Lucy Snape and the Final Battle (Book Seven)

Spinners End

Chapter Seven: Spinners End

Lucy's feet hit the ground and she took a moment to inhale and collect her thoughts. She'd fooled Zuc once again and she felt so powerful, not only that but she'd discovered what else she was up against when it came to Zuc and his army. Now that she had she more knowledge she felt a lot more prepared for what was to come.

A small amount of laughter escaped her throat as she thought about her triumph. However, it didn't last long. When she looked up from where she was standing, still dressed in knight's armour, she was met with a horrible surprise.

She glanced down the street just to make sure it was correct — yes, the sign was still the same. 'Spinner's End' — but what was in front of her wasn't right. Every other house in the street was the same as it had always been with its far from individual decor and untrimmed front lawns. Lucy turned back to the house and desperately tried to make sense of what was going on.

She ran up the path and stepped through the door that was already off of its hinges. She ran down what would have been the hallway and stepped over a low piece of matter that would've separated the hall from the living room. Lucy then looked around her and saw that same old armchair sitting there with a singed Daily Prophet newspaper still on the chair but the title had been burned out so there would be no danger of any muggles finding them out.

Lucy tried to ignore it and turned around to see a picture frame on the floor, it had somehow survived this attack. She picked it up and wiped away the soot with her hand to reveal a picture of thirteen year old Lucy with Snape. Lucy's eyes were wide and it took her a moment to put all the tiny puzzle pieces back into place.

Someone had come along and destroyed Snape's house in Spinner's end.

Was that why he was with Shona? Had she decided to open her heart and let Snape stay? Lucy couldn't believe that.

It was as if Lucy had just stepped onto this scene just after it had happened. There was still smoke hanging in the air. Lucy looked through it and saw a tall and dark figure walking down the road. The suited figure the one she'd only just encountered.

"ZUC!" Lucy screamed at the top of her lungs. She leapt out of the wreckage and ran as quick as she possibly could in the armour she wore towards him.

When she was twenty feet away, Zuc turned around, waved and then disappeared through a glowing portal which was the most colourful thing Spinners end had probably seen since it had been built. Lucy yelled out in frustration and the only thing she could think to do was strip out of the armour. She put it in her bag when she was done so she was left standing in the clothes she had left Matt's house in.

Lucy trudged back to Snape's burnt house just as one of the next door neighbours crept out of his house, which had no damage whatsoever. Which was strange because all the houses on the road were terrace housing. 

"Don't go in there!" He commanded and Lucy felt compelled to stop.

"Why? It's my fathers house," Lucy frowned at him.

"You're the Snape kid?" He asked with wide eyes, Lucy was surprised that the man even knew her father's name. "Well...who would have thought..."

"Hmph, well it's not as though you've ever seen me up close before is it?"

"You're right, seeing as your father and you must go of to some boarding school most of the year, is that right? Those are the rumours."

"Yeah," Lucy nodded. "You could say that."

"You better find your dad and let him know about the house, the police should be here soon and will probably want to know what happened. It's a wonder my house didn't get blown up too!"

"What do you remember seeing?"

"I heard this almighty rumble, a few voices and then an explosion. I fled the house to have a look but couldn't see anyone, all I saw was your house burnt to the ground so it seems. But when I saw my home was untouched I went back inside." He shrugged.

"Well...alright, thank you for the information. I think I'm going to go."

"Hey! Aren't you going to — "

But Lucy didn't stay long enough to hear what the neighbour had to stay. Instead, when she was sure the mist had consumed her body properly she apparated to Shona's house and then knocked on the door.

Shona opened it a minute later. "Lucy?"

"Hi," Lucy said and forced a smile before stepping into Shona's house and began looking around desperately. "Dad? Dad! DAD!"

"He just left," Shona muttered, passing Lucy and snatching up her cup of coffee. "If you wanted to talk to him you could just use your mind — "

"No, no its not that important."

"Want to share?"

"His house just got blown up."

There was silence and then Shona burst out laughing. "Are you crazy?"

"No I'm not cr — "

"You don't think its important news?"

"Well I'm not really in the right frame of mind to go and talk to him properly, do you know what I mean?"

Shona considered this. "Yeah I understand." She then walked out into the kitchen and called to her. "So where have you been all this time?"

"I can't tell you," Lucy replied, knowing if she told Shona either the story about the medieval islands or Matt's house she'd tell Snape.

Shona poked her head around the kitchen door. "I'm not going to tell Snapey."

"I just can't tell you right now, I'm busy, okay?"

"Well damn, lucky, when did you become so serious?"

"When I realised just how serious this situation is — can I use your bathroom?"

"Upstairs on the left, the flush is a bit faulty but if you do it a few times it'll go."

"Thanks," Lucy nodded, not really intending to use the toilet.

Lucy walked upstairs and found the bathroom and then shut the door behind her.  She then looked in the bathroom mirror at her reflection, she looked sullen and some of the soot from Snape's house had got on her face. She looked changed, she no longer looked weak, she looked strong.

Lucy shut her eyes and clasped her hand around her wand and when she opened her eyes again a bag was in her free hand. She opened it up and smiled as she saw this was exactly what she'd wanted.

She took out the several products of make-up and then began to apply them and when she was done she looked in the mirror proudly. Black winged eyeliner. Black mascara. Red lipstick. A new Lucy.

Lucy then shoved the small bag into her other bag and then went downstairs to find Shona with a fresh cup of coffee. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"No thanks, have you been up for a while or something?"

"Can't sleep," Shona shrugged, sitting down in a chair and putting her feet on the coffee table. "Don't really see the point either."

"But you should — " Lucy began and she was about to go further when a piece of the armour she had worn slipped out of her bag.

Shona stared at it worriedly and said slowly. "Lucy...what have you been doing?"