The Summer Project
Chapter 2: Spinners End
'Big Brother isn't watching. He's singing and dancing. He's pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother's busy holding your attention every moment you're awake. He's making sure you're always distracted. He's making sure you're fully absorbed.'
- Chuck Palahniuk
School ended on a Friday, meaning much to Severus' dismay James would be coming to his house tomorrow... if not tonight. He had talked to Slughorn who had confirmed that the requirement for the weekend was both Friday and Saturday night.
He sat on the train home, the compartment empty. Lily, who usually sat with him was off with her Hufflepuff partner talking over some of the questions. He leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes. He heard a sudden bang and then heard the door to his compartment close. He looked up to see James in his compartment.
"What do you want?" He asked. James plopped himself down on the seat opposite him and shrugged.
"All the other compartments where full due to this whole partner thing." He said. "Besides we can get some of this stuff out of the way now." He said pulling out the card. "So Snivellus... what do you want to be in ten years?" Severus rolled his eyes ignoring the stupid nick name.
"Twenty Seven." He said simply. James rolled his eyes at his answer imitating Severus' action.
"Seriously man we have to take this thing seriously if we want to get this over with. The more we petsky foot around this the longer it will take. What do you want to be in ten years?" Severus rolled his eyes again.
"I was being serious." He said. "I want to be twenty seven." James looked at him confused.
"Um... generally when one is seventeen, in ten years they will be twenty seven, so that's not really an answer."
"It's a perfectly logical answer if where you want to be is alive." James took a moment to process what he was saying.
"Man... you are so depressing." He said. "You're not going to die before you're twenty seven." Severus looked at him and shrugged.
"Sure..." He said simply scratching his left forearm.
"Okay so lets assume that you're not going to die.... what do you want to be?" Severus sighed. James wasn't going to give up. And as much as he hated it this project needed to be done.
"I don't know... Definitely not a teacher... I wouldn't be able to stand the lot of dunderheads I'd be stuck teaching." He said. "I'd probably just wind up working for my father... if anything. I can't see myself getting a decent job in the wizarding world."
"You're fathers a muggle?" James asked surprised. Severus nodded slightly and James burst out laughing. "You? The all mighty Slytherin... is a half-blood?"
"Laugh it up Potter not everyone in that school is as pure as you seem to think you are." He said. "And I believe that covers the 'something personal' question as well." There was a bit of silence as James was writing things down on a parchment. Severus shuttered to think what the boy was writing about him. "So what about you Potter? What do you want to be in ten years?" He asked.
"I don't know... maybe a professional quiddich player. Hopefully have a nice big house, with lots of kids... Married to Lily..." He saw Severus' jaw clench. "What do you think? Lily Evans Potter? Has a nice ring to it no?" He asked knowing this was killing Snape.
"No." He said simply. James laughed. "Did you tell your parents where you'd be this weekend?" James nodded.
"Yeah... they weren't to impressed that I'm spending my weekend with a Slytherin but they understood." He said. "Did you tell your parents?"
"No." Severus said.
"No? Isn't your mom going to freak?" Severus looked at him and shook his head.
"No..." Was all he said.
"You're parents don't care if you bring people home with you?" Severus didn't answer that. He knew that either way, if he told his father or not his dad was going to flip. He hated people coming to his home, let alone wizards. He hated the lot of them. Including his mother. She had kept the fact that she was a witch from him until he was almost three years old and odd things started happening around the house. He found out and had taken his anger out on her until he was old enough to withstand the beatings himself. Then he turned on him.
James leaned forward and snapped his fingers in front of Severus' face bringing his attention back to the present. Severus looked at him lazily before looking back out the window.
"You know it's rude when you ignore someone when they are asking a question."
"Unless you can't answer the question." Severus said. James looked confused.
"How can you not answer the question." He asked. "It's a simple-" He was cut off as an envelope flew into the room and hovered in mid air in front of them. It opened up as if it where forming a face of it's own and began speaking. It was Slughorn's voice.
"Good evening students," It said. It must be a general message for everyone. "As I have stated back in the school there are thirteen questions on your card. There is going to be a few changes. If you look at your card there are now fourteen questions." Severus pulled out his card and saw that another question was being written by some unseen source, though it was definitely Slughorn's writing. "There is going to be a few changes in rules as well... as this is a new program we will be tweaking it to improve the progress. In addition through out the summer we will be adding questions or tasks to your cards. Be sure to check your cards frequently and keep in touch with your partner." Severus groaned. As if this project could get any worse. "Make the best of your projects and enjoy your summers. -Professor Slughorn."
Severus sighed and leaned his head against his seat. He was vaguely aware of James reading the new task.
"Do some chores around the house. Make it easier and work together." Severus looked up.
