Still Not For Sale (Book 2 of I'm Not For Sale) COMPLETE

Chapter 26

    Lucy and Bethany step off the train into the frigid evening air and grimace. Despite their love of Hogwarts, with the new changes, they'd rather be back at their respective homes enjoying the feeling of family and fun without the oppression of the Death Eaters prowling the corridors. The small reminder that there were only three months until Easter Holidays where they could escape for another week from the school kept them somewhat happy. After Easter they'd have less than a month before Lucy would graduate from Hogwarts and Bethany would become a third year. The two climb into a carriage together and before it could pull away, the door opens and Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley climb in. They exchange greetings before Ginny looks to Lucy with a frown.
"Luna didn't come back. I haven't heard from her either, I don't like it."
"Maybe her father pulled her from school. The Post is bugged anyhow, she probably knew not to trust sending a letter." Lucy reasons, pushing back the unease settling in her stomach.
"I suppose. I just worry. Things are getting worse by the day. The Army is getting stronger and growing in numbers despite the Carrows and the rest of Slytherin catching us and passing out punishments."
"As long as they stay dedicated and know what they'd be up against, that's all that can be done until something happens. Just stay strong and keep your guards up. Something is coming."
They part ways before entering the school and the girls sit down at their usual spots at the Slytherin table. Malfoy and Zabini pass by them a moment later with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy following behind. They sit a few spaces down from them and thankfully ignore the girls. The duo pick at the food laid out before them, missing the delicious foods they'd had at home while talking in hushed tones. Lucy notices the increased drop in students that came back and doesn't blame them for it; if she didn't want to protect the ones that stayed, she'd be at home wrapped up in Fred's arms. A scowl crosses their faces as Snape and the Carrows enter the Great Hall and take their seats. From their seats, they can see identical glares and scowls coming from the teachers settled around them. All of the students with the exception of the Slytherin table look as if they'd murder the three if they were able. Lucy sighs and pushes away from the table, her already nonexistent appetite disappearing further when Amycus happens to meet her glare and smirks smugly at her. She raises a middle finger in his direction before stalking out of the Great Hall, her chest tightening painfully as she tries to steady her breathing. Bethany catches up to her almost immediately and attempts to calm her as they make their way toward the dungeons.
Classes resume as normal but the punishments seem to come more often and are more severe than they were before. Dumbledore's Army still performed their acts of rebellion, refusing to practice Dark Arts and graffiti-ing the walls, though they were caught more frequently. It seemed every time Lucy turned around another student was chained up in the Great Hall or screams were heard in the corridors. The tense silence in the halls made the screams carry much further, chilling everyone once it reached them. Lucy's screams were the only ones never heard. Despite the punishments she was dealt almost daily, whether from her own actions or taking the blame for other's transgressions, she remained silent, taking the joy out of hurting her.
Lucy sits down in her 'Dark Arts' classroom, at the back away from Amycus of course, and impatiently awaits the arrival of her deskmate, Draco Malfoy. Though she still couldn't stand the prat, he'd left her alone as promised and didn't insult her or her friends in front of her. She was sure he still talked badly of Bethany and the Weasleys, but it wasn't in front of her any longer. Somehow Amycus seemed to be more tolerant of Lucy's attitude when Malfoy sits next to her and Malfoy seemed to have gotten comfortable in that particular seat after he noticed the trend. Lucy looks up from doodling on a parchment to see the blond enter the room and sit next to her, his eyes dark ringed again and the usual confident sparkle missing. She looks back down at the paper and sighs.
"Rough Holiday?" She mutters quietly.
"Unbelievable." He replies.
Amycus strolls in and sits down at his desk after the other students have arrived, eyeing the two for a moment. Lucy looks up at the man through her lashes and scowls. She sucks in a breath before releasing it quietly. His stare is putting her on edge and the deadly silence is making it worse.
"Theodore and Annabella send their regards." Amycus speaks up suddenly, his voice light and conversational, seemingly undirected at anyone, but Lucy can feel his eyes trained on her.
She sucks in a breath, sounding incredibly loud in the quiet room as all eyes turn toward her. Malfoy's left hand lightly touches her knee and squeezes, trying to mutely calm her down but the quivering hand holding the quill gives away her tension.
"They really seemed to have missed their daughter, they want to pay you back for turning them in." He continues, still staring her down. "You were their meal ticket, they had such high hopes for you to be a Death Eater, they'd be ashamed if they saw you messing with blood traitors..."
In the blink of an eye, several things happened: A quill snapped, two chairs hit the floor, two wands were drawn, and one person hit the floor. Everyone looks up at Lucy, the tiny brunette girl who always appeared strong since the year began, the unbreakable girl, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks as her eyes flare with anger. Her wand is still in her grasp aimed at the desk at the front of the room, though the hand holding it is trembling. Where Amycus once sat, the chair is on the floor, its occupant getting to his feet, holding his nose as blood pours from it and a large gash crossing his cheeks. His face contorts in rage as his wand raises to rest even at her chest.
"Come with me." He growls, surprising everyone, his attacks on Lucy always public as an example.
"Gladly." She replies.
She picks up her bag and stalks to the front of the room where he latches onto her forearms and drags her out of the room, the door slamming loudly behind him. 

    Lucy reappeared three days later, black and blue from bruising and her arm in a sling. Her eyes were blackened while deep bags rested below them. No one asked what happened to her, though everyone wondered. Bethany went to tackle her the moment she'd come into the common room, but stopped herself as she saw the condition her friend was in. They retreated to Lucy's dormitory where she gathered clothing and led Bethany to the showers and explained what happened while Bethany sat by the sinks. She'd been sent to the Malfoy Manor after her attack and got reunited with her false parents. Their assault lasted until late the second night, then when she was sent back by Floo, Amycus beat her for attacking him before releasing her in the morning. She'd spent breakfast in the Infirmary having Pomphrey fix her up the best she could. As Bethany helps her pull a t-shirt over her head, she sees the extensive bruising that had been hidden by the fabric, along with the large gauze bandage wrapping her shoulder. Lucy looks down at the girl and frowns.
"You need to leave Hogwarts Beth, things are getting worse and worse and I don't want anything happening to you."
"I'm staying until you leave. I don't want anything to happen to you either. I'm under their radar for the most part. With your connection to them, you're a bigger target to them. You should leave more than I should."
Lucy sighs and drops the topic, knowing it would end in them arguing in circles.
"I'm going to write to the boys and send it off after hours. Anything you'd like to toss into the letter?"
"Just that they should talk some sense into you."
Lucy rolls her eyes and they walk out to head to classes.