Lucy Riddle and the Boy Who Lived

The Occlumency Lesson

Chapter Ten

She couldn't believe she was forced into this.

Lucy was sat all the way in the back of Professor Snape's classroom, waiting for her instructions, but he wasn't even in the room yet. She remembered that she were to be here at eight o'clock sharp. It was already nine. Harry wasn't even here either so she had no one to talk to.

She should've just ignored Harry. She should've just skipped this because clearly no one wanted to teach her Occlumency so why waste her time, sitting in an empty classroom and risk getting into trouble with Filch? He was still happy about the Peeves decoration.

No way was she going to risk her life staying here either.

She was on the watch for Peeves. Someone unstuck Peeves somehow, and he's been hunting the lot down. Fred, George, and Lee have "magically disappeared" whenever he was in the vicinity. Lucy once saw him holding a transparent knife, and she didn't want to be the one to be tested on to see where or not it could actually stab people.

Lucy reached for the door when it busted open, hitting her nose in the process. She fell backwards, hiding the door and holding her nose. Harry walked around the room most likely looking for her. Her nose hurt so badly that she couldn't speak, mutedly screaming.

"Lucy? Lucy? Where are you?" Harry asked, walking passed her ten times already. She finally fallen out from behind the door but she made a huge mistake. He was walking back and accidentally walked over her.

This time Lucy did scream. "HARRY POTTER, I WILL KILL YOU!"

She chased Harry around, casting hexes at his speeding body. Harry didn't know what was going on. He noticed a bloody nose and a footprint on her face and wondered what had happened. Did someone do that to her to take her anger out on him?

He was still running and she was still chasing. It wasn't until both were knocked off balanced when it all stopped. Professor Snape had arrived and Stupefy them both. He was annoyed with the two, having been forced to teach the most ignorant students he'd ever met. Snape didn't understand how he was to teach them Occlumency when it was already hard enough to teach them in Potions — though he's impressed with Lucy's potion skills which he'll never admit.

"Quiet. Sit down." Snape walked to the front of the classroom and didn't wait for his two students to be ready and sat down in a table. Immediately, he instructed, "I want Potter first. Come here. And I want you to watch me, Lucy. Be ready."

Harry sat across from Snape. He wasn't sure whether to trust him or not. He braced himself as Snape muttered, "Legilimens."

Everything was out of focus. It was all black now, and then something popped out of nowhere — a . . . slideshow?

Harry watched as memories of his mother and father flashed before his eyes, never staying for more than three seconds, which was not enough time for Harry to digest the pictures in.

Then there he saw . . . his father sitting in front of Harry with his wand in front of him, making large, colorful bubbles to which Harry was giggling and poking. And then his mother came in, wearing a beautiful light-pink dress, smiling.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Lucy didn't know what was going on. The two were staring at each other with glazed looks on their faces, and she knew for sure that they doing what she thought. Unless threatening was another way of showing how much you love someone, don't let her be in the way of things then.

It was almost a second later when the two were moving again and Harry nearly trampled over Lucy again. She made sure to stay out of his way so he wouldn't be able to accidentally give her another nosebleed. She's heard of Fred and George's invention, the Nosebleed Nougat. Fred told her it could start and stop any nosebleeds, which she'll need to carry around everywhere since the blood was still gushing.

Snape's eyes were still glazed and she wondered, What happened? If this were to happen during their Occlumency lesson then she wanted out. There was something odd going on here, and she didn't like it.

Snape snapped out of his trance. He gave one flick of the wrist, and her nose stopped bleeding. But he didn't let her have a chance to ask anything before she was gazing at films. There was something about them that made her heart clench. It started with two people holding a baby. She didn't know them and guessed they were her aunt and uncle.

Her uncle had jet-black hair like hers — she finally knows where she got it from — and dark eyes. Her aunt looked a lot like her. She had long, dark-brown hair and hazel eyes. She had her uncle's hair and her aunt's eyes.

Suddenly the films were gone, and she felt disappointment. She'd never seen anyone else in her family other than her parents and grandmother, not that she was complaining.

Snape was speechless. He turned to Harry and stuttered, "G-Get Professor M-McGonagall immediately . . . Potter, I mean, NOW."

Harry scurried out of his seat and raced down to McGonagall's office. Minutes later she came rushing in and asked what was wrong. Snape pulled her to the side and muttered some incoherent words. She knew it wasn't good since McGonagall's face hardened.

Lucy wondered whether Snape knew about her wanting to become a Death-Eater. Is that all it was about?

Their talk ended and Professor McGonagall sprinted out of the Potions master's classroom and outside, her shoes clanking on the floor. Snape turned to the two students and stared at Lucy.

"You have an interesting family history . . . Donavon," Snape said. He started to circle her like a predator would do with its prey. "You do know that if you try any Dark Magic to help the Death-Eaters that it will not work — the school is protected inside and out."

"What in the world would I do that for?" she lied. "How would it benefit me? The Dark Lord is weak and will not come back any time soon."

"The Dark Lord will come back. But, it won't benefit for you, Donavon; your father."

"You're being utterly ridiculous — he's never done anything or say another that made me want to be a Death-Eater, okay? It's my duty to fulfill the family —"

"And who's your father?"

"Rodolphus Donavon, of course."

"And that's where you're wrong. He's not your father, and I'll tell you everything I learned from your head if promise to you tell me everything you remember. I will know if you lie to me, so don't try any tricks."