They had made it all the way to Paris, and Severus still couldn't get
anyone to talk to him except for Hermione--which really wasn't working too
well--and the daring children who were soon silenced by protective parents.
For someone who spent so much time in solitude, Severus was oddly
distracted by his own ostracism--perhaps because it wasn't he who
ostracized himself.
He and Hermione had occupied one of the houseboats the Gypsies used to travel quickly through waterways with, unsurprisingly, Nanosh, Atani, and a lot of equipment. Severus had a feeling that if anything happened to the belongings, he was dead meat. He also couldn't escape the sensation of Nanosh's cold glare burrowing into his back. Atani didn't antagonize him so much, and when he met Severus' eyes, his gaze was thoughtful and calculating rather than malicious.
Hermione had noticed this as well, and had decided that Atani could be turned into an ally if she handled him carefully. She tried not to be alone with Nanosh, because when she was, he would make comments about her mistake and how much better Roux could treat her. Severus was still incredibly antsy around her, especially since the space they had to share had grown even tinier--they slept on two tiny cots placed side by side in a corner of the houseboat, cots so tiny that she could feel the heat from his body next to her as she drifted off.
~~
The memorial service was short, snowy and solemn, and a shocking amount of people came. Harry Potter stood next to Ron Weasley and sighed.
"You know," he said, "I thought that git was invincible. And I'm actually sad to hear he's gone. Hogwarts just won't be the same, without him."
"Yeah," Ron sighed. "When I saw his obituary in the Daily Prophet, my first thoughts were 'Who is going to glare at us during our class reunion?' and 'Who is going to be my kids' Potions professor?' And to think I would have celebrated this sort of thing when we were students."
"Yeah," sighed Harry, his eyes flicking to a bawling Hagrid and an ashen- faced McGonagall. Albus Dumbledore hadn't looked so crestfallen in years. Even Sirius Black had shown up, and was wringing his hands uncomfortably. He hadn't spoken to anyone yet, not even Harry, and his eyes were strangely glassy.
"Yeah," murmured Ron, unable to think of anything else to say.
~~
If Severus Snape had imagined himself as part of a Gypsy carnival while sitting in front of his dungeon fireplace, he would have thrown back his head and laughed.
As it was, he was setting various objects on fire for pyromaniac muggle children, who greeted him with "oohs" and "ahhs" while their parents looked on disapprovingly and tutted at them in French. He levitated a flower and presented it to one of the little girls, who squealed with delight.
Deep down, he was disgusted with himself. Magic wasn't some set of cheap tricks designed to entertain people--it was a way of life, of being. He felt he was degrading his art, and hoped they would find some other use for him.
But the magic he was learning from these people! He may have still needed his wand, but the Gypsies didn't even have them! Granted, his wand magic was more powerful than their innate abilities, but he knew just how useful wandless magic could be. Severus was determined to learn more about that from these people, as well as pick up their perfectly silent and smooth movements. No wonder Gypsies were such excellent thieves and spies! He wondered what sort of Herbology they practiced, and what kinds of potions they made.
Hermione was, of all things, telling people's fortunes. He would have to tease her about it later--he could see in her eyes that she found it amusing to invent ambiguous futures for excited and terrified spectators, but he knew she'd probably rather be doing something else. Probably reading a book, he thought, and snorted to himself.
But he had to admit, Hermione was no longer the irritating know-it-all with her hand constantly in the air. Her intelligence had developed into a sharp wit and cunning mind that could rival a Slytherin's, and he found himself gaining more respect for her by the day. Severus knew he was a burden to her.
~~
Hermione was thinking that she was actually relieved to have Severus around as she predicted great and terrible futures for her customers. It was amazing how much money one Gypsy carnival could make when compared to a professor's tenure or the meager salaries granted by the Ministry, but she would have done anything at the moment to be back at Hogwarts. Snape was there to remind her that she had a home--and that she wasn't stuck here by herself. They would be moving even further away from home after Christmas-- Roux wanted to visit Italy.
Roux would often pass behind her as she read the fortunes of young men, and would place a possessive hand on her shoulder. She tried not to shudder at the contact.
There was no doubt that Roux was handsome--but he was also wildly impulsive and heartlessly cruel. She had seen what he was going to do to Severus, for absolutely no reason, and it had horrified her. Hermione knew he would finish the job if Severus gave him the slightest reason to.
