Chapter 4: He who must not be followed

"Lucy, it's time to go!" Snape snarled at the bottom of the stairs as Lucy was sat in Ron and Harry's room upstairs along with Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George. 

"Shut up, Snape!" Sirius yelled as he walked into the hallway, lucky the portrait didn't scream at him...for once. "All I can hear is your voice! It's driving me insane!" Sirius groaned clutching his head. 

"Well, if you can get my daughter down here I will," Snape rolled his eyes but Sirius just smirked. 

"Lucy! I wish for you to come downstairs!" Sirius called in a sing song voice and as soon as the words left his mouth, footsteps could be heard and a few moments later Lucy was at the top of the stairs, she slid down the banister and joined the two men. 

"Yes, Sirius?" Lucy asked as Snape glared at the two of them, although he felt envy towards the both of them. 

"There we go, Snivellus, your daughter has been summoned," Sirius beamed as Tonks walked out of the kitchen. 

"What's going on? Lucy isn't leaving is she?" Tonks asked. "I've only just met her! She can't leave!" 

"She's my daughter and I say that she must come home with me," Snape hissed, fed up of Lucy being the centre of attention of his enemies. 

"Oh come on! She's always stuck in that home of yours! Let her stay here!" Sirius whined, taking hold of Lucy's hand and dragging her back to the kitchen. 

"You obviously don't have a choice, Severus," Tonks shrugged and followed Sirius into the kitchen. "Sirius has really missed her, you know." 

"But she needs to prepare for her hearing!" Snape hissed. "If she goes to Azkaban and gets her soul sucked out by dementors it will make my life hell!" 

"Your life?" 

"Yes, would you like a daughter who was just...there?" 

"No but let her have some freedom, you'll see her tomorrow." 

And at that moment, Lucy poked her head around the kitchen door. "Bye, dad." 

"Goodbye," he replied simply and left through the front door, letting it slam which caused the portrait of Sirius' mother to start screaming again. 

*     *     * 

"Lucy, we need to talk to you." Remus spoke up suddenly over the buzz around the kitchen table but as soon as he spoke up everyone silence as though this speech was planned. "About...Lord Zuc." 

"What about him?" Lucy frowned as she placed down the prophet. "I know I encountered him last year but that's over and done with." 

"But that's not the point," Sirius gulped. "You know damn well he's getting stronger, he's been able to let a knight pass into our world and I hate to think what else he's got waiting for us...the bloke isn't as stupid as he seems." 

"But what am I going to do? I haven't had chance to fight properly and everyone assumes that it's my job to get rid of him! I'm only a fifteen year old!"

"A fifteen year old who's more powerful than she knows," Remus added. "And while we're on the topic of Lord Zuc, what happened to that knife he threw in your back just before you could return to the Quidditch pitch in the third task?"

Lucy went pale. How did Remus know about that knife that had lodged itself in her back? Who told him about such things? But then Lucy looked across the table at Fred who was desperately trying to hide his face. 

"I have it right here — " Lucy opened her bag then pulled out the knife, it gleamed in the dim light that lit the kitchen. "I kept it for some reason..." 

"Wise choice of you..." Sirius mumbled as he took the knife and studied it. 

"Dad doesn't know about it, so please don't tell him." 

"We won't not at all," Sirius smiled as he handed the knife to Remus so he could study it too. "You're probably wondering why we want to look at this knife, aren't you?" 

"Well, I was half thinking that." 

"Good, because this knife has some rather funny lettering on it and do you know what that lettering is?" 

"Please say that's a rhetorical question..." 

"Sort of...anyway, as I was saying. The lettering on this knife belongs to the pigs that follow Lord Zuc, they invented their own secret code so neither humans nor vampires could figure such bazaar wording out, they aren't power hungry but they also don't want Zuc knowing all their secrets." 

"Eh...and how's that going to help me with defeating Lord Zuc?" Lucy frowned, as she took the knife back and studied it for herself. 

"Well, you never know, you could always get those pigs on our side." 

"Do you really think they're going to come on our side? Lets think about this logically, Remus, Lord Zuc or two fifteen year old girls and a potions master?" 

"That's a good point," Sirius chuckled. 

Remus was about to go on about recruiting pigs to the wizards' side when Molly butted in. "Kids, off to bed — Lucy, you can share a room with Hermione." 

"OK, thank you," Lucy half smiled and took herself up to bed, followed by Hermione. 

"I wish they would stop interrogating you, I think it's completely un fair that you have to fight Lord Zuc anyway." Hermione said, rather quickly as they entered their room. "And recruiting those stupid pigs to our side? ridiculous." 

"I know, Hermione, I know. I've been thinking that it's un-fair since I was eleven years old." Lucy groaned as she jumped on her bed and laid on her back. "Zuc wants to kill us all for that stupid orb and it's mine, Shona's and dad's job to protect it." 

"But if he wants it so badly why doesn't he come to the wizarding world and get it?" 

"He's not strong enough and neither are his minions, it's simple. He needs to train himself and his minions up before he can simply trail along to the wizarding world. But, Lord Zuc has only just mastered how to get his knights over here because Merlin banished them many years ago." 

"I wonder how he figured that out?" 

"He's not thick, Hermione, he's quite smart. And even though I hate to admit it, Kingston isn't half bad either." 

"I bet you could outsmart both of them..." 

"Oh how I wish..." Lucy mumbled as she fell into a soundless sleep. 

*      *      * 

"We'll have her someday, Kingston..." 

Lucy awoke as soon as the voice of Lord Zuc spoke to her in a whisper, she was sort of glad considering it was the morning but then again she could of done with some more sleep...

"Lucy!" Hermione whispered, poking her arm. "Lucy! Are you awake?" 

"Yeah, I'm awake," she grumbled and sat up to face her. "What's so important for you to disturb my slumber?" 

"Your fathers here." 

"Oh damn!" Lucy jumped off of her bed, grabbed her bag and ran down stairs as fast as her legs would carry her, completely unaware of the fact that her hair was sticking up at odd angles. She approached her father at the bottom of the stairs. 

"Do you ever brush your hair?" Snape raised an eyebrow as Lucy's eyes went wide then she reached into her bag and pulled out a hairbrush and began to brush her hair frantically. 

"Only just woken up, what do you expect?" Lucy pouted. 

"I'll let you off then," Snape shook his head. "Your hearings tomorrow." 

"I know, I know, you've already told me and I'm sure I'll be fine...Who's my lawyer anyway?" 

"Dumbledore has not confirmed who your lawyer is yet but I trust he's finding someone very suitable for the job, seeing as Mr Potter's hearing is the same time as yours we have agreed that he would be his lawyer rather than yours." 

"Seems fair," she shrugged. "I do hope it's someone as good as Dumbledore." 

"For my sake, I hope it's you." 

"I'm afraid that's not possible..." He muttered. "Now, hurry up, There's a letter from Anastasia waiting for you at home." 

"Anastasia! She wrote to me? She hasn't forgotten about me?" 

"Apparently not." And a little smirk spread across Snape's face.

For Anastasia was the only one of Lucy's friends he trusted.