Chapter 36: Mandatory Meeting 

When Lucy had composed herself, she dashed back to Snape's quarters and got changed into her school uniform and placed the Quidditch cup neatly on her bedside cabinet. She couldn’t believe she’d won the Quidditch cup as the captain as she’d had lots of other things to worry about this year.

“Ready to go?” Matt asked as Lucy returned from her room.

“Yes, lets go,” she nodded, leading the way.

They headed down the big set of stairs from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and towards the moving staircases. When they were there, Lucy heard Snape’s voice in her mind as if she were tuning in a radio to a certain station.

'Lucy, the meeting is in exam room 2B. Meet us there and tell McGuire this information too.' 

'Can't you tell her?' Lucy sighed. 'She won't kill you.' 

'I'd rather not talk to McGuire, if you can understand. She's a pain...' 

'Well, I'll tell her but Matt and I are on our way now.' 

'Alright, see you in a minute.' 

"Hey, you on the phone?" Matt waved a hand in front of her face. 

"Phone? What's a phone?" Lucy frowned. 

"Never mind..." Matt shook his head. "You're blanking out again, what's up?" 

"I was just talking to dad, now I'm going to talk to Shona if you don't mind." 

"Definitely a phone," Matt tutted. 

'Shona,' Lucy called in her mind. 'Can you hear me?' 

'So you've finished your make out session with manly Matt, have you?' Shona cooed back. 

'You're only jealous. Anyway, the meeting is in exam room 2B. Meet us there?' 

'Sure thing, Ben and I will be there. We're in the library and we're swamped by books and we've got to put them away otherwise Madam Pince will eat us alive.' 

'Madam Pince isn't that bad!' 

'What Madam Pince do you know?' Shona practically screamed. 'McGuire over and out.' 

"You finished now?" Matt asked as he folded his arms across his chest while the staircase they were stood on moved. 

"Yes, thank you," Lucy smiled and reached up to run her fingers through his hair. He reached down and ran his fingers through her hair in retaliation. "Stop getting so jealous." 

"I'm not jealous! It's just creepy seeing you zone out! I have to wonder if you're talking to someone or having some sort of vision. If it’s the latter, it scares me.”

"Oh, Matthew," Lucy laughed just as they approached the floor exam room 2B was on. Matt hopped off first, daringly as the stairs hadn't even stopped yet and then picked Lucy off of the staircase after him. "I face enough danger as it is! Don't put me in more!" She joked. 

"You're no fun, are you?" Matt winked as they walked slowly down the corridor until they made it to exam room 2B, where the Resistance meeting would be held. 

"Lucy!" Dean called happily as Lucy made her way into the exam room. The tables had been shoved together in the middle of the room to form a larger one with chairs scattered evenly around for everyone who had been invited to the meeting to sit down on. Lucy went to go and sit next to Dean and have Matt sit next to her when Snape grabbed her shoulders from behind, making her jump. 

"You're far more superior than that, you’re Merlin’s descendent," Snape seemed rather satisfied with himself and almost sneered at Matt and Dean but thought better of it. 

Lucy spun around, making the loose waves that hung down to her waist dance. "So are you! What’s the difference?" She shook her head; she didn’t want everyone staring at her (more than they already did). Her hair turned an icy blue, it hadn't changed colour in a while but Lucy barely noticed it. However, everyone else was drawn to how vibrant it was. "Where were you earlier? I won the Quidd — " 

"Never mind where I was. You'll be running the meeting with Jessica, of course. Hardly any of the Resistance have got to know you this year and they'd love to hear you say something," Snape then lowered his voice to a dangerous whisper, the words scared her. "They need a voice for their revolution." 

Lucy shivered as she nervously made her way to the head of the table where Jessica was sitting. She took a seat next to her and pursed her lips, her hair remained an icy blue but there were thin purple streaks appearing slowly down from the roots of her hair, like the formation of icicles sped up. 

"I love your hair," Jessica smiled encouragingly. 

Lucy fiddled with a lock of her hair. "I'm glad you do, I don’t. For it makes me look like an open book.”

