Chapter 21: The truth about McGuire's

Lucy awoke the next morning to find herself feeling a lot better and when she got up to go into the bathroom, she had colour back in her face. She assumed that her face had been pretty colourless and she'd looked like a traditional vampire. She brushed her hair and plaited it quickly before getting dressed and walking slowly down the stairs. But as soon as she heard voices she sat on the top step. 

"Do you think she'll get better?" Snape's voice was forced through gritted teeth.

"She has got better, Severus, she's fine..." Jessica sighed. "I best be on my way, now. I've got a call from the resistance, it's urgent and I need to go." 

"Such a pity..." Snape said sarcastically. 

"Just send me an owl if you need some help, that's what I'm here for." 

Jessica walked out into the hallway and she spotted Lucy. Snape also walked out into the hallway and looked at her. Lucy stood there with her arms crossed which were rested on her knees. 

"Goodbye, Lucy, I'll see you after the holidays," Jessica smiled. 

"You too," Lucy said, trying not to sound too upset as she now knew the true Jessica. Lucy actually felt sorry for her. 

"Good luck, both of you," Jessica said and with that, she exited the Snape's house and wandered off, wheeling her belongings in a battered old suitcase with the initials 'F.W.' It was probably so battered because Jessica wanted to keep up her image of Fiona Wave who had been people's secretaries for a long time. 

Lucy miserably sat at the tio of the stairs and looked at Snae ho watched Jessica go with beady eyes, he wanted to make sure she really was leaving and wasn't going to hang around to protect them.

"Now it can just be the two of us," Snape muttered as Jessica hid in an alleyway and apparated (she had finally learnt how to and was very pleased with herself.) 

"I wish I had a mum," Lucy muttered miserably. 

"Am I not good enough for you?" Snape asked and Lucy knew he was joking as soon as she saw his face. 

"Yes, of course you are...it must be terrible having to put up with an emotional teenage girl..." Lucy snorted. 

"Us adults were teenagers once. It's tough." 

"Sometimes it is, especially when you wished you had both parents. I love you so much, dad, I love you more than you know. But, somedays I want mum too."

Lucy stood up and walked downstairs and Snape watched her with curosity. Yet, he didn't say anything until she had placed both dainty feet on the bottom step of the old stairs.

"Cheer up, it's the Christmas holidays,"  Snape said as she walked into the living room. 

"I know." Lucy muttered just as the phone began ringing. Lucy picked it up, pressed the green telephone button. "Hello?" Snape heard Lucy ask to the person on the other end of the phone. He walked into the living room himself and watched her from the doorway. 

"Hey, Lucky," the voice of Shona answered on the other end of the phone. Although, her voice was unrecognisable at first because it wasn't upbeat and happy. 

"What's wrong?"

"Is it OK if I come over?" Shona asked, completely ignoring Lucy's question. 

Lucy looked over at Snape who was shaking his head, he didn't want McGuire over here, not in his house. She would cause havoc and end up trying to turn his robes pink. 

"Of course, Shona." Lucy replied and Snape's jaw dropped. "You're part of the gifted, you're allowed to come over here." 

"Thanks, I'll see you in a minute." 

After fifteen minuets of staring out the window, Lucy and Snape finally saw Shona advancing her way long the path to Snape's house. She hammered on the door quickly and Snape swept out of the room to answer the door. 

"McGuire," Snape said in a bored tone, obviously not happy to see her. 

"Snape," Shona replied in almost exactly the same tone. 

Shona walked around Snape and walked into the living room and saw Lucy. She smiled but Lucy didn't return it; Shona looked absolutely warn out. Her short brown hair was pointing out at odd angles, her blue eyes were almost lifeless and she looked older than she should. 

"Hi," Shona said weakly. 

"Hey," Lucy replied, still a little shocked. "Are you alright?" 

"I'm fine," Shona waved her comment away and sat down. "Thought I'd get away from my dad and brother." 

"What about your mother?" Snape asked as he stepped into the room, he knew Sally McGuire from when he attended Hogwarts and although he never truly had friends, he could always count on her. 

"Didn't I tell you?" Shona frowned. "Mum's gone." 

"Why?" 

"She left in my third year, my powers weren't the only reason I was tired. I had to take on all of mum's jobs like cleaning, cooking and whatever other housekeeping jobs there were." 

"But we saw her at the end of third year, we saw that she was with you and took you home with your father and brother." Lucy said, a little confused. 

"My parents got back together after a little while but then it all fell apart and I had to keep paying the rent." 

"You pay the rent for your house?" Snape asked in shock. 

"Have to, if not we'd be kicked out. My dad couldn't care less that I'm running out of money to pay it, he just keeps borrowing money and never pays the people back. He just thinks he can do whatever he wants." 

