Chapter twelve: The Champions are Chosen
For the rest of the afternoon Lucy sat in Snape's quarters and studied like she had been told. She copied out the notes she'd taken in class and attempted to cram all the information she'd learnt so far into her brain.
Snape stood over her her, feeling a little guilty over his tone earlier. "How is the studying going?"
"Good," Lucy lied, she thought the boredom was going to kill her. Her quill scratched incessantly against her parchment as she glanced between her old notes and her new ones.
"Take a break," he peered at all she'd done so far. "You have company."
The words had barely left his lips when the door swung open revealing Shona carrying a stack of books and quills precariously.
"Hi, Lucky and Snapeadoodle!" She called from behind the stack.
Snape grumbled something about the nickname beside as Shona set down her pile at the table Lucy was working at. She took a seat and Lucy handed over her notes when Snape wasn't looking.
"Here," Lucy said simply.
"Are you sure?"
"You'll only chase me for them later."
Shona snatched up the notes. "You're not wrong."
Lucy spun the orb across the table as Shona began copying Lucy's notes for Charms. It was only when Shona looked up she stopped spinning it.
"Yes, Shona?" Lucy asked confused by her friends sudden pause in writing
"The orbs glowing."
"What? Oh, cool."
"No it's not, that's suspicious," Shona eyed it warily, her voice worried.
"What's wrong?" Snape asked looking up from his work.
"The orb is glowing," Shona said snatching the orb from Lucy and waving it under Snape's nose.
"That doesn't seem right."
"Obviously! It hasn't done that since I grabbed it from the Basilisks mouth but even then it died down, this doesn't seem right for some reason."
Snape got up and went over to examine the orb but didn't dare touch it. Lucy stood next to him worriedly as Shona just stared at it fixated.
"What do we do?" Lucy asked tugging on Snape's arm
"I don't know..." Snape said, he stepped forward but then his eyes widened in shock, "TAKE COVER!" Snape yelled all of a sudden, he grabbed Lucy and shoved her under a table and then followed.
But as the two Snape's took cover, poor Shona was slammed against the wall causing books to fly everywhere. Shona groaned and despite the fact Snape was trying to protect Lucy she couldn't restrain herself as she needed to help her friend, she ran over to Shona who was laying on a pile of books.
"Oh my gosh!, Shona!, Are you alright!" Lucy gasped covering her mouth with her hands
"Er yeah, these books are more comfortable than they seem...Wow I think I've broken my arm..." She groaned
"Dad! We have to get her to the hospital wing!"
"It's so kind of you to let me rent out your second home, Lucky..."
* * *
When Madam Pomfrey had come and collected Shona from her new bed made out of books Lucy and Snape had followed her down to the hospital wing. Snape had cautiously taken the orb with him just in case anything else happened.
"Is she going to be alright?!" Lucy kept asking Madam Pomfrey and followed her to where Shona was groaning
"She'll be fine, Miss Snape, she'll be out of here in an hour. I've just got to mend her arm. She's not like you having six injury's at once"
"Are you sure she'll be alright?" Lucy said ignoring Madam Pomfrey's sarcastic comment
"Sit, Lucy" Snape demanded pushing down on her shoulder so she fell into the seat that was next to Shona's bed
"She'll be out of here in an hour" Madam Pomfrey sighed rushing over to her cupboard this time and pulling out several things, "but what exactly happened to her?"
"Er - " Snape began looking around the room for inspiration but Lucy already had the story covered
"She thought it was a good idea to chase dad around but then as she was about to hex him with her wand it backfired and she slammed against the wall causing her to land in that new pile of books"
"Is that wand safe?"
"Surely safe i've just checked it out" Lucy lied holding up Shona's wand
"Well alright then you two just wait over there"
Snape and Lucy walked over to outside of Madam Pomfrey's office; Snape pulled out the prophet and Lucy pulled out her book. The two read in silence. That was until Lucy, clumsily, gave herself a paper cut.
"Shoot" she muttered hoping that Snape didn't hear
"What have you done this time?" He asked not looking up from his paper
"Paper cut" Lucy whispered nervously
"Clumsy aren't you?" He snickered reaching for her hand then pulling out his wand and muttering a spell to heal the cut
"Very" she agreed laughing slightly, "will you let me go down to the great hall tomorrow evening? I really don't want to miss who the champions are"
"Stay with your...Friends though"
"I will, I always do. And Shona is known to take down vampires in animal form I don't think that a man is going to scare her"
"Yes, well, I suppose" Snape said as though he was forced to say it, "and there she is"
Lucy turned around and saw a very happy wolf trotting towards them, Lucy knelt down and ran her fingers through Shona's fur.
