Chapter thirty one: Forgive and forget

The Weasley's and Lucy were eating their breakfast one morning when Errol decided to hit the window pane. Mrs weasley groaned at the poor thing and snatched the letter off of it

"Silly bird" she muttered as it wondered over to Ron. Her face changed as she read the note

"Whats up mum?" Fred asked through his cereal

"Hogwarts wants you to enter through floo powder this year dear, fearing Lucy will attract attention" Molly told them all, "and Snape will be meeting you here, Lucy dear”

Lucy stood up alarmed, "no! he cant be I...I don’t want him to" Lucy reported, arms crossed

"I know you’ve been arguing dear but we cant have him on the train too, anything could happen" 

"What about Shona?" Lucy asked, feeling the sight of Snape wouldn’t be so bad if her friend could scare him half to death

"It doesn't say anything about her..." Molly fiddled with the letter to revel a little note stamped on "o"

"What?" Lucy demanded

"It seems the ministry don’t think she's vunerble to the attacks"

"That’s crazy! She was involved in the attacks as much as Lucy and Snape!" Ginny scoffed, "not that your dad deserves it, Lucy"

"Well there's not much we can do about it, Ginny. Best go pack your things now" she smiled warmly and left them to finish breakfast

"Somethings not right" Fred muttered under his breath. Lucy grabbed some parchment and then got out a quill

"I'm going to write to her, see if she tells us anything" Lucy murmured quickly

Shona

Whats going on?

Seems the ministry hate you and you're on the Hogwarts express

- Lucy

She caught Erolls attention and urged him to fly out the window, but instead be fell over and onto the floor. He ruffled his feathers before screeching loudly. Fred and George laughed as it flew away from the burrow.

Lucy had probably one of the most boring days you could have. All the presents she'd been given were packed and ready for tomorrow. She was forced to play some card game with Mr Weasley and was shocked to find how rude mannered they were. When she accidently placed the wrong card down the king had a right go at her! She'd been forced to help Mrs Weasley with peeling the potatoes and had to put up with Ron running round like a lunatic.

After lunch she was asked to do something so random she had to repeat the question

"Goblin catching?"

"Why yes, there ruining all my cabbages dear" Mrs Weasley said, not looking up from her washing.

"What's that?"

"Oh Weasley tradition," she mumbled, sending the potato they'd skinned earlier to the washing basin, "don’t worry, Fred and George love it, they’ll show you how"

Before she knew it Lucy was escorted out by Ron, who had been eavesdropping on them. Molly shouted at him for being so rude as they escaped through the back door. She was led out to the front. They approached what looked like a field, with many odd looking plants

"Lucy! Welcome to goblin catching!" Ron beamed as a goblin bounded round. She stared as it started to bite off bits of soil and jump around.

It wasn’t taller than one foot, blue and reminded her of a Cornish pixie. It had some funny pants on and it defiantly liked to jump. Soon it was joinded by another, and another. Turns out there were twenty of them, all bounding around and nibbling off vegatables.

"OK here's the idea" Fred said

"We blast 'em!" George finished

"Easy enough" Lucy muttered as she took her wand out. At once the goblins screeched and ran about, carrying parts of potatoes and broken carrots

So until sundown Lucy, Ron, Fred and George caught all the goblins and began kicking them around the yard until they were too dizzy to even destroy the yard! And before they knew it Mrs Weasley was calling them in for dinner. 

* 

Lucy woke quickly, finding the sound of Molly Weasley cleaning up the dishes. Did she always do that? She got up and wandered downstairs to find all the Weasleys waitng downstairs.

"Lucy dear! You’ve got half an hour to get dressed!" Molly barked at her. Panicking, Lucy went back up and dressed herself into her robes and ckecked her enchanted bag. She tumbled back down the strairs. She sat in a chair and waited for the floo network to work

She ate some stale toast and felt her stomach rumble loudly. She didn’t want Snape to come, he was to busy taking priority to Jessica. He'd totally changed when it was just him and her. He'd been all smile and innocent, but then Snape had turned all his attention to Jessica. Snape really was in love with her, and Lucy didn’t like it.

