The two day before school opened were the only days Diagon Alley was even remotely alright to roam. A teacher attracted far too much attention from gawking students and parents alike, Snape only doubly so. Sometimes he thought it was almost worth it just to hear them frantically whisper behind his back that they didn't know he could come out in the sun but for the most part it was simply annoying. And Severus Snape, Hogwarts' potions master was already quite annoyed.
After several years worth of speculation Harriet Potter, the-girl-who-lived, had finally returned to the Wizarding world. There had been whispers for years now that she was in hiding or even dead, no one had seen her for years and surely she should have been in Hogwarts? But no, she wasn't.
All those years of Albus frantically searching for her, all the many locating potions and spells and more, yet Harriet's whereabouts were never found. Until this year when a horned owl had dropped a letter of a transfer from Salem Witches' Institute.
All these years of looking for her and she'd simply been on the other side of the ocean in another school. Lunacy. Sheer, unadulterated lunacy.
And all of Albus' plans that had come to nothing in all these years, too dependant on the girl of the prophecy, would finally come to fruition. Snape, who had always felt indebted to Dumbledore, had been privy to the man's madder moments. So he knew how frantic Dumbledore had become, all the ways in which he needed her to be his good little pawn. It had disturbed him to be honest and he had almost come to hope that wherever Potter's girl might have been she stayed there, but alas. Already things were beginning to happen, Albus had finally convinced Moody to serve as their DADA teacher, the Triwizard tournament that had been shelved for all these years was being dusted off, and even Severus had heard murmurs among his former associates. Lucius was far too gleeful and the last time he had been that cheerful he had let a diary containing Voldemort's soul into Hogwarts. To this day Snape shuddered to think of what would have happened if Minerva hadn't confiscated the cursed book that the Weasley twins were messing with to tease their little sister. Thank Merlin and annoying siblings.
And this year with the Triwizard tournament, Mad-Eye Moody (emphasis on the 'Mad') and Harriet Potter, it would definitely be something.
But perhaps some good might come out of it after all. The forces of Voldemort had been gathering for a long time now, slowly amassing more number but the Dark Lord himself never stepping out. He was waiting and this was precisely the sort of thing that would drive him out into the open. He never could resist the urge to taunt and play with his prey.
But he wasn't here to think of Voldemort, no, Severus was here for his apothecary supplies.
The bell of the shop tinkled as he leaned against the counter, waiting, and Severus was frustrated and annoyed to see Jiggers step out of the back where he was supposed to be preparing his supplies.
"Yes, how may I help you?"
"Oh, hi, I'm picking up my order, Etsy Evans?"
"Ah, yes, Ms Evans." His bright smile dimmed and he withered as he glanced at Severus who was doing his best to set him on fire with his glare. "Please make yourself comfortable, this may take a little while."
The woman, Etsy, smiled graciously and he went back into the shop and the two strangers were left there alone. A good few minutes' silence passed as they studiously ignored each other. The shrill beep and subsequent jump from her changed that as she lifted one of those 'mobile phones' the muggles were so often seen with now and began an exhausted but indulgent talk.
"Hey babe," She said and yawned away from the mouthpiece. She pulled her hair onto one side and just beside the metallic body of the phone Severus saw a most fascinating thing. A wardstone turned earring in the high point of her ear.
Warding wasn't his field but William was one of the only palatable Weasleys in the bunch and considering how they overran the Order headquarters, he was the one Snape talked to the most. Severus' knowledge of runes and wards had grown considerably and he watched her closely through the corner of his eye.
She was a pretty enough thing, her long brown messy hair flecked with red and copper tones and the very green eyes looked pale against the heavy kohl. Pretty but it wasn't that that was interesting.
There were tattoos littering her skin wherever it was bare and he could recognise them. Runes in combinations that were too complex for him to grasp immediately but he knew they were for protection of different sorts. Even the various 'charms' hanging off her bracelets were amulets meant for protecting, one he knew to be a charm to detect poison in food, it would glow red if it was held above anything containing poison, a charm he could fool but only with some very complex potions. Severus was the most paranoid person he knew barring the Dark Lord and even he didn't take half as many measures as this woman did.
