Chapter 16: Answers 

Yesterday afternoon Anastasia Garcia left the private dressmakers shop yesterday at six o'clock in the afternoon. They say it's dodgy around where she works but Anastasia had used this road everyday since she got the job. She made sure the area was clear before walking up the road and to a safe place where she could apparate. But she never got there. 

Just when she thought she'd made it she was shoved over by a man dressed all in black, his face was covered but Anastasia knew that he was bad...very bad. The man in black pinned her down while she struggled and screamed. 

"Nobodies going to help you, sweetheart." The man laughed evilly and opened his mouth slightly to reveal a pair of sharp fangs. 

"Kingston," a man behind him had hissed. "I'll do the honours." 

"Indeed you will, my mighty," the man named Kingston stepped back to let a rather tall man come forward and press his boot down on Anastasia's chest. 

"We'll make this short and sweet for you, Anastasia." The tall man said. 

"How do you know my name?!" Anastasia had cried but the man simply laughed, whipped out a sword and stabbed her in the chest. 

"You've been helping Lucy Snape too much, we must kill you for what you know," the man laughed again and stabbed her once more. Blood sprayed everywhere and in the next moment...Anastasia was dead. 

*      *      * 

"B-But how did he get over here!" Lucy sobbed. She was sat in Snape's quarters on the floor while Snape was stood up and was pacing. "How could he kill Anastasia!?" 

"Mr Weasley was lying to you because Zuc could in no way get over here!" Snape yelled as Shona innocently raided through Snape's cupboards without him noticing. "He couldn't it's impossible!" 

"Then who k-killed Anastasia?" 

"Anastasia isn't dead!" Snape stopped pacing and slammed his fist down on the table just as there was a knock at the door. 

"I'LL GET IT!" Shona screamed and shoved Snape out the way, she opened the door to find Dumbledore, McGonagall and Jessica standing there. 

"Good evening, Miss McGuire." Dumbledore said. "May we come in?" 

"Sure, welcome to Snape's quarters! The finest restaurant Hogwarts has to offer! Table for three I presume?" Shona asked and led them all in. 

"I'm guessing you've heard the news," McGonagall said as she helped Lucy up. 

"Yes, Fred told me...apparently Zuc killed her," Lucy sniffed. 

"Nonsense, Zuc can't get over to our world...he remains on the medieval islands away from us. He can in no way harm us." McGonagall shook her head. 

"But he can," Jessica suddenly spoke up. 

"Please explain, Miss Wave." 

"He may not be able to reach us here in England but there is a possibility he can get to France," Jessica said. 

"You're not making any sense," Snape folded his arms and glared at her. 

Jessica sighed. "Merlin lived in England, correct?" 

They all nodded. 

"He placed a spell to banish all knights from here...but did we ever find as to where he really cast the spell? He could have just cast in on England not on any other country." 

"He would have placed it everywhere," Snape spat. "He wouldn't have just cast it on England on it's own." 

"But it would have taken ages to cast the spell on every country in the world, wouldn't he have to visit every country to cast this spell and banish all knights?" 

"Does it really matter if he placed it on the other countries? All Merlin was worried about was casting the spell on England to get rid of the knights so that us wizards wouldn't have to suffer...I'm guessing the majority of wizards live in England." Shona spoke up. 

"You guessed wrong, wizards and witches live all over the world." Dumbledore said. "Miss Garcia and her school friends proved that when they visited here along with Durmstrang." 

"We're missing the point!" Jessica snapped. "Merlin can't have cast the spell on every country, it's simple. He must have just cast it on England." 

"How did Zuc get to France?" Lucy asked suddenly. "He can't apparate, he's not a wizard." 

"The same way as he sent that chess piece over to here. He teleported. He cannot teleport to here because like we've just been saying, Merlin banished all knights and people like him from our world...or as we're discussing at the moment; England." McGonagall replied. 

"Do you think Zuc has only just realised he can get over to France or do you think he's just found out? Or do you think he broke the spell on France — if there was one — to try and get over there to kill Anastasia because she was important to me?" 

"Lucy has just made an excellent point," Dumbledore said. "Merlin could of cast the spell on every country but Zuc is figuring out a way to break the spell...but maybe the spell on England is at his strongest. Even if he does make it over here, he cannot get into Hogwarts." 

"I'd like to see Zuc riding the Hogwarts train, now that would be a sight..." Shona laughed.

