Disclaimer: I don't think I will ever own Harry Potter, and that makes me a Saaaad Panda.

Chapter Twenty-one: Diagon Alley

Laurel was surprised when things went on as normal. The next time she saw Severus, after their odd midnight encounter, he acted as though nothing had ever happened. She'd even tried to mention it to him once or twice, but he had vehemently denied anything had ever happened.

It was entirely frustrating.

So, Laurel decided to chalk it up to experience, and follow Severus' lead, pretending nothing actually happened. There was one purpose the encounter served that Laurel was all too glad for. It showed her that Severus was not the emotional block of ice he pretended to be, and that some part of him, somewhere, cared for her, and wanted to keep her safe.

For now, that would have to be enough.

When the students left for break in December Laurel was surprised how different the castle became. She had become used to the hustle and bustle the students caused, and while some students remained behind it just wasn't the same.

One nice thing about the holiday was that it allowed her time to study. It had become rather hectic for her, trying to learn nearly seven new potions every week for all of the different classes, and she was using all of the time she suddenly found herself with to study ahead, learn the potions before the students did.

The potions were becoming easier as time went by, but it became obvious to Laurel that she needed to learn more about how the Wizarding world worked. He'd been doing it in a rather subtle way, but every day Severus would tell her random facts about the Wizarding world, things that might come in handy in certain situations.

He was trying to help her learn more about a world that she was a complete stranger to. It was a nice effort, but he could hardly tell her everything she would need to know, so she took it upon herself to somehow get more information.

Walking into the nearly empty classroom Laurel waved at Severus, "Morning!" she said, a cheerful smile on her face, "Have you looked outside yet? It snowed again last night and there's gorgeous white snow covering everything."

Severus raised one eyebrow, not moving his gaze from the papers on his desk, "It snows every winter, and this is hardly something extraordinary."

Laurel sat down and began to get out her book, "I've only ever seen snow once before I came here, and that was years ago. I've never been somewhere that gets so much snow."

Putting down the quill in his hand Severus lifted his eyes from his desk, and looked at Laurel, "Well I hope you are not opposed to spending time in the snow, because we will be taking a trip to Diagon Alley today."

Laurel's eyes lit up, "Really? That's the same place we went last time right? The place with the ice-cream?"

He winced, "Correct, however I believe it would be appropriate to skip on the ice-cream for this trip, seeing as it is below freezing outside."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Laurel reluctantly agreed. A thought passed through her mind briefly and she asked, "They have a book store there, don't they?"

"Yes,"

"Would I be able to go into it maybe? There is something I have wanted to buy." This would be a perfect opportunity for her to find a book that could tell her more.

"I don't believe that should be too much of a problem," He went rummaging through his pockets, "I will need to pick up some potions ingredients Dumbledore ordered, along with a few other tasks I need to complete, however if you are willing to go by yourself there should be more than enough time. Here, take these." Severus handed Laurel a small pile of money.

Examining the coins in her hands Laurel said, "These are Wizarding money, right?" She picked one up to look at it closer, "Pippa tried to explain them to me. This is a Galleon right?"

He nodded, "You have your own vault at Gringotts, but it would take an annoying amount of time to retrieve it. For now, this will have to do. It should be more than enough for you to buy anything in the book store. Are you aware of the value of each coin?"

She nodded, "Like I said, Pippa explained it, and I'm pretty sure I remember correctly." She pocketed the coins and stood up when she saw Severus do the same. When he took out a ripped up stuffed animal she asked, "Is that going to get us there?"

"This will be our portkey. If you will hold onto it we can be on our way."

Grabbing the stuffed animal Laurel only had a moment before there was a tug at her navel. A moment later she found herself in a completely different area, surrounded by fluffy white snow.

Stumbling a little, trying to keep her balance, Laurel said, "You guys can change a pin into a porcupine, you think you'd be able to make that thing a little less uncomfortable."