"You alright?" Lucy asked and Shona looked at Lucy as though focusing on her mind
'Never better' she replied, 'now I think I should go chase Snivels, what about you?'
"Could do it for amusement" Lucy said out loud ignoring her fathers confused looks. Lucy stood up and moved out the way so Shona took one look at Snape then chased him all the way down the corridor and back to the dungeons.
"MCGUIRE! STOP THIS INSTANT!" Snape yelled, his screams could be heard all over the castle
"Is she always like that?" Madam Pomfrey asked
"Ever since I've known her" Lucy giggled
* * *
When Lucy left Transfiguration, the next day, she was surprised to find Fred waiting outside with his twin George. Shona stepped out after Lucy and rolled her eyes sarcastically at the twins.
"You don't have to stalk Lucy, you know that?" Shona snickered
"Yeah, I know. I thought I'd just wait for her because they're announcing the champions today, so we could head down to the hall together" Fred shrugged.
"More like he's trying to protect you from Cedric" Shona murmured in Lucy's ear, the four of them ran down to the great hall and took seats fairly near the back.
Dumbledore walked to the front and stood by the goblet of fire and the flames threw out a piece of paper, this was the Durmstrang champion.
"And the Durmstrang champion is..." Dumbledore said as he grabbed the piece of paper, "Viktor Krum!"
Viktor Krum got up and took his bit of paper, he shook Dumbledore's hand and then headed down to the trophy room.
The flames once again went crazy and then another bit of paper was thrown out, this belonged to a Beauxbatons champion.
"And the Beauxbatons champion is...Fleur Delacour!"
Fleur took her piece of paper and skipped down to the trophy room and then it was the Hogwarts champion...
"Cedric Diggory!" Dumbledore read out
Lucy squealed to herself and clapped loudly as Cedric made his way down to the trophy room. Shona just snickered at her friend whom was Cedric mad.
"And now we have our three champions!" Dumbledore beamed at the hall, "there is no turning back now - "
But suddenly the goblet of fire lit up again, Dumbledore turned around and looked at it. Snape frowned as another piece of paper flew out.
Dumbledore caught the piece and looked at it. His eyes widened in shock and then he looked up.
"Harry Potter" Dumbledore whispered and Harry Potter shrunk down in his seat. "HARRY POTTER!" And Harry, with a bit of encouragement from Hermione took his piece of paper from Dumbledore and headed down to the trophy room.
"Poor sod" Fred shook his head
If things weren't bad enough already, the goblet belched out a fifth piece of paper.
"What is going on?" Shona hissed under her breath.
The piece of paper drifted over to Snape who held it between his fingers warily. His eyes widened in astonishment, then to rage and then to sympathy like a traffic light system. He raised them to Dumbledore who nodded once, giving him permission to speak.
Snape didn't even raise his voice as the Great Hall had fallen into deathly silence. "Lucy Snape."
Lucy had been smacked by Brian plenty of times.
But the time that stuck out in her mind was the worst. She couldn't remember what she'd earned it for even. All she remembered was Brian's palm colliding with her face so hard that the skin on her face had gone completely numb. The ringing in her ears had lasted a week and in that time the only sound she seemed to be able to hear was the blood pounding in her ear.
She was reminded of that time right now. Even though she hadn't been given a physical slap, the glares of the students and the collective disappointment she could feel radiating off of the adults was just as bad.
"I didn't put my name in," Lucy whispered to Fred, wide eyed. "I swear."
Shona grabbed hold of the back of her jumper, made her stand up and shoved her in the direction of the front of the hall. She had no choice but to walk now past the glaring faces of students and listen to their curt whispers as she went.
When she reached Snape he stared at her.
"I didn't put my name in," she whispered frantically, eyes wide. "You have to believe me."
He handed her the piece of paper silently and pushed her forcefully towards the trophy room and that's where she finally let her tears fall. When she looked up she saw the four other champions: Viktor Krum, Harry Potter, Fleur Delacour and Cedric Diggory. Krum and Fleur looked disgusted, Harry was terrified and Cedric looked apologetic.
The next thing Lucy knew she was being shoved against the wall by Dumbledore and all the other teachers, including her dad, following behind.
"Did you put your name in the goblet of fire?" Dumbledore demanded
"N-No!" She sobbed, "I would never do such a t-thing!"
Next Dumbledore questioned Harry leaving Lucy to look down so she didn't have to suffer anymore humiliation.
