Hogwarts-a really bad discworld cross over.
This is not for big fans for either series, just the type of people who enjoy adaptations of the real story. Well, this is the start, but it makes more sense as it goes on. Just trust me on this.
Disclaimer: I own no rights to the characters I use and/or the universes they inhabit. I just write unsatisfactory fanfiction. Except Jennifer, she's mine, all mine!
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This starts off in the discworld as really bad fanfiction. The sun rose over the Disgusting City of Ankh-Morpork. It rises over the shades, though taking care to hang around long enough to be stolen or sold. It rises over the Patricians palace like a might fireball in the sky. It rises over the slow pulsating river Ankh. It also rises over the high-energy magic building…
Ponder woke up. He had just knocked himself out with part of the machine he had been trying to make for travelling across dimensions. He had been trying to funnel high magical energy light with finest crystallised cotton, unfortunately this had resulted with him being hit by an omniscope in the face. He sat their reading his copies of, the demonology guide to summoning ports of travel and the thin links between realities. He couldn't see where he had being going wrong. He shut the books with an angry snap, and went over to the large glass orb on the side of his workshop room.
He said a few incantations and summoned up a kindly face. It had a long silver beard and hair, and a crooked nose.
"How is the project going Ponder? We will be able to meet for real soon I hope."
"I'm afraid not Professor Dumbledore. I've managed to sort out all the teething troubles such as safe transportation, but I'm afraid I can't find anything strong or thin enough to take the magical resistance."
Dumbledor smiled at Ponder Stibbons." I can't think of anything either, but if you can get it to work I might be able to send you a book that could help."
"I'll fire it up sir." Ponder walked across the room to a model of the large thing in the middle of the floor. Dumbledore put the book on a magic circle and pulled out his wand. Dumbledore muttered something that Ponder didn't here and suddenly the model started to vibrate. Ponder put it onto the floor quickly and jumped behind a table. He waited. There was a faint pop as the book appeared.
Ponder let out a sigh of relief and walked over to the book. He lent over to pick it up and it exploded in a papery cloud.
"Oh dear" sighed Dumbledore as Ponder stood their looking surprised," you really need to sort out this resistor problem of yours. If you can't even transport a book things must be really bad."
"Sir," said Ponder to Dumbledore as if he were a child, "We can transport a book, it's just getting its morfic fields to settle down which is the problem. Without the magical resistor, we can't control the amount of magic in the object, which makes it explode."
"Well, tell me when you've sorted out your problem." and with that he disappeared from the orb. Ponder sat down dejectedly on an upturned bucket. Great, he thought, As well as having to work with Wizards who need dried frogs pills just to keep them normally insane he was though of as an idiot by the most sane person he had met for a while.
He just happened to be head of a school where he would be able to teach if he could get out of UU.
(That's Unseen University to all you non-Discworld fans out there. UU is a magical university. Think Hogwarts, but with students and student goings on (and that's just from the staff)
Suddenly the door slammed open. The dean had just burst through (Or squeezed through depending if you prefer the truth to excitement) and looked at Ponder, the exploded book and the remains of The Model of the Matter Transporter.
"Mr Stibbons! Please refrain from blowing up things in your workshop! Leave that to the alchemists. (The alchemists are famous in Ankh- Morpork for trying to make Gold from core components, but have unfortunately found more ways of blowing up anything than turning lead into gold) Anyway, you've disturbed the bursar's afternoon nap. It'll take ages before he'll go to sleep again.
Ponder sighed. Sometimes, he thought, I should really try an experiment to find out if the dean has a brain, and if he, or any other of the staff ever understand a world he says to them.
"Maybe you should go out for a drink lad," said the dean patting his shoulder. Ponder sighed again for the 3rd time in a 5-minute period. Sometimes you just need time to think.
"Maybe I will Dean, maybe will."
* * * * * *
Jennifer walked down the street, kicking a stone. She hated her life sometimes. She and Dad had another argument. Another was the operative word. She and Dad could argue over ten different things in the space of one argument. This time it had been over school. And clothes. And when she was allowed to go out. It had ended as most of there argument had ended.
" Right young lady, you're grounded!"
Then she had done her disappearing act, which mainly involved unscrewing the window pain and creeping down the creepers. Sometimes the screws came out as if by magic. The thing was, that she never left any marks on the walls, and had never fallen. She always floated down to ground.
She soon reached the ground behind UU. She had a mate their, who would help her if she ever needed any. She waited for a few minutes, the student would start to coming out, and then, then she would be able to see Ponder again. He was twice her age at least, but he was always ready to listen to her, and she gave him a shoulder to cry on when he got angry with the faculty staff.
The students climbed over the wall and looked at her as she stared at them. She wrapped the cloak around her thin body as the students looked at her with wonder. She was about to get over the wall when a strange shadow started to climb over the wall. It was Ponder.
"Ponder!" Ponder fell off the wall and hit the ground with a bump.
"Ow!" he said in a less than happy manner, then he straightened his glasses. "Pippin! Why are you here?"
