Collision - Fred Weasley

Part eighteen

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The next morning, gossip had spread like wildfire through the halls, whispers and excited chatter following Lyra wherever she went. 

By the time she made her way to the Great Hall for breakfast, it was like every student had already heard about the fight between her and Angelina the night before.

As Lyra entered, a group of Ravenclaw girls near the entrance stopped talking and gave her curious glances. One of them, a fifth-year with sleek brown hair, actually approached her nervously. Lyra raised an eyebrow, bracing herself for whatever insult or comment.

"Lyra," the girl started quietly, her tone a bit hesitant. "I just, wanted to say thank you."

Lyra blinked, surprised. Did she hear that right? "Thank me? For what?" She chuckled, winching by the pain on her lower lip.

The girl glanced around, making sure no one else was listening. "Angelina and her friends, you know, they used to give me a hard time back when we were in third year. Not a big deal, of course, but they were still cruel. Teasing me, and making me feel like I didn't belong at this school, just because I didn't fit into their standards."

Lyra's heart softened ever so slightly. She had always seen Angelina as a loud, competitive Gryffindor, not a bully. The girl offered a small smile, looking a little relieved after.

"So, yeah, I just wanted you to know that not everyone is upset about what you did." With a final nod and an awkward smile, the girl quickly turned and hurried back to her table, her friends greeting her with kind smiles.

Lyra stood there for a moment, processing the situation before finally making her way to the Slytherin table. 

The usual crowd was waiting for her: Theo, Draco, Astoria, Daphne, and Blaise, each with curious  faces. The bruises from the fight were still visible on her face, though Astoria had done her best to heal the worst of it. 

She could still feel the tender soreness in her ribs and across her cheekbone, on her lower lip and under her eye.

As she sat down, she noticed the glances from other tables, students leaning in to whisper to each other.

It was obvious the whole school was buzzing with the details of the fight. Gryffindors glared at her with disgusted sneers, while some Slytherins wore expressions of pride.

"I told you," Theo muttered under his breath as he nudged her shoulder. "You're the talk of the school, Lyra."

"Hardly surprising," Draco chimed in as usual. "After last night, everyone wants to know what's going to happen next. But you surprisingly have some Gryffindors on your side. Hermione Granger, for example. She had heard about the awful stuff Angelina had done, and she supports you one hundred percent, or so I've heard."

Lyra rolled her eyes. "Thank you for that information Draco. A ravenclaw actually thanked me just earlier, Angelina had allegedly given her a hard time during her third year." A small smile tugging on her lips.

"You're popular, miss Arakan," Blaise teased as he buttered a piece of toast. "The school's new hero, Lyra Arakan, the bully to your bully." He spoke dramatically.

Astoria, sitting beside her, smiled warmly, chuckling by Blaise's 'performance'. "You should be proud, Lyra. But, I hope you won't push yourself too hard today. I know you're still hurting."

She appreciated the concern but waved it off. "I'm fine, Astoria. I can't even feel it."

Across the hall, Lyra could feel Fred's eyes on her again, just like the day before. But this time, there was something different about the way he was looking at her. 

He wasn't with George or his usual crew. Instead, he sat with Angelina, with a swollen lip and bruised cheek, trying her best to maintain her usual confident demeanor despite the whispers directed at her. 

She was glaring daggers at Lyra.

Angelina leaned over, telling something in Fred's ear, and while he nodded, his gaze lingered on Lyra for a moment too long. Lyra clenched her jaw, forcing herself to look away.

"What's their problem?" Theodore scoffed as he had caught onto Fred and Angelina's exchange from across them.

"Let's just focus on the game," she muttered to herself.

☆

After breakfast, the Slytherin Quidditch team gathered in the changing rooms to prepare for their upcoming match against Gryffindor. The rain had stopped, but the pitch was still soaked from the night before.

As captain, Marcus Flint was barking orders as usual. 

"We're going to destroy them," Flint shouted, pacing back and fourth in front of the team. "Their Seeker might be good, but remember, this is our game. Their focus will be all over the place, especially after last nights incident."

He glanced at Lyra with a smirk. "You are going to fly circles around Angelina today. She'll be too distracted worrying about protecting her broken nose to keep up with you."

The team chuckled, some clapping her on the shoulder, rather hard. Adrian Pucey was standing next to her. He offered a supportive grin. "You're going to be the star of the pitch, Lyra. Don't let the Gryffindor lot get under your skin."

Lyra nodded, giving him a smile. She was confident today, she had her friends- and teammates support, and Angelina was going to be an easy target for the beaters on her team.

As she tied her hair in a slicked back, neat braid, and adjusted her gear, Astoria approached, eyes filled with concern. "You sure you're alright, Lyra?" she asked softly. "You don't have to push yourself too hard just to prove a point."

Lyra's rolled her eyes and huffed. "I'm fine, Astoria," she repeated, "I have to do this."

Astoria nodded, though she still looked worried. "Just be careful, okay? You've already taken enough hits." She teased slightly, which earned her a playful slap in the back of her head.

"I want to hear you from the pitch." Lyra winked, before jogging over to her team, who were standing inside the wooden platform, ready to make their entrance. 

Once they were all ready, Marcus gathered the team for a final pep talk, his voice a low growl filled with anticipation. 

"We've trained for this. Gryffindor might think they've got the upper hand, but today, we're going to show them who really owns the Quidditch pitch."

The team agreed, their energy building as they prepared to fleed the field. Lyra took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders to ease the tension settling in. 

Today wasn't just about Quidditch anymore, it was about everything that had been building up since the start of the school year. 

It had all started with quidditch.

She could feel the weight on her shoulders, but for once, it wasn't about the rivalry with Fred. It wasn't even about Angelina. Today was about proving to herself that she could rise above the chaos.

As they stepped out onto the pitch, the crowd roared, the sound of hundreds of students cheering echoing through the stadium. 

The sky was still gray, and the ground slick with mud, but none of that mattered anymore. The game was about to begin.

Lyra mounted her nimbus 2001, her eyes scanning the pitch. Across the field, she caught sight of the Gryffindor field. Angelina looked rather unsteady on her broom as she swayed slightly from side to side.

Beside her was the Weasley twins. George had a cocky smile plastered across his face, but Fred.

Fred looked more serious than ever. Lyra snickered to herself. The Slytherin team had already won, she could sense it.

The whistle blew.

This was it.

The match begun.

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