Lyra couldn't believe that Draco had gotten so big that he was going into his second year at Hogwarts. It felt like only yesterday that she had held him in her arms for the first time, feeling her first piece of happiness in years. 

The more he grew, the more he was like his father. Lyra wished she could have influenced him more, but Lucius was a stern father and husband. He would constantly remind her of what he was capable of if she corrupted their son. 

Lyra wanted to hex him a lot. But she couldn't, still haunted by those words Draco had said when he was six, wondering why his parents didn't love each other. She always shook it off, mostly caring that he was happy. He may not always be kind, but he was happy. (And she could always scold him in private, even if usually just scoffed and rolled his eyes). 

The Malfoy family had to get Draco's school supplies for the year in Diagon Alley. But, before that, Lucius had demanded they go to Knockturn Alley. Lyra knew exactly why he wanted to go to shop named Borgin and Burke's. He had many secrets he had to hide, especially when Arthur Weasley seemed to be getting evermore suspicious of him.

Lyra tried not to think too much of that part of their trip, though. She focused more on Draco's book list, shaking her head in disgust as they closed in on Borgin and Burke's. "I don't understand why they'd want you to get all these Lockheart books. I think he was a few years below me at school. Bit of a dolt. I don't believe he did half those things he says he did."

"The standards at Hogwarts are going down every single year," Lucius said snootily, his head held high. He was always quick to criticize the school under Albus Dumbledore's leadership.  "Severus is the only teacher worthwhile."

"Not the only one," Lyra retorted. She may not be quite fond of Severus Snape, but if Draco spoke highly of him as a teacher, she believed he must be good at his job. "Do you mean to say you've learned absolutely nothing from Professor McGonagall or Professor Flitwick?"

Lucius didn't respond to her words, only opening the doors to Borgin and Burke's to let his son and wife in. He scrunched his nose up in disgust at the dusty, old shop filled with dark objects as he reached out to ring a bell at the desk. "Touch nothing, Draco."

He was almost too late at saying it, as Draco had tried to reach for a glass eye which looked quite suspicious. The twelve-year-old pouted, now only looking at the eye. "I thought you were going to buy me a present."

"A broomstick, we told you," Lyra reminded him, looking at him sternly. "We're not going to go around buying you possibly cursed objects. We don't want you to become like your father too early."

Lucius looked at her blankly, clearly unamused at the way she was speaking of him in front of their son. She only smirked at him in return. "We'll buy you a racing broom once we're out of here."

"What's the good of that if I'm not on the house team?" Draco sulked. "Harry Potter got a Nimbus Two Thousand last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good, it's just because he's famous... famous for having a stupid scar on his forehead."

"We all know he's famous for more than that," said his mother, though smiling slightly at the fact that Harry was a Quidditch player. Like his father, who was a legend back in their day for his skills. "I'm sure that he's rather good of a Quidditch player. McGonagall isn't the type to let favoritism happen easily."

"Everyone thinks he's so smart, wonderful Potter with his scar and his broomstick," the twelve-year-old spat. Lyra snickered quietly. If not for the mention of the scar, it sounded like something she could have said about James when she was his age. 

"You have told me this at least a dozen times already," said Lucius, looking quite tired of hearing it. "I would remind you that it's not... prudent to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear."

That was the first time she had felt herself agree with her husband in a while. "Also, because you're not going to make friends by going around and complaining about people all the time. It makes you sound unapproachable."

"Ah, Mr. Borgin," sighed Lucius once the shopkeeper appeared behind the counter. His slicked-back hair was even greasier than that of Severus Snape, which Lyra considered quite the feat. 

"Mr. Malfoy, what a pleasure to see you again. Mrs. Malfoy, looking lovely as always." Lyra grimaced in disgust at Borgin's words. "Delighted. And young Master Malfoy, too. Charmed. How may I be of assistance? I must show you, just in today, and very reasonably priced-"

The Malfoy man cut him off before he could continue. "I'm not buying today, Mr. Borgin, but selling."

