CHAPTER ONE
WAKING UP TO THE sounds of chipping birds, Lyra black heard whispers "We have to tell her, Lucius," Narcissa said sternly, her voice a blade cutting through the early morning air. "She'll find out sooner or later when she's at Hogwarts. We don't need her to be hearing it from someone else."
Lyra, ever the curious soul, felt a chill run down her spine. She slowly opened the door to her bedroom, barely a creak, careful not to make a sound. The Malfoy Manor was vast and cold, with walls that seemed to stretch endlessly. She had always thought of the house as a cage, trapping whispers and secrets within its ancient stones. Today, it seemed to hold its breath.
She heard footsteps approaching and quickly closed the door, dashing back to her bed. Pulling the duvet over her body, she made it seem as though she had been asleep the whole time.
A knock sounded against her door.
"Come in!" she yelled, feigning irritation and drowsiness.
"Merlin's beard, you don't have to shout, Lyra," a platinum-haired boy muttered, scowling. Draco Malfoy, her cousin, looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"I know, Drakey," she teased, her lips curling into a sly grin.
"I told you not to call me that," Draco said, glaring at her with cold, grey eyes that could pierce the foggiest of mornings.
"But Pansy calls you that," she countered, savoring his discomfort.
"Don't remind me of that pig-faced girl," he shot back. Lyra laughed-a laugh that sounded more like a bark, a harsh and wild sound she had inherited from her father. A shiver ran through Draco; it was the kind of laugh that suggested madness.
"Hey, what happened to Dobby?" she asked suddenly, her voice dropping to a near whisper, as if afraid the walls were listening.
"Father said that Potter freed him when he went to speak with Dumbledore."
"Of course Potter freed Dobby," she sighed, her disappointment evident. "He was my favorite house-elf."
Draco shrugged. "I didn't care about him, really. He was a particularly lousy house-elf."
"Draco," she whined, her blue eyes narrowing.
"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled, giving her an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you," she said, cupping her ear and leaning toward him. "A bit louder, Drakey."
He huffed in annoyance. "I said I was sorry."
"Hmm, still couldn't hear you, mate," she responded sarcastically, scratching her chin. "Here, let me get out my tape recorder." She reached over to her black drawer and pulled out a tape recorder that was in mint condition, almost anachronistic in the ancient manor.
"I don't understand why you have that rubbish. You know how Mother and Father will react with you having a Muggle item, especially Father," Draco said, his voice tinged with unease.
"For your information, this item," she said, waving the tape recorder around, "is not rubbish."
"You're right; I've been looking at it the wrong way," he sighed.
"Thank you," she replied, her voice dripping with mock gratitude.
"You're the rubbish," he smirked playfully, and before she could react, he bolted from the room.
Lyra's mouth gaped open. She immediately jumped from her bed, but Draco had already disappeared down the corridor. She gave chase, her footsteps echoing through the manor's long, shadowed hallways. She heard a male voice clear his throat.
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FLUORESCENT ADOLESCENT ► harry potter ¹
RomanceFLUORESCENT ADOLESCENT | "Everything's in order in a black hole. Nothing seems as pretty as the past though" ━━he stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even with...
