The morning light filtered through the large windows of the Transfiguration classroom, casting soft shadows across the worn wooden desks. The room was filled with the usual buzz of students, the chatter and clinking of quills against parchment as they prepared for class. Sirius Black was leaning back in his chair, tapping a rhythm on the desk with his fingers as he stared at the ceiling, daydreaming about his next prank—until James's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Oi, Sirius, focus," James teased, elbowing him lightly. "You're going to miss the transformation if you keep staring at the ceiling like that."

Sirius smirked but didn't bother to sit up straight. "It's more interesting than whatever McGonagall's going on about."

James laughed. "You say that about every subject."

Across the room, Lyra Hawthorne sat beside Remus Lupin, her head bent over a notebook, scribbling down notes furiously. Remus, ever the quiet one, glanced at her once in a while, noticing the slight furrow in her brow. He could tell that her thoughts were far away, even though she was taking notes. The girl had been distant, her mind preoccupied with things he didn't fully understand.

Lily Evans, seated at the desk in front of Lyra, turned around to speak to her. "Are you alright, Lyra? You seem a bit distracted today."

Lyra looked up, her green eyes wide with surprise. "Oh, uh, yeah. Just a bit tired, I guess. Lots of reading," she said quickly, glancing down at her book. But her face betrayed the lie, a flash of worry crossing her expression before it disappeared.

Marlene McKinnon, seated next to Lily, chimed in from behind, her voice cheerful as always. "You're always buried in books, Lyra. Maybe you should take a break sometime." She smiled at Lyra. "Though, I'm sure you could teach us all something about star charts or whatever you're always reading about."

Lyra gave a small smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Maybe sometime," she said softly, but then the conversation shifted as Professor McGonagall's sharp voice cut through the room.

"Enough chatter. We are about to begin. I expect all of you to demonstrate the skill we discussed last class."

The students quickly straightened, and the classroom fell into a focused silence. McGonagall raised her wand with a stern look, her eyes sweeping across the class as she began the lesson.

The lesson was about turning small objects into something else, a common skill for any young witch or wizard. Sirius picked up his quill, eyes narrowed in concentration as he tried to transfigure it into a small bird, the feather quivering as if it were alive. It didn't move, of course, but that didn't stop him from muttering under his breath.

James was having less trouble, turning his quill into a tiny bird in no time, which chirped once before flapping away and landing on the windowsill.

"I still don't understand why we're doing this," Sirius muttered, watching his quill stubbornly remain as it was.

"It's useful," James said with a shrug. "You never know when you might need to transform something into something else, mate."

"I'd rather turn a book into a bottle of Firewhisky," Sirius quipped, rolling his eyes.

Across the room, Lily raised an eyebrow at him. "That sounds like something you'd do."

"I can't help it if I have a refined taste," Sirius grinned back.

Lyra, however, was struggling more than the others. She was so focused on the task at hand, her brow furrowed in concentration, that she barely noticed the Marauders watching her. She had been working on transfiguring her quill into a delicate little bird for several minutes now, and while the bird's form was starting to take shape, it wasn't quite right. The wings kept flickering in and out of existence, and it had a strange tendency to flutter up and then crash down to the desk.

"Need a hand?" Sirius asked, leaning over to her, the teasing in his voice softened by genuine concern.

Lyra looked up, startled, but then smiled faintly. "I'm fine. Just... not quite there yet." She bit her lip, her frustration growing.

Sirius watched her for a moment, then nudged his quill forward. "Maybe a little help wouldn't hurt. I'm not bad at Transfiguration, you know."

Lyra raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. "Alright. I'll take your word for it."

With a wave of his wand, Sirius transfigured his own quill into a perfect little bird that fluttered about and landed on Lyra's desk with a soft chirp. She blinked at it, momentarily distracted.

"Impressive," she muttered, but her tone was warmer than before.

✵

While Lyra and Sirius worked together on the Transfiguration assignment, Lily and Marlene shared a quiet conversation. Lily's bright green eyes flicked from the Marauders to Lyra. She had noticed the shift in Lyra's behavior over the past week, the quiet distance she seemed to have put between herself and the group.

Marlene leaned in, lowering her voice. "Do you think she's alright? She's been off lately. I've tried talking to her, but she won't open up."

"I don't know," Lily replied thoughtfully, her fingers tapping against her wand. "She's always been a bit of an enigma, but this feels different. I think something's bothering her—something bigger than just schoolwork."

Marlene nodded. "Yeah. But I've got a feeling that she won't let us in unless we show her we trust her, too."

Lily smiled faintly. "We'll give her time. Everyone has their own way of dealing with things."

By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of class, everyone seemed to have made progress—albeit with varying degrees of success. Sirius was in high spirits, even though he hadn't quite managed to perfect his bird. Remus had quietly transfigured his quill into a mouse with minimal fuss, while Peter had somehow turned his into a rabbit.

Lyra had finally managed a slightly shaky version of the bird, but her eyes had softened as she looked down at it. Her frustration had faded, replaced by a small sense of accomplishment.

As the class emptied out, Sirius lingered for a moment, watching Lyra pack up her things. He didn't approach her immediately, but he made sure their paths crossed as they both left the room.

"Hey," he said casually, his tone light. "You did well today."

Lyra glanced at him, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Thanks, Sirius."

He nodded, trying to gauge her mood. "You're not as bad at this stuff as you think."

She chuckled quietly, the sound surprisingly genuine. "Maybe you're right. But I think I'll leave the bird transformations to you."

Sirius laughed. "Deal."