Into the Depths of Nephthys

Chapter 2

Bill watched the young Elfish girl walk towards the Slytherin table, his heart in his throat. That girl looked like she wanted to murder someone, and he had no doubt that she was capable of doing it. He leaned over to Snape and whispered, "Do you think the sorting hat made a...a maistake? I mean, this is impossible..."

"I know," said Snape curtly, narrowing his eyes. The two fell silent, just like everyone else in the room. Someone's fork clattered to the ground and made a loud, clanging sound that rang through the hall, snapping everyone out of their trances. The Slytherin table suddenly erupted in cheers and clapping and huge grins as they welcomed their newest member, who obviously didn't seem to want to be welcomed, as she walked right by all of them and out the great doors.

Lyra ran down the corridor, the tears spilling down her cheeks as she hears the whispers following her, "Did you see that? An elf, pure and good, in Slytherin!" "Did you notice her ears? Looks like some kind of cat..." "I'm staying away from her, powerful and evil, who knows what she could do..." The whispers followed her down a long, winding staircase, and she crumpled at the bottom of it, her breath knocked from her.

Pure and good? Bullshit. They made her sound like some thing from a book that should be put in a cage and analysed and used...she hated them all. And she did not want to go back to that table, to face that fucking boy.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the swish of robes scraping against stonewall, and she looked up slowly, afraid of who had come to discover her. She saw the face of that greasy-looking professor, with slicked-back hair. She looked down his nose at her, and she cautiously got up, holding onto the wall for support, dignity forgotten. "Professor?" she asked in a quavering voice.

"The headmaster has asked that I escort you to his office," he said, his face expressionless and unreadable. Lyra nodded and followed him, tidying herself up as she went. She got out a tiny mirror and wiped off the tears, the cold mask coming down over her features again, her head held high. She would not be broken so easily again.

Lyra barely glanced around the circular room as she sat in front of Albus Dumbledore's desk, silently sucking on a lemon drop. The wise, old professor with twinkling blue eyes looked at her over his half-moon spectacles, and she determinedly held his gaze with her own. He finally spoke.

"Ms Lyra," he said, and she winced at the absence of a last name, "I profoundly apologize if you're first day at our school has already been so terrible, but the students have no idea what to think, and often tend to not think at all."

"It's all right professor, I can cope. I handle this all the time," she said stiffly, shifting uncomfortably as she realized how she sounded.

"You will be given a bedroom of your own at the back of the Slytherin house, as well as a personal house-elf by the name of Tasha to tend to any needs that you may have. Is there anything else that you need for...that you need?"

Lyra noticed the hesitation in his voice but decided not to comment. She opened her mouth to say no, she was just fine, when an idea pulled at the back of her head. "The lake...are students allowed to swim in it?" Though everyone said elves were people of the hills, the forests, the grass and blah, blah, blah, she really preferred the water, and it would be nice to be able to go for morning swims.

"Yes, though I warn you that it is often extremely cold and is the home of the Giant Squid, who is really quite friendly." He looked slightly amused, but said nothing.

"Thank-you, now if that is all then I will leave," she stood up to go but Dumbledore asked quickly, "And Lyra, Bill, the Ancient Runes teacher, just came from an assignment in Egypt and would very much like to talk with you sometime. That is all, Professor Snape, your head of house, will escort you to your common room."

Lyra nodded curtly and walked out with a swish of robes.

Sirius and Bill sat around the little table in Bill's quarters, cups of tea in their hands, chatting about the new student. Bill shook his head at a remark made by Sirius, added another sugar cube to his cup and replied, "No, though she dresses like it, I doubt that is the case. Did you see the murderous glance she shot at young Malfoy? Besides, she is probably just choosing things that feel comfortable to her, I've read that elves prefer loose clothing."

"But that's just it, isn't it?" said Sirius, drumming his fingers on the table, looking at Bill thoughtfully. "Everything that we've read about her species just doesn't seem to fit with her. I guess that so many were killed off that we never really got to know any of them, and now all the information about her is a blur. What do you think?"

"I think that she doesn't want to be put in a book like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, she's just so...human-like. She looks so troubled, and I know that she probably thinks we want to do experiments on her or something, and she's terrified of it. I wonder what went on in her past that makes her look almost as haunted as you."

"Yes, well, I'm sure she will reveal all in time. I'm going back, Harry's in my rooms, we need to catch up on some things, and I have some stuff to get ready for tomorrow." Sirius got up, stretched, and then yawned as some hair fell out of his pony-tail. He set his mug on the table, waved to Bill and left.