Unquiet Slumbers
Disclaimer:
All characters apart from Megan Harvey and Mr Hardbroom belong to J.K Rowling.Part One
An Autumn Morning.The village was silent but for the sound of wind that blew through the trees causing the leaves to fall, creating a blanket of red, gold and brown on the streets of Hogsmeade. In a few hours the residents would begin to rise and the peace would be broken. The shopkeepers would be arriving to open up, placing their wares outside the shop fronts. Those who worked for the ministry would be coming out of their front doors reading the 'Daily Prophet' and saying good morning to their neighbours as they got into the ministry cars.
The smell of autumn was in the air, that damp, earthy smell, so evocative of this time of year. It made one think of bonfires and toffee and the excitement of the children as the Halloween festival approached.
This was Megan's favourite time of year. It was also her favourite time of day, a time when she could appreciate the beauty and quiet of the village. She pulled her cloak more closely around her. The bright early morning sun, so low in the sky did nothing to warm her as a cold wind blew past, causing more golden leaves to fall over her like confetti from the large horse chestnut tree she sat beneath. She watched two large brown seeds from the tree flying about charging into each other, doubtless having been charmed by some children the day before to play the wizarding version of the muggle game 'conkers'.
Slowly got to her feet and made her way down the small grassy hill to the shop where she worked. By the time she got to the door Mr Hardbroom was coming round the corner with a large bunch of keys in one hand and a large parcel in the other. "Mornin' Miss Harvey" he said, not at all surprised to see her there so early "Up with the lark again I see"! Megan smiled and took the parcel for him as he opened the door, taking an age, as usual to find the right key. A bell rang as he opened the door of the old bookshop. The bright autumn sun was pouring through the windows lighting up the motes of dust in the air. Megan took out her wand and began dispersing the dust out of the door. At that moment there came the sound of a thousand pairs of wings overhead. The morning owls were delivering their post. A large tawny owl flew through the open door, bringing with it most of the dust Megan had just sent out. "Well! Thank you so much"! exclaimed Megan as she took the letters from the bird's leg giving him a pat on the head and a bit of her apple before he swooped away, a cloud of dust trailing behind him. She could hear Mr Hardbroom whistling in the backroom as she sat down behind the counter and looked through the letters. "Mostly junk mail" she mused as she sent at least five letters from 'Kwickspell' flying into the nearby wastepaper bin with her wand. She turned over the next letter to see the Hogwarts crest on the front.
Megan had graduated from the school of witchcraft and wizardry three years ago and still she was working in this damn bookshop! Surely she was meant for better things. She'd got the job as a temporary measure when she had left and had not intended to stay nearly this long. She didn't mind the job and she got on very well with Mr Hardbroom, but she knew she was ready to move on.
The letter from Hogwarts was addressed to the shop and not to Mr Hardbroom personally. She hesitated for a moment before opening the envelope and taking out the parchment inside. She saw that the letter had been written by Madam Pince the school librarian. It was a request for more books to be delivered to the school. Hogwarts usually got their books from Flourish and Blotts in Diagon alley, but Hardbroom's bookshop always stocked much more specialist items. Megan read the list as she walked around the shop finding each item, raising her eyebrows slightly as she read out some of the titles. Some of the books were right at the top of the highest shelves and she had to get her wand out to make them fly down into here hand. It was Megan's main job to make small deliveries. Her broomstick, an old Oakshaft 79 with large wicker baskets attached to the sides, was kept in the backroom where Mr Hardbroom was now sitting at a desk scribbling something down onto parchment. He looked up as she entered. "Any orders today"? He enquired observing the letter still clutched in her hand. "Just one from Hogwarts" she replied "are you sure you'll be alright delivering all those, its very windy today and that old broom has seen better days" Mr Hardbroom asked as he helped her wrap the books in brown paper and string. "I'll be fine, it'll be nice to visit Hogwarts again. I wonder if anything has changed". "Nothing ever changes up there Miss Harvey. I was up there a fortnight ago visiting an old friend, bumped into Dumbledore too, he's a great old fella"!
