Hogwarts was a bit of a drag, honestly. Day in and day out were all about studying and hanging around other Slytherins, when Lyra found herself craving the company of someone else. Not that her other friends were unpleasant, it was just that she didn't really feel like snogging any of them.

The one person Lyra wanted to snog was her boyfriend, who was in another house and who wasn't actually her boyfriend in the eyes of the world. Only to her, him, his parents and their few shared friends. 

For two months, he was always around. Wherever she turned, whenever she had a nightmare, whenever she was lonely. He was always there, and she missed it dearly. Snogging in broom closets or talking in empty classrooms was no longer enough. 

That didn't mean she wouldn't do it though. On yet another day, Lyra found herself with James in a broom closet instead of going to lunch, since Lucinda had promised she'd bring her a muffin to Charms. 

Lyra breathed in the feeling of her hands wrapped in his messy hair, James's arms wrapped around her waist and their lips connected passionately until they had gone so far that they had to catch their breath. 

She had to treasure every moment they had together, because they never knew when they would have time to themselves again. So she pulled away from him, reaching out to hold his face in her hands. 

James frowned down at her, wondering what could ever compel her to stop snogging him, when that was usually their favorite activity, especially when they couldn't do it that often. "What are you doing?"

"I just have to remind you that I love you," the blonde sighed, smiling softly as she caressed his cheek with her thumb. "A lot. Even if it's hard to remember sometimes when we spend more time apart than together. 

"I love you, too. As if that isn't obvious enough," the Gryffindor grinned goofily. She then wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly as she rested her head on his chest. "Are you alright, love?"

She nodded, although it was a bit uncomfortable with her face smashed into his chest. "I just miss the summer holidays, spending all of our time together. Now we barely see each other, and when we do we just don't talk to each other."

"Well, Hogwarts is almost over. There's less than a year left, and then we'll have the rest of our lives to get sick of each other," he comforted her, lovingly running his hands through her blonde locks.

Lyra finally pulled her face away from him, and beamed up at him. She looked at his face, thinking about how much she loved him and how much that love had changed her for the better. "I'll never get sick of you."

James raised an eyebrow at her, doubtfully. He had never heard anybody say that he wasn't very tiring to be around, and he knew she wouldn't be the first to say so. "I know that's a lie because I can be pretty annoying."

The Slytherin girl tilted her head in agreement, raising her eyebrows. "You know what? You're right, you really are."

James gaped in mock offence. "Hey! That's not very nice!"

"Oh, shut up!" Lyra giggled, grabbing him by the neck and pulling his lips to hers to make him do just that. James did not argue with her silencing methods.

▹▹▹

Lyra had never been as thankful for her friends as when Lucinda sat next to her in Charms class with a muffin in her hand. Not only a muffin, but she had saved Lyra's favorite, chocolate chip, which were usually all taken within the first five minutes of the meal. 

She sat with the muffin under her desk, so that Flitwick wouldn't catch her snacking in class, which he had never been too fond of. At least, if she was caught, she wouldn't get into as much trouble as she would have with McGonagall (although she was still her favorite teacher).

She picked off pieces, giggling with Lucinda every time Flitwick looked towards them suspiciously. Lucinda had brought a roll for herself, since she wasn't full after the lunch, either, having spent the whole time chatting with Avery, who she had once fancied so much that Slytherin house was a warzone between her and his then-girlfriend, Emma Vanity. 

Then the class was interrupted as Professor Slughorn opened the doors to the classroom, stopping Flitwick in the middle of his explanation on the Gouging Spell. "Sorry to disturb, Filius, but I was wondering if I could borrow Miss Black? It's important."

"Yes, of course. Miss Black, you're excused for the rest of the lesson," Professor Flitwick agreed, waving for Lyra to leave the class. She only frowned and exchanged strange glances with Lucinda, wondering what was going on, if something had happened. 

The Slytherin girl gathered her books into her bag as quickly as she could before walking towards Professor Slughorn, who sent her a sympathetic smile. Behind him stood Regulus, looking equally confused.

Once they found themselves approaching Professor Dumbledore's office, both of the young Blacks started worrying about the million different reasons they, out of all people, had been brought to see the Headmaster. Regulus tugged nervously at his left sleeve. 

But they were only more confused when they entered the office, finding most of their family to be there. Walburga, Orion, Cygnus, Druella Black and Narcissa Flint were all chatting with Dumbledore, though none of them looked very happy. 

For a quick moment, Lyra wondered where Bellatrix was, finding herself searching for her whereabouts in the room. But then again, she supposed she wasn't too comfortable going to Hogwarts considering the Headmaster was the Dark Lord's greatest enemy. 

"Miss Black, Mr. Black. There you are. Please, take a seat," said Dumbledore kindly, gesturing to the two seats in front of his desk, while their family members were still standing. He looked to Slughorn and sent him a thankful nod. "Thank you, Horace. I'll take things from here."

