Cokeworth:

Cokeworth was not a magical new adventure. Holding Mittens close to her chest, Lucy followed Severus through the dingy streets of near identical run down houses. It was as if the people who lived here had no energy to put any sense of personality or life into their homes. She heard the sounds of a river nearby, but if people lived here, they seemed to keep to themselves. It was almost like a ghost town.

They turned onto a street that was no more clean than any other street they had traversed. Litter was strewn about between the brown brick townhouses. Broken streetlights lined the block, shattered glass surely in the dirt at the bases. The last house was in no better shape than any other. It was at this one Severus stopped. At the wave of his hand, he nodded to himself. Satisfied by something Lucy did not understand, he opened the door.

Inside, the townhouse was in better shape than Lucy would've guessed. There was a stale atmosphere and dust had collected over every surface, but it was not dirty. A cozy - albeit a little dim - living room was set up similarly to the one he had in Hogwarts. An identical chair and couch set to the one he had in their quarters sat in front of a much less impressive fireplace to the one she was used to warming in front of.

There were more books in this sitting room than he had on display in the dungeons. Lucy made her way to a bookshelf, admiring the seemingly ancient spines of the texts. She could see some of them were textbooks, but most of them did not have any writing on their spines. Mysteries.

Off of the sitting room was a minimal kitchen with a small table and a couple wooden chairs. The curtains in both rooms were drawn, demanding utmost privacy. A door led to what she assumed was a backyard. Going back through the living room, she turned down the hallway opposite the front door and headed to the stairs. She passed the open door of a bathroom. As she climbed the stairs, she realized that the only lights in the townhouse seemed to be candles. She passed another bathroom before finding what she assumed would be her room. A double bed pushed against the wall was made up with pink and purple bed sheets. The small desk beside the bed would be perfect for creating her art.

She heard Severus come up the stairs and walk past her room as she unpacked her bag. He went into the last room in the hallway, which could only be his room. After she finished putting her clothes in the closet, she moved the curtain covering the window so she could see outside. She saw the back of other townhomes that gave no obvious signs of being lived in. Small backyards were divided by short stone walls. Only the one for the home attached to theirs had any evidence of residents. A fire pit with camping chairs around it and some bikes gave it a refreshing sense of personal touch.

Still, she wasn't sure she'd traded Hogwarts for the better.

xXx

Severus stood before the cauldron in his room, trying to get a headstart on the next year's stock. If they were to stay at Cokeworth instead of Hogwarts, where he had a plethora of brewing stations, he would be brewing all summer. If it was what Lucy needed, it would be worth it. But damn if it wasn't going to be a long summer.

If it weren't enough that he already had concerns for the girl's psyche and ability to cope, Albus had made it clear his expectations. If he didn't find her state satisfactory in the coming term, she would be forced to wait until the year she should be a student according to her birthday. As selfish as it was, Severus would feel immensely better when the girl was a student in the dorms and he didn't have to be her caregiver. No, that was a lie. But maybe she would do better if she fit in with the rest of the children.

With the first potion on stasis, he left his room. Locking the door with a slight twitch of his fingers, he listened by Lucy's door. She hummed to herself but he couldn't tell what she was doing. She seemed to enjoy the art set Tonks had given her. He went downstairs to pour himself a glass and settle into his favorite chair.

xXx

Upstairs, Lucy was perched on the bed. She hummed to herself a lullaby Tonks had taught her when she confessed she had been having a hard time sleeping. She held her knees to her chest and gently rocked herself. Mittens was butting his head against her arm, anxious by her energy.

She couldn't admit to Severus that maybe she didn't want to stay here. He already changed his plans to accommodate her - she couldn't ask him to change them again. She'd have to tough it out and figure out how to live here.

It was going to be a long summer.

xXx

The next morning, Lucy found herself barely keeping her eyes open at the kitchen table. She ate her breakfast dutifully, though she wasn't very hungry. Severus watched her but kept his criticism to himself. As long as she was eating, it would have to do. This summer was for proving Dumbledore wrong and he'd be damned if he ruined it by being too critical of her too soon.

Once the girl finished her plate, he stood. The dishes vanished once she finished her glass of juice. She looked to the culprit in surprise, but he gave no indication of his involvement.

"Seeing as you're finished, we must discuss your summer plans." Lucy braced herself. "You'll continue your studies of reading, writing, and mathematics. In addition, I will educate you on wizarding customs and expectations you will abide by this next year upon our return to Hogwarts."

She averted her eyes from the man. "Did I do something wrong?"

According to the old coot. "There were some concerns mentioned of your behavior - rumors of your apparent melancholy in the library and Great Hall."

Lucy scoffed. Surely she wasn't expected to maintain a chipper attitude at all hours at the castle.

"Surely not." She startled, looking at the man who didn't even pretend to be embarrassed by his intrusion. "However, you should know that dreary students draw attention to . . . certain eavesdroppers who report their observations."

Lucy wasn't sure what he meant by that, but she didn't think he'd mention it if he wasn't truly concerned that she was causing a disruption. She nodded, resigned to the idea that she'd have to keep a better watch on her surroundings.

"Now, I thought you might prefer to start with a new topic today. Apologies if anything I explain is redundant; I regretfully do not know your history with the wizarding world. However, if you are to be a successful member of society, there are certain things you must know."

Lucy listened as he explained that most magical children were homeschooled until they went to a boarding school in their region, as the risk of exposure should they accidentally perform magic was often considered too great. Pure-bloods were born from purely magical lines and were considered superior. Half-bloods were born from tainted lines including muggles. Muggle-borns were born to muggles, though perhaps there were magical ancestors long forgotten about. A decade ago, a war had shaken the world. People were still fearful that a second war would break out, but only time would tell.

"Do you think there will be another war?"

Severus looked her straight in the eye. "I have no doubt."

xXx

Most of their lessons were similar to what she had experienced at Hogwarts. He didn't let her brew any potions on her own, but he did let her watch him brew and conduct rudimentary steps such as crushing and slicing. He made her read each step she did twice aloud before touching anything, which she found fair but annoying.

Occasionally, she heard a boy playing in the street or backyard. He sometimes had some other children with him, giving her hope that the town wasn't as dead as she had originally thought. She wasn't permitted to play with the children, lest she accidentally hex them. As much as Lucy tried to see his side, she grew restless in the confines of the Cokeworth townhouse. The backyard was small and she missed Mittens when he went off on adventures, though he did bring back gifts.

Mostly, Lucy was sad that Tonk hadn't written to her yet. A few times, she thought she might start their correspondence, but Tonks had said she would write when she had something to say. If there was nothing, Lucy's pushing wouldn't create content. As the days passed, Lucy made guesses as to whether she would receive a letter before or after she returned to Hogwarts.

As of July, it was looking most likely to be after.