Author's Note: This chapter's song is Movin' Out by Billy Joel.
June 1993
The remainder of the term passed without incident. No one was sorry when Lockhart left, least of all Danielle and Severus. Dumbledore's story about a spell gone wrong seemed to stick, and no one even questioned Danielle or Severus in any way. Only the two of them, Poppy, and Dumbledore knew the truth about what really happened that night, and as none of them were speaking about it, it remained that way.
On the last day of the term, immediately after the students had boarded the Hogwarts' Express, Danielle found herself summoned to Dumbledore's office. She expected Poppy and Severus to be there to begin discussing the plans for next year. But as soon as she walked in, Dumbledore began.
"How have you been?" he asked.
"Fine," Danielle said shortly, not wanting to talk. She had already poured her heart out to Severus the day after Lockhart attacked her. She didn't feel the need to repeat the process, especially since she had turned into a blubbering mess for a second time in front of Severus. As she hated crying in front of people, she really didn't want to put herself in the position to do so again. But Dumbledore's normally twinkling blue eyes were like lasers burning into her, and she had to look away. She wondered if he was using Legilmency on her, and hoped he wasn't or she might have to rebreak his nose, making him the third man whose nose she had broken since she arrived at Hogwarts.
"Danielle, you just went through a very traumatic experience, and it's only natural to be upset," he started but Danielle shook her head.
"I'm not upset. I'm angry."
"Go on," he urged her. Danielle sighed, knowing there's no way to get out of it, so she continued.
"Lockhart deserves worse than he's getting. I know I agreed to not press charges or anything, but it just makes me so angry that he's not being carted off to Azkaban," she said.
"It's not a perfect answer, but we-"
"- had to protect Severus. I know. And after all he's done for me, I would never do anything that could ruin Severus. But it's just, everywhere I look, I see something that reminds me of what happened, and I just get angry all over again!"
"Danielle, would you like to get away for a while?" Dumbledore asked.
"Get away? To where?" she asked.
"I had been thinking of asking either you or Severus to consider staying in Diagon Alley this summer so that when Harry runs away from his family, he will have someone to watch over him. And since I think it would do you good to be away from this place for a while. Would that interest you?" he asked her. Danielle actually surprised Dumbledore by laughing.
"I had actually been thinking of asking to live off campus this summer. It's just been so crazy lately, I never had a chance to ask," Danielle said feeling relieved. A change of scenery would do her good.
"Then it's settled. I've already made arrangements to rent a flat above Quality Quidditch Supplies. It's completely furnished and all you would need are your clothing and personal items. You can move in tomorrow," he told her.
Danielle practically climbed over the desk to hug the old man, she was so pleased. She thanked him profusely and returned to her quarters to pack. But when she got there, she realized that other than a small knapsack, she had no luggage. She was temporarily stymied until there was a knock on her door. Danielle peered through the peephole (a habit she had developed ever since the Lockhart incident) to see Severus standing there. She smiled and opened the door.
"You said when I finished the first one I should come and get the second one," he said holding up The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of the Lord of the Rings books.
"Sure. Did you like it?" she asked as she searched her shelves for The Two Towers.
"The Muggle who wrote it got far more wrong than right," he told her snidely. Danielle grinned as she turned to face the wall. If Severus was willing to read the second book, he liked it. He just didn't like to admit that he was enjoying a book written by a Muggle that was about a magical world. How she wished she could somehow show him copies of the actual Harry Potter books, although he'd probably be insulted by his portrayal in most of them. Maybe it's a good thing he'll never see them, she thought.
"Would you like to go for a walk by the lake?" Severus asked her.
"Normally, I'd say yes. But I need to pack," she told him.
"Pack? And pray tell me where you are going?" he asked, looking annoyed that she hadn't told him she was planning on going somewhere.
"Dumbledore asked me to stay the summer at Diagon Alley, so that when Harry runs away someone can watch over him," she explained.
"I still don't see why he has to run away at all. He'd be safer staying put," Severus argued.
"Yes, but you know how bad it is with his family. He needs to get away for at least part of the summer, and since the Weasleys will be in Egypt and Hermione and her family will be in France, there's no place he can go for an official visit," she argued.
"So?" he asked.
"So! Did you not see his uncle beat him up for accidentally doing magic two summers ago? It's not safe for him there!" Danielle shouted.
"It is now," Severus told her with a smirk.
"What do you mean?" Danielle asked.
