A/N hey guys! I apologise for the long wait, but I have been pretty busy. So I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
*March 17th
1997*
"You bloody idiot, what were you thinking?"
Daniel rolled his eyes and gripped the glass in his hands.
"I needed answers."
"From Lucius Malfoy? Did you really think He'd say a word?" scoffed Jones.
"He didn't exactly deny anything." Daniel snarled quietly, and Jones looked in surprise.
"Didn't deny what? You didn't tell me why you went there in the first place." Jones said in annoyance, Daniel shrugged and put his glass of mead to his lips.
"It's got something to do with that girl, hasn't it?" Jones asked "Wotsername.."
"Mara." Daniel said after lowering his glass "And yes, it has."
"She's nothing but trouble that one, mark my words. She's got you suspended twice!"
Daniel rolled his eyes again and stood, Jones stood with him, and pressed his dark hand against Daniels' elbow.
"You stay here, or do what you want. I'm going to meet Mara, she has apparition lessons in the village." Daniel said quietly, and Jones frowned.
"Listen, I'm only trying to help. Alright?" Jones said softly, and Daniel nodded
"I know." he said with a sigh, then smiled a little when Jones quickly pushed his lips against Daniels cheek.
"I have things to do," Jones said, letting go "I'll see you later."
Daniel nodded, and he lead the way out of the pub...
Jones disapparated outside the building, and Daniel came to a halt, when he saw Snape standing nearby, looking like he was waiting for someone.
Daniel looked in curiosity, then he felt a little surprised when Mara appeared with a crack, she almost fell to the ground, but Snape stopped her fall and held her in his arms.
Mara quickly let go and rubbed her arm in embarrassment when she stood, they looked away from each other.
Daniel looked in suspicion, and decided to head over.
"You need to maintain your balance." Snape said smoothly, Mara rolled her eyes
"I know that." she said irritably, and Snape glared at her
"Watch your attitude." he hissed, and Mara huffed.
"Everything alright?"
Mara looked around and saw Daniel coming to a stop beside her. Daniel looked at her in worry, he could sense the tension in the air between the two.
"Everything's fine." Mara said, unconvincingly, Daniel looked in worry.
"Come." Snape snapped, and turned
"You coming?" she asked, and Daniel followed her towards a short, wispy man that he recognised to be the Apparition instructor,
"Is Snape being an asshole to you again?" Daniel asked quietly, Mara shrugged
"Shh, he'll hear you." Mara said, and they paused in front of Wilkie Twycross, the apparition instructor, who glanced up at them.
"And you are..." Twycross said, and looked at his clipboard
"Morris, Mara." Snape said, who was now standing before Twycross
"Oh, yes, there you are." Twycross said, and he made a mark on his parchment.
"What's the verdict then?" Daniel asked, Mara noticed the irritated look in Snapes' eyes, Twycross looked at Daniel then back to his clipboard
"And you are..?" he asked, Mara shook her head
"A nuisance." Snape interjected with a small smirk, Mara glared at him.
"Oh he isn't a student, but he's my friend." Mara explained quickly, ignoring Snape, who glared back at her, and Twycross nodded, seemingly oblivious to any of this as he searched for Daniels' name.
"Alright," Twycross said, looking back at Mara from the board. "You did relatively well, Miss Morris, your balance was a bit off, but I feel with more practice and more concentration you will be more adept to the art of apparition." Mara looked in disappointment "But you pass, Miss Morris. However, you must remember the three D's-"
"Destination, Determination and Deliberation." Mara added, and Twycross smiled
"Good! Not everyone cares to remember those important words." he tutted "Now, please excuse me, I have other students to see to." Twycross said, and he walked of to the next student who needed his assistance.
"Phew! I can't believe I passed! I was so sure I was going to fail."
"Well done Mara, you did good." Daniel wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her
"Tsk." Snape huffed, and walked off, Mara frowned and looked in worry at him.
"What's up with Him!" Daniel asked, letting go of Mara
"..probably can't find anything to poke a hole at." Mara shrugged, and looked away. Daniel frowned a little.
"Oh well." Daniel said, and looked over her quickly in concern "Do you fancy a celebratory drink? On me?"
Mara nodded
"Yes, I need one. Come on." Daniel looked in worry as she passed him, but he followed her to the Three Broomsticks...
"You seem a bit on edge, are you alright? Has something happened?" Daniel asked, once they were seated by the lowly lit fireplace, with their drinks in hand.
Mara shrugged
"You can tell me, it's okay." Daniel said carefully, and Mara sighed
"..I might as well tell you, you'll probably hear it from someone else anyway." Mara said, then shook her head, Daniel watched interestedly "I, kind of, had a little outburst in class this morning..I smashed a few things in Snapes class, purely by accident." she added, putting her hands up quickly before Daniel could interrupt.
"Why would you do that?" Daniel asked in concern, and Mara scratched the back of her neck
"One of my classmates, mocked me about Mr Malfoy, said I was..I was having fantasies about him in my sleep, because I talk about him in my sleep.." Mara bit her lip, upon noticing the shock in Daniels' eyes "She said it in front of the whole class, in Snapes' class."
"Who was it." Daniel said hotly, and Mara shook her head
"That doesn't matter.."
"..then why is Snape mad at you?" Daniel asked, upon noticing Snapes attitude towards Mara earlier.
"Well, it wasn't the smashed objects Snape got angry at me for."
Daniel prepared himself, this didn't sound good
"I..kind of, called him..."
"Called him what?" Daniel asked, and Mara sighed
"..a bastard." she said quietly, Daniel stared in shock, then laughed.
