Chapter 33: Relation Realisation

Since Snape had returned to Hogwarts, Lucy had been much calmer not to mention much happier despite recent circumstances. In fact, as soon as the clock had struck nine she had taken herself off to bed and fell asleep almost immediately. Zuc didn't even bother her, he was either feeling rather generous or just couldn't be bothered.

Snape was relived to be back at Hogwarts, he had un-packed his briefcase with joy and could not comprehend how happy he was to be back. He could remember the years before he had met Lucy and would have given anything to leave Hogwarts, but now he would give anything to stay. Not just to be with Lucy but as many people said 'Hogwarts is their home.'

However, tonight he was awfully tired and could barely keep his eyes open. It was as though he'd drunk the sleeping draught and could no longer stay awake because of it. Just like Lucy, he had gotten straight into his own bed and fell immediately into a deep sleep.

But sometimes, falling asleep isn't the best option.

Even if sleep does recharge your batteries and you do think up either a beautiful dream full of your fantasies and greatest desires. Or you can think up the most terrible nightmare, full of your biggest fears that haunt you and make you shiver even when you wake up and the nightmare is long gone.

Besides nightmares, many things can go wrong in sleep. If you think about it, when in sleep your body enters lock down. You are completely alive but are un-aware of your actual surroundings and that is where things can go wrong. You are totally unaware of the real world.

Although Zuc was not there to bother Lucy that night, other things were...that she was completely unaware of.

You see, when Snape boarded the train at King's cross that day he was relieved that he was the only one on the train. He had simply placed his briefcase in the shelf above the seats and then sat down and enjoyed reading the Daily Prophet fro a while. He was completely trapped in his own world, knowing that no one would be there to bother him, for there was no one else.

But that is where he is wrong.

There was someone else on the train and they only just about managed to get on the train at King's cross because it was literally leaving the platform as they hopped aboard. This was entirely the persons choice, they knew they could be so much more than a nobody, out shadowed by a big threat was something they could not take any longer. They would be bigger and better than their rival.

As soon as the train had arrived at Hogsmeade station, the person watched as Snape disembarked from the train and talk to Shona McGuire until they left. This is when the person got off of the train themselves and followed the two gifted, staying well hidden.

Unfortunately, after that, they were unable to follow Snape. Instead, they followed Shona. She had lead herself off to the common room and that was no use either, so the person had to remain hidden until the time was right.

And that time as now.

They crept down to the dungeons on nimble feet, the soles of their shoes only touching the hard, cold concrete for brief moments at a time as they made their way to the door. They moved at a resonate pace but it was not quick enough to be classed as a normal walking speed nor slow enough for shuffling.

As soon as they reached the door they placed a hand on the door and pushed down slowly but with much force. The door creaked open, making the person cringe with a great deal. They stood on their toes, ready to run away at any sign of danger. Much like an animal ready to flee at the sight of a nearby human.

They waited for fifteen seconds or so before coming to a conclusion that no one had been disturbed down here in the dungeons. They crept towards the stairs on the other side of the room where Snape's private quarters were and then climbed the stairs with much care.

They approached another door, thinking this would be just as easy as entering the dungeons, they pressed down on the handle but it restricted them from pushing it more than a very small amount. The person cursed but then paused in his tracks to listen again for danger and to realise something.

They reached quickly into their pocket and seconds later fished out a handy paper clip, they couldn't believe their luck. The person slotted the folded piece of metal into the lock carefully (after they had unfolded it from it's proper shape) and twisted the paper clip carefully. He listened carefully in the silent night for clicks that indicated the lock had been open.

Soon enough, a few faint clicks could be heard and the door was open. This mission was just too easy for the person, so much easier than he assumed.

The person then slipped into Snape's quarters, they then examined the place with care. They were In the living room, it was very clean and the only object that was out of place was the Daily Prophet that was lying by the floor. The person smiled; this was he newspaper Snape was reading earlier.

The person determined the location of the different rooms there were. A bathroom, a living room, a small kitchen, the main bedroom and —

Yes, of course.

The person got butterflies just thinking about what lay beyond the door of Miss Lucy Snape's room. It was something oh so valuable...almost too valuable for words. It was one of a kind and could not simply be replaced.

The person wandered over to Lucy's door which was slightly ajar. He opened it completely without hesitation and grinned in delight.

His silhouette fit into the door frame, yet he was not tall enough to reach the top. The cape he was wearing shifted slightly in the cold breeze, dancing around the persons legs eerily. They made a noise of satisfaction then rubbed their hands together.

