vi

06

E  P  I  S  K  E  Y

( eh - PIS - kee )

" heals minor injuries "

_______________

EARLY MONDAY MORNING Lyra finally awoke. The only light in the dreary hospital came from Madame Pomfrey's desk. The stars illuminated certain spots in the wing, bottles of potions on Lyra's bed-tray shimmered in the sunlight. Although, everything blurred at the edges since her glasses were no where to be found.

"Go back to sleep, Dearie." Madame Pomfrey called from her small desk with a smile. "I'll give you some more potions by nine."

"Thank you." Lyra said, her voice was raspy and barely audible.

Drifting back to sleep was an easy task for Lyra. After listening to her friends babble at her unconscious body, she was ready for a silent night. The past days made Lyra feel like a full body bind curse was holding her down. She couldn't even open her eyes, but she heard every word. The sound of Theo Nott sobbing will be permanently rattling in her brain.

By late morning, it was Cedric's turn to sit by Lyra during his free period. Cedric was slumped in the armchair at her bedside. He never noticed Lyra's eyes as she watched him.

Cedric admired the pile of presents, each wrapped in a different house colour. He had brought two presents wrapped in yellow and black from his parents, along with Lyra's favourite flowers. He was the only one who knew exactly which flowers she liked.

"Even a present from Draco Malfoy and the snakes." Cedric laughed in disbelief.

"So they should." Lyra rasped.

Cedric gasped in utter disbelief and leapt up from his seat. Lyra wheezed as he wrapped his arms around her. "Careful." She winced.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly, dropping back I to his seat. "You alright?"

"Wanna see?" Lyra smirked and gripped the hem of her jumper.

Cedric nodded tentatively as she pulled up the yellow jumper. Cedric let out a shocked exhale. Her once pale skin now a painful purple hue blending into a skin crawling blue. Specks of black swirled into a broken circle where the iron ball had collided with her.

Cedric has assumed the bruise would be a simple circle, the exact circumference of a bludger. The bruises extended around her torso. The purple and blue bled into greens and yellows that crawled across her ribs.

"Cracked two ribs and bruised a few organs." Lyra said nonchalantly. "Everything's fixed, but you'd think there would be a potion to heal bruises. Nope!"

Cedric was still silent. He couldn't formulate any words to describe how he felt. Luckily for him, Professor Snape and Dumbledore arrived before the silence became more painful that it already was.

"Nasty bruise, Miss Fairfax." Dumbledore observed, perching at the end of her hospital bed.

Lyra chuckled for mere seconds before her laughter became a riotous cough that took everyone by surprise. Madame Pomfrey shot from her seat but Lyra attempted to wave her away.

"Ced, get to class." Lyra laughed, waving towards the door the best she could, "Tell my friends I want them here at lunch, if they can of course."

The hufflepuff smiled down at his bed bound friend and waved to his professors before skidding off to his lesson.

Professor Snape occupied the chair beside her and observed the gifts at her bedside, snickering to himself when he read the name tags.

"Is dad going mad, Uncle Sev?" She chuckled softly, ignoring the dull throbbing in her abdomen.

Dumbledore took a seat on the end of her bed, "He's on a mission, of sorts."

"Undercover?"

"Indeed." He smiled.

Lyra turned to face her uncle, a sickly sweet smile crept onto her face. It was the smile a child would use when the craved something.

"Christmas with you then, is it Uncle Sev?" Lyra said, a smile crept onto her uncles face, he nodded once. "Cracking!"

Dumbledore smiled at the exchanged his wide eyes held a far away longing as he watched. The headmaster gripped one of Lyra's cold hands in his own and patted it gently.

"You're a clumsy one, Miss Fairfax. A trip down the moving stairs is something I wish upon nobody." He gave her a knowing wink. "But, you'll be up and running by tomorrow night for supper."

"Can't keep me away."

_______________

By the following Friday, Lyra no longer needed assistance to move around the castle. Her stomach would still contract painfully due to overexertion.

She was lay haphazardly on the makeshift benches that surrounded the Goblet of Fire. Hermione was re-reading Hogwarts: A History, to nobody's surprise.

The congregation of students cheered as a selection of Hufflepuffs arrived, walking alongside Cedric towards the cup. Lyra watched as he broke through the age barrier — she couldn't bare to watch him sign himself away.

Cedric looked towards her after the small ship of paper left his fingers. He had hoped to see her contagious smile and blue eyes gazing at him. Instead, he watched her glare at the ceiling and fiddle with the point of her Hufflepuff tie.

He tore his eyes away from Lyra and set off towards the shouts of his name. He was welcomed by his friends with pats on the back and words of encouragement. He took one last fleeting glance at his younger friend, watching her swipe her under eye with the pads of her fingers.

Not moments after, Fred and George let out simultaneous cheers, waving a small vile in their hands. Lyra couldn't bring herself to sit up, she wanted to forego the pain it would bring her.

The twin stood behind Lyra and Hermione, showing off their handy work to younger students. They marvelled are the to glass vials filled with a glowing substance.

"It's not going to work." Lyra sang out, catching everyone's attention.

Fred and George crouched beside her and looked upon her sceptically. "Oh yeah, and why's that?"

"Help me up first, Georgie." Lyra asked, out stretching her hands. Fred and George each took one of her hands and pulled her up, frowning when she whimpered in pain.

"That line is an Age Line, set by Dumbledore himself." Lyra informed, gesturing to the floating ring that encircle the goblet.

"So?" The twin chorused.

Lyra rolled her eyes and shoved her palm in Fred eye-line. "Let me smell the potion." Fred looked at her, confused. "My Uncle teaches potions, I know a thing or two, Freddie."

Lyra took the cork from the tube with a satisfying pop before bringing the substance to her nose. She chuckled at the smell 'too strong' she mouthed to Hermione. Fred and George jumped to their feet after retrieving the potion.

"Ready, Fred?" George asked, hooking their arms together.

"Ready, George!"

The two guzzled the contents of the potion, everyone's eyes trained on the pair. The two looked no different as everyone hollered. Fred and George jumped past the Age Line with no problem — which earned Lyra a few cocky glances from other students. She simply smiled and tapped the side of her nose.

After their names had disappeared into the blue flame, they were promptly spat back out like firecrackers along with the twins.

Everyone watched as their ginger hair morphed into shagged white locks accompanied by a matching beard. "You said!" They shouted in unison.

"Told you!" Lyra announced in a childish tone as the two rolled along the floor.

The room went from a symphony of laughter to deafening silence. Lyra and Hermione watched as Viktor Krum and the Drumstag headmaster entered the room.

The burley student dropped his own slip of paper into the goblet before making eye contact with Hermione. His eyes wandered to Lyra as he watched her heave and she tried to push herself up.

Viktor furrowed his brow and stalked towards her. Lyra looked up with a smile. "Can I help?" He asked, Lyra wasn't fond of his accent.

"Please." She said.

Before Lyra could outstretched her hands, Krum had a death grip on her waist and lifted her onto the ground. Lyra howled in pain, shocking the man into letting her go. Fred and George were the first to reach her.

"Come on, Sunshine." George began, lifting her in his arms.

"My knights in shining armour." Lyra smiled, resting her head on George's shoulder.

"You're heavy." George said, pretending to struggle.

"You prat!"