The Black Sheep | George Weasley

Eleven

The train home was very sad.

Voldemort was back, Cedric was dead and so much change was bound to happen. The air was so thick with sorrow. Lyra didn't know the Dark Lord was back. But he was. He sadly was.

Her heart sounded like thunder against her eardrums. Sue thought her heart was bound to burst. The clouds were gray and in her hands held the last letter her father sent. She was horrified for what was to come.

Her grades were exceptional, her OWLs were perfect but her spirit was broken. She tried to be close to her friends, she tried to just be honest but every time she tried the words were caught in her throat.

The door to her compartment slid open. Lyra jumped out of her skin as she saw Katie and Alicia. They seemed just as down as her. They just walked in and sat down across from her.

Katie noticed the letter clutched into Lyra's hand. "What's in the letter?" She asked softly. Her friend opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

Alicia snatched it from her hands. She looked red with anger. "Dear Lyra, regarding your unexceptionable behavior, you will be punished accordingly. You want to spend time with Gryffindors, I told you I'd treat you like one. From your poor ability to make friends, you will be heavily monitored. Every activity you participate in will be documented for me. You will be assigned new friends and you will be reminded why you mustn't spend time with scum. Draco has told me everything, you have been seen conversing with the Weasleys. You will be punished for that as well. You are ungrateful and a waste of my time. Just know the only reason you aren't sent to Bulgaria is because of your mother's persistent crying.... Father..." The two girls looked at Lyra as her bottom lip quivered.

"My father will beat me when I get off this train. As he sees fit. Draco has had his hand hit with father's cane. I see myself receiving a worse punishment. I-I've enjoyed your company and I like you two greatly. But... I can no longer speak to you next year or very bad things will happen." Lyra broke down into fresh sobs. Her friends quickly hugged her close. "I hate him."

"There must be someone else you can live with. Surely." Katie said.

"No, no. No one. I have no one." She sighed shakily. "To be fair I wasn't very secretive. It was bound to get back to father. I was stupid to think it wouldn't."

"He's a right prick." Alicia scoffed.

"Yes, yes he is." Lyra agreed.

When Lyra got off the train, she grabbed her things and had them put on a trolly. She noticed Draco and followed him. She only glanced slightly at her friend before finding her mother with a sour look.

"Your father is waiting for you." Narcissa said darkly. "When we arrive home, you stay in the foyer."

They used the floo network to appear back home. Minky was quick to collect Lyra's luggage before disappearing. Draco gave her a cruel smirk before following their mother.

Lyra tried to prepare herself as she stood tall. She heard footsteps coming closer. She let out a shaky breath as in front of her was her father. He looked the same, angry.

"Come," He ordered. Lyra followed him down a particular corridor and into a room Lyra wasn't in often. He flicked his wand and the door shut and locked. He stood up to her, staring at her as if she was scum. He grabbed a hold of her hair, tugging on it roughly, making her whimper. "You disobey me and make me look like a fool!" He growled. "The dark lord will not see my children as incompetent, disobedient scum!" He watched a fearful tears run down her face. "Lyra, do it. Test me." She held still.  He pulled her hair and directed her to a desk. He grabbed her hand and laid it onto the surface. "You will stay in your bedroom for the whole summer, your meals will be brought to you, your letters will be burnt. You will NEVER speak to those Gryffindors again!"

With no preparation, he took his cane and hit her hand with it. She let out a blood curdling scream but he charmed her to hold still as he broke each of her fingers.

Narcissa stood outside with tears in her eyes, waiting to tend to her daughter. When the screaming ceased, she knew it was over. She wiped her eyes and stood tall. The door opened and Lucius threw Lyra into her embrace.

"Take your child." He growled before storming away.

She held Lyra as she sobbed hysterically. She was taken to a sitting room while her mother had Minky bring her healing potions. Lyra's hand was beet red and was swelling up. She kept sobbing over the pain.

She was given a potion to help numb her body and then another to heal her. It would take a night for all the bones to be healed. Narcissa stroked her head soothingly.

"You will be alright." Narcissa whispered as she kissed her daughter's head. "If you behave, your father may lessen your punishment. But you will be assigned new friends."

Lyra knew that meant her school year would be lonely.

For the summer, she was forced to stay into her bedroom and her wand was taken away, not that she could use it. She was forced to entertain herself which meant sleeping, or keeping a diary log, even just staring outside or reading a NEWTs preparation book.

She was feeling herself go slowly mad. Her only contact was with Minky. And even that was short. She felt like she had friends within the stories she read. It helped a little with her crippling loneliness.

She also wished she could be a better friend for Katie and Alicia. Lyra felt like the worst friend ever. So she wrote them letters, several letters, ones that would never be sent. Each one was stored.

For fun, she wrote a letter to George. She confessed her love for him and how she would have to move on and will soon be married to a man of her father's chosing. She expressed her desire to escape her family but they were family and was all she knew. She felt like a caged bird. She wrote to George with little hope. She wished him well and she wished his inventions well.

She stamped it closed and had it stored with the others. She looked at the bottom drawer  sadly. Why was she a Malfoy? She wished for a different identity desperately.

Sorry for the late jump. Trust the process.