FLUORESCENT ADOLESCENT ► harry potter ¹

004. Black in Sighting

CHAPTER FOUR

    THE GRAY MIST OF THE Forbidden Forest seemed to cling to Lyra Black like a second skin as she made her way to Care of Magical Creatures. The trees loomed overhead, their twisted branches stretching like the hands of the damned, gnarled and grasping. Every step on the uneven forest floor felt heavy, as though she were treading over ancient bones. She liked it this way-the quiet, the hidden secrets buried in the soil beneath her feet. Animals were honest in a way humans never could be.

Approaching Hagrid's hut, she saw the half-giant waiting at the door. His massive form was clad in a moleskin overcoat, Fang the boarhound barking at his side, eager to begin. Lyra could feel the pulse of excitement thrumming through her veins. But the feeling was fleeting; her eyes caught Draco Malfoy chortling with Crabbe and Goyle nearby, his laugh echoing with a malice that coiled in her gut.

Lyra threw him a warning look-a silent admonition. She had grown up with Draco, her cousin, after all. She knew all too well that beneath his sneers and arrogance lay a river of fear that only she seemed to see.

"Alright, gather 'round!" Hagrid bellowed as the class slowly made its way over. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

As the students trudged through the fog-laden woods, Lyra kept to herself. She was never one to fall in line, and today was no different. Behind her, Draco was playing the daft fool, prancing about with his cronies, casting sneering glances at Harry Potter. Lyra caught herself watching Potter more than she meant to; there was something about him, the fire in his eyes when he was angry. She almost admired it. Almost.

They finally reached a fenced paddock where Hagrid had them gather. Lyra noticed the tension in the air, the palpable anticipation. There was nothing inside the paddock but churned earth and dead leaves, and yet a strange feeling of expectancy hung over them.

"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" Hagrid called, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "That's it-make sure yeh can see-now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books-"

Neville Longbottom's scream pierced the tension like a knife through flesh as his book, The Monster Book of Monsters, sprang to life, mauling his hands. Lyra's instinct kicked in, and she quickly stuck out her hand to help him up. Neville hesitated, his eyes wide and uncertain, but he took it. His lips quivered in a small smile, gratitude flickering across his face.

Draco's cold voice cut through the clamor like an icicle falling on stone. "How do we open our books?"

Hagrid, oblivious as ever to the tone, replied, "Yeh've got ter stroke 'em. Look-"

Lyra snorted softly, leaning towards Charlotte beside her. "If I had a sickle for every time someone said that, I'd be rich."

Charlotte stifled a laugh as Draco's sneer deepened, his lip curling at the corners. "Oh, how silly we've all been!" he mocked. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess!"

The tension between Draco and Potter was a thread stretched too tight, ready to snap. Lyra could feel it vibrating in the air, like a plucked string from an old, haunted harp.

"Draco, please," Lyra said sternly, a rare moment of sincerity slipping through her mask of indifference. Draco's eyes softened slightly, but then Potter had to open his mouth.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Potter muttered, his voice low and simmering with barely controlled rage.

The thread snapped. Lyra's hand clenched into a fist at her side, her eyes flashing between the two boys. They were like fire and ice, both too proud to give an inch.