My sister?! // Eadric vs Liam

[EADRIC JAMES AVERY]

Eadric was positively fuming. A couple of days ago Lyra had showed up in his dormitory, and burst into tears. He had held her while she cried and told him everything, all about the last few days, how she had sneaked out of the castle in the middle of the night and met a boy, Liam Ward, and how she had gone into Hogsmeade to see him that day. They had gone up to the Shrieking Shack (apparently this Liam knew all about her being a Werewolf) and then they had been caught by a teacher, who implied something had happened which most definitely had not. Other students had over heard, and now it was all over the school that Lyra Avery had slept with Liam Ward in the Shrieking Shack.

Lyra was devastated, especially because she was extremely inexperienced, and found the idea of people saying those things about her humiliating. He had been furious, and had already gotten into a fight with a Gryffindor boy who had made a comment about Lyra. he had a bruise on his temple, but the other boy had come off much worse.

And now he wanted to find this Liam Ward, and tell him to stay away from Lyra. He might not be a terrible guy, he might even think he could handle Lyra, and her Lycanthropy and everything that came with it. But Eadric knew that he couldn't. What had happened at the Shrieking Shack was proof enough of that.

He had asked around, and found out that Liam Ward was a Gryffindor sixth year. Someone had pointed him out to him at breakfast that morning, but he hadn't wanted to say anything to him then. A confrontation in the great hall with everyone watching would not help Lyra one bit.

Finally he saw him, walking down the corridor towards him. "Ward," he said, to get his attention, his voice sounding completely unamused.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

A few days had passed since the events in the shrieking shack, and detention. Even still the thought of the detention he'd served brought a smile to his face. When he'd returned back to his dorm that evening he told Aeryn that he and Lyra fancied each other. She was positively shocked and giddy by the news, yammering on and on about how terribly she wanted to meet her. Liam told her he'd likely not let that happen until anything official came about. Aeryn took the news with much disdain, kicking him lightly before making her way to her dorm, disgruntled. She'd be over it by morning, he was sure. And come morning she was indeed over it, talking of the latest gossip going around her year. It was silly, really, but she loved talking about it. Sometimes Liam wonderd whether or not she made it up, but he'd never call her out on it. She'd swear it was true even if he did.

The day had gone by decently enough. Classes had finished for the day and he'd planned to go for a walk somewhere. Where he wasn't quite sure, he just planned to allow his feet to take him where they may. Alas, all plans of his walk were thwarted quite quickly as he heard his name being called. It was an unfamiliar voice speaking a rather familiar enough name, though people rarely called him Ward unless they were...pissed. His eyes scanned the hall to see where the voice had come from. A Ravenclaw.... Eadric Avery.

It had to be. Who else would it be? Saying his name with such a cool tone tone after everything that had gone on. You could practically see the anger in his eyes as he approached. Liam thought of all the different scenarios that could unfold in his head, and one by one they all seemed to not end well. Not by any fault of Liam's, but he knew people well enough by now that if they were going to hurt you, they were going to hurt you no matter what you said. Still, he knew not to right Eadric off right away, either. Perhaps Lyra had talked to him already about what had happened in detention, even though she said she likely wouldn't. Oh well, you never knew until you found out.

Finally he reached Eadric and he offered him a smile.

"Eadric, right? Liam...but you probably already knew that..." he held out his hand for Eadric to shake, his eyes never leaving Eadric's gaze. He would not be intimidated by someone younger than him, and he would not have ill-intentions thrust upon him when he had none

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[EADRIC JAMES AVERY]

Eadric nodded as Liam stated who he was, but did not take his hand to shake when he extended it. That wasn't what he was here for. He wasn't here to make friends with Liam Ward. He didn't care if Liam thought he was the scum of the earth, or maybe just intolerably rude. He couldn't care less about Liam's opinion of him. That wasn't what mattered. All he cared about was Lyra, and that was who he was here for.

Eadric wasn't a bad person, or even an unkind person, but where Lyra was concerned he would do anything. Even if she hadn't been bitten by a Werewolf, she would still have been his twin sister, and he would have loved her just as much, protected her almost as much. But as things stood she had been bitten, and that made her life harder. And so Eadric saw it as his job to deal with anything unpleasant so that she wouldn't have to. She dealt with enough.

