firecracker ???

Even in the morning, he lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, every word echoing like a Howler in his head.

She told Draco not to waste his energy, even his breath on him.

That had been Lyra.

Cold. Cutting. Unmistakable.

Worse than a slap. Worse than a duel.

Worse than the way Draco had stepped in front of her like a guard dog on instinct, hand twitching toward his wand until Lyra had stopped him with a single, disdainful murmur.

"Let's go, Draco."

He had never felt so small.

There were few things in life more humiliating than being on the receiving end of Elestara Lyra Black's silence.

Harry had faced dragons. Faced Voldemort. Faced Snape after forgetting his homework.

None of it compared.

Because Lyra hadn't hexed him. Hadn't yelled. Hadn't even raised a brow.

She'd just looked through him—like he was nothing. Like she'd already erased him.

And that hurt.

He hadn't seen her in two days.

Not in class. Not in the corridor. Not even at meals. It was like she'd folded herself into a different part of the castle and vanished.

And now he was losing it.

Ron was the first to say it aloud.

"She'll forgive you," he offered, handing Harry his forgotten toast. "Eventually."

"I told her I was in love with Romilda Vane," Harry muttered, forehead on the table. "There's no eventually for that."

"You were drugged."

"She doesn't care."

"Well..." Ron hesitated. "Yeah, she doesn't care."

Harry groaned.

"Have you apologised?"

"She won't see me. She's gone full Ice Queen. I've been demoted from boyfriend to hallway air."

Ron frowned. "What about the potion?"

Harry lifted his head. "What?"

"Felix Felicis. Use it. You won it, didn't you?"

Harry blinked.

And blinked again.

And then he bolted upright. "Ronald Bilius Weasley, you bloody genius."

-

He took a small dosage.

Just enough.

And the moment it touched his tongue, everything shifted.

Warmth bloomed in his chest.

He stood straighter.

Confidence settled into his shoulders.

The world gleamed with possibility.

And suddenly—he knew.

Knew how to win her back.

And it wasn't manipulation. It was momentum. A nudge. Like the universe was finally nudging back, telling him everything.

Where to go.

What to say.

Who to start with.

-

He found Draco first.