Jennifer had always been called Pippin as a nickname by everyone, even her father. She didn't like it when people she didn't know called her Pippin, but she found it rather endearing when Ponder called her Pippin, or even worse pips.
"Oh, just to get out of the house," which was their code for being grounded.
"Pips, do you want to go for a drink?"
"Okay, Ponder, just maybe a less nice Bar, if I'm caught, this time I'm for the chop."
"Alright Pips, where do we go?"
Ponder and Jennifer sat in the waltzing whale having a less than okay drink, but it wasn't the drink they wanted, it was the company. No one noticed two black hooded figures come in and order a fruit juice and a beer. They took the drinks to a table, and sat down. Jennifer lowered her hood.
"Ponder, you don't usually sneak out, why tonight?"
"I don't know Pips, but I've been having problems with the project."
"Let me guess. The magical resister has been playing you up"
"How do you know that?"
"Just a guess. And when I studied the plans I though there might be problems with it."
"What?" said Ponder exasperated," Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't think you'd listen."
Ponder Sighed and took a sip of beer. Sometimes people could be wrong about Pippin. She was the original bad influence, but she had a brain some where inside her. As she took a swig of her Fruit juice, her looked at her burnt copper hair and her beautiful green eyes, which sparkled like emeralds. He had known her since she was Eleven, but she still was a mystery to him. They'd met at a UU party, which involved sausages on sticks and rather badly played music.
The most important people in the city had come and their Children. Then he saw her, sitting as far away as possible from the other children. He had been trying to avoid the faculty, so he had sat next to her. He had asked her why she wasn't with the other children, and she had replied that she didn't want to go near them. He said why and she gave him a look like thunder. 'I'll show you ' she said and walked over to them. They threw stuff at her and called her names. Then she sat down next to him and said, 'there, you happy?'
They instantly connected
"Pips, you're not being watched, do you want so beer?"
"Nah, if dad found out I had been drinking, I'd be in deep sti- trouble."
"So how is the commander?"
"Same ol' same ol' "
Ponder sank into his drink. If anyone knew he was having a drink with a beautiful girl, especially a duchess, they wouldn't believe their eyes. Every one said he was gay.
Jennifer sipped her drink. If anyone found out the daughter of the Commander of the watch was out on a night like this, with a man who was older, she'd be in big trouble. Ponder was a nice enough guy, and they liked each other, but their was something up with him. He'd sneaked out for a drink, and Ponder never sneaked out. He never had reason, but to do this? He must really be upset about the project.
"Ponder, what do you need as a resistor, and what type of material?"
"I don't Know," said Ponder finishing the beer," I wish I knew, it's really making me go mad! "
" I think you're looking at this from the wrong angle…"
"Of course I am! I haven't got it to work!" said Ponder raising his voice.
"No, I don't mean like that. I mean, what have you been using?"
"Crystallised Fibres at the moment"
"Right! Your on the right track, but I think you need to try a naturally crystallised fibre, that strong and durable!"
"Right" shouted Ponder getting excited and shouting. The whole bar hushed him into silence. "Sorry, sorry." He said as he sat down." Right, but what do you suggest?"
"I don't know, you're the big wizard man!" then two watchmen came into the bar. Ponder looked around the bar. Pippin had disappeared. Then he was pulled bellow the table.
"I'm down here, dumb-ass." She hissed, "we've got to get out of her! If the watchmen see me, well, I'm going to be in deep shit!" Ponder didn't argue. They got up and walked out the door. They ran around the corner and panted heavily.
As some more watchmen came around the corner, Jennifer grabbed Ponder by the face and kissed him. He started to panic, then enjoy it. The watchmen walked past, trying not to look at them. As soon as they left she let go abruptly and became all business like.
"Ponder, you really need to clean your teeth!"
Ponder, still shocked, started to follow her. "Why did you have to go and kiss me!"
"'Cause that way they wouldn't recognise me. Did you recognise me?"
"No not really…"
"Well, who goes looking at Kissing couples apart from perverts?"
"You didn't have to go and do that!" He said still stumbling after her. But I didn't mind, he added to himself. That was his first kiss and it was nice.
"Well, I have to admit, ponder, you didn't seem to mind."
"Well, I really didn't have a choice in the matter."
"Look Ponder, I think it was time you went back to your workshop. I think we'll be okay their."
Ponder made tea when they got back. He Jerry rigged a table and chairs from a crate and some other buckets. Jennifer sat at the table, fixing up the model.
"What the hell did you do to this Ponder? It's fixable, but it spilt in two through the middle."
"I tried to transport a book."
"That was stupid, the morfic field is still unstable in this model."
Ponder looked at Jennifer in wonder. She had no magic in her blood, was a woman, and she understood thaumic dynamics. She really was a strange girl. He brought the tea out and put it on the table. Jennifer had nearly fixed the model and had put the blow-lamp down on the table.
"Ponder, who are these people? They still use wands, yet they're more advanced. I'm not magical, but I really can't see the source of their magic. "
"Nor can I pippin, but I think it is very important to be able to talk to them."