Most people thought Eadric was controlling, or too protective, but they just didn't understand. Eadric didn't want to control Lyra's life. He'd let her do anything she wanted, in fact he would try and make it so anything she wanted to do, she could. Really he was putty in her hands. He'd do anything for her, make it so she could do anything... as long as it didn't endanger her. Because if Lyra got hurt, he'd never forgive himself. Some people said he was paranoid, but those people would probably have said there was no chance of Lyra being bitten by a Werewolf. If he had been as 'paranoid' back then as he was now, that would never have happened, and Lyra would be happier.

As far as Eadric was concerned, Liam was a danger to Lyra. More of an emotional danger than anything, but even apart from that he could cause problems for her. Eadric had spent years adapting to Lyra's condition. He knew when she was feeling ill, what to do when she got dizzy, exactly when she had to take her potions, what it should look like and smell like if it had been brewed correctly, and how to spot the most common mistakes made in making the potion. He took her to the Whomping Willow every month, he sat and waited for her. If this boy wanted to be in Lyra's life (Lyra hadn't mentioned anything about that, but Eadric wasn't stupid) he'd have to deal with all that too. Did he really think he could handle it?

"I think you know why I'm here," he said, coolly. "Why don't you tell me why my sister was crying her heart out the night before last?"

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Eadric didn't take Liam's hand to shake, and Liam raised both brows at him before dropping his hand to his side. Alright, so Eadric wasn't interested in getting to know him. The scenarios in his head adjusted and all of them got even worse. Eadric was out for something, and while Liam wasn't quite sure yet he was pretty sure what Eadric was going to say, and he'd make it quite clear that Liam was going to have none of his threats. But for now he remained standing, staring at Eadric, his breathing even as he waited to hear what Eadric would have to say.

Liam knew that Eadric knew Lyra in a completely different light than he did. He knew Lyra in ways that Liam hadn't yet... He knew Lyra in ways that Liam never would, and Liam understood that, to a degree. He understood that they likely had some sort of important connection with one another that he couldn't fully grasp because none of his siblings were that close to him. Yes he was incredibly close to his siblings, but even he knew that the twins shared something that he couldn't comprehend. Even still, Liam would not be threatened. He swallowed slightly as Eadric began to speak once more, accusation and anger rich in his voice. Liam took in a short breath before beginning to speak himself.

"Because Professor Vector is a half-wit," he said solemnly, seriously. The woman was, in all honesty. It had been entirely her fault. "I've no doubt Lyra told you what happened, so I won't recount the events for you again, but... Professor Vector insinuated something far from the truth, and, well, as you probably know, most of the students ran with it because, they too, are all half-wits." It was the most succinct and reasonable answer he could give Eadric. He'd apologized to Lyra again and again about what had happened. He still felt guilty about everything she was dealing with, all so close to the full moon. She didn't need the extra stress on her shoulders and Liam knew that. He'd tried his best to make everything better, denying it every time it came up, telling those who really knew him that they should know him for a better person than that. A lot of them did know him for a better person than that, but rumors spread like wildfire, and wildfire was near impossible to control.

[EADRIC JAMES AVERY]

Eadric didn't like the way Liam immediately passed the blame. He knew that it was, at least partially, Liam's fault. Liam had gone into Hogsmeade with her, Liam had gone up to the Shrieking Shack with her. Funny how nothing happened to Lyra, accidental or not, when Eadric was with her, but this boy spent one afternoon with her and left her in tears. He didn't trust him one bit. He thought that the aftermath of their trip to Hogsmeade was a bad omen.

"So that's it, is it?" he said, his voice still low. Eadric rarely raised his voice, even when he was angry, but the anger still came through. "It's Professor Vector's fault, and the rest of the school? Its them I should be talking to? How stupid of me."

He shook his head, exasperated with the boy in front of him, but even worse than that, loosing respect for him. He didn't know how he was going to keep Lyra away from him if she didn't want to be, and so it would have been good to know what he could at least take some responsibility for his mistakes. One thing was for sure, Eadric would be keeping a close eye on Lyra, and an even closer eye on Liam.

"Look at things from where I stand," he said, trying his best to sound calm. "I have no idea who you are. Lyra is fine most of the time. Then one afternoon with you, and she comes to me sobbing." he took a breath, the memory angering him, especially what came next. "And that can't be the end of it. She can't just be upset, and be comforted like any other girl. I had to get her up, get her to take her potion, down to the Whomping Willow- you know what I'm talking about- you can't treat her like any other girl, because she's not."

