The Life of Lucy Potter

The alarm went off.

'Fiddlesticks!' yelled Geoffrey Archer from the bedroom in the back. 'That blasted thing always wakes me Lucy Potter.'

'I'll make you breakfast to compensate,' sighed Lucy, yawning. She sat up and put her feet on the floor, sitting on the side of her bed. She was in her pyjamas – ironically, the same pyjamas she'd worn as a little kid in Chakola. Not technically the same pair, but the same design. They had been part of her rights of acquisition from her earthly life, and had been made in her size as a grown adult. Her mother Caroline had given them to her on Christmas morning last, and she now wore them religioiusly each night. It made her comfortable. It brought back memories of youth, and she still remembered she was a little girl in the sight of a big and grand universe, which had a way of reminding you just how frail you really were when it all came down to it. She toileted, showered, dressed and was soon in the kitchen, Geoffrey grumbling at the table, winging about when his bacon and eggs would be ready, but mostly lost in magic tome he had been studying as of late.

'There are indeed dark spells we can cast, but they must verily be upon the wicked, or those 'Deserving the Curse' in the official statements from the Dapartment of Oracle Affairs,' said Geoffrey. 'Laws established by Phanuel and his cronies when heaven was young.'

'I'm aware of that,' said Lucy. 'I looked up rights of magic users on the internet fairly early after we moved in. There are things, though, you'd best get to Avalynn if you really want to practice. Shapeshifting and erratice magic bolts and the like. Muggles don't take to kindly to a wizard war and spark of lightning blowing up their front living room.'

'I'll keep that in mind,' replied Geoffrey. 'Now where is my breakfast?'

'Hold your horses It's coming,' replied Luyc, and girzzled to herself as hot oil singed her hand.

Soon enough Geoffrey Archer was finishing off his orange juice, just having eateing his bacon, eggs and toast, and Lucy had carefully eaten her own breakfast, taking concern for her work clothes. It's wasn't the end of the world if she got them dirty, though. At her job in the chemical company she wore a white coat they provided over her own clothes, and nobody would see if she had a mucky dress or sweater on underneath anyway.

'They formally bapize us next Tuesday, right?' asked Geoffrey.

'It's not a frikking baptism,' said Lucy. 'It's the official initiation into the Order of Black Magic.'

'Same difference,' replied Geoffrey. 'I was in a coven or two in my time. The only membership requirements were evidence of the arte, and a decent collection of magc books which showed your qualifications. These newfangled magic schools, my butt. They were not around so much in the early days. A muggle thing if you ask me. Formal qualifications. Wizards and witches are of the wild. We are natural creatures, not meant to onfom with muggle tradition. We're on the outside and outcast for a reason. Civilizing that – nonsense. Some things are not meant to be.'

'I'll keep that in mind,' replied Lucy. 'Now do you need bus money again, or is your budget finally getting under control?'

'I'm fine this week. Bought what wanted last week, and thiis tome will do for a while. Won't need a new one for ages.'

'Then I'll be off,' said Lucy. She stood, kissed Geoffrey on the forehead, and grabbed herhandbag, before exiting the front door, and starting her way to the bus stop, ready for another day of work at the chemical company, mixing reagents, chit chat at lunch time, and yada yada yada. The life of Lucy Potter.

