Chapter three: about Cookies, Women & Jungle Book

Now this was going to be tricky. Snape had decided to disapparate from Hogsmeade, and to apparate in a department store. The only place he could apparate unseen, was in a dressing room. "Now let's just hope that it's empty," Snape sighed. He didn't want to think about what would happen if some middle aged man was in there, trying to fit his belly into trousers that were too tight. He held Justin tight, and there they went.

With a soft popping sound they apparated in a dressing room. It was empty, to Snapes relief. Quietly, he slipped out of the dressing room. Justin jawned; obviously he was used to apparating. It was the middle of the day, and the store was filled with women strolling around. Snape was quite an exception. Primarily for he was male, but secondary because of his clothes. Several women stopped and looked at him, but Snape took absolutely no notice of them.

"Uncle Sev, uncle Sev, I wanna cookie," Justin said with a whining voice.

"Not now, boy," Snape said, as he desperately was looking around where he could find what he needed. "Excuse me, woman," he said to an elderly woman that was busy filling the shelves, "Where can I find the… children's… things?"

"Children's supplies, sir, second store," the woman replied. Then her face lit up as she saw Justin. "O, aren't you just an adorable little child," she said, and tickled Justin under his chin. "What's your name, love?"

"I'm Justin," the boy said. "Uncle Sev, Justin have cookie now?" he asked again, this time the volume a bit louder.

"Young man, your uncle cannot magically make cookies turn up from nowhere," the woman now said sternly to Justin.

"Yes he can," Justin said earnestly.

The lady shook her head. "Children…" she said.

Snape groaned and picked Justin up. "Come on, you're going with me," he said.

By the time they had finally reached the department of children's supplies, Justin had had three more cookies, and he contentedly started to sing along with the video that played there.

"I bet you want to watch television, do you?" Snape asked hopefully. Justin nodded cheerily and Snape planted him onto one of the little chairs before the television. "You stay here as I look around for stuff you need," he said. Justin didn't hear him anymore; he was absorbed by the video by then.

Quickly Snape scanned the racks and picked what he needed.

When he returned to the TV, Justin was still singing along loudly with the songs of Jungle Book. He was surrounded by three women, and they were all smiling. "Hello," one of them said to Justin, "Aren't you just the sweetest, loveliest kid I've ever seen? Where's your mummy?"

"She's gone," Justin said, barely taking his eyes away from Mowgli.

The woman looked startled. "Oh…" she said, hesitatingly. "Who are you with, then?"

Snape stepped forward. "He's with me," he said.

"Hi uncle Sev, we going now?" Justin asked.

The young woman's eyes shifted from Justin to Snape, and back to Justin again. Then she smiled. The other women were smiling too. "How wonderful it is to see a man like you spending time with his nephew," another woman said. Snape had already stretched his hand to pick Justin up from the chair, when he met the woman's eyes. She gave him a friendly smile and then stepped toward him. She put her arm on his shoulder and added confidentially: "I wish there were more men like you."

Snape blinked. What exactly was going on here? Was she talking to him? Since when did women talk so friendly to him, and, if that weren't enough since when did women tell him he was a wonderful man?

He looked around. All three women were smiling at him. Slowly, his mouth curled up.