Then they heard a bump of wizards outside Ponders room.
"Quick, get out Pips, they're coming."
Jennifer ran to the window and jumped out into the tree next to his window. She shimmied down the trunk to the ground and climbed over the wall. She ran across the city and into the shades. She gulped. She was lost.
********************************************
Severus Snape sat at his desk. He looked fuzzily at the room. The dungeon, where he had first met her. Lily Evans. She was beautiful. She had hair the colour of burnt copper, and eyes, those eyes… Eyes the colour of the deep green sea, and sparkled like emeralds. He had loved her. Still did if he admitted it. Potter had made those eyes cry enough times during their time.
He remembered one night it had been, ' oh sevvie, he laughed at me today because I was good at transfiguration. Him and Sirius made fun of me.' And he had conforted her and hugged her. Then one day, at the Yule tide ball, she'd gone out with Potter. First it was a Joke on his part, then, when she came out in that beautiful sun yellow robe, they instantly fell in love. He had been counting on going with her to the ball, but he had been all alone. Sirius black had about six girls with him, and had tormented him that night.
After that night she had dumped him. First of all it was, 'sorry I didn't come and study with you, I was watching James at quidditch practise' then she forgot about him all together. Her head was full of James Potter. He had been with her at the start of Hogwarts, and when he left he was full of burning resentment. He then did what he was so ashamed of now. He had become a death eater. He thought that the power and status would impress her, but when he showed her the ugly mark, she has screamed and run away. Into potters arms. Then a year latter She was dead.
He had cried that night and came to Dumbledore begging for forgiveness. And he had. No one else in the world at that time would have trusted him, but he had. Dumbledore had embraced him and calmed him. Then he had told him that he wanted a spy, and that he would be him. Snape had been so upset at the time he had agreed and spied his hardest for Dumbledore.
The, 14 years later he had come to Hogwarts. Harry. He hated Harry, but not as much as you would think. Yes he hated Harry for looking like James Potter, but when he was cruel to him he looked with hate through those beautiful eyes, he gave him a look like Lily had when he had shown her the Dark Mark. Those eyes made him want to hug him and apologise, but that body made him want to hit him.
Snape looked at the whisky bottle on his desk. It looked invitingly, grippable. He grabbed the neck and drank half a bottle in one gulp. The alcohol burned in his mouth, throat and stomach. He shock his head like a dog just out of a river and put it down. He noticed the strange presents in the room. He turned around slowly. Dumbledore stood behind him.
"Fourteen years to the day Severus."
Snape looked at him and felt as if his mind was being read, like a book. He looked up and said," How do you keep doing that!"
"Just something I learnt in my youth. Now, that bottle. Accio bottle." The bottle flew across the room. Snape tried to catch it and failed miserably. He fell to the ground and blinked owlishly. He couldn't think of anything to say, so he just said "Wha' '"
"Severus, you said you'd go easy on the stuff." Said Dumbledore as he helped him up.
"No, I said I'd go easy on the Beer." Dumbledore gave him a look over the top of his gold-rimmed spectacles. "Alright, I just got depressed. Now can I go back to my work for a while?"
"You mean your picture of Lily, don't you."
"How did you know about that?"
"Severus, you really are a mystery. You spend your days crushing you individualism, then you go and paint. "
"You didn't answer me, how do you know I paint?"
"The fat Lady told me. You painted her remember?"
Snape concurred. It was true enough, but nowadays he painted with muggle paints, he didn't like his work to talk back to him and criticise the brushwork. Anyway, modern art in wizard paint was always pretentious back to you. It's an awful experience to find halfway through your work that it starts to move.
"Well, I suppose I do paint. It's no harm to anyone…"
"I didn't suggest it was Severus.," said Dumbledore coolly. Snape sighed. He was getting defensive again. He always did. He looked into Dumbledore's ice blue eyes and smiled in a half-hearted way.
"Alright I promise not to drink, but let me paint. It's addictive, and fun."
Dumbledore stroked his hair and kissed him on the forehead. He left the room. Snape waited a few minutes, then he went into his office. The office was very bare, just a cell with a bed in the corner and a chest of draws.
He opened a draw and saw the half-finished picture of Lily. On it someone had cruelly spray painted ' Slime ball Snape' on it. He slowly closed the draw and let out a choked sob.
This was started at the point when she started to see Potter. They usually met up to 'study' together. Then he would paint her. Potter and Black got jealous of the time they spent together, and told her she had to stop seeing him. Then they had burned his art collection of various artist and some of his favourite pictures of Lily.
They hadn't burnt this picture though, just desecrated it. It had been the start of a tasteful nude picture. They obviously wanted to hurt him more than just destroying the time they had spent together. Then one day they had hung this in the great hall and shouted' Slime ball Snape drew this, look he thinks Lily cares about him.' Snape had run out of the hall. He vowed to get his revenge. A month later Snape had been saved by James. And he found his picture, torn, burnt at the edges and discarded in the girl's toilets .In moaning Myrtle stall. He had rescued it and hidden it.
He went to bed in his robes, he couldn't be bothered to get changed.
