CHAPTER TEN

if you fall, i'll catch you

ORIGINAL UNIVERSE, LYRA'S POV

1994

fourth year, pt. two

-I-

EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED

Lyra wasn't sure about when her life had changed. She would one day look back, trying to pinpoint the exact moment when her entire being shifted, when her fate was rewritten. Because Lyra didn't know who she would have been, if she had a different life, but she liked who she was now.

She wondered if things changed when Harry kissed her, or when she first fell in love with him. Did things change when they decided to be friends, writing to each other in secret? Did it happen when they walked next to each other in forbidden forest, when Harry gave her his jacket?

No, that wasn't it. By then, she had already become someone different, someone stronger, more self-aware. The transformation had started much earlier, long before those moments of closeness and understanding.

Her life had changed in Madam Malkin's shop, when she was just an eleven-year-old girl, still figuring out the world around her. It was there, amidst the robes and the fabric, that a boy with the most beautiful green eyes had walked in. Harry Potter. That was the day everything began to shift, the day Lyra Malfoy's life changed forever.

Yes, that's it. But regardless of the day it happened, or the way that it did, Harry Potter changed Lyra Malfoy's life. For better or worse.

After their first kiss, the silence that followed was thick with tension, an awkwardness settling between them like an unexpected guest. Lyra pulled back slightly, her heart still racing, but now there was a flutter of panic mingling with the excitement. She hadn't planned for this, hadn't anticipated how overwhelming it would feel to finally cross that invisible line.

Days ago, she had told Blaise that Harry was just her friend. Then, when Harry was gushing over Cho Chang, her heart had a strange pain, jealous striking her. Now, if there was one thing Lyra was aware of, it was the fact that she really really liked Harry.

The Potter boy's eyes were wide, his expression caught somewhere between shock and something softer, almost vulnerable. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, seemingly unsure of where to begin.

"I... I didn't mean to..." Lyra started, then faltered. The words seemed to tangle in her throat, refusing to come out the way she wanted them to. "I mean, I didn't think that would happen."

"Yeah," Harry replied, his voice a bit hoarse. He cleared his throat, glancing away for a moment before looking back at her. "Me neither."

They stood there, both fidgeting slightly, as if they were suddenly hyper-aware of each other in a way that was both thrilling and terrifying. The chill of the night air seemed sharper now, cutting through the warmth that had briefly enveloped them.

"I'm sorry," Lyra finally said, her voice trembling slightly.

"Don't be," Harry replied, shaking his head gently. "I'm not."

Lyra felt a rush of relief, but it was mixed with a thousand other emotions—uncertainty, hope, fear. She didn't know what this kiss meant for them, for their weird friendship, or for this overcomplicated world they lived in. But in that moment, she didn't care. All that mattered was that Harry didn't regret it. He didn't regret it.

"I've wanted to do that for a while," Harry admitted, his cheeks flushing slightly. "I just... I didn't know how you felt."

"I liked it," Lyra admitted. A newfound confidence overtook her body, and Harry, whose face was merely inches away from hers was staring at her with an intensity she couldn't describe. "Despite– Despite not wanting to, I like you. A lot."

Harry laughed lightly, coming closer to her so their foreheads were touching. "Trust me, I know what that's like."

"Harry," Lyra gulped. "We can't go back from this."

Harry smiled. "I don't think I want to."

-II-

GOSSIPING SLYTHERINS

Later that night, Lyra burst into the Slytherin common room, her heart still racing from the whirlwind of emotions after the kiss with Harry. She paced back and forth, trying to calm herself down, but her mind was a mess, replaying the kiss over and over again.

Blaise, lounging on one of the green velvet sofas, looked up, immediately sensing something was off. He raised an eyebrow as Lyra continued pacing, her hands flying up in frustration. They were both the only people in the common room.

"Okay, what the hell happened?" he asked, sitting up straight. "You're acting like a madwoman."

Lyra froze for a second before whirling around to face him, her eyes wide with panic. "I kissed him!" she blurted out, her voice a frantic whisper, like she was confessing a crime. "He kissed me! I don't know. I fucking kissed Potter!"

Blaise blinked, staring at her in disbelief. "You what?"