"Selling?" Borgin repeated, not seeming quite as pleased to see them. If they would buy, he would get their money. If they would sell, that meant they wouldn't pay anything and he would have to pay to get their goods. 

"You have heard, of course, that the Ministry is conducting more raids." Lucius pulled out a roll of parchment listing some items, showing them to Borgin. "I have a few, ah, items at home that might embarrass me if the Ministry were to call..."

Borgin, with his poor eyesight, pulled some pince-nez glasses from underneath his desk, fastening them in front of his eyes, though raising his eyebrows at the man. "The Ministry wouldn't presume to trouble you, sir, surely?"

'I have not been visited yet. The name Malfoy still commands a certain respect, yet the Ministry grows ever more meddlesome. There are rumours about a new Muggle Protection Act, no doubt that flea-bitten, Muggle-loving fool Arthur Weasley is behind i," Lucius scoffed. "And as you see, certain of these poisons might make it appear-"

"I understand, sir, of course," Borgin cut him off, having read through some of the names of the poisons. Lyra hadn't seen the list. She hadn't really wanted to either, but she could admit she was curious. "Let me see..."

"Can I have that?" Draco suddenly spoke up, reaching out to touch an old hand lying on a cushion. Before he could, Lyra grabbed his wrist and stopped him, shaking her head sternly. He seemed to have forgotten he wasn't supposed to touch anything.

"Ah, the Hand of Glory!" Borgin exclaimed, delighted. He didn't care much for Lucius's list anymore, turning in hope of selling an item to the young Malfoy boy. "Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir."

"I hope you're not implying that my son will become a thief or a plunderer, Mr. Borgin," Lyra spoke up fiercely, glaring at him for trying to take advantage of her son's love of gifts. "I'd like to think he can amount to more. It'd quite rude if you don't agree."

While Borgin usually found her husband more terrifying, he couldn't deny that Lyra could be quite scary, too, especially when when someone mentioned her son. "No offence, Mrs. Malfoy. No offence meant."

Lucius seemed pleased with the way she was going after Borgin, but he still glanced down at his son, not looking quite proud. "Though, if his school marks don't pick up that may indeed be all he is fit for."

"It's not my fault!" Draco tried to defend himself. He knew that his mother was proud of him, she had said so several times. His father was much harder to convince. "The teachers all have favorites. That Hermione Granger-"

"I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam," Lucius hissed, he obviously didn't quite enjoy the fact that he was being talked back to. 

Lyra was sure she could hear a small ha! that nobody else seemed to hear. She glanced towards a large, black cabinet. She smirked as she saw a couple of bright green, wide eyes. She turned back to her husband distastefully so he wouldn't notice where she was looking. "Or perhaps she's just a bright witch, Lucius. Those do exist, you know."

Lucius, who was already annoyed at his son and the shopkeeper, sent her a firm glare, his lips pursed and jaw clenched. "Not now, Lyra. Let's not have this argument out in public when we all know who will win."

Borgin seemed to feel a bit uncomfortable at the marital spat that seemed to be building up as the couple glared at each other heatedly. "It's the same all over. Wizard blood is counting for less everywhere."

"Not with me," said the Malfoy patriarch coolly. Lyra raised an eyebrow in challenge at him. He sneered in response, to which she smirked smugly.  

"No, sir, nor with me, sir," said Borgin, bowing at the family to show his deep respect for the family, made up of two of the oldest, purest wizarding families still known to the Wizarding World. 

"In that case, perhaps we can return to my list," said Lucius, looking down at the man, who always just wanted to suck up to him. "I am in something of a hurry, Borgin, I have important business elsewhere today."

Lyra listened to Lucius and Borgin's haggling, prepared to jump in if she knew that he was about to give her husband a bad deal. She may not be very fond of him, but they were family and she wasn't about to let him get screwed around. 