July 31st 1991
Severus had watched Harry many times after he and Danielle had tagged along when the Dursleys visited the zoo. He'd witnessed beatings that had brought back many uncomfortable memories of his own childhood. And even if the child being beaten was the demon spawn of James Potter, he would not allow that ignorant ass of a Muggle that was his uncle destroy the child. One Severus Snape type of person was more than enough for the world, he thought to himself.
So Severus came up with a plan. On Harry's birthday, after Hagrid had taken the boy to Diagon Alley, Severus Apparated to the hut the Dursleys were hiding out in. Since the hut wasn't a magical dwelling, he was able to Apparate right into the living room of the hut. When he did so, Petunia screamed, Dudley went over backwards in the chair he was sitting in, and Vernon came running out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his extremely thick waist.
"Now Petunia, is this any way to greet an old friend," he said in his silky dangerous voice.
"You know him?" blustered Vernon, sounding appalled at the idea.
Petunia's eyes narrowed as she studied Severus, then widened in surprise when she realized who he was.
"You're the Snape boy from Spinner's End," she gasped in surprise.
"I see you haven't forgotten me," he said softly.
"How could I possibly forget a freak such like you," Petunia huffed.
"Careful, Petunia. I am not a man who you should wish to anger," Severus said with a nasty smile. His glance fell upon Dudley and the curly pig's tail Hagrid had recently given him. "Is the tail the handiwork of your nephew or the man who was just here?"
"That giant fellow did this to my son," Vernon shouted, turning an ugly shade of purple.
"Then perhaps I should complete the transformation." And with a lazy flick of his wand, Severus turned Dudley into a pig. Petunia screamed and started to cry, throwing her arms around her now truly porcine son. Vernon got right up in Severus' face, jabbing his fat fingers against Severus' outsized nose.
"Listen you, change my son back this instant, or I will break every bone in your body," Vernon shouted. But what he didn't expect was for Severus to grab his hand and skillfully twist his entire arm in such a way that it threatened to break. Vernon fell to his knees and Snape was now standing over him, still clutching Vernon's arm in one hand, and his wand in the other. Petunia screamed and Dudley the pig let out a frightened squeal.
"Listen to me, you obese buffoon, and listen carefully. I am not a man to be crossed. If you ever so much as try to curse me, I shall torture you in ways you cannot even imagine. Do not try my patience!" Severus said in the tone that all of Severus' students knew meant imminent doom. He released a whimpering Vernon Dursley, who fell to the floor. As Vernon lay there quivering, Severus continued.
"I am casting a spell now that will serve as a beacon to me. If you lay hands upon your nephew again, I will know. And then I shall really make my displeasure known. You understand?" he asked, glaring at Vernon. When Vernon didn't answer, Severus grabbed the fat man's jowly cheeks. "You understand?" he asked again, louder this time.
"Yes! Yes! I understand!" Vernon screamed in terror.
"Very good. Understand that your nephew is very important in our world, and we will not stand to see him harmed." And with that, Severus let go of Vernon, who without Severus' support collapsed to the floor.
Severus turned and in a billow of inky black robes strode to the door.
"Wait! What about my son?" Petunia screamed in a horribly shrill voice that took Severus back to his childhood in an incredibly unpleasant way. Severus turned and gave Petunia a really alarming smile.
"Since there really is very little difference between your son and a pig, I doubt most people would see the difference. However…" he said as he flicked his wand and Dudley resumed his normal appearance, with even the tail Hagrid had given him gone.
"Remember, I'll be watching. So you let Harry be, and everything will be fine."
Once Severus was through the door, he cast the Beacon Spell. Any time one of his relatives physically harmed Harry, he would know. He also cast another spell preventing all of them from telling Harry about his intervention. He didn't want the boy to form any sort of attachment to him, as he would probably hate James Potter's little doppelganger. However, Severus would never willing allow a child to be beaten the way he had been, so he could feel confident in his actions being correct. With that, he Disapperated.
June 1993
"You never told me any of this!" an astonished Danielle told him.
"You never asked," he smirked. Danielle grinned at him.
"I wish I could have been there to see the looks on all of their faces when you were your badass self in front of them," she said with a laugh. Severus cracked a small smile at Danielle's compliment.
"So there really is no reason for Potter to need to get away. His relatives won't hurt him unless they wish to feel my wrath," Severus told her.
"Even so, what you did doesn't prevent them from being as awful to him as possible. I'll bet they're still nasty every chance they get," Danielle told him. "Besides, I really need to get away from here for a while." At this, Severus' face took on a sympathetic expression that was familiar to Danielle, but that a vast majority of the world was unfamiliar with.
"Lockhart?" he asked. She nodded.
