Undeserved Punishment (Lyra)

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

To put it bluntly the day had been hell. That night when they'd gotten back to the castle he and Lyra had gone their separate ways. By the time he'd gotten back to the dorm the rumors had already started. Aeryn had been there, waiting for him, an accusing, amused look in her eyes. He told her that nothing happened, but she refused to believe it. Impish little sister. That night was one of the nights he considered her more annoying than anything else. She simply wouldn't let the subject drop, and he ended up snapping at her. The next morning Bran and Sophia stopped by the table to ask questions of their own. Again he denied everything, Aeryn was there too. He practically begged them to believe them, and he was astonished that they'd given him this much trouble already. They were his family. They knew what kind of boy he was. If they doubted what happened, he didn't even want to think about what the rest of the school would think.

Eventually his siblings all believed him, but he was frustrated with the amount of effort it took to convince them. He was aghast that they'd fallen belief to such rumors. His thoughts wandered to Lyra periodically throughout the day. He would walk through the halls and he could hear the others whispering. 'That's the guy... the guy that slept with the werewolf.' 'why would he do that? Doesn't he know she's crazy.' 'Not to mention dangerous.'

He didn't care what other people thought of him, but the way they spoke of Lyra infuriated him to no end. Half the people didn't even try to get to know her, and probably couldn't have been able to pick her out of a crowd. If they could it was probably because they'd pointed and laughed at her so many times her face was unforgettable. The thought made him sick with anger, and he went through the rest of the day with a scowl on his face. He couldn't imagine what Lyra must be dealing with from other students, and part of Liam hated himself for putting her in that position.

Finally the day of classes came to a close and Liam walked back to the Gryffindor common room only to drop off his books and head straight to the detention with Professor Vector. He knew he was seeing Lyra. He wondered how her transformation went, how her day had been. Would she still want to hang out with him anytime after all of this? Because he certainly wanted to hang out with her. He made his way to the Arithmancy classroom and walked inside, taking a seat at one of the desks. Professor Vector hadn't arrived yet, and for that Liam was slightly thankful. Maybe he and Lyra would have a chance to talk before she got there. Even if they didn't, Liam knew he'd find a way.

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[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

When Lyra had gotten back to the castle last night, she had gone straight to find Eadric. She had found him in his dormitory, mercifully alone. One look at her face and he had put down the book he had been reading, and asked her what was wrong. The concern in his voice (or maybe it was just him asking) made her dissolve into tears.

Eadric had held her, and let her cry as she told him everything. All about Liam, about how she had gone into Hogsmeade to see him, about how they had gone up to the Shrieking Shack and been caught, how Professor Vector had assumed something had happened, how other students had heard and that there would be rumours all over the school by the morning that Lyra had slept with a boy in the Shrieking Shack.

Eadric hadn't once brought up the fact that she had lied to him. He hadn't mentioned that going into Hogsmeade on the day of the full moon was a bad idea, or that she shouldn't have been going up to the Shrieking Shack. He didn't even say a word against Liam, because he knew that wasn't what Lyra needed. He just held her, and calmed her down, and after a while, when he knew it was time, he had sat her up and wiped her face dry. It was time for Lyra to go take her potion, head down to the shack, and transform.

Lyra could tell that Eadric hated having to get her up, but he knew that he had to. She could tell that he wanted to be angry and rage at the curse that meant his sister couldn't stay with him and cry like she needed to. Instead she had to go alone to a filthy, dark, cold shack, and endure unimaginable pain. But he didn't say any of those things, didn't do anything to let on that he was angry; Lyra just knew.

She had transformed, and it had been awful. Then she had wandered the shack alone, ripping deep welts in the wooden walls with her claws, and biting herself when it all got too much.

When the sun rose she turned back into a girl again. She dressed in the clothes she had taken off for the transformation (if you ripped up one outfit a month you soon ran out) and somehow managed to climb wearily back through the secret passage, and out of the Whomping Willow. She had found Eadric waiting for her, as always, and he had carried her back up to the castle; she had been too exhausted to walk.