"No it doesn't, it's pretty!" Jessica ran her hands over it. "Just because it shows your emotion it doesn't mean it can't be called pretty." 

Lucy suddenly felt warm inside (despite what her hair protested) it was a something she only felt when someone truly cared. Like she did when Matt held her close and told her everything was going to be okay or when Snape offered his wise words and embraced her. But this felt slightly different. She loved Matt as a boyfriend and Snape as a dad but what did she love Jessica as? 

Then it hit her. She loved Jessica like a mother, of course. Lucy had never experienced a mother's love apart from her real mother when she was very young but she couldn't even remember that and the small encounter with Anastasia Jarvin. But this was far different than that; this was someone who would take the role of her mother for definite. 

Lucy glanced around the room and saw everyone was engrossed in their own conversations and so she turned back to Jessica. "Really?" Lucy whispered. 

"Of course!" Jessica's smile was warm despite what she was. "I mean, I've always loved your hair, Lucy. It's so beautiful and it even changes colours, I'd die for hair like that." 

Lucy felt herself smiling as Jessica reached for a lock of Lucy's hair and tucked it behind her ear. Lucy also realised something else. Mother's were supposed to give their children confidence and love when they were upset while a father was supposed to look out for their children and tell them to be strong. Snape had been trying to play both these roles for so long but now the weight would be lifted from his shoulders. Now, Jessica would fill in the role that had been absent from Lucy's life for so long. 

"I suppose it is rather special," Lucy admitted to herself more than Jessica. "It hasn't done this for a long time though..." and Lucy tried desperately to push the thought of the orb out of her mind. She didn't have to try for long, though, because Jessica was beginning the meeting. 

"Attention!" Jessica ordered to the room just as Shona and Ben ran into the room and took their seats across from Matt and Dean. "Thank you for all coming tonight, I'm sorry it had to be here and it had to be now but it's urgent. We need to discuss Zuc and the fact that he's decided to start killing off muggles. We need to remain as cautious as possible during this time and that's why we need to enforce some new rules." 

Lucy slumped back in her seat and tried to make her hair change back to it's original colour but it didn't budge. She sighed inaudibly and was just about ready to switch off when Jessica said her name. Lucy looked up and saw Jessica staring at her.

“What?” Lucy asked, knowing her hair now had streaks of a different colour in.

“Would you mind telling everyone the rules we’ve set out to make sure everyone is safer? As you did suggest most of them.” Jessica repeated kindly, if it were Snape he’d roll his eyes and tell her to open her ears and not switch off in important events.

Lucy nodded and tried to look anywhere but at the people surrounding her, she stood up and began. “The rules we have decided on enforcing because Zuc is getting stronger are that no one will leave the castle under any circumstances. Not even to Hogsmeade because it does not have the protection that Hogwarts has.”

A resistance member raised his hand. He had dark brown hair that looked like he'd messed it up on purpose, he was in his late thirties. Lucy nodded at him to go ahead. “Thank you, my Lady. My name is Beckus and this may sound like a daft question but are the Resistance still allowed out of the castle? Not for recreational activities as you can appreciate, but to protect Hogwarts from the outside?”

Lucy glanced at Jessica and she spoke up for her. “Yes, we will divide you into two groups. One group for protecting the outside of the castle, or to keep watch at least, and the other group to be stationed inside.” Jessica then turned to Lucy. “Is that statement okay with you?”

“By all means, I think if anyone were to come along they’d be hugged to death by Dean before they could come in,” Lucy smirked, making everyone laugh and causing Dean to blush. She was now becoming more confident in her speech she was making. “The next rule we have decided on is that all students will be escorted to their next lesson by a teacher. I understand this isn’t as obvious as we will have the Resistance guarding the inside and outside of the castle, but you never know what’s going to happen. Any questions?”

Another Resistance member raised his hand, he had blond hair and grey eyes, Lucy nodded at him. “It’s an honour to talk to you, my Lady, my name is Lucas. I do not mean to accuse you but might I ask, do you put your faith into the Resistance? Do you not think we’ve been doing enough?”

