The Slytherin Princess - Year Three

August 1993

The white snowy owl, with bright green eyes was flying in from the distance. Lucy stood outside in the garden of the manor as he perched himself onto her forearm. "Hi Astro." She cooed to him, giving his belly a quick pat before taking the letter out of his beak. She reached down to the table beside her and pulled out a dead rat from the owl's loot bag sitting open. She threw the rat upwards in the air and watched as he took off from her arm and caught it midair. He headed towards the tree that shaded the table and began pecking at his meal.

Lucy sat down in her chair, taking a sip from her water she began reading the letter.

I'm sorry I haven't come around to visit you these past few weeks. Things have been a bit weird at home. I'll see you on the train on Sunday.

D.M.

It wasn't the response she was expecting from him, but it would have to do. Earlier that month, Lucy had written a letter to Draco, inviting him out to a trip to London with her. He had responded confirming he would attend, but when it came to the day, he didn't show.

She had written him again, asking why he hadn't bothered to show up, but he never replied. Without no warning or no explanation, he stood her up. Granted, she didn't mind wandering the city streets alone, but she had barely seen him the month after school finished and she wanted to spend some time with him. But since then, he hadn't bothered to write or visit her.

They hadn't spoken since the Malfoy party a few weeks ago and Lucy was beginning to worry.

She got fed up with waiting to hear from him and made sure to keep herself busy. Her mother helped the best she could, but Lucy was getting bored with spending time with her brothers. Reuben was about to start his first year at Hogwarts, and while she was excited for him, she already wanted to get back to school and back to her friends.

The Parcivall family had already made the trip to Diagon Alley, something they normally left for the last week of August, but Grayson had homework he needed to get done before the start of term, so they had to go in earlier to get his books. It was quiet when they went. A few families came and went from the shops, but Lucy didn't see any of her friends that day.

That evening Lucy spent a few hours in the Parcivall library. She was perched on her favourite chair when her mum came in. "Hey." Alissa said, leaning against the doorway.

"Hey." Lucy said, looking up from her book.

"What have you got there?" Alissa asked, walking over to her daughter. Lucy watched as her mum stood beside her, giving her the book, she was reading to examine it. Her mum had only gotten more beautiful as she aged. Alissa had cut her hair during summer, something she usually kept quite long – now sat just below her shoulders. Lucy liked it short. She thought about her own hair, and how it had grown even longer these past two months, and how she thought about cutting it short too. At the last second, she chickened out. It fell to the middle of her back now, and during summer had gotten a touch lighter from being out in the sun so often, something her mother would constantly tell her off for.

That summer Lucy hadn't seen much of her father. When he was home, he was holed up in his study, but for the most part, he was busy working.

"Tales and Fantasies?" Alissa questioned, giving the book back to Lucy.

She nodded, "Draco got it for me for my birthday last year. I read it during school, but I guess after the lousy summer I've had I thought it would cheer me up to re-read it." Lucy softly replied.

"Come on, Lucy. You know he's been really busy this summer." Alissa tried to defend him.

"I know, but last summer we spent practically the whole two months together, and now what? I saw him a handful of times last month and that's it?" Lucy pouted. She hated sounding so dramatic, but she was annoyed at him. "I just thought he'd try and make more of an effort to see me. That's all." Lucy finished.

Alissa lent down to her daughter and kissed her on the forehead, "I know, dear." Was all she said. As she was leaving the library, she looked over her shoulder, "Hey?" She called.

Lucy looked up from the book again at her mum. "Yeah?" Lucy replied, watching her.

"Make sure you finish packing tonight alright? We're going to be out of the house for most of the day tomorrow." Alissa answered, after Lucy nodded to her she walked away. Lucy went back to her book, she thought about what her mother said for a moment before sighing and getting up from the chair, heading for her bedroom.

As Lucy packed the last of her clothes she turned and saw her stack of schoolbooks sitting on her dresser. One of which was The Monster Book of Monsters, by Edwardus Lima. It had tried to bite her the first time she tried to open it, having to restrain it with a belt. She smiled to herself looking at it, at least she was excited about one new class this year.

The next day Lucy woke rather early. They were spending the day with Ellion's parents at their home in France. She put on the outfit and looked at herself in the mirror. shed her hair over her shoulder.

They arrived by floo powder at The Parcivall residence in France. Ellion's parents, Calla and Orson lived in a small townhouse in the 16th Arrondissment, in Tocadero. The house was slightly outdated, but it suited them nicely. Calla and Orson were elegant and proud pure bloods. They were raised to believe that anything less than pure blood was a muggle, so at times Lucy had to avoid saying what she really wanted to, to please her grandparents.

Lucy found at times she had to hold her breath as her grandmother passed her, her perfume heavily applied as she poured everyone a cup of tea.

"Grandfather?" Lucy asked, placing her cup of tea on the table.

"Yes, my dear?" Orson replied, not looking up from his paper.

"Who is that man on the front there?" Lucy asked, pointing to older man, with shaggy brown hair, who was screaming in the moving picture. Orson flipped the front page of the Daily Prophet over so he could get a clearer view.

"That, my dear. Is Sirius Black. A notorious mass murderer." Orson explained. "He escaped from Azkaban. But you shouldn't worry about that, my dear." Orson added, turning back to the page he was reading on.

Surprisingly, the rest of the day went by quickly, and as the sun begin to set, the Parcivall children said goodbye to their grandparents and travelled home.

Lucy was exhausted when she crawled into bed and she was barely awake longer than five minutes before she drifted off to sleep.