After three years of this, Eadric was trusted to bring her back himself, and no teachers met them. He took her to the Hospital Wing, as he did every month. Madam Pomfrey was awake, waiting for them. She checked Lyra over, making sure she was okay, and bandaged up the wounds she had inflicted upon herself, which was sometimes necessary (although not every month). She had to bandage them, because Werewolf bites couldn't be magically healed like most cuts and scrapes. Not that it mattered, considering Lyra was already a Werewolf. She couldn't be infected twice.

She had walked back to the Gryffindor common room with Eadric just as the rest of the castle was starting to wake, and left him at the bottom of the stairs to the girls dormitory. She had entered just as the other girls were about to leave. At the sight of her, even run down as she was, they dissolved into giggles, and Lyra was reminded of the rumours that must already be all over the school. But she was too exhausted to think about them. She had gone over to her bed and fallen into it, fully clothed, and fallen asleep.

Lyra had taken the morning off, as she did after every full moon, to sleep and try to re-cooperate. But it felt like she had barely closed her eyes before she was being shaken awake by Madam Pomfrey, who had come to wake her for afternoon lessons, and check she was okay. Lyra got up and changed into her school robes, feeling like the walking dead. Her eyes were heavy, and she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but she knew the drill; she was expected in afternoon classes.

Lyra only had to step into the corridors to know that the rumours had spread like wildfire. Whispers followed her everywhere she went, and she felt sick and humiliated to think that people were thinking about her having sex in the Shrieking Shack. She kept entirely to herself, Eadric by her side even though she barely spoke to him. She learned during the course of the afternoon that Eadric had already gotten in a fight with another boy who had made a comment about Lyra. It was only an extreme awareness of Lyra's feelings that stopped him from getting in another fight right before their final lesson; he knew Lyra needed him with her, not fighting some poor sod (even if he was asking for it).

Finally classes had ended, but as much as Lyra wanted to sleep, she couldn't. She had made her way to Professor Vector's classroom, despite Eadric's insistence that she should just blow it off and go to bed. She knew that if she skipped detention she would pay double for it. And besides, she didn't want Liam to think she was avoiding him.

She made it to detention early, and was surprised to find Liam already there. She walked in, too tired to manage a smile, and sat down in the desk next to his. Her eyes were rimmed with dark circles, and although she had covered her arms and legs to hide the wounds, the bandages could be seen distorting the line of her clothes. Lyra didn't say anything, too tired to open the conversation, and too overwhelmed to know what to say.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Liam had been sitting in silence for quite some time. Well, at least it felt like quite some time. He wasn’t sure how much time had actually passed. He didn’t bother looking at the clock. He never knew Professor Vector to be a late person, so he was sure that detention would begin right on time. He hoped, at least because he’d barely gotten a chance to eat any dinner before the detention started. He scarfed down a few pieces of food before dropping his things off and heading toward her classroom. It was desolate and silent and cold. Liam was only slightly comfortable here. He enjoyed the cool breeze the room provided but the desolate, empty feeling the room gave him was one he’d rather have been rid of. He inhaled once, replaying the events of the past two days in his head. The rumors followed him everywhere. Whispering little birds, a constant reminder of events that never occurred, weren’t even near occurring. He heard the door open and his eyes lifted to it immediately, hoping it was Lyra who was entering and not Professor Vector. Much to his delight and relief it was Lyra… but she did not look herself.

There were dark circles under her eyes, and he could see the bandages from underneath her clothing. She looked utterly exhausted, worn down. He knew a majority of it was likely the night before, but it was more than that. She looked emotionally exhausted, too. He knew if he had it as bad as he did, she likely had it ten times worse. She didn’t even offer him a small smile before taking the seat beside him. She looked like she would fall asleep right then and there if he could, and Liam found himself wishing he could provide her a way out of this entire mess he created. He hadn’t meant to cause her such emotional baggage. She’d dealt with more than enough in her life, she didn’t need him adding to it by accident. They sat in silence for a little while, both of them seemingly unsure of what to say. Liam had so many questions he wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to push her… she was already exhausted

His eyes finally found her face, and he examined the circles around her eyes carefully, his eyes softening with care. ”Hi,” he greeted the best he could, but he only got that one word out before Professor Vector entered the classroom. He narrowed his eyes at the back of her head as she made her way to the front of the classroom. She turned around a wry smile on her face as she stared at the two of them.

