Your Wish, My Dream (Andrew)

Many bad days had followed the raven claw after her upset in the hospital wing. The blood that had flowed ceaselessly from her brain to her eyes was the result of her worsening condition. Everyday her eyesight darkened, if that was even conceivable. But she was relentless, she attended to every treatment and every class her scores were stellar and her free moments were filled with working on her gift for Andrew.

She'd spent all her free time in the shop with her cousin, fooling andrew into thinking she was doing something for a professor she'd come down as the sun set, her feet crunching in the snow and her cane making soft indents where it safely led her.

The day before christmas eve brought the soft fluttering of snow. On the eve itself she would be at her best friend's wedding on the arm of Andrew, so now was good as any other time. Carrying the broom with her back to the school she had locked it up in the Ravenclaw locker room and sent a owl to andrew asking him to meet her at the quidditch pitch.

Changing into a pair of black jeans and a baggy raven claw hoodie she waited for her boyfriend to roll into the locker room.

Andrew wheeled himself down towards the Quidditch Pitch as Lyra had requested of him in her owl. The snow fell lightly as his wheels made a steady crunch as he wheeled through it. Heading to the pitch was bittersweet. He missed playing so much, but seeing it grow larger as he approached brought him a sense of calm. Andrew had hardly left Lyra's side after her last stay in the Hospital Wing. It had been several days of touch and go, but she had come out as alright as she could. As Andrew entered the pitch, he stopped to unbutton his pea coat and loosen his scarf. He entered the locker room that Lyra had instructed him to and found her waiting. "There you are, Lyra. This is an odd place to meet so close to the holiday," he said wheeling to her and stopping in front of her. He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. "Did you get your project done? The one you were working with your professor over?" he asked.

Lyra smiled exciteably and kissed him on the lips "you could say that" she said with devilish grin. A bow had been placed on the locker where the broom hid, the lock was undone and she pointed to it "Why don't you open your gift"

Andrew kissed Lyra back, gently putting a hand to her cheek and stroking her soft skin with his thumb. As they pulled back and she said that she had completed her project, he smiled. "That's good to hear. You've been so busy, sweetheart. You'll have to tell me about it," he said. When she motioned to one of the lockers, complete with a bow, Andrew looked to the locker and back to her with a questioning smile. He wheeled himself over to the locker in question and opened it, his brown eyes falling on the broom she had shown him on their date to Hogsmeade. "You finished it?" he said turning his chair so he could look at Lyra, his voice soft and tender, almost touching on disbelief.

"This was my project" she said reaching into the locker she took our the broom. The handle now sported black laquoure giving it a gorgeous sheen. The braces were made of steel and carefully grafted to look like extensions of the broom. The bristles were blackish green, on the handle it was called "The Woodwind". She handed the creation to him

"Ready to fly again?"

Andrew was stunned as he took the broom from Lyra. It was truly wonderful. The craftsmanship was perfect. Ready to fly again? Andrew looked up at her at the question. Of course he was ready, but he wasn't. He had been in his chair, unable to fly for over a year. The idea of flying again...scared him... "I can give it a try, Lyra. Will you help me?" he asked.

"Of course" she smiled at him "I've perfected the core, it won't shake even me off. I know you can do this" taking control of his chair she hooked her cane to the back of it and rolled them out of the locker room. "Remember when you learnt to fly, you were told to give the broom the up command? go ahead and say 'stand' while holding the bristles towards the floor" she instructed as she kicked the metal leg plates that kept his feet off the ground aside gently with the toe of her shoe.

Andrew looked around as they reached the pitch itself. It felt so good to be back here, to be below the stands. As Lyra moved his feet plates, his feet touched the snowy blanket of the pitch. Andrew locked his wheels and looked at Lyra as she instructed him what to do. With a nod he placed the broom's bristles on the ground forming the tip of a small triangle between the broom and his feet. "Stand," he said just as if he were to give the 'up' command when first learning to fly.

The broom locked itself in place like a beam had been stuck in the dirt at his feat "pull yourself honey" she said standing behind the chair a hand between his shoulders, ready to catch him if he stumbled. "Use the broom to pull yourself out of the chair, when you are up say, 'Lock' and the braces will latch onto your legs"

The broom whet ridged and solid in Andrew's hands as it secured itself to the ground in front of him. At Lyra's instruction to pull himself up, using the broom to pull against, he grasped the wood firmly with one hand and put his other on the armrest of his chair. Feeling Lyra's touch on his back, gave him assurance that she was there should something happen. Giving a firm push on the chair and a pull on the broom handle, Andrew's muscles flexed tight as he pulled himself up. When he could no longer hold onto his chair, he quickly shifted his grip to the broom only.

He pulled harder, and looked down at his legs. Seeing that they were mostly straight, he spoke, "Lock." Just ask Lyra had said, the braces from the broom locked onto his legs, supporting him. Andrew wavered slightly, his knuckles white with his tight grip on the broom. "Amazing..." Andrew said in awed tones as he looked around seeing the world from his full height for the first time in a year.

