Wolf and Lion ;; Lyra & Liam

[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Lyra sat by herself at a table in the corner of the Three Broomsticks, waiting.

The night before last Lyra had sneaked out of the castle, like she had done before, to go and walk in the night. But, unlike times before, she had met someone. Liam, a Gryffindor boy in the year above her, had been out too, and by chance they had run into each other in the courtyard. They had walked together, and talked, and in what felt like no time Lyra had felt like she knew him almost better than anyone. Of course, she wasn't stupid; they had only just met, and plenty of people knew him better than she had. Still, she had become very comfortable with him very quickly. She had shared stories with him about her life, and told him about her being a Werewolf. And he hadn't minded. At least, he'd said he hadn't, and it definitely seemed that way. And then he had asked her to Hogsmeade, and so here she was.

It was the full moon tonight, but for once she didn't feel sick and scared. She wasn't thinking about the full moon (at least she was trying not to). She was excited, despite herself. She didn't want to get all worked up, but she couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach.

She had lied to her brother, Eadric, about where she was going. Eadric wouldn't have liked her going into Hogsmeade the day of the full moon, never mind to meet someone he didn't even know. But she would be back in enough time to take her potion, and get down to the Shrieking Shack to change safely. Everything would be fine.

Lyra had a flagon of Butterbeer in front of her to keep her occupied while she waited. She didn't have to worry about anyone taking the seat she was saving; the other Hogwarts students who came into the Three Broomsticks gave her a wide birth. No one would want to sit next to her. It reminded her of how most people in the school thought of her, and she worried slightly that Liam would have second thoughts and not show up.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

The day of classes between the night he'd met Lyra felt like it took an eternity, but it had only been a day, and sure enough the Hogsmeade weekend was here. He'd returned to the dorm the night he met Lyra and slept soundly for the first time in months, and he'd slept soundly the night before Hogsmeade, too. He'd told Aeryn that he'd met the girl who was 'supposedly' a Werewolf. And just as he predicted she asked a bunch of ridiculous, inappropriate questions, which Liam just laughed off, ruffling her hair and telling her to be on her way. Aeryn wasn't happy about it but she listened nonetheless.

Classes were classes. He paid attention in the ones he needed to and didn't in the ones he excelled in. He did some homework, but mostly the day prior to this one had been spent worrying. Worrying about Hogsmeade. Would Lyra show up? Would he know where to find her? What would he wear? Would her brother be there? He doubted that last one, and even that second to last one was of little actual concern, but the thoughts still crossed his mind, no matter how brief. But the day was here, and he walked to Hogsmeade with his fellow Gryffindors around him. They were chatting excitedly, but he remained silent, his thoughts focused only on the day to come. He was clad in jeans, a white collared shirt.

He walked along, looking at each shop as he passed, wondering where Lyra might be. Hogsmeade wasn't the biggest village, but it seemed incredibly large when it came to 'meeting someone in Hogsmeade.' Still, his eyes fell on the Three Broomsticks and somehow he knew. She'd be in there. Most students frequented the Three Broomsticks, so why he hadn't checked there first he wasn't sure. He entered through the door, his eyes scanning the tables in the front and he saw nothing, but his eyes traveled to a corner table, spotting a certain girl and a grin lit up his face immediately. He strode over to the table, the smile never leaving his face, ordering a butterbeer from one of the barmaids on the way.

"Glad I found you," he said with a smile as he sat down at the table across from her. It only dawned on him as he looked at her that it was a full moon tonight. Still, she didn't look to be any less worse for the wear, and her spirits seemed high, and he refused to damper either of their moods by bringing it up. He simply stared at her for a few seconds, taking her entire appearance in. Even on the eve of the full moon, the eve of her transformation, she was radiant.

"You look lovely," he grinned toward her as the barmaid brought him the butterbeer he ordered. He offered her a nod of thanks before she disappeared once more. He was happy to be in her company once more. It was an odd kind of feeling, since they'd only just met, but Liam could see himself enjoying her company quite a lot, if he was being honest with himself. She was one of the few people at Hogwarts who knew about his father, and he was positive he was one of the only people outside of Eadric to know of her condition, and he felt honored to have been allowed so close to her.

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[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Lyra spotted Liam the second he walked in, because she had been glancing up at the door every few seconds. She realised that she hadn't told him where to meet her, but the Three Broomsticks seemed the obvious place. Still, she was anxious not to miss him if he came in. There was a chance he could walk in and not notice her, sitting alone in the corner.
When Liam walked in Lyra's stomach did a back flip. She was so glad he had turned up, and she couldn't help the stupid smile on her face. He looked around, obviously not seeing her straight away, and she bit her lip, wondering if she should speak up, or go over to him. But she didn't really want to draw the attention of the other students in the bar to herself. She just wanted the two of them to be left alone, and she didn't want other students wondering what Liam was doing with the Werewolf. They might put him off.

