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

Hopeful Horizons

Chapter 38: Hopeful Horizons

The sun was setting to end the day at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it nestled between the beautiful castle and watched the final moments of the day before the moon would rise and promise to keep doing the sun's job. It was moments like these that most people would just dismiss but to the keen eye it meant everything. It was the end of another precious day that contributed to ones life and signified that there was always a time to begin again and to let one's regrets free is one of the most important things you can do. 

Every once in a while you should just let everything...go. Be peaceful. 

This is what a group had decided to do right now.

The sounds of laughter echoed around the area as a group of four students raced down to the grounds. It was evident they had decided to take this opportunity to be carefree as they chased the sun away, speeding the process for the moon to rise and greet them once again. 

The air had a slight chill to it, evidently trying to fight off the sun but the suns rays of light weren't ready to give in yet. They gave all their might and tried to become noticed before they would be swallowed by the land. Its bright tentacles grasped hold of the land in attempts to be seen, to stay a little longer.

"Come on!" One male voice shouted at a female as she tried to keep up with him. "You're going to miss the view of this sunset!" 

"We're supposed to be inside now! It's passed curfew!" 

"Who cares about curfew!" He stopped running and laughed, taking her hands in his. "You can't miss this." 

He let go of one of her hands and dragged her along and up a steep hill while the other two followed. The other male took hold of the other female's hand timidly and she grasped it without fear. 

"You don't have to be shy around me." She promised with a little wink. 

They ran speedily up the hill, chasing down the other two until all four of them stood in a row at the top of the hill. The two girls were between the two males as they watched the sun disappear slowly, so slow that they could barely see. They were merely silhouettes from this angle, they were nobodies enjoying the final rays of light of the day. They were nothing more at this moment in time. It was extremely liberating for all of them to be free of their unique individual worries. 

A sun beam shot out its mesmerising tentacle and illuminated Lucy's face. Her pale skin looked like the crisp snow on the very first days of winter, her pupils had shrunk to the size of a pin head in the middle of her striking green eyes. The sun had also played a cruel trick to make her hair turn its beautiful red colour (or perhaps it was her metamorphmagus abilities), it hung down to her waist and rose and fell in time with her breath against her white shirt which, in this light, might as well have blended into her skin. If the clock had wound back so many years you'd mistake her for her mother in an instant. 

To her right, Matthew was running his hands through his sandy coloured hair which was desperately trying to curl into its desired shape but because it had been stuck in place with so much hair gel it didn't have the freedom to move. His strong arm made its way around Lucy but he couldn't take his eyes off the dying remains of the sun that was also illuminating his slightly tanned skin. 

"Isn't it gorgeous..." He muttered, not really sure if he was telling himself or Lucy.

But it was if Matt had spoken her thoughts aloud so she agreed instantly. "Yes..." 

Shona's dead straight shoulder length hair danced in the slight breeze and her eyes darted around desperately to capture this moment as the sun bled onto the land as the moon became closer to executing it without mercy. She reached out her hand as if trying to grasp a beam to save it but it just touched her hand carefully as if to let her know it knew who she was and that she was important. 

Next to her, Ben reached out his hand too and held onto hers. The suns beam wrapping itself around their hands as if enclosing them together; letting them know they were meant to be. Ben's dark hair looked even more striking in this light and the shy smile that crept up on his face was silently laughed at by the sun as it illuminated the slight blush he had. 

"I wish everyday could be like this," Ben spoke up. "Where we race towards the sun to end another day, reminding us all that there is something good on the horizon." 

"Ben," Matt leaned forward to look at him. "Was that a pun?" 

Ben chuckled. "I believe so, Matthew." 

"I've been training him!" Shona interjected. "I don't want him ending up like Snape." 

"My father can be witty when he wants to be!" Lucy protested. 

"I really want to know how you view your father, Lucy, it seems so positive and cheerful. All I see is cape man storming down the hallways terrifying first years." 

"He's a man with an incredibly kind heart," Lucy sighed. "Even when he does get angry." 

The group fell silent as the sun was lowered to barely a slither of light left, just illuminating their feet. Desperately hanging on to see how their day ended. 

"I don't want to ever miss a moment without you guys," Lucy whispered, she didn't even know if she had been heard but she certainly hoped so. 

 "Well we don't ever want to miss a moment without you, buddy," Shona reached out a placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder and gave it a shake. "I mean this in a totally platonic way." Shona laughed. 

Her laughter was joined by the other three's and it was carried off on the gust of wind that appeared. Drowning out their thoughts and voices, drawing their attention to the remains of the day.

"Long live Lucy the Mighty!" Matt yelled all of a sudden at the sun. 

"What're you doing?" Lucy laughed looking at him with her head tilted. 

"Shouting my dreams into the void," he replied without missing a beat. He dropped his arm and held onto her hand instead. 

"Long live Lucy the Mighty!" Shona joined in, cupping her hands around her mouth. "And Shona, Sebastians descendant too!" 

Ben took hold of Shona's hand again and yelled the phrase in unison with her. 

Then Shona looked at Lucy and reached out her hand to her and Lucy took it. Lucy then stared out to the sun that was just about ready to disappear. She inhaled before yelling herself:

"And down with the King!"