Chapter 2 -
Severus walked slowly back up Diagon Alley. He knew Flourish and Blotts would
be crowded, and he hoped to prolong the moment until he would enter the shop.
Finally he looked up into the glaring sun shining on the swinging bookshop sign.
Sighing, he opened the glass door and edged his way through the growing swarm of
witches and wizards. Severus found the section marked 'Hogwarts Readings' and
squeezed towards the 6th year shelves. There he saw two boys in his house and a few
giggling girls he knew by site but not name. Keeping his head lowered, he grabbed a
copy of 'Curse and Counter Curse' and started pushing his way in the direction of the
cash register desk. A harassed looking man with a sweating brow and dangling round
glasses stood at the desk arguing with a large witch about the price of a copy of 'Love
Potions for Hopeless People: A Guide to Finding Your Perfect Match for the Less-
Fortunate Among Us'. Severus searched the line for the end, eventually seeing it near
the front doors. He made his way there, cursing the second-hand shop for not having
his book.
Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his back and he gasped, falling sprawled on the
floor. A pile of books fell from the arms of the man in line in front of him.
'...rough-housing in a bookshop! Really!' Grumbling, the man stooped and
picked up his books.
Severus stood up and looked behind him. A grinning face disappeared behind a
bookcase. He recognized that face. Placing 'Curse and Counter Curse' in the bag
from the other shop, Severus stepped out of line and ran behind the bookcase where
he had seen the boy, pulling his wand from his pocket. Sirius Black stood leaning
against the shelves in a nonchalant but evidently pleased way. He was grinning from
ear to ear.
'Hello Snivellus. Fancy seeing you here, I thought you shopped in that store
down the street, what's it called?' Sirius screwed up his eye's in mock confusion,
'Oh, yeah. Second Read.' He waited for the Severus to respond with a sardonic smile.
'Yeah, fancy seeing you out of detention. How many points did you lose at the
end of last year?' Severus knew he had hit a nerve. The smile slid off of Sirius' face
and a cold expression replaced it. His hand went to the wand sticking out of his back
pocket.
'Say that again, Snivellus,' his voice barely a whisper.
'Yeah, what did you do? Oh I remember! Something about an exploding toilet?
Yeah, what a Howler! How many points was it? I guess I should say thanks. Without
your 'antics' we wouldn't have won the house cup.'
'Expelliarmus!' Sirius yelled, and Severus was thrown backwards into a
bookcase, causing books to tumble down upon him. He quickly got to his feet,
wincing at the pain in his back. He spotted his wand laying a few feet away and lunged
for it. Just before he could grasp the handle however, another curse was aimed at him
and he was again thrown in the air, this time hitting a table laden with a display of
transfiguration books. Severus felt the stinging in his knees and as he touched them
he felt warm blood seeping through his ropes. The witches and wizards who had been
patiently waiting in line were now crowded around Severus, looking shocked and
angry. The manager hurried over with a look of pure fury making red his face. He
bustled over to Severus and started ranting at him.
'What do you think you are doing?' He started picking up the books strewn all
over the floor, 'Trying to do one of these spells? Or dueling I suppose!' The manager
placed the books in a stack on the table and stood up, grabbing the color of Severus'
robes.
'Get out of this shop! You won't be coming here again if I have anything to do
with it. Get out!'
Severus stood up trembling. He grabbed his wand and started out of the shop. As
he passed the place that Sirius had been moments before he saw no one. Rage filling
him once again he stalked out of the store not noticing the stares following him and
slammed the door on his way out.
Standing alone in the alley outside Flourish and Blotts Severus calmed a bit. He
then realized that he hadn't paid for 'Curse and Counter Curse' now residing in his bag.
He was too angry to go back and deposit his money, and instead he walked off in the
direction of the apothecary.
The apothecary was among Severus' favorite stores. He didn't like potion's class
at school particularly, the potions master was incredibly nasty, but potion making was
something that came quite naturally for Severus. He paid attention to even the
subtlest of details, which really helped in potions class.
Stepping into the apothecary he breathed in the pungent air, very unlike the
stuffy air of the second hand shop. The apothecary smelled of a mix of many potions
ingredients, a medley of the components that make up a good potion.
Severus headed towards a set of shelves that reached from the floor to the
ceiling laden with jars and bottles containing herbs and animal parts that were
essential to potion making. He ran his fingers along the labels underneath each jar
and eventually came across a small vial of powdered horn of bicorn. He gazed at it,
thinking of all its magical properties. It was a very useful ingredient in transfiguring
potions, but for fourteen sickles! Thinking he probably wouldn't be able to afford
anything in this store, Severus turned to leave.
'Like potions do you, boy?' Said a wheezy voice from the shadows. A small
hunched man stepped into the light, leaning on a twisted cane and looking inquiringly
up at Severus.
'Err, yes.'
'I have something I think you'll enjoy,' he walked to a bookshelf and took a large
book from one of the highest shelves. Dusting it off with the sleeve of his robes he
handed it to Severus. The leather cover was inscribed with gold lettering that read;
Portable Potions: An Advanced Guide to Everyday Potion Making, by Arsenius
Jigger.
'Thanks,' said Severus, gazing at the title, then he asked dreading the answer,
'How much is it?'
'Two Sickles.' Severus reached into his pocket and pulled out the remaining
money from his father. He found two Sickles and gave them to the man, feeling only
four Knuts remaining in his pocket. He decided to get a scoop of dried beetle root
for two Knuts and five dried salamander eyes for a Knut because he had almost ran
out of those ingredients last year. The store clerk placed each ingredient in a glass jar
and wrapped everything in brown paper. Severus put the parcel in his bag and walked
out of the store, feeling considerably better than he had moments before.
As he walked past Quality Quidditch Supplies someone shouted, 'Hey, Snivelly,
you going to try out for the Slytherin team this year? Maybe if you weren't such a
little slime ball you wouldn't slide off your broom so much!' As everybody laughed
Severus stopped walking, his shoulders tense. He slowly pulled his wand from his
pocket and turned to face the crowd.
There was Sirius, and next to him, was the boy who had spoken. He was the one
laughing the loudest, at the front of the pack, his black hair looking untidy and as if he
had just gotten off his broom. His wide smirk made something snap inside Severus,
who was trying to compose his anger and ignore him. His fingers were white on his
wand. He yelled the first curse he could think of and sent the boy to his knees in fits
of giggles. Sirius produced the counter-curse and the boy stood up, panting.
'Is that the best you can come up with?' He said between gasps. Severus, feeling
defeated and angry with himself turned away and walked quickly back up the street
amid gales of laughter. He arrived in Knockturn Alley, deftly turning into his fathers
shop and thrusting the change into his hand. Even his father's whispered screams for
the pitiful amount of change could not stir Severus from his stupor, and he just
nodded and left the store, making his way towards the fireplace at Borgan and Burkes.
He grabbed a handful of floo powder and before Mr Borgan could charge him for it
he was spinning towards home.
The single thought that penetrated Severus' preoccupied mind as he threw
himself onto his bed in his darkened room was his absolute loathing for James
Potter.