Eadric had wanted to let Lyra stay where she was that night, but that hadn't been possible. It made him angry beyond reason that she was denied even time to feel upset.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Eadric immediately jumped on the accusatory again and Liam let out a small sigh of frustration. Sarcasm didn't suit him well, especially in this case. But still, Liam remained calm and collected, not bothering to say anything. He'd apologized to Lyra, but he'd done nothing to Eadric and therefore would not be apologizing to him. Still, Eadric continued to go on a rant about how Lyra was fine any other time... Liam assumed he meant any time she was with him, but one afternoon with Liam and she was a mess. The memory seemed to anger Eadric more and more, but it only saddened Liam. He'd burdened himself with guilt over everything that had happened. How could he not? He didn't need her brother coming around and pouring salt in the wound.

The night of the full moon Liam had lied awake, wondering if Lyra was alright. Wondering how in pain she was. Wondering how bad the rumors would be by morning. He felt like all of it was his fault, but Lyra had told him otherwise, and he believed her. The pair of the, knew if the professor had just kept her mouth shut things would all be worlds easier for them. Not that there was a them or anything to begin with... but perhaps there could be sooner rather than later if Vector hadn't spoken up. Or if he hadn't been so clumsy. Or if he hadn't suggested racing in the first place.

And Liam had been completely ready to admit that it was his fault, until Eadric began speaking again. That she couldn't just be treated like every other girl because she wasn't.

"I'm well aware that she's not like other girls, Eadric, and from the moment I met her I never intended to treat her as such. What happened in Hogsmeade was partially my fault, yes. But your sister had wanted to go, or she would have offered to do something else. She was happy to bring me there. I'm sorry that Lyra had to endure all of that. And I've told her that time and time again."

He wasn't sure what else there was to say, really. If he was trying to scare Liam into not spending time with Lyra he was going to be sorely disappointed. But still, he did consider it from Liam's point of view for a moment. If one of his sisters had come crying to him in the same position... What would he have done? He probably wouldn't dislike the man outright, but he would probably want to get to know him. Maybe that's what Eadric was up to after all? No... No. He was there to deliver his threats and act like the big brother he was. He'd not a care in the world for Liam Ward.

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[EADRIC JAMES AVERY]

Eadric felt anger bubbling up inside of him as Liam just refused to get the point.

"Sorry doesn't take it back," he said, quietly. The thought of how upset Lyra had been hurt him, and that just made him angry with the boy standing in front of him.

He wasn't trying to intimidate Liam, and he wasn't trying to scare him away from Lyra. He wasn't going to force Lyra to do anything, or make her unhappy. He wasn't going to tell Liam to stay away from Lyra, as much as he wanted to. If Liam just disappeared, without a word, then Lyra would be upset. She'd feel rejected, and she wouldn't understand. He would never want that for Lyra.

But Eadric didn't want Liam to be around Lyra, especially not thinking that he could handle it all. If he thought he knew what he was doing with Lyra, he was a danger to her. Because when you thought you knew what you were doing, you got complacent.

"Do you really think you're what's best for her?" he asked, seriously. "Do you really think you can handle what she is? And I don't care about your personal opinions, I don't care how you feel about it, I care about her safety. Because as far as I'm concerned, if she's spending time with you, she's not with someone who can keep her safe. Who can handle all the situations that might arise."

Eadric knew that he could handle those situations. He could because he had prepared for them, and he could because he had to. There was no other option.

"If you were really sorry, you'd leave her alone," he said. If Liam were really sorry, then he would make sure that it didn't happen again.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Eadric growled angrily that saying sorry didn't take it back, and for a moment he was confused as to what he meant. It wasn't his fault that Lyra was a Werewolf. And despite the fact that his apologies couldn't take back what had happened, they still meant something. Apparently they didn't to Eadric, but they had to Lyra, and that's what mattered to him. So again he remained silence, the slightest bit confused. He'd done nothing to harm Lyra. Well, unintentionally he had ended up having her feelings hurt, but he personally had done nothing to hurt Lyra. He had nothing but the best intentions and he'd been nothing but gentlemanly toward her. But... he'd heard stories about Eadric.

