~~~~You Are Always On My Mind~~~~
Disclaimer: As always JKR owns the canon...I own only the plot and anything extra. :(
Cheers to all me readers and reviewers!
Temptress - I know, poor older Sev, he's just having a rough go of it isn't he :sigh: Someone getting to know him eh? Perhaps someone might! :grin: (ohh I do want some fluffy bugs they're cute and cuddly! :giggles:) As for being soul born...that I can't really explain here... email me at piri_lupin_snape@yahoo.co.uk first because I tend to be awful to 'send' stuff, but reply more to 'received' mails :P As for older vs. younger...heh...don't worry I've got some stuff planned for everyone coming up!
Dragons - I'll be getting back to Harry don't worry...right now I'm setting up something else for the moment...Harry and Draco will make an appearance soon, promise :) As for Harry's 'Slytherin' side :whistles: we'll see!
Ameal - :grins: could be...probably...I'll reveal that info soon enough, promise! :nod nod:
Shades - I know Rom and Orion are overused really by now but I do like the names...Silvius of course is me own (which I got it I believe from Shakespeare), and I used that name in me original fic I was trying to get written but like nearly half me ficcies, it's on hold again :sigh: Nope, Severus isn't getting along with anyone...and you'll find out just how bad it is for poor Silvius because of it :P They haven't had their 'talk' yet the older Remus/Siri, they will...and yes there will be more H/D coming I promise! Oh, you still want those original .htms of the fic to compare? Let me know I'll send them over.
I know this chapter is going to be very short, sorry on that. I had originally had chaps ten and eleven as one single chap, but it was close to 13 pages, so after editing things I decided for this chap to leave it where I did. I should have chap 11 out by tonight for sure so you won't have to wait too long for it :)
~~~~Chapter Ten: Dogs Are Not Always Man's Best Friend~~~~
'This is bloody well hopeless!' Ron said leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes wearily.
'Much as I hate to say it, I'm beginning to agree with you, Ron,' Hermione said with a sad sigh rubbing her own eyes.
'We can't give up though, there's got to be an answer here somewhere. We just have to find it,' Harry said in frustration himself. Not just because of the information, but because his own 'personal' quest was being thwarted at the moment. Or rather the person in the object of his quest had successfully managed to escape him and he was past frustrated at this point. Now he was just downright irritable and he still couldn't think of any way in which to figure out how to reach the person who wasn't showing up at meals, and was basically being a hermit at the moment.
Coming round the corner of one of the bookshelves the younger Sirius, now known as Orion, saw the dejected looks on the faces of his new friends and stopped to watch them for a moment. It had now been five days since he, Remus and Severus had come to this world, and after spending hours upon hours in the library they still had found virtually nothing to help their plight in getting home. All they had found was some obscure references to alternate universes, mainly hearsays and theories more than actual facts, and some minute information on Heka Stones which was worthless.
Orion was beginning to wonder now if they would ever return home, and belatedly he remembered that James and Peter had been left to clean up the consequences of their disappearance. He truly hoped Meyer Lupin wouldn't have done anything stupid and that his other world friends were all right. Right now though there was no way to find out so thinking further on it wouldn't do him much good. The here and now was 'this' world, 'this' future, and here it was that they were still stuck in, with the hopes of getting home growing dimmer and dimmer.
'Oi, Orion, you find anything yet?' the younger Remus, known now as Romulus or most times just simply Rom or Romy, said coming round the corner himself, a thick book in his hand.
Orion shook his head and sighed. 'Not a dicky bird, Rom. Just more junky information on the stones that we all ready knew, not to mention a few more blasted theories which mean basically nothing,' he said with heavy sigh.
Romulus nodded his head in understanding and gave his friend a reassuring smile. 'Don't worry, I'm sure there's got to be something out there, I'm not going to give up yet anyway,' he said giving his friend a pat on the shoulder then eyed him strangely for a moment.
'All right mate, what's got your bee in a bonnet eh? You've been giving me that look for two days now. What'd I do this time?' Orion said in exasperation.
'Tonight's the New Year Dance,' Romulus said.
'Yeah and?' Orion said questioningly.
'And...have you decided what you're doing for it yet?' Romulus asked hesitantly.
Severus, or rather Silvius, meanwhile had come round halfway round the bookshelf but seeing Remus and Sirius having their discussion, he decided to hold back and listen rather than interrupt them.
'So that's what the looks are 'bout, why didn't you just say so? Actually I sort of umm...well I have made plans for tonight. I meant to tell you but...well...we've been so busy it slipped my mind I guess,' Orion said dropping his gaze suddenly and shuffled his shoe against the flagstones.