"But Kingston got to Hogwarts, he'll tell Zuc how to get here too," Lucy said. "So he can get into Hogwarts." 

"Even so, I presume that the spell on England is the strongest." Dumbledore said. "Well, we will leave you in peace. We will have to discuss this matter further." 

Dumbledore, McGonagall and Jessica headed for the door and Shona followed. As soon as they left, though, Lucy looked up at Snape and he looked at her. 

"I'm sorry," Snape said. "I'm sorry about what happened to Anastasia." He held onto her hand as she dried her tears. He bent down next to her and she gave him a sad look. 

"It's not your fault," she sniffed. "It's nobodies but Zuc and Kingston's."

"I know," he whispered. "But perhaps Anastasia died to protect you?" 

An image flashed before Lucy's eyes: it linked in with the one she had seen earlier. The one that Zuc had forced her to see that also linked in with Fred's explanation. Anastasia was on the ground, she was about to be stabbed to death by Zuc. 

"Lucy has known me for almost all of her life, at least I'll die knowing that I've helped a friend." Anastasia's voice rang through Lucy's head and Lucy knew that Zuc didn't mean for her to hear this; it was a complete mistake. 

"She did, dad." Lucy said. Snape frowned. "I've just seen it." 

"You're having visions again, aren't you?" 

"Yes, the one I've just seen though...Zuc didn't mean for me to see. It's too much of one that would help me to be one that Zuc would rub in my face." 

"Anastasia was a good friend, Lucy, she'd do anything for you. Even if it meant risking her own life." 

"It's such a shame though that she risked her own life for me, she had so many opportunities in life...she really wanted to be a professional dressmaker. She'll never get that chance now, though." 

"We never know when we're going to die, but even though it seems terrible...unfortunately Anastasia's time was up in this world. But I promise you she's going to be OK." 

"You think so?" Lucy asked as Snape helped her up. 

"I know so, now go to bed. You need your rest." Snape commanded and she headed to her room but just as she reached her doorway she turned around. 

"Goodnight." She whispered. 

"Goodnight," he replied and as soon as she was out of sight, he sat down on his usual chair. 

And for the first time in a long while, he sat there and thought of Lily. 

He thought about how terrible it was when he first found out of her death. 

*      *      *

The next day, Lucy woke early. She got changed quickly then pinned her prefects badge to her chest and made her way out of Snape's quarters. She didn't feel like staying there this morning and it would be more appropriate to be alone due to what had happened recently. 

She walked slowly through every corridor of Hogwarts, almost like she was one of the ghosts. That was until she found the corridor she was after and she sat on one of the ledge of the nearest window and stared out onto the grounds of Hogwarts where earlier this year, the Beauxbatons powder blue carriage had sat. 

Lucy had decided last night, when she lay awake, that she would come down to this certain corridor and stare out at this certain view of the Hogwarts grounds. It reminded her of Anastasia. 

If it wasn't for Anastasia all those years ago, Lucy would have been dead and if Lucy had of been dead, there would have been no-one to fight Zuc in the tri-wizard tournament. But...where would Snape and Shona be? Would they talk to each other? Didn't Lucy link the bond between them? The bond that although wasn't one where Snape and Shona were best friends but allowed to keep the gifted together? Didn't Lucy play a key role in stopping Snape and Shona from killing each other? But what would Snape be like if there was no Lucy? 

Lucy suddenly pictures her father all alone in his quarters, waking up every day to go through life without meaning and left with the regret of Lily Evans. Lucy didn't mean to be horrible when she thought about Snape's life having no meaning but sometimes when Lucy had been at school all day and she came back to Snape's quarters and found him there, it was as though as soon as he saw her, she was lifting a huge weight from his shoulders. As though just by seeing her, he forgot about all the bad things in life and just focused on his daughter who he was lucky to have. Perhaps he felt that way because he saw Lily in her...perhaps Lucy was a kind person and was like Lily in that respect. Lucy didn't know...but the only thing she did know was that if it wasn't for Anastasia, Snape would never of known that he had a daughter. 

"Oh, Lucy, stop running off in the morning..." Snape tutted as he approached her. 

"I'm a prefect, I have duties now," she protested. "I have to get up earlier now." 

"So I don't have to nag you now?" 

"No, not as much." 

Lucy sighed as she stared out the window but then she faced Snape. He gave her a worried look and just hoped that she wouldn't burst into tears.

"Dad?" She asked. 

"Yes?" He replied. 