About 100 miles away Harry Potter who Snape Both loved intently and hated furiously was writing a letter to Sirius Black.
Dear Sirius
Thanks for the birthday cake! Dudley's still on a diet and seems to have lost weigh or at least not gain any. To be honest, if he had, the house would have exploded. Well, Aunt petunia's still trying to get him to stop smuggling stuff in the house. I think he's bringing in less, because he's using the original notches on his belt.
Thing are as usual here other than that, Uncle Vernon still hates me and I'm not aloud to leave the house. That's ok by me, because Hermione's sent me a book. Oh yeah, I've found a few more books by the author on Dudley's bookshelf given to him by friends. He's never read them, so I get to read a virtually new book.
Ron say's he'll be able to get away from the Dursley's tomorrow. I'll meet them at the leaky cauldron. Uncle Vernon say's he'll give me a lift just to keep me out of his hair. Well I can't wait till I go to Diagon ally again.
Well, see you soon I hope
From Harry.
Harry tied the letter around Hedwig's leg and threw her into the wind outside his window. As soon as she started to flap he closed the window. He relaxed on the bed and looked out to the sky. The stars shone like Diamonds, waiting for an expectant hand to pluck them from their heavenly abode.
He sat up and picked up the present Ron had sent him. It was a variation on a shrinking key, it was a shrinking TV remote. It had been great fun replacing it for the normal remote downstairs. It also got Dudley moving, so that was good. He had another look at the Book Hermione sent him. The title was 'Maurice and his educated Rodents.' He had enjoyed that, and had read 'Johnny and the dead', and 'only you can save mankind'.
Well, his life was looking up. Mostly. He still had the dreams and sometimes he woke up screaming. He was going to be in Diagon ally in a few days, and he'd be home. Home was Hogwarts.
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Ponder sat alone in his workshop .Now Pippin had gone everything seemed dull. He looked at the room. It was covered in stuff for the project. He sat there thinking over a stone cold cup of tea. Now, if I need a naturally crystallised product I need something very strong and Durable. He looked at his lapel. One of her hairs was on it. He picked it up and looked at it. Then he had a brain wave. Of course! Why didn't he think of it before!
He put the Hair in the place of the magical resister and when to the glass orb.
"Dumbledore? Are you there?"
"Yes Mr Stibbons, I am."
"Professor, please set up the magic circle, I think I've cracked our problem." Ponder then fired up the real Portal and stepped inside.
"Ponder, don't be an idiot! If that thing fails you'll be blown to kingdom come!"
"Professor, this time I'm sure I'm right. If you don't set up the circle and fire it up, I will when I get there!"
"Alright Ponder, but I hold no Responsibility. " Dumbledore set up the circle and got ready to have Ponder explode in front of him. Ponder travelled.
Jennifer was in the shades. Not the best place to be in at the best of times, but to be lost was even worse. Lost suggested some one was about to come out of the shadows. Oh shit.
At that Moment a group of thieves came out of the shadows. Jennifer brought out a card from her pockets." I've paid my premium, you can't rob me."
"Well, we don't go in for this sort of thing." said the thin one
"You mean that you're unlicensed thieves?"
"Well… Yes" said the squat one
"Oi, you're not meant to say that!" said the middle sized one.
"Yeah, do you want us to be caught by the thieves guild?" said the Talker of the group. Jennifer saw the advantage of their fight and started to creep away. The squat one grabbed her wrist.
"You're not getting away that easy girl."
"Get off me" She squealed," Or my father will get you." On hindsight it was a stupid thing to say because they just laughed.
"Yeah, I bet he's the commander of the Watch!" said the talker
"Let go " she said calmly, "I won't ask you again"
"Whatcha goin' to do, hit me?" said the squat one. Jennifer kicked him in the guts. As she
Turned around she hit the thin one in the mouth. The talker advanced and she elbowed him in his chest. Then the squat one grabbed her hands and forced them behind her back. The thin one grabbed her feet and sat on her legs, forcing her to the ground. She screamed in anger and tried to kick her legs. The talker knelt down and looked her in the face.
"A girl with spirit. I like a girl with spirit. I also like a clever girl"
"That's right" said the squat one," So give us your money without a fight, an' you can go."
"I don't have any" panted Jennifer from under the weight of the squat and thin man," so you'll have to let me go."
"No" said the talker," We want something for our trouble"
The talker then made a signal to the other to men. They wrenched her up and the thin one separated her legs. She panicked and screamed. The talker lent over and Kiss her as he got ready to make love to her.
As he kissed she could feel herself turning red with anger. Then he stopped kissing her and screamed in pain. Jennifer had her eyes closed all this time, but when she opened them she saw his lips burnt, as if he had put his face in fire. The Squat one yelped. His hands were still smoking from the heat. His hands had been burnt black. The thin one yelped as well and ran off, his hands on fire. She noticed the squat one had burn marks where he had sat on her.
She got up, breathing heavily from the shock. She looked at her hands. They were perfectly normal. She squealed and got up. She stumbled up and ran home. She was scared. Very scared.
