A/N: All of the places in this story are real, as are many of the situations. Thank you so much to my first couple of reviewers, you got me really excited get another chapter out. I don't know if I'll be able to update this fast all the time, but right now I've become slightly obsessed with the story right now. I know the chapter is short, but I wanted to get it out. Enjoy!
I don't own Harry Potter characters or spells, blah blah blah.
Chapter 2: The Arrival
Severus Snape stood facing the foreign fireplace with his arms open, waiting to receive the ungraceful Tonks when she predictably tumbled out. He was wearing black, muggle jeans, a black belt, a short-sleeved, black collared shirt, and a loosely fitting black trench coat. Merlin only knew why he was wearing the trench coat; it was about seventy degrees outside. He glanced down at his shoes, which were made of black leather. Within seconds, Nymphadora Tonks stumbled out of the fireplace with her arms open as if she were about to take flight. Snape caught her and held her only a moment while he steadied her. He then took her by the shoulders and spun her around, away from the fireplace. Today she wore a relatively plain pair of jeans with rips on the left thigh and right calf, a white t-shirt with the word 'anarchy' written in red, and a matching pair of red converse sneakers. Her hair was long and lime-green in low pigtails. Her eyes were the same endless pools of darkness as Snape's, and her skin mirrored his ghostly pale complexion. She also had morphed her nose to be a little bigger and a little more crooked than it normally was. In almost any other place, these two would stick out like a sore thumb. However, this was New York.
"Can't ever quite get that landing, can I?" Tonks grinned up at him gratefully.
"That, or any other one," Snape said condescendingly. "Let's get out of here before you take down the entire building."
The room that they were in was entirely bare except for the fireplace, which was attached to one of the four walls. Each wall was made up of dark blue bricks, which had begun to erode and collect dust. The floor was hard, un-even and gray. The ceiling, which was exceptionally high, was the same faded blue as the walls. It would appear to the ordinary muggle that there was no way in or out of the room, save the fireplace. Snape walked up to one of the walls, took out his wand, and tapped out a pattern into five of the bricks. The bricks then parted and made enough room for a Snape-sized person to get through. Snape hid his wand inside one of the pockets of his trench coat and walked through the opening, followed by Tonks.
They both froze as they looked out onto Columbus Avenue. Hundreds of people were briskly moving in different directions. Snape jumped slightly at the sound of two taxis beeping as they almost collided into one another. He then glared in vain at numerous pedestrians as they hurriedly bumped into him without apology. Snape wordlessly grabbed Tonks, who had been looking upward in awe at the various tall buildings, by the shoulder and walked with her to the corner of the street.
"Bloody hell," Snape breathed as soon as they stopped walking. "This has got to be one of the most terrifying things I have ever experienced, and I have been in the presence of the Dark Lord himself." He leaned against one of the buildings to avoid being trampled.
"Are you kidding? This is amazing! Look at all the buildings! And the people! And the…fast yellow things! I hear music coming from over there, Severus, let's go see-…" Tonks started as she pointed with one hand and tried to drag Severus in the opposite direction with the other.
"Nymphadora Tonks, if you so much as think about moving within six inches of me I will hex you into the next century and obliviate every single muggle here if I have to. Not that I would mind if you got hopelessly lost, but the Headmaster specifically forbade me from allowing that to happen. Now shut up and for Merlin's sake stay near me." Snape pointed his finger in her face as if he were scolding a first year student. Tonks glared right back at him and haughtily put her hands on her hips.
"Severus Snape, I am a grown witch and I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I am no longer one of your students. You are about as intimidating to me as an old shoe. And if you ever call me Nymphadora again, I will charm away all of your clothes and leave you in the middle of the street in your little spider and bat-covered knickers."
"How…how dare you…I don't wear…enough of this!" Severus sputtered, trying to regain his composure. "Incase you've forgotten, we're here for a reason. I'd like to execute this as quickly as possible." He pulled out the piece of paper that Albus had given him with the address of the university. Also on the paper were hastily drawn arrows, indicating that the university was down the street and to the right of their current location. "According to this, all we need to do is walk down this street. The university should be directly ahead of us. Shall we?" Severus tried to say calmly.
"After you, dad" Tonks said mockingly. They didn't even get halfway down the block when an enthusiastic young man with a blonde mini-mohawk, a light pink t-shirt and a rainbow colored wristband holding a clipboard blocked their path.
"Excuse me sir, do you have a minute for gay rights?" he asked Snape with a lisp. However, Snape gave him a look that could melt iron, and the young man didn't wait for an answer. He walked away quickly, muttering "thanks, have a nice day," and confronted a tall woman in a green hat.
They took a couple more steps when a man in a bright blue suit handed Tonks a card with small black print. "Do you like to laugh?" the man asked her. Delighted, Tonks replied, "Why of cour-…" Snape cut her off, looked at the man squarely in the eyes, and said, "Do you like to have your flesh removed with a sharp object, poked around in a fireplace, and sewed back on with a piece of cutlery?" The man walked away quickly, turned back around to look at Snape, and broke out into a run.
"Severus!" Tonks half laughed, half scolded. "Was that really necessary?"
"I swear, if one more muggle imbecile questions me or tries to offer me something I will turn him into a cockroach and step on him!" Severus angrily stalked down the rest of the block and Tonks had to run to catch up with him. He stopped suddenly when the words Fordham University came into clear view. Tonks ran into him and they both plummeted to the ground.
"Get off me, you bloody menace," Snape growled as quickly rose to his feet.
"Are we here? We're here! How exciting!" Tonks sprang up off the ground. "Well it's rather small, isn't it?" She pointed to a decent-sized blue and grey building with a small number of young people standing outside talking, laughing, and reading. In front there were wooden benches surrounded by patches of grass, decorated with red and yellow tulips.
"And you were you expecting a castle?" Severus asked while glaring at the teenagers who appeared to be enjoying themselves. When he realized that none of them were the one he was looking for, he pulled Tonks toward the entrance with him and said, "Now let's get inside before I curse someone."