A/N: Snape belongs to JKRowling, all other characters belong to myself.
An Unlikely Romance---Chapter One:
Lost
Madison Freemont was lost. Not that she would admit it to anyone but to herself, but she was utterly, hopelessly, and completely lost. She had been following her friend, Alyssa Burns, through the jostling crowds of inner city London, but had, as usual, been distracted by something off to one side. When she had finally remembered to look back to Alyssa, she was gone.
Panic crept in slowly while she still clung to the hope that perhaps Alyssa was merely a few feet in front of her, hidden by the crowds. The panic increased as her hope diminished with every passing step she took and still no sign of the blonde came to her. She silently cursed, eyes roving the faces of all who passed, trying to seek out someone friendly enough to ask for directions. If all else failed, she thought rationally, she would go back to the hotel and wait for Alyssa to come find her.
A faultless plan, except that she suddenly couldn't remember the name of the glitzy hotel they were staying at. Or where in London it could be found.
"Dammnit!" She swore loudly, drawing the attention of several passers-by. She smiled apologetically, hoping someone would be nice enough to ask her why she was cursing. No one did.
She fought her way into a tiny shop with a hanging sign that read, "Bergman's Books" and hurried inside, marveling with relief at the whoosh of cool air that met her face, a nice change from the humid and smoldering heat outside.
The shop was nearly deserted, save for a tall man behind a counter who gave her a quick nod and a smile as she walked in, and a few scattered patrons leafing through shelves of used books. For a moment, Madison forgot she was lost and let herself be caught up in the sweep of excitement that rushed through her body----books were her specialty. She had been a bibliophile since her father had read her "Green Eggs and Ham" nearly 23 years ago, and had amassed an enormous collection of books for herself since then. Even her profession---an editorial writer for a local newspaper back home in Maine, allowed her just one more link to the world of literature, despite the fact that she mostly wrote her editorials on local headliners, like the Girl Scouts who had held a bake sale and raised $1500 dollars for the homeless. Her dream was to become a freelance writer of children's books, but, as her bills and her low salary continually reminded her, it was a very far away dream that she might never attain.
"Can I 'elp you, mum?"
A friendly voice brought her out of her dreamy reverie, and Madison turned to see a lovely little girl, face upturned, waiting for an answer.
"Oh, hello." She replied brightly. "Um, actually, I was hoping that maybe you might have some maps? Or someone who knows London well? I'm a bit lost."
"Maps? We've got maps!" the little girl took Madison's hand and tugged her towards the back of the store, to a section with the label "Geography and Maps".
"Oh, thank you." Madison forced a smile at the girl's eagerness to please, looking back over her shoulder to try to draw the attention of the shop-keeper. "I suppose I'll just have a quick look around, thanks."
The girl smiled, whirling on her heel, pigtails flying behind her as she took off to the front of the store where she resumed a tea-party that had been deserted upon Madison's arrival.
Despite her situation, Madison smiled at the scene before her, and, vowing not to disappoint the girl, turned to see what sort of maps the store had. Ancient World Maps, Western Civilization, Eastern Civilization, maps with the tracks of great explorers in red, maps for time zones, and maps of medieval London. Nothing recent.
She signed, half-heartedly picking up the Medieval London map and unfolding it. "I don't suppose there were in hotels back then, were there?" She muttered quietly.
"Excuse me?"
Her eyes were drawn to the right to a man she hadn't noticed before. He was tall---an imposing, formidable man with sharp black eyes and hair that hung lank and limply around his face. He was dressed in dark grey slacks and a black sweater, despite the heat outside, and was holding a copy of Ancient Ruins in his hands.
"Oh, I'm sorry---I was talking to myself." She offered him a smile. "I was saying, 'I don't suppose there were any hotels back then'. See, I'm lost, and I was trying to see if I could perhaps remember landmarks around where I'm staying, and remember what hotel I'm supposed to be at."
The man, unamused by her story, raised an eyebrow archly before turning back to his book. "You don't remember the name of your hotel?"
"No, I don't. Terrible, isn't it? My first time in London, I came with a friend, see, but I lost her in the crowds outside, and so I figured, why not go back to the hotel and wait for her, but then I realized I don't know what hotel I'm staying at, so I figured, why not come and find a map, or maybe ask someone to help me find it again? But the little girl misunderstood me, I suppose, since she led me back here, but there aren't any recent maps of London to be found."
The man gave her a disgusted look. "Do you always chatter so endlessly to people you don't know?"
Madison, slightly wounded by his words, shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir... I'm just lost, that's all. And worried."
He sighed, turning a page idly. "Do you remember any landmarks?"
"What?"
"Around your hotel," He repeated, teeth clenched together impatiently. "How do you reckon you'll find the hotel if you don't know where to look!?"
"Oh---well..." she thought hard. "There was a park out in front----a big park."
"Very helpful."
