Chapter 17

I wake up, and Henry isn't next to me. I look around, and the door of the room is open. I pull back the black covers and stand up. The floor is cold, and I don't have socks on. I hop up and down a little bit to warm them up. I never had the chance to take in where we were last night, but now I look around. We weren't in my room. I keep walking to the door. I take a peak out. This isn't my house either. Where did Henry take me? I continue to walk out the door and down the stairs. "Lyra, you're awake." Someone says. I turn around and look up to the staircase. Henry is there in just some sweats with a towel hanging around his neck. "Yeah. Where are we?" I ask. "Oh, I didn't want to bring you to your parents, so I brought you to my house. My parents are never home, so they won't find out." He says.

He grips onto the railing and leans forward. "Is that Ok? Maybe just spend some time here?" He adds. "Oh yeah, that fine. Where is the kitchen? I haven't eaten since yesterday morning." I say. His grip on the railing stop, and he starts to walk down the stairs. "Here, I'll show you and make you something." He says. Once he's down the stair, he puts a hand on the small of my back and guides me to the kitchen. He looks down at me and smiles. "What would you like? I can make anything." He says. I hesitate.

"Uh, I don't know, surprise me," I say. Henry takes his hand off my back and gestures for me to sit down. I sit down at the long island. I look around the kitchen, and it has the same aesthetic as the rest of the house. It's very dark and a dark academic style. It kinda is like a mixture of the black manor and Malfoy manor. "You like it?" Henry asks. I didn't even realize I was lost in thought. "Like what?" I ask. "The manor." He says, smiling at me. "Yeah, it reminds me of Black manor," I say, looking back at him. He smiles at me, and I smile back. He then sets a bowl in front of me and pours some cereal in it. "I can't cook, and my parents have the house-elves, so we're kinda stuck like this for a while." He says. I laugh. "I can cook. How long are we staying?" I ask. "However long you want to." He says. I start eating. "I know you don't have clothes, so I left some in your bedroom." He says and takes his bowl, and walks away.

I finish eating and then go back upstairs to the room he set me up in. I walk into the bathroom that is attached to the room and look in the mirror. There were still some black streaks running down my cheeks; my hair was a complete rat's nest. I turn the shower on, then strip and get in. I was my hair with Henry's shampoo and then washed my body with his body wash and put conditioner in my hair. Once I'm done, I get out and wrap a warm fluffy towel around my body and hair. I wipe away the steam from the mirror. I look at myself, and I look brand new. I go to grab my wand off the counter, but I left it at Hogwarts since we rushed out last night. I sigh and decide to let my hair air dry.

I walk out of the bedroom and into the walk-in closet. I step in and look around. All I see are bright big fluffy dresses that looked like something out of an 18th-century ball. "Do you like them?" Someone asks behind me. I jump and turn around. Henry is leaning on the door frame in a similar suit to the ones of an 18th-century ball. "Yes, they are beautiful, but what about jeans or something?" I ask. "My mother has a strict dress code of ball gowns in the house." He says. I nod. "I'll leave you to get dressed." He says. He takes one look down my body and then leaves. I shut and lock the door. I sigh and look back at the dresses. I pick up a light blue one. It was off the shoulder with a tightly fitted bodice, a tiny v shape around the chest, and a long blue skirt with lace all over the dress's top.

I take the towel off and put on the dress. It was a tad bit of a struggle, but I got it. I then walk back out and check in the mirror. I looked amazing. I sat down at the little desk Henry had set up, and it was full of makeup and hair supplies. I take my hair out of the towel. I look around and find a handheld blowdryer. I take it and plug it in and use it. I know these are muggle tools, but Sirius and I learned how to use them one summer. I blow-dried my hair straight, then found a small barreled curling iron and curled my hair in soft waves.

I then look at the makeup and do a small natural look with a red lip since a red lip is always iconic. I come out of my room, and Henry is waiting at the end of the stairs. He was leaning against the banister. Henry looks up. His face just melts when he sees me. I walk down the stairs, and he takes my hand once I'm at the bottom. "You look beautiful, Lyra." He says. I blush and look down at my feet. He puts his hand on my chin and brings me to look back at him. "You don't need Potter; you have me for your entire life, I promise you that." He says, starring into his eyes. "Promise?" I ask. "I promise. I never break promises."