"Lucy, get ready dear" Molly warned and Lucy stood up. She thought Mrs Weasely was talking about the floo network , turns out it was something completely else.

Snape.

Lucy ran to the window like the other children as the clock counted down to the moment Snape said he would appear. Slowly but surely the clock chimed eleven and on the last chime they held thier breaths.

The figure of the man apparated just outside the field bounds. Steadily he walked towards the house, cape ablazing and suitcase in one hand. No one could see any expression on the mans face as he walked closer and it seemed as though he was reaching a showdown.

"Come away from the window!" Mr Weasely pushed them all into the living room and made them sit down. Lucy could feel them all staring at her as the minuites lingerd on. At last there was a knock at the door and Molly opened it slowly

"Professor Snape, pleasure to meet you" she handed out her hand and he took it blankly. He also shook hands with Mr Weasley, avoiding eye contact with the children.

"I do appreciate being able to use your floo network Mr Weasely" Snape said it as though he was forced to say it

"Well, we did promise Dumbledore-"

But snape swept passed him and stood in the corner, past Lucy and by the fireplace, looking as though he was king of the mannerhouse. He didn’t look at Lucy as she briefly looked at him, the whole room in an inconvenient silence.

“where not supposed to go for another hour, so feel free to wander round” molly said simply. At once lucy walked out, snape watching her evmove. Slowly but shurely the weaselys walked away, Hermione following them. Snape gave aurther weasely a look before looking around uncomfortably.

Arthur left Snape alone for a while after that, not knowing what to say to the man. Snape heard him and his wife argue amongst themselves.

"You can't leave him in there..."

"What am I supposed to say?"

"Invite him to the kitchen!"

Snape didn’t listen after that, observing the Weaselys' house. How tatty it was and how obscure

"Proffecor Snape, would you like some tea before we depart?"

"Yes " Snape grumbled, slowly walking in to the kitchen. Molly didn’t look at the cold eyes and his pale face. Mr Weasely was busy making the tea as Mrs Weasely interacted to a chair. Snape took it and sat on it, taking out the piece of newspaper he'd ripped out of the newspaper before Christmas. Molly dared not ask what it was, but was keenly interested in what such a stern man could want with a piece of paper.

After drinking his tea Snape mumbled to himself as he realised that only ten minuites had gone by. He stood up sharply and exited, feeling still insecure. He could feel Molly and Arthur breath a sigh of relief as he went, after keeping silent for those long ten minuies.

Without warning Snape made his way up the old stairs, each one creaking under his weight. When he finally reached the top roof the stairs he could see all the bedrooms. One door was slightly ajar and Snape could see Ginny Weasely and Lucy Snape talking amongst themselves. He walked over slowly and knocked the door. He saw Lucy's face pierce into his as he opened the door wider

"Excuse me Miss Weasley but I would like to speak to Lucy..." He said as Lucy pushed passed him. He shut the door quietly and saw Lucy approach the sairs, but Snape swung his hand out and grabbed her sharply, causing her to spin into his face

"What do you want?" She hissed 

"I need to talk to you" Snape said slowly to her face. Lucy threw his hands of her and waited for him to reply. Instead he steered her to her guest bedroom and slammed the door shut, making sure no one was listening in, Snape bolted the door.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"You know what I want to talk about" Snape said quietly. Lucy tutted and Snape moved closer, "you shouldn’t have gone like that, Lucy. If you really wanted to come here then you should have told me"

"No I wouldn’t want to tell you in case you bring Miss Goody two shoes along with you!" Lucy shouted at him "Oh it's great! You can come over here and snog all over the sofa!"

"Lucy..."

"No! I saw you with her! Being all smug! Bet you couldn’t wait!"

"Lucy please-"

"Has it ever occured into your brain that I don’t like the bloody woman!”