Slughorn squeezed Lyra and Regulus's shoulders briefly, smiling at them sadly, like he knew something they didn't. He greeted the rest of the Black family with brief nods before leaving the room. 

"Excuse me, Professor," Lyra spoke up, although hesitant about how respectful to be. She didn't want to disrespect her Headmaster, but her family all hated the man and wouldn't be pleased to see her act kindly to him. "Why are we here, exactly?"

Dumbledore looked unusually sad for a man who always seemed unbothered. "There are some sad news we have to tell you, Miss Black. Though, I believe it would be better for your cousin and yourself to hear this from one of your parents."

The four parents looked at each other, wondering who would speak until Druella finally seemed to cave and took charge. "Due to some complications with illness, your Uncle Alphard passed away last night."

It didn't quite hit her what they had said for a moment. She could only focus on one of the words they had said, turning to her family, angry. "Illness? What illness? Nobody ever told me about any illness."

Cygnus sent her a stern look, the only way for him to tell her to shut up in front of Dumbledore without risking getting in trouble. "We didn't think it would be necessary for you to know. All you need to know is that Alphard's gone."

That's when it finally dawned on her. Her Uncle Alphard, her Godfather, the only light that was left in the dreary House of Black was now gone and she was never going to see him again. She desperately wanted to cry, but she forced herself to hold it back for now. 

But she needed the comfort she couldn't expect from most of her family, so she reached out and grabbed Regulus's hand. She glanced at him, finding him staring straight forward, also refusing to cry. They squeezed each other's hands tightly, lending the support they both needed. 

Silently, Lyra sniffled and looked to the side, where she could see her father and his sister, Walburga, clench their jaws and exchange annoyed looks, looking more angry than sad that their brother's dead.

The young blonde frowned at them, wanting some explanation. Their brother was dead, and she knew she would have cried her eyes out if she heard that any of her sisters had passed. "What's going on, dad?"

"Be quiet, Lyra!" Walburga suddenly snapped, her eyes wild with anger as she looked at her now jumpy niece. Her son sent his cousin a warning look, begging her to keep her mouth shut, but he didn't think she would listen.

Dumbledore's usually calm demeanor was betrayed by the coldness of his eyes as he looked to the Black woman. "Walburga, I suggest you calm down. We wouldn't want you to do anything foolish in front of the children."

"I'm not going to calm down!" Walburga suddenly exploded, yelling in a way that would have made most jump in fear. Not Lyra or Regulus though, because they had gotten used to it. "Because I can't accept any of this, especially not his foolish will."

Orion saw the confusion on the two teenagers' faces, and sighed, calmer than his wife but still obviously far from happy. "Alphard left most of his gold with Sirius instead of with Cygnus or Walburga."

Druella sent her sister-in-law a stern look, telling her to calm down because of who they were in the presence of. She turned to Dumbledore as sweetly as she could. "Could we have a few minutes alone with our children?"

"I'm afraid not, Druella," Dumbledore shook his head, looking reassuringly at the two teenagers. "I have to be here because I am the one who has primary responsibility for your children during the school year."

Orion glared at the older man, scoffing as he crossed his arms across his chest. "I am absolutely disgusted at the idea that our children wouldn't be safe with us. You don't need to protect them from family!"

Narcissa felt the tension throughout the room, looking helplessly around at all the members of her family, that looked either ready to yell or cry. "How about we all settle down, please?"

"I completely understand why Professor Dumbledore would want to stay around when you're as angry as you are," snapped Lyra, tired of her overdramatic family and their never-ending anger. "All Uncle Alphard did was leave money for a family member."

Regulus released her hand, sending her a warning look as he saw the anger build up on his mother's face. He glanced at his older cousin warily. "Lyra, shut up."

Walburga's glare was now solely focused on Lyra, who stared defiatenly back. She knew shew would get in trouble for her words, but she was angry and heartbroken so she didn't really care anymore. "Sirius is not our family!"

That was the final straw for Lyra, who jumped out of her seat to stand eye-level with her aunt. "You can burn a face off the family tapestry as many times as you'd like, but Sirius is still a Black and so is Andromeda!"

"How dare you mention that name!" Druella gasped as the rest of the room went silent at the first mention of that name in years. While Sirius was still mocked and angrily spoken of, they acted like Andromeda had never existed. "Lyra, what has gotten into you lately?"

Walburga's face scrunched up in anger, taking a step closer to the young blonde. "Why I ought to-"

Dumbledore cut her off before she could finish. "Perhaps it's time for you all to leave. Alphard's death must be very upsetting to you all and it's quite obvious you need some time to grieve, and the children need to get back to their classes."

The family looked ready to argue, but the Headmaster's face went colder than they had ever seen. That's when they no longer saw the kind, wise man who had protected the school. They saw the man who had defeated Grindlewald, the only man Voldemort feared. 

