January was the worst of the winter months; Severus was convinced. The sun refused to show its face and the cruel British wind maliciously swept the small town of Bampton. Though, however dreadful the winter months were here, his cozy cottage by the River Batherm was incomparably nicer than the drafty dungeons in Hogwarts.
Severus turned up his collar at the wind, grimacing at the thought of the magical school he had left eight years prior. After the defeat of Voldemort he had been offered the chance to return to his previous position as Potions Master, all thanks to that insufferable chit Potter and her determination to make his innocence clear to the Ministry, but he declined. The old school held too many memories for him and, quite frankly, now that he was no longer bound there by a promise to Dumbledore or Voldemort he vied for his freedom. Minerva, though slightly miffed at his declaration, did concede to his wishes and bade him good luck, which was more than could be said of a certain Gryffindor harpy. Harriet Potter requested many discussions before his departure to, "clear the air", as she put it. Severus scowled at the memory, at the look on her face in his mind's eye as he told her there was nothing to say and that he merely wished to be left alone. This protestation was not enough to make the harridan leave him be. Each time she found herself, initially in his hospital room recovering and subsequently, in the dungeons packing he ignored her existence. After a week of this treatment Potter appeared to finally accept his dismissal without another word. He sold Spinners End the next day, accepting a pittance for the swift convenience.
It had been eight glorious years since the final battle. Eight wonderful years since he had any contact with his former life. Eight years and suddenly Harriet Potter had wormed her way back into his life, pushing and shoving.
Severus Snape continued his way from his apparition spot, just far enough out of town to avoid detection from muggles. He winced as the numerous shrunken bottles and vials in his pocket clinked together in his haste to remove himself from the inclement weather. He could hear the swift River Batherm sloshing as he made his way home, it was the only sound other than the howl of winter wind. Severus made it his mission to retrieve the potion ingredients from Knockturn Alley as quickly as possible and without interruption from anyone in his old life. The wind was soon joined by fevered but faint yelps and barks, unusual but not unheard of as many farms around the river had dogs on their property. He considered his mission of stealth a success, continuing to make his way down river until he noticed the girl just ahead of him on the bank. Harriet sodding Potter. She was struggling to maintain her hold on a whimpering dog, wrapping her cloak around the frightened animal. It took Severus a moment to realize both were soaking wet. Now he had a split second to make a decision, he could stop and make his presence known to the distracted girl or cast a notice-me-not charm and hope the savior remained unaware. Severus chose the latter. He quickly muttered the spell and moved just out of earshot. His previous shock at spotting the witch was quickly replaced with exasperation and curiosity, eight years uninterrupted and now this wretched girl had found him. Yet what was she doing so far from Islington? What was she doing in the middle of the country and with a dog no less? His mind quickly connected the mutt to the strange yelps he heard farther upstream, but did nothing to answer his other questions. From his covert position farther up the bank he could hear her cooing at the dog, attempting to sooth the fright.
"Come on now we're okay, yeah that's right we had a nasty fall but we're alright! We just have to make our way home, ten minute walk tops, and we'll be right as rain!" The animal continued to shiver, looking unconvinced. The Potter girl huffed, "Well I'm not the one that tumbled into this bloody river after going all barmy for a rabbit, honestly you're lucky I managed to get you out ya mangy thing...ruining a simple walk".
Severus rolled his eyes, of course the witch must be the dog's owner, but suddenly the first part of Potter's inane blather struck him, 'We just have to make our way home'. Home? Home. Harriet Potter not only had stumbled back into his life, but appeared to have set up shop with intentions to stay. And who knows how long she had been living in or around Bampton or if she even knew of his whereabouts. Regardless she would know soon if he did not move; while a notice-me-not charm was effective from a distance it would not keep him hidden if he were directly in front of her.
"Snape?"
Dammit.