Chapter 37: It was just a dream
"I'm sorry, Severus, but Lucy is going to have to participate in the third task. She has made it this far and I'm sure she is very capable of completing it." Dumbledore said as he sat at his desk and peered over his spectacles at Snape who was close to tears.
Dumbledore had ordered a meeting at midnight as soon as he had found out what Snape had seen, all the other teachers were horrified and believed he could see the future but others just believed that he was being pathetic and making it all up so he could get Lucy out of the third task.
"I refuse to let her take part! If what I've seen is true then I will not have her participate. She's too young and she didn't even put her name in the goblet of fire. So I suggest you let her off." Snape raged. "People die in this tournament and I'm not having my daughter be the next victim."
"I believe Severus," Trelawney piped up and everyone stared at her as though she'd just got drunk and performed some ridiculous dance. "Earlier on in the year I told Severus bad things were going to happen this year, that hus daughter would be in great danger."
Snape groaned all of a sudden that he was going to be asociated with the nutter who teaches divintation. And wished he hadn't of told Dumbledore about this after all so he could just pretend that Lucy was ill so she wouldn't have to participate.
"That's as maybe but Lucy is going to have to participate no matter what, are you really going to make Lucy participate and put her in danger, Albus?" Snape said sadly.
"I'm sorry but it's the rules," Dumbledore said sadly. "I would let her be excused but I'm afraid I can't."
"B-But..." Snape tried to protest and he really thought he was going to cry. "She won't survive against him...She's too weak...She tells me she's fine but she won't be! She'll die! She's not strong enough!" He was in hysterics now and when McGonagall placed a hand on his shoulder he realised what a fool he was making of himself.
"Come on, you better go talk to Lucy," McGonagall said and opened the door and led Snape out while the other teachers stayed put.
He gloomily made his way down to the dungeons and when he entered his private quarters and made his way straight to Lucy's room. She was fast asleep, completely unaware that she would have to fight Zuc in the third task, Snape didn't have the heart to tell her.
He sat in the chair beside her bed and stroked her hair as it returned to it's usual colour. He couldn't believe that he couldn't save Lucy from the third task and she'd have to meet Lord Zuc and fight him alone. He refused to tell Lucy that his power was to see the future for it would scare her so much and kill all the confidence she had built up over the past couple of days.
"Stop stalking me..." Lucy groaned and rolled over onto her other side so she was no longer facing him and Snape's shoulders slumped as he knew he'd woken Lucy.
"I'm sorry but if you knew why you'd be scared too..." he muttered as Lucy sat up and glared at him as he woken her and one thing he knew not to do was wake Lucy as would be very annoyed. "You need anger management, you should be happy I'm here."
"I don't need anger management, what I need is for people to stop annoying me." She snarled and got up and opened the window then she opened her draw and took out the tale of the knights she had 'kept' from the library and flicked to the back page and snarled. "And what I really need to know is the ending of this book."
"We'll find out someday but for now all you've got to focus on is the third task." Snape thought about bringing the subject up would make her more cautious about what she might and will have to face.
"Are you kidding me?" She snorted and threw the book back in her draw and slammed it shut. "I'll get through it, no sweat. McGuire thinks I will, anyway."
"But do you really know what you're up against?"
"Of course I don't, but that's all part of the thrill of it all isn't it? Besides, I've made my way through the first two tasks just one more and it'll all be over and I can lead a fairly normal life...Sort of..."
"But..."
"But what, dad?" She frowned at Snape as she slipped on a jumper for the air was chilly. "There's no but's, I've just got to get it over with."
"I know but wouldn't you just like to quit it and let the other contestants fight it out?"
"Don't be silly, I can't just disappear mysteriously, I'll be the school's joke for purposely dropping out and being the weak person that people have got the impression off these past three years."
"Why don't you pretend you're ill though? It's not hard and I know you'd prefer to do that!"
"I would of prefered to do that but you know, for once I've actually been looking forward to take part."
"What if I told you that you've got to fight Lord Zuc in the third task?" Snape blurted out and Lucy paused then smiled.
"Oh, dad, don't you worry about the visions you'll get over them just like I did." She hugged him quickly and before he had time to react she had headed out of her room and Snape sighed in defeat, if she wasn't worried nor should he be.
* * *
That next day it was, of course, lessons. But students were not in the slightest interested in them for they were more excited about the third task rather than what the teachers had to tell them about their O.W.L.S which were in fact next year.
Even so, when they all entered Mad-eye's class they had to focus, for if they didn't who knows what sort of trouble they could get themselves in to. Lucy and Shona sat in their usual seats and waited for Mad-eye to begin the lesson.