”I trust you’re both well-rested for a long detention…” she began before trailing off. ”I’ve heard a few nasty tumors about the two of you,” she said before tsk’ing and Liam’s eyes only narrowed further. He inhaled, deciding that he’d had enough of all of this.

”Those rumors are your fault,” he said, unable to contain his fury at the woman any longer. If she hadn’t opened her mouth neither of them would be in this position. He glanced to Lyra, his eyes full of concern. He didn’t want to get her involved in his righteousness. He didn’t want it to negatively affect her, but he refused to sit there and allow them to be treated like they were some kind of horrible people when they weren’t for something that she started.

”Watch your mouth Mr. Ward or you’ll be serving another detention,” Vector warned before taking out a book “I want the two of you to write essays on the history of the Shrieking Shack, providing me with why it’s expressly forbidden to students.”

Liam’s jaw clenched at the punishment. He couldn’t help but feel like that was both unnecessary for Lyra but also a little too personal. Detentions certainly usually had to do with the rule broken, but this? This wasn’t fair.

”Please Professor Vector, you can’t assign us an essay on something else? Something… we’re not so…. Familiar with?” he asked, a brow raised. He hoped he wasn’t speaking up too much, even though he probably was.

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[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Lyra had opened her mouth to say 'Hi' back to Liam, but as she had done so the classroom door had opened, and Professor Vector had walked in.

She mentioned the rumours. Of course she did. Because it was too much to ask that they just be left in peace, especially by the person who had been the cause of all the rumours. If Professor Vector had just kept her inappropriate opinions to herself, none of this would have happened. Sure, there would still be some gossip about Lyra Avery the Werewolf and Liam Ward spending time together and getting detention, but Professor Vector had planted an idea in their heads, one that was just too perfect for them to pass up.

Liam said something angrily, but Lyra wasn't really paying attention. She was too tired to feel angry right now, but she was sure she would later. She found herself thinking about her bed back in the Ravenclaw dormitories, but even that wasn't a total safe haven. Her classmates would be there too, and they wouldn't want to go to bed as early as she did. She would hear a lot about herself before she went to sleep, and considering she was planning on falling asleep before her head hit the pillow, that was saying something.

Lyra let out a snort of derisive laughter as Professor Vector gave them the subject of their essay, beyond caring about getting another detention. Like things could get much worse? But really, she was supposed to write an essay on why the Shrieking Shack was dangerous? The stupid woman.

Liam protested, but Professor Vector merely shook her head. "No," she said, tersely "this subject will work just fine, Mr. Ward." Lyra wondered for a moment if she thought that Liam, who she must assume didn't know that Lyra was a Werewolf, might figure it out while writing his essay. Maybe put two and two together. Maybe she thought Liam deserved to be warned.

Lyra took out parchment and a quill, and wrote 'Because I'm a Werewolf' across the middle of the page. She then set her quill down and folded her arms, staring off into space, trying not to fall asleep at her desk. She didn't care what Vector thought of her 'essay'.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Lyra let out a sarcastic laugh, which had Liam smirk slightly. At least they were in this together, right? Still, Vector denied their requests. There were several sheets of parchment in front of them, and he watched as Lyra scribbled a simple statement on her parchment before pushing it forward and spacing out. He felt another pang of sadness run through him before he looked down at several of his own pieces of parchment, smirking. He wrote down a simple 'what she said' on one piece of parchment before pushing both of them forward. Vector had begun grading papers or something of the like, Liam wasn't really sure, but she likely wouldn't life her head again until she felt it was time for the detention to end. Since they'd both finished their 'essays,' neither party caring what kind of fit Vector may have had about them, Liam could concentrate on writing something else. It was a decision made on a whim, just right then in fact, with Lyra next to him and parchment in front of him, he would craft something that had been on his mind since the night he left her by the Black Lake.

He picked up a quill and dipped it in the ink before beginning to write. It would look like he was writing an essay, sure, but Vector would be the last person on earth who would be reading it.

