FLUORESCENT ADOLESCENT ► harry potter ¹

023. Madness on the Eye

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

     THE MORNING AIR WAS DAMP AND heavy, mist clinging stubbornly to the edges of the Forbidden Forest as if reluctant to let go. Lyra's breath came out in visible puffs as she trudged silently through the shadowed grounds of Hogwarts, her dark jacket pulled tight around her to stave off the early morning chill. Her boots squelched softly against the dew-soaked grass, but she barely noticed. Her mind was elsewhere, still trapped in the vestiges of the nightmare that had clawed her from her restless sleep not an hour ago.

This time, though, she hadn't screamed. She was getting better at that—or worse, depending on how you looked at it. Better at locking it down, swallowing the terror and shoving it into that ever-expanding box in the back of her mind where all the horrors she didn't want to deal with lived. But that also meant the nightmares lingered longer now, curling like smoke through her thoughts and poisoning every quiet moment.

She needed air. Space. A break from the castle and the people in it. So she'd slipped out of the dormitory without a sound, navigating the darkened corridors with ease. Harry fucking Potter might need his precious Marauder's Map to sneak around at night, but Lyra didn't. She'd memorized the passages and shortcuts long before he'd even thought to take the map back from her.

A bitter smirk curled her lips as she reached the edge of the grounds, the grass giving way to rocky, uneven terrain. She started up the slope of the small mountain she favored, a hidden perch where she could see all of Hogwarts spread out below. The climb was steep, the kind that left her muscles aching and her chest burning, but that was part of the appeal. It felt good to hurt in a way she could control.

Reaching the top, Lyra cast a quick drying spell over the damp grass and dropped herself onto the ground with a sigh. The view, as always, was breathtaking. The castle stood proud and formidable in the distance, its towers and turrets cutting into the soft gray sky. The lake shimmered faintly, a sheet of glass reflecting the faint light of the rising sun. For a moment, it was almost enough to quiet her mind.

Almost.

Reaching into her puffer jacket, Lyra pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a muttered incantation, the flame flaring briefly before dying out. She took a long drag, letting the smoke fill her lungs and the sharp taste settle on her tongue. It wasn't the healthiest coping mechanism, sure, but it worked. Merlin knew she wasn't about to start journaling about her feelings or whatever else Madam Pomfrey was always on about.

She'd barely been there ten minutes, the cigarette halfway to her lips, when a voice cut through the stillness.

"So this is what you do."

Lyra stiffened, the cigarette frozen between her fingers. Slowly, she turned her head, her gray eyes narrowing as they landed on none other than Harry Potter. He was standing a few feet away, his hands shoved awkwardly into his pockets, his hair as messy as ever.

She rolled her eyes. "Fuck off, will you? How did you even find me ?"

She saw him hold up a familiar piece of parchment, and it only spiked irritation.

"Using the Marauder's Map, have you?" she said, her voice dripping with disdain. "Didn't take you for a stalker, Potter." She took a deliberate drag from her cigarette, blowing the smoke out in his direction.

Harry's lips pressed into a thin line. "Didn't take you for a smoker, Black," he shot back, though there was no real bite to his words. He hesitated, then added, "And I wasn't stalking you, believe it or not."

Lyra snorted. "Sure you weren't."

"I wasn't," he insisted, though his voice faltered slightly under her unimpressed gaze. In truth, he had been curious. He'd been woken by his own nightmares—visions of green light, of screams and death and shadows that wouldn't leave him alone. He'd been restless, unable to go back to sleep, so he'd pulled out the Map to distract himself. When he'd seen Lyra's name moving steadily toward the edge of the grounds, he hadn't been able to stop himself from following and Sirius did ask him to keep an eye out for Lyra safety wise.