Chapter Thirty-Seven
The second-years were still slightly shaken up from the defence against the dark arts class as they walked to the next lesson. Tom had reminded them all that he was a boy who wasn't to be crossed. They entered the transfiguration classroom, Dumbledore looking up as his students entered with his usual warm smile. Lucy was determined to improve her skill in this subject as she liked the professor very much. A line up of a dozen or so bricks were placed on each desk, Tom and Avery sitting together despite the previous events. Which Dumbledore was not yet aware of, Merrythought was going straight to Professor Slughorn about that matter. Written on the blackboard was...
Spongify: How to master the softening charm
Lucy tapping the hard brick before looking back up. Dumbledore standing up once everyone was sat down. Eileen resting her chin on her knuckle as she watched Dumbledore write down more notes. She wasn't really invested in his lessons as much as other students, his magical power meant nothing to her. The professor had noticed her lack of interest but couldn't exactly do anything. If the witch took an instant dislike to his teaching methods, there was nothing he could do about that. She was deep in thought at the moment...
"Eileen Prince. I don't expect you to be happy. Just alert" Dumbledore suddenly announced.
Making half the students quickly turn their head towards her. She removed her hand as she looked up, red in the face. She just gave him a dirty look before writing down notes about the spell. Dumbledore just giving a small look back before turning his attention to everyone else. The lesson soon began as he began to explain about the charm and how it works. Lucy focusing hard as she wrote down every note written down.
"Spongify" Lucy spoke as she pointed her wand towards the brick.
She dared touch it but much to her joy, the brick felt soft. She giggled to herself as she kept poking it with her finger. Most of the class learned this very easily as the bricks turned soft and slightly squishy. Dumbledore going around to every desk to see how everyone has fared.
"Perfect as always, Tom" Dumbledore was heard saying as he touched Tom's brick.
"Easy charms, Professor, make easy work" Tom replied with a forced polite smile.
Dumbledore giving him a smile in return before going to the desk at the back. Eileen still had a face like thunder. The professor felt her soft and squishy brick, no problem there.
"May I say congratulations on the upcoming birth of your brother or sister. It will be lovely to have another Prince" Dumbledore spoke softly.
"Lovely for who?"
"For your whole family of cause and for the community. We all know what an impressive line of witches and wizards your family line produces"
"Right, thank you, Professor" Eileen managed to say in a very forced emotionless tone of voice as she didn't want to debate him.
He looked at her like she was a puzzle that needed solving. He made his way back to the front as he wrote down more notes. Expressing how good everyone did today in his class. Eileen pulling her hair back over her eyes as she glared at the professor once more. By the time, Dumbledore dismissed the class; she was out the room very quickly as she refused to spend even a mere second longer in his classroom. Lucy and Myrtle walking out together for the much-needed break.
"Eileen's really harsh to Professor Dumbledore. He's only being nice" Lucy spoke as they were halfway down the hallway.
"Well she and warmth don't mix"
"That seems to be popular around here. Argus was being rather mean to me this morning but I think he's just sleepy. Is it alright if I go and check on him, I'll speak to you next lesson?" Lucy asked.
Myrtle just giving a nod as she let her go. The girls going in the opposite direction as Lucy made her way to the caretaker's office. Giving the door a quick knock, she heard the familiar groan inside and so she let herself in. Argus looked in a very bad mood as he was half-asleep on the chair with his feet on the desk. This confirmed what she already knew.
"Right. This is stupid now...You need to ask Oakleigh Burton to give you earlier night shifts. It's not fair" Lucy said as soon as she sat down on the nearest chair.
"I told you, it's Peeves" Argus replied while yawning.
"I'll ask the Bloody Baron. I'm not afraid to speak to him" Lucy paused before admitting..."Well maybe I am but I still need to ask somebody about this"
"Nobody can do anything about him besides the Bloody Baron so there's no point"
"We'll see about that"
...
Lucy had purposefully kept herself awake later that night. Her friends all asleep as their bed curtains were pulled closed. The girl pulled her curtain open slightly as she stepped out with her wand, getting into her slippers and putting on her dressing gown over her nightdress. Making a slow walk towards the exit, her friends still fast asleep much to her relief. She felt very nervous as she's never dared leave her room after nights out before. Though she felt this was for a good cause as she was helping out one of her best friends.
"Lumos" Lucy spoke quietly as she pointed it towards the exit.
