A/N: Muahaha. I got a new version of Word!! He he he he. Sorry, I doth beith happy! Any road. I have decided to update, but my computer lost all of the original Chapter 2, right as I was saving it, the hard drive crashed. Never download Kazaa on laptops, it's crashed my hard drive twice, but I have a new one, so all is well.
Chapter Two: Diagon Alley and New Professors
Severus Snape hated Maine, the United States of America, and just about everything in it. The people, the accents, the slang, everything was much better in Britain he had decided a long time ago. His great grandparents had built this mansion in the early 1900's. His great grandfather had married a Wizarding Ambassador to the Americas, and she had begged him to have a mansion there. His grandparents lived in the mansion for a while, then moved to Britain after Darkness Falls, a large boarding school for Wizards had closed, so that his father could attend Hogwarts, which is considered to be a better school, but didn't teach as much of the advanced spells and Dark Arts. His father's two years in Darkness Falls however made him obsessed with everything about the Dark Arts. When his parents split, his father got the American Mansion, his mother, the one in Britain. For a part of the Holidays he would go to the American Mansion, and hated every moment he spent there. His father was deep into the Dark Arts and drove him to it. He blamed his father, and this place for every muggle and wizard he killed and tortured during the war. He made and emergency Portkey to here because no one else knew of its existence and location, save some close family members, on top of that, it was Unplottable, and had about half as many of the wards up that were around Hogwarts. His only friend here was a muggle boy, Stephen King, and they would often exchange scary stories, when his father was not around of course.
He easily found one of the bedrooms and laid down the unconscious Harry. He didn't quite trust his own Healing Charms. His skill was with Potions, threatening, Dark Arts, and Dueling, definitely not healing. As a Death Eater, his job was to kill the muggles, wizards that were against Voldemort, witnesses, and leave all the dead and injured, even if it was a fellow Death Eater. Voldemort, his step-father, mother, and father had taken from him compassion, empathy, but now Harry, in his weak and almost fallen state had brought a little bit of it back. He wasn't uncompassionate, just never really cared for anyone else. Maybe it was time to change that. His step-father's voice yelling in his head got rid of those thoughts, and he turned away quickly, trying to remember where the Potions Room was.
He walked the hall, not quite remembering where it was, but knowing he was going the right way. He came to a stop and looked at the three doors nearest to him. He knew that nothing was in the room straight ahead, so it was either right or left, he chose left, turned and turned on the light. He grabbed the ingredients to the quickest Healing Potions he could think of. He would prepare a quick Bone-Mending Potion, a Pain-Killing, and a Health Restoration potion. Everything else would take too long, and he could get in Diagon Alley. He rushed back to Harry's side and brewed and administered the potions. He summoned a house-elf.
"Jaby knowed not that you is back, Master Snape."
"It was an unexpected visit," he growled, house-elves' bad grammar had always ticked him off. "I am leaving, watch the boy, and make sure that he stays alive. Goodbye." With those instructions he walked out the door and disapperated beyond the threshold of the barrier.
He arrived in the Leaky Cauldron, and went quickly to the Apothecary. Severus went towards the back and found the most complicated Healing Potions. He grabbed several promising ones and turned around, heading towards the desk and bumped into a woman.
"Sorry," he grumbled, not really meaning it.
"It's all right," the woman, who was tall and had very long wavy light brown hair and pale skin. She was thin and had bright, but soft blue eyes. "I'm Aeria Feenland."
The name sounded somewhat familiar, it was clear however that she wanted him to introduce himself and answered quickly, "Severus Snape, Potionsmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Really? I'm going to be a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher there." The woman, Aeria, looked around quickly, "Thespia, find Chorea, make sure she doesn't get into trouble," Aeria turned back towards him, "My daughters, they'll be going to Hogwarts next year. Chorea can sometimes get into stuff she shouldn't be and make trouble, she'll be a First-Year. Thespia is going to be a Fifth-Year."
"Fascinating as this all is, I must be going," Severus didn't give her a chance to respond, but as he turned, out of the corner of his eye he saw a potion fly off of the top shelf and Aeria wave her hand and it returned. He left and heard Aeria begin to scold Thespia for not watching Chorea. He decided not to think on it and left. He returned to Harry and gave him the Potions and sat by his bed watching him for a time.
He watched Harry for a few seconds. He remembered some of his own past, his own step-father, his own father. He almost felt as if his mum had re-married the same man under a different name. They were both deep into the Dark Arts, blood purity, and beating children it seemed. His father saw it as a good punishment, his step-father could not have any children with his mother, and often took his anger out on Severus. His mother would never interfere, and seemed to be too lazy to re-marry once again. His step-father drilled into him the values of Slytherin, and the values of Voldemort. That's how he got tangled into that mess. "There's no point to dwell on the past, you've done your wrong, and now it's time to pay up for your wrongdoing," he grumbled to himself. He got up and left, not exactly knowing where he was going.
He found himself in the music room. He looked around at the instruments around him. He picked up a dark woodwind. He felt the metal keys and put the single reed into his mouth and played a note on the Clarinet. Apparently, his embouchure wasn't that far gone. He played a quick, though somewhat sloppy chromatic scale and started to play Canon in D in the highest octave he could reach. He remembered how he used to come in and play in anger. Canon in D happened to be one of his father's favourite pieces, so one day after they had gotten into a row, he learned to play it, high and shrilly. He pulled his corners back and took in more mouth-piece making it as shrill and angry-sounding as possible.
"There's no point to dwell on the past, you've done your wrong and now it's time to pay up for your wrong-doing," Harry heard, too exhausted to even open his eyes. All that he could feel was pain. The voice he heard seemed familiar, but he could not place it.
Harry lay there, feeling the pain begin to numb slightly. He lay there silently and unthinking for a few seconds before he heard a high and shrill familiar melody. He painfully cringed as it played on. He suddenly realised the great pain in his head as it began to worsen. He tried to sit up, but whined as every muscle cried out against it. He panted as he tried to stop the pain from moving and the shrill melody ceased.
Snape felt a whole lot calmer and returned to his patient. Upon entering the room, he saw Harry panting. "Harry," he beckoned. "Harry focus on my voice can you hear me?"
Harry couldn't answer. Severus took the boy's hand, "Harry, squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Harry focused all of his energy to squeezing the familiar man's hand. Severus felt a surge of relief and shed his soft side, now that he knew the boy was okay. "Good job, Potter. Just rest here." Severus went and got a Strength Potion. "Potter, I'm going to give you a potion, and I want you to drink it, all right?"
"Snape!" Harry thought at once, he was the familiar man. Severus didn't expect and answer, but got up and administered the potion. Harry felt the cool liquid in his throat and swallowed. He began to feel strength returning to him, and was able to open his eyes.
Muahaha. I'm going to stop there for now.
Reviewer thanx—
My e-mail is messed up, so I'm sorry because I know I forgot three of you, and I can't get into my reviews, I am so very sorry and I will answer your reviews next time—I hope. Bonus something to anyone who figures why I picked that particular state and city.
Corgi—Thankyou, I hope this kinda explains the whole Maine thing for you.
Feye Morgan—Must say, I like your name. Thankyou,and whats yaoi?? I'll answer that question once I find out what it is. Here's your next chapter!