This woman who was looking right at him with a very amused look on her face. Clearly his scrutiny hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Curious?" She asked, laughter in her voice and he flushed at the thought of being caught. He sneered but her smile just grew wider and he felt very impotent in that moment. His ability to strike fear and trepidation in people was the one thing he was proud of, even Lucius flinched at his sneers and yet someone had just smiled at him for it. "You could just ask."
"And you would answer?" He sneered hoping for some normal reaction beyond just smiles and laughter but she just smirked.
"As long as I was able to." She turned to face him fully and held out her hand. "Etsy."
After a moment's hesitation he took it. "Severus."
She pulled him closer by the hand she had yet to release and looked him in the eye. And Severus, who was limited in his social circle to teachers, students, occasional assistants in apothecaries and Molly Weasley, swallowed discreetly. "We should get coffee."
"I don't drink coffee." He said, his voice not nearly as cold as he was hoping for it to sound and she smiled wickedly.
"Cofee, tea, whatever works." Somehow she managed to pull him in even closer and as their breaths mingled and he smelled the spice of cinnamon on hers he realised that this really wasn't very appropriate. "Maybe a...midnight snack?"
Really quite inappropriate. There was no mistaking what she meant by that.
He was saved answering her when Jiggers stepped out of the backroom, this time with a fully laden apothecary bag in hand. He disengaged himself from the woman to go over all the potion ingredients carefully and when he was done he found Jiggers gone and Etsy looking at him very amused.
"Potions over nookie I see." She waggled her eyebrows at him and if the amused glances she was flicking at his ears were anything to go by, they had turned red.
Ridiculous. He could pretend to be a Death Eater in the Dark Lords inner circle with ease but was unable to keep from flushing to a bit of innuendo. Pathetic.
Oh, how he loathed himself.
Although to be fair there really wasn't any innuendo in the last bit at all. Quite blatant really.
"I'm afraid I must be leaving now. No time for coffee or midnight snacks." He looked down his nose at her but she just leaned in and hummed in a low voice that had his blood rushing from his head all the way down south.
"Pity." He was halfway out the door when she called out to him again. "Owl me."
He coughed and apparated out of there faster than when escaping one of the Dark Lord's bad moods.
Still, he made sure to remember her name. Perhaps he might just be owling Etsy Evans sometime.
Ah, Hogwarts. Soon the castle would be filled to the brim with those nitwits they called students and he would finally be at peace. Watching Gryffindor's hourglass lose rubies was always such a calming, pleasant experience. The tinkling sounds of them falling away and by some strange coincidence filling the coffers of the Slytherin counter would be a lovely sound to fall asleep to. He would be able to sleep without dreams of brunette witches with tattoos invading his slumber.
"She should be here by now." Black growled out and paced the room. Part of him was glad to see his frustration. A much bigger part was annoyed beyond compare. Albus in his infinite wisdom had decided that the Potter chit would fit in better if her godfather were there in school and had dismissed Binns so that Black might have a job. It was bad enough that the werewolf had gotten Black free three years ago, that blasted map that showed Pettigrew ruining everything, but now Albus had the gall to hire Black as a professor! Black, that idiot who hadn't gone through a single class of Binns' without sleeping. Some history professor he would be.
Severus was snapped out of his thoughts as one of the portraits rushed to inform them that the Girl-Who-Lived was in the hallway outside. In the staffroom, three professors held their breath while the other poured himself some tea. Black practically vibrated in his boots and even Albus' twinkle was rising to unholy levels.
The door shifted inwards and the silence grew more and more tense with every passing millisecond. Severus rolled his eyes and focused instead on the cup of tea in his hands. It was perfectly brewed, bitter and strong and just warm enough to not burn his tongue.
"Hi, I'm Harriet. I'm the transfer student from Salem, they told me I needed to be...sorted?" A too familiar voice said and he looked up with trepidation only to have his fears confirmed. Etsy Evans stood at the door, very tight dragonhide trousers, tattoos and all. His cup fell from his grasp shattering on the floor and dropping tea all over his robes.
Well, fuck.