I own nothing you recognize and simply play in JKR's universe for fun.
Special thanks to Excessivelyperky and Shandi for looking over this chapter and their comments.
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Severus, October 17, 1997
Severus checked one more time to make certain the passport was in the pocket of his travel bag. Traveling by portkey, he would not be going through customs, but it was never a bad idea to have a Muggle form of identification on him when traveling out of country. The Gringott's credit card was something new. Although he had exchanged plenty of his galleons for American Muggle dollars, he expected to use the credit card for most of the trip. A clever idea, allowing the money to be magically withdrawn from his Gringott's vault, automatically handling all of the exchange rate issues, and providing the customer with a detailed receipt showing all charges. The portkey to take him to the wizarding hotel in Chicago was a business card with the hotel manager's name on it. A second portkey, a small paperback novel, would bring him back to Hogwarts at the end of the trip.
He looked in the mirror, checking his appearance one more time. Severus was dressed in Muggle regalia. Professor Boch had advised him that robes from wizarding Britain would look completely out of place on the campus. He wore a dark gray turtleneck jumper, made of fine wool, combined with even darker gray wool trousers and a matching jacket with a black leather belt with a silver buckle. He supposed his boots would do quite nicely, being of excellent quality and style. Minerva had transfigured his black medium weight cloak into a black London Fog styled trench coat. The rest of his clothing for the trip was essentially the same as what he was wearing, with one set in black and the other in dark shades of navy. His only accessory was a watch, specially made in the old manner requiring daily winding, since a battery would never work in powerful magical environments. Completing the casual look, his hair was pulled back and tied with a black cord at the nape of his neck. As odd as it felt to be out of his regular robes, the clothing was surprisingly comfortable. He would have preferred to wear his regular boxers instead of the briefs, but the line of the boxers would have shown through the trousers. He definitely would have preferred his own trousers with their comfortable buttons. Zippers should make any rational man nervous.
Severus pulled on the trench coat, picked up the travel bag, the business card portkey and headed for his private exit from the dungeons. He moved across the grounds, accustomed to the path even in the moonless darkness. It was almost midnight in Scotland, which would make it about 6:00 PM in Chicago. The time would work well. He could have an excellent room service dinner, enjoy the book he was reading, and be to bed in plenty of time to give his body a chance to adjust to the time change. Professor Boch was scheduled to meet him at 8:30 AM for breakfast and to begin the tour of the campus. Standing outside Hogwarts gates, Severus grasped the portkey, muttered the charm, and felt the tug of like an invisible cord pulling behind his navel.
He rematerialized in a small transportation room just outside of the main lobby. Snape paused to remove the trench coat, which he draped over his arm. Grasping the travel bag, Severus walked over to the registration desk. A middle-aged gentleman in a business suit was ahead of him. A young woman behind the desk handed the businessman a key and pointed towards an elevator. The businessman departed and Severus stepped up to the desk.
"I believe you have a reservation for Severus Snape?" he inquired.
"Good evening, Mr. Snape. If you'll give me a moment to check the reservations?" The young woman stepped over to what looked like a television set with a board with letters on it and moved her fingers over the buttons.
'That must be one of the computers Lupin spoke of,' thought Severus. 'It certainly looks different than the mainframe at Oxford with the terminals.'
"Yes, Mr. Snape. We have a reservation for you for a room with a king-size bed and whirlpool bath for two nights. Is that correct?" The young woman smiled.
"That is correct," replied Severus.
"And how will you be paying, sir?"
Severus drew out his wallet and took out the credit card. "With this." He handed it to the young woman. She took the credit card, pushed it through a device of some sort, and a sound issued from a plastic box with a stack of paper in it. Within moments, a printed paper issued from within the device and dropped onto the counter. The woman picked it up and scanned it, handing it over to Severus.
"Here is your bill, which I will need you to sign. If you incur any other charges, such as movie rentals or room service, they will automatically be added to this bill and a final version will be given to you when you check out on Sunday. Do you have any questions, sir?"
"No, this looks satisfactory," Severus replied as he signed the bill.
"I see you are from England?" she inquired.
"Yes, though I live in Scotland these days," replied Severus handing her the bill.
"We've had guests from England before and many of them have been unfamiliar with the technology we have available here. I know wizarding Britain and the Muggle world are quite dissociated. We've incorporated magical means of turning on the lights, operating the television, setting the heat or air conditioning, and using the phone. If you have any questions or run into any problems, there is a manual in your room or just pick up the phone and punch the button for 'operator' and we'll be glad to assist you. I hope you have a very pleasant stay, sir." The friendly young woman gave him a smile.
