***
Chapter one: Airports, Arrivals and Meetings
***
"Willow!"
The redhead started guiltily and looked over her shoulder at the stern- looking librarian who was suspiciously eyeing her McDonalds' paper-mug complete with straw. She quickly adopted an innocent look and smiled at him. "Yes, Giles?" she asked brightly.
"May I ask what's in that cup?" he asked, frowning slightly.
The green-eyed girl twitched slightly and nonchalantly sipped on the straw, drawing up some of the liquid situated in the discussed mug. "Just some Diet Coke, Giles, nothing to worry about," she said brightly and smiled again quickly changing the subject. "So where are we going now?"
The Englishman gave the cup one last suspicious look before he had to smile at the exited teen. "We're going into central London, Willow. And if we hurry we might just catch the underground," Giles answered as he began walking toward the subway-station situated at Heathrow International with Willow following him, absentmindedly sipping on her disguised cappuccino.
The slight redhead blinked as she caught sight of a middle-age looking little pub, which seemed to be called 'The Leaky Cauldron', situated between two tall brick-buildings. She curiously stopped and watched it for a few minutes, forcing Giles to stop with her. She found it curious that none of the people moving by it even cast a glance at it. The young witch turned toward her teacher. "Giles, why doesn't anyone see it?" she asked quietly.
The sandy-haired man chuckled slightly and smiled as he answered her question, "It has anti-muggle charms on it to dissuade any non-magical people from entering and seeing more than they should."
Willow blinked at the odd word. "Muggle?"
"It means non-magical people, Willow," Giles murmured, looking about to make sure that no one was paying attention to them.
"Ah," the girl murmured and smiled. "Shall we go then?" she asked brightly, her cheer welling up again as the mystery was solved.
Giles smiled and began walking again. "Of course we shall, Willow. We will also be staying there during the night before we travel to Hogwarts tomorrow at midday."
Willow giggled happily and quickly followed the librarian. A few minutes later they entered the pub and the redhead looked about curiously while Giles secured two rooms for them.
Willow hopped nervously from one foot to the other as she and Giles waited for the professor from Hogwarts who apparently were going to show them Diagon Alley. "Giles, when will the professor get here?" she whined petulantly, eager to get into the whole new world that lay on the other side of the brick wall they were currently standing by.
"I take it that you are miss Rosenberg?" a silky voice interrupted Giles' answer before he had yet to begin it from the door leading into the Leaking Cauldron.
Willow spun around to greet the professor then stopped and stared. "You look like Giles!" she exclaimed causing the librarian to turn around. She was not prepared for the half-shouted, shock-filled, words that came next.
"Severus?"
"Lucifer?"
The redhead was even less prepared when the two men hugged each other like they were long-lost brothers. She would later remember the wording and smile at the irony seeing as that was what they were. "Umn, Giles, Professor? Do you know each other?" she asked meekly, gazing up through her bangs at the two men.
Giles nodded with the biggest smile Willow had ever seen on his face. "This is my little brother, Severus Snape. Severus, this is Willow Rosenberg."
A small smile flittered briefly over his face and he inclined his head slightly to Willow. "Miss Rosenberg."
Willow smiled happily at the dark-haired man, although she was barely able to keep from hopping about like a jackrabbit courtesy of the double cappuccino she had managed to sneak by Giles' attention at the airport. "It's nice to meet you, Professor," she mumbled somewhat shyly.
Snape nodded slightly in return. "Very well, shall we go gather your supplies then, miss Rosenberg?" he half-asked then turned toward the brick- wall they were standing near, pulling out a slender-looking branch, at least that was what it looked like to Willow who was curiously looking at him as he tapped various bricks.
The girl gasped in surprise as the bricks started to re-arrange themselves into an archway and she curiously gazed through it, catching a peek of the wondrous world lying beyond the wall. As soon as the bricks had stopped moving the redhead trotted into Diagon Alley, staring avidly at the many sights.
