Chapter 43: Not all those who run can hide

"I can't believe I did, that," Lucy groaned, she felt like crying but she couldn't, she was in too much shock. Snape had explained to her what had happened as they exited the room through the door that had appeared to free them. "I'm so stupid..." 

"You were under the imperius curse, nobody is blaming you," Snape shook his head as they headed up some gloomy stairs, up to civilisation. "It's not your fault...it's just not." 

"It's not as though you said it yourself," Shona shrugged. "Don't feel bad." 

"But I do! I said the words! Now Zuc can open the portal and close it at will! He can send his troops and himself in to kill us!" 

"For the last damn time you were under the imperius curse!" Snape yelled as they advanced towards another set of stairs. "It wasn't your fault!" 

"But — " 

"I don't want to hear another word from you and that's final." 

When they made it to the surface, after climbing many stairs, they found themselves in the main hall of the Ministry where people who worked in various departments were beggining to arrive in the morning to start today's work. There was even people who worked for various newspapers running towards them as soon as they saw they were there. They then began asking questions all at once:

"Mr Snape! What happened down in the Department of Mysteries?" 

"Did you see Lord Zuc?" 

"Lucy! Tell us what happened!" 

"Is it true that you lost the orb?" 

"Sebastian's descendant! Is it true you fought off no faces?" 

"Is your fear really water?" 

"Did you help Zuc open the portal to England?" 

Snape growled at them. "Move out of our way." 

He grabbed hold of Lucy's hand and dragged her through all the reporters, Shona following closely behind. The gifted were very tired and just wanted to get home and forget about everything but the reporters just kept following...

"We have to find the Resistance," Snape pointed out suddenly, but as he turned around he saw a lady with black hair running towards him with Resistance members following her. 

"Severus! You made it out!" She gasped and wrapped her arms around him in a crazed moment, but let go quickly in embarrassment. "I'm sorry." 

"No matter," Snape waved the comment away as the Resistance tried to fend off the reporters from the gifted. "Lets just get out of here." 

"The Hogwarts school year has ended and in ten minutes the Hogwarts express will leave, so you'll either have to get a late train or rush home." 

"Oh damn! I've got to!" Shona panicked. "I'll see you sometime soon, guys, bye!" She waved and then took herself over to a grate in the Ministry entrance hall and made her way back to Hogwarts to gather her things and board the Hogwarts express. 

"Severus, I-I have to go too," Jessica rushed and held Snape's arm. "As much as I want to stay, I have to go. I can't hang around here for much longer. I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine..." Snape nodded. But just as she began to run off, Snape remembered something. "Will you be returning next year?" 

"I will be now that Dumbledore's back — I'll see you soon!" And with that, she ran off.

Lucy cleared her throat weakly and Snape looked at her, she wanted to say something desperately but she remembered Snape had told her not to talk. Snape gave her a look. 

"You have permission to speak," Snape sighed. "I'll allow it." 

"Why aren't we hurrying back to Hogwarts?" Lucy wondered. "We have to get our things and go home..." 

Snape looked at her but then spoke, his voice soft now. "I was thinking of getting the later train, what do you think? Rather than rushing around I thought it would be better if we didn't have to." 

"Agreed," Lucy nodded, then smiled. "I'm just worried about going home..." 

Snape looked up and saw that the reporters were still there while the Resistance members fought them off. 

"Perhaps we should get back to Hogwarts and talk about this," Snape said wisely, then turned to the Resistance members and held up a hand. "No need to protect us any longer, we're leaving." 

The Resistance members nodded but did not move from where they were standing until Snape had apparated Lucy to Hogsmeade station. It was just leaving as they arrived so Lucy got a chance to see her friends. 

"You made it back then?" Shona asked as she poked her head out of the train window. 

"It appears so," Snape replied. "Thank goodness I'm not on the train with you, I don't think I could handle another episode like last years." 

"But that was fun!" Shona protested as the train began to move from the platform. "Besides, you've still got two more years of school before I leave you for good." 

"I hope they go quickly..." Snape groaned. 

"See you in sixth year, Snapey, I'll be plotting more pranks for you in the summer so watch out!" Shona waved. 

"Right back at you, McGuire," Snape waved back. 

"You wouldn't know what a prank was if jumped up and bit you on the — " 

"Have a good summer, Shona!" Lucy waved. 

"Right back at you, Lucky!" 

And with that, the the train had left the platform completely and all they could do was wave at each other until Shona was gone. 

"I suppose we should go and pack up our things, then we can have a talk and by that time..." Snape checked an imaginary watch on his wrist. "The train should be back and we can go home." 

"OK," Lucy agreed and the two made their way up to Hogwarts castle where it was practically empty apart from the ghosts...it was kind of eerie. 