Lyra noticed how good Liam looked, and then blushed as soon as she had thought it. She had no experience with boys. But either way, Liam was just a friend. She shouldn't be getting so nervous.

Liam spotted her, and walked over. Lyra saw the smile she felt on her own face mirrored on his.

"Well," she said, as he opened the conversation, "I thought it would be the obvious place. I didn't want to be somewhere obscure, or you may never have found me." She smiled as she sat down, and looked down at herself when he said that she looked nice. She almost said 'do I?', but stopped herself. She thought it was obnoxious to not be able to take a compliment. So instead she said "Thank you."

In all honesty, Lyra hadn't worried too much about what she was going to wear on the Hogsmeade trip. She was too worried about the full moon, and about Liam not showing up because he'd thought better of it, or spoken to his friends about her and they'd talked him out of it. She was wearing a short skirt with a plain black top, paired with thick black tides to ward off the September chill. Nothing particularly special.

"I'm glad you didn't change your mind," she said, still smiling, as a waitress appeared and handed Liam a Butterbeer he had supposedly ordered. This reminded Lyra that she had her own drink in front of her, and she took a sip of the warm liquid, which had cooled considerably; she hadn't been drinking her drink much, instead she'd just held it, to have something to do with her hands.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Liam smirked at Lyra's comment about meeting in the obvious place. Surely it was obvious enough, and he was thankful that she hadn't been somewhere more obscure because he probably wouldn't have been able to find her. She looked down at herself as if doubting his words, and the smirk remained on his face. He could doubt her all he wanted he'd not take the compliment back. But then she thanked him, and he nodded his thanks as he took a sip of butterbeer.

”You make a fair point about the meeting place,” he admitted with a shrug as he placed his glass back down onto the table, his thoughts wandering to what the day would bring them. It was a nice enough day out, the possibilities were endless really… the only problem was that Liam didn’t know a thing about what Lyra liked to do for fun with the exception of midnight walks… and those might not even be thought of as fun by her, considering the only time he’d seen her on one was three days before a full moon. No, no, the way she handled herself outside. She knew her way around. She took walks a lot. Still the question remained whether or not they were midnight walks. Not that it mattered particularly much...or at all.

Liam was brought out of his thoughts as Lyra said she was thankful he didn’t change his mind. He let out a soft chuckle.

”Why would I change my mind?” he asked, smiling. He knew she probably wasn’t used to friendship… well, real friendship anyway. She had Eadric, that much he knew, but other than Eadric, who did she have? Anyone to lean on if he ever got too much? Got on her nerves? It didn’t seem like it, and while he’d like to believe the Eadric didn’t get on Lyra’s nerves…. He doubted that was possible. They were siblinsg after all, and even Liam knew no matter how much you loved your siblings they could still drive you up a wall. Take his own siblinsg for example. He would give his life for any of them, but at the mention of each of their names, if asked to, he could easily name at least three encounters on which he’d wanted to simply smack them for their lack of manners, lack of brains, or lack of honesty. And, well, general annoyance. Younger siblings could do that to you. But still, he loved them just the same.

Liam took another sip of his butterbeer, placing his glass down on the table and glancing back up to Lyra.

”So, have anything special you want to do today?” he asked, feeling the slightest bit awkward. Truth be told, Liam didn’t really go on many Hogsmeade weekends. Sure, he knew they were supposed to be some big treat for students, but he didn’t often come for fun. He’d come, poke around for a little while, and then head back to the castle. On occasion he’d have lunch with Brandon, Aeryn, and Sophia. The three of them had planned to do lunch this weekend, but Liam declined and refused to tell them why when they bugged him endlessly. He knew Aeryn would probably be on the lookout for him, but Sophia and Bran probably didn’t really care. Well, maybe Sophia. She liked gossip from time to time, but Brandon… he’d likely not be too interested in the reasoning.

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[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Liam asked why he would change his mind, and Lyra let out a small laugh, more to herself than anything, and raised her eyebrows slightly, looking down at her Butterbeer. Why would he have changed his mind, indeed. How about the many reasons Lyra had been going over and over in her head, until she had almost convinced herself that he wouldn't show up. There was her Lycanthropy, the fact that it was the full moon, her Death Eater father. And then of course there was all he would have heard about her and Eadric if he had mentioned their talk to anyone. Surely people would have told him to steer clear, if not because she was a Werewolf then because she had a outrageously protective twin brother? Liam was older than Eadric, and he looked strong, but Eadric was taller, and very strong himself. Not that Liam had given Eadric any reason to fight him. Although she didn't put it past Eadric to find one.

Eadric wasn't violent by nature, but he did like a good fight, and he'd do anything to protect Lyra.

