Finding you was like coming home ¦ Ares

[Lyra Horváth]

Mid March 2026

Lyra had certainly surprised herself by the way she had just about settled into life in London. Before she had never graced a place with her presence for more than three or four days at the absolute max, doing unspeakable things just to survive. Now here she was a month in London. Two weeks living with her mate in a comfortable little flat. A steady job. A reliable source of food, income and Wolfsbane. There was still a level of guilt that ate away at her that she hadn't told any of her family she was back in the country for the foreseeable future. Especially Leo. There was a fear every day that she would run into him as she made her way around Diagon Alley, the epicentre of the Magical Word in London, where Leo also worked for the Ministry.

She would get around to it, eventually. Or so she kept telling herself every time a little splinter of guilt dug into her chest.

Pushing the thoughts away she tried to instead focus on the task at hand instead. It was the early shift. Only lunch time, and the place was fairly empty. There was a few people in grabbing a bite of lunch of a pint, but it was midweek during the day. This was their down time. Brushing back some of her dark hair she paused, before picking up the cloth and beginning to wipe down the counter of the bar, half humming away to whatever song was playing on the wireless in the background.


ares edward lestrange

[ares edward lestrange]

━ wasted on sunday, erase you on monday ━

BEING OFF FOR THE DAY, Ares decided to wonder around the different Alleys in an attempt to find something to perk his interest. The kids were with the Oliveira's while Sutton also worked, and the Lestrange knew he had a few hours to kill before he had to go pick the two little Lestrange's up. Deciding to see one of his old bartending buddies in The Violet Hound Pub, Ares pushed open the doors slowly, approaching the bar, in hopes that his friend was actually in for the day. He hadn't been at the Pub since before Christmas, because of all the shifts he had taken up, in hopes he could have a long winter break with his family. And well. It worked after all.

Though, the closer Ares walked to the bar, the female figure that stood behind it, cleaning the counter-top with a cloth, looked more familiar. Soon, he stopped in his tracks, just slightly behind one of the bar stools, while dark eyes narrowed at her, trying to pick apart who she was. And as if a light went off in his mind, Ares found himself snapped back into reality, reaching forward for her. "Lyra?" She questioned, getting a better look of her face and realising it was indeed her. "I...I thought you were dead?..Or missing or..." Ares paused, in an attempt to compose himself and ask the real questions. "Why didn't you respond to my Owls?...Or my texts?..Or just..anything?.."

| Lyra Horváth |

so sorry for the long wait! hopefully this works!

[Lyra Horváth]

Lyra had been lost in her thoughts over dinner time; namely should she pop over to Slug and Jiggers on her break and see what Rob had planned to cook for her for dinner, and if he needed her to get anything for it on the way home. When it was so quiet in the pub it was easier to fill her thoughts with utter babble while she was at work as a distraction. It meant more serious matters stayed at the edges of her mind and she wouldn't have to face them.

Setting another glass down on the counter as she dried them, she was vaguely aware of someone entering her periphery. Giving her a light smile, she brushed them off "I'll be with you now in a second" She just wanted to get another task ticked off her list, the patron wouldn't be waiting that long.

Except she didn't get to finish. No, she heard her name being uttered for a fairly familiar pair of lips and that had drawn her completely out of her task oriented haze. Immediately her head snapped up, meeting a pair of eyes she had once known. Searching for a moment, the light-hearted smile faded away. Yes she knew him. Or at least she had once upon a time. Ares was different now. Aged, like herself. As she took him in she noticed how much he had grown, and immediately scolded herself for feeling stupid. Of course he would have, she thought, but it was beyond odd seeing her childhood crush as a man now. Her mouth fell open to reply, but at first she wasn't really able to find the words.