Dear Ms. Lyra Avery, he suddenly wished there was a way to convey being cheeky in a letter, but no matter, he would press on and simply hope that she understood he was referencing his overly formal introduction for which she teased him unabashedly.

I met you a few days ago, outside of Hogwarts. It was a chilly night, but the chill doesn't matter much when you're with good company. Since then I've found myself, try as I might, unable to get you out of my head. Forgive me if I'm a bit bold, what with the rumors of us going around having slept together I feel like I have a small right to be bold about this.

Since our time together on the Black Lake I've learned that you're a Werewolf, you're the daughter of a death eater, you're occasionally terribly impolite, and you apparently enjoy teasing people you've only just met. Oh, and there's that whole thing going around about you and I having slept together that I mentioned up there. ^

I've only known you for four days, Lyra, but already you've gotten me to open up more about myself than anyone else I've ever met. I'm happy around you. I'm comfortable around you. And I know that you trust me, or you wouldn't have told me about your condition. I want you to know that I appreciate that more than you know. I wanted to apologize for getting us into this whole rumor mess. I know it's taking a toll on you.

Four days, Lyra. That's how long I've known you, but I find my thoughts on you often. All day today I wondered how your transformation went, I can see that that's taken a toll on you, too. I wondered how the rumors were affecting you. Stupid, stupid people. I heard your brother got into another fight this morning. He was a Gryffindor boy, from what Aeryn tells me. Probably deserved it...

This is unnecessarily long-winded, and I'm sorry for that too.

My point is, Lyra Avery... I think I may fancy you. Werewolf blood, death eater father and all.


There, it was out there in the open now. He rolled up the piece of parchment quietly, his eyes trained on Vector as he looked toward Lyra again, who was still spacing out. he passed the scroll in her direction, and whispered in his quietest voice.

"You don't have to read it now, but, when you get a chance-" he was cut off by Vector.

"Silence Mr. Ward!" she chided before glancing back down to the papers she'd been grading. He swallowed slightly and glanced down to his left, embarrassed and nervous about what in Merlin's name that letter was going to do. Part of him regretted writing it already, but he wanted to get everything out in the open, and he did. He was an honest man, and he had nothing to hide. If Lyra wanted nothing to do with him, so be it. He would face that when the time came, just like he faced all of the other demons in his life. He would face it head-on with a brave face.

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[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Lyra's mind had wandered to nothing in particular as she tried to stay awake. But she was shaken out of it as she saw Liam move out of the corner of her eye. He placed something on her desk, and whispered that she didn't need to read it right now, but Professor Vector heard him and told him to be quiet, so Lyra didn't hear what he had been about to say next. Luckily she hadn't noticed the rolled up piece of parchment Liam had placed on Lyra's desk, or seemed to assume that it was Lyra's and not a note that had been passed. She didn't think that Vector would tolerate passing notes, not if she didn't tolerate talking. This was a detention, after all.

Liam said that she didn't have to read it right away, but Lyra unrolled the scroll as soon as Professor Vector had looked away. She was too impatient and curious to possibly wait to read it, even if she was exhausted. She wondered what it was that Liam had to say, and assumed that it would probably be another apology. But if he wanted to apologise, couldn't he wait till the end of the detention? Of course, Eadric was sure to be waiting for her outside the classroom at the end, and an apology from Liam might start him off, despite himself. Lyra knew that, but she couldn't see how Liam would. If he had thought of that then he was amazingly perceptive.

Lyra opened the scroll, and started to read.

Some phrases jumped out at her and made her stomach do a little flip, like "unable to get you out of my head...". She smiled to herself as he said that he had some right to be bold, since apparently the two of them had slept together. The next part worried her slightly... he mentioned that she was a Werewolf, the daughter of a Death Eater, and again the rumours that had been flying about the two of them. Maybe this was going to be a 'you're great, but...' kind of note. Maybe he was letting her down easy.

But then he continued, and Lyra read right to the end. 'My point is, Lyra Avery... I think I may fancy you. Werewolf blood, death eater father and all...'

She blushed as she read it, and couldn't help a smile spreading over her face. She bit her lip, and looked over at Liam, still smiling. He looked nervous, and she knew she was too. Her stomach was filled with butterflies. She didn't know what to do, if she should write a note back or not. And if she should write one back, what should she say?

