Lucy Riddle and the Boy Who Lived

The Secret Trip

Chapter Eight

Hogsmeade was approaching and Lucy tried to figure out a way for her to get a permission slip signed. None of the teachers would sign it, saying it was for her guardians, not for them. Lucy even tried to forge her parent's signature but McGonagall figured it out by using magic and gave her a detention.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry were talking about all the shops they were going to show her on the trip. Their excitement made Lucy want to punch them all to relish her anger. It took all she had to restrain herself.

"The Three Broomsticks — guys, do you think Madam Rosetta will laugh at my joke?" Ron asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "The joke will go like —"

"Heard it before," Harry intervened, shoving scrambled eggs into his mouth.

"I haven't even said it yet —"

"Funny," Hermione snapped, "did you tell us the joke every day, every week during the summer?"

"Okay, so I might've already told the joke, but . . ."

Lucy zoned out of their conversation. She continued to think of more ways to get on the trip. The Golden Trio didn't know that she couldn't go. She didn't want to ruin their spirits and let them believe that they would be able to show her around.

"Lucy!"

Lucy jumped as she heard two voices saying her name simultaneously. The Weasley twins, Fred and George, were right behind her. They didn't say another word and dragged her outside on the grounds.

"Let's go on a walk," George suggested and, without waiting for an answer from Lucy, walked on.

"So, Lucy, would you like to accompany us on the trip to Hogsmeade?" Fred asked. She noticed that he was quite close to her and her heart beat faster.

"Oh, I would love to but I can't go. Don't have a signed permission slip," she answered grumpily.

"Be glad you met us, then!" George said as he led the two around Hogwarts until they reached a humped, one-eyed witch. Lucy was curious as to what they were up to but didn't say a word. She listened as she heard George mutter, "Dissendium."

The hump popped open and George explained, "I introduce you to a secret underground tunnel that leads to Hogsmeade! This ole hag has helped us escape many, many times. I think she'll allow one more person to go through here."

"Who else knows about this?" she asked.

"It's only us three, Lee, and Harry," Fred replied. "We showed Harry in his third year. Didn't have a signed slip either."

"And, will you listen to that?" George said as the thunder of footsteps and chittering of students could be heard from where they stood. "Looks like its time to go to Hogsmeade. Come on, Freddy boy."

Lucy was about to slip through the hump when she heard Fred suggest, "Here — I'll come with Lucy and meet you there, George! First time and all, I'll show her the great shops we go to all the time."

George nodded his head with a smirk on his face. When his twin's back was turned, George whispered, "He didn't stay back to show Harry when we told him for the first time."

Then Lee Jordan whistled George over. He left to his best friend but not before winking at Lucy slyly. Fred had already slipped through the hump and Lucy went in after him. She was immediately swallowed in darkness by the time she hit the hard ground.

"Lumos." Her wand was only able to cast a light a few feet ahead of her. Someone's hand grabbed her own. It was Fred who looked sheepishly at her and rushed, "It's so we don't lose each other."

Lucy didn't understand how they could get lost when it seemed like it was just one long tunnel, but she didn't complain. His large hands engulfed her smaller ones. It held heat and she was warmed almost instantly.

It wasn't long before they reached the end of the tunnel. The tunnels were getting smaller as they went, so Lucy had to go in front of Fred. They were so close that her back was touching his chest, their hands still intertwined.

She followed Fred's instructions and lifted a tile off the ground a few inches to make sure no one else was around and lifted it off completely when the coast was clear. Fred was behind her as she climbed out of the hole. The two escaped out of the basement to the main floor where everyone was.

"This is Honeydukes — the best candy shop in the whole world."

Fred was dragging her towards a jar. She realized that their hands were still stuck together but did nothing to separate them. Lucy didn't know what sweets to buy so Fred snatched all his favorites and bought them, letting Lucy try them on their way out.

"Hmm," she moaned as she ate another piece of Chocolate Frog. "I haven't had these in a long time. My parents always ate them all."

Fred pulled her into all the shops in Hogsmeade. He skipped Hogshead. It was a bar just on the end of the road. Not a lot of people were going inside so she took it as a place that was not as friendly.

She heard her name being called behind her. Ron, Hermione, and Harry had spotted her and rushed over. They all had evidently visited Honeydukes since they had all sorts of sweets in their palms.

"What are you doing here, Fred?" Ron asked once they reached the pair. "Thought you were in Zonko's?"

"You git, that's George," Fred replied. He wasn't offended at all. "Well, I'm going to go now. Meet me in the Three Broomsticks at noon, eh? I'm going to see George."

He left into a shop called Zonko's Joke Shop. She could see George and Lee's lit up faces through the mirror. The Golden Trio gazed at her, questioning. She shook her head and said, "Long story. Tell you later."

And so that's how they dragged her inside the Three Broomsticks so she could elaborate. She told them all about the humped, one-eyed witch. Harry seemed to have remembered what she was talking about since he had a nostalgic smile on his face.

"Fred's been acting a lot weirder than he has been lately," Ron said. "He's all . . . I don't know. Can't even explain it. It's just . . . there."

"I know, Ron," Hermione added. "I can feel it too."

Harry didn't say a word. He just stared, misty-eyed at something she couldn't see. Lucy placed a Body-Bind spell on him just for the heck of it and he jumped in his place, his chair falling back. He hit the floor with a lot bang! He tried to shoot her with a hex but Lucy deflected it with a wave of her hand, still laughing.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked, fascinated.

"Do what?"

"What you just did! You deflected the hex without saying anything."

"It's not hard. My parents and grandmother taught me. First things to have to learn once you become a Death-Eater, you know."

The lot gasped and so did others who overheard her. People around her started to move further away as if she was a disease they didn't want to catch. Hermione, Ron, and Harry stared at her bug-eyed.

"W-what —"

Luckily the clock ticked noon and Fred, George, and Lee strolled in the Three Broomsticks. She was saved from having to explain everything. Lucy couldn't help but be relieved.

"I gotta go. The boys are here."

She moved to their table as they ordered some butterbeers. And so she spent the afternoon with them planning the greatest prank of all time on Umbridge instead of having to deal with the fact that her family were all Death-Eaters and not . . . well, not non-Death-Eaters like everyone else.

She only had to spend one awkward moment at dinner — she went back to Hogwarts with Fred — since Hermione still tried to get her to talk about her family. Every time she tried, Lucy would just ignore her and put a muffling charm on herself. Hermione eventually gave up and let Lucy have some space.

There was nothing wrong with talking about her family, just the part of them being Death-Eaters made people want to close all connections with her, and she didn't want the only friends she had gone.