It hadn't taken much convincing to make sure that Slughorn believed that sweet, innocent Lyra Malfoy (née Black) couldn't have had any idea that her husband had been a Death Eater, working for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. In Slughorn's mind, Lyra would never know such a thing, and if she did then she would have reported it. 

They had been corresponding a lot. She told him she had been worried about Draco's health after his father's imprisonment, it must have been very hard for him to find out his father was a Death Eater. As if he hadn't known since he was old enough to know what a Death Eater was. 

He had given her regular updates, along with offers to help her find some top-notch Ministry job and a suitable new match in case finally she wanted to officially separate herself from Lucius legally. Lyra had declined both offers, as she didn't have time for a job nowadays and because her love life was enough of a mess without Slughorn adding someone else to it. 

She was not planning on divorcing Lucius. She never had, despite all he had done in the past. For several reasons. Partly because it would be a huge scandal she didn't want to deal with, partly because it would make her lose all protection in case there was a new uprising of dark wizards (which, of course happened) and mostly, because it would hurt Draco and ruin some of the only safety he had left. 

Of course, she was not about to tell Rabastan that. That would cause some big argument in a quasi-relationship that had mostly been going alright for several months. They tried to avoid the subject of Lyra being a married woman as much as possible. Mostly because Lyra didn't enjoy the reminder that she was a cheater. A dirty, lying cheater. 

Slughorn had always wanted her on a track to success. Lyra had wanted to be on that track herself. He seemed like he wanted to get her back on that track. If it wasn't for the fact that the entire world had gone to shit, then she may have wanted to. 

But corresponding with Slughorn had its perks. Because he had graciously offered her an invitation to the Christmas party he would be hosting at Hogwarts (though she knew that there were probably some relatively handsome Ministry officials he was prepared to introduce her to). 

It had been a golden opportunity for her. While Draco wouldn't be attending, as Slughorn wished to distance himself from Death Eaters and their children, it would still give her a chance to check up on some things. 

Firstly, Harry and his friends. She just knew that Slughorn would never give up an opportunity to invite Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, to his Slug Club. She was all but sure Hermione Granger would have been guaranteed a spot due to her brilliance. Ron Weasley, maybe not so much but it was always possible. She was sure she'd see at least two of them there. 

And the biggest reason she wanted to get her ass to Hogwarts was to get in touch with Severus Snape. He had sworn to protect her son, with the Unbreakable Vow nonetheless, and yet he refused to answer a single one of her letters. And she had sent many. She was always asking for updated, trying to figure out how Draco was doing with his task (as he wasn't revealing anything in his own letters except that Snape was seemingly helping him).

So she found herself standing at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the first time in almost two years. She hadn't been there since the final task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, which had ended rather tragically. 

Shaking hands, talking to old acquaintances, drinking a few cocktails (without someone having to spike the punch for her to drink alcohol this time, thankfully). It wasn't an awful party so far, and she was rather enjoying herself. 

But then Snape finally seemed to realize that she had arrived. He narrowed his eyes from the other side of the room. She smiled sweetly at him, as if to mock him, as she raised a glass to him with a raised eyebrow. 

He seemed to politely apologize to whoever he was talking to before pushing his way through the crowd, looking less than pleased, but he kept his gaze firmly on her. She was prepared for this conversation. She had been waiting to have it for ages. 

"What are you doing here, Lyra?" he hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from a nearby crowd. He didn't want anybody to hear what they were about to discuss. "Have you come to check up on Draco and his task? Or me?"

"I wouldn't have to if you had responded to any one of my letters this semester," Lyra responded, crossing her arms across her chest. "But since you decided not to, then I had to take matters into my own hands to make sure you're upholding the terms to our agreement."

Snape looked at her dryly, a clear annoyance on his face as he drawled. "I physically cannot break the vow I made to you, in case you've forgotten. You know I'll follow through with it, so let me do so on my own."

"I'm trusting you. I don't do that very easily nowadays. I'm trusting you with the thing that is most precious to me in the world. How can I not check up on you when that's the case?" the blonde asked, fiercely glaring at him. 

"If you trust me as much as you say you do, then you wouldn't have to," the dark-haired man retorted, though not in a mean manner. He seemed to understand that the whole situation was hard on her and knew that yelling at her would only make it worse. It wouldn't make her trust him more, and when she didn't trust him then she butted her way into his business.