"Harry Potter couldn't of put his name in the goblet of fire" Mad-eye growled, "he's way too young and the spells are way beyond the talents of a fourth year. And as for Lucy - well, I just can't imagine her turning evil. She's too fragile, she might as well be a china doll"
"I bet they both asked an older student to put their names in! So they could get all the money and glory to themselves!" Karkaroff sneered
"You know for yourself that Lucy wouldn't do such a thing, nor Harry"
"Lucy would never do such a thing!, Would she Severus?" McGonagall snapped
Everyone looked at Snape including a tearful Lucy whom looked at him hopefully as though he would save her from all of this and it would be as though it never happened.
"I deny that she put her name in" Snape finally said, "yet whoever did put her name in should be found out"
"It's always innocent until proven guilty with you isn't it?" Karkaroff yelled and Snape advanced on him yet the man didn't move a muscle even though Snape looked dangerous and ready to start a fight.
"With my daughter it is"
"If it wasn't for her you'd toughen up a bit!, You've weakened, Severus, you're not as you used to be!"
"QUIET!" Barty Crouch demanded and Dumbledore began to speak to the adults yet Lucy snuck over to Barty Crouch and tapped him on the shoulder, he jumped slightly and turned around and was a little shocked to see Lucy standing there. She stood up on her tip toes and whispered in his ear:
"Will I have to participate in this tournament?"
Barty's eyes widened as though he was having terrible thoughts and having a rather bad debate with himself. Yet he finally turned around and faced Lucy. He put a hand on her shoulder then whispered back:
"Yes" All Lucy's hope disappeared, she knew this was going to be the end. She'd heard of all the gruesome tales of people dying in the tournament and what challenges they'd had to face. She nodded slowly then stood out the way in a corner and thought about what she was going to do with the little remainder of her life.
"Will she really have to participate, Barty?" Lucy looked up and saw her father muttering into Barty's ear, his voice was barely audible yet it was lucky that Lucy could lip read. Snape must of overheard her and Barty's little private conversation and wanted to confirm it.
"Yes, it's too late to back out" he replied
"She can't participate she's not strong enough. She won't last the first task! People die in this tournament!" Snape said in a low voice
"I'm sorry" was all Barty said then he left with all the other teachers who were flooding out of the door to go to Dumbledore's office. Along with the four other champions who were going to find their friends to celebrate or in Harry's case to go and sulk.
This left the room silent...And almost empty.
"Lucy" Snape called out, he hadn't moved since Barty had spoken to him. Lucy emerged from her little corner and faced Snape.
Lucy couldn't help but think that this was her real father all over again, he would normally call her then strike her one for something she had 'apparently' done. Yet this was a different situation, everyone thought Lucy had put her name in the goblet of fire, some believed she hadn't others believed she had.
"Yes, dad?" She whispered, wiping away a fresh tear from the corner of her eye which threatened to fall.
"Come here" he said in a tone that showed no expression, this was when Lucy panicked. This is what her father would normally say to her when she would receive some sort of punishment. But his tone was more demanding and showed a lot of expression and he normally said it through gritted teeth rather than no expression. That was the trouble with Snape because he was so expressionless you never knew what he was thinking.
Lucy's knees were going to give way, in fear, any minute now. Yet she took one step forward and did her best not to trip over. Her weak footsteps echoed around the room making her even more nervous. She was terrified she didn't know what to think of Snape or as to what he would do to her.
When she made it to right in front of him he didn't react at all. Neither did she. They both just stood looking at each other as though they didn't know each other.
"Did you or did you not put your name in the goblet of fire" Snape asked, it was as though he was interogating a student as usual in potions. Putting them on the spot in front of everyone so they were the class joke,"it's a yes or no answer"
"No, I would never - " She began but Snape held up his hand
"Did you ask any of the older students to attempt to put your name in"
"No"
"Did you communicate with any seventh years yesterday?"
"Yes"
"Who?"
"Cedric Diggory"
"And what did you say to Mr. Diggory"
"I wished him luck after he had put his name in"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive"
"Are you sure you're not lying? If you are I will get the vertiserum out when we return to the dungeons"
"When I lie I stutter and go red in the face, am I doing any of those things?"
"No"
"Do you believe me?"
Snape paused.
"Yes"
Snape stepped forward and without warning put his arms around her. Lucy was still terrified of him yet she clung onto him for dear life as she knew this would be one of the last hugs she would get...
"I'm sorry I questioned you, I don't doubt you, I just had to know. This isn't your fault" he whispered quickly
"I'm going to die, dad" she sobbed ignoring his comments, "I'm not strong enough"
Snape didn't reply but he took Lucy's face in his hands, releasing her from the hug, then wiped away her tears with the cuff of his sleeve.
"You're not going to die" he replied, "not with me here"