Chapter 24: Advice from the Wise

"Wands away, class!" Umbridge ordered as her group of fifth years ambled into the classroom. Amongst them, Lucy and Shona were feeling rather miserable; Umbridge would most certainly single them out today with their new titles. 

The two of them plonked themselves down in their seats, Umbridge's gaze was always fixed on them. It was as though she was trying to crack some sort of code and would do anything to get them both in trouble.

"Today we'll be reading Chapter 10 of our books." Umbridge smiled sweetly as everyone went to grab their books but just as Lucy was going to grab hers, it was pulled away from her by Umbridge. "Everyone shall be reading apart from Miss Snape." 

"Oh you're so lucky!" Hermione sighed at Lucy. 

"That's my name," Lucy muttered as she stood up and advanced to the front of the class where Umbridge had beckoned her. 

"I hear you are in possession of some items that are not part of my educational decrees nor Dumbledore's rules." Umbridge whispered.

"What are they?" Lucy frowned, she knew that everything she had in her bag that was to do with Zuc, was approved by Dumbledore. He knew that Lucy, Snape and Shona were the gifted and they needed these objects in order to defeat Zuc. 

"Well..." Umbridge said, no longer whispering because it was evident that the whole class was watching. She dipped her hand in Lucy's bag then pulled out the knife. "How about this? I don't think you should be bringing weapons into school, do you?" 

"I need that for — " 

"You need it for what, Miss Snape? For stabbing a student?" Umbridge frowned and placed the knife on her desk, she then put her hand in Lucy's bag again and pulled out Merlin's sword. "How about this? Also for murder?" 

"That's mine! I need that more than the knife! That belonged to Merlin and I'm his descendant!" Lucy protested as Umbridge shook her head. 

"She's right!" Someone called as they ran into the classroom, it was Jessica. "I know she's right." 

"And how would you know this, Miss Wave?" Umbridge almost spat. 

"I-I-I..." Jessica began but she couldn't seem to form the words. 

"She's head of the Resistance," Shona said as she stood up and everyone looked at her. 

"Resistance? What is the Resistance? What are you talking about?" Umbridge stuttered, she knew something was wrong. 

"An organisation formed by the Ministry itself." Shona replied with a shrug but Lucy knew that she was lying. The Resistance had been formed by a group of people who were willing to support the gifted in Zuc's downfall. 

"I don't believe that! The Minister would never have an organisation called the Resistance! I know the Minister very well and he would never do something like that!" Umbridge almost laughed. "Detention, Miss McGuire, for telling lies." 

"Wow, getting a free tattoo at the end of the day..." Shona rolled her eyes and sat down, Lucy glanced at her own hand then covered it with her sleeve. 

"As for you, I shall be confiscating these items. You won't be getting them back." Umbridge placed Lucy's items in her draw and Lucy looked at Jessica for some sort of help but she couldn't do anything...

*      *      *

After all the lessons of the day had finished, Lucy said goodbye to Shona and made her way up to Dumbledore's office alone. She knocked on the door gently and it opened up. She walked forward to where Dumbledore was sitting at his desk. 

"Professor, can I ask you something?" Lucy said politely in respect to the school's headmaster. Dumbledore sat up straight and peered at her over his half moon spectacles. 

"Of course, Lucy, you have every right to come to me for advice." Dumbledore replied and entwined his hands together. "And due to recent events I believe you must be very worried." 

"I am very worried about that, you see I have a lot of questions I want to ask you...we could be here some time." 

Dumbledore nodded understandingly. "As long as it takes, it won't matter to me. I'd rather fill your head with knowledge rather than more questions which remain unanswered." Dumbledore picked up his wand then made a stool appear behind Lucy, she sat down gratefully and then began. 

"Who exactly formed the Resistance?" Lucy asked, she thought she better get this question answered before she forgot it. 

"I don't think that anyone actually formed it, or it was someone's idea, I just believe that a group of people decided that they needed 'Resistence' against Lord Zuc. It's been apparent that he's returned for a while now and just like with Voldemort — which we have the Order of the Phoenix for — we needed something that would help protect the Wizarding world from Zuc, too." 