"Ares?" eventually she choked out. This ghost from an old life standing in front of her was giving her Goosebumps. Reaching out a hand she placed it on the heavy wooden counter as a way of steadying herself. It had been too long. Once she had focused in on his voice, and what he was actually saying, her stomach began to knot up. She had all but dropped off the face off the earth to people in her old life, Ares in particular. Of course Owls had come at first, but she'd been so shut off she hadn't been able to reply to them. And now he stood here in front of her, she obviously owed him an explanation. It was just proving a little difficult to come up with one. In a fairly swift movement, she pulled her threadbare cardigan tighter on her. She was suddenly very aware that her horrific scars from her bite were on show, and scrambling to cover them up. Ares had knew something had changed when she had come back for their fifth year, of course it was hard not to. But he had never seen her scars, or known the truth behind them.

"I'm sorry. I've just.." staring helplessly at him, she still struggled to come up with any sort of explanation. She seemed lost and a little frantic at being confronted now. The guilt settling in her stomach was churning and building an acrid feeling that was beginning to creep up her throat. "I was away. I had to go away." Finally she finished rather lamely, nodding to herself as if to solidify the excuse. She let her eyes drop away from his then, his gaze burning into her was too much.


ares edward lestrange

[ares edward lestrange]

━ wasted on sunday, erase you on monday ━

THE MORE ARES STARED, THE more he realised the differences between the two of them. They had both aged, in ways Ares hadn't even expected but their eyes remained the same, both curious and filled with questions. The Lestrange hadn't seen Lyra for what felt like decades, nor had he even heard from her, considering the radio silence in her responses. But here she was, working in a pub the same way he was, listening to the stories of others while creating their own. Watching as she reached for the counter, Ares reached out his own hand as a helping hand to keep her steady from falling or even fainting. But it seemed like she didn't need it after all.

Watching as she nodded, Ares knew then she was trying to convince herself that giving him a vague answer was enough. "Away?" He began, chuckling quietly. "That's your lame attempt at solving every mystery I've attempted to puzzle together since you were gone?.." He added, shaking his head and leaning back, slightly away from her. "Where's...'away'? And...Are you better now at least?.."

| Lyra Horváth |

[Lyra Horváth]

The apparition that stood before her had been so unexpected she still hadn't quite come to terms with it. Yes, his name had fallen out of her mouth, but it still felt like she was moving through some sort of muggy dream; none of it actually real. The odds of him running into her when she had been settled for more than a few days at a time. The fact he had walked into this very bar when she was on shift that afternoon. The odds had always been stacked against her and yet, now, things were lining up in her favour.

Or at least they seemed to be.

But it wasn't like she was ready to deal with it all. The fates were cruel like that. They had a habit of kicking you when you were down like this.

Her dark eyes were boring into him, searching for something to say, anything. He was talking to her. No, at her. Or at least that was how it felt in the moment. Bombarding her with one thing and another, everything she couldn't even explain. What she had been hiding all these years. Unable to face her true self. Watching him helplessly, she froze, trying to swallow the lump growing in her throat. She couldn't keep it from him anymore. Ares had always been there for her, and her for him when they were kids. Searching his face for where to go next, something cracked inside her. It was then when she broke. The dam she had been working so hard to keep everything behind broke down, and all his mysterious were solved at once as she started to ramble it all off.

"Ares...Ares I was bitten. And then...And then I wasn't the same person at all." looking down at her hands grasping the counter, she used them to anchor herself both physically and mentally as she pointedly avoided his gaze. Telling her story was hard enough, telling him and taking in his reaction would surely be worse. "I was a different person. I couldn't stay at Hogwarts. My Mum made me stay for my OWLs but.." trailing off she shook her head simply. "I went to Durmstrang then. But it was worse. I only stayed till the November. As soon as I turned seventeen I left. After I left I just sort of...moved around." That was one way of describing what she had gotten up to on the continent. Lamely she ended with a shrug, unsure of what else to say. She still wasn't able to bring herself to look him in the eye. "I moved around. This is the first time I've been back in the UK in years."

ares edward lestrange

[ares edward lestrange]

━ wasted on sunday, erase you on monday ━

ARES NEVER IMAGINED TO BUMP into his long-lost-friend in a pub within Horizont Alley. Considering the length of time the two of them had seen one another, the Lestrange was more than shocked to see her once more. Especially since she was working within the pub also, similar to Ares' bartending job within Hogs Head. Small world. Noticing the silence between the two of them, Ares couldn't even find the words to say something to her, or even describe how worried he was in his attempts on finding her. It was short-lived of course, considering every search attempt for Lyra resulted with dead ends or picked straws.