"And a big river---I think it's that river Thames... " she pronounced it rhyming with "James", "... and a lot of people selling things out of wooden carts all up and down the road."
"What did the hotel look like?" the man turned another page.
"It was big. And white. White with red bricks around all the doors and windows."
"Hotel Clarten." He told her, closing his book and reshelving it. "Go out to the main street, down three blocks, make a left, follow it for 5 more blocks, and you'll see it on your right."
"Are you serious?"
He gave her a nasty look. "No, I'm trying to lose you again so that you'll come back inside and bother me with your babble once more!"
She half-smiled, not sure if he was joking or not. "Well, thank you, Mr...."
"You're welcome." It sounded forced, like a phrase he wasn't used to uttering.
"You didn't tell me your name." She prompted.
"What in blazes do you need my name for!?"
"So I know the name of my guardian angel," she smiled.
The man looked ready to puke. "Oh for God's sake...." He muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "If I tell you, will you leave!?"
"Sounds fair."
"It's-" he stopped, his eyes fixed on her face. She waited patiently.
"Yes?" she prodded.
"It's Potter." He told her, upper lip curling into a sneer. "Harry Potter."
"Very well, then, Harry Potter---thank you." She nodded at him politely.
"Haven't you ever heard of me?" he asked.
"Um... no? Should I have?" she looked confused.
"I'm quite famous where I come from."
"Really! Where's that!? Are you a movie star?"
"Nevermind, you blasted muggle." He sighed and pulled out another book, ending their conversation.
"Yes, well, Mr. Potter, I owe you a debt of gratitude." She touched him lightly on the shoulder. "I will repay you someday."
"I can only hope." Was the sarcastic reply. Madison gave his profile another bright smile before tucking the map back into its white plastic holder and turned on her heel to go. She was walking past the Children's Section and had to pause, unable to walk past without a quick look. Her weakness, of course-having to buy a book almost every time she walked into a book store. She leafed through titles, feeling the man's eyes on her, no doubt willing her to walk away and leave him to his peaceful perusal of his titles. Madison, in both an attempt to alleviate his annoyance, as well as to expedite her trek back to the Hotel, picked the first good title she came across and took it to the clerk's register. She engaged in a friendly conversation of sorts with the shopkeeper, shooting one last look over his shoulder to see Harry, murking in the shadows, watching her. When he noticed her eyes on his, he turned his back quickly, shoulders hunched as he became suddenly very engrossed in his book.
"Thank you again," Madison told the store clerk, giving the little girl a quick pat on the head before she left Bergman's Books, and the strange man in black, behind.
An Unlikely Romance---Chapter One:
Lost
Madison Freemont was lost. Not that she would admit it to anyone but to herself, but she was utterly, hopelessly, and completely lost. She had been following her friend, Alyssa Burns, through the jostling crowds of inner city London, but had, as usual, been distracted by something off to one side. When she had finally remembered to look back to Alyssa, she was gone.
Panic crept in slowly while she still clung to the hope that perhaps Alyssa was merely a few feet in front of her, hidden by the crowds. The panic increased as her hope diminished with every passing step she took and still no sign of the blonde came to her. She silently cursed, eyes roving the faces of all who passed, trying to seek out someone friendly enough to ask for directions. If all else failed, she thought rationally, she would go back to the hotel and wait for Alyssa to come find her.
A faultless plan, except that she suddenly couldn't remember the name of the glitzy hotel they were staying at. Or where in London it could be found.
"Dammnit!" She swore loudly, drawing the attention of several passers-by. She smiled apologetically, hoping someone would be nice enough to ask her why she was cursing. No one did.
She fought her way into a tiny shop with a hanging sign that read, "Bergman's Books" and hurried inside, marveling with relief at the whoosh of cool air that met her face, a nice change from the humid and smoldering heat outside.
The shop was nearly deserted, save for a tall man behind a counter who gave her a quick nod and a smile as she walked in, and a few scattered patrons leafing through shelves of used books. For a moment, Madison forgot she was lost and let herself be caught up in the sweep of excitement that rushed through her body----books were her specialty. She had been a bibliophile since her father had read her "Green Eggs and Ham" nearly 23 years ago, and had amassed an enormous collection of books for herself since then. Even her profession---an editorial writer for a local newspaper back home in Maine, allowed her just one more link to the world of literature, despite the fact that she mostly wrote her editorials on local headliners, like the Girl Scouts who had held a bake sale and raised $1500 dollars for the homeless. Her dream was to become a freelance writer of children's books, but, as her bills and her low salary continually reminded her, it was a very far away dream that she might never attain.
"Can I 'elp you, mum?"
A friendly voice brought her out of her dreamy reverie, and Madison turned to see a lovely little girl, face upturned, waiting for an answer.
"Oh, hello." She replied brightly. "Um, actually, I was hoping that maybe you might have some maps? Or someone who knows London well? I'm a bit lost."
"Maps? We've got maps!" the little girl took Madison's hand and tugged her towards the back of the store, to a section with the label "Geography and Maps".