There was a knock on the door, and Lyra looked up as a younger student, probably a second year, opened the door. "Professor Vector?" she said, nervously "Professor McGonagall asked to see you..."
"Now?" Professor Vector asked, apparently indignant. The student nodded. "Very well," she said, standing up and looking at Lyra and Liam. "You two, stay here. No talking, no leaving this room. Is that understood?" She didn't wait for an answer, which was good because she wasn't going to get one from Lyra.

She left the room, leaving Lyra and Liam alone. Lyra looked over at Liam, and laughed slightly, looking back down at the parchment in front of her, still blushing, still smiling, and completely unsure of what to say. She really was useless when it came to this sort of thing.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Liam remained silent after Vector had chided him, but that didn't stop the nerves from bubbling inside him once the letter was in Lyra's hands. He wondered if she'd be completely off-put by it, or if she'd actually be happy about it? He hadn't a clue as to what Lyra Avery preferred when it came to boys, and he could only hope that it was someone like him. He thought he was a pretty decent person, and he knew from the amount of girls that tried to talk to him that he was handsome, but none of them had ever gotten to Liam the way that Lyra had. So quickly and quietly she crept into his thoughts, he didn't even notice right away. In the past four days he'd felt a bit more stressed out than usual, but he hadn't had any nightmares about his father's death. It confused him right up until before detention. Liam liked her. As more than just some girl he met by the lake. He enjoyed her company, and would be more than happy if he spent most of his time in her company. But would she feel the same?

His eyes stared straight ahead, though he was keenly aware of the fact that she was reading the piece of parchment he'd given her. He tried not to peek out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn't help catching some things, like the tint of pink that graced her cheeks, or the smile that formed on her face at one point during the letter, and then never seemed to fall. Her smile made him smile the slightest bit until he forced his eyes to face forward once more. So far so good. Smiling and blushing were usually good reactions, so at least he hadn't messed things up terribly just yet.

The door opened behind them and Liam glanced up to see a second-year Hufflepuff standing nervously in the doorway. Liam's brows furrowed. Did she have detention? Was she really just arriving now? But her words made her intentions clear and Vector seemed anything but happy about it. Still, even Vector knew not to disobey McGonagall. She told them not to talk or to leave the room and Liam rolled his eyes slightly. He had no intentions of leaving the room, but she'd not be able to stop him from speaking all the way in McGonagall's office. She left without another word, and for that Liam was thankful. He'd had about enough of her behavior. She wasn't behaving like a a teacher, that was for sure, and it irked Liam beyond measure. But now that they were alone... they would have to talk about his letter. Liam hadn't prepared himself for this, but everything else came easy with Lyra, why wouldn't this.

He turned to face her and the moment he spotted the smile on her face he found himself smiling too, and then she laughed a little, still not rid of the red tint on her cheeks. Liam let out a small chuckle, making a mock-shocked face.

"Oh so is this how it goes then? Someone tells you they like you and then you laugh at them?" he said with a small laugh, showing her that he was joking, before shaking his head slightly, his eyes finding hers, and his face becoming the slightest bit more serious.

"But I'm glad you're not upset. I wasn't sure how you'd react," he said. It was all a little bit awkward, truth be told. He wanted to know how she felt about him. Did she feel the same way? Was it too soon to tell? Did she feel completely the opposite? He highly doubted the last half but you could never be sure. He'd found out over the years that people could be excellent liars. So he left the conversation in her court, wondering a bit nervously where it would take them.

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[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Lyra was more relieved than anything that Professor Vector had left, because at least then she could process her thoughts without an unhappy teacher glaring at her. But it did mean that she and Liam would have to talk, and she honestly had no idea what to say.

He had passed her the note, he had written all that stuff down and put himself out there, so Lyra knew that in all fairness she should be the one to speak first. But she just couldn't find the words, and she knew she was blushing and still smiling like an idiot.