“That’s a highly unfair statement to say about yourselves. You’ve all been doing excellent jobs. It may not be apparent to you, but I do survey your progress when I have free time and I’ve never seen any one of you slacking.” Lucy looked up at Dean. “It’s also been wonderful to have my own personal body guard,” she winked.

Dean, once again, became very bashful making everyone laugh.

"We have also decided that all suspicious behaviour is to be reported to a member of staff, and thank you to Matt for this suggestion," Lucy nodded at Matt before continuing. "Even if you as the Resistance spot a student being suspicious you must inform someone higher up than you. Even Jessica will deal with this information, correct?" Lucy turned to Jessica. 

Jessica nodded in agreement. 

"This doesn't really class as a rule but I think I'll slip it in before I announce the final rule," Lucy said. "Tomorrow we will be training in the Room of Requirement. I think it would be prudent if some of the Resistance joined in this training for it will be practise for all of us. I propose we meet at nine o'clock on the seventh floor for we need to summon this room. I'm not going to answer any questions about the Room of Requirement, for I'll let you all discover it tomorrow." 

(There were a few excited mutters from the Resistance). 

“Our final rule that we’ve decided on,” Lucy continued. “Is that all students will have an earlier curfew. It will be at seven o’clock instead of nine o'clock and they all must be in their common rooms. Not for the fun of it but because I wouldn’t want to encounter Zuc in a dark corridor at night, would you?”

Matt raised his hand and didn’t even wait for Lucy to respond. “I feel that’s offensive to tall people,” he smirked. Making the Resistance laugh.

“Just because some of us are vertically challenged it doesn’t mean you have to rub it in,” Lucy responded sarcastically, causing everyone to laugh. Lucy returned to her serious manner. “Any questions?”

Nobody raised their hand and so Lucy did a small bow. “I think my work here is done.”

Everyone applauded Lucy as she sat down and Jessica stood up and finished the meeting. “Thank you all for your time, these rules will all begin as of tomorrow morning. Students will be informed of this in the Great hall. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your evening.”

Everyone began to file out of the room slowly and when Lucy made it outside eventually, Matt and Dean were waiting for her. 

"Ready to — " Matt began but he was interrupted by Beckus calling Lucy's name. 

Lucy spun around on her heel and Beckus stood before her as others continued to get out of the small room behind him. "My lady," he bowed. "What a truly remarkable public speaker you are, and to do it in front of all the Resistance was wonderful. I admire your courage and bravery, and not just in that meeting.”

“Thank you, Beckus, you’re too kind,” Lucy smiled. “I just hope that courage and bravery stays with me when the big day of the likely battle comes. I’m not looking forward to it one bit.”

"Nor am I," Beckus sighed, barely taking his eyes off of her the whole time. The look of admiration in his eyes was just like Dean's and Lucy had to stop and think for a minute as to how much these people cared for her because it was very touching. "However, I — as well as the rest of the gifted — have already pledged to stand by your side every step of the way. You won't be doing this alone," he nervously placed a hand on her shoulder. "I promise." 

Lucy smiled. "Thank you, Beckus, for those kind words." 

"My pleasure," he granted before reaching into his robe (some of the Resistance had opted to fit in with the rest of the Wizarding world) and pulling out a magazine with Lucy on the front cover in one hand and a quill in the other. "I'm a rather big fan, might I trouble you for an autograph?" 

Lucy took the quill from him and scribbled her signature on the magazine. "I don't usually give out autographs but I don't have any objection giving them to the Resistance."

"Thank you, my lady, it's been an absolute pleasure to meet you and I hope to see you again soon." Beckus tucked away the magazine in his robe. 

"You are most welcome, Beckus," Lucy responded before the man walked off with a smile on his face. 

"Lucy's generous side emerges," Matt spoke up to get her attention and she turned around. 

"Lucy never stops showing her generous side!" Dean protested. 

"I know, I'm only joking," Matt laughed before Lucy stood in the middle of the two of them and they began walking down the corridor together. 

“Dean,” Lucy turned to him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course!” Dean smiled brightly. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you know if any of the Resistance...have families of their own?”

Dean thought for a moment. “I think a few of them do. Why do you ask?”