Lucy and Snape looked at each other as though coming to some sort of realisation. All three of the gifted had had tough lives and were always in misery because of it, they had mental scars that wouldn't heal. 

"The only reason I asked to come over here was because I wanted some company, you know? I don't exactly like Snivels but at least he's company." Shona shrugged. 

"You put up with this, don't you?" Snape said but it was more of a statement than a question. 

"I have no choice..." 

"You should stand up to your father." 

"If I'm totally honest, I really don't want to." 

"I want to have words with your father. This is totally unacceptable, come on, both of you. We're taking a trip to Worthing." 

*      *      * 

As the gifted hit the ground after Snape had apparated, Shona immediately dragged them through Worthing. The snow was falling slightly harder now, Lucy gawping at the place. The place was covered in beautiful, but the windows she looked into were black with ill, no movement. The whole area felt like a shell.

All three ran along the road, no cars to be seen parked or moving. Quite quickly they made it to a small semi-detached house, forced together and pasted in a gluey white snow. The only clue to Lucy that there was any life was because a little yellow car which was parked outside and stuffed with suitcases. There were two figures, one inside playing with some sort of console, and the other packing.

Lucy, Snape and Shona crunched over in the snow it seemed to grab the attention of the man. Lucy had no idea if he thought they were a gang or not moving to him but he seemed a bit off guard. He stood still, in mid motion of picking up a box, and scanned them all. Snape and Lucy stopped by the old fence by the front garden but Shona ventured a little further and stopped about a metre away from the man.

"Hi, dad," Shona said nervously. Mr McGuire stood up fully as he snow fell even harder. Lucy unconsciously gulped; Shona’s dad must be over six foot tall.

"What are you doing here?" He said in a gruff voice. Lucy was taken aback in the sharpness of his tone.

"Why are you packing? You said —" Shona began but Mr McGuire made stupid little whining noises which quietened his daughter.

"Yes I said. You weren’t meant to be coming home until later," he bit sourly and started packing more into the car. As Lucy analysed she could see on the side ‘ryders rental firm.’

"Dad, I was worried..." Shona said sadly.

"Worried?" he mocked as he used Shona to hold other heavy objects for him. "Liar, just like your mother..."

Shona didn’t reply. Snape and Lucy looked on hopelessly.

"Dad, we can’t go!" Shona begged. Mr McGuire stopped and stared into Shona’s eyes. But there was no warmth in his like Shona’s held, just brown murkiness that floated around like mud. He loomed closer and seemed to make Shona shrink.

"We?" Mr McGuire said so vile even Lucy felt as if she had been hit. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She wanted to step in, but she kept stopping herself. "We? I warned you."

"I haven’t done anything!" Shona pleaded but her father turned away from her, he seemed to enjoy the company more of the suitcases.

"Of course you have!" He snapped back but didn’t turn around, grasping the suitcase with hunting hands.

"Dad, I’ve — " 

"No," he span and snarled. "You have always been a nuisance! You and that bloody mother of yours waving your bloody wands about! Couldn’t help us move house, eh?" He dented the air around him. It felt as if the air had gotten ten degrees colder.  Shona’s face seemed to over boil for once.

"Don’t take it out on mum!" Shona yelled defensively. Snape and Lucy stayed back, too frightened to move. They should be helping Shona, but stepping in might to more harm than good.

"Your bloody mum made me have you! You shouldn’t be here! You’re not wanted! And...WHO IS THAT?!"

Mr McGuire suddenly noticed Snape and Lucy awkwardly stuck by the rotting fence panels. Lucy turned to Snape who had gone the colour of snow itself. Mr McGuire aimed a long stern finger at Snape before storming over to him. Lucy shrieked profoundly and tried to drag her dad out of the way but Shona’s dad had already sent a hard fist into his face. Snape aimed his wand and the man but Shona had already controlled her father.

 "Get off of me!" He yelled and punched Shona cleanly in the face. The person in the car came bolting out of the car as silence fell over Worthing once again.

Shona held her face as Snape and Lucy’s jaws dropped open. Lucy was disgusted. Mr McGuire composed himself and straightened his coat.

"Snape is it?" He spat, but he knew the answer anyway. Snape curtly nodded.

"Severus Snape," he replied to jog the man’s memory just as sourly.

"I should have expected her of making acquaintances like you. Just like Sally," he said and turned his attention back to Shona, who had been holding her face, looking shocked at him. "Do you know why we are leaving?" He said childishly.

Shona looked dumbstruck as Martyn stood proudly next to his father. Lucy automatically drew her wand at the face of the boy as the two pairs of eyes locked. He instead gave her a look to put it away or else.

"We’re leaving because of you," he said simply and lowered himself to his daughters height as she stared wide-eyed. "You messed up everything up for us, you didn’t need to go to that school, you should have gone to a normal school and not trained to be a freak. Then what do you do? Go and get twisted up with them and this medieval do da! Then you come home with that glass sphere and expect us to like you more?"

