Chapter sixteen: The Welsh Scaleback
Lucy made her way down to the first task, not feeling any better, not that she had felt good about fighting dragons anyway. Her stomach was doing backflips, walking her numb knees between the plots of cheering children. Snape had been told to let Lucy venture on her own, and had given her a look before leaving. She entered the tent and saw the other contestants buzzing around, either through excitement or nervousness.
“Hi Lucy, or should I say ‘Lucky’” laughed Cedric. Lucy stared and went red
“I, I didn’t know you new my nickname”
“I heard Shona McGuire call you it” he replied and made adjustments to his shoulder pad.
“You nervous?” Lucy muttered and looked at her shoes, they were deigned for someone two sizes bigger than her and for someone that fought dragons, both of which didn’t fit her.
“Of course,” he replied eyes dancing like amber jewels, “that is completely normal, of course, we are facing dragons”
“Same” was all Lucy said. Cedric smiled and made her hotter than the dragon could fire flames at her head.
“Is our revision still on?” he asked, “Unless the dragon changes our minds?”
They chuckled at that and settled the tense air of chanting students. They were continually shouting and screaming as well as the event drew closer.
“No, I’m still free” Lucy said and Cedric nodded.
“I’ll be off then, I have to get this dam shoulder pad to fit” he walked off, Lucy squealing in her brain.
I talked to Cedric before I die! And he called me Lucky!
After walking around and scanning the others until boredom, Lucy heard a tapping noise from the tent. She looked around but no one had noticed. She looked at the flapping door and heard a whisper
“Lucky? Come in, Lucky? This is McGuire speaking”
Lucy sighed a breath and opened the flap and inch or two. McGuire stood there with a big bag round her neck, and looking very cold.
“Hi” was all Lucy said.
“I know you’re nervous, but I just want to let you know that if you need backup, I’m here”
“But I’ll get disqualified”
“Psh, I meant if you nearly die” Shona swung her hand then looked at Lucy, eyes wide with shock
“Thanks, Shona” she half muttered, half clenching teeth
“Oh I bought this with me” Shona muttered and took out what Lucy saw was a sword.
It was absolutely beautiful, golden handle with a jewel placed at the bottom only just smaller than the palm of her hand. It had the rims slightly encrusted with slim lines and the blade showed no sign’s of rust, it was as if It had been made before Lucy’s eyes. It looked powerful and deadly, one slight cur from it and it elegance would have you bleeding for polite mercy.
“Where the bloody hell did you get that?” Lucy questioned
“Got it from that mystical room, it was held by this suit of armour, looked like a giant chess piece, but the armour was real. I took it and thought maybe it would help”
“Well when I want to stab something I’ll let you know”
“Like Fred?”
“What about Fred?” Lucy said defensively, crossing her arms, making the flap pull back. Shona yanked it back to reveal more of her face
“Oh come on, he’s jealous of you and Cedric. Everyone thinks you’re an item now with him.” Shona said as a matter of factly voice. Lucy looked at her, but knew it was the truth. Any other subject apart from dragons was good enough.
“So Fred is jealous, Cedric likes me and I have a dragon to contend with to show my two boys what I’m made of? Oh god” she mumbled and wiped her face. Suddenly Shona disappeared as a woman walked in, Shona running away as flashes went off
“Oh darling! Splendid shot of the McGuire kid! Well and that if the girl dies...” Rita muttered as she flung the tent face out of her way, a cameraman following and her quick quotes quill jotting away
“Oh anyone for an interview? How about you Lucky Snape? How do feel about this impossible task? All the risks? Do you think your daddy will miss you if - ”
“Get out,” Krum demanded. Rita stared.
“I’m sorry?”
“This is a tent for hero’s, not for liars” he reported, Skeeter snorting in disgust. Dumbledore entered along with Barty Crouch, Rita shuffling away
“Now, champions! You must choose which dragon you will face! Put your hand in the bag and choose wisely” Dumbledore said as Crouch held out a black leather bag. After everyone chose his or her dragon, Harry getting one of the more serious, Lucy was next up
“Be careful, Miss Snape” Barty warned. As Lucy poked her hand in, heat overwhelmed her. She winced as she felt tiny prickles stretch over her hand. She pulled the dragon up and waited to see what it was. It couldn’t have been worse
“The Welsh Scaleback” Crouch seemed to throw up the words. Lucy didn’t know what to say.
“Ur” she muttered as the two teachers swept off. Cedric seemed to be in near tears, the other contestant’s shuffling nervously.