She could almost see a smile on Severus' face, "Perhaps we merely enjoy watching those not accustomed to it squirm at the feeling." Motioning for her to follow him Severus began to walk down the street lined with shops.

Laurel rolled her eyes, "You're probably the only person that would find that amusing. Normal people aren't masochistic like that."

He let out a short laugh, before stopping in front of what was clearly the bookstore.

"I shouldn't take a long time, and will return here to retrieve you when I am finished with my errands." Laurel wasn't surprised when he walked off without saying anything else. Severus was never one to say things that didn't have a point.

Walking into the book store she was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of books in the store. It was much larger than it appeared to be from the outside. She quickly gave up finding a book on her own, knowing that it would take her more time than Severus would allow her, and found an employee.

"Excuse me?" she addressed a small blonde woman. She had a nametag on, it said Eliza, so Laurel thought it safe to assume she was a worker there. "Do you think you could help me find a book?"

Eliza smiled at her brightly, "I can sure try. What type of book are you looking for?"

"Just a general one, talking about all the different things in the magical world."

Eliza let out a short laugh, "Even if someone made a book like that it would be far too large and heavy for anyone to read. I would suggest picking one topic first, and getting a book on that. After you finish that one you could get another book and so on."

"Alright," Laurel agreed, "That sounds reasonable."

"Where did you want to start then?" Eliza clapped her hands together enthusiastically, "We have books on herbology, astrology, history, arithmancy, bestiology, charms, curses, divination, dragons, healing, potions, magical theory, runes, transfigurations, and a number of other, smaller topics."

Laurel's head spun. 'Why does the Wizarding world have to have so many damn different things?' "Where do you think a good place to start is?"

Eliza smiled, "Personally I think books on magical beasts are the most interesting. If you're looking for just general information I would suggest the book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, By Newt Scamander. Would you like me to show you where it is?"

"No thank you, I'm sure I'll be able to find it." 'Plus,' she added to herself, 'That way if it looks too confusing you won't think it's odd that I'm getting a book a first year might read.'

Luckily, the store was labeled nicely, and Laurel was able to find her way to the appropriate area without too much trouble. Checking the books one by one she was pleased to find that they also organized the books by the author's last name. It made sense that they would, but Laurel had been a little frightened they would have some sort of wacky magical sorting system that she wouldn't be able to understand.

Finding the 'S' section, she nearly cried out in disappointment when she realized the book that had been recommended to her was at the very top of one of the shelves. Standing on her toes she stretched one hand up, trying desperately to reach the book. When she wasn't successful she took a step back to breathe, before heading forward again.

Stepping on the bottom shelf she held onto the bookshelf with one hand, reaching the other up to get the book. Even with her arm strained to its limit she could still barely even touch the bottom of the book. This time, she let out a loud grunt of frustration as she stepped back to glare at the book.

"Having a little bit of trouble?" A soft male voice came from besides her.

Looking to her left she saw a man with light brown hair looking at her with an amused glint in his kind, but tired eyes.

"Yes actually, I can't reach the book I want."

"Did you need some help then?" His hands were placed in his pockets, and he appeared relaxed.

"That would be wonderful." Laurel exclaimed, never one to pass up help that was being offered, "It's the one by Newt Scamander."

Moments later Laurel had the book in her hands. Looking it over it seemed to be the perfect book for her. It went over almost all of the animals in detail without assuming that the reader already knows about them.

Smiling up at her 'savior' Laurel said, "Thank you so much, I don't think I would have been able to reach it if you hadn't been here."

"I'm sure you would have found someone willing to help you eventually."

He was pleasant and soft spoken, and Laurel took an immediate liking to him. "My name is Laurel." She said, holding one hand out.

He took her hand in his, and shook it solidly, "It's very nice to meet you Laurel. Mine is Remus."

"Well it has been lovely meeting you Remus, but I'm afraid I should leave. I'm here with someone and I don't want to keep them waiting or anything."

"Of course," He motioned to her book, "I hope you find the book helpful."