"Why is Jessica in charge?"

"Miss Stone believed that she was very worthy of the group and because of this she came to me, informing me of the group and asked for advice as to whether she'd make a good leader despite what she was. I agreed that she'd make a good leader and made sure she was head of the Resistance. I also allowed her to come back to Hogwarts to protect the gifted and to keep an eye on Professor Umbridge." 

"Did you allow Professor Umbride into the school?" 

"Do you have another question regarding Zuc?" Dumbledore prompted, he obviously didn't want to answer Lucy's question about Umbridge. 

"Yes, well, sort of..." Lucy muttered and began to reel out the story of how Umbridge took away her knife and Merlin's sword. Dumbledore nodded understandingly then glanced out the window, it was already beginning to get dark. 

"You have a wonderful cat named Angus, I sense that he's very good at finding things." Dumbledore replied and then turned away from the window and looked at Fawkes, his Phoenix. "Fawkes is intelligent too..."

"Oh OK..." Lucy half smiled, she had no idea what Dumbledore was talking about and it didn't really answer her question. 

"Do you have anything else that you want to ask me that troubles you?" 

"Yes, one more question." Lucy nodded. "I think this one is much harder than all the others." 

"Try me." 

"OK..." Lucy took a deep breath and then stared down at her hands which she had placed in her lap. "Why me?" 

"Why you?" Dumbledore wondered himself for a minute. "Why is it you that has to defeat Lord Zuc?" Why is it you that has to be Merlin's descendant?" 

"Yes," Lucy nodded sadly. "Nobody thinks I can do it. I'm sure even dad questions it."

"I don't think you've been paying attention when you say 'nobody'." Dumbledore said wisely. "For I believe you can do it." 

"But, Professor — " 

"You just need the confidence, forget about your training in the Wizarding Army — " (Lucy looked shocked.) " — don't think I don't know about that because I do — and forget about what everyone else says. Now just tell me truthfully, if I gave you all the confidence that you need, do you think you can do it?" 

Lucy looked at him, wide eyed and then blinked a couple of times. "But I won't be able to kill Lord Zuc if I don't know how to fight." 

"You don't need fighting, right now I've just given you all the confidence you need. None of this fighting business exits. It's just you, Zuc and your confidence. Do you think you could do it?" 

Lucy stared at one of the paintings on Dumbledore's wall and studied it for the moment while she processed what Dumbledore had said. Could she really defeat Zuc if she had the confidence? Even if she wasn't particularly good at fighting? But then again, if she had the confidence...wouldn't she also have the confidence to fight. 

Lucy turned to Dumbledore and saw he was patiently waiting for an answer. 

"Yes, maybe I could." Lucy replied in a whisper, finally. "But where do I get said confidence from?"

"I shall help start you off." Dumbledore said and it only took him a moment to begin. "Do you remember that time that you successfully learnt how to do a full bodied patronus?" 

"Yes." Lucy nodded and got an image of her phoenix patronus flying around her head. 

"How did you feel?" 

"Happy and proud of myself and sort of shocked at the same time because I didn't think I could do it." 

"Repeat to me the second way you described it." 

"Proud of myself."

"Exactly. If you try hard enough and have enough determination and the outcome is successful you are proud. If you try hard enough and have enough determination and the outcome in unsuccessful you feel let down. But, if you have enough confidence you know you can try again." 

"Should I do the same with fighting in the Wizarding Army?" Lucy asked. 

"Most certainly, especially when using a spell. Repeat the simple steps that I've just told you: try with enough determination, if unsuccessful try again with confidence that you can do it. If successful be proud of yourself." 

"Thank you, Professor," Lucy said as she stood up. "Thank you so much for your help." 

"It was no problem. But I fear you should head back to your father, its awfully late and I think he might worry about you now it's dark."

"Did we miss the feast?" 

"We did but I can assure you that there will be food waiting for you down in the dungeons." 

Lucy advanced towards the exit of Dumbledore's office but he called her on the way:

"Did you know that we both have the same patronus?" Dumbledore smiled as Fawkes swooped down and sat on his shoulder.

