Lucy Snape and the Half-Blood Princess (Book Six)

Dean Cousins

Chapter 7: Dean Cousins

"Alright, Lucky?" Shona asked as her friend sat down next to her looking quite annoyed. Despite her foul mood, Shona slid a plate of buttered toast her way. In retaliation Lucy's elbows hit the table and she rested her hands on her chin. "What's got into you?" 

"Last night was terrible," Lucy replied with a sigh, she looked at the toast just like Snape had looked at food when Lucy was gone. 

"What happened?" Shona asked and opened a daily prophet. Lucy took one look at it and saw she was still on the front page...she rolled her eyes. 

"After I left the common room last night I saw this boy — " 

"Stop right there," Shona held up a hand. "Whenever a conversation includes a male specimen I know it's trouble." 

"You've got that right and the one I'm on about is a complete and utter idiot." And so Lucy went on to explain to her friend all about the American boy and the episode last night.

Shona looked at her strange when she was finished explaining. "New kid in sixth year with what all that's going on? That's just mental...are you sure this kid hasn't been here before?" 

"I'm sure I've never seen him, I've never heard an American accent in my life before his but I just know it's an American accent because it exaggerates on all the vowels." 

"That's the most complicated way of describing an American accent." 

"It's true though! The accents are wonderful...it's just him. He's horrible and he hangs around with Tyler, Johnny, Chris and Alex. Those boys are always up to no good." 

"They're Slytherin, need I say more?" Shona shrugged. "What's his name, anyway?" 

"He didn't tell me...it's as though it's this big secret that he refuses to tell me. He's a very mysterious character, I think you'd like him." 

"Me?!" Shona screeched. "Are you crazy?" 

"He wears plaid like you; it's a match made in heaven." 

"He's a Slytherin...I would never touch a Slytherin. Slytherin's make me want to vomit, just look at them — " Shona swiveled herself around, Lucy copying her so they could take a look at the Slytherin table. "They're all greasy and have weird noses and they have a bat for a head of house...wait, sorry, that's your dad." 

"Thanks, Shona," Lucy glared at her and then her eyes wandered towards the entrance of the great hall. "Look! Look! There's the American boy!"

Shona turned to look in the direction of the entrance hall. "With his posse of idiots; Tyler, Johnny, Chris and Alex. God I'd give anything to smack the lot of them." 

"Me too, the way the boy acted towards me last night I could have hexed him right there. He called me mental! Everyone listens to the papers, don't they?" 

"I'm on your side and all that, Lucy, but you can't blame them. It's the only source of information they've got and whatever they read they believe." 

"I guess you're right about that..." Lucy's shoulders slumped as some students gave her strange looks. "So what O.W.Ls did you pass?" Lucy asked Shona as McGonagall descended from the teachers table to start giving out timetables. She had to do this to confirm what O.W.Ls everyone had passed — same with all the other heads of houses. 

"I passed everything!" Shona exclaimed proudly as Lucy finished off her toast and the empty breakfast plates disappeared. "As in every single subject...believe it or not I even passed potions. I still question myself how I did it but I definitely passed with an Exceeds Expectations. It must have been all that copying from you."