"I'm sure I will," She said, moving to rest the book on one of her hips. It was heavy, and she was having a difficult time holding it. "Thank you for the help, and if I ever have the opportunity I'll try to do something for you."

"That's not necessary," He said, already starting to walk away, "No one should be rewarded for doing the right thing."

Laurel smiled and went to pay for her book, unable to ignore the thought that ran through her head, 'I wish Severus could be that sweet sometimes.'

Walking out of the store with her new book in hand Laurel began to walk in the direction she had seen Severus go earlier. He had told her to wait, but if she found him first they could get back to the castle earlier than planned. Then, she could get a head start reading her brand new book. She had only gone a few feet when she stopped. There were three different paths she could choose from.

Her worried eyes searched each path for any sign of something familiar, but there was nothing she could find. Closing her eyes she spun in a quick circle. Stopping, she opened her eyes, and went in the direction she was facing.

It probably wasn't the best idea, but Laurel couldn't think of a better option just then. She had only been walking in that direction for about ten minutes when she decided she had gone the wrong way. The lights had been steadily getting darker, she was practically the only person on the street now, and she noticed that most of the shops here were out of business.

Squinting her eyes she looked as far forward as she could, just to see if there were any shops ahead that she might miss if she turned around, but when she couldn't find anything she decided it would be best to head back, and try a different direction.

She hadn't gone more than five feet when a figure stepped into her path. Reeling backward slightly in an attempt to stop she looked up to see the familiar face of a man she met last time she visited this place.

"Hello, Laurel, was it?" She nodded, "Ah yes, you're the apprentice of Severus Snape isn't that right? You remember meeting me before, don't you?"

Yeah, she remembered him, she remembered how creepy he had been, and the warning Severus had given her to stay away from him. "It's nice to see you again Mr. Malfoy, but I really should be going."

She tried to move forward but he stepped into her path, "Nonsense, you should come for a drink with me. There's a quaint little place just down the way here, and I would be more than willing to treat you to a cup."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Laurel said, clutching her book to her chest tightly, "I really should be getting back to Severus. I'm sure he's looking for me."

"He can wait." This guy was seriously beginning to creep Laurel out, "I wasn't expecting to run into you like this Laurel, but I'm glad I did. You see, we have been quite interested in you since the day I met you."

Laurel took a step back, doubting that this was a good thing. She didn't know what he meant by 'we' and she was sure she didn't want to find out. "Listen, I seriously need to go now."

When she heard a crunch of gravel behind her, Laurel whipped around to see two more men standing behind her.

Shit.

She didn't hear what he said, but when she turned around again she saw a large beam of light coming from Lucius' wand. Before she could react it hit her in the arm.

She could feel her muscles tighten slightly, and knew that whatever that spell was supposed to do it wasn't anything good. Taking in the shocked faces of the men before her she took advantage of the situation, and threw her book as hard as she could at Lucius, hitting him high on his chest, before running past him as fast as she could.

Even as she ran she could hear shouting and the scuffling of feet behind her, and knew they were running after her. Laurel was looking over her shoulder to see how close they were, when she ran into a very warm, very solid chest.

Scrambling, she tried to get away from the man in front of her, afraid he was with Lucius.

"Hey, settle down" She heard the man say. Realizing it was a familiar voice she looked up, relieved to see the face of Remus. Even though she had only met him today she had a feeling that he was someone she could trust.

Plus, the way he was glaring over her head at the men behind her was a clear signal that he wasn't their friend. "Are you alright?" He asked her, never taking his eyes off of the men behind her.

"Yeah," She said in a shaky voice. Looking over her shoulder, Laurel was glad to see the men who had been following her slowly walking off in another direction. "Just peachy."

Now looking at her, Remus asked, "What exactly were you doing in Knocturn Alley?"

Laurel assumed Knocturn Alley was the creepy place that she had just come out of. "I got lost, that's all." She clasped her hands in front of her, horrified to find they were trembling.