He asked if there was anything she wanted to do, and Lyra shrugged. "I'm not sure," she said, "I don't really come here much. Whatever you wanted to do is fine. Maybe we could walk around and take a look in the shops?" That seemed to be all there really was to do in Hogsmeade, that or sit in the Three Broomsticks, as they were doing now.

Lyra was trying not to notice the stares and whispers of the people around them, which had started when Liam had sat down with her. Nobody ever sat by Lyra, except for her brother or possibly her cousin. People tended to stay back from 'the Werewolf'. No doubt they were all wondering what on earth Liam Ward was doing with her, the dangerous freak. She hoped Liam didn't notice the people around them, because he might decide there was too much stigma attached to being Lyra Avery's friend.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Lyra let out a laugh at his question, and he couldn't help but smirk and know exactly what she was thinking. He knew the laugh was sarcastic, and he chuckled right along with her before looking down at the table for a brief moment. He felt only slightly foolish, but she'd have to learn that he wasn't like most people. He'd always been a bit more honest than most. He was almost put into Hufflepuff like Sophia, but the sorting hat saw more potential for him in Gryffindor, and he was happy to say that the sorting hat was right. He knew now that he belonged in Gryffindor. Still, at her sarcastic laugh his mind began turning ever so slightly. Sure, she was a Werewolf, and her parents were Death Eaters, but he felt like there was another factor he'd been overlooking. They'd gotten past the Werewolf thing, and the Death Eater thing... what else was there?

And then he remembered Aeryn. 'That Eadric boy beat up another boy again today.' And he remembered Aeryn when he told her about the supposed Werewolf girl. 'You better be really nice to her or Eadric is gonna try and beat you up like he did the rest of those guys.'

Liam had laughed her off at the time because... well, it was Aeryn, she ever made sense. But... she had a very, very good point. Perhaps it was because he figured he and Eadric would get along. They both understood Lyra's condition, and he knew they both had her best interests at heart... so what was the problem? Eadric only beat up boys that had a problem with Lyra. He very clearly had no problem with her at all. And then he was pulled from his thoughts as Lyra spoke again.

He nodded at her suggestion of walking around the shops, but laughed a little. "That's funny..." he paused for only a brief second "I never really come here either. So... I don't really have a clue where to start with the shops. I mean... we could try..." he paused, thinking of the shops that Hogsmeade held and ones that they would both enjoy. Did Lyra like sweets? "Honeydukes?" he asked with a small shrug, and you could tell by his face that he was completely unsure, and he let out another chuckle at himself for being so indecisive. But he was only an order giver when he needed to be, and this was a time for them to decide what to do together. He didn't want to drag her anywhere she didn't want to go. What fun would that be?

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[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Lyra's stomach turned at the mere mention of Honeydukes, and she shook her head fiercely. "No," she said, pulling a face. With the full moon bearing down on her pretty much all Lyra wanted to eat was very rare meat. She could make herself eat vegetables and bread (and she did, because eating nothing but bloody steak looked very odd), but apart from that she just wasn't interested, and the thought of trying to eat the sugary sweets sold at Honeydukes made her feel nauseated. She didn't think she could stand to be around them all, with the smell filling up the small, hot, crowded shop. Especially not with her sense of smell heightened as it was.

"Sorry," she added, thinking that maybe Liam had really wanted to go to Honeydukes. "If you want to go, we can... its just I can't eat sweets, or anything like that, this close to..." she trailed off. She wouldn't really have minded mentioning the full moon in front of Liam any other time, but it seemed different with it being tonight.

Since she had undoubtedly already put the thought of the coming night into Liam's head, she thought she may as well go all in, and mention something else that she had been thinking about. The sun was due to set at around seven, and if she wasn't back well before that, in time to take her potion, she would be in a world of trouble, with Eadric and Professor McGonagall both. But the students were required to be back in the castle at five, so as long as she stuck to the rules she would be fine. "I need to make sure I'm not late getting back to the castle tonight," she said, "I mean, I'm sure we won't be, but just so you know... they worry otherwise. And Eadric doesn't know I'm here."

She was starting to feel very much of a burden; she put all these restrictions on Liam, making it so he couldn't go to Honeydukes, couldn't stay out a moment past curfew if he wanted to go back up to the castle with her. Not to mention the fact that Eadric might give him a hard time some time in the future. Eadric didn't trust people, not when it came to Lyra. If she was wandering around with a new friend, he'd want to know who he was. Especially if she was sneaking down to Hogsmeade on the day of the full moon.