"I just need to be somewhere else for a bit, and Diagon Alley is as good a place as any," Danielle said softly.
"I understand. But it will be much quieter this here this summer without you. I might actually catch up on all the work I can never complete with you underfoot," he said in his usual sardonic manner.
"It's not like you won't be seeing me. My flat, as you Brits put it, will be connected to the Floo Network. So I expect you to come over and hang out with me a lot," she insisted.
"When do you move in?" Severus asked her.
"Tomorrow," she answered.
"Tomorrow! That's not giving a lot of warning," he snapped.
"Well excuse me, but I didn't realize that I was supposed to consult you about every little thing happening in my life," she snapped back.
"Moving does not qualify as a little thing," he told her coldly.
"Look, are we going to spend my last day here fighting, or are you going to help me pack and move in?"
Severus sighed. Hurricane Danielle had blown back into town. Nothing he could do but shut up and help her like she asked. So Severus provided her with some empty boxes that Danielle filled with book, CDs, and videos that he then shrank down for easy transport. He also transfigured a sock that had lost its mate into a suitcase so Danielle could pack her clothing. Somehow, she managed to fit everything in, which was amazing because she had acquired a rather extensive wardrobe in the last two years. When Severus asked her why she needed nineteen different pairs of shoes in all colors of the rainbow, Danielle responded by throwing one of said shoes at him. But overall, they made quick work of the packing, and he agreed to accompany her to her new flat to set it up the next day.
They spent the remainder of the afternoon walking around the grounds of Hogwarts. It was a beautiful summer's day, and they said little. But as they walked, Danielle got a distinct impression that Severus really didn't want her to go, but was too proud to tell her so. So Danielle decided to make it clear he was a truly welcomed guest in her new flat.
The next day, Danielle and Severus shared breakfast in her quarters, served by a tearful Lulu. Danielle had to keep promising Lulu she'd be back in the fall, but the tiny elf just wailed and blew her nose loudly. They had to spend a great deal of time calming her down, and Danielle promised to visit. At last, they managed to get a hissing Claudia into her carrier and they Flooed to The Leaky Cauldron. They went to Quality Quidditch Supplies, where the store's owner, Emmett Smithson, happily had Danielle sign a sublease contract and hand her the keys. He led them to the door to the stairs.
"It's a private entrance off the main shop here. Might be a bit busy down there most mornings once the new Firebolt racing brooms arrive. You fly?" Smithson asked.
"No," Danielle told him, wondering if it was even possible for a Muggle to control a broom. Most likely not, so she was better off not trying.
"Pity, it's a wonderful experience," he told her as they went up the stairs. He unlocked the door and allowed her and Severus to look around.
The flat was small. It was two rooms and a bathroom, with shiny hardwood floors and whitewashed walls. Cheery red checked curtains hung on the many windows through which sunlight streamed. The kitchen was against the west wall, and it contained a sink, gas oven, and enchanted ice box, as well as many cupboards. Danielle peeked in them to find plenty of plates, cups, pots, pans, and silverware. The room's main area included a dining table with four chairs, a red sofa facing a large fireplace.
Danielle found a small bathroom with a surprisingly deep tub and a tiny bedroom with the type of four poster bed typical to the wizarding world. There was a small closet and a chest of drawers, as well as a linen closet in the hallway that led to the bedroom. It was small, but bright, clean, and cozy. Danielle told Smithson that she was very pleased. They shook hands and he left her to unpack.
Severus handled placing the books on the empty bookshelf on the north wall of the main room, while Danielle put her clothes away in the bedroom. Claudia, who had been released from her carrier, immediately began exploring her new home, finding all sorts of interesting things to sniff at.
Once they had finished unpacking, Danielle asked Severus where they could find some groceries. So Severus took her to a wizarding grocery store. Danielle bought many necessities, like milk, eggs, and bread, as well as some unusual produce, Wiz-O's Cereal, and plimpeys, little round fish with legs that Danielle was told would make excellent fish and chips with. Severus had to help her carry the huge number of bags back to her flat, where he muttered about there being no way such a tiny girl could eat that much food in just one summer. Danielle chose to ignore him and together they unpacked her groceries.
Once done, it was almost five o'clock. Danielle asked Severus to set the table as she filleted the plimpeys and breaded them with flour, herbs, and an egg wash. She heated cooking oil and fried them, along with some potatoes she had peeled and cut into shape for fries (or as the English called them, chips). Severus Apparated away suddenly, but returned ten minutes later with a six pack of beer.
"Perfect! I knew we forgot something!" Danielle exclaimed.