"Severus, Lyra! How lovely to see you both!" Slughorn finally found his way to them, seeing them in a heated discussion. He wrapped his arm around both of their shoulders. "It's always good to see two old school chums catching up."

Lyra smiled at her old Professor for a moment, until she could see the bright smile on his face and the way his gaze traveled between her and Snape rapidly. She wanted to puke as she realized what he was insinuating. 

She plastered on the largest, most fake grin she had ever done on her face. Inside, she was gagging in disgust. "Oh, yes. Chums, friends. Best friends, in fact. In some ways, he's practically like my brother, I'd say."

Snape looked at her strangely, wondering why she would be spouting such lies. He definitely didn't consider them practically siblings. He didn't even see her as a friend. She had recently stopped being an enemy, so she was barely an acquaintance in his opinion. 

"So sweet to know that my old students, former members of my little club, are still so close." Slughorn attempted to keep his smile as genuine as it had been, but failed dismally. "Well, I've got a few people to see but I'm sure we'll get to catch up more throughout the night. I'll see you both again soon."

Slughorn released them and ran off to some Ministry employee she barely recognized (who was rather handsome so she was afraid he was Slughorn's next attempt at finding her a suitable replacement for Lucius (or perhaps a replacement for James in his heart)). 

Snape raised an eyebrow at Lyra, wondering why she had said such things. She sighed and watched carefully as Slughorn seemed to gesture her way. "Don't ask. I've got to run before Slughorn tries to set me up with someone else."

"Wait, that's what he was attempting to do? Are you serious?" the current Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher asked, scrunching his nose up in disgust. It was the worst thing he had heard all day and he taught teenagers. Teenagers could say and do some disgusting things. 

"I said don't ask!" Lyra repeated herself, slipping out of his eye sight so quickly he almost thought she had apparated away. She would have loved to discuss Draco's situation for a few more minutes, but it was more important to get herself away from Slughorn's matchmaking at the moment. 

Once she finally couldn't see Slughorn anymore, she felt confident to stop running away, but that was when someone ended up running into her. The familiar form of Hermione Granger, seemed flustered as she bumped into her. 

"Hermione? Are you all right?" Lyra asked worriedly. Though she realized that she wasn't on the best of terms with the young girl due to Harry's hatred for her nowadays, she still didn't like the fact that she looked like she had been running from something. 

"Lyra, hi," the teenage girl breathed, seeming surprised to see her at the party. She hadn't expected to see her at all for a long time, definitely not before the next summer, at least. "What are you doing here? Does Harry know you're here?"

"No," the blonde responded shortly. "What's going on? Why were you running?"

"Oh, well, it's a rather long story," Hermione started to speak, looking quite flustered as her cheeks turned red. "My date, Cormac McLaggen... Well, he's rather brutish, you see. I just left him under the mistletoe and I'm pretty sure I saw him looking for me. You don't know anywhere I can hide, do you?"

Lyra smiled slightly and shook her head in amusement. "About five feet to the left of that man with the ludicrous hat, there's an unused closet. I think it used to be for some rare ingredients for Potions. People back in my day used it to secretly snog. It should be an alright hiding place."

Hermione smiled thankfully, not having another moment to spare as she hurried to the  aforementioned closet. "Thanks, Lyra." 

The thirty-seven-year-old woman chuckled to herself, having missed some silly teenage drama. It felt like a lifetime ago that she had experienced that sort of drama herself. Not since she had gone to Hogwarts herself. 

She downed the rest of her drink to numb those nostalgic thoughts. She didn't have time to think about the past. She didn't have time to think about drinking spiked punch, being rescued from boring conversations with now-dead Quidditch stars, dancing to You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me, watching her drunk cousin be forced back to his common room, falling head-over-heels in love... She didn't have time to think about the fact that it happened twenty years ago, almost on the exact same day. 

Somebody, dressed in some rather sharp robes, seemed to notice the familiar head of blonde hair in front of him. He definitely hadn't come to the party expecting to see her among the attendees. "Lyra, what are you doing here?"

The woman in question turned around, a charming smile on her face. She tried to ignore the fact that the last time she had seen him, he had been yelling about how he wanted her to go to Azkaban. Not their finest hour."Harry, lovely to see you. How are you doing? Are you doing well?"

