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❝all we see is light for forever 'cause the sun shines bright for forever like we'll be alright for forever this way❞
≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫
"Lyra, ah-ah-ah!" Aliyah sang, smiling brightly as she ran down the driveway towards her best friend
"Ali, Ali-yah!" Lyra sang, laughing.
"Ravenpu-uh-uff. Want your bad romance," they sang together, quickly doing their secret handshake before hugging each other tightly.
"Oh, it feels like it's been years since we've been able to do that!" Aliyah exclaimed. They pulled out of the hug, and she placed her hands on the shorter girl's shoulders. "I'm keeping you. You're never going back there."
"I never want to go back there." Lyra followed Aliyah inside the quiet house. It was just after one in the morning.
"I was so glad when I got your owl," Aliyah whispered as they walked upstairs to her room. "I already talked to my parents, and they said to tell you that you can stay as long as you want. 'Anything for our second daughter.' That's what my mum said."
"Your mum is the most amazing woman, Aliyah." Lyra set her trunk down in the far corner of Aliyah's bedroom. The Ravenclaw flopped down on the bed and patted the spot next to her, smiling at Lyra as she sat down next to her. "Both your parents are. Sometimes I wish I'd been born into the Muggle world."
"Seriously? I wish I'd been born into the wizarding world," Aliyah confessed. "You're so lucky you got to grow up with all this cool magic at your disposal."
"Yeah, well..." Lyra sighed and leaned her head back against the headboard. "It's not as fun as it sounds. At least not when you're from my family."
Aliyah smiled sadly. She remembered the first time Lyra opened up to her about what her home life was like. It made sense why it took so long for her to fully earn the blonde's trust during the early stages of their friendship. "You're safe now, sugar." Aliyah gently nudged Lyra with her shoulder. "Try not to think about it too much."
"What would I ever do without you, spice?" Lyra hugged Aliyah's waist and leaned her head onto her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm awesome." Aliyah chuckled and hugged her shoulders.
≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫
Lyra took a deep breath, shutting her eyes tight as she ran towards the brick wall between platforms 9 and 10. This was the end of her life. She was going to crash.
But the crash never came.
She opened her eyes, a gasp falling from her lips when she saw the Hogwarts Express. Witches and wizards from all over the country were saying goodbye to their parents and boarding the train. "Wicked," she breathed. She began to push her trolley so she could get a good seat, but Bellatrix grabbed her arm.
"We need to have a talk before you go." Bellatrix ignored the warning look Narcissa and Sirius gave her and pulled Lyra aside. "I'm warning you now, Lyra," she said lowly, "any rebellion and you will wish that you were never born. Do you understand me?"
Lyra nodded. "Yes, Bellatrix," she whispered, her nervousness growing. She knew exactly what she meant by 'rebellion'. No associating with mudbloods, honour the family name, and most importantly...
"What house are you expected to make?" Bellatrix asked sternly.
"Slytherin," Lyra answered without missing a beat.
...she was not to be sorted into any house other than Slytherin.
"But..." She took a deep breath. "What...What if I don't make–"
"You will. You're a Black, and there are expectations that come with being that."
Lyra lowered her gaze. "I wish I wasn't a Black," she muttered. She went to say goodbye to her sister and cousin. Narcissa hugged her tight and gave her some money for trolley snacks. Sirius put an arm around her shoulders and leaned down so that he was closer to her small height.
"Don't let anything Bellatrix said scare you," he whispered. "There is nothing wrong with being sorted into a different house. The Sorting Hat knows exactly where you belong. But if it really means that much to you, you can ask it to put you in Slytherin."
"And if it doesn't listen?" Lyra questioned. She sighed and hid her face in Sirius' chest. "I'm not like them, Sirius...Bellatrix, I mean...I'm not evil."
"Not all Slytherins are evil," Sirius reassured her. "My late brother was a Slytherin, and he was the bravest man I've ever known."
"Lyra, come on, we've gotta go!" Draco yelled from the train.
Lyra stood up on her tip-toes and wrapped her arms around Sirius' shoulders in a tight hug before running off to board the train. She walked down the narrow corridor to find the carriage that Draco was in, but she wasn't having any luck. She found a compartment with a girl that looked like she was in her year. She slid the door open, and the girl looked up at her.
"Mind if I join you?" Lyra asked. "Everywhere else is full, and I can't find my nephew."
"No, not at all!" the girl smiled brightly and motioned to the spot across from her. "Your nephew, huh?" she asked as Lyra sat down.
"Yeah, he's my sister's son. We're the same age, though, so he's like a brother. It's kinda complicated," Lyra explained, waving her hand dismissively.
"That's really cool! I'm Aliyah Coleman, and I'm an only child."
"I have three older sisters, but it's more like two. I've never even met one of them." Lyra paused as Andromeda crossed her mind for a moment. She knew that she had a daughter close to her age, but she would've already graduated by now, so there was no chance she'd run into her at Hogwarts. "I'm Lyra Black."
Aliyah gasped. "Black? As in the House of Black? The pureblood family?"
"Guilty." Lyra smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "It's not really as cool as it sounds, though."
"But you're 11 and you have a nephew," Aliyah said. "That's kinda cool, right?"
Lyra chuckled a little at Aliyah's enthusiasm. "I don't know the difference between a nephew and a brother. We were raised like siblings."
"How old are your sisters?" Aliyah asked. "Sorry, if I'm being annoying, I just have a lot of questions."
"You're not annoying, Aliyah," Lyra reassured her, and the girl smiled. She spent the train ride to Hogwarts explaining the complicated Black family tree to her, as well as some things that Aliyah needed to know about the wizarding world.
From that moment on, Lyra Black and Aliyah Coleman have been like sugar and spice. Never one without the other, and they wouldn't have it any other way.