“Well, it seems absolutely crazy to me that they are willing to leave their families to devote their time to making sure I’m safe.” Lucy felt something clawing at her; guilt.

“Don’t feel bad. I’m sure they all love their families but the thing is, it’s far more important to keep you alive for you are the one who’s going to defeat Zuc and save us all! Once that’s done they can return to their families!”

“But what if they don’t — “ Lucy began to protest but Matt had clamped his hand over her mouth.

“YOU DID NOT JUST SAY BUT LUCY EILEEN SNAPE. THERE ARE NO BUT’S YOU ARE GOING TO DEFEAT LORD ZUC!” Matt yelled, causing Dean to laugh.

Lucy batted his hand away. “No! Be quiet!” She hissed. “What I was going to say was, what if they don’t survive the battle?”

“Of course they will! The Resistance is trained for this sort of thing. Don’t you worry about us, for it is our duty to worry about you.”

“Fine,” Lucy admitted defeat. They approached the guest quarters and she yawned. "It's eleven o'clock, we should all probably go to bed."

"Sounds like a good plan," Dean admitted as he copied Lucy’s yawn unintentionally. He outstretched his arms and embraced Lucy. "I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Goodbye, Dean," Lucy hugged him back before he shuffled off to his room in the guest quarters, leaving Lucy and Matt alone. 

"Can I come to — " Matt began to say but Lucy cut him off.

"Go to the Slytherin common room and hang out with your friends for once!" Lucy rolled her eyes. "You don't have to be with me all the time." 

"I have a social life and I choose to spend it with you." 

"Hmm, fine. Come on, dad might not be back yet." 

They headed towards the stairs that led up to the seventh floor and then began to climb them just as a thunderstorm began, chucking rain onto Hogwarts castle attempting to penetrate it's centuries old walls. 

"I hate thunderstorms," Lucy groaned as lightning could be seen outside. 

"Come to America, its all sun and hardly any rain," Matt suggested. "Maybe you could take a holiday out there and Zuc wouldn't be able to find you because you'd be too busy sunbathing on the beach." 

Lucy found herself laughing. "Are you serious?" 

"I'd love to get you away from it," Matt shrugged. 

"But I think I'd miss it here, I know too many people and I think I'm too far into the fight to give in," Lucy sighed as she traced the banister with her fingers.

“That’s the spirit,” Matt winked and then ran ahead of her and she looked up at him. "Did you know I'm the Half-Blood Princess?" Matt stopped running and bowed in response. "What are you doing?" 

"I am in the presence of royalty, therefore I shall bow." 

"I like how you don't question it at all." 

"Why should I question it?" Matt wondered as Lucy pulled out her keys and unlocked the door to Snape's quarters. Snape was not yet back. The two stepped inside and made their way into Lucy's room. Matt rested his back on the wall while sitting on her bed and Lucy joined his side. 

“I don’t know. Well, anyway, it’s a nickname my mum gave to me to let my dad know I was alive. It’s a really cute story, I’ll tell it to you sometime maybe.”

“Why not now?” Matt pondered.

“I’m not in the mood for it, why don’t you tell me something instead?”

“Alright, what about the time I moved from America to England?”

“Sure.”

Lucy listened to Matt’s story and she couldn’t help but love the way he explained even the finest details (“The plane was disgusting, the magazines had been used so much you didn’t want to touch them in fear of getting a disease. And it’s all re-used air up there, it’s like being in a tin can. I can’t believe a survived a flight that was eleven hours in conditions like that.”)

When he was finished, Lucy leaned into him and he put an arm around her. “You’ve done a lot of travelling, the furthest I’ve travelled is from King’s cross to Hogwarts.”

“Like I said before, you’ve still done a lot more amazing things than me,” Matt pointed out. “I wouldn’t mind being able to turn into an animal at will and also get my appearance to change too,” Matt took hold of her hair which was finally dimming down to it's natural hair colour.

“Wait a second,” Lucy sat bolt upright. “Usually when I can’t change my hair colour back straight away, the orb is controlling it. So, this means that the orb knows something bad is happening or is going to happen.”

