Severus sighed as he adjusted his cap and rode his bike to work.
"Merlin, how the mighty have fallen," he thought bitterly.
His time in the Muggle world had not been that unpleasant – his job paid the bills and he was no longer in danger of ending on the streets – but he missed being a wizard. He missed magic. He missed his potions. Yes, even though he hated to admit it, he missed even the Headmaster. Though the old man had thrown him aside as if he was nothing, no one else had trusted him. If he was honest he had to admit that said trust was based on blackmail more than the Headmasters confidence in his character, but still – on rare occasions he had shared something like a camaraderie with Dumbledore.
He entered the building and the small room where he and his colleague would be spending the night watching the monitors. To his surprise, Denise, his colleague, stuffed a handkerchief in her pocket the moment she noticed him. It was clear she had been crying, however.
"What is wrong?" he asked awkwardly, not at all used to situations like these.
She shrugged. "I'm being fired next month," she admitted.
"For what reason?" he enquired, "I have noticed no deficiency in your work."
"I'm too fat!" Denise cried out angrily, "I'm nearly 100 pounds overweight, Severus! They say I'm not fit enough anymore."
Severus studied the woman closely. Yes, she did rather resemble Pomona Sprout, only much taller.
"There's no way I can lose this much wait quickly," Denise lamented, "I'll lose my job! And then what? I have kids to feed."
In his mind, Severus only half heard her. "Hmm…should do…an iron cauldron…"
"Severus? What are you muttering?"
He looked up. "I think I can help you," he announced, "I need to work on something…"
sssssssss
"Harry, my boy! Studying hard for your NEWTS, I see."
"Headmaster," Harry nodded frostily, "If you would excuse me, I need to finish this chapter today…"
"You are so distant, my boy. Surely there is no reason for that?" the slight disappointment in the grandfatherly voice no longer made Harry feel guilty and he stood up.
"Unfortunately, I have to share a castle with you for a few more weeks, but I do not intend to be around you any more than I have to, Headmaster."
The twinkle died. "Harry, you must understand that all the sacrifices…"
"Yeah, yeah. For the greater good," Harry waved his hand in dismissal. "You know what, sir? People will sacrifice a lot, when they are convinced it is for a good cause. They will lay down their life for their friends if needs be. The difference is that you gave us no choice. YOU sacrificed, you decided what each of us had to give up. That is not sacrifice, that is theft."
He took a deep breath. "You are nothing but a common thief, Headmaster, who robbed me of a childhood and Professor Snape of his safety, his home and his dignity the moment you no longer needed us."
He slammed his book shut and headed for the Gryffindor Tower, leaving the dumbstruck man behind.
sssssssss
After work, Severus paid a few visits and came home with arms full of ingredients.
"Hmm…now…lets see…"
That evening, without having slept a moment, he smirked contently as he held out two bottles to his colleague.
"Here. Take three tablespoons of this each morning. One tablespoon of the green one before you go to bed."
She eyed him curiously. "What is this?"
"A home remedy. It will help you lose weight."
Suspicious, she uncorked one bottle and sniffed. "That smells like dog piss."
"Adding sugar would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it? I can guarantee you it is not toxic in any way. You said yourself that there is no chance of losing the weight with conventional methods fast enough, so you have nothing to lose, do you?"
"Good point," she sighed, "Alright, I'll try it. When we are on duty together again next week I'll let you know how the disgusting stuff didn't work."
ssssssssss
"Did you upset Dumbledore, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Probably," Harry answered, preoccupied with his book.
"Well mate, he does look chagrined," Ron commented. "Does he know yet you plan to live with us after Hogwarts?"
"He suspects it, I suppose. He may believe that I've asked your parents to adopt me."
"Haven't you?" Hermione frowned, "I thought that would go hand in hand."
"Of course not, I'm of age now, remember? No, I've made sure no one can claim guardianship over me, or somehow manage to move my majority to a more convenient age," Harry explained, "I have full control over my assets, and the only reason I will be living with the Weasleys is to experience a real, loving family life. The moment I leave this castle, a restraining order goes into effect, banning Albus Dumbledore from contacting me or coming near me unless I initiate it. The Ministry was most helpful." He sneered.
Neville grimaced. "That's the way things are now, Harry. Sorry."
"Hmm. I'm considering moving abroad after a while," Harry confessed, "at least for a few years until the worst of the commotion dies down."
"As long as you don't forget our agreement for after the NEWTS," Neville nodded.
"Of course not," Harry agreed, "The very day we walk out of here."
Hermione and Ron shared a confused glance.
sssssssss
"Well? How did it not work?" Severus asked Denise a week later, even though he could already see.
"Oh Severus, it's a miracle!" The woman rushed forward and hugged him tightly. Snape squirmed uncomfortably.
"I lost nearly 20 pounds, and I didn't even feel tired! You're amazing!"
"Yes, well. Keep using the draughts I gave you, but take extra vitamins and minerals," he instructed, "the weight loss will probably slow down after a while, but I think if all goes well, you will have lost enough weight to keep your job."
"It's wonderful, Severus. Why haven't you marketed this stuff? Alright, it tastes horrible, but it works! Do you know how many people would profit from this?"
"I – " he stopped. Muggles weren't supposed to know about magic, but he hadn't used any magical ingredients for this potion – just regular herbs and his own innate magic in the brewing process. There really wasn't a reason he shouldn't sell this to Muggles. They would think it simply a herbal remedy.
"Perhaps," he consented, and decided to take a week's vacation to brew and see if he could find some way to sell the product.
ssssssss
TIRED OF FIGHTING THE LOSING BATTLE AGAINST THE SCALE?
WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT?
TRY THIS NEW, PAINLESS REMEDY!
All natural ingredients. Success guaranteed!
Severus stared at the ad with mixed feelings. He had quit his job to brew fulltime, and happy though he was being back behind his cauldrons, he still felt restricted. Once he had developed it, the potion was relatively easy to brew – no dangerous ingredients, just straightforward brewing. The first potion did two things – it actually decreased the amount of calories that was absorbed by the body and at the same time, sent messages to the brain that the stomach was full. This caused rather rapid weight loss. The second potion, complementing it, didn't actually have anything to do with weight loss, but was a simplified Muggle version of Pepper Up and energy potions. The extra energy meant the user, apart from losing weight from the first potion, also felt well enough to become physically active. Neither potion was meant to be used for longer than six months.
He was currently working on a third potion that could be taken indefinitely and increased the body's metabolism after weight loss to prevent gaining it back.
Denise had told friends about the potion. The friends had tried it and were ecstatic. They told their friends and before he knew it, his potion was the talk of the town. It was also starting to turn a profit. An inquiry from the Ministry of Magic was conducted, but as he was not breaking the Statute of Secrecy nor selling magical items to Muggles, there was nothing they could do.
When summer approached, a Muggle company invested in his products. He had the house renovated and the basement enlarged so he could use it as his own lab. The only downside was that he alone could brew the potion. Giving the recipe to a Muggle and having them create it resulted in a disgusting sludge that only caused weight loss because the drinker was sure to lose his or her appetite due to the smell and taste. Secrecy about one's recipes was not uncommon amongst Muggles, however, and caused no major problems yet.
The day the summer holidays started at Hogwarts, he couldn't help but remember the quiet days brewing, tea in the Headmasters office and occasional walks around the lake, feeding the giant Squid. Forcing the pain away did not always work, but he would show them all, he would show the Headmaster that he was not helpless without Dumbledore's support. He would not come crawling back, even if he had to live like a Muggle for the rest of his life.
The next day, he was interrupted fairly early in the morning by unexpected visitors.