Don't own, J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Publishers do.
Don't make money from this, they do.
Own not a penny, so don't sue.
But please, beloved reader, please do review.
Andolyn
Muggle
2. Cry in the Dark
When Ari left the school building where she gave her evening classes, English for immigrants, she allowed herself a moment to stare at the multicoloured sky and dream away a bit. This time of year the sun went down quite late. The streetlights, already lit, were not of much use yet. But they brought Ari back from her romantic reverie when they blinked, sputtered a bit and then faded completely. Looking across the street where she had parked her little blue car, she saw that no home had any light and with a shiver she realised that there was a serious power outage going on. Hopefully not a city wide one, for that would mean no traffic lights- or would they be running on some emergency system? Anyway- she'd probably have more trouble than usual in getting home. Again, she experienced a very strange and cold feeling of dread- Quickly she got in the car and hurried back to Privet Drive.
Ari had been right- the power outage was city wide and when she finally had reached the outskirts of town, it was nearly half past eleven. And she was lost. Down here in the suburb, all streets looked so frightfully the same to someone relatively unknown to the area, especially in the dark. So when Ari saw movement in the street on her right, she thought very hard of stopping the car, getting out and ask for the way. But it was late and New Moon and very dark, in spite of the clear star streaked sky.
"Oh it's no use!" She muttered, stopping beside the pavement, rummaging the glove compartment for her map- When her engine died, a cry of pure terror split the night.
Ari switched of the little light above the dashboard and froze. She heard a dull thud and again a masculine voice cry out in pain. Terrified, she turned around and saw to her amazement a dark monk like figure slide and roll over the street to the middle of the road, thrown out of the side-street she'd just passed, the one with the people in it, lit up by sparks and blue flames sprouting from his robes.
Ari clasped her mouth with both hands in order not to scream. The person obviously needed no help. Somewhat dazed he scrambled to his feet and ran back to where he had come from.
Another shout, angry this time and from another voice. This time the figure thrown out of the side-street flew out in a lazy arch, carried by a white bolt of lightning. Ari did not look back, started her car without turning on the headlights and drove on, quickly rounded a first corner and then a second, moving towards the other side of the street where her suspicions where confirmed. There was one man trying to get away from at least five others. Accompanied with odd hand movements and incomprehensible shouts, he pointed a stick at them that sprouted colours and lightening and darkness. Ari could not clearly make out what the hell was going on, but she did realise that five to one where a cowards odds and that the person trying to escape needed help.
And that she was the only one available.
She had to act quickly though. The loner received a blow against the head while she was wathing and went down. Suddenly Ari felt very cold and frightened, while the group touched their victim and bent over him.
Enough was enough. Ari pulled up without warning, engine roaring, headlights blazing. For a moment the people in front of her stood there trapped in the light, robed in garments like death shrouds, two of them holding the half unconscious third up, while a fourth cupped the man's face in pale slimy hands- He almost looked as if preparing to -kiss- him.
Ari hit her claxon as loud and intense as she could. Apparently disturbed by the racket she was making, they dropped the half conscious man and stepped back a few paces. With screeching brakes, Ari stopped as close to the man on the ground as she could get, and threw open the door at his side.
"Get in!" she yelled.
"My wand!" he answered cryptically, losing precious seconds in grabbing something from the street, and then throwing himself bodily inside the vehicle. The hooded figures had apparently gathered their wits together again and started after their prey. They neared unbelievably fast with effortless gliding strides. Ari put the gear in reverse and backed out of the street, with the stranger sprawled front to back over the passengers seat, his door still open. Without looking at him, Ari concentrated on the dark street, turned when coming to the road again and sped forwards for at least five minutes at top speed before she dared to halt the car. The man beside her looked miserable, hanging on to his seat with a death grip, unmoving and seemingly paralysed with fear. Gently she put a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you all right?"
"Do you always drive like this!"
The voice was smooth, indignant, and arrogant. But Ari could also hear the fear in it.
"Only when I am trying to save somebody's life."
Shaken, the man turned towards her. An unhealthy pale face, smeared with blood from an angry cut above his left eye and a huge bruise on his jaw, Slack shoulderlength black hair framed his features, making him look even paler. He wore jeans, a tweed jacket, a black turtleneck with a white bowtie. In spite of herself, Ari had to smile at that.
It were the eyes that were truly astonishing. Pitch-black, penetrating. And frightened.
He shivered and nodded.
"My apologies- and my gratitude. Forgive me, but I have to-"
The man scrambled to get to his feet and get out of the car. Ari was quicker, grabbed the door and closed it, locking the stranger inside. Before he could get out again, she was already pulling up, putting more distance between themselves and his attackers.
