P A R A M O U R || George Weasley

27 || CHOSEN CHAMPIONS

Lyra stares at the almost blank piece of parchment for two seconds before crumpling it into a ball and slamming it against the desk where many more lie. Her best efforts are placed on responding to her mother's letter, but she's failing so far. Moody has traumatized her, and now her dreams are plagued with her family's past crime which is reflected in the drafts she's scribbled quickly in the past hour.

"Lyra, you have to write something. Anything!" Patricia sighs as she lays her head on her hand.

Lyra looks up exasperated, "What am I supposed to say? Hello mother, my new Professor told me all about my father's adventures as a death eater. I'm so happy to be learning about the family's pastime. School is great!"

One of the many tables in the library is fully occupied by the sixth-year Slytherin girls. They all came to study and stayed overtime, waiting for Lyra to write a letter to send home. They didn't expect to be stuck here for a long time.

"Jeez, sorry," Patricia mumbles, rolling her eyes.

After she got over the initial shock of detention, Lyra told her friends about Moody's definition of punishment. Their reactions weren't as heartfelt as George's, but they can at least agree it was wrong of him to do that. Their responses were predicted as she didn't go into detail about Moody's stories. As pureblooded Slytherins, they've been exposed to darker subjects around the dinner table.

"Don't respond. That's what I do," Daphne tells her, looking up from her potions book. Her brunette friend has been known to go months without writing back home. She says it's because she doesn't want to waste her energy writing about something they already know about, thanks to her younger sister, who never misses a detail.

"If I do that, my mother will find a way to come to Hogwarts, and who will follow? My father. I'm not ready to face him yet," Lyra explains, waving another piece of scribbled parchment in the air.

"I don't see why you're making a big deal out of this now, Lyra," Daphne says, putting her book down. She finds Lyra's reaction out of character. The blonde has never shown fear in the face of the dark arts. In fact, many times when visiting the manor, Lyra would show them the dark arts book she'd been reading.

Lyra takes a moment to find the right words to say, "We know they did bad things, but I never could've imagined the nitty gritty details Professor Moody told me. I'm having difficulty knowing that the people who did all those horrible things are also our parents."

"Our parents did that, yes, but they are the ones who took care of us all these years. Those days are way behind them. You wouldn't want to be known for your past mistakes, right?" Patrica adds gently, placing a hand on top of hers.

"I guess not," Lyra mutters. Her parents had been young and foolish to follow a man (if he can be called that) that so passionately and publicly wanted to rid of those with dirty blood. They ruined their image and exposed their true colors. She should give them a chance to leave that behind. It's only fair. But what is she supposed to think when they still follow him and wreak havoc in his name?

"There you go! Let's go to dinner, and then you can come back and finish your letter with your brand new mindset," Daphne gleams, slamming the book shut. All this time, she had been distracting herself from her stomach rumbling. "Maybe you can start along the lines of 'Dear mother and father, with newfound knowledge, I've decided to follow in the family's footsteps. After all, it's my goal to make you proud. I shall start my quest getting rid of the pesky Gryffindors.' How does that sound?"

"I like it, but I think it would be best to address them as Lucius and Narcissa. Show them I mean business," Lyra laughs, following them out of the library.