Chapter Nine: The Potions Conference:

March 1999:

Severus finished packing and checked once more to make sure he had not forgotten anything. He was nervous in going to Washington DC. It was true he was going under his alias of Thomas Carter the same one he used for his potions book that had just came out. Even though there were a few people in England that knew he was alive only McGonagall knew exactly where he was. For their safety Severus had not told Fred or George Weasley where he lived. He still feared being taken back to England and thrown in Azkaban, he had seen what a few months had done to Lucius even without the Dementors there. He had secretly nursed his friend back to full health, only to have to piece him back together after their bloody master had his way with him. Maybe that was what finally put Lucius over the edge and got him into the order and as a result ended up saving quite a few muggleborn from Azkaban and from the ministry.

Lucius Malfoy was a completely free man due to his actions, Kingsley personally thanked him for the lives he had saved. Some of the hard core death eaters cursed him and called him a traitor but Lucius was not a Slytherin for nothing, there was a loophole in his bond to Voldemort and of course he had taken it. He had pledged to serve Voldemort in the protection and strengthening of the Wizarding world, what Voldemort had wanted him to do would have violated that bond and so Lucius had been freed. What was interesting was who had joined him and supported him, Rabastan Lestrange. He had come out of Azkaban expecting to be treated with honor but had been instead treated like a dog kicked around by his brother, sister in law and his master. He was still a bit unstable but the ministry was able to use him for the grim work of going after and clearing out the remaining death eaters. He of course was not nice about it at all. All this knowledge was given to him by McGonagall through letters she sent to Colton, which he would share with Severus directly.

"Is Mr. Snape ready to go sir?" Randy asked from the doorway.

"Yes, make sure that Sapphire does not get into trouble for me." Severus told the elf.

"She will not, she is a good cat, likes to help me she does." Randy said.

"I bet." Severus said scooping up a lithe sleek cat that purred and rubbed her gray mask against his jaw. "You will be good my dear will you not?"

"Yow!" Sapphire said.

"I think that means yes." Regulus said from the doorway, "you ready?"

"Yes, I just hope no-one recognizes me." Severus replied.

"Look even if they did you are not only free and clear but a hero." Regulus said.

"I killed Dumbledore." Severus said, "don't tell me that the minster would not like to make a personal example of me."

"You had no choice, they know you were bound two ways, one by your wizard's oath to Dumbledore and the other by the unbreakable vow to Narcissa. You could do nothing else you were not free to choose and it was horrible for you to be put in that spot. That being said you go have fun, sell your book and try not to scare any children!"

"I live on children's fear." Severus replied.

"Come on the Portkey to St. Louis awaits you."

Severus took up his satchel with an extension charm on it checked the contents one more time then walked with Regulus to the portkey office where the only portkeys were allowed to be made and used as per the magical department of transportation. As America was such a vast nation and Portkeys were really only able travel a thousand miles tops Denver to St. Louis on the first leg was the safest way to go. Due to safety regulations from the magical department of transportation no portkeys could be created over 800 miles tops as a thousand miles was pushing it. Severus would go from St. Louis down to New Orleans via portkey where he would spend a few days. From there he would head up to Washington DC on the last portkey and head to the conference.

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Walden MacNair did not like America, it was too large, too bright and too full of muggles, he hated the magical community here with a passion, they lived alongside the non-magical muggles even dressing like the swine. He hated the freedom that the vermin called house elves where allowed and he hated the classless and debased society he had to contend with. Yet for all that he blended in perfectly as he had to, he had a job to do and as a hunter he was going to get his prey. Of all his master's followers only he of the loyal remained out of Azkaban, and the fault of all the deaths lay squarely on the shoulders of one Severus Snape. He was here in America because that is where witches and wizards from England mostly went to hide or leave the greatness that was a true Wizarding world to come to this filthy place and mingle with lesser humans and even allow mudbloods a place of honor in their society!

Yet the young lady behind the counter of the hotel he would be forced to stay at here in the capital of this lowly nation did not know how he felt about her. All she saw was a tall well built man clad in black from his trench coat and sweater to his pants and buckled boots. He was a very handsome man with clear tanned skin a neatly trimmed mustache that barely covered his upper lip, short black hair and violet eyes. He knew his good looks would get him what he wanted, that and his accent that these pathetic women swooned over here. He thought about how nice the young woman would be in bed with him and realized he could not afford to get caught, he would have to satisfy himself with a whore and pay her. Or maybe he would get a boy, it didn't matter to him as long as he was able to sate his sexual urges. How he missed being in the service of his master when he was able to have all he wanted when he could take pleasure in his victim's begging for mercy, begging for him not to do what he would do how that had been fun!

