Chapter 175: Hot Temper

Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

 'Thoughts'

 -Author notes-

Chapter 175: Hot Temper

The last month of the summer went by quickly.

While their father enjoyed his vacation relaxing at home, Harry finished the golem he had promised his sister, Holly, for her birthday.

It was made of wood, stood twenty centimeters tall (7.8 inches), and had a high-quality arkstone to act as a renewable source of power. The construct was only able to follow simple commands, so it didn't have much practical use, but Holly loved it nonetheless. She called it Woody and had it running all around the house.

On the last week of the summer, just one day before their trip to Diagon Alley, Harry had made plans with Ginny to give her one last class before it was time for Hogwarts. When he entered the garden, Harry was surprised to find his sister and Ginny having a heated argument.

"Why are you being like this?" Ginny asked.

"You know why! Why have you spent so much time with him?" Lyra demanded to know.

"I already told you everything!" Ginny sounded frustrated. "I don't keep secrets from you."

"You think I didn't notice? You haven't mentioned Neville or the Boy Who Lived in months!" Lyra said back.

"I... that has nothing to do with anything," Ginny replied.

"Yes, it does! You got over Neville, and now you're going after Harry. Well, you can't have him!" Lyra huffed.

"What?!" Ginny was taken aback by her friend's reaction.

She was then going to say something, but Lyra stormed away.

"Lyra!" Ginny called for her but was ignored.

She stood there in shock, not sure what she should do next.

"Lyra can be very temperamental sometimes," said Harry, startling Ginny in the process.

"Harry?... ehm… were you listening to our conversation?" she asked.

"I wasn't trying to pry, but you two were being quite loud," Harry told her.

"Right… about what Lyra said…" Ginny became very embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it," Harry reassured her.

"I'll go talk to Lyra. Why don't you wait here for a bit? We have our class afterward."

"Are you sure it's a good idea? That was the main reason she got mad..." Ginny appeared to be conflicted.

"Of course. It's our last practice...we can't waste it," Harry insisted.

Ginny assented. "Okay… I'll wait then. Will you tell Lyra that I never wanted to do anything to upset her?"

Harry gave her a thumbs up. "Leave it to me."

He found that Lyra was inside her room thanks to a couple of 'point me' spells.

She had locked the door.

"Alohomora."

"Hey, what are you doing?!" She shouted when she saw the door opening. "What if I was changing?"

"Nothing I haven't seen before," Harry told her nonchalantly.

"Don't remind me of that!" She complained while her cheeks became somewhat red.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you, about that silly argument you had with Ginny," Harry told her.

Lyra's eyes opened widely. "You heard that?"

"I heard some of it. What was that about anyway? I was just giving her some flying lessons so she could take my place as seeker next year. I'm sure she told you about it."

"I know…" Lyra admitted. "But Ginny… she… never mind…"

"She wants to take me away?" Harry asked.

Lyra became embarrassed at being reminded what she said but then… she nodded.

"Do you have any idea how silly that sounds? " Harry asked.

Lyra did not answer and instead continued to look down at her bed.

"I'm your brother, Lyra, and no one will take me away from my family."

She lifted her gaze and stared at him. "Then why did you trust her with your secret instead of me?"

"It wasn't much of a secret. I just told Ginny because it was relevant to her… but that's not the secret you really want to talk about, is it?"

"Well…" Lyra appeared to be hesitant to speak about this.

"Go on, you can tell me anything, you know that," Harry reassured her

.

"I overheard a conversation you had with Mom and Dad last Christmas…"

"I see… and what did you hear?" He asked, unsure about what conversation she had heard.

"I didn't understand much, but there was something about your original second year, a diary, and I think you said that you had fought the basilisk before. What was all that? I don't understand..." Lyra questioned.

"Ah…" Now he could recall the conversation she was referring to.

'No wonder she is so confused. No one would understand that out of context.'

Harry sat on the bed and took a deep breath. "It's true; there is a big secret about me that I have not told you."

"I knew it!" Lyra perked up. "What is it then?!"

"I can't tell you right now," Harry said.

"Why not? I know I'm not the best at keeping secrets, but come on!" Lyra exclaimed.

"At least you admit that much... but it's not that simple. This is not a random gossip that Lavender and Parvati would comment about. If this information ended up in the wrong hands, our entire family could be in mortal danger. Do you understand?" Harry's serious tone startled her.

"Is it that bad?" Lyra already knew this was something important, but not like this.

"Yes, it is. I don't like keeping things from you, but if you want to get involved in this, you will have to show me that you are truly ready," Harry told her.

"Okay, what do I need to do?" She asked.

"Do you know what Occlumency is?" Harry asked her.

"I do. It's some type of magic that is used to protect the mind. Dad said he was going to teach me when I was older. He said it was very important."

"It is very important, yes. There are people out there who can enter your mind and steal all your secrets. Occlumency is your only defense against such an attack," Harry explained.

"Will you teach me, then?"

Harry nodded. 

"And when I learn this Occlumency…"

"Once you can protect yourself, I will reveal everything." In truth, he did not want her to know much, not because of a lack of trust, but because he did not want to see his sister involved in the upcoming war. If he is lucky, everything will be over before she comes close to mastering Occlumency.

Lyra appeared to be satisfied enough with this deal...at least she had confirmed her brother was keeping a big secret and had promised to tell her in the future.

"Now that this matter is resolved… can you go back and fix things with your friend?" Harry asked.

"I suppose… I think I owe her an apology..."

"I'm sure it will be fine, Ginny knows you are very hot-headed and get easily carried away," Harry told her.

"I am n...nevermind..." She had no defense. 

"Say, Harry. Can I join in the flying practice?"

"Sure, I don't see why not. This is the last lesson thought. " Harry said.

"That's great! Let's go then!" Lyra looked excited now.

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