"The only part of Hogsmeade I really know is the shrieking shack," she said, rolling her eyes slightly. Its not as though anything had really stopped her from going to Hogsmeade every time there was a trip, and exploring the place properly, and she had been with Eadric, but after a while the two of them wandering around the shops just seemed pointless. They enjoyed each others company, and didn't have things they wanted to buy, so more often than not the two of them would stay together in the castle, enjoying the quiet.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Lyra pulled a face and seemed positively repulsed at the mere mention of Honeydukes and Liam's faced softened in confusion. I mean, if she didn't like sweets that was fine, but to be completely repulsed by the idea of sweets? Still, his face remained somewhat emotionless as he hoped she'd provide some sort of further explanation. He didn't mind not going to Honeydukes. Truth be told he had little interest in any of the shops in Hogsmeade, that's why he rarely came unless he was having lunch with Sophia, Aeryn, and Bran. Then Lyra apologized and it was his turn to shake his head no. She had nothing to be sorry about, especially after the explanation she added on.

"No, that's okay," he said with a smile. "We don't have to go." He hadn't thought about how the full moon that night would affect her senses and her appetite. Truth be told he knew a lot about Werewolves, but it obviously wasn't enough. He took another sip of his butterbeer as she started saying she needed to be back to the castle tonight. That made enough sense.

"Don't worry. We'll have you back in time," he said with a reassuring nod. He didn't want her to be in trouble of any kind, and he certainly didn't want her to transform when she was unprepared. Transforming under conditions she wasn't used to would probably stress her out. Or, at least it would probably stress Liam out if he was a Werewolf. Lyra would have to take the potion that was made for her and have enough time to make it to the Shrieking Shack. But at the mention that Eadric didn't know she was there had Liam both smirking and perplexed.

"He doesn't know you're here?" he questioned, surprised. From what he'd gathered he would have thought she would tell him everything... but apparently he was wrong. And then it dawned on him. Had she not told him for Liam's sake? Because she didn't want Liam to give him a hard time? He'd been about to ask, but decided it might be better to bring that up at a later time. He knew Eadric's reputation, but he had no doubt that he would be able to handle himself against Eadric, though he sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that. Eadric seemed like a good guy, protective over his sister, sure, but other than that he seemed to be a decent human being. Liam had done nothing wrong. Surely Eadric would see that... right?

"My siblings don't know I'm here either," he admitted with a smirk. "We usually have lunch together whenever the Hogsmeade weekend comes around, but I told them I'd not be going to Hogsmeade today." They would get over the lie, and he was sure that when they found out where he was they'd be more than excited and happy for him, and they'd be full of questions once more.

His thoughts continued to drift to what they would do today in Hogsmeade, where neither of them seemed to go or even like, when Lyra mentioned something that sparked an idea in Liam's head. She rolled her eyes at the idea, so he waited a moment, wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to ask. In the end he decided he would

"We could go there... if, if you wanted to," he said, still unsure of the territory he would get himself into. He was interested in Lyra's life as a Werewolf, but he wasn't sure how comfortable she would be with the idea of showing him that side of her. "I've never been there, but it's got to be more interesting than the rest of the stuff here..." he said pausing again, debating on the last part of his statement that had been buzzing around in his brain. She had been honest with him about her need to be back, and so he chose to be honest with her about his curiosities. "Plus, I'm interested to see where... ya know..." Not one of his most grateful sentences in the world, but he didn't want to be too candid in the area they were in, and he was sure that she would understand what he meant.

[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Lyra shook her head, frowning slightly when Liam asked if Eadric didn't know she was here. It sounded pretty bad when he said it like that. She didn't like lying to Eadric, but she felt that it had been necessary. It would worry him if he knew where she was, and they would argue and he would be upset, because there was no way Lyra wasn't going to do what she wanted, unless Eadric had a very, very good reason. And in this case there just wasn't one. Yes, it was the full moon tonight, but that was the case every month. And that wasn't ever going to change. It wasn't a special case, it was her life, and she already had to work her life around it. If there wasn't a good reason to, she wasn't going to let the moon dictate what she did. Not during the day, anyway.

"No," she said, wanting to clarify, feeling like Liam should have some of the information at least. "He wouldn't think it was a good idea for me to come into Hogsmeade on the day of the full moon. Especially not with someone he didn't know. And especially not with someone I'd only just met, who I met while sneaking out of the castle in the middle of the night. And especially not a boy..." she realised what she had just said, and blushed slightly, although she tried to hide it. "I mean, not that... obviously, its not... but no, Eadric doesn't know." she finished, lamely.

Lyra hadn't meant for the Shrieking Shack to be a suggestion, but it seemed to spark an idea in Liam, and he asked if they could go there. Lyra was surprised, and even more surprised when he continued, saying that he was interested to see where it was she transformed (well, he didn't use those exact words, but he wouldn't in the middle of the Three Broomsticks).

A couple of years ago, when Lyra had first become a Werewolf, she would have thought going to look at the Shrieking Shack was a terrible idea. Not because she was afraid of it, or didn't want to see it, but because it was called the 'Shrieking Shack' for a reason. She had been told all about Remus Lupin, a Werewolf who had been at Hogwarts years ago, and their previous teacher. The Shrieking Shack had been used for his transformations, and the whomping willow planted to guard the entrance to the secret passage leading to it. Back then it had just been a shack. But after the villagers started to hear the screams from the transforming Lupin every month, the shack had gained its name. It was decided that there were very violent ghosts in the shack, and it became known as the most haunted building in Britain. But when Remus Lupin had left school the shack had grown silent, and the interest in it died down.