The silence built between them once more as Liam waited to see what Eadric would have to say next, and the rant that he launched on was one that Liam hardly expect. His eyes narrowed slightly, but the rest of his fae remained without emotion. He stood there, listening to each word that Eadric said carefully. The accusations that he sent toward Liam offended him, to be honest. He couldn't keep her safe? To be fair, he didn't know the full extent of what dealing with Lyra's condition was like, but he was more than willing to try. He would take whatever burden she bared as one of his own, including her lycanthropy. He stayed quiet for a few minutes after Eadric finished his rant. Making sure to note the fact that he'd told her if he really meant he was sorry he would leave her alone. He stared at Eadric, his eyes unmoving and unchanging as he tried to assess the situation. He was clearly already on Eadric's bad side, but he didn't want Lyra to get the bad end of things either. He couldn't say anything mean to Eadric, not that he planned to, really.

"I think Lyra can decide what's best for her," he began, off to a good start, he thought. "I may not have any experience in dealing with her condition, but that doesn't mean that I'm unwilling to learn, to adapt, to become what's best for her, as you put it." He tried to keep his cool the best he could, but when he insinuated that he could't protect Lyra he'd attacked his personal nobility and Liam wouldn't stand for that.

"And I've no intentions of leaving your sister alone. As it turns out she's pretty fond of me," he said. He had half a mind to turn around and leave Eadric where he stood, but he knew well enough not to turn away from Eadric for fear of messing things up with Lyra.

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[EADRIC JAMES AVERY]

Eadric was shaking his head, running a hand through his hair. He was becoming visibly exasperated, something he hadn't wanted to happen. He didn't want to lose his cool.

Liam just didn't get it. He acted like he did, and he talked like he did, but he didn't. He could be a danger to Lyra. A real, physical danger. And emotionally, he was dangerous to her, too. What seventeen year old boy really knew how to deal with a Werewolf? How to deal with her emotional needs? Eadric was only sixteen, even younger than Liam, he knew, but he had learned. He had already known Lyra better than anyone, and known how to deal with her feelings. And so when she became a Werewolf he was already better equipped than anyone to handle her, and how she had felt. He had been able to take care of her.

And, after three years, he knew what he was doing. He knew how to take care of Lyra. He also knew how hard it was to understand what she went through, and how she felt about it, and he knew that Liam did not. He seemed to think like all of this was easy. Like it was simple, a happy fairy tale; he liked her, and so everything would be roses. No, Eadric thought, it didn't work like that. Eadric, like Lyra, was mature beyond his years thanks to dealing with the Werewolf curse, and he knew what teenage relationships were. And he knew that Lyra didn't need all that.

He couldn't make Lyra stay away from Liam. He couldn't lock her up, and keep her from him. "I'm going to be watching you," he said. It wasn't a threat, it was a fact. "Very closely. And I'm going to be around a lot." He couldn't stop Lyra from doing anything, but he could spend a lot of time with her. More, even, than he already did.

Eadric knew that, in the long run, if he didn't like Liam, if he thought that Liam was a bad idea, then it wouldn't work out. Because Lyra loved him, and Lyra trusted him, and Lyra cared what he thought. Lyra knew he had her best interests at heart.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Eadric shook his head at Liam, but Liam thought nothing of it. He could assume all he wants that he knew that Liam couldn't handle himself, but truth be told Eadric knew as much about Liam as Liam knew about Eadric, which was almost nothing. And Liam assumed that he likely knew more about Eadric from all the fights that he'd gotten himself into. Still, aside from knowing that Eadric was protective of Lyra and seemed to have an incredibly short fuse, Liam knew nothing about him.

A silence built between them once more, but Liam was thankful that he didn't say anything. He was getting a bit tired of the big brother, routine. Especially since the boy was younger than him. Yes, he knew that Lyra's condition was something he hadn't experienced before, but he wasn't going to let that scare him away. He would learn, he would adapt, and they would see what happened for themselves. Eadric didn't have to like the idea, or him, really, but he wasn't going anywhere.

And finally Eadric spoke again, and this time Liam smirked slightly before he nodded toward him.

"Good," he said with a grin. He meant it, too. He didn't mind if Liam was around, and he didn't mind if Eadric was around. He knew that Eadric was a big part of Lyra's life, and in order to make Lyra happy he would have to get along with Eadric. "I'm sure I'll see you soon," he said with a grin before taking his leave down the hall.

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