"We'll do that one at your place... we do that one at mine we'll end up with a list four miles long from my father." He said rolling his eyes.
"Fine..." He said. "At least I'd have some help getting some stuff done. Are you over seventeen yet? We could probably just use magic to do it." Just as he said this the words "No Magic" appeared at the top of their cards.
"Guess that's a new tweak." Severus said throwing his card onto the seat in front of him.
"Ya think?" James asked annoyed. "So..." He said looking at his card. "Here.... do an impression of a celebrity or a famous character." Severus looked at him.
"I think not..." Severus said.
"You have too..." He said looking at the "Something personal" task. "It auto crosses off once it's been done. So they'll know if you don't." Severus sighed.
"An impression of who?" He asked. James shrugged.
"I don't know.... anyone you want I guess..." Severus sighed and thought for a while, thinking of someone he'd want to do an impression of.
"Does it matter how long it is? The only things I can think of are pretty.... longish... Ones that I like anyway..."
James shrugged. "Just get it over with." Severus sat up a bit straighter and held himself with the confidence of a king.
"You are going to be hanged. 'Tis a very simple matter, gentlemen and honest bourgeois! as you treat our people in your abode, so we treat you in ours! The law which you apply to vagabonds, vagabonds apply to you.
'Tis your fault if it is harsh. One really must behold the grimace of an honest man above the hempen collar now and then; that renders the thing honorable. Come, friend, divide your rags gayly among these damsels. I am going to have you hanged to amuse the vagabonds, and you are to give them your purse to drink your health. If you have any mummery to go through with, there's a very good God the Father in that mortar yonder, in stone, which we stole from Saint-Pierre aux Boeufs. You have four minutes in which to fling your soul at his head."
James looked at him like he was nuts. "What... was that from." Severus sighed. Figures James wouldn't know a good piece of literature from a rap song.
"It's from the hunchback of notre-dame." He said. James suddenly perked up recognizing the title.
"Oh I think I've seen that. That's the one with the singing gargoyles right." Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It's a book by a muggle named Victor Hugo... written in eighteen thirty one." He said shaking his head and looked down to his card as the task was being crossed off of James card.
"You're turn."
James sighed and sat back cracking his neck. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!"
Severus raised an eyebrow. "That's it?" He asked. "I didn't see you as the gone with the wind type." He said. James shrugged and looked at Severus' card which wasn't being crossed off.
"My mom made me watch it a few times... it was the first thing that popped into my head. Why isn't it being crossed off?" He asked.
"Maybe it's not long enough?" Severus shrugged. "Try again."
"Maybe you have a faulty card."
"Just try again." James groaned and sat back in his chair slumping in his seat.
"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Well, who the hell else are you talkin' to? You talkin' to me? Well, I'm the only one here. Who the f--k do you think you're talkin' to?" Severus smirked.
"Better.... but still not crossed off." He said showing him the card.
James sighed. "Alright I got one but you have to promise not to laugh." Severus smirked.
"I can't guarantee anything." He said. James kinda screwed up his face and did his best impression.
"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?"
"The Mad Hatter.... Potter knows how to read." Severus said grinning. "I love that book."
James nodded. "It was one of my favorites when I was little. It's just kinda stuck with me." James saw that both the impression and the something in common question where crossed off. James smiled. "We keep this up and its gonna be done by the time we get to your place." James laughed. He paused realizing he was actually having a relatively good time with Snape of all people. Though his party didn't seem all to happy to be with him. Though he was smirking a bit.
"Only problem is what are we going to do that has to do with what we have in common?" James asked. Severus shrugged. James suddenly smirked.
"I have an idea.... but if you tell anyone I swear I'll kill you." He said. "Besides you might like it." He leaned back in his seat as Severus waited for him to tell him what his idea was. "I'm not telling. You'll just have to wait and see." He said. "Lets just live through this weekend and worry about that later." Just as he said this the train came to a stop. They got off quickly and made their way onto the platform where their luggage and items already awaited. James owl Hedwig sat on his cart and hooted at him as soon as he saw James, bitting at the lock wating to come out. James' luggage was right next to Severus' as was anticipated. He looked around and saw many families on the platform greeting their children, some, like his, had stayed home knowing that they would not be home for another weekend. James looked around to see if he could spot Severus' parents even though he'd never seen them before. He looked around and realized that Severus was already making his way through the platform and ran to catch up with him.
"Where's your parents?" James asked.
"Either at home or at work..." Severus said pulling out his wand and shrinking down his luggage so that it was light enough to carry. James followed suit.
"They don't pick you up?" James asked finding it odd.
"No... never have." He said.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
James was starting to get annoyed as they sat at the bus stop for nearly forty minutes before it showed up. Severus dropped a few coins into the change slot and moved onto the bus.
