Sky full of stars {Harry Potter Fanfiction}

14. Decisions, decisions

In the many times in the future I would replay my first year at Hogwarts, I was still so surprised how I managed to push everything into the back of my mind. After Kat and I were reunited with the others for a well-deserved emergency meeting, Harry confessed that his scar hurt the same time we found the figure.

That was enough proof for me that it was You-Know-Who we'd seen in the forest, and it total honesty, it set me on edge. While Kat and I didn't know the finer details of our mother's experimentation—it was obvious the end goal was for us to be weapons.

So, the question was: if the figure was You-Know-Who, did he recognise who we were by our golden and black eyes?

But the days drifted on by like a gentle sea breeze, and since we knew Fluffy was safely guarding the stone I allowed myself to think about our up-coming exams.

We were giving anti-cheating quills for our written exams, and Cassie was extremely interested in how they worked. She was tempted to cheat to see what would happen, but I reminded her she'd probably get kicked out. Hastily she stopped discussing the matter.

I was worried about failing exams, but there was somebody else I was worrying about failing. Elijah. I'd revised to the extreme with him—three hours the day before the exam—yet I was worried about him.

After our potion exam (which I confidently knew I'd passed) I waited outside the classroom as all my classmates hurried past, chattering about the exam. Elijah was the last one out, his face impassive.

"So?" I asked nervously. "How did you think it went?"

His impassive expression suddenly broke, and he burst out into a wonderfully toothy smile. "You, Lyra Black, are one clever bitch!"

"Oof! Oh wow—" Elijah lifted me up under my armpits and clumsily span me around the hallway. "You're grateful!"

"Of course, I am!" he was still smiling, and I realised that like Kat, while he didn't smile often his smiles were golden. "I was so worried I'd fail—end up with even smaller, annoying kids!"

"I'm only a year younger than you!" I went on my tip-toes, wishing I was taller.

Elijah rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. In the last few months he seemed to have ditched the ridiculous shaved head look. His natural black curls had appeared like little springs over his head. He looked less intimidating.

"Well... you act a lot older than me," he sounded faintly embarrassed. "I was such a twat the start of the year. I don't know what was wrong with me."

I grinned, pulling my rucksack onto my back. "Listen—people can change, you know. Character development is a thing. That's why I took a chance on you."

"Huh," Elijah looked thoughtful as the two of us began walking. "Do you reckon your hot sister would take a chance on me, if I asked her out? Or does she not like a younger man?"

I snorted, Elijah was hardly a 'younger man', he was only a year younger than my sister. Guility, I gnawed on my lip. Sasha was infatuated by Cedric, but had yet to let on her feelings... But looking at Elijah, who used to be so horrible and troubled with a skip in his step and a smile, I couldn't tell him he didn't have a chance...

"Go for it," I said firmly. "What's the harm?"

"Maybe, your dad will break out of Azkaban and break my hand for asking his precious eldest daughter out?" Elijah said, but he didn't say it unkindly. Was he having banter with me?

"Ha," I said dryly. "As if, nobody's ever broken out of that place."

Elijah shrugged. "Sorry—I have a warped sense of humour. Anyways—see ya!"