"I kissed him, Blaise! Oh Merlin!" Lyra practically shouted, before quickly lowering her voice. "I kissed Harry Potter. On the lips. It just... happened."

Blaise stood up, his own panic rising to match hers. "Oh. My. Merlin." His eyes widened dramatically, his usual calm demeanor vanishing. "You kissed Potter? And you're telling me this just now?!"

"Well, Blaise, it happened  fifteen minutes ago, what do you mean I am telling you just now? Was I supposed to write you letter when his tongue was in my mouth?" Lyra threw her hands in the air, ignoring Blaise's quip of "So, there was tongue?"

"It wasn't supposed to happen! I didn't even plan for it, I just—there we were, at the Astronomy Tower, talking, and then... boom! Kiss!"

Blaise grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to calm her down, but he looked just as frantic as she did. "Okay, okay. We need to think. What did he say after? Did he freak out? Did you freak out?"

"Well, he didn't freak out, he was like weirdly calm but I—" Lyra stopped, her voice going up an octave. "I panicked. I mean, I didn't show it right then, but I'm panicking now!" She buried her face in her hands. "What if I messed everything up?"

"Did he kiss you back?"

"Yes! He kissed me back."

Blaise gaped at her. "This is... this is huge, Lyra! What are you going to do? What does this mean?" He gestured wildly.

"I don't know!" Lyra wailed, collapsing onto the nearest armchair. "I mean, I know that I like him. But it's so confusing! One minute we're just talking and we are friends, secret ones at that! and the next minute I'm kissing him, and now I have no idea where we stand or what he's thinking or—oh Merlin, what if this ruins everything?"

Blaise sat down across from her. "Did you guys say nothing after the kiss?"

"Well I said that we can't go back from this and this man looks me right in the eyes and says that he doesn't want to. What am I supposed to say to that?"

"That is so romantic of him, I am surprised." Blaise nodded, "But you do realize this is a disaster, right? What if people find out? What if your father finds out?"

Lyra groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Don't even mention that! My father would lose his mind if he knew. And if the Slytherins found out—oh, Merlin, I'd be done for. Blaise, what have I done?"

"You're asking me? I don't even know what you were thinking! This is Potter! I know I tease you but that was not an invitation for you to jump into his arms!" Blaise's voice cracked as he leaned forward, gripping the armrest. "But... okay, wait. Was it good?"

Lyra peeked through her fingers, her cheeks flushing bright red. "I don't know! It was... confusing. But kind of... nice?"

Blaise stared at her for a moment before slapping his hands to his face in horror. "Oh my Goodness, you like a Gryffindor."

Lyra groaned again, pulling a cushion over her head as if that could block out reality. "Blaise! I'm panicking here!"

"Okay, okay." Blaise took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, though his voice was still tinged with anxiety. "Look, your father is in cahoots with the man who wants to kill Harry. He can not know that his daughter is practically head over heels for him. We need a plan. What's the next step? Are you going to talk to him? Pretend it never happened? Oh Merlin, what if he tells people?"

Lyra peeked out from under the cushion, looking horrified at the thought. "Harry wouldn't do that! I don't think he would. Would he?"

"I don't know!" Blaise threw his hands up. "I've never kissed Harry Potter!"

Lyra laughed despite herself, though it quickly dissolved into more panicked rambling. "But what if he regrets it? What if it was just a mistake for him, and now things are going to be weird? And what if—"

"Okay, breathe." Blaise stood up, pacing now as he tried to think through the situation. "We'll figure this out. You kissed Potter, it happened, and we'll... we'll deal with it. Somehow."

Lyra nodded, though her heart was still pounding. "Right. We'll deal with it. We can't let this get out of control."

"Exactly," Blaise agreed, though he still looked a bit panicked himself. "We'll handle this. I'll help you through it."

Lyra shot him a grateful look. "Thanks, Blaise-y."

"Blaise," Lyra finally said, her voice small. "What if I really really like him? A lot."

Blaise sighed, looking at her with a mixture of sympathy and exasperation. "Well, then, Lyra, we're in a lot more trouble than we thought."

They sat there for a moment. Finally, Blaise turned to her, his voice laced with mock seriousness. "You know, this is why you shouldn't kiss Gryffindors."

Lyra let out a breathy laugh, nudging him with her elbow. "Shut up, Blaise."