This is not for big fans for either series, just the type of people who enjoy adaptations of the real story. Well, this is the start, but it makes more sense as it goes on. Just trust me on this.
Disclaimer: I own no rights to the characters I use and/or the universes they inhabit. I just write unsatisfactory fanfiction. Except Jennifer, she's mine, all mine!
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This starts off in the discworld as really bad fanfiction. The sun rose over the Disgusting City of Ankh-Morpork. It rises over the shades, though taking care to hang around long enough to be stolen or sold. It rises over the Patricians palace like a might fireball in the sky. It rises over the slow pulsating river Ankh. It also rises over the high-energy magic building…
Ponder woke up. He had just knocked himself out with part of the machine he had been trying to make for travelling across dimensions. He had been trying to funnel high magical energy light with finest crystallised cotton, unfortunately this had resulted with him being hit by an omniscope in the face. He sat their reading his copies of, the demonology guide to summoning ports of travel and the thin links between realities. He couldn't see where he had being going wrong. He shut the books with an angry snap, and went over to the large glass orb on the side of his workshop room.
He said a few incantations and summoned up a kindly face. It had a long silver beard and hair, and a crooked nose.
"How is the project going Ponder? We will be able to meet for real soon I hope."
"I'm afraid not Professor Dumbledore. I've managed to sort out all the teething troubles such as safe transportation, but I'm afraid I can't find anything strong or thin enough to take the magical resistance."
Dumbledor smiled at Ponder Stibbons." I can't think of anything either, but if you can get it to work I might be able to send you a book that could help."
"I'll fire it up sir." Ponder walked across the room to a model of the large thing in the middle of the floor. Dumbledore put the book on a magic circle and pulled out his wand. Dumbledore muttered something that Ponder didn't here and suddenly the model started to vibrate. Ponder put it onto the floor quickly and jumped behind a table. He waited. There was a faint pop as the book appeared.
Ponder let out a sigh of relief and walked over to the book. He lent over to pick it up and it exploded in a papery cloud.
"Oh dear" sighed Dumbledore as Ponder stood their looking surprised," you really need to sort out this resistor problem of yours. If you can't even transport a book things must be really bad."
"Sir," said Ponder to Dumbledore as if he were a child, "We can transport a book, it's just getting its morfic fields to settle down which is the problem. Without the magical resistor, we can't control the amount of magic in the object, which makes it explode."
"Well, tell me when you've sorted out your problem." and with that he disappeared from the orb. Ponder sat down dejectedly on an upturned bucket. Great, he thought, As well as having to work with Wizards who need dried frogs pills just to keep them normally insane he was though of as an idiot by the most sane person he had met for a while.
He just happened to be head of a school where he would be able to teach if he could get out of UU.
(That's Unseen University to all you non-Discworld fans out there. UU is a magical university. Think Hogwarts, but with students and student goings on (and that's just from the staff)
Suddenly the door slammed open. The dean had just burst through (Or squeezed through depending if you prefer the truth to excitement) and looked at Ponder, the exploded book and the remains of The Model of the Matter Transporter.
"Mr Stibbons! Please refrain from blowing up things in your workshop! Leave that to the alchemists. (The alchemists are famous in Ankh- Morpork for trying to make Gold from core components, but have unfortunately found more ways of blowing up anything than turning lead into gold) Anyway, you've disturbed the bursar's afternoon nap. It'll take ages before he'll go to sleep again.
Ponder sighed. Sometimes, he thought, I should really try an experiment to find out if the dean has a brain, and if he, or any other of the staff ever understand a world he says to them.
"Maybe you should go out for a drink lad," said the dean patting his shoulder. Ponder sighed again for the 3rd time in a 5-minute period. Sometimes you just need time to think.
"Maybe I will Dean, maybe will."
* * * * * *
Jennifer walked down the street, kicking a stone. She hated her life sometimes. She and Dad had another argument. Another was the operative word. She and Dad could argue over ten different things in the space of one argument. This time it had been over school. And clothes. And when she was allowed to go out. It had ended as most of there argument had ended.
" Right young lady, you're grounded!"
Then she had done her disappearing act, which mainly involved unscrewing the window pain and creeping down the creepers. Sometimes the screws came out as if by magic. The thing was, that she never left any marks on the walls, and had never fallen. She always floated down to ground.
She soon reached the ground behind UU. She had a mate their, who would help her if she ever needed any. She waited for a few minutes, the student would start to coming out, and then, then she would be able to see Ponder again. He was twice her age at least, but he was always ready to listen to her, and she gave him a shoulder to cry on when he got angry with the faculty staff.
The students climbed over the wall and looked at her as she stared at them. She wrapped the cloak around her thin body as the students looked at her with wonder. She was about to get over the wall when a strange shadow started to climb over the wall. It was Ponder.
"Ponder!" Ponder fell off the wall and hit the ground with a bump.
"Ow!" he said in a less than happy manner, then he straightened his glasses. "Pippin! Why are you here?"