Lucy smiled then walked out of Dumbledore's office and walked slowly down the steps and into the corridor which held no light whatsoever. It was pitch black and Lucy couldn't see a thing, she suddenly felt terrified. 

"Lumos!" Lucy whispered as she pulled out her wand, she could sort of see where she was going now. So, she moved ahead and tried so desperately to get down to the dungeons without getting lost. 

It was as though she was in the middle of a horror game and was holding a muggle torch as she advanced her way down the corridors and was waiting to see a silhouette at the end of the corridor or something was going to jump out at her. 

Lucy was petrified. 

She shivered as it began to get cold and wanted so desperately to get out of the corridors which seemed to get — if possible — darker by the minute. 

That's when she heard it.

"She'll be here, Kingston!" Zuc barked as light seemed to emerge at the end of the corridor she was in. 

"How do you know, My Lord?" Kingston asked as his voice echoed down the corridor. 

"What the — ?" Lucy whispered as the light grew brighter and there were two silhouettes at the end of the corridor, one taller than the other. 

"Are you sure she's here?" Kingston asked and Lucy lowered her wand in fright. Zuc could not get in the castle. Kingston might but Zuc couldn't.

"Yes!" Zuc hissed. 

Lucy wanted to run but she seemed glued to the spot and if she did run, her shoes would make an awful lot of racket on the floor and would echo in the corridor. So, she stayed put. 

Zuc and Kingston advanced towards her as quickly as they could, Zuc was wearing his cape and seemed shorter than usual in the darkness...a little too short...

"There she is!" A female voice called, it wasn't coming from Kingston...

"Lucy!" A voice barked it seemed to be coming from the one that was Zuc but it definitely wasn't Zuc. In a moment of madness Lucy raised her wand and pointed it at the two figures as they approached her.

It wasn't Zuc and Kingston. 

It was Snape and McGonagall. 

"Where have you been?" Snape demanded as he grabbed hold of her shoulder. 

"Talking to Dumbledore," Lucy said truthfully. Snape eyed her suspiciously, looking for fault, but he gave in quickly. 

"Very well..." Snape muttered then dragged her back to the dungeons, on the way they lost McGonagall who headed to her own quarters.

"I think these visions are getting worse," Lucy whispered as they headed down the stairs to the dungeons. 

"Or are you just imagining them?" 

"Probably," Lucy muttered. "I obviously need some of that occulmency stuff."

"We'll start that soon, but for now just go to bed." 

Snape shoved her towards her bedroom door and she went in, there waiting for her was a plate of the great hall's finest food...and also her favourite. 

She sat down on her bed and ate it before placing it back on the side and the empty plate disappeared. She then got dressed into her nightwear and got into bed, she then reached one of her hands down the side of the bed and expected to find Angus in his basket but he wasn't there. 

"Angus?" Lucy asked as she rubbed her eyes. "Angus, where are you?" 

Lucy got out of bed and for the first time in a very long time she turned into a doe and peeped her head around her bedroom door which was slightly ajar. She wouldn't go looking for Angus out of fear that she'd get trapped in the darkness again. Also, she knew that Angus — like Dumbledore said — was a smart cat and he would find his way back.

"Go to bed," Snape ordered as he walked past Lucy's door and into his own room. Lucy scowled nad returned to her human form just as Angus slowly trotted into her room with something in his mouth. 

"Angus? Are you OK?" Lucy whispered just as Angus dropped the things in which were in his mouth. Lucy bent down and picked them up. "Merlin's sword and the knife? Angus! You're a genious!" 

Angus purred in approval then trotted over to his bed and laid down as if to say: I've just got your weapons back, can I sleep now? 

Lucy placed the weapons back in her bag then climbed into bed where she once again reached down but this time stroked Angus' fur.

"I'm glad I chose you in second year, I was going to get an owl." Lucy smiled and Angus looked up to glare at her. "What! They deliver post!"

Yes and I just retrieve your items that you foolishly lose, Lucy could almost hear Angus saying that just before he rolled over and fell into a deep sleep that consisted of chasing owls.