Matt pulled Lucy back. “We’ll worry about it when it comes,” he assured then picked up her guitar and placed it on her lap. “Lets take your mind off of things.” He then summoned the guitar Lucy had bought him for Christmas with a spell.

“Dad isn’t back yet so I suppose it doesn’t really matter,” Lucy shrugged and the two of them began a tune on their guitars in sync.

They didn’t play for that long for Lucy was too scared that Snape would come back and have a go at them. However, the one thing Lucy did discover about Matt then was that he really did have a passion for music. In fact, they both did.

“So you like music?” Lucy smirked when they had finished.

“I used to have a guitar but I probably broke it because I got mad,” Matt shrugged. “Which sounds about right for the old me.” Then his eyes widened. “But I definitely won’t break this one, I swear.”

“I trust you,” Lucy responded. “But I didn’t know you liked music that much. I knew you liked it a bit and that’s why I bought you the guitar for Christmas.”

“So why do you like music?”

“Well, dad gave me this guitar once and he said it was his mother’s. But really it’s been passed down in the family since Merlin had it and he was supposed to love music too.”

“How many years has it been since Merlin was alive?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” Lucy shrugged. “Lets just say it’s been a very, very, very long time.”

It wasn’t long before Matt fell asleep and Lucy was left wide-awake. Snape still wasn’t back, nor was Jessica and Lucy was un-nerved. So while Matt laid down on her bed, she sat at the end of it with Angus on her lap.

‘Stop being so stupid,’ she thought to herself. So she got up and wandered over to the window with Angus in her arms. Then she remembered something from her fifth year, screaming in the back of her mind for attention.

“Far over the medieval islands lay, and our battle we cannot delay...” Lucy found herself saying, or rather singing. “The bravest will venture, on a dangerous adventure, they will not survive it unless they learn to fight it, our bravest descendants, will do it right...”

Decode it. Her brain demanded.

She’d already done this in her fifth year but it was time to do it again now she knew more.

Far over the medieval islands lay — Away from England, isolated from everywhere else because the portals were locked until not long ago.

And our battle we cannot delay — The upcoming battle between Lucy and Zuc. It wouldn’t be delayed for anyone and Lucy had to be ready when it came.

The bravest will venture — The gifted, of course.

On a dangerous adventure — Lucy assumed this meant from when she first joined Hogwarts and the world and his wife had tried to kill her. Or was there something up ahead to encounter?

They will not survive it — Zuc and their demons, obviously.

Unless they learn to fight it — Lucy thought that meant she needed to continue sword fighting and fighting in general to eventually kill Zuc.

Our bravest descendants — Again, the gifted.

Will do it right — Which meant the gifted would complete their destiny of saving the Wizarding world.

Just as Lucy thought she understood the song again, Matt awoke with a start. He sat up on his elbow and looked at her. “I swear to your great ancestor you just started singing.”

“Stop using his name in vain,” Lucy pretended to glare. “And yes you did. Merlin and Sebastian had a song and I heard it once. It’s basically about what has happened already and what is going to happen.”

Matt seemed a little stunned but sat up properly anyway just as the front door could be heard opening. They both froze and listened carefully; Snape was heading straight to his room. He didn’t even bother checking on Lucy.

Matt placed a finger to his lips and beckoned her forward. She racked her brain as to where the floorboards were and avoided them all successfully before placing Angus on the floor and getting into her own bed. Like always, Matt slept on top of the covers and put an arm around her.

“He’s just been to see Draco, hasn’t he?” Matt whispered almost inaudibly in her ear.

“Yes,” Lucy replied in the same tone. “I think so.”

“Don’t worry about it, he’s only looking after Draco. It’s nothing serious.”

“But don’t you think there’s more to it than that?”

“Don’t dwell upon it tonight, you’ve got enough on your plate. Try and go to sleep.”

Lucy obeyed Matt’s command; she knew he’d be with her all night in fear that Snape would hear him sneaking out through the front door. She knew Matt could climb out of her window but she didn’t blame him for not wanting to attempt that tonight.

In almost no time she fell asleep and felt much better for it.

Well, she would if it wasn’t for Zuc watching in his mind on the Medieval Islands.