"No lesson planned for you lot today, just...Well, revise," Mad-eye waved his hand as though shaking the comment away or that it was not important to learn on this day. "Meanwhile, Miss Snape, I wish to talk to you outside."
"M-Me?" Lucy stammered pointing to herself.
"Yes, you. Now come on, I don't have any time to waste."
Lucy gulped then looked at Shona who looked just as puzzled as her. Lucy gingerly stood up as every pair of eyes followed her out of the classroom where Mad-eye was holding open the door for her. And when they were both outside he let the door slam.
"Yes, Professor?" Lucy asked as Mad-eye leaned against the wall, relieving himself of the strain he had to put on his leg.
"I suppose you're wondering what the third task is going to be about tomorrow."
"Well, yes, I suppose I was a bit curious about what the third task was going to be, for I need to plan a strategy to get me out alive."
"Good, good, planning ahead like a good champion should." Mad-eye nodded then looked back at her again, his false eye staring to the right while his normal eye kept it's full concentration on her. "The third task...Is a maze."
"A maze?"
"Yes, a maze. They have transformed the Quidditch pitch into a maze. It might look easy from the outside but on the inside there will be dangers to face. Remember, this is the wizarding world, not the muggle world. Anything can happen here."
"Well...Dad really won't want me to participate now."
"Why's that then?" Mad-eye asked placing a hand on her shoulder.
"He really doesn't want me to participate because he's worried about me, he doesn't think he can hadnle anything on my own when I want to prove to him I can but he doesn't believe me. He's only known me since the start of first year and then this year we find out we're related and he's even more protective."
"Oh..." Mad-eye laughed. "You should have seen him before he met you, hanging out with the Death Eaters and what not. He didn't have a soft spot for anybody."
"Yes he did," Lucy almost instantly retorted and Mad-eye stopped grinning and turned to her. "He loved my mother I can tell you that now. It pains him to talk about her."
"Yes...I should have known, Potter's half-brother aren't you?"
"I am. But he loved my mother before James Potter did, I know that for a - "
"Lucy!"
Lucy whipped around and saw Snape striding towards them, his face full of worry, anger and relief. It was very hard to tell which emotion overran the others, but when he approached Mad-eye it was clear that anger had won.
"Professor, may I ask what you're doing?" Snape sneered at Mad-eye and he shrugged.
"Just telling your daughter about the third task that's all, is that alright or are you going to be overprotective about that too?"
"Wait a minute! How do you know what my dad was like as a Death Eater?" Lucy blurted out all of a sudden.
"Being an auror you'll be surprised what I know..."
Mad-eye stared at Snape with both of his eyes and then took out a flask of goodness knows what and knocked back the contents until there was nothing left. Lucy looked at Snape and he grabbed her arm and dragged her all the way down to the dungeons and when they arrived Snape slammed the door and turned on Lucy. She knew immediately something bad was going to happen.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN WERE YOU TALKING TO PROFESSOR MOODY ABOUT DEATH EATERS FOR?!" Snape yelled and when he'd finished Lucy pretended to wipe the spit off her cheek.
"Mad-eye started talking about them, it was as though the way he was talking he'd known you for a very long time. So please don't start blaming me!" Lucy retorted.
"But - "
"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!"
The two stopped and stared at each other, they dared not move. They were shocked at their actions but couldn't find a way to apologise. That was until Lucy spoke up.
"He was just telling be about the third task, alright? Nothing major and he just bought up the subject of death eaters and tried to tell me you didn't love anyone before me. So I think you owe me a thank you."
"Alright...Thank you..."
"Please let me explain things before you jump down my throat." Lucy sighed, sitting down on the corner of a desk.
"I'm sorry, it just infuriated me what Mad-eye did."
"The bloke has always creeped me out, I know that he really is creepy but I don't think he's meant to be that creepy."
"I agree, when I've encountered him before he wasn't like that. It's as though he wants answers from people and would do anything for them."
"And what on Earth was he drinking?"
"I don't know but I bet it wasn't pumpkin juice..."
"It didn't smell like it either...It smelt more like...Polyjuice potion."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"I'm serious! I think he's drinking polyjuice potion! Well, not Mad-eye the person who's pretending to be Mad-eye."
"You do have a point there..." Snape paused then continued again. "So what did he say the third task was then?"
"He said it was a maze down at the Quidditch pitch, apparently it's worse than it seems from the outside."
"That's understandable..."
"Can I go back to lessons now?"
"Why don't you get some extra rest before the third task?"
"You don't have to tell me twice to be lazy."
Snape half smiled as Lucy walked off to her room but didn't let it go for he realised that Zuc was really playing with his mind and Lucy wouldn't have to really face Zuc.
For it was just a dream.