"So you care now, suddenly?" Harry asked, making his blonde date look at him strangely, as though she wasn't used to him being so rude. She was pretty, but Lyra couldn't remember ever seeing her before. 

"I've always cared, Harry," she said, her face not betraying even an inkling of the emotions she was feeling. While she knew the words she were saying were slightly dangerous to say, she was tired of the pure hatred he seemed to have for her these days. She could at least vaguely insinuate that she hadn't left because she hated him or something. "The issue is that sometimes it's rather dangerous to do so. Especially in these trying times."

The messy-haired Gryffindor frowned, trying to process her words but found himself unable to. Lyra started to wonder if some fifth-year Hufflepuff prefect had spiked the punch again, just like Dirk Cresswell did back when she was in school. 

Finally, he seemed to decide to change the subject, giving himself time to think about what she said later. "You didn't answer my first question though. What are you doing here? I thought Professor Slughorn wanted to distance himself from the Death Eaters, not invite a Death Eater's wife to his party."

"Oh, but it's not a the same when it's a poor Death Eater's wife who had no idea of what crimes her husband was secretly committing behind her back," Lyra stated mockingly (of Slughorn, of course), chuckling to herself. "Now, don't be rude, you haven't introduced me to your date."

Harry clenched his jaw for a moment, seeming like he was ready to cause a scene, but knew he was being rude to his friend, who had brought as his date. "This is Luna Lovegood. She's in the year below me, Ginny's year. She's a Ravenclaw."

Luna had big, dreaming eyes that looked upon Lyra with such awe that she wasn't sure she deserved. But then again, she had a feeling she may have looked most people like that. "Weren't you Stubby Boardman's cousin?"

"Was I?" Lyra raised an eyebrow, glancing at Harry. Harry shrugged, looking like he wasn't even going attempt to explain. What the hell, she thought, allowing herself to humor the young girl. "I suppose I was. It's lovely to meet you, Luna."

"Harry Potter!" Professor Sybill Trelawny suddenly called out from close-by, smelling a lot like firewhiskey and sherry. Lyra suddenly felt very happy that Narcissa never had been able to convince her to take her class for the easy O.

"Oh, hello," Harry said unenthustically, looking even less happy to see her than he was to see Lyra. 

"My dear boy." Trelawney was whispering so loudly it could barely be categorized as whispering. "The rumors! The stories! The Chosen One! Of course, I have known for a very long time... The omens were never good, Harry... But why have you not returned to Divination? For you, of all people, the subject is of utmost importance!"

"Ah, Sybill, we all think our subject's most important!" Slughorn boomed, sounding slightly tipsy by now. Lyra winced, hoping he had abandoned his matchmaking plans by now. "But I don't think I've ever known such a natural at Potions! Instinctive, you know, like his mother. I've only ever taught few with this ability, I can tell you that, Sybill."

"Why, even Severus-" And then suddenly, Slughorn reached into the crowd and pulled Snape under his arm with ease, pulling him out of seemingly nowhere. "Stop skulking and join us, Severus! I was just talking about Harry's exceptional potion-making. Some credit must go to you, of course, you taught him for five years!"

Snape narrowed his eyes at Harry, looking quite suspicious. "Funny, I never had the impression that I managed to teach Potter anything at all."

"Isn't it fascinating how much one can improve with a different teacher, sometimes, Severus?" Lyra asked, feigning an innocent look, as she took a sip of her newly-filled glass. 

Slughorn noticed that Lyra was standing with them once again, and quickly gestured to a man standing close-by. "Lyra, there you are! Have you met Lloyd Polliwog from the Department of International Magical Cooperation? I think you two would get along swimmingly."

The man was handsome enough but Lyra only looked at him with disdain. She was spoken for, twice over actually. "No, I haven't. Charmed, I'm sure."

Slughorn seemed to finally notice that he wasn't getting anywhere with his attempts to set Lyra up with a new man. "Ah, well. I'd say what Harry's got is all natural ability if it didn't come from you then, Severus. You should have seen what he gave me, first lesson, Draught of the Living Death... Never had a student produce finer on a first attempt. I don't think even you, Severus-"

Snape cut him off, only studying Harry's stoic facial expression intensely. "Really?"