She made her way out and back out into the hallway. Quietly walking past the kitchens where the house-elves were. Even the portraits were sleeping on this cold night as she tried to avert her wand from awaking them from their slumber. She made her way through the castle, occasionally having to hide in a nearby corner if she thought she heard footsteps. Argus could be anywhere she thought as she wandered further into the castle, looking for his lantern. She had another wander around, finally seeing a lantern in the library as the squib was sat at one of the desks with a book about ghosts.
"Argus" Lucy whispered; making him gasp slightly as he turned around.
His lantern and her wand pointing the light at one another. Argus shaking his head but a smile crept on his face nonetheless. It was odd to see his friend out at this time of night. Lucy quietly pulled up a seat next to him as she put her wand back up and said...
"Nox"
The light went out and Argus' lantern was the only light source. She lowered her wand again and carefully placed it in her dressing gown pocket. Argus giving another smile.
"I'm glad it was you and not one of the misbehaving ones. You still have to be quiet though. Don't want you getting into trouble with Oakleigh. It's good to see you though" Argus spoke up.
"Well I'm down here on a mission. I'm going to make Peeves too scared to even bother keeping you at night. Just wait here...right?" Lucy asked.
He gave a small nod as he watched her take her wand out again. She suddenly made a loud footstep. Argus getting up as he could sense Peeves was once again on his way, Lucy making a quick dash for the side as she made her way underneath the librarian's desk. Peeves was heard shouting...
"Little squibby reveals himself! Little squibby reveals himself!" Peeves kept chanting around the nearby hallways.
Argus trying to actual natural as he picked up his lantern. The poltergeist entered the library. He flew through Argus, making the lad all cold and wet as he shivered before singing his usual song...
"Little squibby wants to be like his big wizard brother but he's just left with the mop and bucket. Oh what a little useless piece of the Hogwarts staff he is. He will have no time to fly his mop as he's too busy cleaning up the others' lot. He hasn't even got a real job"
"Wingardium Leviosa" Lucy spoke as quietly as she could.
This resulted in the small book on the desk to lift up. Peeves suddenly stopped doing what he was doing. She hunched even further down as she felt the poltergeist floating over her location. The book dropping like a brick back down on the desk, making Peeves confused. Lucy (with her attempt at doing a deep voice) began to pretend to moan, shaking the desk slightly. Feeling stupid that she forgot to bring something which sounded like chains.
"Bloody Baron? Is that you?" Argus asked with a hidden smile.
"I...I haven't...So long, squibby boy!" Peeves shouted.
Floating his way out of the library as quickly as he came in. This was the first part of the plan she thought in her head. She got lucky that it worked as she quickly crawled out from underneath the desk. There was little time to spare as she did a sort of quick run down the hallway with Argus running behind her in his heavy boots. Lucy quickly hiding in the muggle studies classroom as she spotted Professor Merrythought down the end hallway. Lucy hiding underneath Professor Burbage's desk, Argus standing outside as he gave Merrythought a polite nod...
"Is there a student out of bed? I heard you running" Merrythought questioned in her stern tone of voice.
"No student out of bed, Professor. Not one I can see" Argus lied.
The woman gave a brief glance but gathered he was telling the truth. Argus would never lie about a student being out of bed, he liked hearing them get punished a bit too much to do that. Lucy was such a goody two-shoes that it being her wasn't even thought about. He gave a small click to alert Lucy it was safe to come out again and so the children made another quick dash towards his caretaker's office. Lucy let herself in first, taking one of the chains and hiding underneath the desk; Argus placing a confiscated cloak over her. Removing his own boots, coat and jumper as he made his way to his dingy bedroom (well they call it a bedroom but it was no bigger than a small shed). He got into bed, blew out the candle in his lantern and pretended as if was going asleep. Lucy felt giddy as she awaited for Peeves' return, she has the chains now to make it sound even better. The children just waited and waited. For once, Peeves' entrance was a happy event as he began chanting...
"Banish evil! Banish evil! Banish evil!"
Still using that old chestnut to mock Argus. Once again, Lucy began to fake moan in a forced deep voice as she began to rattle the chains in her hands. Peeves being an expert trickster himself would only be fooled once. Lucy was well aware she got lucky on the first attempt as she caught him off-guard. Peeves flew over the desk where he heard the noise. He flew out very quickly, Lucy waited a few moments. Both children giggling as Lucy forced herself back from under the desk, thinking they did it again. Though a loud voice shouted...
"Student out of bed! Student in the caretaker's office!"