"Oh, thank you." Madison forced a smile at the girl's eagerness to please, looking back over her shoulder to try to draw the attention of the shop-keeper. "I suppose I'll just have a quick look around, thanks."
The girl smiled, whirling on her heel, pigtails flying behind her as she took off to the front of the store where she resumed a tea-party that had been deserted upon Madison's arrival.
Despite her situation, Madison smiled at the scene before her, and, vowing not to disappoint the girl, turned to see what sort of maps the store had. Ancient World Maps, Western Civilization, Eastern Civilization, maps with the tracks of great explorers in red, maps for time zones, and maps of medieval London. Nothing recent.
She signed, half-heartedly picking up the Medieval London map and unfolding it. "I don't suppose there were in hotels back then, were there?" She muttered quietly.
"Excuse me?"
Her eyes were drawn to the right to a man she hadn't noticed before. He was tall---an imposing, formidable man with sharp black eyes and hair that hung lank and limply around his face. He was dressed in dark grey slacks and a black sweater, despite the heat outside, and was holding a copy of Ancient Ruins in his hands.
"Oh, I'm sorry---I was talking to myself." She offered him a smile. "I was saying, 'I don't suppose there were any hotels back then'. See, I'm lost, and I was trying to see if I could perhaps remember landmarks around where I'm staying, and remember what hotel I'm supposed to be at."
The man, unamused by her story, raised an eyebrow archly before turning back to his book. "You don't remember the name of your hotel?"
"No, I don't. Terrible, isn't it? My first time in London, I came with a friend, see, but I lost her in the crowds outside, and so I figured, why not go back to the hotel and wait for her, but then I realized I don't know what hotel I'm staying at, so I figured, why not come and find a map, or maybe ask someone to help me find it again? But the little girl misunderstood me, I suppose, since she led me back here, but there aren't any recent maps of London to be found."
The man gave her a disgusted look. "Do you always chatter so endlessly to people you don't know?"
Madison, slightly wounded by his words, shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir... I'm just lost, that's all. And worried."
He sighed, turning a page idly. "Do you remember any landmarks?"
"What?"
"Around your hotel," He repeated, teeth clenched together impatiently. "How do you reckon you'll find the hotel if you don't know where to look!?"
"Oh---well..." she thought hard. "There was a park out in front----a big park."
"Very helpful."
"And a big river---I think it's that river Thames... " she pronounced it rhyming with "James", "... and a lot of people selling things out of wooden carts all up and down the road."
"What did the hotel look like?" the man turned another page.
"It was big. And white. White with red bricks around all the doors and windows."
"Hotel Clarten." He told her, closing his book and reshelving it. "Go out to the main street, down three blocks, make a left, follow it for 5 more blocks, and you'll see it on your right."
"Are you serious?"
He gave her a nasty look. "No, I'm trying to lose you again so that you'll come back inside and bother me with your babble once more!"
She half-smiled, not sure if he was joking or not. "Well, thank you, Mr...."
"You're welcome." It sounded forced, like a phrase he wasn't used to uttering.
"You didn't tell me your name." She prompted.
"What in blazes do you need my name for!?"
"So I know the name of my guardian angel," she smiled.
The man looked ready to puke. "Oh for God's sake...." He muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "If I tell you, will you leave!?"
"Sounds fair."
"It's-" he stopped, his eyes fixed on her face. She waited patiently.
"Yes?" she prodded.
"It's Potter." He told her, upper lip curling into a sneer. "Harry Potter."
"Very well, then, Harry Potter---thank you." She nodded at him politely.
"Haven't you ever heard of me?" he asked.
"Um... no? Should I have?" she looked confused.
"I'm quite famous where I come from."
"Really! Where's that!? Are you a movie star?"
"Nevermind, you blasted muggle." He sighed and pulled out another book, ending their conversation.
"Yes, well, Mr. Potter, I owe you a debt of gratitude." She touched him lightly on the shoulder. "I will repay you someday."
"I can only hope." Was the sarcastic reply. Madison gave his profile another bright smile before tucking the map back into its white plastic holder and turned on her heel to go. She was walking past the Children's Section and had to pause, unable to walk past without a quick look. Her weakness, of course-having to buy a book almost every time she walked into a book store. She leafed through titles, feeling the man's eyes on her, no doubt willing her to walk away and leave him to his peaceful perusal of his titles. Madison, in both an attempt to alleviate his annoyance, as well as to expedite her trek back to the Hotel, picked the first good title she came across and took it to the clerk's register. She engaged in a friendly conversation of sorts with the shopkeeper, shooting one last look over his shoulder to see Harry, murking in the shadows, watching her. When he noticed her eyes on his, he turned his back quickly, shoulders hunched as he became suddenly very engrossed in his book.
"Thank you again," Madison told the store clerk, giving the little girl a quick pat on the head before she left Bergman's Books, and the strange man in black, behind.