* * * * *

Lucy worked for 'Chemcorp'. Chemcorp were the primary suppliers of chemicals for the official government organisatiosn of heaven. Heaven was vast – born a long time ago, with Phanuel the Archangel the firstborn of the angels of God. Phanuel ran a strict show, and heaven was tightly run. There were mysteries in heaven, which you worked out, so the common people said. Lucy had found out in her time so far that there was knowledge she had – knowledge she had gained from the introductory course she had agreed to pay for, which she was now paying back promptly enough, knowledge which the common people did not necessarily know. Oh, they knew smatterings of details from their everyday commerce and activity of life, but she knew websites and codes and rules and protocols of heaven which were lost on the knowledge of most of the general population. Very few did that introductory course, and besides that, 99% of thepopulation of heaven was made up of citizens who were born in it, and had not lived and earthly life. Apparently one of the rewards for an Earthly life was the ability to gain that knowledge she had gained from Angela's lectures. She was starting to realize, as the days passed by, just how fortunate she had been. Most days after work she would take the bus to the river and take a swim, and Lucifer would join her occasionally. He actually lived a long way away, on the other side of heaven practically, but he was in the region a lot, business he would say, but she suspected he was perhaps keen on ultimately landing her. Good luck devil. She liked him, but she was not so sure about teaming up permanently with Lucifer Malfoy. Trouble indeed. Enrique was indeed in heaven, off in a spanish quarter, and she'd called him a few times, but he had no great interest in catching up any time soon. The romance had sort of died in his own words, and while they shared a child together, life had moved on. Pity, but she was not sure she disagreed.

Her job at Chemcorp was mixing reagents – a perfect job for a witch. But it was more a case of taking sacks of chemicals, mixing them with other sacks of chemicals, and putting them into the processing machines which ulitmately turned them into medicine tablets. And that was her job. It didn't change much. Still, the pay was good enough, and the work was seemingly of the permanent kind. The job was not going anywhere apparently. So, for the time being, she had committed to it, lived a regular life, and kept her magic as the main part of her heart, but the thing mostly for Sundays, as he liked to leave Saturday for a bit of rest and a few fun things aorund town. But Sunday she would get stuck into her magic books, and her small but growing number of contact, not just those in her coven, and online chats and a rare occasional visit to the order of Black Magic. Which was were she would be soon enough – next Tuesday evevning in fact. Her, Geoffrey, Ingrid, Veronnica and Damiano, being sworn in as a coven of the order of Black Magic, with the rights and responsibilities a legal witch of heaven had entrusted to them. This was her life, for this time. She rang home, occasionally, to her parents in England. Well, an English part of heaven, as there were not quite the same equivalents from Earth, but fellow citizens often congregated in similar cultural locales. Shelandragh would visit from time to time, but had not disclosed her place of residence yet, but she felt it was not too far from her, likely in the Monaro country sort of community she had heard about which was south of where she lived, down the roads a bit. Probably a Bunyan equivalent sheh ad surmised. The Bridges were not too far away either, in that region, so she felt Shelandragh would discolse her abode soon enough. Probably liked the air of mystery for a while. But, mostly, regular work, regular recreation, and chit chat with Geoffrey Archer on the damn rat he was continuously trying to zap, the eludie spell still too much for him to overcome, and the humdrum of it all. This was life, but she was content enough with it all. She was happy.

* * * * *

'Your a fool,' said Lucy. She looked at the water, as it flowed down stream, the light glistening against the ripples, the willows hanging over the edge of the opposite side of the bank. There were a small section of rapids just downstream a little, and Lucifer had boasted he would climb down them on his gut, being the perfect crocodile.

'What the hell is life if we can't live a little, Luce,' he replied.

'A lot more comfortable,' she replied.

'Bah,' he said, and slithered into the water in front of them.

She watched him a while, as he floated on his stomach, coming up for ait from time to time, then he reached the rapids, and was soon out of sight. She had started squeezing the water out of her hair, and used Lucifer's towel to tie her hair up for draying. It wasn't long though, and Lucifer was clambering along the bank on their side of the river. As he got nearer she could see both his knees were cut a little and bleeding somewhat.

'I told you you were a fool,' she said. 'Look what you've gone and done.'

'They're only minor scrapes,' replied Malfoy.

Lucy reached for the medical bag she always took with her on nature outings, and took some savlon and applied it to Lucifer's knees, who didn't object in the end.

'It probably doesn't need bandages. They're only minor.'

'Like I said,' he repiled.

'What happened?' she asked.

'I hit a fast flowing section, and it took me away before I could secure myself. Rushed me downstream quickly and my knees hit the rocks a few times But I leveled out at the large deep further down. Swum in the hole for a while, but came back soon enough. Knew you would complain otherwise.'

