Lucy Snape and the Final Battle (Book Seven)

Detention For A Dirty Blood

Chapter 21: Detention For A Dirty Blood

"We could be literally days away from Zuc destroying us but we still have to attend lessons?"

Shona's face was contorted in disgust as she examined her new timetable before she threw it away and it landed unceremoniously in Dean's cereal.

The next day, after settling in, Lucy, Shona and Dean were joined by Ben and Matt at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. The place was so sparse that they could all sit comfortably with plenty of room to spare. They were chowing down on breakfast before a short day of lessons which would be adapted to fit Lucy's lessons soon.

Lucy frowned at Shona as Dean looked miserably at his cereal. She snatched the card from the bowl and shook it off so the milk splattered in Shona's face. "What did you expect? To have leisure time and go swimming in the black lake?"

Matt rested his hands behind his head and smirked, his voice smug. "Been there, done that."

Ben rolled his eyes. "What do we have first?"

Lucy peered at the card, McGonagall's neat print had bled in the milk and distorted the words. "Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Dean squeaked and then rammed a spoonful of Cheeri-owls into his mouth abruptly and tried to pretend like nothing had happened. Ben pretended to rummage through his bag which left Matt to explain. He turned to the two girls. "Remember me telling you about Amycus, Lucy?"

"Oh gosh," Lucy murmured.

"Catch me up," Shona asked as she reached for the jam to spread on her toast.

"Amycus and Alecto Carrow are death eaters," Matt murmured, his eyes fixed on Snape sat in the headmasters chair who luckily wasn't paying attention. "Snape employed them and Amycus is in charge of the Dark Arts — because that's what it is now and we get punished physically for refusing to contribute or for contributing personal opinions."

"Zuc's fictitiousness has already been brought up," Ben added, subtly reappearing with a book.

Lucy nodded solemnly. "Matt told me."

Matt and Ben exchanged a glance before Ben voiced. "But has he told you the whole story?"

Dean whimpered as he poured himself some more cereal, his hand shook so much that he overfilled his bowl and the excess contents spilled onto the table. Lucy took hold of Dean's wrist and he stopped. "Dean, it's alright. We don't have to talk about this."

"You'll hear it through the grapevine soon enough," Dean shakily set down his spoon and finally met her eyes. "Mr Carrow tried to use the cruciatus curse on me."

Lucy's eyes widened in terror but before she could speak a word Ben had interrupted. "That's how Matt got cut. Carrow said that Zuc wasn't real, Dean tried to interject and promised you were going to kill him. Carrow found the disturbance too much pointing out that Dean wasn't..." Ben paused and rephrased the initial sentence he'd thought up. "One of us and for that reason he deserved to be cursed, especially as he isn't anything close to pure blood. The curse only lasted for a couple of seconds — I'm not undermining your experience, Dean, I promise — before Matt said that Zuc was real as he'd met him earlier this year and that you were — are going to kill him before punching Carrow."

"Damn, boy, I knew we needed you as part of our squad," Shona announced proudly and slapped Matt on the back.

"I'm no hero," Matt raised his hands. "Just doing whatever I need to so I can protect my friends."

"You've both been so brave," Lucy smiled at Dean and Matt. "But don't go getting yourselves hurt for me." She lowered her voice and all leaned in to listen. "Dad has hired those death eaters for image only so if we just keep our heads down and obey it won't be as bad."