Lucy Snape and the Tale of the Knights (Book One)

16: The monster named ???

Chapter 16: The monster named ???

Soon after Lucy had read the real tale of the knights, it was of course the Christmas holidays. Lucy knew that she would be leaving Snape for two weeks and couldn't help feeling a bit lonely but still kept her feelings to herself as she made her way down to the entrance hall of Hogwarts where everyone who was leaving for the holidays was waiting to be escorted down to Hogsmeade station. 

Shona spotted Lucy before she had made her way down the stairs and the two girls found their friends and began to talk to them as in another part of the room a group of adults huddled, some going home, some staying at school to fulfill their duties of looking after the remaining students. 

" - And mum and dad are going to invite all the family round, they don't know I'm a witch they just think I've been sent off to a school full of highly intelligent students" Hermione smiled as she was talking to Harry, Ron and also Lucy and Shons whom had just joined in the conversation. 

"I didn't know getting detentions could be classed as highly intellegent" Shona chuckled to herself earning a few sniggers from Harry and Ron.

"That must be terrible not to see your parents for that long!" Lucy said sympathetically but suddenly Shona turned away awkwardly as though suddenly distracted by the amount of house points Ravenclaw had. 

"Especially as my parents are muggles, they can't exactly come to Hogwarts to see me. The only thing I can do is write but then again they freaked out when one of the schools owls flew through the window and dropped letters about the house" the group laughed imagining Hermione's house full of letters that her parents were too afraid to open. 

"I'm glad that there's a few of us staying" Harry piped up

"At least we won't be lonely - I'm glad you're staying after all as mum and dad had to cancel because they're going to see my brother, Charlie, in Romania" Ron smiled gratefully at his friends

"Romania? What does he do there?" Shona seemed to be paying attention again and was suddenly curious about what Charlie's occupation was. 

And so Ron explained that Charlie worked with dragons (and had many scars and burns as a result of it) 

Lucy glanced across the room and saw her dad. He was looking at her longingly too as though wanting to speak to her but the two couldn't bring themselves to reach out to each other to talk. But Lucy was the brave one and she walked over to her father, dodging the crowd of students just to get to Snape. 

When she reached him he put down his briefcase beside him and he took her face in his hands. It seemed to him as though he was going to lose her, as though she would run away from Hogwarts castle and she wouldn't come back, she wouldn't be there to welcome him when he returned. 

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" He whispered

"I'll be fine" she whispered back with a smile, taking his hands away from his face

"Are you alright now? I mean, since after that nightmare you had" 

"I'm absolutely, well and truly fine. I could never be better" 

"If you need me - " 

" - I'll write to you if anything goes wrong, even if I get stuck on homework I'll write to you. Even if it means going out in the cold to reach the owelry" 

"Alright..." Snape said in defeat, he was trying to find someway, or some reason, for Lucy to come with him and not stay on her own in Hogwarts. 

"Well, I'll see you in two weeks then..." Lucy held out her hand, as she knew he would most certainly be embarrassed by the fact if she hugged him in public.