'And since when do the complaints of Lucy Jane Potter register with those of the Malfoy clan?' asked Lucy.

'They don't,' he replied. 'I only didn't want to be winged at all the way home.'

'Humph, 'she replied with a laugh, but looked at his knees one last time, and put the savlon cream away.

'This is what we do, I suppose,' said Lucy.

Lucifer looked at her quzzically.

'This. This heavenly life? Go to rivers, eat dinner, work. The same old same old.'

'And cast spell, turn princes into frogs, and hex the boss for not paying you the yearly bonuse,' said Lucifer sarcastically. 'Come on Lucy Potter. Your a witch. If your life isn't exciting enough you are not doing it right.'

'Shaddup Lucifer,' she said. He grinned at her in response.

'Oh, I'm just being philosophical,' said Lucy.

'That's one word for it,' replied Lucifer.

She glared at him. 'I'm happy Lucifer. Jus that, I don't know. You sort of think in parts of your heart at times, is this it? Is this life? Is this what it is all about.'

'I think that too,' replied Lucifer.

'You do?' asked Lucy hopefully.

'Yep. Right after I've had a shit on the toilet, and am washing my hands. The crap we do I suppose.'

Lucy looked at Lucifer with a look of unbelief.

'You are the devil,' she said.

'Touche,' he replied.

Lucy and Lucifer enjoyed the rest of the afternoon, soaking up the warmth, but time soon enough drew near, and as he drove them back to her place, on the back of his motorcycle, she looked at the houses as they shot past, thinking this indeed was life, but it was her job to make the most of it.

* * * * *

'And do you know where Damiano can shove his wand? Do you know?' Veronnica Bertinelli was practically shouting on the other end of the phone.

'He said you'd say that,' sighed Lucy in reply.

'Oh he did, did he? He said I'd say that did he?'

Lucy could sense the fumes rising from Veronnica's head. They were probably very hot fumes. Hot enough that the Canberra Wyvven would be proud of her.

'So not only can he shove his wand were the sun don't shine, I am having second thoughts about ever going out with him again.'

'Really?' asked Lucy.

'Uh, don't say I said that to him, but I am furioius with him. He is a monster.'

'So you never want to date him again, huh?' asked Lucy.

'He hasn't cancelled our friday night affair has he?' the tone in Veronnia's voice touched Lucy. The desperate cry of a maiden bewailing her virginity was not so sweet.

'No, he hasn't,' replied Lucy.

'Good. But he's a bastard. He is a complete bastard.'

'Goodbye Veronnica,' said Lucy.

'Right up his..........' Lucy hung up. The phone rang.

'What did she say?' asked Damiano.

'You can shove your wand were the son don't shine,' replied Lucy.

Damiano chuckled. 'Ahh, classic,' he said. 'She didn't cancel our date, though, did she?' He sounded very concerned. 'Not that I, uh, mind at all. The witch can go to hell as far as I am concerned. She didn't though, did she?' He sounded desperate.

'No, Damiano.'

'Good,' he said. 'I shall enjoy her squirming at the table even more so,' said Damiano.

'Good night Damiano.'

'Tell her she's a........' Lucy Hung up.

The phone rang.

'GOOD NIGHT HELGA SCHMIDT!' exclaimed Lucy Potter.

'Oh,' said Helga softly. 'Good night Lucy.'

'For heaven's sake,' said Lucy, hanging up the phone.

Geoffrey, who was cuddling their pet rat, looked at her. 'One of those days huh?'

Lucy just gave him one of those looks.

As she settled down, she prayed for her parents and prayed for Shelandragh and prayed for the Bridges, and finally for Geoffrey and her coven. And she asked God, if it was at all possible, but then she stopped, and thought on the spice which came from the coven's sparks, and let that prayer which was forming, well, she just let it be. What was life without a little spice any way. So she finished her prayers, and got into bed, and, sigihing after a long and eventful day, gave a brief though to her impending coven initiation the following Tuesday, but soon drifted off to la la land, another long and eventful day in the life of Lucy Jane Potter now complete.

The End