Lucy Snape and the Final Battle (Book Seven)

The Wanderer

Chapter 13: The Wanderer

Snape and Shona had finally left Hogwarts, bags in tow. They'd finally decided to take the plunge and go searching for Lucy. All the while Snape was calling out to her in his head, he'd been doing this for days, weeks, months. Still no reply. Eventually they'd made it to Godric's Hollow and were entering the graveyard. Snape made a beeline for Lily's grave and was caught off guard by a fresh bunch of flowers there.

"Oi, oi. Lily's still popular," Shona said pointing to the flowers.

"They're fresh," Snape observed. He then looked at the dying bunch beside it. "I...I left those there."

"Awwww," Shona's lip curled into a little smile. "But I thought that Jessica - "

"There's no reason why I can't not visit Lily," he blurted out. Then felt a pang of deep sadness for Jessica; he'd never got to attend her funeral.

"So who left the flowers then? Harry?"

"Possibly but these look freshly picked and we all know Harry has other matters to attend to, like defeating the dark Lord."

"You reckon Lucy put them there then?"

"Yes."

The reaction that came out of Shona was not one that Snape was expecting. She scoffed and looked at him like he was stupid. "Come ON, Snivels! Lucy wouldn't do that! You're out of your mind! Stop fantasising about places she might be and think about where she will be!"

Snape turned on her dangerously. "How dare you."

Shona was unphased. "Be real for once." 

Snape whipped out his wand and Shona did too, quick to deflect whatever he was going to throw. They eyed each other up, not putting away their wands.

Shona leant forward. "Start living in the real world."

And with that she walked off leaving Snape to stand in the middle of the graveyard alone.

*

Lucy had apparated as soon as she felt stable to and when she did the evening was creeping in thick and fast, a reminder that the days were getting shorter and the danger closer. She was in a forest much like the one where the Jarvin house was. Except it wasn't where the Jarvin's lived, this was eerier, Lucy could tell.

So she wandered off into the forest, she had to start somewhere.

She would never admit to anyone that she was looking for the tale of the knights, not even her own father. But she needed to know how it ended, she needed to know so it might just give an indication on how to defeat Zuc. Of course, she knew she could be wasting precious time. It could be a whole waste and she could have just spent the time training up the wizarding army back at Hogwarts. But in some cases it was each to their own and if the wizarding army had to train themselves then that's what they'd have to do. If Lucy had to search for the tale solo that's what she'd do.

It was surprising that Zuc hadn't bothered her in her mind for so long. Then again he was probably just too busy to track her to find out. Might as well go big or go home.

Lucy kept walking and eventually she stopped walking when she saw a little girl all alone, she was crying for her mother and she couldn't be any older than two. For the first time Lucy felt a maternal side erupt within her and it drove her towards the girl.

"Hey, are you lost?" She asked, bending down to her height.

The little girl turned towards her tearfully and in that instant Lucy recoilled. The little girl wasn't just any girl, it was her.

"Mummy!" She begged to Lucy. Or was she asking Lucy? Was she just a figment of her imagination?

Lucy looked around desperately and saw a red headed woman running towards them.

"Excuse me! Your child - " Lucy went on to say but the woman ran right through her and picked up the child.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" A man's voice yelled, Lucy looked up and saw a man that looked like Harry. But it wasn't Harry, it was much older than him. It was his father.

"James! I can't leave her out in the cold!" The lady protested, Lucy soon realised it was Lily.

"She's not mine, I don't care."

"But I can't — "

"Leave her or this is over."

Lily slowly bent down and set two year old Lucy down. She knelt before her and whispered things like: "stay safe. Daddy will find you soon" and "you're so beautiful, never forget that." Before walking away again.

Lucy dropped her gaze to her younger self who began crying again. She'd been disappointed so many times in her life. By her mother. Her father. Fred...the list just went on.

Eventually the image of her younger self began to drift away into smoke and in it's place was a sheet of paper caught on a leaf. Lucy bent down to pick it up and held it up to eye level:

...The Tale as such continues to be present in everyday —

The page was ripped here and she couldn't read the majority of the paragraph. The only other thing she could make out was 'Eileen Snape'. But if this was a piece of the tale...

What had happened to the rest?