But when Lyra came to Hogwarts as a Werewolf, the Shrieking Shack started to shriek again. As a result it garnered more and more visitors during Hogsmeade trips. Lyra would have hated to stand around in a crowd of students, all talking about the 'ghosts' and how they screamed, knowing the truth; there had never been ghosts in the Shrieking Shack.

After a few years though the novelty had worn off, and less people visited. So if they went now, they would probably be alone, which Lyra vastly preferred.

"Okay, sure," she said, "if you want." She was glad of someone who didn't tip-toe around the issue of her being a Werewolf. She was one, whether they liked it or not, and it was a part of her daily life, and once a month she went to the Shrieking Shack and transformed.

"I'm finished," she said, indicating to her half drunk and now cold Butterbeer. "When you're ready we can go now, if you like." She wondered whether Liam would want to just look at the shack, or go right up to it. Students weren't allowed (nobody was supposed to cross the boundary line) but even if Lyra had been one to follow rules, she wouldn't follow that one. The Shrieking Shack, as much as she disliked going there, felt like 'hers' in a way. She was the only one who ventured in, and it were her shrieks that gave it its name.

note ;; 'shack' doesn't even sound like a word any more...

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Lyra began to clarify why Eadric know, which he appreciated. He hadn't been expecting her to go into any sort of detail, but when she began her explanation he understood. Eadric didn't think it wise that she as out on the day of the full moon, which made sense, except for the fact that Lyra seemed fine. Sure she hated the idea of sweets, but it wasn't as if she was acting any differently, and Liam thought Eadric should at least trust her enough to allow her to handle herself. She'd had the condition for years, surely she was used to the timing of everything by now, no? Still, he'd never voice that aloud. Eadric wanted to protect his sister and Liam would not get in the way of that effort. He wanted to protect her, and Liam would let her... Wait a minute, right up until that last part of what she said.

A smirk fell across his face as he watched her cheeks turn the slightest bit red. So Eadric wouldn't like him because he was a boy around his sister. That made sense, too, but it was still funny the way it came out... the adorable way that Lyra tried to recover from the slip, finally deciding to just let it go.

"I see..." he said lifting his glass of Butterbeer once more, the smirk never leaving his face as he finished the cup and grinning at her, waiting to hear what she'd say about the Shrieking Shack. He wasn't sure if it was a place that she'd come to hate or love. Liam didn't see how you could love a place that you went through such a painful transformation... but had she formed a kind of bond with the shack? She spent at least one night a month four the past three years there. The Shack had witness some of her most intimate moments, the biggest secret she'd ever held. Would you feel a bond with a place like that? Could you feel a bond with a place like that?

Liam wasn't sure of the answer, so he let it mull around in his head for awhile before Lyra finally said sure. Liam was delighted by her answer, following it up with if he wanted to go. He nodded immediately with a small smile. He was glad that she agreed to go and wasn't completely repulsed by the idea. Perhaps seeing the shack during the day rather than when the impending transformation was bearing down would be interesting for Lyra. Or maybe she would just hate it, but Liam didn't think Lyra was the sort of girl who allowed herself to be put in the position of being around things or people she hated, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He shouldn't worry so much, really. She agreed to go, and that was that, they would go.

Lyra placed her cup down saying that she was done, and Liam nodded, glancing down at his own cup of Butterbeer that was now empty. Lyra said they could go now, and he gestured a hand toward the door before rising from the table.

"Alright, let's go," he said with a grin, laying a few galleons down on the table to pay for both of their drinks. He grinned at her before making his way outside, presuming that she'd follow. And from there they would make their way to the shrieking shack.

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[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Lyra was intensely grateful that Liam didn't latch on to what she had said, or mention the fact that she had blushed. It was embarrassing to have said something like that, especially when it wasn't like that; this wasn't date, they were just friends. They had only just met! Lyra had no experience with boys, and so she'd have no idea if Liam liked her or not, or even if she liked him. Even having a friend outside of her family was relatively new territory. Of course she had had friends before she had been bitten, but she had been a kid. Even someone who wasn't a Werewolf was a totally different person when they were sixteen than when they were thirteen. And friendship dynamics were totally different. When you were twelve/thirteen you had a kid-type of friendship. By the time you were sixteen your friendships took on more meaning.