"You, my dear sir, have to get yourself to a hospital and to the police. And I do believe you own me an explanation of what this is all about."
Settling himself in his seat, trying to find a place for his long legs in the small car, he answered her in that same condescending tone of voice.
"Nothing of the sort- And my gratitude does not stretch so far as to explain a curious mug- woman certain things that would endanger her!"
"You know, I have the feeling I have just been insulted. There's some Kleenex in the glove compartment."
The man tried to wipe the blood from his face with his sleeve and looked at Ari with a blank stare. Ari pointed.
"In the glove compartment- a Kleenex to wipe clean your face with."
The man stared in front of him as if touching anything would bite him. Ari sighed, blamed the mans odd behaviour on the blow he apparently had taken to the head and opened the compartment for him. He stared at the cavity, pulled out some Kleenex from the box and held the white paper against the cut. Gingerly he closed the flap, as if it was the first time he had ever touched one.
"Please-" he started with some difficulty, "I need to go somewhere. There is a danger to someone from the D- er, creatures you saw attacking me. Please- I need to get to him!"
There where a thousand questions rummaging in Ari's head- but she knew when to be curious and she knew when to shut up. The stranger had named the hooded men -creatures-. Well, they certainly where no ordinary people, nor was he for that matter. If anybody else were threatened by them, she'd better hurry.
"Very well. But I would like to ask you for your name, if only to check whether or not you still know it after the blows you took."
"I- Snake, John Snake."
"Oh really? You know I find it quite tiresome to have dealings with an alias, don't you? So let's try again. My name is Ariadne Philpot. And you are?"
The man closed his eyes for a moment as if reaching a conclusion. He took a somewhat firmer grip on the stick he was still holding and muttered something like 'o what the hell'.
"My apologies- I simply do not wish to endanger you further."
Ari merely raised her brow at that.
Again he shrugged.
"Snape. I am Severus Snape."
Ari coughed. "Well that one -has- to be true. Where do you need to go?"
This time it was Snape's turn to raise his brow and glance sideways.
"A street called Privet Drive. Pass two streets from here, take a left turn, a right and left again."
"Come again?"
"Woman, are you deaf?"
"No, 'Severus', but I happen to -live- there."
"You know a boy named Potter?" the man hissed, suddenly fully alert again.
"My neighbour- God damnit, he isn't the one you are looking for now is he!"
Snape gave a nod.
"Please hurry."
Don't make money from this, they do.
Own not a penny, so don't sue.
But please, beloved reader, please do review.
Andolyn
Muggle
2. Cry in the Dark
When Ari left the school building where she gave her evening classes, English for immigrants, she allowed herself a moment to stare at the multicoloured sky and dream away a bit. This time of year the sun went down quite late. The streetlights, already lit, were not of much use yet. But they brought Ari back from her romantic reverie when they blinked, sputtered a bit and then faded completely. Looking across the street where she had parked her little blue car, she saw that no home had any light and with a shiver she realised that there was a serious power outage going on. Hopefully not a city wide one, for that would mean no traffic lights- or would they be running on some emergency system? Anyway- she'd probably have more trouble than usual in getting home. Again, she experienced a very strange and cold feeling of dread- Quickly she got in the car and hurried back to Privet Drive.
Ari had been right- the power outage was city wide and when she finally had reached the outskirts of town, it was nearly half past eleven. And she was lost. Down here in the suburb, all streets looked so frightfully the same to someone relatively unknown to the area, especially in the dark. So when Ari saw movement in the street on her right, she thought very hard of stopping the car, getting out and ask for the way. But it was late and New Moon and very dark, in spite of the clear star streaked sky.
"Oh it's no use!" She muttered, stopping beside the pavement, rummaging the glove compartment for her map- When her engine died, a cry of pure terror split the night.
Ari switched of the little light above the dashboard and froze. She heard a dull thud and again a masculine voice cry out in pain. Terrified, she turned around and saw to her amazement a dark monk like figure slide and roll over the street to the middle of the road, thrown out of the side-street she'd just passed, the one with the people in it, lit up by sparks and blue flames sprouting from his robes.
Ari clasped her mouth with both hands in order not to scream. The person obviously needed no help. Somewhat dazed he scrambled to his feet and ran back to where he had come from.
Another shout, angry this time and from another voice. This time the figure thrown out of the side-street flew out in a lazy arch, carried by a white bolt of lightning. Ari did not look back, started her car without turning on the headlights and drove on, quickly rounded a first corner and then a second, moving towards the other side of the street where her suspicions where confirmed. There was one man trying to get away from at least five others. Accompanied with odd hand movements and incomprehensible shouts, he pointed a stick at them that sprouted colours and lightening and darkness. Ari could not clearly make out what the hell was going on, but she did realise that five to one where a cowards odds and that the person trying to escape needed help.