The more the two stared at one another, the more Ares' concern grew for his friend until she cracked, spilling each detail in regards to what happened to her. "Bitten?.." He found himself repeating, while taking in her features. Her skin was pale, but her eyes were the same hue - with no red within them, crossing out vampire and leaving the only option of werewolf. "So you...disappear because you became a werewolf?...No OWL...Call...Or even mention to my parents through your parents that you would be leaving?.." He questioned, noticing how she was still avoiding his gaze and tip-toeing around details. "Are you..At least okay now?.."

| Lyra Horváth |

[Lyra Horváth]

Standing behind the bar with Ares watching her, she had never felt more useless. Yes she had never been academically gifted; that had been Leo. But still, once she was bitten she had simply stopped trying in school. Having fuck all job prospects anyway she saw no point. Practically se was good in a bar yes, she had a way with people and she was good at multi-tasking. She had always been good with the move vicious spells from back alley duelling that despite the size of her; she could take care of herself in the bar, and others when needed. Yet here he was, in her mind, successful, and grown. Mature. Not what Lyra was. Or so much as she thought anyway. Unknowing to her that their lives weren't five hundred miles apart, despite how distanced they had become.

As Ares repeated the word 'bitten', she felt her heart break even more.

Now faced with a ghost from her past; having to confront him in her present form was more difficult than she could have imagined. All she could bring herself to do, once she met his gaze again, was to simply nod and push her lips together. She wasn't proud of what she had done, but when she had done it it had seemed like the only option. It was easier to protect her, to protect everyone around her. Or so she had thought. She had thought nobody would want her now anyway as she was, well that was until she had found Rob. But even that had taken quite a while. "I thought it was better that way.." she began lamely. She looked up at him again, trying to find the strength, but not really sure where else she would have gone with that explanation anyway. Once she choked to silence again, she shrugged and gave a quiet laugh. Still watching him from dark rimmed eyes she admitted bitterly. "Well I'm alive I guess. That's something right?"

ares edward lestrange

[ares edward lestrange]

━ wasted on sunday, erase you on monday ━

FROM HER FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, ARES knew that speaking about it all must of been somehow triggering for her. Either triggering or just difficult altogether. While he understood that, there was an inkling filled with more curiosity than concern. Lyra simply nodded and pushed her lips together as she somewhat confirmed what happened to her and all the Lestrange could do was sigh in response. "Clearly it wasn't." He responded, rather dryly, knowing that his tone wasn't helpful in the situation but when your best friend - missing for so long suddenly appeared before you...What else could you do?

Ares looked at her somewhat disapprovingly, especially when Lyra let out a quiet laugh. "I guess?" He repeated, cocking his brow. "I looked for you. For ages. But now you're suddenly under my nose? Working at a place not too far from me?" He added, feeling his anger rise slightly. "How long have you been here? Been back even?"

| Lyra Horváth |

[Lyra Horváth]

The way his eyes pierced her made her throat narrow considerably. Her cold admission, an attempt to wisecrack about her outcome, it had fallen flat. Ares had not seen the funny side to it. Well, it wasn't unlike him, she supposed. Even when they were younger; the two of them had been as mischievous as the other, but Ares was always the more serious of the two. More logical in putting ends to her jests when needed.