Jennifer had always been called Pippin as a nickname by everyone, even her father. She didn't like it when people she didn't know called her Pippin, but she found it rather endearing when Ponder called her Pippin, or even worse pips.
"Oh, just to get out of the house," which was their code for being grounded.
"Pips, do you want to go for a drink?"
"Okay, Ponder, just maybe a less nice Bar, if I'm caught, this time I'm for the chop."
"Alright Pips, where do we go?"
Ponder and Jennifer sat in the waltzing whale having a less than okay drink, but it wasn't the drink they wanted, it was the company. No one noticed two black hooded figures come in and order a fruit juice and a beer. They took the drinks to a table, and sat down. Jennifer lowered her hood.
"Ponder, you don't usually sneak out, why tonight?"
"I don't know Pips, but I've been having problems with the project."
"Let me guess. The magical resister has been playing you up"
"How do you know that?"
"Just a guess. And when I studied the plans I though there might be problems with it."
"What?" said Ponder exasperated," Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't think you'd listen."
Ponder Sighed and took a sip of beer. Sometimes people could be wrong about Pippin. She was the original bad influence, but she had a brain some where inside her. As she took a swig of her Fruit juice, her looked at her burnt copper hair and her beautiful green eyes, which sparkled like emeralds. He had known her since she was Eleven, but she still was a mystery to him. They'd met at a UU party, which involved sausages on sticks and rather badly played music.
The most important people in the city had come and their Children. Then he saw her, sitting as far away as possible from the other children. He had been trying to avoid the faculty, so he had sat next to her. He had asked her why she wasn't with the other children, and she had replied that she didn't want to go near them. He said why and she gave him a look like thunder. 'I'll show you ' she said and walked over to them. They threw stuff at her and called her names. Then she sat down next to him and said, 'there, you happy?'
They instantly connected
"Pips, you're not being watched, do you want so beer?"
"Nah, if dad found out I had been drinking, I'd be in deep sti- trouble."
"So how is the commander?"
"Same ol' same ol' "
Ponder sank into his drink. If anyone knew he was having a drink with a beautiful girl, especially a duchess, they wouldn't believe their eyes. Every one said he was gay.
Jennifer sipped her drink. If anyone found out the daughter of the Commander of the watch was out on a night like this, with a man who was older, she'd be in big trouble. Ponder was a nice enough guy, and they liked each other, but their was something up with him. He'd sneaked out for a drink, and Ponder never sneaked out. He never had reason, but to do this? He must really be upset about the project.
"Ponder, what do you need as a resistor, and what type of material?"
"I don't Know," said Ponder finishing the beer," I wish I knew, it's really making me go mad! "
" I think you're looking at this from the wrong angle…"
"Of course I am! I haven't got it to work!" said Ponder raising his voice.
"No, I don't mean like that. I mean, what have you been using?"
"Crystallised Fibres at the moment"
"Right! Your on the right track, but I think you need to try a naturally crystallised fibre, that strong and durable!"
"Right" shouted Ponder getting excited and shouting. The whole bar hushed him into silence. "Sorry, sorry." He said as he sat down." Right, but what do you suggest?"
"I don't know, you're the big wizard man!" then two watchmen came into the bar. Ponder looked around the bar. Pippin had disappeared. Then he was pulled bellow the table.
"I'm down here, dumb-ass." She hissed, "we've got to get out of her! If the watchmen see me, well, I'm going to be in deep shit!" Ponder didn't argue. They got up and walked out the door. They ran around the corner and panted heavily.
As some more watchmen came around the corner, Jennifer grabbed Ponder by the face and kissed him. He started to panic, then enjoy it. The watchmen walked past, trying not to look at them. As soon as they left she let go abruptly and became all business like.
"Ponder, you really need to clean your teeth!"
Ponder, still shocked, started to follow her. "Why did you have to go and kiss me!"
"'Cause that way they wouldn't recognise me. Did you recognise me?"
"No not really…"
"Well, who goes looking at Kissing couples apart from perverts?"
"You didn't have to go and do that!" He said still stumbling after her. But I didn't mind, he added to himself. That was his first kiss and it was nice.
"Well, I have to admit, ponder, you didn't seem to mind."
"Well, I really didn't have a choice in the matter."
"Look Ponder, I think it was time you went back to your workshop. I think we'll be okay their."
Ponder made tea when they got back. He Jerry rigged a table and chairs from a crate and some other buckets. Jennifer sat at the table, fixing up the model.
"What the hell did you do to this Ponder? It's fixable, but it spilt in two through the middle."
"I tried to transport a book."
"That was stupid, the morfic field is still unstable in this model."
Ponder looked at Jennifer in wonder. She had no magic in her blood, was a woman, and she understood thaumic dynamics. She really was a strange girl. He brought the tea out and put it on the table. Jennifer had nearly fixed the model and had put the blow-lamp down on the table.
"Ponder, who are these people? They still use wands, yet they're more advanced. I'm not magical, but I really can't see the source of their magic. "
"Nor can I pippin, but I think it is very important to be able to talk to them."
Then they heard a bump of wizards outside Ponders room.
