Lucille Rose Potter

Chapter 78

Lucy woke with a smile on her face.

"You're awake," Sawyer said fondly, kissing her forehead, "you slept pretty late."

"You're here," Lucy laughed, "what time is it?"

"Two o'clock," he raised an eyebrow.

"No! Really?" Lucy's eyes widened, "what time did you get home?"

"Around noon," Sawyer said.

"And Draco? Is he home?"

"I'm not sure," Sawyer yawned, "I haven't been back down since I got here."

"We should go see," she declared, pushing herself up.

"Lu," Sawyer groaned as she rolled over him, "can't we just stay here for a minute?"

"Later," Lucy smirked, pulling on a jumper, "come on."

"You're going to be the death of me," Sawyer complained, a grin tugging on the corners of his thin lips.

"Damn straight," Lucy said over her shoulder as she started down the staircase.

"Hey!" Lucy chirped, throwing her arms around the neck of the grumpy blond perched on a counter stool.

"Get off," Draco grumbled.

"No," Lucy smiled, pinching his cheeks, "it's holiday, you're not allowed to be a prude."

"I'm not a prude," Draco pouted.

"Lucille, leave the poor boy alone," Aberforth said humorously as he stepped into the kitchen.

"Fine," Lucy said, giving the Slytherin one last squeeze before releasing him.

"Why isn't the bar open?" Sawyer asked, going to sit besides Draco.

Lucy leaned against his chair and looked expectantly up at her guardian.

"I've err..." Abe paused for a moment, an unreadable expression on his features, "I've decided to close the pub for the time being, I'm thinking until the war is over at least."

"What!" Lucy's eyes widened in shock, "Uncle Abe! You can't close the pub! What about the income? What about Pierce?"

"We'll still have the income from our exports," Aberforth explained, "and Pierce will be fine."

"But—"

"Lucille," Abe cut her off sternly, "it's already done."

"But Abe!"

"I've weighed my options and as your guardian I've decided that closing the bar was in the best interest of the safety of our family."

Sawyer put a hand on Lucy's waist as she bit back a comment.

"You know the crowd we can get in here," Aberforth said, "we can't risk the wrong people finding out about you, or about Draco."

Draco's porcelain complexion flushed instantly.

"I can go," he said quietly, "you don't have to worry about me, I'm not worth the trouble."

Lucy turned her head to glare, swatting his head with her palm, "stop talking nonsense. You are worth it."

Draco looked down at his feet, his knee bouncing with anxiety.

"There's more," Abe said.

Lucy met his eye and dread coursed through her body.

"What is it?" Draco asked.

"I don't know how much longer the two of you can stay," Aberforth said, "Hogsmeade isn't the same, it's not safe anymore, and I'm afraid it's only going to get worse."