(end chapter one)
Chapter one: Airports, Arrivals and Meetings
***
"Willow!"
The redhead started guiltily and looked over her shoulder at the stern- looking librarian who was suspiciously eyeing her McDonalds' paper-mug complete with straw. She quickly adopted an innocent look and smiled at him. "Yes, Giles?" she asked brightly.
"May I ask what's in that cup?" he asked, frowning slightly.
The green-eyed girl twitched slightly and nonchalantly sipped on the straw, drawing up some of the liquid situated in the discussed mug. "Just some Diet Coke, Giles, nothing to worry about," she said brightly and smiled again quickly changing the subject. "So where are we going now?"
The Englishman gave the cup one last suspicious look before he had to smile at the exited teen. "We're going into central London, Willow. And if we hurry we might just catch the underground," Giles answered as he began walking toward the subway-station situated at Heathrow International with Willow following him, absentmindedly sipping on her disguised cappuccino.
The slight redhead blinked as she caught sight of a middle-age looking little pub, which seemed to be called 'The Leaky Cauldron', situated between two tall brick-buildings. She curiously stopped and watched it for a few minutes, forcing Giles to stop with her. She found it curious that none of the people moving by it even cast a glance at it. The young witch turned toward her teacher. "Giles, why doesn't anyone see it?" she asked quietly.
The sandy-haired man chuckled slightly and smiled as he answered her question, "It has anti-muggle charms on it to dissuade any non-magical people from entering and seeing more than they should."
Willow blinked at the odd word. "Muggle?"
"It means non-magical people, Willow," Giles murmured, looking about to make sure that no one was paying attention to them.
"Ah," the girl murmured and smiled. "Shall we go then?" she asked brightly, her cheer welling up again as the mystery was solved.
Giles smiled and began walking again. "Of course we shall, Willow. We will also be staying there during the night before we travel to Hogwarts tomorrow at midday."
Willow giggled happily and quickly followed the librarian. A few minutes later they entered the pub and the redhead looked about curiously while Giles secured two rooms for them.
Willow hopped nervously from one foot to the other as she and Giles waited for the professor from Hogwarts who apparently were going to show them Diagon Alley. "Giles, when will the professor get here?" she whined petulantly, eager to get into the whole new world that lay on the other side of the brick wall they were currently standing by.
"I take it that you are miss Rosenberg?" a silky voice interrupted Giles' answer before he had yet to begin it from the door leading into the Leaking Cauldron.
Willow spun around to greet the professor then stopped and stared. "You look like Giles!" she exclaimed causing the librarian to turn around. She was not prepared for the half-shouted, shock-filled, words that came next.
"Severus?"
"Lucifer?"
The redhead was even less prepared when the two men hugged each other like they were long-lost brothers. She would later remember the wording and smile at the irony seeing as that was what they were. "Umn, Giles, Professor? Do you know each other?" she asked meekly, gazing up through her bangs at the two men.
Giles nodded with the biggest smile Willow had ever seen on his face. "This is my little brother, Severus Snape. Severus, this is Willow Rosenberg."
A small smile flittered briefly over his face and he inclined his head slightly to Willow. "Miss Rosenberg."
Willow smiled happily at the dark-haired man, although she was barely able to keep from hopping about like a jackrabbit courtesy of the double cappuccino she had managed to sneak by Giles' attention at the airport. "It's nice to meet you, Professor," she mumbled somewhat shyly.
Snape nodded slightly in return. "Very well, shall we go gather your supplies then, miss Rosenberg?" he half-asked then turned toward the brick- wall they were standing near, pulling out a slender-looking branch, at least that was what it looked like to Willow who was curiously looking at him as he tapped various bricks.
The girl gasped in surprise as the bricks started to re-arrange themselves into an archway and she curiously gazed through it, catching a peek of the wondrous world lying beyond the wall. As soon as the bricks had stopped moving the redhead trotted into Diagon Alley, staring avidly at the many sights.
(end chapter one)