“Out of all of the dragons, you chose that” Rita snorted “she’s dead for sure” she whispered to the cameraman, who nodded grimly.
“Cedric, what’s a Welsh Scaleback?” she pondered. Cedric clenched his teeth
“It’s…It’s the most dangerous British dragon ever recorded. Most of those muggle fairy tales are about them, they love to eat people… It’s said its nearly impossible to kill, since the scales are so robust”
Lucy’s mouth dropped open, she was going to die.
For the next half an hour, two of the five contestants had battled their dragon. Lucy wasn’t told who had won, she was feeling queasy and was staying in her bed made compartment and keeping away from Rita Skeeter. She heard a rustle and looked up quickly, expecting to see Shona, but it was Snape.
“Hello, Lucy” he tried to smile, but that was impossible. Lucy smiled weakly
“How’s it going?” Lucy questioned
“Fine” he muttered and stepped through.
“You shouldn’t be here”
“Nor should have McGuire,” he said back “so what dragon did you get?”
Lucy stood in front of her dad and tried to look confident
“The Welsh Scaleback”
Snape’s face dropped like an avalanche. His fake smile was no more; he didn’t even try to hide any disbelief or sadness. Snape, for once, had tears in his eyes.
“Oh god, Lucy” was all escaped his quivering lips, and enclosed her in the tightest, bittersweet hug she had ever had. It was as if he was unwilling to let her go, as if he didn’t let go somehow the dragon would back away. But Snape’s brain was crying. He was going to loose his daughter.
“I’ll beat it” she said as he held her in front of him, arms still around her.
“Lucy...You don’t understand,” he muttered with his hands shaking.
“I do...I’ll beat it and - ”
But she was interrupted by the trotting sounds of Madam Pomfrey cleaning up the next contestant. Snape looked up and flung his arms to his side as she entered the room.
“Miss Snape?” Madam Pomfrey asked. When Lucy turned Snape had gone.
“Yes?”
"You're up next, let me check your protection" she said kindly as Lucy looked around quickly for any signs of Snape hiding in the dingy corners, but he had most definitely gone.
* * *
“WE LOVE YOU VICTOR! WE LOVE YOU! MORE THAN THE DRAGON AND MORE THAN YOU…KNOW!” the crowd made up the tension build up before saying the last word, it was like setting a cannon off and exploding the sound into everyone’s eardrums.
Shona roared as some of the kids jumped up and down. The makeshift arena wasn’t that big, but the arena had been torn so much it looked bigger than it ever was. Harry’s fight with the dragon had pumped the crowd up, and the idea of Snape’s daughter battling a dragon was heating up the scores.
“Cor I’m starving!” Seamus exclaimed as Dean sat next to them. He took a place near Shona and placed all the food he’d paid for on his lap and passed Shona a drink at a time
“Pass it on!” he shouted over the sudden boo in the crowd, it was Karkaroff who had given Harry such a bad score, had gone to patrol about in the grounds of the fighting arena with his men. Shona laughed as she sent the drink to Seamus, who passed it to Pavarti and then to Ron. This continued until it got to Neville
“Cheese flavour” Dean whispered
“Cheese flavour ripple shake!” Shona shouted to her friends. Ron raised his hand and Shona nodded and spoke into Seamus’s ear “to Ron”
“To Ron” repeated Seamus and passed it on
“To Ron”
“To Ron”
This continued with all the food until the end.
“Say, Shona, I don’t mean this in a rude way, but you’re kind of alright for a...Well” Dean said and quickly snuck his head into his golf toasted burger
“It’s OK, you can call me a Worthing” she said and made sure the sword was still in-between her legs, hidden by the overly large bag.
“Seriously, its offensive!”
“It’s like a second name now, I’m used to it” she admitted just as Karkaroff yelled at the crowd
“SHUT UP! BE QUIET! YOU MUSN’T SCARE THE DRAGON!” He yelled waving his hands as he stood in front of the barrier doors where the dragons were let in. Several guards would enter at the intervals in case any dragon attacked. Shona rolled her eyes.
Just as he said this the doors started to bang and a screech form a mutated animal. Karkaroff jumped out his skin and ordered several of the guards to keep the doors shut. He yelled in Russian to the people behind the door, who replied in the same foriegn language. Shona laughed and stood and went
“WAAY!” She did a wave motion as she did this. Everyone copied and soon a wave had started, the people saying the word as the wave came round
“WAAAAAY!”