"Quick, get out Pips, they're coming."
Jennifer ran to the window and jumped out into the tree next to his window. She shimmied down the trunk to the ground and climbed over the wall. She ran across the city and into the shades. She gulped. She was lost.
********************************************
Severus Snape sat at his desk. He looked fuzzily at the room. The dungeon, where he had first met her. Lily Evans. She was beautiful. She had hair the colour of burnt copper, and eyes, those eyes… Eyes the colour of the deep green sea, and sparkled like emeralds. He had loved her. Still did if he admitted it. Potter had made those eyes cry enough times during their time.
He remembered one night it had been, ' oh sevvie, he laughed at me today because I was good at transfiguration. Him and Sirius made fun of me.' And he had conforted her and hugged her. Then one day, at the Yule tide ball, she'd gone out with Potter. First it was a Joke on his part, then, when she came out in that beautiful sun yellow robe, they instantly fell in love. He had been counting on going with her to the ball, but he had been all alone. Sirius black had about six girls with him, and had tormented him that night.
After that night she had dumped him. First of all it was, 'sorry I didn't come and study with you, I was watching James at quidditch practise' then she forgot about him all together. Her head was full of James Potter. He had been with her at the start of Hogwarts, and when he left he was full of burning resentment. He then did what he was so ashamed of now. He had become a death eater. He thought that the power and status would impress her, but when he showed her the ugly mark, she has screamed and run away. Into potters arms. Then a year latter She was dead.
He had cried that night and came to Dumbledore begging for forgiveness. And he had. No one else in the world at that time would have trusted him, but he had. Dumbledore had embraced him and calmed him. Then he had told him that he wanted a spy, and that he would be him. Snape had been so upset at the time he had agreed and spied his hardest for Dumbledore.
The, 14 years later he had come to Hogwarts. Harry. He hated Harry, but not as much as you would think. Yes he hated Harry for looking like James Potter, but when he was cruel to him he looked with hate through those beautiful eyes, he gave him a look like Lily had when he had shown her the Dark Mark. Those eyes made him want to hug him and apologise, but that body made him want to hit him.
Snape looked at the whisky bottle on his desk. It looked invitingly, grippable. He grabbed the neck and drank half a bottle in one gulp. The alcohol burned in his mouth, throat and stomach. He shock his head like a dog just out of a river and put it down. He noticed the strange presents in the room. He turned around slowly. Dumbledore stood behind him.
"Fourteen years to the day Severus."
Snape looked at him and felt as if his mind was being read, like a book. He looked up and said," How do you keep doing that!"
"Just something I learnt in my youth. Now, that bottle. Accio bottle." The bottle flew across the room. Snape tried to catch it and failed miserably. He fell to the ground and blinked owlishly. He couldn't think of anything to say, so he just said "Wha' '"
"Severus, you said you'd go easy on the stuff." Said Dumbledore as he helped him up.
"No, I said I'd go easy on the Beer." Dumbledore gave him a look over the top of his gold-rimmed spectacles. "Alright, I just got depressed. Now can I go back to my work for a while?"
"You mean your picture of Lily, don't you."
"How did you know about that?"
"Severus, you really are a mystery. You spend your days crushing you individualism, then you go and paint. "
"You didn't answer me, how do you know I paint?"
"The fat Lady told me. You painted her remember?"
Snape concurred. It was true enough, but nowadays he painted with muggle paints, he didn't like his work to talk back to him and criticise the brushwork. Anyway, modern art in wizard paint was always pretentious back to you. It's an awful experience to find halfway through your work that it starts to move.
"Well, I suppose I do paint. It's no harm to anyone…"
"I didn't suggest it was Severus.," said Dumbledore coolly. Snape sighed. He was getting defensive again. He always did. He looked into Dumbledore's ice blue eyes and smiled in a half-hearted way.
"Alright I promise not to drink, but let me paint. It's addictive, and fun."
Dumbledore stroked his hair and kissed him on the forehead. He left the room. Snape waited a few minutes, then he went into his office. The office was very bare, just a cell with a bed in the corner and a chest of draws.
He opened a draw and saw the half-finished picture of Lily. On it someone had cruelly spray painted ' Slime ball Snape' on it. He slowly closed the draw and let out a choked sob.
This was started at the point when she started to see Potter. They usually met up to 'study' together. Then he would paint her. Potter and Black got jealous of the time they spent together, and told her she had to stop seeing him. Then they had burned his art collection of various artist and some of his favourite pictures of Lily.
They hadn't burnt this picture though, just desecrated it. It had been the start of a tasteful nude picture. They obviously wanted to hurt him more than just destroying the time they had spent together. Then one day they had hung this in the great hall and shouted' Slime ball Snape drew this, look he thinks Lily cares about him.' Snape had run out of the hall. He vowed to get his revenge. A month later Snape had been saved by James. And he found his picture, torn, burnt at the edges and discarded in the girl's toilets .In moaning Myrtle stall. He had rescued it and hidden it.
He went to bed in his robes, he couldn't be bothered to get changed.
