Chapter 1 – The Cottage by the Sea
There was that moment when he opened the door of the cottage and she looked into the closed face when she wondered if this had been a good idea. His hair -- long, black, with an oily sheen to it -- hung down and partially obscured his features, his eyes so dark a brown that they seemed black. She was frozen for an instant, wondering if she should have stayed home and then there was a twitching of the thin lips, a glimmer of warmth in the depths of the eyes and she knew she had made the right choice.
He stepped back without uttering a word, opening the weathered wooden door for them. He was framed for a moment in the doorway, a tall lean figure in ebony whorls of fabric, his outline obscured by the heavy layers he wore. He moved soundlessly, something she had noted many times but which never failed to unnerve her. She tugged Fortina after her into the room.
The cottage was one of those charming, thoroughly English structures that seemed completely at odds with her inner image of Professor Severus Snape. They entered a hallway, doors leading off from either side and Minuet carefully removed her sister's coat and hung it on a large wooden coat rack that bent down to receive the garment in deference to her diminutive stature. The whitewashed wood paneling and clean-scrubbed slate floor with rag rugs scattered was again the antithesis of Professor Snape. He looked like a black crow that had found roost in the wrong nest here.
Tina was hiding behind her; a glance over Min's shoulder revealed a pale face with eyes gone huge and dark from fear. Min sighed and dragged her baby sister after Professor Snape. He strode down the hallway, still utterly silent.
They followed him into an old-fashioned kitchen with a plain pine table and chairs, a gleaming nickel stove and chintz-patterned cushions and tablecloths. Shelves with teapots and chipped china, a river stone fireplace with an iron hob, heavy wood rafters and windows with wavy glass that opened onto the garden made it a charming environment, better suited to a plump English matron than the dour Potions Master.
"Are you hungry?" His voice had the satin quality that she admired so much in the classroom, but he spoke with an uneasiness that made him sound abrupt. Minuet shook her head, felt Tina repeat her gesture from her hiding place behind her, and wondered if he had ever had guests here before. Then it occurred to her to wonder if he had ever had guests anywhere before.
"Some tea would be lovely though, if it isn't too much trouble." Min was unsure of herself here in this unfamiliar environment. She had always interacted with him as her head of House, her professor; now he, along with her mother, was her guardian. She wasn't sure of how the dynamic would work, with this new relationship.
"Tea, yes, of course." He nodded and looked strangely relieved, as if a task was just what he required. It dawned on her that he was feeling as out of kilter as she was, so she smiled at him encouragingly and shoved Tina into a chair before being seated herself.
Tina had a somewhat trembling lower lip and Min sighed. Her baby sister had been astonishingly fragile of late and prone to tears. It wasn't that Min wasn't sympathetic -- they had, after all, lost both father and home in one fell swoop -- she just couldn't see that tears were going to solve anything. But Minuet was just turned fifteen and Fortina was just turned seven; the age difference was quite substantial.
Professor Snape took a copper kettle, gleaming and polished to a high shine, down from a shelf and filled it with water from the tap. He stepped over to the old fashioned fireplace and had it lit in a trice with a dexterous gesture. Minuet filed that information away for later thought. His speech to the first years about 'foolish wand-waving' had stuck with her and she had wondered whether his disdain was due to a lack of proficiency. Obviously not.
He took a brightly patterned china pot down, its large pansy print looking so very odd in his pale hand, and a simple warming charm prepared it for use. With the same care and intensity with which he prepared a potion, he scooped tea from a tin canister and set it aside for the water to boil. Teacups next, in a mismatched set of clashing colors and various flowers. Minuet received a cabbage rose cup with a curlicue handle and a scalloped saucer. Tina received a stoneware mug with lavender sprays and a simple saucer with a rim of purple that matched the flower's shade.
The kettle came to a boil and Professor Snape levitated it to the china teapot and poured it, his aim steady and his wandwork impeccable. Even Flitwick would have no complaints, Minuet thought with admiration for the casually displayed skill. Cream and sugar were produced in their own eccentric china and Professor Snape settled in the third chair and poured for them.
"I hope this meets with your approval, Miss Ravagienne." He said with a raised eyebrow.
"It's quite perfect, Professor Snape." She grinned at him, suddenly amused by their formality. It was as out-of-place in this bright cheery kitchen as he was. "You may call me Minuet, seeing as how school is out." His lips were tugged upwards in that small smile she had come to recognize.
"You may call me Severus, I suppose, though only 'til class begins again." He warned, but his eyes had lightened.
"Uncle Severus, may I have more tea?" Tina's almost whispered question made him startle in his seat and he quickly poured more tea into her cup. It was mostly cream with a little tea, but it made Tina feel grown-up to drink it.
Minuet was amused by the almost shy way that Uncle Severus glanced at Tina, as if he were afraid she might bite, and yet he managed to still look dark and forbidding.
"Dinner will be at seven; until then you can go down to the beach, read in the library or play in the garden, whatever you choose." He announced, with the eyebrows lowered. His voice had that commanding quality that rolled over you and pinned you down. It was the Head of House voice, the one that brooked no disobedience. "You will be punctual to meals and not disturb me for anything less than a threat to life and limb while I am in the lab, is that clear?" The two girls nodded in tandem.
"We understand, Uncle Severus." Tina added for good measure.
"Very well, I am going to the lab. Should an emergency arise, it is down the steps next to the front hall. Amuse yourselves." He waved a hand and they pushed back their chairs and headed off to explore the house.