Liam spoke first for which Lyra was grateful. She hoped she could keep relying on him to be a gentleman throughout this whole... process, if that was the right word? Because she didn't know if she'd be brave enough to take the steps herself. She knew that in this day and age it wasn't up to the boy to make all the moves, but for her it wasn't about the typical 'boy/girl' roles. She'd never navigated this type of thing before! She had never noticed just how much being alienated from her peers had left her socially inept.

Lyra laughed again at Liam's words, looking down and biting her lip "I don't know how this goes!" She said still blushing, "I've never... I mean, this has never... this is new to me." Surely Liam must know that she'd never had a boyfriend, or anything close? He must have at least guessed, because he knew she didn't have any friends.

"Of course I'm not upset," she said, wondering why on earth Liam thought she would have that reaction. "Its just... well, are you sure?" She looked back at him, which made her blush even more, but still she tried not to look away. Some insane part of her half expected him to say "Just kidding!", which made her nervous about telling him that she returned his feelings.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Lyra had chuckled, admitting that she didn't know how this went because it was new to her. It only struck him then that she'd obviously never had a boyfriend before if she'd hardly had any friends/ How daft can you be, Liam? He sighed inwardly at his stupidity, but ignored it, staring at her as she continued to laugh. He offered her a gentle smile, and nodded slowly, though he was still unsure of what to say. And then she stated that of course he she wasn't upset, which brought him relief. He was able to let out a breath that he didn't realize he'd been holding before she spoke again. He asked if she was sure and he let out a small chuckle, his eyes softening as he looked at her face.

"Have I given you any reason to suspect me a liar, Lyra?" he asked with a sly smirk. He brought up a hand to her cheek, cupping it gently. He let his thumb glide lightly over her cheek a few times, a smile on his face. He was hoping that the blush would soon fall from her cheeks. She had no reason to be embarrassed. Still, he allowed his thumb to gently brush her cheek once more, avoiding using any kind of pressure so as not to hurt her.

"Of course I'm sure," he said with a grin before allowing his hand to fall and a silence filled the room once more. He debated with himself, wondering if he should press her further. If he should ask the question that was lingering at the front of his mind. He shut his eyes for a brief second, thinking only of his father before gathering up the courage he needed.

"Do you think you could ever... feel the same way?" he said, letting the question hang in the air, wondering what her reaction would be, slightly terrified.

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[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Of course he hadn't given her any reason to suspect him of lying, Lyra thought. It wasn't because of him that she thought it might all not be true. In fact she didn't really think it at all. There was just an irrational part of her that remembered all the comments the other students had made; particularly "Who would want to be with her?" She was sure there was someone out there who would find it funny to build Lyra up just to knock her back down again.

But she really didn't think Liam was like that. She didn't think that was what this was. Lyra wasn't stupid, she was shrewd and perceptive and so used to being made fun of she could spot it from a mile away. It was just so hard, she thought, to trust herself in this situation.

Then Liam brought his hand up to her cheek, and her heart started to pound in her chest. She knew she was still faintly blushing, although at least the embarrassed smile had lessoned. If she was honest with herself, she felt sick with nerves. This whole thing had happened so fast, and it was all a lot to take in in one go. Especially for someone who had no experience in ever feeling this way. She felt excited too, but mostly nervous.

He asked if she felt the same way, and Lyra felt very much like this was it. She had to try to stop being so nervous and try to be brave about the whole thing, and honestly, could Liam have made it any easier for her? He had come out and admitted how he felt without any indication from her that she felt the same. It shouldn't be this hard for her to just say how she felt.

She looked down, unable to meet Liam's eyes without blushing, and smiling or laughing nervously, which was not at all conducive to speech. "Well, yes," she said, "I mean, I do..." she bit her lip and glanced back up at Liam, trying not to let out another nervous laugh.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Liam waited nervously in the silence, continuously telling himself that if she didn't feel the same he wouldn't let it get to him. He wouldn't let himself be disappointed. After all, she'd given him no indication that she felt the same. She didn't give him any indication to think otherwise, either, so he refused to let himself be too pessimistic about the entire ordeal. But the longer the silence lingered the more nervous he felt himself getting. He wondered what she was thinking. Was she weighing the pros and cons? He surely hoped there were more pros than cons, but, once again, you never knew.

