Best Of Five - (A 'Blaire Zabini' sequel) || Draco Malfoy

5 - Lyra

Excitement filled Lyra's heart the moment she opened her eyes.

It was the twenty-fourth of July. Her birthday.

Throwing back her pink quilt, she leapt out of her four poster princess bed, her bare feet hitting the exquisitely soft cream coloured velvet pile carpet as skipped across her room.

She hoped everyone was in a better mood now it was her birthday. Ever since Jack's return, when her daddy had driven away and missed the start of the welcome home tea, the atmosphere had been unpleasant.

She cast her mind back to the moment he'd walked into the kitchen, just as she was warily eyeing these odd little yellow nibbles on sticks which contained fruit and cheese. Ew.

"Ah!" Uncle Ron said as he popped one of the stick things in his mouth. "The wanderer returns."

"Sorry," Daddy had muttered without meeting anyone's eye. "Just had to fill the tank."

The whole room fell silent and Lyra found herself quite inexplicably holding her breath whilst the adults exchanged awkward glances.

After that, the atmosphere at the party was horrible. And then Daddy got mad at Scorpy for being caught in the treehouse and Mummy got mad at Daddy for being mad.

"Great party, Mum," Jack had chuckled after the Weasley's had left and Daddy had started on the whisky. "I'm turning in early to give Stormy and the boys a bell."

I watched as Mummy's face instantly brightened at the mention of Jack's friends, her scowl finally vanishing. "Let them know they're welcome over anytime, it'd be nice to see them all again."

"I think Danny boy's counting on it," Jack winked, "he's getting his own set of wheels by all accounts. Told him to swing by the arcade and take you for a ride."

The sound of Daddy's now empty glass slammed down on the kitchen table and Lyra watched fretfully as he glared up at her oldest brother, her heart racing uneasily in her chest.

But he had said nothing, instead reaching for the half empty bottle and topping up his glass, the glug of the whisky the loudest sound in the room.

There was a row that night. Lyra heard it all the way down the hall as she lay in her bed, sobbing ("NO ONE IN THIS FAMILY SHOWS ME ANY RESPECT ANYMORE!" "WELL WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WHEN YOU THROW TANTRUMS LIKE A THREE YEAR OLD?!").

It was supposed to be great having Jack back. But somehow it just made everything worse.

*****

To Lyra's relief, when she entered the kitchen, everyone was smiling, including her daddy.

He was stood by the table where a large pile of presents sat next to a plate stacked with steaming waffles. His grey eyes crinkled at the corners as they fell upon her, folding up the paper that he'd been reading.

"Happy birthday, darling." He murmured brightly, crouching down and holding out his arms to her, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

She didn't hesitate to run across to him, throwing herself into his fierce embrace.

She loved his hugs. They were one of her favourite things in the world, his arms wrapping around her making her feel as though she was in the safest place she could possibly be.

"I can't believe my little princess is a big nine years old," he murmured, voice muffled in her hair as he squeezed her tightly to him.

When she pulled away, she glanced down at his left forearm as she usually did whenever his arms were on display, marvelling at the sight of the faded black skull on his sinewy, pale skin.