INSTEAD, james potter [1]

Chapter Thirty-Two

As October became November, Lyra was painfully aware of Christmas closing in. She was pretty sure she had heard a gang of third year Hufflepuffs even singing holiday carols already. It was way too early in her opinion, but she wasn't in a mood to comment on it. 

This year, Christmas wasn't just Christmas. It was going to be a time of year out of Lyra's control that would only lead to her life going in a downward spiral. One orchestrated by both her sister and by her close friend, Rabastan. 

Bellatrix Lestrange had already been a Death Eater for years, ever since the day after her wedding. Rabastan Lestrange had prayed for this opportunity ever since his brother and his wife had been given these opportunities, ones he believed he deserved, too. Well, him and Lyra together. 

Rabastan had been given the opportunity to meet with the Death Eaters, or even the Dark Lord himself, during the Christmas holidays. The same was given to Lyra, but she was too scared, too cowardly to dare meet this destiny already. 

But he was preparing, scarily excited for this. It worried her how much effort he was putting into this, into the destruction he could cause in hope of pureblood supremacy. Something Lyra hadn't known if she supported or not since the day her sister fell in love with a muggleborn.

Rabastan sat with his blonde friend in the Slytherin common room. While she was studying for Defense Against the Dark Arts, he was studying the opposite. "What do you think about the Expulso curse?"

"It's a fine curse?" Lyra said, sounding more like a question. It was a very strange question to ask, but she was going to humor him. "Very irrelevant when it comes to what we're studying, though."

"Well, yes, maybe when it comes to schoolwork," Rabastan agreed, smiling slightly. "But you know that's not what I'm focusing on. O.W.L.s are over, N.E.W.T.s are far away. I'm preparing for Christmas."

The blonde grimaced and rolled her eyes at the reminder that it was closing in. "It's literally November, Rabastan. Christmas is far away, but our Defense essays are due tomorrow. I'd rather focus on that."

"I can't just start focusing and practicing the day before, either. I need to impress the Dark Lord. Do you think the Expulso curse will be enough if I can properly cast it?" he asked, looking at her with pleading eyes. 

Lyra wanted nothing to do with this, and she didn't want to answer the question either. But she would feel awful if she wasn't there for Rabastan, even if what he was about to do was stupid as hell. 

She imagined him standing in front of a selected group of Death Eaters and their leader, using dark magic to explode an object, perhaps even a person. She wouldn't put it past them. "Perhaps. But it's dangerous. Make sure it's done properly and doesn't harm you."

"Of course! Do you have no faith in me?" he asked teasingly and she smiled a bit in amusement before he turned serious once again. "So... what curse are you planning to show him when your time comes?"

Lyra lifted her eye line from her book, sending him a weird look as she tilted her head in confusion. "I wasn't planning on using any curse."

"You've got to have a curse prepared! Rod and Bellatrix asked us to prepare a show of dark magic. We have to be able to show we would be able to do what it takes for the pureblooded cause."

She turned her head away, not wanting him to see the frown that had forced itself on her lips. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about. If all Rabastan was going to say to her nowadays was going to be about the Death Eaters, she wasn't sure how much she could handle talking to him. 

Lyra sighed deeply. "I don't know, Rabastan. I have plenty of time, as do you. We've still got to do well in school. I know you're only taking four subjects this year, but you really ought to focus a bit."