Lucy Snape and the Wizarding Army (Book Five)

Merlin's Beard!

Chapter 22: Merlin's Beard!

"McGuire." Snape said later on, when they had manged to drag Shona inside her own house. She hadn't really said anything to either of them, she'd just kept very quiet. It was as though she was embarrassed because of her father. 

Shona looked up from her hands, she was sat in on the floor in the living room where the chair should be. The dark circles under her eyes were as prominent as they were in her third year. 

"What do you personally think you're going to do now?" 

"Take the house off of the market," Shona replied in an airy voice, it was very distant and sad. "Hopefully the estate agents won't mind when I make some sort of excuse." 

"Estate agents..." Snape repeated and tried to work out what they were. 

"Don't worry, it's complicated," Shona forced a smile just as Lucy came down the stairs. There was a dog at her side, following her loyally.

"I found Bruno upstairs, I thought you might want him to keep you company," Lucy smiled as the dog left her side and sat next to Shona. 

"At least dad didn't take Bruno, he's the only one I could trust when it was just my dad, brother and me. But if I'm honest, I don't think dad liked Bruno. He was probably scared that Bruno would get a wand and robes then go to Hogwarts with me." 

"We'll help you through this, Shona, we're not letting you go through this alone." Lucy confirmed and for once Snape agreed in helping Shona. 

"Thanks, but you don't have to. This is my problem and I should get on with it myself."

"No you shouldn't, you need our help."

Shona smiled. "You two are more family to me than my real family."

"Not in this life time, McGuire," Snape scowled. 

*      *      * 

Later that day, Lucy was on the phone trying to convince the estate agents to take Shona's house off of the market while Shona herself was helping Snape drag some old furniture into the house. Martyn and her father hadn't taken an awful lot of furniture, they'd just taken things of sentimental value to them. But some things still needed replacing. 

"It's a good thing that we still had this spare furniture," Shona sighed as they plonked down a three seater sofa. 

"Yes, but you could probably go round the corner and find spare furniture there. Unpredictable place, Worthing is." Snape rolled his eyes as they went out to get some more furniture. 

"Hey, remember the other day on the train when we were talking about the gifted?" Shona asked as she picked up one end of a wardrobe. Snape nodded. "Were you serious about Lucy having to defeat Lord Zuc?" 

Snape looked in the living room window as they walked past it at Lucy, she had twirled her finger around the cord that connected the phone to the base and looked happy. It was evident that Shona was going to get her house back. 

"McGuire — " Snape began but he was cut off by Shona. 

"Do you really think she can do it?" 

"She needs training first of all. She can't do it like she is now, Zuc's too strong. She can't just mutter a few spells and swing that sword at him, can she? It takes skill, determination, courage...but do I think she can do it at the moment? Not a chance. Yet, I believe if she has the right training she could be the cause to his downfall."

"But why is it her who's got to do it? Why not you or I? Not to be mean to Lucy but she hasn't exactly got a skill for fighting..."

"The skill is there, McGuire, she just doesn't have the confidence to use it. She doesn't know how to use it. Half the time she's worried about visions, she's the only one that can see exactly what's happening. I get glimpses of what's going to happen but I don't get direct contact from Zuc."