Her mouth fell open again, but it was in vain. The words didn't come. Instead all she could do was return his gaze, her eyes wide and full of dejection. This wasn't how she thought things would go when she had noticed him. This didn't match the swell in heart she had felt once she had laid eyes on him.

Far too aware of his his voice was prickling now, eventually all she could do was shrug and let her gaze drop ashamedly. She knew him too well from years past, he hadn't changed all that much, and for a moment it felt like she hadn't. But of course everything was different now. While all she wanted to do was move around the bar and embrace him. To let him wrap his arms around her would be so nice. Fuck, she'd even vault over the bar at this stage she was so desperate, but she knew she couldn't. The feeling was sickly, settling in her stomach and making her feel even worse. The shame of it all was too much for her.

"Few weeks." eventually she grumbled, moving to busy herself with the next glass to be dried. "Back in London a few weeks I guess. Nobody knew. They still don't" She wasn't sure who she meant when she said nobody, but it was true. She hadn't exactly heralded her arrival, moreso just fallen into it and then found Rob. Merlin, EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK would hate this. Drawing another shaky breath, she continued to avoid his gaze in an attempt to not piss off her old friend more.

ares edward lestrange

[ares edward lestrange]

━ wasted on sunday, erase you on monday ━

AS LYRA'S LIPS PARTED ONCE MORE but no words came out, Ares couldn't help but let his anger and annoyance grow. He was the type that wanted- needed answers when questioned and any dillydallying or stuttering that came along the way was enough to annoy the Lestrange.

Tutting as she looked away, Ares' hand rose to pinch at the bridge of his nose and then again closer to his eyes, before he let out a quiet sigh, looking at her. He wanted to understand her reasoning, but with her joking, and assuming things could be normal between them, it only annoyed Ares somewhat more.

"A few weeks.." He repeated, nodding. "Who's they? Me? Your parents? Everyone or anyone who went looking for you? Please Lyra do enlighten me." A random person could assume that Ares was somewhat...Too 'worked up' over his best friends return, but considering she had been missing for what felt like years, the Lestrange felt his own feelings were valid. "Are you back for good?"

| Lyra Horváth |

[Lyra Horváth]

"Yeah.." with a slight nod she continued quietly "A few weeks. That's all" Pushing her lips together she wasn't quite sure else to say. She watched him still, seeming adrift. This anchor back to her old life that had seemingly just come barging in, in some ways it made her uneasy. And yet, in others ways it felt like she was coming home.

The mention of her parents made her let out a scoff of indignation. "My parents? please, they knew where I was. How bad things were, and didn't care about me-" cutting herself off, she tried to pull herself out of the building annoyance and shook her head. "No I mean Leo. He knew I was....away. But I hadn't told him I'm back in the UK yet." Watching Ares for a reaction, she held her breath for a moment. She hadn't addressed the part of that question she really should have; him. But then, she wasn't quite sure where she'd go with that at all. Not yet anyway. She wasn't quite sure how she would unpack that emotional baggage, but for now she reckoned bit by bit was probably for the best.

"I'm sorry Ares. Really. I know I fucked up, but look, I want to fix it. Please." If she had had the balls, she would have put down the glass she seemed fixated on making gleam and reached across the bar and given his hands a squeeze. If she really had the balls maybe she would have given him a hug. But no, he seemed too on edge. Too brittle at the moment. Instead she gave a subdued smile and watched him, finally answering his question about her future plans.

"I think so yeah" Nibbling on her bottom lip nervously, she gave a slight shrug. Scared to drop the next bombshell in case it set him off again. "I've sort of met someone" It was impossible to stop the girlish flush that filled her cheeks, so instead she just looked away from him, again scared of whatever his reaction may be to that piece of information.

ares edward lestrange

[ares edward lestrange]

━ wasted on sunday, erase you on monday ━

BEING GONE FOR SO LONG, it would just then be common sense to update at least one person of your return. At least that's what the Lestrange thought. He felt oddly betrayed, considering Lyra had been one of his closest friends for so long, so only to be reunited with her seemingly out of the blue was something that pissed him off. It wasn't planned, nor did he have any idea that she would one day return, especially since she had been gone for an incredibly long time. Scoffing as he refused to believe his friend, the Lestrange concluded he was ready to leave there and then.