Lyra smiled and pushed his chair away before standing next to him "Lean forward like you used to when flying, feel the broom and let it hover and hold you"

Andrew turned and looked down at Lyra for the first time. He leaned out and kissed her forehead before doing as she said. Leaning forward as he used to when he flew, he trusted the broom to hold him. Gently, the broom tipped and hovered with him a few feet off the ground.

She stood beside the broom as the braces moved his legs into flying position, stepping away from him she smiled and clapped her hands, holding out her wand she said "I'll be right here ready to catch you if anything goes wrong but i know you will do fine, go fly love" she said

Andrew watched as Lyra prepared herself in case anything were to go wrong while he flew. He trusted her, and knew that she wouldn't let him fall. "For you, sweetheart.... This flight is for you...." Andrew said with a wink. Andrew then leaned forward and the broom took off. He started slow getting the hang of flight again, but gradually he increased speed and height. The broom was amazing! He all but forgot that he was unable to walk! Everything felt like it should when he flew! Just like old times...

Andrew did a spiral rise around the far end of hoops. As he reached the top of the center hoop, Andrew did a small barrel roll and flew back to meet Lyra. He drifted to a stop just in front of her. With one arm, he reached out and pulled her into as tight a hug as he could give with one arm. "Lyra! My, Lyra! This is.... Absolutely wonderful! Thank you..... Thank you so much..." he spoke to her, his voice cracking in the end, and a single tear drifted down his cheek.

She returned his hug with a laugh "anything for you my andrew" she said kissing his cheek, she stepped away and picked up a quaffle she had left by the entrance to the pitch and picked up a cherry coloured broom. Mounting she flew around him and stopped beside him smoothly, "Don't look so surprised my sister is the flying instructor remember?" she said "lets see what you can do Wood" she took off down the pitch her hair flying out behind her, Lyra loved to fly, for these moments she could forget she was sick that life was falling from her, she could even forget she couldn't see because all she needed to do was touch and feel.

"You're serious?" Andrew asked as he watched Lyra pick up her own broom and the Quaffle that was sitting by the entrance of the pitch. When she took off, he shrugged and reasoned with what she said. Lyra was right, her sister was the Flying Professor. Taking off after her, he quickly caught up to her and pulled up along-side her. "Surprise," he said as he gently bumped her with a small laugh.

She laughed as he nudged her and rolled to the left tossing the quaffle to him.

Andrew mirrored her roll in the opposite direction and caught the ball she tossed to him. He took off towards the other goal, and, looking behind him, shouted, "Here you go, Lyra!" Andrew gave the Quaffle a toss towards her and turned to watch.

Lyra caught the ball and smirked "maybe you could play again" she mused as she flew around him throwing it to him.

Andrew smiled as she caught the Quaffle and flew by him, tossing it back. Catching it he flew after her, "I might be able to. It will depend if they want to give me my position back. Same with Sebastian... It's likely he will be chomping at the bit to play if I can," Andrew said happily. When Andrew was unable to play, his friend also gave up his spot on the team. They flew together and played together, not one without the other. He flew around to the back of the hoops and threw the ball through the far right hoop sending it back to Lyra. "Would you come to the games?" he asked her.

Catching the quaffle she rolled it between her hands "of course I would, what kind of girlfriend would I be if i didn't?" she said, she threw the quaffle to the ground and grabbed a bat, throwing it up to andrw she then used her wand to release a bludger the snarling ball burst from the chest and went flying after him, she flinched but only said "face your fear"

"Just had to check," Andrew teased her. Watching her drop the Quaffle and tossing him a bat, he looked at her questioningly as he caught it. As the Bludger came flying at him, he dodged looping around to face her. Face your fear... he heard her say. Looking over him, he saw the Bludger coming for him.

Andrew took off away from the ball that had taken his legs from him. About half-way down the pitch, something occurred to him. That Bludger might have taken his legs, but without losing them, he wouldn't have gotten Lyra. Andrew turned his broom and watched as the whizzing ball was continuing to bare down on him. Readying the bat in his hand, he hit the ball hard sending it flying in the opposite direction from whence it came. Andrew then flew back to Lyra, hovering above her, keeping a watchful eye out for the ball. "Lyra, you are brilliant, you know that...." he called to her.

"I have my moments" she said with a laugh as the bludger came hurtling back to them she raised her wand and stopped it, wrangling the bludger back to its chest she locked it and kissed him on the cheek before leaving her broom aside, she sat in his wheel chair and let out a shuddering breath "I think i'll just enjoy watching you fly for a bit"

Andrew leaned into her kiss after she put the ball away. He watched as Lyra took a seat in his chair. Swooping down to her, he asked, concern filling his voice, "Lyra, sweetheart, are you alright?"

"I'm just tired baby, enjoy the broom we'll go in a bit" she said waving him away she enjoyed seeing how happy he was.