"Uh... Severus... slight problem..." James said. Severus rolled his eyes and put his things down on one of the seats. It was already after dark the bus for the most part was empty. He moved back to the front of the bus and threw a few more coins in.
As they sat down Severus noticed that James face was slightly tinted red. "Sorry... I don't have any muggle money." He said.
"What ever..."
"How long is it until we reach your house?" He asked.
"About twenty minutes." Severus wasn't paying attention to him so much as the window. Just like on the train.
True to Severus word it was exactly twenty minutes until they reached the other bus stop. James was looking outside and was silently praying that they didn't stop in this area. It was filthy and looked all out dangerous to be in at night. Though as luck would have it, Severus pulled the string to signal the bus stop. James was suddenly wishing that he had asked Severus to stay at his place instead of vice versa. The walked about a block, James cursing every time he heard an odd noise making Severus laugh.
"What's the matter? Big strong wizard afraid of a few cats and back alleys?" He asked as he made his way through one. James was about to retort when Severus stopped in front of a door. He pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door and pushed inside.
"Hello?" Severus called out. He was sure at this time his father was going to be at work so he really wasn't all that worried. James stepped into the house and put his stuff by Severus' and looked up when he heard foot steps. He glanced up the stairs and saw a little girl, maybe four or five years old at the top of the stairs. She smiled at Severus and smiled enthusiastically as she ran full tilt down the stairs leaping into his arms.
"Hello Samara." He said smiling down at her. She waved at Severus again before seeing James for the first time. She automatically hid behind Severus. "It's okay Sam. This is James he's a.... friend." He told her.
"Hi Samara." James said moving down to her hight and holding out his hand. "I'm James..." He said. She bit her hand and hid further behind Severus.
"Don't mind her... she's... shy." He said.
"I can see that. Is she your sister?" He asked. He could see the resemblance between the two clearly.
"Half." He said. "But yes... she's my sister." Severus said picking Samara up into his arms.
"Is dad at work?" Severus asked. Samara nodded. "Have you eaten yet?" Samara shook her head.
"Where's your mom?" James asked. "She's not here alone is she?" He asked. Severus shifted and put Samara on the floor again.
"Samara go into the kitchen I'll get you something to eat okay." James noticed that Samara looked like she was going to cry. "It's okay... I'll be there in a minute okay." Samara nodded and made her way into the kitchen. Once she was out of ear shot James started up again.
"Was she here alone? Where's your mom or dad shouldn't they be taking care of her?" He asked. Severus turned on him fury deeply etched on his face. James had seen Severus mad before but no where to this extent.
"Now listen here... how my family works is none of your business. My father is at work and if you really must know my mother past away two years ago... a few hours before I caught the train back to Hogwarts, you recall the day don't you?" James did recall the day. It was the day Snape had received the nickname Snivellus. No one knew why Snape had been crying and no one bothered to ask. He suddenly felt bad for making fun of him that day.
"I'm sorry." Was all James could get out.
"Of course you are..." Severus said angrily. "No one bothers talking to me and when they find out what's really going on their suddenly sorry when they never cared in the first place. I don't want your apologies and I don't want your sympathy." He turned away from James and moved into the kitchen to tend to Samara. He always worried about her all year. During the summers she would come and sleep with him, run to him when she was scared. But when he was in school, she had no one. It was hard on the both of them, more so her than him.
"What do you want to eat Samara?" He asked opening the fridge and regretting doing so. It stank horribly. He shut it again and moved to the cupboard. "You want some mac and cheese?" He asked. "I can make you some if you like." He looked back at her and saw her nod as James entered the kitchen. He threw a pot with some water onto the stove and tossed the noodles into it.
"If you want something to drink James we have glasses up there and water..." He said. "Not much other than that. James nodded. He felt uncomfortable standing in the kitchen. He sat down across from Samara. "Have you been to the park lately?" Severus asked as he waited for the water to boil. Samara nodded. "Did you make any friends?" He asked. She shook her head. He smiled slightly. "You will don't worry." He said. The water came to a boil and he drained the noodles after washing out the strainer. He finished making the mac and cheese and tossed a bit into three bowls. Handing one to James and one to Samara, he stood leaning against the counter while he ate as there where only two chairs at the table. Once they finished eating Severus put Samara to bed and led James to his bedroom. "It's not much but..." He paused and turned his light on. Severus wasn't joking, there wasn't much. There was a single bed with a rusted bed frame, a dresser that had a broken drawer, a side dresser with a shadeless lamp and a few random posters on the wall.
"I have some blankets in the hall, you can sleep on the floor." He said. James looked at the floor and once again wished that he had invited Severus to his place.
((AN.... alright bed time for the Thomas.... lol.... hope you like this chapter more to come soon....))