'Oh. So....you're...taking someone then?' Romulus said. He didn't know why but hearing Sirius already had a date bothered him, but knowing Sirius like he did he wasn't really all that surprised that he'd already have made a conquest in this world.
Orion nodded and glanced over to where Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting. 'Umm...the truth is well...I was going to talk to you on this after we got done here, but since we're on the topic now...yeah, I am going with someone,' Orion said quietly.
'Hermione right? You're taking her to the dance,' Romulus said glancing for a moment towards the girl in question, who was looking over at the two of them curiously.
'No, not 'Mione, though I did ask her. She turned me down though,' Orion said with a sigh. 'I'm going with this girl named Padma Patil. Ron is taking her twin sister Parvati so they hooked me up with her, not that I mind...she's quite a looker,' he grinned.
Romulus chuckled and shook his head. 'Typical of you, Paddy, give you that. Surprised though that Hermione said no to you, she say why?' he asked curiously.
Orion fidgeted a moment and then nodded his head slowly, glancing for a moment at Hermione who was now apparently deep into a book and ignoring them. 'Yeah, she told me why. Anyway, is going with Padma going to be a problem for you?'
'No, no...not at all. Just be careful though, don't go falling for the girl or anything. When we go home I don't want you to be leaving behind another broken heart,' Romulus said giving his friend a meaningful look.
Orion grumbled and nodded his head, then suddenly grinned. 'Hey, can I help it that I have all the sex appeal? No offence but....you just don't ooze the charm like I do. And I won't even touch Silvius with a nine foot pole.'
Romulus gave a start and glared at Orion for that comment. 'I think Silvius has plenty of good qualities. He's the only Slytherin that's not full of pure greed and hatred, he's highly intelligent, and knows what he wants to do in his life,' Romulus said sharply.
Orion gave Romulus an odd look at hearing how he was so stalwartly defending the Slytherin. It bothered him, perhaps more than he wanted to admit, that again he felt like he was losing out something very important in his life, though now wasn't the time to ponder on what it could be. 'Look, Rom, I meant it as no offence to him. I'm not saying he's stupid or anything, I know he's not. I'm only saying that he just doesn't have any of that woman catching charm. He's too pale, and that hair of his, honestly, it's not like it screams 'sex appeal' mate. Some lasses may like the brains, but without the beauty, face it you don't get much action.'
'Are you implying that is why I don't have woman flocking round my bed all the time? Because I only have 'brains' and no 'beauty'? Because I'm...oh what's the word...a 'monster'?' Romulus said both bitter and angry now.
Orion stared at his friend in shock at the way he was reacting to what he'd said. For some odd reason it tore him apart that his friend would even dare think that way even. Recovering quickly however he said, 'No...absolutely not! I never said you were a monster, hell how could you even say that to me? Rom, you've got brains that I would kill for. You're a bit shy maybe but there's nothing wrong with that. And honestly, Moony, you are beautiful, you really are. Your definitely snoggable and sexy and you've got plenty of charm. Who wouldn't want you?' Orion said quickly trying to patch things over, then realised exactly what he had just said. He hadn't meant to say such things, he didn't even know where they came from, but suddenly it had seemed the right thing to say to his friend.
Romulus couldn't believe though he was hearing such things, and from Orion of all people. He didn't know why but he felt both incredibly happy and incredibly strange at hearing what his friend thought of him. 'You....you really think so? But...I've got too much grey in my hair and I'm way too thin...and...and I can be such a git sometimes can't I' he stammered then dropped his gaze down to his shoes trying to hide what he knew was the beginnings of a blush on his face.
'Hey, I'm just as much of a git as you are sometimes, worse even,' Orion chuckled lightly. 'Yeah, you're a bit thin, but it looks good on you. As for the grey...personally I think it just makes you look more mysterious if anything, but definitely not bad looking. I tell you, the girls just don't know what they're missing out on!' Orion said with a grin.
Romulus couldn't help but to blush all out now. 'Err...yeah...maybe you're right. I'm just not...er...very good...with....girls...that's all I guess. I've never been with anyone remember...oh heck I've never even kissed anyone before, Orion. I don't know the first thing about girls or...or...if I even want to umm...be with a girl,' Remus said with a small sigh and kept his gaze down and not daring to look his friend in the eyes just in case he saw something he didn't really want to see at the moment...like maybe disgust.
Silvius, still hiding behind the bookshelves, felt his heart do a tiny leap at what he just heard. Could it possibly be what he'd just heard was what he thought he had? Was Romulus finally trying to say what Silvius had somewhat suspected, even hoped for, for a while now?
