Shades of Silver and Black

Chapter 18

-------------------> "LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. YOU INVITED HER," NARCISSA STARTED IN DISBELIEF during breakfast the next day as she looked at Miss Sewlyn -who was sticking to Lucius that reminded her strangely of a koala with a eucalyptus tree- "to sit with us?" She asked, mentally praying that she was wrong.

"Of course he would!" Theodore Nott injected quickly, jumping to his king's defence, "Miss Sewlyn is the King's consort." He said as Narcissa added a silent,'and the Queen's first homicide' in the safety of her mind. "It's only proper if she sits beside him during meals." Theodore continued before he snuck a glance at the queen's face and felt disappointment course through his being to only see her head slightly tilted and amusement twinkling in her eyes like it always did.

"The King has had many... consorts previously," Valarie Bulstroad began, trying to make sense of her king's rather abrupt change in mind- it was no secret that Miss Sewlyn ran his fan club nor was it a secret that Lucius Malfoy really detested her. "If I may be bold, what -no offense- makes Miss Sewlyn so special?" 

Lucius looked at Lyra instead. "Would you like to know the identity of the girl I like?" 

Lyra smiled beautifully. "You have already made it quite clear who she is," She said, giving Miss Swelyn another smile before clapping her hands pleasantly. "Now, let's not give Miss Sewlyn or Heir Malfoy a hard time, shall we? After all, one can't fault them for simply being in love. But I did hear a few stomach's growl in the past minute or so, and it is very rude of us to keep the others waiting to begin eating their breakfast. So please, everyone -Miss Sewlyn included- take your seats, and let us eat." 

Everybody nodded as they gracefully sat themselves in their normal places, only Miss Sewlyn laughed at Lyra's words like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. "Oh, you don't have to call me Miss Sewlyn, Lyra! Since we are going to be seeing each other all the time now, please call me Darla!" 

Suddenly, there was pin-drop silence across the Slytherin table. In pureblood customs, it was not proper to call somebody by their given name unless and until they had received direct permission from that person. If you had not received permission by the person to use their given name, then you would have to call them by their title (Heir, Heiress, Lord, Lady, Miss, Master, Mr) if you respected them or you could drop the title and simply call them by their surname if you didn't.

Lyra's smile continued to stay put, but her eyes turned cold enough to freeze glaciers.

"Alright, Darla. A small word of caution though, for future dates, do not prematurely assume that just because you have given somebody permission to call you by your given name, does not mean that they will do the same." Lyra said casually, as though she was talking about the weather. However, her dimples deepened upon seeing Darla's smile drop. She tilted her head slightly again. "Because sometimes, the person might not take such mistakes so kindly as I have; and people die all the time. And you'll find that sometimes, it is very easy to make such deaths look like accidents." Lyra smiled good-naturedly. "Sometimes." 

Darla was pale enough to be mistaken for a ghost. 

Lyra's amused glint returned to her eyes as she looked at the surrounding people cheerfully. "Let us eat." 

And everybody ate in silence before chatting with their friends like they normally did.

------> 0o0 <------

It was later during the day that Lyra sat in her room, reading and writing letters from and about her family. She laughed as she read about all the havoc Sirius, James and Regulus were getting upto and how proud grandmother Malania and amused her father was about it. The same havoc had been written in a different perspective as she read at how apparently 'done' and frustrated her grandfather Pollux and mother were respectively. 

Her mother's letter, especially, was divided into two sections. The first section consisted of her ranting in her letter about how Sirius had 'corrupted' and 'spoilt' sweet Regulus while the second section described -in avid detail- her anguish over how badly Dorea Potter had raised her son to have corrupt Sirius in the first place and how she had been right to protest the Lady Potter to be her darling daughter's godmother. Reading her mother's letters never failed to amuse her.

Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa were in her room as well, each of them doing their own thing. Narcissa was humming as she went through and sometimes tried on her cousin's clothes and jewellery. Andromeda was silently sitting on her bed and reading a book while Bellatrix was throwing her wand up in the air and catching it, deep in thought over something.

"Are you going to just let this happen?" Bellatrix asked suddenly, cutting the comfortable silence that had blanketed them. 

The other three girls paused at whatever they were doing and set their eyes on Bellatrix, giving her all their undivided attention.

"Pardon?" Lyra asked, setting down her quill and turning her head to look at her eldest cousin.

"It's obvious that Lucy is trying to make you jealous." Bellatrix continued. "You shouldn't give him the satisfaction of being correct. It goes against everything our family stands for!"

"I agree," Narcissa said, nodding. "If Lucius Malfoy wishes to play with fire, then you show him how it feels to burn." 

"Or," Andromeda began, "...you could just swallow your pride and disclose your facade to Lucius and reveal to him that you not only acknowledge, but also reciprocate his feelings." She suggested.

"Ah, yes." Lyra nodded earnestly. "I could do that, but it does not sound fun and I have heard that that pride leaves an awful after taste and I'm afraid that we are all out of fire whiskey for me to wash it down with." She told Andromeda before turning to Bellatrix. "I agree with Bella and Cissa. If Heir Malfoy wishes to play a game with me, then it is only proper if I show him how it's played." She finished with a smile, a holocaust firestorm dangerously burning in her eyes.