About 100 miles away Harry Potter who Snape Both loved intently and hated furiously was writing a letter to Sirius Black.
Dear Sirius
Thanks for the birthday cake! Dudley's still on a diet and seems to have lost weigh or at least not gain any. To be honest, if he had, the house would have exploded. Well, Aunt petunia's still trying to get him to stop smuggling stuff in the house. I think he's bringing in less, because he's using the original notches on his belt.
Thing are as usual here other than that, Uncle Vernon still hates me and I'm not aloud to leave the house. That's ok by me, because Hermione's sent me a book. Oh yeah, I've found a few more books by the author on Dudley's bookshelf given to him by friends. He's never read them, so I get to read a virtually new book.
Ron say's he'll be able to get away from the Dursley's tomorrow. I'll meet them at the leaky cauldron. Uncle Vernon say's he'll give me a lift just to keep me out of his hair. Well I can't wait till I go to Diagon ally again.
Well, see you soon I hope
From Harry.
Harry tied the letter around Hedwig's leg and threw her into the wind outside his window. As soon as she started to flap he closed the window. He relaxed on the bed and looked out to the sky. The stars shone like Diamonds, waiting for an expectant hand to pluck them from their heavenly abode.
He sat up and picked up the present Ron had sent him. It was a variation on a shrinking key, it was a shrinking TV remote. It had been great fun replacing it for the normal remote downstairs. It also got Dudley moving, so that was good. He had another look at the Book Hermione sent him. The title was 'Maurice and his educated Rodents.' He had enjoyed that, and had read 'Johnny and the dead', and 'only you can save mankind'.
Well, his life was looking up. Mostly. He still had the dreams and sometimes he woke up screaming. He was going to be in Diagon ally in a few days, and he'd be home. Home was Hogwarts.
**************************************************************************** ******************************
Ponder sat alone in his workshop .Now Pippin had gone everything seemed dull. He looked at the room. It was covered in stuff for the project. He sat there thinking over a stone cold cup of tea. Now, if I need a naturally crystallised product I need something very strong and Durable. He looked at his lapel. One of her hairs was on it. He picked it up and looked at it. Then he had a brain wave. Of course! Why didn't he think of it before!
He put the Hair in the place of the magical resister and when to the glass orb.
"Dumbledore? Are you there?"
"Yes Mr Stibbons, I am."
"Professor, please set up the magic circle, I think I've cracked our problem." Ponder then fired up the real Portal and stepped inside.
"Ponder, don't be an idiot! If that thing fails you'll be blown to kingdom come!"
"Professor, this time I'm sure I'm right. If you don't set up the circle and fire it up, I will when I get there!"
"Alright Ponder, but I hold no Responsibility. " Dumbledore set up the circle and got ready to have Ponder explode in front of him. Ponder travelled.
Jennifer was in the shades. Not the best place to be in at the best of times, but to be lost was even worse. Lost suggested some one was about to come out of the shadows. Oh shit.
At that Moment a group of thieves came out of the shadows. Jennifer brought out a card from her pockets." I've paid my premium, you can't rob me."
"Well, we don't go in for this sort of thing." said the thin one
"You mean that you're unlicensed thieves?"
"Well… Yes" said the squat one
"Oi, you're not meant to say that!" said the middle sized one.
"Yeah, do you want us to be caught by the thieves guild?" said the Talker of the group. Jennifer saw the advantage of their fight and started to creep away. The squat one grabbed her wrist.
"You're not getting away that easy girl."
"Get off me" She squealed," Or my father will get you." On hindsight it was a stupid thing to say because they just laughed.
"Yeah, I bet he's the commander of the Watch!" said the talker
"Let go " she said calmly, "I won't ask you again"
"Whatcha goin' to do, hit me?" said the squat one. Jennifer kicked him in the guts. As she
Turned around she hit the thin one in the mouth. The talker advanced and she elbowed him in his chest. Then the squat one grabbed her hands and forced them behind her back. The thin one grabbed her feet and sat on her legs, forcing her to the ground. She screamed in anger and tried to kick her legs. The talker knelt down and looked her in the face.
"A girl with spirit. I like a girl with spirit. I also like a clever girl"
"That's right" said the squat one," So give us your money without a fight, an' you can go."
"I don't have any" panted Jennifer from under the weight of the squat and thin man," so you'll have to let me go."
"No" said the talker," We want something for our trouble"
The talker then made a signal to the other to men. They wrenched her up and the thin one separated her legs. She panicked and screamed. The talker lent over and Kiss her as he got ready to make love to her.
As he kissed she could feel herself turning red with anger. Then he stopped kissing her and screamed in pain. Jennifer had her eyes closed all this time, but when she opened them she saw his lips burnt, as if he had put his face in fire. The Squat one yelped. His hands were still smoking from the heat. His hands had been burnt black. The thin one yelped as well and ran off, his hands on fire. She noticed the squat one had burn marks where he had sat on her.
She got up, breathing heavily from the shock. She looked at her hands. They were perfectly normal. She squealed and got up. She stumbled up and ran home. She was scared. Very scared.