
Slowly, Lyra opened her eyes. From where her chin lay on her mother's shoulder, she looked at the edge of the forest and saw it. "Mum," she whispered fearfully. "The dog's back."
Delphi was very quick to turn around, and as she did, the large black dog that had been watching them raised its head, meeting her eyes. She was silent for several moments, staring at the creature, her mouth slightly ajar. Lyra kept the dog in her peripheral, but she was staring at her mother, waiting for her reaction. Waiting for a sign of recognition.
"I can see why Delaney thought it was him," she finally said, and at the word 'thought', Lyra turned to look at the dog again. Thought. She only thought it was his dog. "It does look a bit like him from a distance, but I'm sure that it's not."
Lyra let out a breath of relief. "So what should we do? Should we call a shelter?"
"No, he found his way here, he can find his way back." Her mother stepped forward and waved her hand at the dog. "Go on," she called out. "Go on, get out of here."
Startled, the dog began to turn away rather reluctantly, and as he did, Delphi came back and began to lead Lyra back to their cottage.
"Let's keep this between us," her mother whispered to her. "It's best not to scare your aunt and grandmother."
Stepping inside, Lyra missed the way her mother looked back at the dog.