The parents all mumbled angrily among one another, discussing how much they hated Dumbledore and how they were wondering what was up with their children, especially Lyra. Narcissa sent her sister a disappointed look as she left, scolding her for not holding her tongue.

Dumbledore turned back to the young Slytherins as their family left. "Mr. Black, I suspect Professor McGonagall will be missing you in her class. I suggest you head back there now and give me a moment alone with your cousin."

Lyra watched as Regulus hesitantly gathered his things, though his mind was still obvioulsy clouded by the fact that not only had their uncle just died, but his cousin had been bravely arguing with their family, something she had never done before.

She wished he didn't have to leave, not knowing what Dumbledore would want with her alone. But she still met his eyes, who looked very kind and comforting. She wondered why he was hated by so many in her life. "What is it, Professor? Am I in trouble?"

His eyes twinkled at her question. "Are you in trouble, Miss Black?"

"You're the Headmaster. You're supposed to be the one telling me if I am," the blonde retorted wittily, although it didn't seem very witty as she sniffled once more, thinking about her dead uncle. 

"There are many who believe that I have gotten too old and sometimes even too senile to do what I do," said the older man. "But I am no fool, Miss Black. I notice things, I pay attention and so I learn."

Lyra stiffened at this. She wondered what he could have learned, if he had any spies within the Death Eaters. Ones that could have informed him of all the horrible things she had done.  "Are you suggesting you know everything, then, sir?"

If he did know, his face didn't betray it. He seemed as kind and friendly as always, even if he was looking into the eyes of a girl who had tortured one of his teachers and led him to his death. "Nobody could ever claim to know everything, Miss Black. Not even myself, nor should you."

She still wasn't sure exactly how much he knew. But if he didn't seem to hate her and think she was horrible, she started to wonder what he was thinking. "Then what do you want me to say, Professor?"

"I do not want you to say anything," stated Dumbledore firmly, though not strictly. "I only hope you will listen. Because there is good in us all, even when we don't believe it."

Lyra thought about her Gryffindor friends (and boyfriend), who had all tried to tell her so many times that she was a better person than she thought. "So I've heard."

"I believe I see exceptional potential in you in that department," he said, adjusting his half-moon glasses. "And if the world and what it throws at you ever becomes too much, you should evaluate those who truly care for you."

He continued as he saw he had grabbed her attention.  "Because if you do this, and it leads you to the right choice, then you will always find the happiness you seek, even in the most difficult of times."

After listening, there was one thing Lyra was sure of. Though she didn't know if he knew about her involvement with the Death Eaters, she had a feeling he knew about her love for James, Sirius, Remus and maybe even Peter. "Thank you, Professor. For your kinds words."

"My doors are always open for you, Miss Black, if you are willing to open them," he said wisely, concluding their conversation as he smiled. "If you wish, you may return to Professor Flitwick's class. Though, I believe your cousin has found himself in classroom 3C, which happens to be empty."

Lyra frowned in confusion. "The Defence classroom? I thought you sent Regulus to Transfiguration."

"Not Regulus, Miss Black," Dumbledore smiled slightly as she opened her mouth in realization. Before she could speak, he cut her off. "Now I hope you can have a good day, even though there have been some sad circumstances."

Though Lyra still wanted to cry, to mourn her uncle, she sent a sincere smile towards Dumbledore, thankful he had taken time out of his schedule to talk to her. "Thank you, Headmaster. Truly."

▹▹▹

Lyra still hadn't cried as she had left the Headmaster's office. She found herself rushing towards classroom 3C, not able to even think about returning to Charms class. That was on the bottom of her list of priorities.

Once she found herslef standing outside the door, she hesitated. She wasn't sure if he knew, especially as she supposed their parents had refused to let him come to their conversation with Dumbledore. But he was his Godfather, as well. He deserved to know.

She carefully pushed the door open. There she found Sirius, reading a letter. She recognized the stamp on it from the Ministry. She supposed it was a letter to inform him that he had inherited most of their uncle's fortune.

As she entered, his gaze quickly jumped to her, his eyes filled with tears. Lyra, who had been trying to keep from crying ever since she found out, finally broke. Because she had seen her favorite cousin cry so rarely. If he was crying, that meant it had to be real.

They looked at each other for a few moments, neither of them wanted to speak. Because talking about it would only make it hurt even more and the last thing either of them needed was more pain. 

But then a tear finally fell from the corner of Sirius's eye. Then another and another. Lyra followed suit. And she needed him dearly, just like he needed her. 

The blonde rushed towards where he was sitting, barely even letting him realize she was coming before she threw her arms around his neck, digging her nose into his neck as she sniffled loudly, holding onto him as sobs racked his body. 

They weren't sure how long they stayed like this, but both of them knew that they didn't want to let go. Because if Alphard, one of the only good family members they had, was gone, then they needed each other more than ever.