"Pathetic" Karkaroff mumbled
“Welcome back, Professor” McGonagall greeted as her wrinkles chuckled at the students. Snape was paler than usual as he took his seat. “You’ve missed a wonderful half time show, they had the - ”
“To be honest, Minerva, I’m not interested” he snarled and blunted the conversation. He looked out into the field where his daughter would appear, and grimaced. But McGonagall wasn’t thick, she knew what was going on, but decided not to say anything. Snape was in a stricken incident, but unknown to the Gryffindor head he actually knew what his daughter was going to die, and how the slim chances of survival laid out in front of her.
He looked out into the trodden floor and rocks, and wished he were there. He would face the dragon, but he knew he couldn’t. Shona waved at Snape and he gave her a look, Shona looking confused. The crowd then started to chant again
“OH MY OH MY! THE DRAGONS APEARING ACOROSS THE SKY! OHH…. WE’RE READY FOR A RAMPAGE!” the kids rocked out to the song by the rock group called the snorting trolls
“HERE WE COME FROM AFAR, COMEING OUT TO PARTY AND KICK ASS. NOT NEED FOR THE CAVERLY, MY BROOM AND MUGGLE PICKUP IS JUST WHAT THEY NEED, TO WIND THEM UP! I’VE SEEN IT ALL! NOW IM GONNA ROCK YOU ALL! RAMPAGE! OHH! LIKE A DRAGON! OHH!”
"Stupid..." Snape muttered as they all imitated the guitar solo. Flitwich nodded his head and fell from his seat in excitement, Professor Sprout giggling at him. Snape huffed and stared out, letting the mood of the song him block out and be insecure.
Slowly drowning in fear...
* * *
Madam Pomfrey tightened the straps more than Lucy could have guessed; she nearly squeezed the daylights out of her, and made sure the robes were coloured with Gryffindor weren’t dirty and shone respectively.
“Good luck, Lucy”
“Madam Pomfrey” Lucy started, “Sorry for seeming rude, but why do you seem so helpful right now?”
"It's my job. But I'll think you'll find I'm not the only one who doesn't want you to die" the woman smiled at her. It was like hearning your Grandmother speak to you, and Lucy couldn't understand what she meant. She pointed out to the main passageway, where Lucy lent out a trembling foot. She heard the roars as she emitted outside, coming from the not so distant gap on the other side of the tent.
“And now the last of our contestants! A proud Gryffindor! Lucy Snape!” Dumbledore shouted proudly, and the yells bounded around the arena. Lucy suddenly felt them soak into her, and looked around to see the other contestants looking at her, all bruised and battered, but alive.
Alive.
They were smiling, not grimacing. They all stood and watched her slowly exit and stand in front of them, robes golden compared to Cedric Hufflepuff colours, now dyed with black embers and soot.
Suddenly Lucy didn’t feel afraid any more. Something came over her, a feeling she had had only once when she had fought a vampire named Kingston. Lucy gave them all a smile, and started her long walk. Dumbledore reported about Lucy to the crowd as she walked up closer…Closer…Confident steps, as if she wanted to face the dragon, Smiling, striding…
As she came to the opening, those who spotted her first grew even louder; which was on the venture of being near impossible. Soon everyone was on their feet as Lucy was about to emerge…
“HERE SHE COMES!” George cried happily as others started to clap. When Lucy finally was out of the tunnel full support was for here
“OH WE LOVE YOU LUCY! LUCY WE DO! WHERE YOU GO WE WILL ALWAYS FOLLOW YOU!”
Then silence. And eerie odd silence only spilt by the sound of a dragon, the Welsh Scaleback. It was rattling a fierce, as though it was roaring through the blood and guts stuck in its throat. Lucy felt shivers but looked around to spot a glorified egg sitting in the middle of the arena. It would have suited more if the sun lit it up, but alas it did not. Lucy then looked around confused, but no dragon had come. She looked at Dumbledore who tried not to give any hints away.
When she looked at Snape though, he tired to mouth her something, but stopped when McGonagall went to mouth something in his ear. He raised his eyebrows instead and waited for Lucy to decide.
Still feeling confident, Lucy strode towards it, and the crowd held its breath as she did so, crumbling over rocks another piece of debris from Harry’s fight. The egg glinted as she reached closer and when Lucy lifted herself onto the rocky platform, other children started to cheer, unknown to them where the dragon was. In fact no one knew where it was...It wasn’t there...