From the corner of her eye, she watched as Draco walked around and looked closely at several of the items around the shop. She was prepared to scold him if he tried to touch any of them again. She was especially ready to stop him from opening the dark cabinet, having a clear idea of who was hiding in there. 

Just as he was about to reach out to open it, she opened her mouth to stop him, but Lucius did it before she had the chance to. "Done. Come, Draco!" he said before turning to Borgin. "Good day to you, Mr Borgin, I'll expect you at the manor tomorrow to pick up the goods."

Lucius put his hand on Draco's shoulder to pull him out of the shop, expecting Lyra to follow them out. But she had other plans, suppressing a smirk. "You know, Lucius, I think I saw a necklace that caught my fancy. I'll catch up with you."

The Malfoy man looked at his wife disbelieving, having only noticed one necklace in the shop, one who had supposedly caused the death of nineteen muggles at some point. "Not the cursed one, surely."

"I'm not stupid," she retorted, rolling her eyes as he nodded curtly, leading himself and their son out of the shop. She cast a glance to Borgin, who looked ready to talk to make a sale. She only sneered at him "Don't you have some paperwork to do, Borgin?"

He hung his head, muttering darkly as he walked towards a backroom. He was far from in the mood to argue with Lyra Malfoy, who people knew could be difficult customer in Knockturn Alley, which was not the same reputation she held in Diagon Alley. 

The moment he was out of eyesight, she slowly smirked as she walked over to the cabinet, which seemed to be trying to close itself more and more the closer she got. "Having a good time there, Harry?"

Lyra smiled as she opened the cabinet, finding the boy standing there. He was dirty, seemingly from Floo powder, and his round glasses had broken at the bridge. He still smiled innocently at her. "Hello, Lyra. Good to see you again."

She tried not to react too strongly at how cheeky he looked and sounded, reminding her too strongly of his father. "What's a nice boy like you doing in Knockturn Alley? In Borgin and Burke's, no less."

"I was with the Weasleys, actually," he told her, stepping out of the cramped cabinet. "I don't think I said Diagon Alley clear enough when I was supposed to use Floo powder. You wouldn't happen to know the way? I'm a bit lost."

"I figured," the thirty-two-year-old chuckled, wiping some dirt off his face to which he grimaced. "I'll help you get back to them, of course. I can't leave you to wander around here on your own. People will stay clear when I'm with you. Family's got a bit of a reputation, you see."

"So I've heard," he muttered, especially knowing her son. He considered Draco Malfoy to be his worst enemy, his nemesis, and he did that knowing full well that his parents' murderer and a man who had caused devastation and war could still return some day. 

"Come on," Lyra nodded out the door, leading him out into the alleyway her and her family had walked through. She could see Harry glancing around, looking terrified of the shops and the Dark Arts that surrounded them.  

He was clearly thankful that she was walking with him. Every time some creepy old witch seemed to try to approach them, Lyra glared at them and scared them away. For a woman that had only been nice to him, she sure could look scary.  

"Hagrid!" the blonde woman called out as she noticed the large figure. She was honestly relieved, because that meant Harry would be safe and sound, while she could still hurry and find her son and husband. "Think I've got something that belongs to you."

"Harry! What d'yeh think yer doin' down there?" exclaimed Hagrid once he noticed the small figure standing next to her. He looked at her gratefully, happy she had kept him safe. "Lyra, where'd yeh find him?"

"Borgin and Burke's," she responded quickly, glancing around, hoping nobody noticed Harry Potter was among them. "I was supposed to be taking him to Diagon Alley, but I'm glad I caught you. I've got to find Lucius, actually. I don't want to lose him in the crowd somewhere."

"Yeah, I've got him," Hagrid nodded. Lyra sent a brief, sad smile to Harry. She wished she could have stayed around and helped him more, but she did want to find her own family. Harry didn't seem to want her to leave, having been hoping to catch her alone for the past year, to ask her the story of her friendship with his father, that Hagrid had mentioned. He never got the chance.