Lyra remembered when she had come back to Hogwarts as a Werewolf. Her 'friends' had wanted to know where she had been the past two months, and she had refused to tell them. She vanished from the dorm one night out of every month, and had frequent meetings with teachers, and refused to tell them about that either. She hadn't been acting like 'herself' (because she wasn't, not any more) and her friends had distanced themselves from her. It was her dorm-mates who had let the rest of the house know that Lyra vanished once a month, and then the rest of the school found out, and some people put two and two together, and that was how the rumours started.

Since then she hadn't had any friends. She still shared a dorm with the same girls who had started all the rumours, but she kept to her bed in the corner, and didn't speak to them. Sometimes they made comments or laughed about her, but in general they weren't cruel. Of course girls in a group could be cruel, but Lyra didn't care about petty comments. She had learned to ignore them, and the other girls gave her a wide birth. She frequently spent time hanging out with Eadric in his dorm, but stayed away when the other boys all piled in; she didn't want to get in the way.

She glanced around the Three Broomsticks, and saw two of her dorm-mates sitting at a table across the room. They were looking over and whispering. She looked at them sadly for a moment, before turning back to Liam. They would talk to her tonight, that was for sure. Endless questions and teasing about the boy she was with, and then they would discuss it among themselves, probably not caring if Lyra overheard or not.

Then Liam said 'lets go', and Lyra snapped out of her thoughts. He stood up and put money down on the table, more than he needed to for his drink, Lyra thought, but then she realised that he thought he was paying for her, too. She picked up the share that was for her Butterbeer, and pushed it into his hand. "I paid already," she said, with a slight laugh. She was glad she had, because she wasn't really comfortable with being paid for. It wasn't Liam's job, she could take care of herself.

They left the Three Broomsticks together, and Lyra was glad she had dressed at least semi-warmly; her tartan skirt was short, but she had on thick tights, so that didn't matter, and her black knit top had long sleeves. She was also glad she had worn boots, because it had rained that morning and the path up to the Shrieking Shack would be muddy. "So," she said, "did you want to look from the fence, or do you want the real tour?"

The pair of them continued walking towards the shack, and after a few minutes they reached the fence surrounding it. This was the boundary line, and students in particular weren't supposed to cross it. But Lyra, being the the danger that made the rule necessary, knew that it was safe. "Well?" she asked, smiling slightly, knowing she would tease him mercilessly if he chose to play it safe.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

When Liam felt money being pushed back into his hand he was complexed, but when Lyra mentioned she'd paid already, letting out a small laugh, he smiled sheepishly, the slightest bit embarrassed.

"My apologies" he said, grinning the slightest bit as he placed the money back in his pocket and made his way outside. Lyra was outside momentarily, and Liam felt the September chill moving in. He wasn't cold, but he was thankful he'd chose to wear pants rather than shorts. Well, even if he'd wanted to wear shorts, he only owned a singular pair, which were rarely worn.

They began their walk to the shrieking shack and Lyra asked whether he wanted to watch from the fence or have the real tour. He smirked at the question but remained silent in thought. He knew students weren't supposed to go into the Shrieking Shack, but he now knew that Lyra was the reason for that. And, well, she was with him after all, what else was in there besides... well, just the inside of a shack? There were no ghosts. Liam had never thought there were, even when the shrieks started out again. And at that thought an odd kind of sadness rushed through him.

The shrieks that gave the shack its name were Lyra's now, and that thought sent a brief chill down his spine. He didn't like the thought of anyone in pain, least of all people who were kind, and Lyra was very much a kind person. He didn't like to think of her shrieks.... shrieks of horrible pain. He closed his eyes for a moment, pushing those thoughts from his head. He didn't want to think of Lyra in pain and so he wouldn't.

They finally reached the shack and Lyra asked a simple 'well' before looking toward him with that mischievous glint in her eyes. He knew what she was thinking and he smirked down at her.

"I think the grand tour would be nice..." he began with a smile, "I've got you to protect me after all." He threw a quick wink in her direction before gesturing to the small wooden fence in front of them before grinning wickedly. He knew undoubtedly what the result of his next suggestion would be, but he didn't care.

"Race you," he said simply before ducking in between the barbed wire fence that was set up to keep students out. His shirt got caught on it slightly, tearing the slightest bit but he didn't care. Cuts and scrapes were nothing. Once he was clear of the fence thought he used his legs, which were relatively long, to his fullest advantage as he went darting at his fastest pace toward the shack ahead of them. He knew Lyra would likely be very close behind.

[/blockquote]

[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Lyra raised an eyebrow as Liam said that she was there to protect him, after all. He may joke, but Lyra was probably the most dangerous thing around here for miles. She knew that if anyone physically attacked her she could get them off her with the mere mention of being a Werewolf. Most people were incredibly paranoid about a Werewolf's bite, even not at the full moon. It was a fact that the bite of an unchanged Werewolf could have an effect on the person in question, but that effect was an unknown quantity. There wasn't enough evidence either way. Most people would never risk it. No one wanted her life.

