Collision - Fred Weasley

Chapter twenty eight

☆☆☆

Lyra's conversation with Lupin had completely changed her mindset. She grew more interested in the black brother's, her family tree and Lupin himself. She had sprinted to the library right after the conversation with the professor.

She went to the restricted section too, and found a book, including a 'school year picture' book, where she had found a picture of her mother, and her class, including Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, and Harry's parents. 

As well as professor Snape. 

She studied and studied, read every book that even had the mention of her family name, or the Blacks, and suddenly the end of the school year loomed on the horizon.

For Lyra, the past few months had been consumed not just by schoolwork, but by an obsession that had taken root after her conversation with Professor Lupin. 

Her days blurred into a cycle of research and restless nights, where even her dreams were haunted by questions she still hadn't answered.

Fred Weasley, the source of so many of her frustrations and distractions, had faded into the background. Their fiery rivalry, the insults, and heated moments had faded into silence. 

They hadn't exchanged a single word since the boggart incident. He seemed to have vanished from her world, and she didn't know if she was grateful for it or disturbed by the absence. 

Her life had become books, her friends, and Professor Lupin's advice.

With only a few days left before she would board the train home, Lyra felt restless. She sat by the window of the Slytherin common room, staring out at the darkening sky, her mind racing through everything she had uncovered about her family's tangled history. 

The locket, the ties to Regulus, her mother's madness. All of it had left her with more questions than answers.

As she closed her book and prepared to head back to her dorm, something caught her eye. A familiar figure was waiting for her just outside the common room entrance. 

It was Harry Potter, standing awkwardly, looking like he was debating whether or not to knock.

Lyra blinked in surprise. She and Harry had barely spoken throughout the year. She couldn't imagine what would bring him here now, at this late hour, just days before the end of term.

"Potter," she greeted warily, stepping through the doorway and crossing her arms. "What do you want?"

Harry looked nervous, shifting his weight from one foot to the other before speaking. "Remus asked me to tell you something."

Her curiosity sparked by the mention of Lupin's name. After their conversation about Regulus and her mother, Lupin had left Hogwarts a few weeks later, and she hadn't heard from him since.

She had no idea where he had gone or why. She was afraid he had left her in the shadows, just like her mother had done.

Harry's eyes met hers, and he spoke softly, as though delivering a secret. "Sirius is safe."

For a moment, the words didn't register. Lyra frowned, confusion clouding her thoughts. "Sirius Black?"

"Who else?" Harry sarcastically shot back. "Remus said to tell you that. He didn't explain everything to me, but he wanted you to know."

Lyra's chest tightened. 

Her mind raced back to her research, to the family tree she had meticulously mapped out. Regulus and Sirius, the Black brothers.