They walked down into the dungeons and into Snape's quarters and went to their rooms, then began packing all their belongings away like they did at the end of every year. 

This, however, took no time at all. It was a routine now and the only problem Lucy was getting Angus into his cage. After they had all their belongings together, they placed them in the living room for when they were ready to leave. In the meanwhile, Lucy and Snape sat there and just spoke. 

"Look, Lucy, I'm sorry if you got the impression that I was angry when you opened the portal, but I swear I wasn't angry at you. I was angry at Zuc, I was just so upset that he had used you to open the portal, it isn't right." 

"Don't worry about it," Lucy shrugged. "I can see why you were upset anyway, the portals open and Zuc can run in and out of it at free will. He can now kill whoever he wants." 

"He did that anyway," Snape pointed out quickly. 

"True." Lucy laughed. "But what do we do now that it's open?" 

"We have to work harder, that's all. I guessed that he would open the portal soon but I didn't know it was this soon." 

"I understand what you are saying, it was unexpected. We just wanted to find the orb and leave the Department of Mysteries; that was the whole plan. We didn't want to see Zuc, it was completely unintentional." 

"Perhaps we can take this on as a new experience? Perhaps we can learn from it and work harder? Perhaps we can forget our fears and learn how to fight? That's what this is all about, correct? Working hard and truing to save the Wizarding world? This is what we are here for, after all. We are the gifted." 

"I know, but I can just feel the hate rolling in from the Daily Prophet and the likes, accusing me that I opened the portal myself for Zuc." 

"Don't listen to them, you know you didn't do it and therefore you do not need to listen to their lies," Snape said wisely and that was the end of their conversation. They just sat there for hours until it was five o'clock in the afternoon...

"Shall we go?" Snape asked

"I think so," Lucy replied. "I just want to go home." Lucy walked over to her luggage and then paused in her tracks. "Dad, will it be safe at home?" 

"I think it should be, don't you think?" Snape frowned but then realised what she was saying. With Zuc on the lose he could just walk into Spinners end and capture both of them. Snape shook his head and bravely patted Lucy on the shoulder. "We'll be absolutely fine." 

*      *      *

The steam from the train blew a high pitched whistle into the evening sky. Lucy had never felt so alone, so empty, but so happy. It was darker than usual as the train had been summoned to come back for Snape and Lucy privately. It was darker than expected when she was returning home and the novelty of being able to run down the corridors as Shona had suggested had worn off.

For now, Lucy lay glued to watching the landscape roll by freely, free more than her at the moment, away from the other part of the gifted. 

Snape entered and closed the door silently, obviously bored of the wine bar. He sighed as he sat opposite of Lucy, both looking bored. Lucy made a pattern on the window sill as Snape looked out to the dipping sun.

"So..." Snape started but Lucy interrupted.

"We failed," Lucy sighed to him. "He’s in. and he won’t go back. Zuc is only being held back by himself, for his own like to blow up muggle fighter planes. Like the reckless chess child player he is," Lucy hit her head dully against the wood and listened it clunk. She closed her eyes miserably and thought of the battle. When she opened her eyes, Snape had appeared at her side.

"It’s not over yet, Lucy," he said in such a heroic tone. Lucy thought he was drunk. "Voldemort's back but he hasn’t killed Potter, we...you can still do this!" He shook her a little to get her attention.

"But the orb! It’s drained! And apparently when Zuc opened the portal you could hear it even in the muggle world! It's been broad casted on their televisions and everything!"

"It doesn't matter! You fought him and he went running back!" Snape said energetically and tired to remind her of the heroic choices she made.

"But I had help!" Lucy recoiled. Snape put two hand on her arms and told her very straightly:

"Who thought of going to follow it? Who saw the orb? Who dared to risk life and limb in something you believe in? You did!" Snape told her and Lucy blinked.

"It’s only over until we're over," Lucy said back to him and for once saw a smile curl over his lips.

"That’s right. We've got an army building up, we're getting stronger. We can do this if we stay strong," he said kindly before the train went over a small bump. Lucy smiled back before stepping out of the compartment.

"I'm going to the sweet trolley, might be something I haven’t tried before," at the sound of this Snape's face turned sour.

"Don’t touch those molini mice," he cringed and went to rub one of his back teeth which made Lucy gawp.

"You still eat sweets?"

"Not any more after that! Wanted to see if they tasted the same as they did back in my day! Nothing of the sort!" He shook his head as Lucy ran off laughing.

