Starborn - H.P & T.N

Stirred Curiosity

Elyra woke to the soft light of morning filtering through the curtains in her room at Malfoy Manor. For a brief moment, everything seemed peaceful—quiet even, until her gaze fell on the envelope that had been slipped beneath her door. She recognized Harry's messy handwriting immediately, her chest warming with relief.

She sat up, tearing open the letter and eagerly reading its contents.

Elyra,
You won't believe what just happened. I managed to inflate Aunt Marge like a human balloon—well, actually, I sort of lost control and accidentally did it. She deserved it, though! After that, I ran away from the Dursleys. Right now, I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron. No one's come to arrest me yet, so I guess I'm safe for now.
But Merlin, I miss you. Wish you were here. Things always seem a bit better when you're around.

Elyra couldn't help but smile as she reached the end of the letter. Harry's life with the Dursleys always seemed unbearable, and she was glad he'd finally managed to break free, even if it was in a rather dramatic way. She could picture his aunt floating away, puffed up like a balloon, and the image made her laugh softly.

As she refolded the letter and placed it aside, a distant voice reached her ears, muffled by the heavy walls of the manor. She frowned, listening more closely. There was someone at the door. She could hear Draco's voice—sharp and familiar—but the person he was speaking to had a deeper, quieter tone that she couldn't place.

Curiosity stirred within her, but after a moment's pause, she pushed it aside. Whoever it was, it wasn't her concern. Besides, her thoughts were still tangled up with Harry's letter, and there were things she wanted to say in return.

Sliding off the bed, Elyra crossed to her desk and pulled out a sheet of parchment, ready to write back to Harry. The ink flowed easily as she started her letter, though her hand hesitated when she considered whether or not to mention the fight with Draco. She wanted to talk to Harry about her father too, about all the things she couldn't explain to anyone else—but the words caught in her throat before they could ever reach the page.

Elyra's quill hovered over the parchment as she began to write her reply to Harry.

Dear Harry,
I'd almost feel sorry for your aunt, but after all the things you've told me about her... she probably deserved it.
Anyway, I'm glad you got away from the Dursleys. Honestly, you should've done it sooner. How's the Leaky Cauldron? Better than Privet Drive, I bet. I wish I was there with you—things here aren't exactly great right now.

She paused for a moment, thinking of the fight with Draco and the way everything felt so tense at the manor. But before she could dwell on it, the sound of Draco's voice echoed through the hallway, breaking her focus.

I miss you too, by the way—

Her quill hovered above the parchment again as Draco's voice grew louder, followed by another deeper voice she didn't recognize. She tried to ignore it, but the words slipped into her room, pulling her attention away from her letter.

"You know my cousin, don't you, Nott? She's gotten quite known at school, all thanks to her hanging around Scarface Potter."

Elyra sighed, irritation prickling beneath her skin. She couldn't even write a letter in peace. Her door was open, and there was Draco, standing in the hallway with someone behind him—Theodore Nott.

Without standing up, Elyra turned in her chair, rolling her eyes dramatically before she spoke, her voice sharp with sarcasm.

"Isn't it a little early to be this annoying, Draco? You should save your best material for when it actually matters."