▹▹▹

Lyra had finally caught up to Draco and Lucius a while later, before they were going to enter Flourish and Botts to get Draco's school books. She didn't really fancy going in once she realized that Gilderoy Lockhart was holding a book signing, but they did really need to get him his books. 

She quickly realized it could be fun, though. She watched as Lockhart caught sight of Harry in the crowd, pulling him in to take a picture for the Daily Prophet, saying that they were worth the front page together. The mortified look on Harry's face was one she had never seem on James's, which made it even funnier. 

But once her and Lucius had finished paying for the last books, she looked to see Draco talking to an annoyed looking Harry, surrounded by a few red-haired children she supposed were Weasleys and girl with bushy hair that Lyra couldn't recognize. 

She grimaced, wondering if they were going to fight in a public place just because of their childish rivalry. She didn't want to intervene and create a bigger argument, prepared to scold Draco when they got home instead. 

But then Lucius suddenly approached them, looking in a particular mood for chaos when the Weasley family patriarch, Arthur, approached his children. Lucius put his hand on Draco's shoulder, sneering. "Well, well, well. Arthur Weasley."

The redheaded man stiffened up once he realized the man was at the bookstore. He had wanted to catch Lucius for something for ages, but he always seemed to evade consequences for his actions because of his connections. "Lucius."

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear. All those raids... I hope they're paying you overtime." Lucius reached into the youngest Weasley, a girl's, cauldron, picking up a tattered school book. "Obviously not. Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it." 

Arthur seemed to be fuming. Not only was he looking down at him like always, he was trying to do so in front of his children. "We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy."

"Clearly," the platinum blond man said distastefully. He glanced at a couple standing in the back, along with the bushy-haired girl. Their way of dress and look of awe made him quickly realize these were muggles.

Lyra caught Harry's angry eyes for a moment and sighed. She touched her husband's arm, trying to get his attention, to make him stop. "Lucius, let's not cause an argument here. In front of the children, no less. It's no way to set an example."

"That's not the bad example here, Lyra. Look at them." Lucius almost seemed to find it funny that they were hanging around muggles. "The company they keep, and I thought that family could sink no lower-"

Lucius was cut off as Arthur Weasley suddenly went flying at him, knocking the Weasley girl's cauldron to the floor, pushing both them into a bookshelf. Spellsbooks fell all around the shop. Thuds were easily heard as the two men struggled, so nobody could hear Lyra's gasp and giggles. This was the best thing she had seen in ages. 

Two Weasleys, a pair of twins, kept calling out for Arthur to get him! while Molly Weasley kept calling out for him to stop. She looked at Lyra, expecting her to do the same. But the Malfoy woman was close to telling Arthur to get him, too, laughing her ass off. 

The assistant shopkeeper kept trying to break up the fight, but nobody seemed to be able to do so. Then, much to Lyra's chagrin, Hagrid appeared and decided to get involved, easily pulling the two apart. 

While Arthur's lip was bleeding from a cut, no doubt from one Lucius's obnoxious rings, Lucius had a black eye. She wasn't sure if it was from one of the falling books, or because of a punch from the Weasley man. She sure hoped it was the latter. 

Lucius was thrown towards Lyra and Draco. He glared at his wife once he realized that she had been laughing at the way he had gotten jumped by someone she considered a madman. She only grinned at him. "You so deserved that."

The blond man was still holding the Weasley girl's textbook. He threw it at her, glaring at her even if she was just an eleven-year-old child. "Here, girl. Take your book. It's the best your father can give you."

Lucius harshly grabbed his grinning wife's arm and beckoned Draco to follow them. Before leaving, Lyra caught Harry's thrilled gaze. She held a few fingers to her forehead in a quick salute, leaving him laughing. 

▹▹▹

A/N: And that's a wrap on Chamber of Secrets. That means that next chapter we'll be getting into POA, which will be awesome. Who knows who Lyra can see when she drops Draco off for another school year...