That was when she saw the figure. She halted in mid gallop to see through to the next cabin, a man in a suit sitting completely comfortable on his own. He was reading the daily prophet. Lucy dared not open the door, glazed in fear. It must be a ghost; it was too fake to be real. He had his back to Lucy, the carriage rumbling but not making him feel insecure. Then very carefully Lucy readied her wand and moved in.

She slid open the door and awaited the man to spin round in shock. But he didn’t, he stayed completely still. the figure was ignoring her completely. Then suddenly the door slammed shut behind her with incredible force, sealing her in. Lucy went to open it, but assumed the man would turn on her. This was a very bad idea.

Then over the corner of her eyes, she saw the man lower the paper, but continued stareing into nothing, listening. Lucy's breathing quickened. Then without warning, her legs decided to move towards him, towards the suited man. She aimed her wand high and her lungs curled up into little tiny pieces.

"H...hello?" She quiverd about three metres away from him. The man didn’t reply. Instead he laid down his paper neatly on the table. As Lucy peered over she noticed the title.

‘TOURIST ATTRACTION CRUMBLE UNDER HORRIFYING TRANSPORT DISAPPEARANCES.‘

Then he turned half of his body to face Lucy, suit not crinkling an inch. He placed one arm on the back of the seat so Lucy could look into his eyes.

"Hello, Lucy," Zuc said happily. Lucy screamed to high heaven.

She instantly sprinted back and started to bang on the door. She could sense Zuc standing up very slowly, inching out the cruelty. Her dad had to hear her! Couldn’t he?

"Lucy, there is really no point running..."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She cried hysterically and hit the door with her fist. She could feel him creeping up on her. She cried harder and went to turn. When she did so, Zuc had cornered her.

"Now that we’ve got that out the way...how about we talk?" He asked politely with a smile. Lucy shook with fear and went for her wand.

"DAD! HELP!" She squealed and sent a spell at the man’s face, which he dodged effortlessly.

"You aren't very bright are you? I haven’t got a single weapon on me! I'm actually in a very fine suit...Joshua told me the places to go...very fetching..." he spoke to himself as he causally wrapped a powerful hand over Lucy's neck, making her drop her wand.

"Couldn’t you let me use my wand, so we can fight like real human beings?" Lucy suddenly burst out, the screaming not helping her. Zuc raised an eyebrow.

"I would hardly call magic human, not even humain!" He snarled at her mockingly. He slowly took his hand away from her throat and spoke again. "If you let me talk to you no harm will come..."

"What? What is it you possibly want? I have nothing! The orb is locked away!" She burst out with took him off guard. But being Zuc, he controlled himself and carried on.

He thrust her over to the nearest table where she sat silently, but the sound of footsteps came pounding in her ears. Lucy sat with her back to the door she came in, Zuc facing her with arms crossed.

"Now we have two plans. I can kill you now if you wish, that’s my first option, my original option, but one that would prove foolish."

"Foolish? Why?" She quizzed as Zuc chuckled. He enjoyed people uncertainty. He had obviously found and had been catching up on the Tale on the Knights, something Lucy desperately wanted to get her teeth into.

As she was about to ask a question, someone began to scream her name. Snape. He was at the door.

"You will not die...yet. If you follow me to my castle I will let you live a little longer," he concluded as Lucy stared at him. But Snape was screaming her name so hard it hurt. Zuc sighed irritaitedly and went over to the door. Snape instantly stopped pounding the window. 

For a second both men reached eye contact. It was strange; one man seemed in pieces and the other in full control. But both held a firm evil gaze, very powerful but both full of anger. Then Zuc cut it off, pulling the blinds down in one quick sweep. But as Zuc turned, Lucy had gone. Rage filled him.

"You can’t run away Lucy Snape!" He yelled as the figure disappeared to another carriage. She quickly bolted as he began to stalk her...

But Lucy had bolted several carriage doors shut. She was heading towards the back of the carriages, where would she go then? She had heard in films of people jumping out onto bridges, and seriously considered this until the carriage flew her off her feet. 

"Damn," she muttered and quickly got up again just as Zuc grabbed hold of her. 

"You can'r run from me, Lucy," he growled. "Now you either come with me, back to the Medieval islands or I kill you here and now..." he took out Merlin's sword from underneath his suit and held it against her throat. "The decision is entirely yours!" 

Lucy didn't say anything as she heard Snape's voice again, desperately trying to find her. Zuc rolled his eyes at Snape's stupidity. 

"Idiot...he won't get you back now," Zuc sighed and lifted Lucy up and covered her mouth despite her desperate attempts to scream. "Not ever again..." 

Just as Snape managed to find Lucy and Zuc, he called out Lucy's name. But in the next instant Zuc just grinned and vanished. 

The last thing Snape saw was the pure terror in his daughter's eyes. 

The eyes he would never see again.