"Did you see Anastasia getting killed?" 

Snape thought for a moment. "Yes, Lucy, I did." 

"When did you see it?" 

"A little while ago, at the start of the year I think..." 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Because I didn't know if it was true, I got glimpses of it but not the whole thing. I didn't see Zuc or Kingston, just a girl laying on the floor. The only thing I found familiar about the girl was her eyes, Anastasia had blue eyes." 

"So, you just saw her dead...after Zuc had stabbed her?" 

"Yes, that was all her saw...and her eyes, that was it." 

"Is it sometimes hard to separate the visions right from wrong. I think sometimes I get visions like you, because some of the things I see never happen. Like that time I saw McGuire skydiving of the astronomy tower." 

"Stop lying." 

"But you get the idea," Snape shrugged. 

"So what have you seen that hasn't happened?" 

"I saw Kingston coming back to Hogwarts before we came back here, but he never came." 

"Instead someone just as bad did." 

Snape hissed. "Yes, someone just as bad." 

"I really don't like Jessica, she thinks she's helping when she's not and, this resistance? I've never heard of it in my life..." 

"Just something for us to fall for, that's all." Snape shook his head. "But going back to Anastasia, I didn't tell you in case it wasn't true. I didn't think it was true because it was such a short and un-clear vision, so I left it. I didn't want you to worry about something that possibly couldn't happen." 

"Yeah, I suppose I've got enough to worry about at the moment anyway..."

"Yes, like prefect duties, homework, studying, O.W.L.S." 

"Not to mention that little other problem with a certain dark Lord," Lucy rolled her eyes. Snape nodded silently as Lucy gave him a look. "What is it?" 

"Nothing, just nothing..." He shook his head and walked off without another word, leaving Lucy to walk down to the great hall on her own. 

As she walked slowly through the corridors, she took out the knife that had been thrown at her back by Zuc and she admired the engravings on it. But she didn't have time to think about the engravings, because as soon as she made her way into the great hall she was attacked by Shona. 

"Not now, Shona," Lucy said. 

"What? Come on! You know I'm always like this in the mornings!" Shona protested. 

"Yes, I know. Calm down. I'm thinking." 

"About what?" 

"About this knife." 

"Would you give it over about that knife? It's obviously just pointless engravings..." 

Lucy sat down at Gryffindor's table and ignored Shona as she studied the knife, she flipped it over and stared at it. She didn't know what was special about it, but she knew it was special. She just knew. She couldn't explain why or how, it just was. 

"You got ancient runes today?" Shona asked suddenly and Lucy looked up from the knife. 

"Yes," she replied simply. 

"I don't know why you took ancient runes as a subject, you could just go to the restricted section in the li — " 

"Oh my gosh! You're a genious!" Lucy gasped and stood up at lightning speed. 

"Huh?" Shona asked as Lucy ran out of the hall. "What did I do?" 

Lucy ran as quick as she could, to the library. She ignored the bell and headed straight to the library. But on her way she was stopped by Harry. 

"Lucy! Quidditch tonight!" Harry said. 

"Oh, OK! I'll be there! No time to chat! Bye!" 

Lucy faced forward again and pelted towards the library. As soon as she made it, she rushed to the restricted section and looked at all the books that involved ancient runes, she sat on the floor in a corner and began flicking through every book that had any sign of cracking codes. 

After a while though, she found a book called 'medieval codes' and Lucy's heart skipped a beat. This could most definitely be her answer, it may not be a good one but it could lead her somewhere. 

She opened up the dusty old book and coughed at the dust before flicking through it violently until she found a page where there were all kinds of shapes and symbols that were like the one's on the knife. 

She sat there for an hour trying to decode the symbols on the knife and just when she was about to give up she found what she was looking for. The answer to cracking the code on the knife. 

"What?" Lucy whispered to herself. "Is this Zuc's motto or something?" 

She couldn't believe how stupid the phrase on the knife seemed, it was as though Zuc had thought it up one day and had it engraved on the handle of every knife. But he'd had a quote put on either side...was this to remind the islands of the power that he had? 

"Pathetic..." Lucy rolled her eyes and wrote down both phrases down on a piece of parchment. She put all her books back and then headed out of the library, Zuc's quotes written on a piece of parchment and was slotted between her index finger and middle finger. If you looked close enough, you'd see what they said: 

'Relish your life, fight with might.' 

'We never fail, one day we'll all have a tale.'