Mr Hardbroom was right about the weather. The wind was so strong it blew Megan off-course a couple of times. It was such an exhilarating feeling flying towards her old school with the cold wind in her hair (which was so long it kept getting tangled around the tail twigs). She finally alighted at the main entrance. Taking the parcel out of the basket and putting her broom under her arm, Megan walked into the entrance hall. It was an odd feeling being back in the school for the first time since she had graduated. She'd forgotten just how big it was. The marble staircase looming majestically before her and the ridiculously high stone walls had not lost their impact.
There was a strange feeling in her heart, which she couldn't quite account for. Why should she be nervous?
The drone of hundreds of voices could be heard coming from the great hall to her right. She thought back to the time, ten years ago now, when she had first walked into that dining room for the sorting ceremony and put into Ravenclaw house. It seemed so long ago. Megan walked towards the door of the great hall and peeped inside. It was packed to the rafters with students still noisily enjoying their breakfasts. She looked down towards the teacher's table where she could clearly see Professor Dumbledore chatting animatedly to her old head of house Professor Flitwick. Megan smiled; she had always got on famously with both professors. The odd feeling in her heart increased tenfold when her eyes fell upon her old potions master. Professor Snape was sitting between Flitwick and Mcgonagall the transfiguration teacher. He wasn't talking to either, but instead was staring into the middle distance as if something deep and troubling was on his mind. Megan remembered that look. She had seen it many times during her time at Hogwarts when she would gaze, as she was doing now in his direction, wondering what he was thinking. During her first few years at the school, Megan had despised the potions master with the same passion every other student at Hogwarts did (those, that is, who weren't in Slytherin). But towards the end of her time at the school, Snape began to fascinate her. She could not put her finger on the reason why she felt so intrigued by him, but never the less, she had not been able to quite get him out of her thoughts, even since leaving Hogwarts.
Megan was brought quite suddenly out of her trance by the sound of the students rising from their chairs and preparing to leave for their first lessons of the day. She made her way towards the library.
Madam Pince was not to be found anywhere in the library. Megan spent a long time looking around between the high shelves, occasionally picking up a book, which looked interesting to her. The library was completely empty. All the students were apparently in their lessons, but surely Madam Pince would be around somewhere? Megan decided to look for her in the staff room. If she wasn't there then maybe another teacher could sign for the books. Walking back towards the table where she had left the parcel, Megan suddenly heard footsteps entering to library. "At last Madam Pince! " she thought. But as she came up towards the entrance she could see no one. There! Again! She heard footsteps. They were coming from over the other side of the library. The sound was accompanied by the soft swishing of a cloak. "Madam Pince" she called softly. The footsteps stopped suddenly as if whoever it was were surprised to learn that they were not alone. The odd feeling Megan had had since arriving at Hogwarts was threatening to erupt. Despite her feeling of disquiet Megan walked silently towards where the footsteps had come from. Curiosity was one of Megan's most dominant characteristics and could always overpower any nervousness she felt. The library was, as usual lit by flickering torches held in sconces on the stone walls. Being situated in the middle of the castle, it didn't get any natural sunlight from windows. The torches created large moving shadows on the walls. Megan felt a chill run down her spine. She knew someone was behind her. She glanced at the wall and saw a shadow of her tall figure behind her own. "Well well, Miss Harvey. To what do we owe the pleasure"? She knew the silky sarcastic tones. The voice was deep and rich each syllable clearly accentuated. He spoke slowly to give the utmost power to his words, just as he had done when she was his student and he was berating her for stirring her potion to fast or adding too much rat spleen. Megan turned around to face Professor Snape. He was as tall and imposing as she had remembered, wearing all black except for a tiny amount of white showing from beneath collar and cuffs of his robes. A draft was catching his cloak causing it to billow around his feet. His hair as black as pitch was longer than she had remembered it, just touching his broad shoulders. As had been the case when she had been his student, Megan found it difficult to look into his eyes. Deep, penetrating and black, they seemed to glitter with menace and sarcastic humour. "P-Professor Snape"! Megan stammered. "I was looking for Madam Pince…er..and I, I" Snape's eyes fell slowly to the parcel Megan seemed to be clutching onto for dear life. "Ah, a parcel. These must be the books I ordered" Snape reached forward to take the parcel out of Megan's hands, which were white with the force in which she was holding onto it. "Oh no"! Thought Megan as she felt her cheeks burn. She couldn't think of anything worse than blushing in front of Snape, just as she had done so many times before under his penetrating glare. She was no longer his student and inferior. She was an adult who was here on business. Handing him the parcel and taking a piece of parchment out of her pocket she looked him straight in the eye and said in the most confident voice she could muster "I need a signature on this form. As the books are for you perhaps you could sign for them". Snape smiled "A definite possibility" was his typically sarcastic reply. "Follow me to my office, I want to check the order is correct before I let you go". Snape tuned on his heel and swooped off towards the door not once checking to see if Megan was following. "Bloody cheek"! Thought Megan as she ran to keep up with him.