This was it.

This was was the moment when Martyn McGuire became better than his sister.

Martyn couldn't believe his luck as he stared at the sword that lay just underneath Lucy's bed, he wouldn't even have to go hunting for this. He would just have to simply bend down, swipe the sword and he would leave; it was all too easy...surely there was a catch...

Martyn got onto his hands and knees and crawled over to the sword. He reached out when he was close enough and slowly his hands closed around the sword. But as soon as he did, Lucy had accidental put her foot on his hand.

He screamed out in surprise, grabbed the sword and scrambled to his feet. Lucy switched on the light quickly and stood up. Her eyes widened in terror a she saw that Martyn McGuire had snuck into her room. She breathed heavily as the two stared at each other in equal amount of terror.

Finally, Martyn was the first to react. He swung the sword at her and he ducked. The sword cut the end of her night gown and made it fray. She growled and was going to retaliate when Snape burst into the room.

"Dad!" Lucy screeched.

"Who is that?!" Snape yelled at Martyn who was still clutching the sword for dear life. He could still see an escape route though. He made an attempt to charge around Snape but he grabbed hold of the boy, preventing him from going any further and foiling his plan.

"Let me go!" Martyn demanded as he struggled, but Snape grabbed hold of the sword and Martyn cursed.

"Now you can go," Snape hissed and walked out of Lucy's room and threw Martyn out of the dungeons. Lucy was left to hold onto the sword until Snape came back. "What exactly happened?" Snape asked when he came back.

"I just woke up and was going to get myself a glass of water when I stood on his hand. He was obviously trying to get the sword out from nder my bed where I've been keeping it recently. I don't know how he got into your quarters, however, because they're always locked."

"Remind me...who was that?" Snape asked, he had a dim memory of the boy but could not quite place his finger on where he had seen him before.

"That was Martyn McGuire, Shona's brother."

"And that could possibly explain how he got into my quarters..."

"How?"

"Remember how Miss McGuire herself gets into doors?"

"Paper clips..." Lucy whispered to herself more than to Snape.

"Exactly, he used a paper clip to get in just like Shona herself would."

"Martyn seems just as sneaky as Shona," Lucy commented.

"Yes," Snape node debut then his face turned dark. "But Martyn doesn't seem the type to do it just for an innocent prank."

*      *      *

"McGuire," Snape said the next morning. It was now the weekend and Snape had invited Shona to join him and Lucy in his quarters to talk about Martyn McGuire. Snape handed Shona her coffee she had ordered and then sat down himself with his own drink, while Lucy now held the sword very tightly. "Something rather peculiar happened last night."

"What happened?" Shona wondered, feeling ever so curious.

"It appears your brother has returned more Hogwarts."

Shona spat her coffee out as soon as Snape had uttered those words. "WHAT?!"

"I know, he was supposed to be with your father, wasn't he?"

"Y-Yes," Shona stuttered remembering what had happened down in Worthing during Christmas. She was still embarrassed because of that day and really wished that Lucy and Snape hadn't seen that, she would give anything to change what had happened with a time turner... "So what exactly did he do?"

"He snuck into Lucy's room and tried to steal Merlin's sword," Snape bowed his head while he clutched his mug of tea. Shona almost spat out her coffee a second time but prevented herself from doing so because it was as though she was coming to some sort of conclusion.

"Of course..." Shona muttered under her breath, but unfortunately Snape's hearing was very sensitive.

"What is it?" He asked. Shona looked up as if to say 'I didn't say anything.' "You're thinking something."

"Alright fine, I came to a conclusion a while after I found out I was Sebastian's descendant...lets just face it, we know Zuc's coming back and we are the gifted that need to fight him off. If I wasn't part of the gifted, my brother would take my place and it would be you two and Martyn."

Lucy and Snape looked at each other as they came to a grim realisation that if they didn't have Shona in the gifted they would have Martyn instead. They had to have one of Sebastian's descendants in the gifted and they suddenly thanked their luck that it was Shona instead of Martyn.

"But why did Martyn want Merlin's sword?" Lucy asked, voicing the question that was in everyone's head.

"They say if one sibling is out shadowed by the other, they become jealous," Snape whispered. "This is the same scenario with the McGuire's."

"I think Martyn is coming onto something something," Shona whispered. "I think he's becoming jealous of the alliance preventing Zuc and wants to — "

"Don't," Snape ordered. Lucy stared at her father, he looked like he was going to be sick. 

"Dad?" Lucy asked, as though expressing for him to elaborate. 