"How do you want to pay sir?" The woman asked him, "cash or charge?"

"Ah cash, don't have a card I am afraid." MacNair said smiling as he did so.

"Here for the conference?" The woman asked. "Most everyone here is."

"Which one?" MacNair said grinning showing his perfect teeth. "Sorry bit of a joke, potions of course."

"I am doing my potions apprenticeship now, that is why I do this part time." The woman, no witch said. "My family lost everything when they had to flee England, my father was framed for a crime he did not commit and if my mom had not fled she would have been in Azkaban with my dad."

"Who was your father?" MacNair asked, he wanted to get into the good graces of this witch.

"Augustus Rookwood, worked for the ministry, didn't matter my mom was innocent they were taking everyone then."

"What is your name?" MacNair asked.

"Elizabeth, yours?" She asked him.

"Wally, I know strange name to give a boy but better than what many of my friends were named." MacNair said.

"I like that," Elizabeth said handing him his key, "see you around?"

"Yes I would like that." MacNair replied.

He left to go to his room and to see if Severus had come to this conference. If so he was going to capture and kill him himself. Elizabeth watched the tall handsome man walk to the elevators as shrewd look in her eyes. She went to the back room and made a phone call then came back out to resume her duties.

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Severus finished up his duties at the conference very glad it had gone as well as it had. He had made sure his glamour charm was in place each morning before he went to the conference. He had deals with all the magical schools in America, Europe, Asia and Australia for grades one through five and an advanced potions text for those students going onto their NEWTS. He was still tense as a bowstring and refused to relax as he was not in familiar safe surroundings as Stone city had become to him. He still was a soldier and he knew that there could be danger even here waiting for him , even if it was not death eaters. He had a notice me not charm on his features, people would look right at him and not remember his features. He never had been good at glamour charms and this would have to work.

Near the end of the conference a young potions apprentice came to see him while he was describing his version of the Wolfsbane to other potions masters and how it was an improvement over any other form of the Wolfsbane even the one that one Severus Snape had came up with. She was young and shapely with long wavy dark brown hair and hazel eyes with clear tanned skin. She looked up at Thomas Carter and saw a tall man with long black hair and eyes clad in black robes but she did not think on that, she had been drawn in by the man's accent and his description of the Wolfsbane. There was something about him that drew her to him, not danger though she had a feeling he had been dangerous and perhaps he could be again but right now she was interested in what he had to say.

"Mr. Carter you said you had a werewolf you used this on?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, but he is dead now." Severus said and she saw sorrow and pain in his eyes, "he was a good man."

"Don't usually hear that from one from England." One of the other men scoffed.

"Perhaps that is why I left." Severus said, "you know the war there was dangerous for any who did not follow a certain way of thinking." Severus said, "I was such a man they hated most."

"So you came here."

"I am not a warrior, just a potions master." Severus said wishing with all his heart that was true. "I create potions to heal not harm, if I had stayed I would have been tortured and killed for refusal to help that dark lord."

"I see do you have any werewolves to work with now?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, I have not had the chance to work with any, my books keep me busy now." Severus replied.

He found the young lady intelligent but not annoying and thought in any other setting they could be friends. But he had to be careful, he still carried the scar of the dark mark on his arm and that was a secret he did not want getting out. He spent the rest of the potions conference talking with other potions masters, getting new books and materials but not daring to really get to know many of the potions masters here. He would be heading home soon and he felt he had done well here as his fortunes were only going to get better. Finally his week was up in Washington DC and he took the portkey to St. Louis, he was clad in muggle attire as he wanted to see the great Mississippi river, a river that had intrigued him in his youth.

It was cold as he stood watching the river with the ships and boats going up and down it and he drew his heavy black over coat close around him. It was a vibrant yet peaceful scene to him and he headed back knowing he had to head home, yes home was now in the mountains of Colorado, England held nothing for him but pain and suffering as he would only remember the hurts he had gone through before if he went back, even if it was safe he doubted he ever would. He walked into Gateway alley the magical place here in St. Louis and looked through the shops before he headed back to Stone City. He heard someone call his name and he froze, he knew that voice and he turned quickly wand out to see MacNair standing his wand out cigarette hanging as always from his lips.

"I was so longing to see you." MacNair said a cold light in his violet eyes. "To repay you for your betrayal."

"I betrayed no-one." Severus said finally able to say this as truth, "the dark lord betrayed me promised to keep something dear to me safe and he destroyed it instead." Severus said coolly.