"Why-"

"stop interrupting me! WHY DON’T YOU EVER LISTEN!?"

"NO WHY DON’T YOU LISTEN TO ME LUCY SNAPE!" he roared so loudly Lucy flinched and the house seemd to rattle, "let me tell you something! Right now before you insult me any more! I know you hate Jessica! I don’t need you to tell me that, Lucy! And I was disgusted by your behaviour! You have no respect for me and her! None at all!”

Lucy was astounded at his words, the man acting like she'd done something bad, teeth glaring and voice snarling. He'd never been like this to her! Why did she deserve this?!

"Dad..." Lucy muttured to him

"I don’t want to shout Lucy," Snapes voice had changed to an eerie whispher, "don’t make me shout at you, but sometimes, just this one time-"

"Dad i'm sorry" Lucy butted in. Snape stopped his sentence instantly, "i'm sorry for being in the way! I didn’t mean to! Honest! I was just so...so...."

"So?" Snape entered while keeping still

"Jealous," Lucy whined, "I think i'm jealous of you being with Jessica Stone, I cant help it. I just want to protect you from whats happening. I don’t know what's happening, and I don’t want to be killed while your away with her or something" Lucy bashed her head against her hands as the words came out in a rush

"I know what you mean" Snape muttured to her

Lucy smiled at her father weakly and Snape managed a small smile

"It's just been all a rush, and we're not getting told anything. I've been attacked by a dememtor, Sirius Black's looming somewhere and we all nearly got killed by Kingston and his minons!"

"I've been talking to Mr Weasley," Snape said, "About the attack. He says there's some interesting information about the islands in the ministry"

"What like?"

Snape pulled a puzzled face, "he can't tell me, but he can tell us a bit about Kingston"

"Murderer" Lucy muttured

"Due to evidence Arthur thinks he's the one who caued the death of Tom Bullivarda. But I know it was him, I saw him"

"You keep saying stuff like that" Lucy said, stroking his arm

"He's a cold murderer, Lucy, and I dare say he's the baddest Lord Zuc has to offer. But I have a feeling the other followers are just as gruesome"

The burrow didn’t feel safe at those words and Lucy got the feeling they where being watched, as if someone was circling the sky, waiting for a perfect moment to strike

"Did you kiss her?, Jessica stone?" Lucy asked, wishing to change the subject

"No, she... She had to leave shortly after yourself. She got an owl from her Uncle saying he needed desperate help for some reason." Snape voice was still a whisper, clawing up everyone's spines. This seemed to bother Snape as he frowned. He caught his attention to his pocket and pulled out a letter

"What's that?"

"It came for you early today." Snape carried on talking as she opened the letter , "that bird is a right idiot. Flew right into the window, it did. And it wanted my toast!"

Lucy chortled as she teared the envelope open, but she knew who it was from. Snape glared at her as she read it aloud

" 'Hi Lucy!, I'm on the Hogwarts express! Is that a crime? Im not surprised the ministry don’t think i'm vunerble to the attacks, that’s what most people say about the people from where I come from. Bet if Kingston turned up I shake me old hips and scare him half to death! Jokes aside, i'm bringing the orb back to Hogs, can't leave it in my town. Can you ask Snivels or Dumbledore to hide it somewhere?Since that’s what the brats seem to want. See you soon,Shona. P.S, i'm starving! Bloody house ain't got no food!' " 

"Shake her hips?" Snape said slowly, making Lucy laughed aloud. Her dad gave her a warning look and Lucy couldn’t fight the urge to hug him anymore. Snape was taken by surprise at the gesture, but enjoyed it all the same

"Come on, I doubt we've got long to go before we arrive at Hogwarts."

They turned around and Snape unbolted the door to the sound of Mrs Weasley arguing with the twins. Snape rolled his eyes and let Lucy jump down the stairs to them. He patted his pocket, making sure no one noticed and peeped inside to make sure the news article was still there. It was and then Snape reached the bottom of the stairs.