"McGuire thinks that her brother is trying to help out Lord Zuc by bringing him Merlin's sword." 

"Oi! I'm not Merlin's sword!" 

"Lucy don't be pathetic..." Snape groaned but Lucy stared at him in disbelief. 

"I did not say that," she frowned. 

"But I did!" The voice came again and Lucy dropped the sword in shock. "Ouch! That hurt, misses!" 

"You're a sword you can't feel anything!" Lucy snapped but then she paused. "I'm going mad, I'm talking to a sword." 

"You're not going mad, I'm talking to you alright," The sword explained. "And I do have feelings thank you very much! You might want to think about that when you go to drop me again!" 

"Sorry...and what were you trying to say about you're not Merlin's sword?" Lucy asked as she carefully picked up the sword. 

"Because of you three I'm known as Merlin's sword now, but actually Merlin did not create me! It was Sebastian! I was used for the sole purpose of guarding Sebastian in battle!" 

"But why does it say 'Merlin' on the hilt of the sword?" Snape chimed in, just as suspicious as the other two. 

"That's because some fool named Lucy Eileen Snape made everyone belief that I was Merlin's sword! Thanks so much you filthy little — " 

"That's enough!" Snape barked and snatched the sword off of Lucy and magically Merlin's name disappeared. "Just because you're a sword doesn't mean I can't bend you and lock you up in a small cupboard, or throw you back into that hidden room..." 

"No! Please, Mister! I'm so young! — oh who am I kidding, you don't scare me..." 

"Shut up and answer these questions!" Snape ordered and the sword fell silent as it listened. "Merlin surely must have used you in battle? Even if Sebastian did make you." 

"Correct! Merlin did use me in battle! Seb and ol' Merlin kind of shared me, but Sebastian is definitely my owner and I trust him most. I would like to be used in battle by Sebastian's descendant but I will 'tolerate' Merlin's descendant." 

"You will have to tolerate that and there are no exceptions...next question, how are you talking to us?" 

"That would be the orbs fault, it just has a mind of it's own doesn't it? Does whatever it pleases without being told off...I think you should make it go and sit on the naughty step!" 

"Of course..." Lucy whispered and picked up the orb. "It has to have a mind of it's own, it gave us powers and made us the gifted." Lucy's hair changed colours according to the orb. She placed it down and her hair returned to it's natural light brown colour. 

"I can't believe Zuc wants the orb to open some stupid portal, you'd think he'd just capture any old wizard to perform any old wizardy doo da to get it open instead." 

"But you don't know how much the orb is capable of, that's why it's so precious to Zuc. That's why we have to keep it safe. That's our job," Shona stated it was the first time she had spoken up since the sword had started talking. 

"Oh look it's Sebastian's descendant! You're my new owner! Well, one of my owners. You have a brother too, he tried to take me away to Zuc! How pitiful..."

"Don't worry um, sword, Lucy can look after you." 

"But she doesn't need me! She has that stupid walking stick! You know? The one that stops time? That's Merlin's! You have that! Now do a swap with Lucy and we can all be happy..."

"Shona can keep the walking stick and I'll keep the sword, we found them in that hidden room and that's how it's going to stay, alright?" 

"Fine...but can you tell that orb to sort it's priorities out? I don't want to talk to you three, you just annoy me. Especially you, you overgrown bat!" 

"Shut up!" Snape yelled and in the next moment the sword silenced, the gifted were left to look at each other. 

"Well, that was odd..." Shona pulled a face. 

"Very, but perhaps we can take into account that we now know who the sword belongs to. Even though we shall be keeping the sword here." Snape added. 

"Not to bed rude or anything, but do you think that's wise when the sword almost got stolen last night? Perhaps you can hide it somewhere where someone would never dare venture." 

"Like where?" Lucy asked as she held Snape's arm. 

"Like his cape of course! No one would ever go there." 

"McGuire!" Snape shouted but Shona just laughed. "I will find a safe place for this sword, however. It is now vital that we keep it safe and any other object that could be at risk to be taken."

"The orb, the Tale of the Knights, the sword and my half eaten Honeydukes chocolate bar." Shona smiled and took out her chocolate bar. 

"Seriously?" Lucy asked. 

"Yes of course! You never know when you're going to need a bit of chocolate!" 

"I shall keep all these items — apart from the chocolate bar — locked away somewhere so that we will be the only ones that will be able to find them. If there's anything else that can be locked away you only need to inform me." 

"Right, I'll go and grab all my other Honeydukes chocolate — " 

"Don't bother." Snape hissed sharply.