Chapter thirty five: Madam Puddifoots teashop 

"Snape!" Someone yelled after Lucy as she walked down to Hogsmeade alone the next day, she wished Shona could come but unfortunately she wasn't allowed. 

Lucy sighed and ignored the voice as it continued to call her, she covered her mouth with her scarf and shoved her hands in her coat pockets. She powerwalked down the rest of the slope in which lead to the little village until the person calling her caught up with her. 

"Lucy!" It was Fred who had been calling her, Lucy raised an eyebrow at him and waited for him to speak, "why were you ignoring me?" 

"Oh" Lucy said removing her scarf from over her mouth, "I couldn't hear you over the wind" 

That was a total lie, Lucy had been ignoring Fred, the simple reason being that she was re-thinking what Snape had said to her yesterday.

"Fair enough, say, do you want to go into Honeydukes?"

"Um...No thanks, sweets aren't really my thing"

"They were last year!"

"I've gone off them a bit, sorry"

Fred frowned, "do you want to go into Zonkos?"

"No thanks, lets just go to the three broomsticks I was planning on getting butterbeer" 

"There's a little tea shop round the corner!" Fred protested, "it's almost always empty we could go in there instead" 

"Alright then" Lucy nodded,

She grabbed Fred's arm and they walked down the street, turned a corner then found the little tea shop named 'Madam Puddifoots teashop.' Lucy raised an eyebrow at the cramped place but went in anyway and took a seat, Fred sat opposite her and they spoke while they waited. 

"How come you never come to the common room, Lucy?" Fred asked as they both shook off their coats off and put them on the back of their chairs 

"Well dad lets me stay in the spare room that he has up in his quarters and so I sleep there every night" 

"That didn't answer my question, I didn't ask where you slept I asked why you're not in the common room every night" 

"Oh..." Lucy said, taken aback a little at Fred's tone, "I just don't feel like going there, after lessons I go to dad's office or wherever he is and stay with him until the feast is ready in the great hall" 

Fred was about to question further when Madam Puddifoot stood by the table and asked for their order, both Lucy and Fred ordered tea and let Madam Puddifoot get on with it. 

"You should come back to the common room tonight, I'm sure Shona wouldn't mind speaking to you" Fred said 

"Shona speaks to me every lesson we have. It's not as though I don't see her" 

"So you're just going to stay with Snape and not talk to your friends?" 

"Why do you care what I do!" Lucy snapped 

"Oi! No arguing you two!" Someone said, Lucy and Fred looked around but suddenly Shona revealed herself, she was standing right next to the table 

"Shona?!" Lucy asked half confused half relieved, in her hand Shona held Harry's invisibility cloak

"Worthing..." Fred muttered then sneered  

"Yeah, it's me I snuck down here. I was fedup of sitting in a classroom so I thought i'd venture out to see you two" 

"That's nice...And would you please tell Fred that I do have a life rather than going to the common room!" 

"She does have a life Fred" Shona said dramatically making Lucy laugh 

"Alright, alright but can you come to the common room tonight, please?" Fred asked Lucy 

"Why of course Fred!" Shona said in a high pitched voice 

"Yes I'll go" Lucy said rolling her eyes at Shona 

"About time too!" Fred laughed as their tea arrived 

Lucy and Fred drank their tea in silence as Shona watched occasionally making a sarcastic comment about each of them. Fred finally broke the silence by letting out a revolting burp. 

"Fred that's disgusting!" Lucy sneered 

"Oh please! He's an amateur compared to me!" Shona smiled 

"Don't start please..." 

When Lucy had paid Madam Puddifoot she and her two friends left the shop and had a walk around Hogsmeade, occasionally stepping into a shop. Finally the decided to leave and Lucy was about to follow them when something caught her eye. 

"Er - Fred! Shona!" Lucy called at her friends, Shona was about to swing a punch at Fred because he had just insulted her when she paused 

"Yeah?" They said

"You head up to the castle, I'll catch you up. I need to go into the bookstore" 

"OK!" They waved then walked up to the castle 

Lucy walked around the corner slowly and followed a black dog, when she had made it around the corner the dog she had seen wasn't there. In it's place stood a man, a very weak one too. Lucy covered her mouth with her hand and tried to prevent herself from screaming. 

"Lucy! It's OK it's only me!" Sirius said 

"Sirius?" Lucy asked the man 

"Yes it's me, did you really think I stayed in dog form all the time?" 

"Er no but you gave me a bit of a fright...You look so weak! Can I get you some food?" 

"No, but thank you for asking, you're too kind" 

"It's OK, is there anything you need to report?" 

"I was just going to ask if you heard about to attacks" 

"Oh, I heard about them. It makes me wonder who caused them"

"I don't know who but I wish I did, anyway. It won't be long until I meet the one I want to kill" 

"You shouldn't kill Sirius, you're not like that. You're a nice person" 

"I think your father would disagree..." Sirius sighed 

"My father disagrees on a lot of things but I suppose I better go find him now...See you later!"

Lucy waved goodbye then took a slow walk up to the castle, yet she was totally unaware of some of the events which were taking place up in the castle...

*

"So where's Lucy then, Severus?" Jessica asked Snape

The two of them were sat in his office, they had been ever since Lucy left for Hogsmeade. And Jessica thought that since that Lucy (the spolit brat in her mind) had left she could spend a little time with the one she loved. 

"Down in Hogsmeade" Snape said lazily taking a sip of his wine

"So you allow her to go down there?"

"Of course, I don't see why not"

"That's kind of you, who did she go down there with?"

"I have no idea..." He whispered taking another swig of wine 

"Severus?" Jessica asked edging towards him 

"Yes, Jessica?" 

"What was the fight about on the train?" 

"Some people that want..." 

"Yes?" 

"The orb" 

"And who has the orb, Severus?" Jessica asked, her voice rattled through Snape making him flinch slightly but he opened his mouth to speak nevertheless. 

"I have" 

Snape opened one of his desk draws and pulled out the orb. Jessica's eyes danced with happiness as Snape presented it to her. She held it in her hands and admired it, she held it up to the light then leant towards Snape. 

"Thank you" Jessica whispered as she continued towards Snape, she was about to kiss him when she changed her mind and bit his neck. Snape screamed in pain, Jessica finally let go and sighed with relief, "Severus" 

She ran out of his office and down the corridor not even aware of Shona who was standing just outside. Shona ran into the office and gasped as she saw the Professor who was on the floor shaking, coughing and spluttering, his eyes not even moving and his skin paler than usual. Shona bent down and looked around for some sort of help. 

"LUCY!" Shona yelled as loud as she could, "LUCY!"