LANDSLIDE, james potter [2]

Chapter Four

Lyra Cassiopeia Malfoy (née Black) hadn't been able to stop smiling since the news broke. While the rest of the Wizarding World were flying around in a frenzy, she was having the time of her life. She was probably the only one who was happy that convicted (supposed) mass-murderer, Sirius Black, had escape from Azkaban.

Draco Lucius Malfoy had been a bit concerned, but knew he would be safe. He had grown up thinking that Sirius Black was a famed Death Eater from the stories he heard from his father, the ones he was only told when his mother wasn't around. He knew she was cousins with the man, but not much else about their relationship. He only supposed they hadn't been close.

Lucius Malfoy had been angry beyond belief. After all his efforts, he had not been able to contain the threat of Sirius Black. That man and his imprisonment had been a constant reminder he could hold over his wife's head when he needed to have some leverage over her. Now he didn't feel like he had any, other than the fact that he could still call upon the mysterious killing of someone she had once loved.

But even all the anger in the world hadn't been able to keep his wife from smiling brightly for days, nothing looking like it would be able to bring her down. Draco didn't know if he'd ever seen his mother so happy.

The only issue was that the Malfoys, a usually dysfunctional family, were fighting more than usual because of it. Draco was usually kept out of it, but he could hear them screaming at each other in the middle of the night when he was sleeping. He never mentioned that he heard. He didn't want to tell anyone.

"You know why this isn't good, Lyra! I don't care about your personal feelings on this matter," Lucius fought with her for the millionth time. "If anybody finds out the truth, then too many things can be found out!"

His blonde wife scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "Well, you may not care about my personal feelings but I also don't care about your dumb lies! I hope this will reveal the truth! He deserves the truth being revealed."

"He's a murderer!" the thirty-eight-year-old man exclaimed, looking at her incredulously. No matter what way they put it, it was true in the eyes of their entire world. They couldn't argue with it. "An evil murderer!"

"And you're not? We've all done horrible things, Lucius. Even me. Things I can't ever forget," Lyra said darkly, haunted by memories of screams and blood caused by a curse she was forced to cast against her will at only seventeen. "He has never been anything but a good person."

"Have you forgotten what he can be capable of?" he asked, having his own very biased opinion on the escaped convict, considering a close, personal friend of his had a childhood grudge against him. "Severus says he once tried to kill him."

"Did Severus ever mentioned that he tried to get me killed along with him?" asked Lyra, raising an eyebrow. She could remember that night very clearly, and even though she hadn't ever told her husband (because of secrets that weren't hers to tell), she still wasn't going to let him get away with using a just one side of the story against her.

"That doesn't matter!" Lucius retorted, though that was new information to him. He sounded a bit less sure, mentally noting that he should ask his good friend Severus about it the next time he saw him. "It still happened!"

"I'd say it matters. I call your sources into question. The day I trust a word that comes from the lips of Severus Snape is the day I fall in love with you!" she responded sarcastically, smirking smugly.

"How funny," Lucius rolled his eyes. "I'd trust Severus with my life."

"I'd trust Sirius with mine," said Lyra, her chin raised high in pride. For years, she hadn't wanted to stand up to him, knowing what he was capable of. But she was getting sick and tired of all of it, and she felt proud of herself for being able to actually argue.