(AN: Sorry for the long, long wait, but at long last I did the next chapter...Hope all my readers enjoy my dip back into writing this story!)


Chapter 22: Three Quarters Muggle

Sev had yet to actually see a Muggle in this world, and he had never seen a Muggle just being normal and non-magical in his world, so when Mr. Malfoy took him out of the Leaky Cauldron into London, he was absolutely gob smacked.

First of all, if he had thought any of their worlds loud, the Muggle world was outrageously loud and busy.

"Merlin's Beard…" he whispered, grey eyes wide as they scanned this way and that, taking in all this absolute novelty. It was too fascinating and strange to know what to focus on!

"I thought you might like to see this first-hand," Draco said, putting a hand on his shoulder for a moment and then giving it a pat. "And to be honest, I wanted to see your face when you did. It was quite eye-opening for me the first time." Or at least the first time after his eyes had been opened to the reality of non-magical things and people.

"The book descriptions did not do it any justice," Sev said, blinking.

"What did you imagine?" Draco asked.

"I…I don't even know, sir." His grey eyes wandered from person to person taking in all their gadgets and bits and bobs. "I thought it would be less sophisticated." He took a breath. "It smells funny, and it's loud." He added, "There's so many of them."

"That's from their cars."

"That's…the fuel?" He took another sniff through his nose and made a face. "And some wizards think potions smell bad?" Nothing in his world smelled like that.

"When it goes in the air, I think, it smells worse."

Sev blinked, "Right…it's liquid when they put it in." He'd learned that bit in Muggle Studies class. His eyes narrowed in thought. The Muggle cars transformed it somehow, and he now could add that to his list of things he wanted to know. How precisely did that work.

"Scorpius told me how much you were reading the Muggle books, and book shops are very similar in the Muggle world and magical world. The Muggle ones are more organized, but the magical ones can use spells to find things, obviously. There are a lot of shops that I have no idea what they are for at all."

Sev stared up at Draco for a moment and almost ran into someone's shoulder. The blond had to grab him and steer him closer to avoid it.

"Sorry, sir. This is all very odd. I mean, sir, I'd never thought of hearing the other you speak candidly about Muggles or willingly going anywhere near them…"

"And all the way through our years that overlapped between worlds, I never had, but I changed here in this world. Some. I did not have the opportunity in your world."

"I saw you still have quite the curated collection of Dark objects and ancient artifacts, sir."

"I had the same past and the same interests and heritage. They are well-protected from Scorpius," he replied. Then he looked down at Sev and said, "Though probably not from you if what Kingsley says about your capabilities is true." Draco smirked and chuckled. "But you could be trusted not to fool with things you do not know how to handle – even if I suspect you might know how to handle many of them."

Sev smiled and said, "It would be silly to lie, sir. My former world was full of those sorts of things. I'm very good with Dark objects and cursed things." It was a drawback of being around Dark magic for the whole of his existence from birth onward and without any restrictions on its use whatsoever. A lot of it was more common to him that 'regular' magic. That left its own marks on a person. "And I would not touch anything without permission, sir. Nor fool with magic for no reason."

Draco looked at him, chuckled, and smiled, "You have my permission." The last thing he was worried about was Sev and magic. Like Kingsley, he had already deduced their mini covert operative did not need their help learning magic. He needed other things. "Your father trusted you with very advanced magic, so there is no reason for me not to trust you with advanced magic, Severus. Like I said, I'd far rather facilitate what you wish to know than have you be bored or do something foolish."

That quirked a brow. "Thank you, then, sir."

"I think it would be quite helpful if everyone was a bit more upfront with you, but the Gryffindors have their way while we have ours. Hogwarts is a bit more about you learning social things for here than magical things. So, truly, what you wish to learn beyond that, you will have to learn to speak up."

"I will, sir. I've already thought about what you said about the headmistress and animagi." He licked his lips and added, "I don't talk just to talk, but I'm not quiet or shy either, at all. I just prefer to observe a bit first."

Draco nodded at that revelation, though he had not pegged the boy as shy. No, that was far too timid a descriptor for Professor Snape's son, even if he was small for his age.

It only took about three shops in the Muggle world before Sev was quite overloaded with the sounds of cars and people yelling into their phones. Going back into the familiar magical world was quite the reprieve after that. With Hogwarts in session Diagon Alley was far less bustling. Draco looked at his watch.

"Why don't we do lunch. There's a café that is quite good." And he knew from the Minister of Magic's assistant that she was there for lunch pretty much every day, arriving in about fifteen minutes.

Draco hoped this might be far better than attempting to corner her in the Ministry. They sat down at table by the window and a waitress with a floating pad and quill came by to give them menus and offer them drinks.


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