And then Liam took her completely by surprise, challenging her to a race, and ducking between the fence before she knew what had happened. But he only had a seconds head start, because Lyra's reactions were lightning quick. She darted through the fence gracefully, easily missing the barbs on the thin wires, and laughed when she straightened up to see that Liam had caught his shirt, and ripped it slightly. Then she started running.

Liam had a head start, and because he had more muscle than her he was almost certainly faster. But wolves ran, and Lyra right now was as close to a wolf as a human ever got (well, apart maybe from certain animagi). She was fast anyway, and although she wasn't made stronger or faster by being a Werewolf, her instincts made her adept at running. Not to mention she was agile, and almost perfectly balanced. She could run up the uneven ground without once slipping or tripping. She knew exactly where to put her feet, and she was quick. Before long she had caught up with Liam, and then she had passed him. She made it up to the Shrieking Shack, barely out of breath, and turned to see Liam close behind.

"Wolves run," she said, shrugging, and smiling at her victory. "Bad idea to challenge me today." But Lyra had maybe exerted herself a little bit too much, because she suddenly felt sick and light headed. She leaned against the wall of the shack, and closed her eyes, angry and willing it to go away. It had been stupid, racing up to the shack like that, but she had momentarily forgotten about how ill and shaky she could sometimes feel this close to the full moon. She had been feeling fine all day. "Sorry," she said weakly, to excuse her momentary and unexplained change.

For a moment she thought she was going to be sick, but that passed quickly. People were often surprised to hear that Werewolves could get sick around the full moon, but really they shouldn't be. If you thought about it, it made perfect sense. A full moon caused their bodies to rip apart, changing forms completely, and caused them to lose their minds, giving over completely to the instincts of the wolf... actually, no, not the wolf; the Werewolf. Because a wolf would keep to itself, unless threatened or hungry. A Werewolf who hasn't taken the Wolfsbane potion, enabling them to keep their human mind, will seek out humans to bite and kill. If there weren't any humans around, they would seek out animals. No animals, and they would bite and scratch themselves, like Lyra had done at the ministry.

And the moon was always in the sky, getting closer and closer to being full. So it shouldn't be a surprise that Werewolves suffered adverse effects, even when it wasn't the night of the full moon.

Slowly the feeling of sickness started to pass, and Lyra was grateful. She would have hated to have to had gone back to the castle now. "Lets go then," she said, pushing herself off the wall, and walking around the shack.

The Shrieking Shack was old, and rickety, but magically re-enforced. If, for some reason, Lyra hadn't taken her potion, or the potion simply failed, then it wouldn't be easy for her to get out and run wild in the village. Although that was another reason students weren't allowed near the shack; if they broke in, then there was a place for Lyra to break out. Lyra didn't want to break any of the boards to get in, just in case something did go wrong later that night, but she knew another way. There was a small door, almost unnoticeable because the wood had blackened with age, around the back. She lead Liam to it, and pulled out her wand.

"Alohamora," she muttered, and heard a reluctant 'clank' as a padlock on the other side of the door clicked open, followed by the sound of metal chains uncoiling and falling to the floor. After only a moment the door was open, and Lyra held it ajar. "After you," she said, gesturing for Liam to go inside.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Liam kept his eyes focused on the shack ahead of them despite hearing Lyra approaching quick and fast from behind him. He knew she'd be fast, he'd fully expected her to win, but he didn't intend not to challenge her. Still, even as he pushed his legs even harder, willing himself to go faster Lyra easily passed him. She was graceful and agile in her movements as he watched her practically fly through the air with skills he knew were inhuman. But he admired that in her and clumsily (well, at least compared to the way Lyra moved) followed behind, arriving at the shack only seconds after her. His shirt was torn from the fence, but he paid it no mind as he stopped next to catch his breath.

She began gloating, saying that wolves ran and it wasn't a good idea to challenge her and he smirked slightly.

"Believe it or not, I know exactly what I'm getting myself into," he said with a laugh, but it was immediately silence as she began to lean against the wall. She looked as if she were going to be sick and Liam's brows knitted in concern, instinctively placing a hand on her shoulder. She apologized and he shook his head to dismiss it. "Are you okay?" he knew the answer would likely be yes. She'd probably just overexerted herself trying to pass him to get to the shack. Stupid. He should have never suggested racing.

"No, I'm sorry. It was a stupid suggestion," he said, feeling guilty for her present condition, leaning against the wall. She seemed to be moving past it slowly, but he refused to move another step until she was ready. He'd not have her hurt while he was with her. He promised himself the other day that she could be herself, and he would keep her, and her secrets, safe. They stood in silence for a bit as Liam's eyes wandered out toward the September day. It was bright outside, but the clouds provided some nice cover, so it wasn't unbearably bright outside. On occasion he refused to go outside in the summer simply because he felt the light was too blinding. He preferred the dark and colder months, they suited him better.