"I will be fine, thank you." Severus picked up his bag, took the key she handed him, and headed to the elevator. He exited at the fourth floor and walked down to room 412. He opened the door and gave a quick Lumos. The lights came on. The room was large with a king size bed, dresser, armoire with a television, desk, and small table with two upholstered chairs on either side. It appeared comfortable enough. Severus opened the closet and with a wave of his wand, the travel bag unpacked itself. His trench coat and clothes hung neatly in the closet, his shaving kit floated into the bathroom, and the books stacked themselves on the nightstand beside the bed. Stepping into the bathroom, Severus observed a very deep and comfortable whirlpool bath. It appeared large enough to fit two people quite easily, which gave him ideas for tomorrow night. Going back into the bedroom, Severus walked over to the desk where a notebook was sitting. Opening it, he saw the instructions for operating the appliances in the room. Turning further, he found a menu and instructions for summoning a service elf. Picking up the phone, he pushed the button "GHI" to summon house service. In a moment he heard a knock and an elvish voice called, "Room Service." Severus opened the door and an elf in a blue bellman's uniform walked in.
"How may we serve you sir?" asked the elf in a cultured voice. The middle-aged elf looked surprisingly dignified wearing pants and a double-breasted jacket with braiding and brass buttons. Much more so than an elf in a tea towel. The elf wore a bellman's cap, with neatly trimmed hair peeking out from beneath. He wore a name badge, indicating he was called Edgar. Severus observed none of the twitchiness that plagued the house elves of his acquaintance.
"Thank you for coming so promptly. I would like to order dinner, Edgar." Severus decided to cultivate this contact. "Do you have any suggestions for anything especially good?"
"We are well-known for our steaks. I highly recommend the filet mignon with sautéed mushrooms if you are so inclined. Our seafood is quite good. Today I would recommend the shrimp scampi, made with butter, garlic, and white wine. The salmon does not appear to be of the quality we usually get. If you enjoy pork, the thick cut pork chops are superb and our chef has a special way with them." Edgar looked at Severus expectantly.
"Very good. On your recommendation, I will have the pork chop," answered Severus.
"Would you prefer soup or salad?"
"I would like a salad with blue cheese dressing. Baked potato with butter and sour cream would be excellent," added Severus.
"The vegetable of the day is a puree of acorn squash with butter and brown sugar with cinnamon. Would you care for something to drink?" he inquired.
"The house red wine will do, thank you." Severus looked down at the elf. "Forgive me if I am making an obvious comment, Edgar. You appear to have been in service here for quite a while and I find your manners impeccable and a bit unusual. Are American service elves much like you?"
"No offense is taken sir. American house elves were freed back in the 1960's. Many of us continue to serve in places we served in before then. We are paid salaries for our work and have benefits just as other American workers do. When I was freed, I took the opportunity to pursue more education. But, I found I enjoy service and returned to this kind of work in the 1970's. I am quite satisfied to be here. My wife enjoys it as well and serves in the restaurant as a chef." The elf inclined his head.
"Most remarkable. I believe you are quite exceptional to my experience and I appreciate your explanation. You say you have been in service here for a long time, might I impose on you?" Severus asked.
"In what way, sir?" the elf inquired politely.
"I am here for two nights and after my business is done tomorrow, I had hoped to take advantage of being away from home. Would you have contacts to arrange for feminine companionship for the evening?" Severus asked smoothly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some currency. Selecting a denomination of generous amount, he held it out to the elf.
The elf reached up and accepted the bill. "There is an escort service of which guests have availed themselves from time-to-time. They provide young women of a certain refinement, suitable for gentlemen such as yourself. They are most discrete. May I make a contact on your behalf?"
"You may indeed. I would be interested in having the lady's exclusive services for the evening. Perhaps she could be here at 8:00 PM tomorrow evening?" asked Severus.
The elf peered at Severus. "I am confident they will be able to accommodate you, sir. May I inquire if you have a preference regarding the lady's appearance?"
"Hmmm. Perhaps a redhead? No. I believe I am in the mood for a young woman with light brown hair. Curly light brown hair, if possible."
"I shall inquire for you, sir." The elf suggested a particular price typically charged for the evening's services. "Would this be acceptable?"
"And does that include a fee for yourself?"
"It does, sir," he replied.
"That would be quite satisfactory," answered Severus.
"Is there anything else I can arrange for you, sir?" asked Edgar.
"No. I believe that will take care of it," replied Severus.
"Then I will make the arrangements as we have discussed. Your dinner should be ready in a few minutes. My wife is on duty tonight and I will request she give your meal her personal attention. I shall return with it shortly," Edgar bowed slightly and winked out.
Severus allowed himself a grin the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland would be proud of. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off his boots, tossing them in the general direction of the closet. He scooted up to the head of the bed, pulled the pillows up behind his back and stretched out his long frame, his hands behind his head. For the next twenty-four hours, he was as free as it was possible for him to be. He had a good dinner on the way and the potential for an uninterrupted night's sleep. There would be no summons from Voldemort, no demands from Dumbledore, no prowling the hallways, supervising detentions, or grading essays. The tour of the campus and interviews with faculty at the college should be enjoyable. And tomorrow night, if all went well, he would be thoroughly and entertainingly shagged into oblivion by a nubile young thing. In the universe of Snape, it was as good as life gets.