And that she was the only one available.
She had to act quickly though. The loner received a blow against the head while she was wathing and went down. Suddenly Ari felt very cold and frightened, while the group touched their victim and bent over him.
Enough was enough. Ari pulled up without warning, engine roaring, headlights blazing. For a moment the people in front of her stood there trapped in the light, robed in garments like death shrouds, two of them holding the half unconscious third up, while a fourth cupped the man's face in pale slimy hands- He almost looked as if preparing to -kiss- him.
Ari hit her claxon as loud and intense as she could. Apparently disturbed by the racket she was making, they dropped the half conscious man and stepped back a few paces. With screeching brakes, Ari stopped as close to the man on the ground as she could get, and threw open the door at his side.
"Get in!" she yelled.
"My wand!" he answered cryptically, losing precious seconds in grabbing something from the street, and then throwing himself bodily inside the vehicle. The hooded figures had apparently gathered their wits together again and started after their prey. They neared unbelievably fast with effortless gliding strides. Ari put the gear in reverse and backed out of the street, with the stranger sprawled front to back over the passengers seat, his door still open. Without looking at him, Ari concentrated on the dark street, turned when coming to the road again and sped forwards for at least five minutes at top speed before she dared to halt the car. The man beside her looked miserable, hanging on to his seat with a death grip, unmoving and seemingly paralysed with fear. Gently she put a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you all right?"
"Do you always drive like this!"
The voice was smooth, indignant, and arrogant. But Ari could also hear the fear in it.
"Only when I am trying to save somebody's life."
Shaken, the man turned towards her. An unhealthy pale face, smeared with blood from an angry cut above his left eye and a huge bruise on his jaw, Slack shoulderlength black hair framed his features, making him look even paler. He wore jeans, a tweed jacket, a black turtleneck with a white bowtie. In spite of herself, Ari had to smile at that.
It were the eyes that were truly astonishing. Pitch-black, penetrating. And frightened.
He shivered and nodded.
"My apologies- and my gratitude. Forgive me, but I have to-"
The man scrambled to get to his feet and get out of the car. Ari was quicker, grabbed the door and closed it, locking the stranger inside. Before he could get out again, she was already pulling up, putting more distance between themselves and his attackers.
"You, my dear sir, have to get yourself to a hospital and to the police. And I do believe you own me an explanation of what this is all about."
Settling himself in his seat, trying to find a place for his long legs in the small car, he answered her in that same condescending tone of voice.
"Nothing of the sort- And my gratitude does not stretch so far as to explain a curious mug- woman certain things that would endanger her!"
"You know, I have the feeling I have just been insulted. There's some Kleenex in the glove compartment."
The man tried to wipe the blood from his face with his sleeve and looked at Ari with a blank stare. Ari pointed.
"In the glove compartment- a Kleenex to wipe clean your face with."
The man stared in front of him as if touching anything would bite him. Ari sighed, blamed the mans odd behaviour on the blow he apparently had taken to the head and opened the compartment for him. He stared at the cavity, pulled out some Kleenex from the box and held the white paper against the cut. Gingerly he closed the flap, as if it was the first time he had ever touched one.
"Please-" he started with some difficulty, "I need to go somewhere. There is a danger to someone from the D- er, creatures you saw attacking me. Please- I need to get to him!"
There where a thousand questions rummaging in Ari's head- but she knew when to be curious and she knew when to shut up. The stranger had named the hooded men -creatures-. Well, they certainly where no ordinary people, nor was he for that matter. If anybody else were threatened by them, she'd better hurry.
"Very well. But I would like to ask you for your name, if only to check whether or not you still know it after the blows you took."
"I- Snake, John Snake."
"Oh really? You know I find it quite tiresome to have dealings with an alias, don't you? So let's try again. My name is Ariadne Philpot. And you are?"
The man closed his eyes for a moment as if reaching a conclusion. He took a somewhat firmer grip on the stick he was still holding and muttered something like 'o what the hell'.
"My apologies- I simply do not wish to endanger you further."
Ari merely raised her brow at that.
Again he shrugged.
"Snape. I am Severus Snape."
Ari coughed. "Well that one -has- to be true. Where do you need to go?"
This time it was Snape's turn to raise his brow and glance sideways.
"A street called Privet Drive. Pass two streets from here, take a left turn, a right and left again."
"Come again?"
"Woman, are you deaf?"
"No, 'Severus', but I happen to -live- there."
"You know a boy named Potter?" the man hissed, suddenly fully alert again.
"My neighbour- God damnit, he isn't the one you are looking for now is he!"
Snape gave a nod.
"Please hurry."