Lucy suddenly placing herself back under the desk with the robe thrown back over herself. Argus quickly faking being asleep as the door opened with Oakleigh Burton, shining his wand around the room. He tutted as he departed, thinking Peeves was messing around. The girl holding her breath as she heard door slam shut again, she made her way back out...
"I'm sorry Argus. I don't think it's worked" Lucy spoke with much regret.
He sighed as he got himself back out from under his covers. Putting his jumper back on.
"It's fine. Thank you for trying...I mean, it worked the first time but you can't trick a trickster and all that. Well, I'll walk you back to your common room. I don't want to get you into trouble" Argus suggested as he put his boots back on.
"Yes. Good idea" Lucy replied with a sad smile.
She locked arms with him as they walked quietly down the hallways. The excitement over as the plan has failed. He escorted her back, the two of them standing outside the Hufflepuff common room. Lucy paused before coming up with an idea that might help...
"Why don't you sleep in the common room? Peeves won't come in here" Lucy suggested.
"I don't think Headmaster Dippet would like that but thank you anyroad. See you in the morning, Lucy"
"Alright then. Night, night" Lucy replied.
Giving him a small hug before making her way back inside. Quietly returning back up the stairs and into her bed. Her friends hadn't even noticed she left as they were still fast asleep.
...
A couple weeks had passed, the weather was as cold as ever. The muggle war raged on as deadly as ever. Things however were cold in another way at 'Malfoy Manor', Irving briefly walked past the large hall as he watched his son Abraxas being home-schooled by his home tutor, a witch from the pure-blood Carrow family. He would be attending Durmstrang in September as a third-year as a transfer student. Irving made it clear that he was still a Slytherin at heart. He would just be relocating to avoid certain people. Irving walked further up the stairs, a healer was standing outside the Prince couple's room. The healer was wearing his traditional green robes, he looked simply forlorn. Something awful happened while Eileen returned to school, Severus Prince had caught dragon pox. Which he blames solely on some "old beggar" he walked past down knockturn alley.
"How is he?" Irving asked the healer; making sure he wasn't anywhere near the door.
He didn't want to catch it from his good old friend. Severus didn't want that either as he banned anyone besides the healer from entering. His heavily pregnant wife was sick with worry as expected as she was moved downstairs. She would be giving birth any day now and this was the last thing she needed.
"He's not dead. Though I'm afraid he's not ready to join the living again either...yet. I've given him the potion but whether his body takes to it or not is another story. I was hoping he would have shown some improvement. Prepare for the worse" the healer answered frankly.
"Prepare for the worse? He has a daughter...another one on the way. How do you expect for them to prepare for the worse? She already lost her mother" Irving spoke in a shaky tone of voice.
"I'm doing everything I can. Nobody wishes for anyone to die, Mr Malfoy"
"It's the 20th century and the fact this so-called cure still doesn't work the way it should makes me think it needs more revising. Please, he's my most loyal and trusted friend. I don't expect miracles but I do expect a cure to be exactly that, a cure"
"It is a cure, Mr Malfoy. For children and young wizards and witches...I'm afraid the body doesn't seem to take to it after a certain age. There's only so much I can do and that St Mungo's can do"
"He's only in his fifties"
"Yes quite...I'm sorry Mr Malfoy but I'm doing everything I can like I said. I don't want his wife and children to lose him as much as you do"
Irving breathed in as he looked towards the door. He just nodded before making his way back downstairs. They haven't told Eileen the news of her father's illness as they didn't want the girl to worry when he might not die. Inside however, Severus was half-tempted to get her round. At least have her in the house, the thought of leaving her behind in the uncertain world they were in was breaking his heart. He had wrote three letters in case. With the names Agnes, Eileen and 'Son or Daughter I never met'. The last one hurt him very deeply as he could hardly finish it due to the pain and the lack of things he even could think to write in it. What do you say to somebody you never met yet have the deepest love for? He dropped the ink pot onto the floor after having closed the final letter up. The healer returning to the bedroom as he picked up the ink pot. Placing the final letter over the two other closed ones.
"Mr Prince?" the healer questioned with general concern.
The man in question was as pale as a ghost. He could hardly speak as his body had became more weak. He just simply said..."My girls" referring to his wife and daughter. The healer watched, feeling helpless as he began trying and failing to breathe. He took one last gasp for air before resting his head back against the pillow for one last time. Severus Prince was dead.
...
TBC