LYRA ROSE BLACK wasn't used to being second best. That was until third year. That was until Sirius Black decided to break out of Azkaban (don't ask her how he did it, she doesn't even know) and reunite with his daughter and godson.
HARRY JAMES POTT...
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❚GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOM, 1994
LYRA'S EYES FLUTTERED open. The curtains in the Gryffindor common room were drawn open, sunlight streaming through and hitting her eyes. She sleepily leaned her head to the other side only to jump when a heartbeat echoed through her ears.
"Harry!"
Harry Potter jumped awake, looking around and reaching for his wand, lowering it when he saw that it was just Lyra.
"What time is i-"
"Classes start in five minutes!" Lyra grabbed her shoes, folded sweater, cloak, skirt, and tie from the coffee table. Pansy had a habit of bringing Lyra clothes for the following day as she often fell asleep in other common rooms. Lyra would show up in comfortable clothes knowing that she would most likely fall asleep in them and Pansy would have new ones for her.
Harry jumped up, running up to the boy's dorms but coming to a quick stop when he noticed Lyra was hot on his tail. "What are you doing?"
"I need to get changed and I don't know where Hermione or Lavender's dorm is. Relax Potter, I'm not going to look."
Much too tired to argue, he continued sprinting into his room. The two had their backs turned to each other, quickly putting on their uniforms and panicking as they did so.
"We're so dead," Harry breathed, tying his tie into a bow rather than normal. He didn't exactly know how to tie a tie. Ron usually did it for him.
Lyra was tying her tie as well, not paying attention in the slightest, "Let's be positive, Potter. You survived Voldemort, I'm sure you can survive Snape's wrath. See you in potions!" She dashed out of the dorm and into the hall, trying to get to the dungeons as fast as she could. Surprisingly, she made it into class, and in her seat, one minute before Snape walked through the door.
Lavender looked at her with widened eyes, casting a spell to fix her friend's hair. "Did you just wake up? Ron said that he'd wake you two before he left. Where's Harry? Erm, Ly, your ti-"
The Gryffindor shut her mouth the second Snape walked through the door, although she was desperately trying to convey her message with her eyes.
The door to the dungeons creaked open and in walked Harry Potter. He tried to remain invisible, slumping in between Ron and Hermione.
"Potter detention." Harry didn't even argue, nodding his head.
Hermione looked at him with confused eyes, leaning forward and whispering, "Harry. Harry, your tie."
Harry waved her off, "You know I can't tie it, I was hoping you or Ron could do it for me-"
"Harry, no." His eyebrows furrowed as Hermione continued. She glanced back to Snape before talking again. "That's not a Gryffindor tie-"
"Potter, your tie is supposed to reflect the house you're in. Are you in Slytherin now?"
Harry squeezed his eyes shut, "No, Professor."
"Then please enlighten me, who's tie is that?" Snape questioned, shifting all attention to Harry.
Lyra's eyes widened at the sight of a green and silver tie that was tied all wrong and, more alarmingly, on Harry Potter. She quickly looked down to her own tie, letting out a small groan at the Gryffindor colors. Of course this had to happen to her. She brought her palm up to rest her chin, hoping her arm was blocking the tie she was wearing.
"Are you deaf, Potter? Who's tie is that?" Snape asked again.
Lyra closed her eyes, praying that Harry wouldn't say her. He wouldn't say her. She had faith that Harry wouldn't subject her to public ridicule.
"Erm- Lyra's sir. Lyra Black."
Fuck.
Scattered voices sounded through the room as everyone turned to Lyra who was, sure enough, wearing a Gryffindor tie. Although hers was tied correctly, the colors looked odd on her. Most people considered Lyra the most Slytherin you could get so seeing her in scarlet threw many classmates off.
Snape's eyes snapped to his student, dissapointment reflecting in them. "Please change your ties before the end of the day." Harry shot up, stumbling over to Lyra with shaky hands and hushed curses. "Not during my class, Potter. I said before the end of the day not before the end of my class." His attention shifted to Lyra who had her eyes pinched shut in embarrassment. "You can do better than him, Miss. Black."
"Oh, Professor, Potter and I aren't-"
"Open your textbooks to page twenty three."
Lyra slumped further down in her seat, wishing the chair would swallow her whole.
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Class ended, which resulted in Lyra waiting outside of potions for Harry to walk out of the door.
Ron was the first one who noticed her, mumbling a, "We'll see you later, Harry," and pulling Hermione by the wrist.
"My tie, Potter?" Lyra looked at him expectantly, wanting to go to whichever part of the castle was the farthest away from him.
"Erm, right, yeah." Harry fumbled with the tie, pulling on random ends in his oddly tied knot, making it tighter than looser. He groaned. It was one thing to not be able to tie a tie but it was another to not be able to tie a tie in front of Lyra. She already didn't like him too much and Harry wasn't sure if he could handle making matters worse without crying. What was wrong with him? He could face Voldemort without blinking but here he was panicking in front of Sirius's daughter.
Lyra sighed, "Here." Her hand slapped Harry's away and pulled him closer. They were nearly chest to chest and Harry was staring at the ceiling in an attempt to calm down. Her fingers worked through the knot, pulling and slipping the tie in different directions until it came loose, hanging around his neck. She handed Harry his tie and tied her own.
"Ly," he coughed, awkwardly, "Lyra, could you- you know - tie my tie for me." His eyes pinched shut, waiting for her to call him an idiot or laugh in his face or set his tie on fire or force feed it to him, but instead, Lyra's fingers slowly traveled up his chest to reach for his tie.
Harry thought he might die. Her fingers slightly grazing his chest as she touched the tie and started to tie it was driving him insane. He knew his breathing was accelerated; he just hoped Lyra didn't notice.
He was stupid to think that really. Lyra tends to notice everything. "Potter, are you okay?" She looked up, their eyes locking. Confusion was written on her face. Her hand reached up to feel his forehead. "Do you need to go see, Madam Pomfrey?"
"NO! I mean, no. Thanks. Um, see you in Mcgonagall's." Harry quickly rushed down hall with Lyra staring weirdly after him.
Ron, who happened to be waiting in the hallway his friend turned into, looked at him with a smile. "How did it go- did you just run away from her?"
"Erm, no?"
"Bloody hell, Harry! You ran away from her!"
Hermione looked up from her notes, "Harry, you ran away from her?"