"Oh yes your love for a mudblood whore!" MacNair spat casting a dark hex at Severus who just blocked it with ease, "always pining for that which you could not have, your pathetic."

"Lily Potter was no whore, she was a far better human being than most I have ever met." Severus said coldly casting a powerful curse at MacNair, "I was thinking on sparing your life, but insulting an honorable woman, for that I will kill you."

"As if you could, I am a hunter, a far greater warrior than you Snape." MacNair snarled firing off a succession of spells at Severus getting him to block them all. "I am a far greater wizard too!"

"Far greater?" Severus said looking a bit amused though his eyes remained cold as stone, "you call raping torturing and maiming greater? I am a wicked man but at least I have honor where you have none! In fact I think I will sent you straight to hell!"

Severus cast a spell with his wand that shot knives at MacNair, predictably he blocked them all but could not block the real sliver knife that was thrown with practiced ease right into the neck of the death eater. MacNair staggered, tried to cast another spell at Severus and fell to the ground in a heap. Severus saw several American Aurors swarm up and he gave no resistance as he was disarmed and bound with his hands behind him. He was led out of the ally and away from the dead death eater to a station nearby. He was put into a room and unbound and left there wondering what his fate was to be now. He did not want to go back to England and face Azkaban, death was better than that. He looked up as the door opened and stared in shock for a brief second before he schooled his features as Elizabeth came in and took a seat.

"So you have been spying on me." Severus said softly.

"Sort of, we were really tailing that idiot you made short work of." Elizabeth replied, "so professor Snape you are not hurt are you?"

"No, what happens now?" Severus asked.

"You fill out a few forms, we brush this under the table and you go back to hiding." Elizabeth replied.

"I don't understand, why would you do this?" Severus asked.

"My father was a spy for the English ministry, when Karkaroff stated he was a death eater instead of doing the right thing your ministry threw him to the demons in Azkaban. Not only that but my mother took me and my brother and barely made it out."

"You are Augustus Rookwood's daughter then." Severus said, "your father did not deserve what happened to him."

"No and neither would you deserve that fate, I have known you were here since you came." Elizabeth said then at the flash of anger on Severus's face, "a friend from England who calls himself the goat herder spoke to me, you are safe along with a few others who do not wish to be found, none are death eaters."

"So a division to protect others like me but why, I mean why others?"

"Because it is right, you deserve a good life, a free life and that is what people like me are here to do." Elizabeth said, "anyone who tries to find you that should not well we will not let them."

"MacNair did." Severus said.

"He was a hunter, how many hunters did Voldemort have on his side?" Elizabeth said ignoring Severus's slight shutter at the name, "how many hunters are there in the world?"

"I see your point, MacNair was the only hunter Voldemort had." Severus replied, "as to the last I do not know how many hunters there are."

"Twenty, twenty out of a Wizard population of seven million worldwide." Elizabeth said, "tell you what you fill out the paperwork and once done I will treat you to dinner, then you can head home, I called to let your family know you will be running a bit late."

"Thank you Miss Rookwood."

"It's Beth professor."

Severus smiled and felt relieved, he was safe here he could tell that Elizabeth was not lying to him. She was honest and he was grateful to her for all she had her fellow witches and wizards had done for him. He filled out the paperwork and when done went to dinner with Elizabeth and had a great evening with her. After dinner he headed back to Stone City and was greeted by Regulus who had him tell him everything that had happened. Regulus was grinning when he saw how happy Severus was talking about Elizabeth but as he did not want to get hexed he did not say a word. He let Severus go home to sweet talk his cat out of sulking at him being gone and to get some much needed rest.

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I had to allow Severus to branch out from Stone City and see some of this great land of mine. I have been through St. Louis once and really enjoyed it and I have been to New Orleans before the hurricane. I was impressed at how seeped in folk lore it seemed, being in the French Quarter after dark the air felt magical and one could almost feel the ghosts talked about by the locals. I like many in America have never been to Washington DC. As I am from the west this is not uncommon, it is a long way from my home, nearly 2,000 miles. For those British readers here the whole island that contains England and Scotland is the same size as our state of Idaho. That gives you an idea just how very large our country is.

Anyway a hunter is my creation, they are extremely rare and can hunt down their quarry or prey through site as in second site, smell and have the natural ability to Apparate without wands. They can heal extremely fast and Severus used just about the only thing that would take one out, they like werewolves cannot abide silver and Severus threw his sliver knife at MacNair killing him. I totally enjoyed killing him off as I am sure he along with Bellatrix, Rudolphus and Wormtail were the worst of all the death eaters.