Disclaimer: I own only Lenore, the Kerchek family, and a handful of unimportant shop keepers. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.


Flitterbloom's Potions & Supplies wasn't the sort of place most people visited. In fact most had never even heard of it. It certainly wasn't the sort of place Lenore ever saw herself working at when she was a child, yet here she was restocking shelves and placing orders to fill in the days to come. You see, Diagon Alley, with all of its finery was… expensive. They just simply couldn't afford the overhead, and in the long run it was just easier to run it out of Mr. and Mrs. Kerchek's house. Sure they didn't make much money, but Lenore had never minded that. In fact Lenore didn't mind the long hours and mostly sleepless nights either. To be simply honest she enjoyed the various people who stopped by for the odd herb or random emergency potions. She knew all of the regular customers by name, and after working there for two years, despite it being a small shop, it was quite a list. This is why she was so puzzled when the man dressed in all black with shoulder length black hair knocked on the door.

"One moment!" Mrs. Kerchek, Daisy if you knew her well, yelled as she raced downstairs, her feet thudding loudly on the rickety steps. Lenore watched as the woman dressed in her usual burgundy wizard robes whip her wand around, hiding their stocks and neat shelves with a glamour spell. With every flick of her wrist the shelves turned into couches and tables, armchairs and porcelain plates with tiny cats on them. "Lenore, go back to the kitchen unless I call for you." She waved her off as she hid the last bottle of Boom Berry juice under the glamour enchantment. Daisy began patting her wavy blonde hair back into place as she paced to the front door, and Lenore rolled her eyes only to follow at her heels, excitedly. "I thought I told you-" Daisy whispered, but shook her head. "Never mind, too late now." They had reached the door and Daisy opened it revealing the tall gentleman at their door. "Hello sir, I'm sorry but we don't want whatever you're selling!" Even when totally dismissing someone Daisy's plastered on smile never fell from her face.

"I was told to ask for Darcy." The man held a basket in his left hand and the other hid behind his back. His sharp piercing eyes seemed to look right through them both.

"Really now?" Daisy raised her eyebrow slightly, her smile becoming more genuine. "Well there isn't no Darcy here! Come in, come in!" she gently pushed Lenore back away from the door to make room for the man to squeak past them. "Thought you were from the Ministry!" she laughed before flicking her wand one last time, ending the glamour and returning the house back to its usual crammed mess.

"No, I assure you I'm not." He glanced around, his eyes continuously returning back to them before flitting off in other directions.

"Well, this is Flitterbloom's, I'm Daisy, and this," she paused long enough to jerk Lenore by her arm, who was abnormally quiet, closer towards them, "This is Lenore, she helps me run the place."

"Hello." Lenore forced a smile, abnormally nervous. The man, in her opinion was very intimidating. He stood straight, shoulders back, one hand still hidden behind his back. She looked a bit closer at his face as Mrs. Kerchek began spouting about what they sell. His face had a bit of coldness to it, something Lenore couldn't tell if it was due to stress, or if it was just natural sneer his mouth twisted into. His eyes were ever watchful, and Lenore was sure that he knew she was all but gaping at the poor man.

"We deliver, but only if you aren't too far away. Can't be caught by the Ministry you know." Daisy kept pouring her rules, much to the man's dismay. He had pulled out a small folded square of parchment, and Lenore reached out for it, her warm fingers grazing his cold ones briefly. Lenore forced a half smile and opened the list, frowning slightly at a few of the rarer ingredients, but nodded all the same.

"Sorry." She mouthed to him and rushed off to the back to see if they had any frozen Ashwinder eggs. Lenore entered the kitchen walked past the bubbling cauldrons and pushed open the heavy door to what Muggles would call the pantry. Her eyes quickly searched the room and she found the jar. She looked at the list again, most were fresh ingredients that she had in the green house out back. Lenore frowned again as Daisy's boisterous laughter filled the air. That poor man! Daisy was friendly, sure, but she talked your ear off if given the chance. (Despite most protests from the customers she talked away regardless.) Lenore tucked the jar carefully under her arm before pulling the heavy door closed and headed back to the main floor of this home/shop. If possible the man's sneer deepened since her excursion to the pantry. Lenore bit her lip, her chocolate eyes sending him a silent apology.

"That's why we would never move to Diagon Alley!" Daisy laughed again, and Lenore felt a bit sorry for the woman.

"Excuse me, sir?" Lenore took her chance to save the man's poor ears.

"This is Professor Snape, from Hogwarts dear!" Daisy rolled her green eyes. "I know you've never been to Hogwarts, but this man is the best potions teacher in all of Europe!" Daisy smiled brighter then she had before.

"Professor Snape, sir, could you follow me to the green house then? I want to make sure that you get everything you need." Lenore moved forward and handed him his Ashwinder eggs.

"Oh, yes! Follow her! We don't normally let people in there, but for you!" Daisy was gushing, proud to have such a prestigious man in her house.

Lenore paced silently to the green house, enjoying the cool breeze as it wafted past, dreading the humidity of the green house. She made careful note of the potted plants they passed, including Flitterbloom's, which the shop was named for. They had chosen it because it was deceptive; it looked remarkably like Devil's Snare, just like the shop looked much like a normal home on the outside. She pulled open the green house's green plated glass door and let Professor Snape pass through first before following and shutting the door firmly.

"I'm sorry about her. She means well enough." Lenore said quietly before pulling a stool out for him to sit on. She placed it in the middle of the room. "I really didn't need you back here, but you looked irritated." She turned away and pulled on some gloves left on a rather crowded table. He didn't say much, nor did he sit down, but she didn't let that bother her. He obviously didn't want to converse, so she was happy enough to work in silence. She plucked Boom Berries, and cut the last of the Dittany. She crossed the room back and forth, cutting this, separating that, placing things in the basket he had brought, never once noticing that Professor Snape's eyes never left her. She returned to the middle of the room and handed back the list.

"How much?" He indicated the basket.

"I'm sorry, but the Nux Myristica won't be ready till next week at the earliest." Lenore ignored his question for the moment. "If you need more Dittany I won't have any for at least four months." Lenore took off her gloves and tossed them back onto the cluttered table. "The Boom Berries won't keep very long in the heat, and after this week I won't have any more fresh ones till next year." she shrugged.

"How much?" he repeated, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Since the Nux isn't ready, I'll have to give you a slight discount." she smiled and winked at him. "It'll be ten Galleons unless you ask Miss Kerchek, she'll charge closer to thirty if you do." He reached into his coin purse and fished the coins out before placing them on the table.

"Could you deliver the Nux Myristica when it's ready?" his voice was clipped, but Lenore didn't hold it against him.

"You'd have to leave your address, but if you send your list here, I can prevent you from having to make the trip." Lenore nodded and pocketed the Galleons without counting them.

Snape left his address with Lenore, silently hoping it would be anyone but Daisy who'd deliver his ingredients. That woman grated on every nerve he had.


I know it is still a bit short, but everything is still being set up. I welcome all comments good or bad- Thanks for reading!