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The corridors of Hogwarts were unusually quiet.
Sirius black. He had broken into the school.
Lyra Arakan laid awake in her bed, her mind racing. The news of the infamous traitor on the loose had spread like wildfire, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to understand this situation more intimately.
With the Arakan family being pureblood Slytherins with ties to the Black family, there was an unsettling familiarity to the name that tugged at her curiosity.
As the clock struck midnight, Lyra slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Astoria, who was sound asleep in the nearby bed.
Grabbing her velvet red winter jacket, she crept out of the Slytherin dormitory, through the dimly lit hallways, her footsteps echoing softly against the stone floors.
The deeper she ventured into the castle, the more her heart racedânot from fear but from an almost reckless thrill.
What if she could find him? Maybe he could explain why her family took such a liking in his brother and father, but not him.
Lyra reached the castle's entrance hall and paused, staring into the black expanse of the grounds beyond.
The moonlight illuminated the forbidden forest, casting creepy shadows.
Suddenly, she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps behind her.
Lyra quickly turned, instinctively reaching for her wand. To her annoyance, Fred Weasley emerged from the shadows.
"So I thought correctly, I could swear I saw a familiar face from my window, making her way across the open area inside the school, and towards the Hogwarts exit." Fred said sternly.
"Out of all the people to run into." she muttered, her annoyance obvious. "What do you want, Weasley? Shouldn't you be in bed, dreaming up your next prank?"
Fred narrowed his eyes. "Shouldn't you be in bed, dreaming up how to make it to the top of the list of the most infuriating people to exist. But instead you're trotting around. What are you doing, Lyra?"
Lyra rolled her eyes. "It's none of your business, Weasley. I'm looking for somethingâsomeone. I can handle myself."
"Right, because searching for a murderer in the middle of the night is such a brilliant idea," he shot back, crossing his arms. "Or it is someone else you're looking for. Nott, perhaps?"
"If anything, you're just asking to get caught or worse. Do you even know what you're doing? This isn't about you, you can put the whole school in danger by doing this." He continued
"You're insufferable, this isn't about you either, so walk away." She replied.
Fred stepped forward, unyielding. "And you're being reckless. Sirius Black is a dangerous criminal. If he's out there, you'll just be putting yourself in danger. What do you even hope to accomplish?"
Lyra opened her mouth to retort, but hesitated. Her anger momentarily dissipated as she realized he was right.
"You may be right, but this is still none of your business." She spat back, clearly annoyed.
Searching for a man everyone else feared was hardly a clever plan, but she felt a strange need to uncover the truth about her family's ties to him, if her family wouldn't tell her, maybe he could.
"I have my reasons," she replied, her voice low. "And if you think I'm going to let you stop me from getting my answers, you're mistaken."
Fred sighed, the irritation etched on his face. "You know what? I don't care what your reasons are. But don't expect any sympathy when your corpse gets found in the forbidden forest.
Lyra gaped at him. "I think i'll manage."
"Fuck, you're ignorant!" Fred's voice rose slightly, and then he dropped it, running a hand through his messy hair.
The sound of his voice had obviously caught someones attention. Heavy footsteps appearing behind them.
"Miss Arakan, Mister Weasley. What may the two of you be doing out of bed, at this hour." Professor Snape's sly voice spoke from behind them.
They had been caught.
"This is all your fault, Arakan." Fred spat in a whisper towards her, before they both turned around to face Snape, who was holding his lit up wand.
"Sleepwalking, sir." Fred replied. Lyra scoffed at his pathetic attempt to excuse his actions. Snape completely ignored Fred, and rather focused his attention towards the Slytherin girl.
"Arakan, I fear I might know the reason why you are out of bed at this hour, but please tell me you're actually not stupid enough to go looking for Sirius Black yourself?" Snape looked at her.
Lyra could only stare down at the floor in shame by his statement, holding back all the things she wanted to say, but couldn't, since Fred was standing right beside her. He clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"50 points from Slytherin."
Lyra was about to protest, but Snape interrupted her. "If you do not wish to double the amount, I reckon you shut up and return to your dorm at once, you too Weasley. Now, off with you."
Snape watched them walk away, making sure they were heading where they were supposed to.
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It was not before they were a safe distance away from him, Fred spoke out.
"Does Snape know you personally or something? No wonder you only get good grades." Fred snorted.
"Excuse me, but my grades are purely an outcome of my hard work and studying. Not that you would even understand what hard work means." Lyra spat back.
Fred only smirked by her comment, keeping an eye on her as they walked.
An eerily silence filled the corridors, and Lyra found it rather awkward to be so close to Fred. It was different being alone with him.
When they were on the pitch, they were always surrounded by other people, which made it easier to throw shade at one another.
"Today in potions," Fred suddenly started, perking Lyra's attention instantly.
"I overhead Nott telling something to his friends, and despise 'eavesdropping' is not in my nature, I couldn't help but listen when they mentioned your name."
"Oh? And what pearls of wisdom did Nott's conversation grace you with?" she asked, masking her sudden interest with sarcasm.
"Well,"
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