Slughorn was getting a bit too drunk to realize that there was a bit of tension going on in the circle of people he was speaking to, only grinning widely. "Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?"

"Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology," Harry started listing up the N.E.W.T.-level subjects he had decided to take, obviously trying very hard not to make eye contact with Snape.

"All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror," Snape sneered slightly. 

The Potter boy finally allowed himself to make eye contact with his Professor once again, raising his chin defiantly. He wasn't about to let him judge the choices he's made for his future. "Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to do."

Slughorn was, as always, oblivious to what was actually going on around him. "And a great one you'll make, too!"

"I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry," Luna disagreed lightheartedly. "The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy. I thought everyone knew that. They're planning to bring down the Ministry of Magic from within using a combination of Dark Magic and gum disease."

Lyra had just met the girl and she thought she was adorable. Harry seemed to think the same as he choked on his mead, making it go up his nose, just because he had started laughing so much at her words. And when he looked past Slughorn, he saw something that made his night even better. 

There was Argus Filch, holding a struggling Draco Malfoy by the ear, and dragging him towards their circle of conversationalists. Lyra noticed it after only a few moments and clenched her jaw as she muttered to herself. "What's he done now?"

Filch looked a bit too happy at having caught a student trying to sneak into the party. "Professor Slughorn, I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?"

Draco finally managed to pull himself out of Filch's grip, barely meeting his mother's annoyed look. "All right, I wasn't invited! I was trying to gate crash, happy?"

"No, I'm not!" Filch denied being happy by looking extremely happy. "You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the headmaster say that nighttime prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"

"That's all right, Argus, that's all right," Slughorn waved him off, putting his hand on Lyra's arm as if to tell her he was going to take care of this. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Especially when I've already invited his mother, it's got to have been a while since he's seen her. It's rather sweet. Just this once, we'll forget any punishment. You may stay, Draco."

Filch looked like Christmas had been canceled in its entirety as he stalked away. Draco didn't look very pleased as he made eye contact with first Snape and then his mother, neither of which looked rather happy with him. 

The blond boy straightened himself up, turning to Slughorn with the most charming smile he could muster. It would have been more charming if his pale skin didn't almost look grey and there were deep, dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. "Thank you very much, sir."

"It's nothing, nothing," Slughorn waved it off, throwing his arm around Lyra's shoulder with a big smile. "Your mother was one of my favorites back in her day, it doesn't hurt to do her a few favors. And I did know your grandfather, after all."

"He always spoke very highly of you, sir," Draco quickly said, though he had never met his grandfather as he died before he was born. He just wanted to say something, anything, to suck up to his Potions professor. He hoped Slughorn was too drunk to notice.  "Said you were the best Potion-maker he'd ever known."

Lyra pursed her lips, sending her son a pointed look. His confident demeanor seemed to fall slightly at this. They were both well-aware that he hadn't walked around with the intention to gate-crash. He couldn't care less that she was a the party. He'd rather have it so she wasn't there. "Well, I'd still like to have a word with you, Draco, about this troublesome behavior."

"Now, Lyra, it's Christmas." Slughorn removed his arm from around Lyra's shoulders, though only to grab another drink from a house elf's tray. "Don't be too hard."

"Actually, I am his Head of House, which means I have the authority when he's at school, not his mother," Snape spoke up, caught up in a staring match with Lyra. "So I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be. Follow me, Draco."

"And me," Lyra added, making Snape's gaze harden even more. "I'm still his mother when he goes to school. I've got some authority over him."

Snape walked away with Draco following. Though she was sure neither of them actually wanted her to come with, Lyra did walk only a few paces behind them, glowering at both their backs. They had left her out of the loop for months, they weren't about to continue doing so now. 

Snape led them to the last classroom in the corridor, where Lyra found herself sitting on top of the teachers' desk. Snape was looking quite sternly at Draco as he started scolding him. Supposedly, this hadn't been the first incident where he had nearly been caught. 

Snape was talking about an incident where a girl named Katie Bell had been given a cursed necklace that was supposedly meant for Dumbledore but had ended up in the Hospital Wing herself. Another thing neither of them had told Lyra about. 

The professor was giving him a serious scolding, one that even Lyra, as a mother, was slightly impressed with. "You cannot afford mistakes, Draco, because if you are expelled-"

Draco was pouting stubbornly, acting just as he had when he was a toddler and Lyra caught him stealing cookies from the kitchen long before dessert. "I didn't have anything to do with it, all right?"