"Oh, I'm glad you find it funny! You aren't the one with two months worth of detentions!" she said hotly, and Daniel stared in surprise
"Two months." he said in disbelief, and Mara nodded
"Yes, two bloody months." she snapped, slamming her fists on the table, and making the glasses jump up and down a little.
"Mara, calm down honey." Daniel said, and pressed his hands over her fists, she sighed shakily, ignoring the few people who had looked around.
"Why did you swear at Snape?" Daniel asked carefully after a moments silence. Mara pulled her hands out from her his, causing him to frown.
"..well, he threatened to put me in the same detentions as that girl." Pansy Parkinson, Mara thought scathingly.
"That Bastard." Daniel said in disbelief, and Mara scoffed
"Exactly my reaction!"
"Why did he threaten you with that?" Daniel asked, and Mara sighed heavily
"Because apparently I have a 'bad attitude,' I only have a 'bad attitude' towards people who have one towards me!" she said angrily, and Daniel noticed her eyes water.
"Mara, please calm down a little, ey?"
Mara shook her head
"Sorry, this day, it's just getting to me." she wiped her eyes quickly, and decided to drink some of her butterbeer before it got cold.
"..I think I might do a bit of shopping before going back to the castle." Mara said after a small silence "It might take my mind of it for awhile." she continued, and Daniel nodded.
"That's a good idea." Daniel said, glad of the subject change for a moment.
"I need a new nightie, anyway..so lets go after these drinks, yeah?" Mara said
"Sure, sounds good." Mara put her glass to her lips, she knew she needed to break that tension between her and Snape, somehow, maybe getting a new nightie might help a little...?
"That's definitely the one." Daniel said, beaming when they exited the shop Gladrags WizardWear. His attention was suddenly drawn as he heard the crunching of leaves, then he looked in confusion when he saw Jones walking away from the shop.
"Um, Mara I need to go for a moment. Do you mind walking on?" he asked, and Mara looked at him in worry.
"What's wrong?" she asked
"Nothing, I just saw my partner and need to speak to him quickly, I'll catch up." he said, and Mara nodded.
"Alright."
Daniel patted her head, then turned and hurried off.
Mara shrugged and walked on, then she gasped when she collided with a figure, she fell to the ground and the contents of her small dress box sprawled out onto the ground, and the figure she bumped into turned.
She glanced up and saw Snape, who was looking down at, Mara noticed, her aqua green nightie, that was half sprawled on the dirty ground. She quickly put it back in the box, embarrassed.
"Dammit. You're everywhere aren't you." Mara said irritably, and Snape glared at her
"And who is that for, you, or someone else?" Snape asked suspiciously, and Mara growled quietly to herself.
"It was meant to be a surprise." she hissed, and Snape lowered his eyes and crossed his arms "for you."
Snape looked in surprise, and watched as she put the box deep inside her handbag. He coughed a little, embarrassed.
"..Don't be late for detention tonight." Snape said after an awkward silence, and reached out his hand for her to take, she smiled a little and gripped it, and he helped her onto her feet.
"Thanks..and, I won't.." she said with a small smirk, and Snape returned it
"Now, excuse me, I have another student that needs my assistance." his thick cloak swerved around his ankles as he turned and walked off, Mara smiled a little and made her way back to the castle, though she thought maybe she should go wait for Daniel first...
Mara sat on a wall with her handbag on her lap, as she waited for Daniel to hurry and catch her up.
She waited there for a few minutes, she couldn't see him anywhere.
She sighed and decided to stand, and make her way on her own.
"..Excuse me."
Mara paused and turned around, she saw a young man, about Daniels' age, looking at her through brown eyes.
"..yes?" she said warily, and the man smiled a little
"I'm Daniels' partner, Alex Jones. He asked me to give you a message." Mara looked in worry
"Is he alright?" she asked, and Jones nodded
"..yeah, he's fine." Jones said, and she gave him a suspicious look "He wanted to meet you by the Hogshead inn, something's come up. I said I'd escort you, so if you'd please come this way."
Mara frowned a little, she wasn't keen on strangers.
"It's alright, Miss, I'm an Auror, you can trust me." he gave her a warm smile, and she watched him turn and slowly walk away.
Mara sighed, she knew Aurors were trustworthy against danger, and she was sure she'd be safe with this man, but Mara pulled out her wand and kept it to her side just in case...
"..Where is he?" Mara asked, when they arrived outside the pub.
"Down here." Jones said, and turned into an alleyway next to the building, Mara looked down it in concern.
"Down there, really?" she said suspiciously
"Yes, he wanted to talk to you in private." she bit her lip a little, but if Daniel needed to talk in private..
She kept her wand tight in her hand and made her way inside the alley, Jones looked both ways and followed behind.
"Stupefy." Jones whispered quietly, Mara gasped, then collapsed into a heap on the ground..
Jones kneeled down and looked at her, making sure she was knocked out, then he went for her handbag.
He rifled through the contents, and stopped when he felt a box, he pulled it out and looked inside
"Someone's getting lucky." He scoffed, then put the box to one side, and rifled through her deep handbag some more.
"Hello." he felt a book, the only one in there and pulled it out.
He put it onto his lap and took a look, the covers were purple in colour, and had golden patterns along the sides. There was a lock on the book, and he pointed his wand at it
"Alohomora."
A loud piercing scream filled the air around him when he opened the book
"Holy shit!" he shut the book back up forcefully and locked it again, and panted.
"This is it! It's a diary." he muttered, then he put the contents around him back inside her bag and stood back up again.
"I've got to get this back to him." he pushed the book inside his robes, and looked both ways before exiting the alleyway calmly and quietly. Jones was sure that bloke would be happy with what he managed to pick up...
A/N-Well i hope you enjoyed That! If you did, don't forget to comment, follow or fave!