lyra | harry potter

seventeen | death by association

LYRA WAS LATE FOR DINNER THE NEXT DAY DUE TO try-outs for the Quidditch team, which had taken up her entire afternoon. Consequently she was late for the stupid supper party for the Slughorn Club, which Harry had suckered she and Hermione into attending with him. So despite her general dislike for the professor, Lyra hurried back to her dorm and ignored the withering looks from the other Slytherin girls as she got dressed.

She was on her way to the supper party when she caught sight of Draco Malfoy, trudging through the empty hallways by himself. He'd been doing that a lot lately, always being along, and she noticed he didn't talk to his friends much or acting like his usual self. There was something going on, Lyra knew that much, but despite his general lack of manners for others and the fact that his father was one of the Death Eaters who'd attacked she and her friends a few months ago... Lyra felt sorry for Draco Malfoy. She wished he would realize he didn't have to follow in his family's footsteps; wasn't she herself proof of that? The Order could help him. He just needed to ask for help, first.

"Malfoy." She approached him, ignoring the glare he sent her. "Are you okay?"

"Perfectly fine," he spat sarcastically. "Life is all sunshine and rainbows."

Lyra's gaze narrowed. "I'm trying to be nice to you. You don't have to be so hateful—"

"Why?" Draco cut her off, his voice like venom as he spoke to her. "Why are you trying to be nice to me? We're not friends, Burke. We'll never be friends."

She let out a sigh, attempting not to lose her patience with him. Lyra wished someone had reached out to her a long time ago, but she was glad she'd finally found the courage to run away from the expectations her family had from her. Maybe Draco Malfoy was different. Maybe he needed someone to encourage him before he would finally do the same. "Look, Malfoy... you don't have to— to be what they want you to be," Lyra said gently. "I can help you. The—"

"I don't need help," Draco snapped angrily. "I'm nothing like you. I don't run away from my problems." He paused and chuckled hatefully. "Not that running away is going to help you. There's a target on your back, Burke. In fact, you're lucky I don't kill you right now myself."

"Is that what you want?" Lyra demanded. "You want to be a murderer?"

"I want to make my family proud and survive this war," he corrected her. "Two things you'll never get to do. You've been disowned, Burke, did you know that?" Draco smirked at the look on her face. While Lyra wanted nothing to do with the things her family involved themselves in, it still hurt to know that her family didn't love her. "Your own parents are the ones who want you dead. Your father talks about it all the time. They can't wait to get a hold of you." Lyra gave up on trying to talk to Malfoy and abruptly turned on her heel, storming down the hallway and trying to fight off the tears brimming in her eyes. "They're going to kill you, you know! You and your precious new friends! You've put targets on their backs just by associating with them!"

Lyra ignored him, but his words struck fear through her heart simply because she knew he was telling the truth. Her family was spiteful, bitter and they loved revenge. It was just like them to threaten her friends. Why hadn't she thought of that before? Why hadn't it occurred to her that she was putting them in danger just by being around them?

If anyone got hurt because of her, Lyra would never forgive herself.

The supper party had already started when she got there. She wouldn't have been so late if she hadn't stopped and tried to reach out to Malfoy; Merlin, did she regret that now. Either way, it couldn't be helped. Lyra swiped away the few tears that had escaped her eyes and stepped into the room, ignoring the way everyone looked at her as the conversation stopped. "I, uh— I'm sorry I'm late, Professor Slughorn," she apologized awkwardly.