Lysander had tucked himself into a corner of a carriage with some other Ravenclaws, all of them with their heads buried in books. It was the way Lysander liked it. Quiet. Relaxed. No awkward questions, no awkward small talk, no talking about their summer. No talking about his trip to Malaysia in search of some rare creature that may or may not even exist. No talking about his weird family. Period. He'd been happy on those travels, happy as they'd sat around the campfire, drank Butterbeer, and told stories. But now, the closer he got to Hogwarts, the higher his walls seemed to climb again.
But he at least had something to look forward to. Quidditch, for one. But at that moment in time, Lys was craving the haze of drugs, the numb euphoria, the knowledge that in that moment, nobody gave a shit about him, about his stories, about who he was. And that was wonderful. With the parties came his friends, too. The people who he could really be himself around. He'd seen them once or twice the past summer, but it wasn't the same. When your family just decided to drop around to the Potters for tea, it was a matter of pretending that they were all civil young men and women who had never even seen an illicit substance. If he had trouble flirting with James while sober, he had three times as much when it came to talking to him when his family was around.
He looked up as the castle came into view. It was a strange feeling, a feeling of being nearly home. He wouldn't be really home. Not yet. Not until he was in the Shack, surrounded by his friends, his chosen family.
The Sorting Ceremony seemed to drag. The Hat's song seemed longer than normal. The feast seemed to last a lifetime. But eventually, it was time. Sneaking out had become second nature to him, he'd done it so many times. The deceptive appearance of the Shack never failed to impress him. Because it was as silent and as empty as it had always been from the outside. But the minute he opened that door, the moment he stepped inside, he was lost in the sound, in that atmosphere. By the time that Teddy arrived, the Moondew had hit, and Lys was free. He was home. He made his way towards Teddy and slung an arm around his shoulder. "Teddy!" he yelled. "What have you got?" He asked, looking at the supply in front of them.