He raised one eyebrow, "Would you care to explain why there were three wizards chasing after you?"

Laurel stared at the ground. While Remus had been nothing but kind to her she wasn't sure it was the best idea to tell him that they were likely chasing her because of her strange ability. Technically, she didn't actually know the reason, after all they never did tell her, so telling him that wouldn't be a lie. Technically.

"I'm not sure really, probably just because they're bad people." From the way he looked at her she could tell he didn't believe her. To distract him, she quickly added, "Could you show me the way to the apothecary? It seems I don't know the way very well."

He frowned at her, and pointed in the direction she just came from. "Just follow this straight and it'll be on your left. Unfortunately I have my own business to attend to, or I would show you the way there myself."

"That's perfectly fine Remus," She assured him, "You've done more than enough already." Waving she began to walk, faster than usual, in the direction he had pointed.

Laurel didn't slow down to a regular pace until she was once again around open shops, and among other shopper. Sure enough, she found the apothecary on her left, and entered the store quickly, hoping to find Severus there.

The store was filled with bottles, all containing odd looking things. Frankly, Laurel wasn't sure she wanted to know what most of the items were. Looking for any sign of unkempt black hair, or that familiar crooked nose, Laurel hurried around the apothecary. When she had made her way around the entire store Laurel leaned against an empty wall and closed her eyes.

'I should have just stayed at the bookstore.' She thought, and she could feel her eyes burning with the beginning of tears. 'Now, I'm lost, alone, with no way to find Severus.' Wrapping her arms around her stomach, she hugged herself, and tried not to cry.

"Unless I am mistaken this is not the library." Laurel's eyes shot open at the familiar voice, and saw Severus standing in front of her. "Was I not clear in my instructions for you to remain there?"

Almost not believing her eyes Laurel let out a short laugh, "You're here." She said simply, entirely sure there were tears building in her eyes.

"You do have a talent for telling me things I am already aware of." When tears finally began to roll down Laurel's cheeks he faltered, "You are upset." He pointed out, clearly expecting an explanation.

Another laugh escaped Laurel's lips, though this one was significantly wetter than her previous one. "Not upset really, more like overwhelmed." She corrected.

He frowned, "Was the book store truly that horrible?"

Using the edges of her sleeves Laurel wiped her face dry as her tears began to subside. "No, the book store was- oh! Dammit all!"

"Well that is an interesting was to describe the bookstore."

"No, I just realized that I dropped my book when-" Laurel cut off abruptly, wondering whether or not she should tell Severus about what happened. It didn't take her too long to decide not to tell him. He would probably just get upset at her for wandering off on her own. "I must have left it in the book store."

He almost looked amused at her supposed absentmindedness, "My own errands are complete, we should return there to retrieve it."

"No!" She said hurriedly, "That's alright. I mean... I might as well just leave it. We should probably be getting back soon." She thought to herself, 'I really need to work on this whole lying thing since I keep on finding myself in situations that require me to do it.'

"Really, if you paid for it already it would be a waste of money to not get it back."

Laurel groaned internally, of course he would have to be persistent, "Well... I'm sure they've put it back already or something like that. It'll just take forever and they'll probably make me pay for it again."

"I highly doubt they would do that. If you explain the situation I am sure they will understand."

Closing her eyes tightly Laurel said, "Please Severus, I just want to go home." She had had enough excitement for one day. After carefully studying her, Severus nodded his head curtly, and led her to a place they could safely use the portkey.

This time, Laurel welcomed the uncomfortable tug at her navel, as it meant she would be returning to Hogwarts, the place she had begun to think of as home.

End Chapter Twenty One

I hope the chapter was enjoyable! Remus is probably one of my favorite characters so I just had to bring that lovable fuzzy werewolf into my story.

Thanks goes out to everyone who reviewed! And Big buckets of thanks to my ever fantastic beta, evenstar101!

*Whoopsydaisy