Her former professor was quite the social problem as well, because no one else would speak to him. The other women had asked Hermione all sorts of questions about him, but were all to cowed by Roux and his supporters to actually speak to him themselves. The children saw Severus as intensely fascinating, but never progressed beyond whispering about him amongst themselves.
~~
"So, Miss Granger, I see you've recently developed a taste for divination," he murmured one night when he couldn't sleep and knew for a fact that neither could she.
"Call me Hermione, or if you insist on formalities, Mrs. Snape would be more appropriate, don't you think?" the whispered, slightly put off by his use of "Miss Granger."
"Very well, Hermione," Severus made sure her name rolled silkily off of his tongue. It was too strange to call her "Mrs. Snape," and besides, it reminded him of his mother. He still couldn't help making a snide remark about it, though. "I am surprised by your willingness to take my name as your own."
"I am surprised by your unwillingness to face the facts," she snapped, which sounded strange since she was also whispering.
"Could you two shut up in there?" drawled Nanosh. Severus looked at Hermione-there was just enough moonlight entering the room for him to see her face.
"I bet that's why we're living with them," he murmured. "So we can't do anything." She grinned mischievously and Severus was glad she couldn't see the blush creeping into his cheeks. He hadn't thought about that particular interpretation..
"I believe, Severus, that would be the point. Of course they don't want us to 'do anything.'"
~~
Winter had arrived, and they had been forced to break through ice on the rivers in order for the houseboats to progress. Some of the others had even suffered frostbite, and one of the children had gotten lost during an excursion ashore and lost a toe by the time they found him. Snow fell quite regularly, and Hermione and Severus often had trouble getting up in the morning because their limbs were so stiff. Hermione was convinced that one day her joints would just freeze in place and leave her paralyzed. Not surprisingly, she had fought the impulse to cuddle up to Severus a number of times--opting instead for warming charms that really didn't do much for the coldness that she could feel deep in her bones.
A/N: Keep those reviews coming! I love them-and I really do care about what you guys think. If you have any suggestions, you can email me at LadyDrake33@yahoo.com. Most of your reviews have been great confidence- boosters (but not too much so!), and more reviewing means quicker updating..
He and Hermione had occupied one of the houseboats the Gypsies used to travel quickly through waterways with, unsurprisingly, Nanosh, Atani, and a lot of equipment. Severus had a feeling that if anything happened to the belongings, he was dead meat. He also couldn't escape the sensation of Nanosh's cold glare burrowing into his back. Atani didn't antagonize him so much, and when he met Severus' eyes, his gaze was thoughtful and calculating rather than malicious.
Hermione had noticed this as well, and had decided that Atani could be turned into an ally if she handled him carefully. She tried not to be alone with Nanosh, because when she was, he would make comments about her mistake and how much better Roux could treat her. Severus was still incredibly antsy around her, especially since the space they had to share had grown even tinier--they slept on two tiny cots placed side by side in a corner of the houseboat, cots so tiny that she could feel the heat from his body next to her as she drifted off.
~~
The memorial service was short, snowy and solemn, and a shocking amount of people came. Harry Potter stood next to Ron Weasley and sighed.
"You know," he said, "I thought that git was invincible. And I'm actually sad to hear he's gone. Hogwarts just won't be the same, without him."
"Yeah," Ron sighed. "When I saw his obituary in the Daily Prophet, my first thoughts were 'Who is going to glare at us during our class reunion?' and 'Who is going to be my kids' Potions professor?' And to think I would have celebrated this sort of thing when we were students."
"Yeah," sighed Harry, his eyes flicking to a bawling Hagrid and an ashen- faced McGonagall. Albus Dumbledore hadn't looked so crestfallen in years. Even Sirius Black had shown up, and was wringing his hands uncomfortably. He hadn't spoken to anyone yet, not even Harry, and his eyes were strangely glassy.
"Yeah," murmured Ron, unable to think of anything else to say.
~~
If Severus Snape had imagined himself as part of a Gypsy carnival while sitting in front of his dungeon fireplace, he would have thrown back his head and laughed.
