Chapter 2: Good morning and a friend for breakfast
The sun slanted onto the bed just as it breached the horizon. Out of old habits, Severus didn't close the curtains last night. He had always used the sunlight to wake him so he could hear how his father roused himself. It was the first indicator of how the day was going to be. If he woke up quietly, then Severus knew that he could get through breakfast in relative peace. If he woke up loud, then Severus knew to get out of the house as soon as possible.
He found himself tensing up, listening, as the light fell onto his face. The house was completely silent. He could hear the wind whistling about the corner of the house. The part that wasn't straining to hear his father listened to the early morning risers heading out to work. The sunlight warmed his face before he realized that there was nothing to hear. His father wasn't there.
Sitting up, he glared around the room, the dust and cobwebs stood out even more in the morning sunlight. Part of him wanted to grab his wand and magic the dirt away. A quick scourgify would clean up the mess without him having to get out of bed. Even as his fingers closed over his wand, he stopped. 'I don't want anyone to know where this place is. And if I use magic here then someone in the ministry will know. I need to find out if there are wards that would allow magic to be used without the ministry or anyone else knowing that is was being cast. The wards will also have to be invisible. So, that means I clean this place by hand. I'm going to need cleaning chemicals. I'm sure there are plenty of things I can use as rags. Food for a couple of days wouldn't go amiss either.'
Quickly getting dressed, Severus grabbed his wallet and checked the amount of money he had in it. He scooped his coat up as he headed out the door. 'First stop, the utilities. Emergency cut on might cost a bit extra, but it will be worth it. Second stop, breakfast, and then by the stores.' Striding down the road, he missed the feel of his robes flowing about him, but the trench-coat was trying its best.
セブルススネイプ
Severus slid into a booth of one of the neighborhood diners. A quick glance at the menu showed him that he could still afford to eat here and get his groceries later. The power and water would be on a little before eleven o'clock. 'There will be no more indulgences after this, or I am going to have to go to Gringotts and get more money. Or maybe I should check my muggle account. I haven't touched it since the last year of Hogwarts.'
He remembered the small hotel room he rented to stay in while he took his A-levels. He had worked throughout his summers and any spare time at Hogwarts, to pass all the GCSEs in his fifth year after he had taken his OWLS. He had continued the trend during his NEWT years, studying for his A-levels while working on his NEWT classes. He had taken his A-level tests right after he had finished the NEWTs.
'No wonder I seemed driven through my potion apprenticeship.' The other apprentices had looked at him like he was crazy. He didn't go out to party. He always had a book in hand. Even the Master knew he was all work and no play which was how he became a Potion Master at the tender age of twenty-one. The youngest one in centuries.
'And that is what made the Dark Lord pay even closer attention to me. Lucius was already trying to get me to join, and after I finished, he tried even harder... and succeeded.' The waiter came by at the moment and broke Severus' train of thoughts.
"Are you ready to order, sir?"
Looking up, Severus saw a familiar face, but the name of the man escaped him. "Scrambled eggs and some toast. Also a cup of tea, black."
The waiter jotted it down on his notepad, but seemed to be paying more attention to Severus than what he was writing. With one last look, he turned and headed for the kitchen.
Leaning back against the worn booth, Severus surveyed the diner. Just like most things in this corner of the town, it was run down and inhabited by people who worked hard just to make the ends meet and hopefully have a bit left over for something like this. A plate was placed down on the table and slid in front of him. A cup of tea followed. Glancing up at the waiter, their eyes met. Once again the feeling of recognition flashed through him. He could see the that the waiter felt the same.
"Severus Snape? Is that you?" The voice sounded slightly uncertain, but not unfriendly.
That was all it took for Severus to identify him. No wonder he had felt familiar. Thomas was his neighbor, and one of the very few people who was friendly to him while growing up. "Thomas Jameson?"
A smile bloomed over the waiter's face. "It is you!" He glanced over at the head waiter and tapped his watch. The Head nodded. Shifting his eyes back to his childhood friend, he gestured towards the other side of the booth. "I'm supposed to be on break right now, can I sit with you for a moment?"
Severus felt the smallest bit of a smile tugging at his lips. He caught the entire interaction between Thomas and the other man. The smile fell into its usual smirk as he nodded towards the man. "Of course." Taking a bite of his eggs, he watched the other man sit down.
Thomas leaned back and surveyed the friend that his father had declared would go far. "So, why are you here? School shouldn't be on a break right now, is it?"
Taking a quick sip of his tea, Severus tried to think how to answer the question without giving anything away. "I left school before Christmas break. I'm here to straighten the house out before I start teaching at a boarding school in September."
Thomas' eyes widened for a moment. "Dad always said you would go far... that you would become an inspiration to the other children who wanted to do great things. You're going to be a teacher?"
Severus scanned his face to see if his friend was mocking him. He was slowly accepting the idea of teaching. He had worked in a deal with Dumbledore so that he could continue his research and was only teaching because he had to. It put him right where he needed to be to be a spy for both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore. "You don't think I can do it?"
Thomas quirked his lips slightly. "If you teach them like you did me, then you'll be fine. They'll hate you, think you are the worst git out there, but they'll learn. What subject are you going to be teaching? Chemistry or English literature?"
"Chemistry." Leave it to Thomas to know which two subjects he would consider teaching. Potions was close enough to chemistry.
"I would love to be a fly on the wall in your classroom the first day someone decided to experiment on their own instead of doing what they are supposed to be doing."
Severus' eyes narrowed as he thought of first years mixing up whatever they felt like. Exploding cauldrons was not something he wanted to have to deal with much. Not because of stupidity. "They would only make that mistake once."
"Figured as much. Be careful of the girls though. You're just a few years older than the seventh years. Those A-level girls will feel like they can get something out of you if they give you some extra attention."
Severus shook his head slightly. "I don't think it would be that much of a problem, but I'll be careful. What are you doing nowadays? "
"Working my way through uni. After all the help you gave me over the summer, I did well on my A-Levels and got in. Dad is letting me stay home will I attend. I'm going into business management. I'm thinking of taking over a chemist store, the one that Mr. Wilton runs down the street. He said if I do well in my classes, he'll take me in, train me up, and then pass it down to me."
Severus blinked. "So, Mr. Wilton is looking to retire? Will you keep the name?"
"Business sense says to. Everyone knows it as Wilton's Chemist, so to change it might actually be bad for business."
"Good luck." Taking the last bite of toast he prepared to leave. "So, whom do I get my check from if you're on break? I need to get to the house and get started."
"I'm done." Thomas reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out his pad. Ripping of a ticket he held it out to Severus. "Here you go. And watch for Dad when you get to the house. He has been watching it for you since he was hurt a couple of years ago. Keeping the bums out."
Severus took the ticket and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't see him last night."
"Wouldn't have. He was working his part-time last night. But he is off today." Thomas picked the plate and cup off the table.
Pulling out his wallet, Severus got out the amount he needed to pay as well as the tip. Handing Thomas the tip, he quirked his lips. "Thank your Dad for me just in case I don't see him."
Tucking the notes into his pocket, Thomas nodded. "I've got to get back now. I'll probably see you tonight. 'Till later."
Severus headed up to the cashier to pay. He had no doubt that he would see Thomas later if he ran into Mr. Jameson.