'That is easily fixable my dear Moony! As it happens...and I know this is sudden but...'Mione doesn't have a date for the dance. Truth is she turned me down because she's had her eye on you the past couple days and I know she would love to go with you mate. She knows how shy you are though and if she asked you herself you'd probably go into seclusion or something....but do me a favour and go with her would you? I mean honestly, going stag with Silvius or going with a fine looking lass like 'Mione...I don't see how even you could refuse,' Orion said with a grin, obviously completely ignorant of the situation he was putting his friend in.
Romulus sighed and thought how dense his friend could be sometimes. He had practically told him outright why he didn't want to date girls, and Orion had totally walked right over it. The biggest problem of it all was that Orion wasn't going to just let him go on this issue and Romulus knew that all too well by now. With a internal sigh he realised he really did have to start moving on, he had almost forgotten he had made a vow to himself he was going to try and attempt some normality and give up his foolish notions of ever being happy. Or rather with the person who could have made him happy, considering the fact that despite how defensive Silvius had been of him, he would never see Romulus more than just a good friend.
'Oh very well, Orion I'll go. Tell Hermione I'll be happy to accompany her to the dance. The only thing is um....what am I supposed to wear for the dance? We weren't exactly provided dress robes or anything if I remember right,' he said in a defeated tone of voice.
'That's not a problem mate, trust me. I'll just have a quick chat with my older self and he'll take care of things. Seems he's pretty rich in this world too and I'm sure he'll help us pop into Hogsmeade to get a few things. Now come on, let's get back to the others and tell them the good news eh? I can't wait to see the look on 'Mione's face when she finds out you said yes!' Orion said with a huge grin, then draped an arm round his friend and manoeuvred him over to where the others were.
Silvius meanwhile let out a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding and gave a deep and frustrated sigh. Since he'd arrived he'd barely found time to say more than a few words in private to Romulus. Usually they were getting dragged off by Harry and his friends or Orion would monopolise Rom's time. Or one of the older counterparts would, minus Snape of course who did nothing but scowl at them all. He still couldn't believe that man was who he might grow up into, and it scared him a bit. In a way they were a lot alike he'd found as far as upbringing and knowing the dark arts and all. But that's where the similarities had ended, other then in looks.
Suddenly it really bothered him at that hearing Orion had a date for the dance, and especially that Romulus now also had a date. He shook his head in wonder at how Orion could have possibly missed that remark Romulus had made bout not being comfortable round girls, even he had picked that up. He wasn't sure it had meant anything more though, but a large part of him hoped it had. He wondered why Romulus had given in so easily though to Orion's request, or more like demand, at going with Hermione. He too had seen the way she looked at Romulus, and it pained him to think something might happen at the dance tonight between them.
Thinking over what Orion had said though about himself, he put his hand up to his hair and pulled a fistful round examining it throughly. What no one but Romulus had known was that his hair looked that because of nothing more than a simple charm that he used to keep it fire and acid retardant. All the work he did in potions had it made it necessary after a botched experiment when he was ten that had nearly cost him an entire head of hair. Since that time he had learned to protect his hair, it wasn't his fault though that the charm made it appear so greasy and limp. He assumed that the Severus in this time was also using the charm, because it certainly was not a Snape family trait. His mum had beautiful brown hair that was long and luxurious with some curls at the end, and his father had short black hair peppered with grey, and equally pleasing to look at.
Silvius hadn't been asked to the dance, but then he'd found that most of the girls stayed far away from him once they found out he was Snape's 'son'. The man was hated and feared by nearly every student in the school, and up until this moment he was all right with the solitude it provided. Harry and the others accepted him however knowing he really wasn't such a git like his 'father', but in public he still couldn't help having his aloof mannerisms, it's was ingrained. It had made him however the loner of the group and at that exact moment he was regretting it. Now he was going to end up going to the dance alone, and more importantly, he was incredibly jealous now that Romulus wasn't going with him as planned, and for some really odd reason that he couldn't figure out, the fact that Orion had all ready made yet another conquest made him jealous as well.
Pushing his hair behind his ear he made a spur of the moment decision. Gathering up the books he had found he headed silently out of the library and towards the dungeons, determined to talk to the one man who could maybe help him. He really didn't want to talk to the person, but approaching anyone else at the moment wasn't an option, and he had wanted to talk to him anyway and find out a few things that he had noticed the last five days. Walking into the guest quarters he shared with the others, he dropped off the books and went to the classroom he sought, knowing the person was bound to be there.
Walking into the classroom he went up to the high desk in which the man he needed was sitting at and said, 'I know you're not going to like this, but we need to talk.'
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August 27, 2002 8:32 AM ©Piriotessa/Piri Lupin-Snape