Megan had been in Professor Snape's office many times before. She had never been really naughty as a student, but for some reason she had often ended up in trouble. Her main problem was that she was a daydreamer. She could spend hours lost in her own little world and loose all sense of space and time. This was all very well, but it didn't go down too well when she did it in lessons. Megan thought back to the time when in Snape's potions lesson she had fell into one of her daydreams only to be brought out of it by the sound of the potions masters voice very close to her ear asking her to repeat what he had just said. She cringed inwardly as she remembered what her reply had been. Being still half in her fantasy world and not yet quite aware of her surroundings he had replied "I love you". The class had erupted in mirth. Snape had looked like he was going to explode with rage "QUIET" he had snarled to the class. Then turning to Megan almost whispered "Detention Miss Harvey and fifteen points from Ravenclaw. I can assure that was most certainly NOT what I had said"!
Suddenly realising that she had once again fell into one of her famous daydreams, Megan shook herself mentally. Snape was sat at his large oak desk opening the parcel. Megan watched him as she played with a lock of her tangled, amber coloured hair, a nervous habit of hers. It occurred to Megan that he suddenly looked like a child opening a present on Christmas morning. He had lost his scowl and sarcastic smirk. His usual expression was replaced by a look of excitement and wonder, which Megan found quite charming. He turned to look at her. "Is something funny Miss Harvey"? He enquired some of his old expression returning to his face. Megan suddenly realised that she had been smiling. At his words the smile had fell from her face quicker than a first year from his broom. "No professor" she answered quickly "it's just that, I didn't know you loved books so much. I feel the same way about them. I get so excited when we get a new delivery to the shop, I have open them immediately. Mr Hardbroom doesn't even get a chance to read the label"! "Excited? Nothing of the sort. Now then, these all seem to be in order. Where is the form you need me to sign"? Megan handed Snape the form and as he signed his name in beautiful calligraphy, Megan wondered why Snape had wanted these books of old muggle classic literature. Why had he asked Madam Pince to order them for the school library? Was he embarrassed that anyone should know that he enjoyed reading non-wizarding fiction? Being head of Slytherin house he certainly was not known to be a fan of anything that came from the muggle world. Megan was a 'Pure blood' as the Slytherin's might say. But she saw nothing wrong in taking an interest in the muggle world. In fact she was quite fascinated by the lives of muggles and had often read muggle literature as a child.
"Miss Harvey"? Snape was handing her the signed form "still spending half your time in a daydream I see" he said with a smirk as Megan took the form, suddenly wondering in horror if Snape remembered the "I love you" incident. There was a knock on the door. "Enter" Snape responded as the door opened to reveal tiny Professor Flitwick. "Professor"! Cried Megan in joy as she swooped down on her old head of house, giving him a hug that nearly suffocated him. "Miss Harvey, how delightful to see you again. My, my you haven't changed a bit has she Professor Snape? One of my best pupils too, excellent at charms as I remember" Megan beamed at this praise. Professor Flitwick always seemed to only notice the good in people. "It's wonderful to be here Professor" she smiled. "Can you stay long? I'm sure Dumbledore would love to see you. He always enjoys meeting with old students". "Well I don't know sir, I really should be getting back. I'm here on business you see, delivering books…." Megan didn't have chance to finish "Never mind that" Professor Flitwick interrupted "I'm sure Hardbroom can spare you for a while longer. I'll send him an owl". Snape was scowling. "I must be going I have students to teach. Goodbye Miss Harvey" Snape held out his hand. Megan thought he looked a little awkward, as if he wasn't used to having to be being polite to ex-students. She put her small hand in his large one and he shook it slightly irritably and swept out of the room. Flitwick ran after him "Professor Snape, I meant to tell you that Dumbledore wants to see you in his office at you next free moment, if its not too much trouble" Snape raised his hand in acknowledgement but didn't turn around.
Marieanne.