Forsaken Bloodlines {HP x GOT}

Chapter 5.10: Inner Struggles

Author: Hi guys! I've been very busy with school and stuff, but I'm really trying to update any time I can. I also realized that the story is a very "slow-burn" type, so I'm planning to speed things up a bit. Hope it's okay with ya'll.

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The Great Hall buzzed with its usual morning chatter as Lyanna sat at the Ravenclaw table, staring blankly at her plate. Her fork idly pushed around a few scrambled eggs, but her appetite was nowhere to be found. She had been consumed by a growing sense of unease since waking, her thoughts circling endlessly around Cedric, her place in the Wizarding World, and the daunting destiny that still loomed over her.

The fluttering of wings overhead broke her reverie. She looked up as the owls swooped in, dropping letters and newspapers to students scattered across the hall. Her owl landed neatly in front of her, dropping a copy of the Daily Prophet. Lyanna unfurled it, scanning the headlines.

Her breath caught in her throat when her eyes landed on a particular story.

TRESPASS AT MINISTRY.
"Sturgis Podmore has appeared before the Wizengamot with charges of trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on the 31st of August. He was arrested when found trying to break into a top-security door at one in the morning. Podmore was convicted and sentenced to six months in Azkaban."

Lyanna's fingers tightened on the edges of the paper. Podmore... one of the Order. Could he have betrayed them? Or was this a setup? Her mind raced as she tried to piece it together.

Suddenly, unable to sit still, Lyanna shot up from her seat, startling the students around her. Ignoring the murmurs that followed her, she briskly made her way out of the Great Hall, her destination clear.

Lyanna arrived at Dumbledore's office and knocked once before pushing the door open.

It was a mistake.

Her entrance interrupted a conversation between Dumbledore and the unmistakable pink-clad figure of Dolores Umbridge.

"Miss Malfoy," Umbridge said with a saccharine tone masking a sharp glare. "What an... unexpected intrusion."

Lyanna's posture stiffened, but she managed a cold, "Apologies, Professor. I wasn't aware you were here."

Dumbledore, however, smiled kindly. "It's quite alright, Dolores. Miss Malfoy wouldn't have come so urgently if it weren't important."

Umbridge's face twitched, and she sighed dramatically, clearly annoyed. "Well, if you insist. I suppose our conversation is concluded."

She turned, her heels clicking sharply against the stone floor as she left, her glare lingering on Lyanna as she passed.

Once the door shut behind her, Lyanna waited a beat to ensure Umbridge was truly gone. She stepped forward, her expression grim, and handed the newspaper to Dumbledore.

"Did he betray the Order?" she asked bluntly.

Dumbledore adjusted his glasses and read the article. After a moment, he shook his head. "No, Miss Malfoy. I know Sturgis well, and betrayal is not in his nature. It is far more likely he was placed under the Imperius Curse, forced to break into the Ministry's Department of Mysteries to retrieve something... something vital."

Lyanna frowned, her voice low. "The prophecy."

Dumbledore inclined his head slightly but said nothing.