"If you didn't have anything to do with it, then why wouldn't you have mentioned it to me?" Lyra finally spoke up, pushing herself from the desk and walking closer to him. "I had to find out just now, from Severus? It's not like you to keep things from me."

"Well, have you considered the fact that I just didn't want you to come over here like you have?" the Malfoy boy retorted rudely, glaring right in his mother's face. "You don't need to check on me!"

"Yes, I do!" Lyra exclaimed, but suddenly realizing that she had been speaking a bit too loudly and lowered her volume as she continued. "You're proving that with every single thing you're doing, Draco!" "I could have been in your position many years ago, when I was your age. I understand. So does Severus. There's nothing wrong with asking for help."

"I don't need help, Mother! Yours or Professor Snape's. I haven't done anything!"

Neither of the adults in front of him were convinced, but Snape was the first one to say so. "I hope you are telling the truth, because it was both clumsy and foolish. Already you are suspected of having a hand in it."

"Who suspects me?" Draco asked angrily. "For the last time, I didn't do it, okay? That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about. Don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work. I can stop you!"

None of them said a thing for a moment as Snape finally understood what Draco had realized. "Ah... Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see. Or have you inherited the natural gifts of your mother? No matter. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?"

Draco didn't even have a bit of chance to gloat about how he, like his mother, had been born as a natural Occlumens, which was discovered by his aunt "I'm not trying to conceal anything from him! I just don't want you butting in."

Snape took a moment to process these words. He looked at the blonde woman on his side and barely hesitated for a moment. "Lyra, I think it'd be best if you'd return to the party. This conversation would be best held in private with myself and Draco."

She gaped, not having expected for him to throw her out and keep her out of the loop once again. "You can't honestly expect me to-"

"We both know that Draco has been lying to you about working with me," he cut her off lowly. "We'd both like for this not to be a lie anymore, so that I will not break the vow I have given you. You cannot be involved in this situation if we want that to happen."

Lyra hesitated, knowing that he was right. Draco had made it quite clear that he didn't want her involved ever since they went to Diagon Alley. If Snape were to keep his vow, it would have to be without her. "Severus..."

Draco and Snape exchanged glances for a quick moment. They hadn't agreed on the topic they had come to discuss, but they both knew the best thing was for Lyra to get out of there and be left out of the task. "Mother, go. He's right."

Lyra sighed, walking closer to her son and putting her hands on either side of his face. He looked so tired and pale. She just wanted to tuck him under his covers back home and make him sleep until he was well-rested. "Darling, you know you can always talk to me."

"No, I can't," he responded, though not as angrily as he did before. He glanced around the room, obviously trying to gather his thoughts. "Look, you need to let me handle this. And when it's over... things will be okay again, like they were before..."

"Oh, Draco..." she sighed, wishing that he wasn't as headstrong as he was. He wanted his father back, he wanted to not feel like his family had failed. He wanted to go back to the simpler life they had once had. "I want you to succeed, I do. But don't be afraid to ask for help. Severus only cares for your well-being. And so do I. You know I do. I love you."

"I love you, too," he whispered with a tone of finality that let her know the discussion was over. 

Lyra desperately wanted to fight to keep herself in the loop, to make sure her son was doing going to be fine. But she knew that she had done all she could by making Snape give the Unbreakable Vow. He said Draco wouldn't get hurt. It was now his job to make sure it didn't happen. She turned to him to remind him of this. "Take care of him."

Snape didn't seem to care about the emotional exchange between mother and son, only looking at them with disdain for the dramatics they both exhibited. "I don't have much of a choice in the matter anymore, do I?" 

Lyra closed her eyes for a moment. She just desperately needed the reminder that he would do so. "Just... Just do it."

He briefly nodded, just wanting her out so he could continue his conversation with Draco. Lyra headed towards the door to do just that. She hesitated as her hand laid over the doorknob, glancing back at them as they watched her expectantly. She sighed and opened the door, leaving them to the Death Eater business they so clearly needed to discuss. 

▹▹▹

A/N: Not me skipping several months in the timeline because Lyra was doing nothing interesting other than sleeping with Rabastan, sending pissed off letters to Snape and pretending to be an ignorant little housewife to Slughorn.