"We didn't forget, they just don't sell Muggle beer at a wizard's grocery store," he corrected her, putting a Cooling Charm on the beer so it would be ready for them to drink. A few minutes later, they sat down to dinner. Severus took a small bite of his fish, than a bigger one.
"You cook well," he complimented her.
"Thanks. I learned from the best," she told him.
"You're mother?" he asked. She shook her head.
"My father. My mom can't cook to save her life. If my dad didn't know his way around a kitchen, I'd have starved to death years ago," she said with a smile.
Severus washed the dishes after dinner with magic, and since the flat lacked a dishwasher, Danielle decided to invite him over for dinner frequently so he could do the dishes for her. If there was one thing Danielle hated to do, it was hand wash dishes. Then, Danielle pulled out her chess board and challenged Severus to a game, and he beat her with his usual lack of mercy in about twenty minutes.
"Would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow too?" Danielle asked him. "I was thinking of making a really good pasta recipe I know by heart."
"Perhaps, if I am not too tied up with other things," Severus said in that snide way of his that he had when he was displeased with something.
"Like what, reorganizing the potions ingredients into alphabetical order again?" Danielle snorted.
"You do realize I have a great deal of brewing to do over the summer, and not all of my time can be spent hanging about your flat," he said sourly.
"Come on, stop being a pain in the ass and have dinner here! I'll even pick up some ice cream and Florean Fortescue's tomorrow for dessert. Please, Sev?" she wheedled. He stopped cold and stared at her with a furious expression.
"What did you call me?" he asked in his quietest and most terrifying voice.
"I…I called you Sev," Danielle said, realizing she had never shortened his name like that before.
"No one calls me that," he hissed. But Danielle knew better. Once upon a time, Lily Evans had called him Sev. And Danielle doubted that since the day he called Lily a Mudblood, no one had affectionately shortened his name.
"I'm sorry. I won't call you that again," she said.
"Good."
"But you have to admit, your parents saddled you with a mouthful of a name," she told him.
"My mother picked my name," he said coolly.
"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it. It's just a hard name to spit out sometimes, especially in a hurry," she insisted.
"Well, I don't like nicknames. Besides, you don't have one," he complained.
"Yes I do. I actually have quite a few," Danielle argued.
"Name them," he ordered.
"Fine. My family and close friends sometimes call me Dani, my Dad calls me Sparks, my grandmother used to call me her little Meshugge, my powder puff football team name Buffy, and I've heard you when you refer to me as Hurricane Danielle," she rattled off.
"Fine. Give me a nickname, but not Sev!" he growled angrily.
"At the moment, I'd call you Grumpy, but I won't do that since I'm hoping you'll be in a better mood sometime in the future," Danielle snapped.
"I can leave if you want," Severus said, standing and starting to head for the fireplace.
"For the love of Pete, come back here! I'll just call you Severus, okay?"
"Fine," he said with an annoyed sounding sigh. But he did come back to the sofa and sat down.
"Look, I still want you to come for dinner tomorrow. Please?" she said, her blue eyes looking suddenly sad, and Severus felt as if his stomach were twisting up into itself.
"I'll come," he said.
And it didn't take him long to realize that even though Dani was not living down the hall from him this summer, he still saw her almost every day. He would come in the afternoons or evenings, Dani would cook, and they would do most of the same things they had always done together. So for the short term, Danielle no longer felt the need to nickname him Grumpy.
AN: And so book 3 begins! I wanted to get Danielle away from Hogwarts for just a bit. After all, Harry got to go home (however much home sucks) each summer, so I wanted Danielle to have a chance to have her own place to hang her hat. And after the whole ordeal with Lockhart, a change of scenery would do her good. And since Harry will be in Diagon Alley later that summer, it's as good a place as any for her to live for the summer.
And a certain reader of mine, kehlencrow, pointed out that I allowed Harry to be beaten to a pulp, with Sev and Dani both watching, and neither of them did anything about it. So I needed to fix this, and why not let Sev do it and be awesome! I wish I could have found a place for it sooner, but the story didn't work out that way.
Finally, I wanted to make sure that although Sev is far nicer than he used to be, he can still be a bit of a dickhead like Dani called him the first night she met him. But he reacts the worst when something bothers or upsets him, like Dani moving out.
Finally, Billy Joel is my favorite singer/ songwriter. I've seen him in concert a couple of times, and he is an amazing performer. This is second song featured in my works. It's not a perfect thematic fit, but I've always loved Movin Out. Great song. I wish he'd record some new, non-classical material again. I think the world is overdue a new Billy Joel album. Please, please, please review!