Lucille Rose Potter

Chapter 14

Lucy should've been ready for this.

She should've expected it.

She knew Aberforth would lose his mind, she knew it, Sawyer knew it, they could see it coming from a mile away.

But what she didn't see coming in the slightest was the screaming in the Headmaster's office.

Lucy didn't grow up with siblings, it was just her and Aberforth growing up, that is until Sawyer came along.

Sawyer grew up with a multitude of children, but like Lucy, he didn't have any siblings.

Therefore, the way Aberforth was screaming at Albus Dumbledore petrified them.

They stood there with wide eyes, perfectly still, and silent.

Aberforth and Albus seemed to have forgotten they were there.

"YOU SAID SHE'D BE SAFE!" Aberforth roared, his blue eyes like daggers made of ice, "HAVE YOU SEEN HER HAND? THAT DOESN'T LOOK TOO SAFE TO ME!"

Albus Dumbledore seemed unfazed as he stood with an expressionless face, enduring the words thrown at him by his younger brother.

Lucy wanted to disappear, she wanted the floor to split open and swallow her. Sawyer stood besides her, offering some refuge from the yelling. Her left ear was pressed to his side, she could hear the faint, rhythmic thumping of his heartbeat.

Aberforth stopped yelling, he took a deep breath and slammed his fist onto Albus's wooden desk.

"Are you finished?" Albus asked.

Aberforth glared at him but the yelling stayed dormant.

"I must say, Aberforth, I didn't know you had that in you," Albus lowered himself into his chair, "I haven't seen you that rallied up in... oh, ages."

"Albus," Aberforth managed
through gritted teeth, his message was loud and clear, do not push it.

"Did Ms. Evans tell you what happened? The full story?" Albus clasped his hands, he spoke to Aberforth but his glance was over his brother's shoulders, laying on his two students that stood in the corner.

"Not the full story, no," Lucy answered hesitantly, "he does know the gist though."

"Ah, I see," Albus nodded, "why don't you start at the beginning then, Lucille?"

And so Lucy did. With some help from Sawyer, she recited what happened minute by minute. When she was finished, a newfound anger sparked in Aberforth and the yelling begun once again.

"HARRY POTTER? ALBUS! YOU SWORE THAT..."

"Enough," Albus said swiftly, shutting his brother up, "do remember your audience, little brother."

Aberforth's words halted immediately and he turned to stare at Lucy and Sawyer.

"Has she been fired?" Aberforth turned back to his brother after a moment.

"I'm afraid I'm not in the proper authority to dismiss Dolores," Albus shook his head, "the Ministry put her here, the Ministry alone can remove her from this castle."

"That's a crock of bull," Aberforth fumed, "I don't want her near my daughter."

"That's already taken care of," Albus said calmly, "Ms. Evans will no longer attend her defense lessons, instead she will have a Study Hall."

"I don't want Sawyer in her class either," Aberforth crossed his arms.

"I'm afraid Mr. Thorton must remain in Dolores's class, he is a N.E.W.T student and needs that course to go into his desired field."

"Fine," Aberforth huffed, "and what about Harry Potter?"

"Harry will remain in Umbridge's class," Albus answered.

"How come?" Aberforth challenged, "I'm sure that boy wants nothing to do with that woman. Why can't he have a study hall like Lucille?"

"Lucy is no longer taking that class because Dolores will not allow her into her classroom," a hint of a smile tugged on Albus's lips, "Harry, however, didn't threaten her with a wand, a minor detail Lucy so skillfully left out, so he is still permitted to attend her lessons."

"You threatened her with your wand?" Aberforth turned to Lucy.

Lucy nodded sheepishly.

"Atta girl," Aberforth chuckled, ruffling her hair.

>•<

Lucy didn't have much time to talk to her uncle before he had to return to the bar. She wanted to talk to him about her professors and how they act when she was around. She also wanted to get his opinion on the man she saw in the fire that knew her name.

"Lets go sit by the lake," Sawyer suggested, "we can get a picnic from the kitchens and have lunch."

Lucy smiled and nodded, "sure."

"I'll introduce you to the elves," Sawyer grinned, "they're going to love you."

"Hogwarts has house elves?" Lucy was surprised, "I haven't seen any."

Sawyer answered with a laugh and swung his arm around the small girl's shoulder, "let's go."

There was a nice breeze by the lake, and the grounds were empty besides the two teens.

"This is nice," Lucy hummed, pulling her cloak tighter around her frame as a chilly gust of wind ruffled through her long, auburn hair.

"Mhm," Sawyer munched on a cracker, "Luce? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Lucy frowned, turning to the boy.

"Do you... do you..." he sighed, "never mind, it's not important."

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows and placed a hand delicately on his shoulder, "tell me," she said softly.

"Do you ever wonder about who your parents were?" Sawyer breathed, looking down at his lap.

"My parents?" Lucy was taken aback, she thought for a second before answering, "no, no, not really."

"How come?" He looked at her.

"I don't know," Lucy shrugged, "I just never thought it was that important, I'm happy with my life, I have you... and Aberforth. I just never thought it was worth being sad over people I never knew, something I never had to begin with."

There was a pause and a moment of silence between them.

"Do you?" Lucy asked, "think about your parents?"

Sawyer let out a long sigh and laid on his back, studying the clouds passing by.

"I do," he said, "I just think of how different my life would be, if I grew up with people who loved me instead of in orphanages and foster homes."

"But we love you, Sawyer," Lucy said, "you have a family now."

"Yes, I know," Sawyer said, "and I'm so happy. But Lucy, you don't know what happened to your parents, how you ended up with Aberforth. My parents just didn't want me, they abandoned me on the side of the road when I was four. Four! How do you do that to a child?"

Lucy laid down next to the boy and maneuvered his arm so it laid over her shoulders, "we won't ever leave you," she whispered.

"I promise."