Hearing that her parents didn't care while Leo simply wasn't informed on where she was - softened the Lestrange's expression a bit. He was still fairly annoyed, unsure of how he should even piece his words together, especially since he didn't want to overstep boundaries. He always knew Lyra's relationship with her parents was and always would be a touchy subject, especially now. "You can't fix something like this..You fucked up and just have to accept it, that's all there is to it." He responded, knowing that even if she tried to 'fix' whatever the issue was, it would be unresolvable.

"This isn't something that's easily fixable, you know?..I went looking for you. I don't do that with anyone, because I don't care for anyone. So I simply wasted my time." At his question if she was here to stay, Ares couldn't help but notice the flush rise to her cheeks as she replied saying that she met someone. Ares rose his brow then, somewhat interested but at the same time, he could care less. "Happy for you. But if you do plan on disappearing again, a notice would be cool next time."

| Lyra Horváth |

[Lyra Horváth]

As he scolded her, each word and turn of phrase that feel from his lips stung. Like the crack of a whip, with each syllable she internally cringed. She had hurt her best friend and now there was no coming back from that.

Betrayal.

Pushing her lips together she stayed silent, worried she'd say something in the heat of the moment. That had always been one of her downfalls; she was overly emotional. She spoke her mind without thinking about things first. Of course she had gotten better at it as she had gotten older. She wasn't as bad as she had been as an eleven year old boarding the Hogwarts express; too emotional and scatty to even control her magic at the best of times. But she still could be much better in reality.

Finally looking up to met his gaze again, the ghost of a smile that had been forming at the thought of being able to share Rob with a friend was long gone. Silently she nodded, taking in the seriousness of his mood. She had thought she could make him melt. She always had been able to when they were younger. But they weren't those people anymore.

With another nod, she swallowed the lump rising in her throat and mumbled quietly "I know..." Dipping her eyeline she looked away from him, the way he seemed to hate her now was break her heart and she couldn't stand someone being so disappointed in her. "Maybe you should leave and just forgot you saw me. You've gone this long without me, you can probably just keep going I guess. You don't need me"

ares edward lestrange

[ares edward lestrange]

━ wasted on sunday, erase you on monday ━

BEING AS ANGRY AS HE was, Ares knew he should've toned it down a bit, but being caught up in the heat of the moment simply got the best of him. Standing there fairly awkwardly while tension grew in the air, the Lestrange caught his friends gaze and the ghosting of her smile, especially since he had just pretty much scolded and yelled at her. As she nodded, Ares' tutted quietly at her mumbles. It was the way she was acting that ticked him off, he had known too many people who played a similar role, pretending to be weak, or actually having a moment of weakness but never considered the consequences of initial actions.

"When will you drop the whole weak act?" He questioned. "It's getting boring. I told you, I looked for you, you were here all along and thats all I suppose. Why are you trying to force me away?"

| Lyra Horváth |

[Lyra Horváth]

His words stung, immediately cutting through her heart and hurting her. She opened her mouth but her breath caught in her throat, and nothing came out at first.

The happiness that had filled her on seeing her old friend, now began to slowly seep away; a burning anger replacing it. "Weak act?" she repeated questioningly, her eyebrow quirking slightly. "Don't you dare Ares." her tone was now much more quiet, less even. How could he dare even start this; he had no idea what she'd been through in the last few years.

"I wasn't here all along. I've been away I told you that" her tone was snippier now, more edge to it as she went on. She wasn't really sure what to say now. She wanted him to go away, to stop her chest hurting and her head spinning, and yet she couldn't quite bring herself to say those words either.

ares edward lestrange