Still, eventually she said they should go, and he nodded, releasing her shoulder before following her around the shack. He hadn't even thought about a way to get in, really. He just assumed that Lyra would know a way in. After all, it was... "hers," to an extent. And know a way indeed she did. He grinned at her brilliance as she unlocked a door. Breaking a board to get into the shack would have been not only a terrible idea for later that night, but if anyone had ever found out it was them that had done it... they would in a world of trouble. she gestured for him to go in first, and he flashed her a grin before wandering inside without a second thought. He hadn't quite prepared himself for what waited inside.

The walls were scratched, horribly marked up beyond anything Liam had ever seen. There was a chill in the room, or maybe that was just him as he felt goosebumps rise on his skin the slightest bit. He wasn't scared, or nervous, or anything like that. He was just... surprised. It was a little odd to be in the place where Lyra would be that very night, giving the Shrieking Shack its name once more. He turned around, his eyes finding Lyra as he gave her a smile, pushing the chill aside.

"So this is it?" he asked, his eyes peering around the room once more. He knew that Werewolves enjoyed meat to eat. Animals, humans, all kinds of meat. And he knew if Lyra drank Wolfsbane it would allow her human mind to stay, but he wondered.

"Do they give you anything besides wolfsbane? Like... deer meat or anything for you to eat while you're here?" It might have been a silly question, but he wanted to know. His thoughts wandered back to Lyra at the Ministry. How'd she'd supposedly clawed and chewed at herself. Liam didn't want to think that that's what happened here in this room. He would have hoped the teachers and McGonagall had more insight than that.

[/blockquote]

[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Lyra followed Liam into the shack, wondering what his reaction would be.

She was just so used to being in the shack, that she didn't really see it any more. She had been going there every month for three years, and spent a night there as a wolf with very little to entertain her when she was changed. Sometimes she tried to sleep, but often she couldn't. The Wolfsbane potion allowed her to keep her human mind, so she wouldn't go attacking people, or attack herself if she didn't have any humans or animals, but it didn't get rid of the instincts that came with the Werewolf body. Part of her still wanted to hunt, and run out in the moonlight, she just knew not to. And even if she had wanted to, she couldn't get out. So she was cooped up in the shack, and had explored every inch of it to help dull the restlessness.

So Lyra knew the Shrieking Shack inside out, and was so used to it that she didn't notice its startling appearance. But as she watched Liam look around, she felt like she could see it through his eyes. She realised how startling the long, deep scratches on the walls would be. A lot of them had been there before she even came to Hogwarts, but Lyra had added to them. There were traces of Remus Lupin all over the shack, and sometimes Lyra was sure she could smell a very, very faint trace of him. She knew he had died in the battle, and she had felt a slight pang when she was told; they had never known each other as any more than teacher and student, and even that had been before Lyra had become a Werewolf, but in a way she had felt like she had known him. They had shared this place, at least.

Pretty much every piece of furniture was broken, some of it by Lyra, most of it broken before she had gotten there. It was very dark, and it was obvious to see where the haunted rumours had come from.

Lyra looked back at Liam as he asked a question, and laughed slightly. "No," she said, shaking her head, "they don't give me a deer... that would be... well, that would be a bit too much like feeding a pet." The thought of asking for some raw meat to chew while she had changed had never even occurred to her, and it was an amusing thought. "They don't give me Wolfsbane, either," she said, "At the First Quarter I have to start taking the potion every other day, when the moon is waxing gibbous its every day, and then I take it on the day of the full moon. As long as I haven't missed any I keep my human mind. It would be overkill to take it while I was a wolf." Not to mention, she thought, if the potion hadn't worked there was no way she'd go near it with a wolf's mind. It tasted disgusting, and sugar made it useless.

"So, what do you think?" she said, watching Liam and waiting for a reaction. So far he hadn't seemed very impressed. He seemed to dislike the place, actually. "It's not so bad, once I get over the transformation," which, she thought, could take a while, because without the Werewolf mind taking over, her human mind was left to recover from the pain. Transforming back hurt too, but not nearly as much. It felt more natural, like her body was falling back into the way it should be, rather than being ripped into an unnatural form.

"It's mostly just... boring." she said, not sure what word to use. She didn't know how to describe the restlessness, and she didn't really want to say 'it's frustrating not being able to hunt anything'. "But I don't let anyone come in here with me. Eadric always wanted to, but he knows now it won't happen. If the potion hadn't been made wrong one day, or I'd forgotten to take it, then I could kill him." Or at least make him like her. Although sometimes she got the impression that Eadric wouldn't mind that so much. Maybe even thought it was a good idea. Then he could share the burden with her, be there with her when she was transformed. But he clearly knew her well enough to know that she would be upset and angry if he suggested becoming a Werewolf himself, because he hadn't ever mentioned it. It was just a feeling she got off him.