The Half-Blood Black

Chapter Twenty-Nine✨

"This is why you were my friend?" I say, wrenching my arm from him. I knew it was too good to be true, why would this apparent popular boy waste his time with the sad, pathetic new girl? "You just wanted a reward for getting me to talk about Sirius?"

"I -- no! Of course not, luv. I was only just saying that maybe --" Cedric says, trying to cover his tracks. 

"Don't call me luv, you sick bastard." I see red, but I can't make a scene, not with so many eyes on us. "I knew it. I knew this was too good. I told myself, 'Lyra Black, you are smarter than this.' The hand kissing, the helping, the friendship. You just did that so that you could embarrass me."

"It's not at all like that--"

"Tell me, is that why your friends think I'm so amusing, Cedric? Do you sit in the common room at night, talking about how you've finally got me where you want me? How you can't wait for the Yule Ball so that you can have the Ministry arrest me in front of the whole school? God, I was so worried about pigs blood when after all this time ..."

"Is there a problem here?" Malfoy says as he walks up between us. His hand presses on my lower back, the contact feels like a burn on my skin. 

"Yes." I reply as Cedric says "No."

"Let's go." I say, turning into Draco. 

"Luv, please don't do this--" Cedric says reaching for me. 

"Back the bloody hell of, Diggory." Draco says, stepping between us. 

"I'm going to sit for a while." I say to Draco as we start to leave the crowd of people dancing and sweating and panting.

"I'll join you." He says, looking relieved.

I pass Harry and he finally notices that I'm me. He looks shocked as he sees Draco in such close proximity to me.

"Lyra...?" Harry says. "You're ... and ... what?"

"Come get a drink with me, Harry!" I reply, forcing optimism in my voice. Cedric's betrayal and the many cups of pumpkin juice before hit me all at once. 

"Are you enjoying yourself?" I ask Harry, filling a cup for him as well as one for me.

"I mean, I guess you could say that. Parvati seems to be having fun." He says. "George spiked this you know?"

"Why do you think I'm having so much fun?"

We laugh together and sit at the nearest empty table. My shoes are long gone by now, but I'm sure my dead grandmothers spirit wouldn't mind. I plaster a fake smile on my face and turn to him with ease. 

"Sirius is in trouble."

"He's what?"

"Don't talk without your cup in your mouth. I don't know who can hear us, or who can read lips."

We take a sip in unison and I lean my elbow on the table, head in my hand, as my hair fans around my face. I look over my shoulder and sure enough Crouch is still looking at me. He's casually walking closer, I know my time is short.

"Cedric approached me about an article in the Daily Prophet. Of course we've known that they want Sirius to turn himself in, but Ced went as far as asking Fudge and Crouch what would happen if someone could give them information on his location. I've become paranoid, Harry, Crouch is always around some corner. I can't imagine what the Ministry is like right now."

"So Fudge ... must have some idea that you know." Harry says nodding

"I know that I've put you in danger by just telling you, but I figured it would be beneficial for you to be aware."