ONLY YOU ➸ Regulus Black

chapter two.

2.

Lyra was late to her Potions class the next day.

She had no idea how this had even happened. Late! On the first day, too! It was nothing short of traitorous that her mates would allow her to sleep in on such an important day.

As she lurched through the classroom door, the absolute image of a frazzled mess with her matted bed hair and frumpy uniform, she skimmed over the many curious glances & disapproving frowns until finally spotting her best friend.

Malik waved wildly at her, and Lyra grinned, not at all surprised to see that he was sporting yet another piercing in the form of a stud on his brow. She stepped forward, but then halted in her steps as she realised the space besides her mate was already occupied up by a certain blonde.

A spike of irritation surged through her as Emilia Silvester watched her with a sweet smile, coyly twisting her hair round her finger, and Lyra forced herself to smile back despite the fact that she was picturing the blondie with a decapitated head.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Lyra said, finally tearing her eyes away from the duo to face Slughorn. Strangely enough, the professor was smiling at her at the front of the blackboard, not at all upset by her lateness. "I forgot we had lessons today," Lyra lied, a sheepish expression creeping onto her face. Her sheer honestly earned her a few snickers and Lyra cleared her throat and looked down at her feet (just to enhance the full awkward affect of her performance).

"Ah, Miss Lupin!" the professor cried cheerfully, throwing his arms wide open in welcoming. "Not to worry! Please take a seat over here with these three young men — we've only just begun brewing our sleeping droughts so you haven't missed much."

Lyra had to practically drag her feet across the floor to the darkest corner of the classroom. As she passed Malik's desk he watched her with wide, worried eyes ("I'm really sorry.") and Lyra jabbed a punch at his shoulder ("This is your fault, I hate you.")

Slughorn watched with an unfaltering smile as she slapped out her equipment onto the table. She noisily pulled out the chair and repositioned it so that her back was to the three Slytherin's.

It wasn't even 10am yet; far too early to endure their cold stares and spiteful remarks.

Once she has plopped herself down, she smiled a toothy grin of mock happiness, hoping at the very least Slughorn would be somewhat aware that she was not in favour of this seating arrangement.

Irritably, the balding man beamed at her, looking quite proud of himself, and then turned away.

"Now, now then, where were we... Ahh, yes!"

As Slughorn dived back into his teaching, Lyra took in the other students furiously scribbling down notes. In the sea of Hufflepuff students she searched for Charlotte, her bubbly red-haired friend. A lour casted over her once she realised she wasn't in the room.

Lyra gnawed at her lip, contemplating. Her absence was so unusual that it was close to absurd; Lyra hadn't known anyone less prone to miss a class, let alone the very first lesson of the year.

Malik caught her distracted gaze halfway across the room and the longing look of sorrow etched on his face caused Lyra to frown. Then, realising he was feeling guilty about her having to be seaten with the Slytherin's, she smiled at him and shook her head.

"It's OK; I'm not really mad," she mouthed and his chest visibly heaved as he sighed with relief, holding up a thumbs up. As he turned back round to continue his work, Lyra twisted round to face her peers.

She instantly regretted doing so.

Like a lion watching its prey, Mulcibler greeted her with a leering smile that was so wildly unsettling that Lyra straightened her back, uncomfortable.