She looked down at the floor and for a brief moment Liam thought that was the death knell. She didn't feel the same. He'd come on too strong, moved too fast. She wasn't ready for something like that. But... no. That wasn't what she'd said at all. She'd said.... yes? That she did feel the same way. She looked back up at him, chewing on her lip. Probably to avoid laughing again, not that Liam minded the sound of her laugh. He grinned at her, unable to contain his happiness, really as he looked down at her.

"Well... wonderful," he said, a smile still across his face. So they fancied each other, and that much had been determined but... what. What now? What did this mean for them? His eyes found her face once more. As hellish as the day had been, trying to convince his siblings that he wasn't that kind of person and dealing with the whispers following him everywhere... it all seemed kind of insignificant now. But still, the look of exhaustion was not gone from Lyra's face.

The fact that they were kind of together now wouldn't make the rumors any easier to quell, but he knew that they would get past them. His thoughts wandered back to his siblings, and to hers. Eadric. What would he have to say about all this?

"What do you think your brother will say?" he questioned.

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[LYRA ALVAH AVERY]

Liam said that that was wonderful, and Lyra laughed slightly. Well, that was one way to put it. But what did you say, after you just declared your feelings like that? They both liked each other... now what? It seemed incredible that they had only met four days ago. Honestly, Lyra felt like she needed some time alone to process the whole thing. She didn't want to rush anything. Really what she needed was sleep. She thought she could easily go to bed now and sleep till morning. And maybe the old adage about 'sleeping on it' would prove true, and she would be able to make sense out of it all.

Yes, she liked Liam, she knew that. She recognised how he made her feel, and how she wanted to spend time with him and get to know him better. But she wasn't ready for him to be her 'boyfriend', just yet (not that he had asked to be). This was enough, for just now. Not to mention the fact that she was exhausted and vulnerable and totally out of her element at the moment. Maybe once she had processed the information she would feel more confident about the whole thing.

And then Liam asked what Eadric would say, and that opened up a whole other world of problems. "Well," she said, "there's nothing to tell him. Not yet... nothings happened..." she wasn't about to go and tell Eadric about this, because it wasn't necessary, and she wasn't stupid. "But... he won't like it." she said. "I mean, when he does find out, if he does find out... if there's anything to find out... you should stay away from him until I talk to him properly first." and maybe even after that, she thought, but didn't think it wise to add.

At that moment Professor Vector came back in, and Lyra jumped. She turned back to face the front, as she and Liam had been facing each other. "I said no talking," Professor Vector said, apparently annoyed since the two of them clearly had been talking. Lyra glanced at the clock as Professor Vector sat down, and saw there was only ten minutes left of their detention. Thank merlin.

[LIAM JOSEPH WARD]

Lyra said that there was nothing to tell and Liam nodded. That much was true. So they liked each other, but beyond that there was nothing to tell. They weren't dating. They hadn't kissed. But still, Liam was interested in Lyra, and Lyra was interested in Liam. And from what Liam had been told about Eadric that fact, added with the rumors that were going around, was more than enough for him to dislike Liam, despite the fact that Liam was a good person. She said that... if he ever found out, which Liam knew that he would, eventually, that he should avoid Eadric until Lyra had talked to him properly. He nodded again.

"You don't have to tell me twice," he offered her a cheeky grin. Truth be told, even though he could probably handle himself when paired up against Eadric... he just didn't want to. There was no point. Liam had no intentions of hurting Lyra, and he'd make that quite clear the second Eadric brought it up. If he brought it up. Right now it was all just... guesswork, circumstantial, up in the air nonsense. Nothing could be pinpointed. It was all a bit of a disjointed mess, but none of that really mattered to Liam, not right now. Because he knew tonight he would go to sleep with a smile on his face.

Professor Vector returned and told them that she'd said no talking. Like they hadn't heard her the first time. Liam spent the rest of the ten minutes of detention sitting in silence, staring ahead of him. Nothing more really needed to be said between the two of them, and soon enough the detention was over. Vector told them they could leave before she gathered up their 'essays' and for that Liam had been thankful. He rose from the desk he'd been seated at and grinned toward Lyra.

"I'll see you... soon," he said with a smile before exiting the classroom.