Shona didn’t reply. She seemed lost and confused as the fog finally lifted off from her father.

"Its all your fault! You’re the reason Sally left! You’re the reason we’re still living here! You messed us up!"

"Dad, we cant go! We have to stay! The lives of the Wizarding world — " she was about to continue but her dad snapped.

"I don't give a damn about your Wizarding world; someone could crush it for all I care! Just get out of my sight," he ordered and stormed over to the car door and shoved all the final possessions in.

Martyn smiled at them all evilly with his trendy come over and cheap smile. Lucy couldn’t ignore the fact how different he looked outside of school. He looked more stupid.

Shona though was struggling to cope. She was standing there confused as she was cut down inch by inch. Snape wanted run in and hex the man, or understand what was going on.

"But why are we leaving now?" she asked but she answered her own question. "You were going to leave without me..."

Mr McGuire didn’t answer. Snape Felt his face go red. In the beautiful Christmas snow Mr McGuire ordered his son to pack instead.

"That’s preposterous," Snape snarled. Mr McGuire stopped.

"What?" He said slyly.

"You’re leaving your child! She’s your daughter! You can’t just leave her here!" Snape fumed.

"And it concerns you how?" Mr McGuire said to him harshly. Snape stepped forward dangerously, leaving Lucy exposed and cold.

"So you were going to flee in the middle of the holidays and leave your daughter behind?" Mr McGuire clapped him sarcastically.

"We should have moved out years ago, then life would have been easier."

"With or without her?" Snape rasped. Mr McGuire didn’t reply.

"We don’t need her! All people like her are scum! Including you lot! I don’t anything to do with it anymore."

And with that he stood higher and went to his pocket to reveal a wad of cash. He licked his finger and took out a five-pound note and handed it to Shona’s frozen hands.

"Go by yourself some gloves," he said bitterly and went to walk off until Snape pushed himself right in front of him, blocking his path to the car.

“At least give her a chance to decide!” he cried which sent the place into a hush.

"What?" Mr McGuire hushed.

"Give her a choice," Snape half begged. Mr McGuire battered his eyelids selfishly.

"OK then. Choose. I won’t interrupt, you can come if you want," he smiled at her. Shona’s face dropped.

"No you wouldn’t. You would chuck me out somewhere and leave me to fend for myself," Shona cried. Her voice echoed mysteriously and silence hit them again. Shona had been using her powers.

"Come on..." he half joked and tried to pull her over to the car lazily. But Shona didn’t move.

"Dad," she muttered with tears in her eyes. "I..I don’t to go with you.” 

Mr McGuire’s face slowly crept in a happy smile.

"Fine by me, it’s exactly as I would have wanted it," he pronounced before nodding in Lucy’s direction. He looked into Snape’s eyes before shoving him out of the way. He checked himself into the car and turned on the ignition. Snape and Lucy froze to the spot as Martyn eyed up his sister.

"Do you want me to keep in touch?" Shona asked, but she didn’t sound like her usual self, drained and full of sadness.

"I don’t want to keep in touch with you," Martyn said simply, which hurt Shona even more. Her father honked the horn loudly. Martyn shoved himself amidst the books and objects in the back of the car before the car slowly pulled away. Shona walked along side it until the end of the path and watched it storm away, the ice glistering in the frost. Snape felt a body collide with his and looked down to see it was Lucy, hand trembling.

"This is terrible," Lucy shivered, as the still figure of Shona remained looking at the small car turning out of the town. She knew she would never see them again. Snape very slowly crept forward, unsure if he would be attacked or scare her away.

"The money..." Shona whispered as If she knew Snape was right behind her. "Where did he get the money? He ran out of the money he borrowed..." she stopped as she turned in horror. She ran over a ‘for sale’ sign laid covered in the snow. Lucy helped dig it up and both tried to let it stand but it was no use. Shona looked at her house before summing up

"That was all our money he took; the last money out of my bank," Shona coughed and stared at the ground. Suddenly a slamming noise could be heard from next door. Pete, Shona’s neighbour.

"You best be getting in! There’s a storm blowing! And not just over here! It’s meant to be the coldest winter for 34 years!" he ordered before taking in his tool box and then walking back inside. 

Shona sat down on the wall and put her face in her hands, Snape and Lucy stared at her as she didn't move a muscle. Her chest weakly rose and fell with every breath she took that she didn't think that she deserved. 

"Shona?" Lucy asked but Shona didn't reply, Snape watched sadly as Lucy stepped forward. She reached her arm out and the snow fell on her coat, standing out against the black. She put a hand on Shona's shoulder and her head snapped up. 

Her face was stained with tears.