As it was, he was setting various objects on fire for pyromaniac muggle children, who greeted him with "oohs" and "ahhs" while their parents looked on disapprovingly and tutted at them in French. He levitated a flower and presented it to one of the little girls, who squealed with delight.
Deep down, he was disgusted with himself. Magic wasn't some set of cheap tricks designed to entertain people--it was a way of life, of being. He felt he was degrading his art, and hoped they would find some other use for him.
But the magic he was learning from these people! He may have still needed his wand, but the Gypsies didn't even have them! Granted, his wand magic was more powerful than their innate abilities, but he knew just how useful wandless magic could be. Severus was determined to learn more about that from these people, as well as pick up their perfectly silent and smooth movements. No wonder Gypsies were such excellent thieves and spies! He wondered what sort of Herbology they practiced, and what kinds of potions they made.
Hermione was, of all things, telling people's fortunes. He would have to tease her about it later--he could see in her eyes that she found it amusing to invent ambiguous futures for excited and terrified spectators, but he knew she'd probably rather be doing something else. Probably reading a book, he thought, and snorted to himself.
But he had to admit, Hermione was no longer the irritating know-it-all with her hand constantly in the air. Her intelligence had developed into a sharp wit and cunning mind that could rival a Slytherin's, and he found himself gaining more respect for her by the day. Severus knew he was a burden to her.
~~
Hermione was thinking that she was actually relieved to have Severus around as she predicted great and terrible futures for her customers. It was amazing how much money one Gypsy carnival could make when compared to a professor's tenure or the meager salaries granted by the Ministry, but she would have done anything at the moment to be back at Hogwarts. Snape was there to remind her that she had a home--and that she wasn't stuck here by herself. They would be moving even further away from home after Christmas-- Roux wanted to visit Italy.
Roux would often pass behind her as she read the fortunes of young men, and would place a possessive hand on her shoulder. She tried not to shudder at the contact.
There was no doubt that Roux was handsome--but he was also wildly impulsive and heartlessly cruel. She had seen what he was going to do to Severus, for absolutely no reason, and it had horrified her. Hermione knew he would finish the job if Severus gave him the slightest reason to.
Her former professor was quite the social problem as well, because no one else would speak to him. The other women had asked Hermione all sorts of questions about him, but were all to cowed by Roux and his supporters to actually speak to him themselves. The children saw Severus as intensely fascinating, but never progressed beyond whispering about him amongst themselves.
~~
"So, Miss Granger, I see you've recently developed a taste for divination," he murmured one night when he couldn't sleep and knew for a fact that neither could she.
"Call me Hermione, or if you insist on formalities, Mrs. Snape would be more appropriate, don't you think?" the whispered, slightly put off by his use of "Miss Granger."
"Very well, Hermione," Severus made sure her name rolled silkily off of his tongue. It was too strange to call her "Mrs. Snape," and besides, it reminded him of his mother. He still couldn't help making a snide remark about it, though. "I am surprised by your willingness to take my name as your own."
"I am surprised by your unwillingness to face the facts," she snapped, which sounded strange since she was also whispering.
"Could you two shut up in there?" drawled Nanosh. Severus looked at Hermione-there was just enough moonlight entering the room for him to see her face.
"I bet that's why we're living with them," he murmured. "So we can't do anything." She grinned mischievously and Severus was glad she couldn't see the blush creeping into his cheeks. He hadn't thought about that particular interpretation..
"I believe, Severus, that would be the point. Of course they don't want us to 'do anything.'"
~~
Winter had arrived, and they had been forced to break through ice on the rivers in order for the houseboats to progress. Some of the others had even suffered frostbite, and one of the children had gotten lost during an excursion ashore and lost a toe by the time they found him. Snow fell quite regularly, and Hermione and Severus often had trouble getting up in the morning because their limbs were so stiff. Hermione was convinced that one day her joints would just freeze in place and leave her paralyzed. Not surprisingly, she had fought the impulse to cuddle up to Severus a number of times--opting instead for warming charms that really didn't do much for the coldness that she could feel deep in her bones.
A/N: Keep those reviews coming! I love them-and I really do care about what you guys think. If you have any suggestions, you can email me at LadyDrake33@yahoo.com. Most of your reviews have been great confidence- boosters (but not too much so!), and more reviewing means quicker updating..