Please note, that I do not own the character of Severus Snape, or any other magical lingo.
This is a Severus/OC story. Samantha is my own creation.
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Chapter 11:
Severus piled steamed vegetables on his plate. He wasn't even hungry. He was starting to get a headache. He made a mental note to visit his medicine cabinet before they left.
He watched Samantha reach for the bread. She hadn't really eaten in a few days. She usually only moved the food around on her plate.
"We can apparate to Diagon Alley. I'll need to stop into Gringott's for a few minutes. I have some…business." He glanced at Samantha, raising his glass to his lips. "Then we'll get you a new wand. Then clothes, and anything else you need."
"I'm not sure I can afford anything besides a new wand. So it may be a short trip."
Severus put down his fork, and pressed a hand to his aching forehead. She couldn't afford it. He lowered his hand and rolled his head to face her.
"You won't be paying for anything, Miss Smill. Money is not your concern."
Her eyebrows furrowed. She brought her fork to her mouth. Severus sighed. How can he explain?
"As my guest, everything you need will be provided for you." Though this wasn't really a sufficient explanation, Samantha did not argue. She finished her lunch, pushing her plate away. She sat back in the chair, and watched Severus push several pieces of potato around.
Severus looked up and met her gaze. He had given her time to bathe and dress. He was running out of fashionable ideas, but she looked beautiful, none the less. A soft white sweater and a pair of gray wool pants he'd conjured. She looked good in anything…
"Severus?" His eyes darted back to hers. "What do you think will happen to me?" She leaned forward, resting both elbows on the table. Her wet hair slipped forward over her shoulders. He swallowed.
"I'm not certain what the Headmaster will be able to do for you, Miss Smill. Rest assured, now that we are certain about your loyalties, it is only a matter of time before the he can find a suitable solution."
He kept his answer as vague as possible. He didn't want to raise any false hopes. He didn't want to make any false promises. Otherwise, she'd never forgive him.
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Samantha was hesitant to touch him. She was scared, nervous. He seized her wrist and pulled her close, drawing her arm around his waist. She smiled sheepishly up at him, as he pulled out his wand. A few wisps of his raven hair blew into her face. They stood outside the iron-wrought gates of his manor, about to apparate to London.
Before she could draw a steadying breath, they were away. And with a silent 'foop', they arrived a small corner in the Leaky Cauldron.
"Now that wasn't so bad, was it, Miss Smill?"
She frowned up at him. She dusted herself off, and followed him through the crowded bar to the back door. He used his wand and opened away the brick wall, revealing a small busy street. With one last look to Severus, she stepped out, feeling confident that his disguising charm would prevent anyone from recognizing her.
The stroll along Diagon Alley was quite pleasant. The first thing Samantha noticed was the lack of rain. It was a tremendous relief. The summer was cool and dry. It was crowded, though not bustling like it was the few weeks before school started. It was still mid-August; most students hadn't even started their homework yet, let alone their shopping.
A small smile reached her lips, as she tried remembering being at school. The excitement, the fascination, the long years of awkward teenage years. Samantha was very glad to have matured. Even if it was just a little bit.
Samantha looked in every window, trying to cheer up. Owls. Books. Brooms. Everything. There was everything here. From the rarest of potions ingredients to the finest tailored robes. She turned to Severus, noticing him walking stiffly beside her, keeping his head directed straight ahead.
"Where are we going first?"
"Gringott's. I have already told you, remember?"
"Right, sorry."
When they reached the large white building, Severus asked her to wait outside. He rushed in, while she stood on the steps, watching the crowd. She basked in the warm sunshine, and listened to the distant ringing of church bells, coming from some Muggle-part of London. It seemed like she'd stood there forever, before Severus returned, not that she was complaining.
He returned, his face as straight and serious as ever.
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Severus exited the bank, a chill running through him. He'd had an ominous feeling ever since they'd arrived to London. He looked carefully around, and took Samantha's arm. Glancing at her, he saw she was lost in her thoughts, looking around at everything and everyone.
He started toward the wand shop. Old Ollivander's. Quickly looking over both shoulders, he opened the door. Severus stepped inside, pulling Samantha in right after him. She looked at him, indignantly, pulling her arm out of his hand.
"I can walk myself, you know."
He pulled his eyebrows together, a deep frown setting on his face.
"Now, look here, Miss Smill – "
"Yes, Severus Snape. Quite good to see you here."
Severus spun in his place to see who had addressed him. He groaned, realizing he hadn't checked who else was in the shop.
"Good to see you, as well, Lucius."
"I should imagine…" His haughty voice trailed off. "Who is this, Severus? I don't believe I've ever met your girlfriend."
Severus dearly hoped he didn't blush a deep scarlet. Not that he cared what Lucius thought. But because he didn't know what Samantha would think of that statement. He knew she was well protected from Lucius. At least her true identity was. Her physical self was a different matter. He glanced at her, finally noting her cowering before Lucius.
"This is not my girlfriend, Lucius. This is my cousin – visiting from, er…Bulgaria." He shot her a meaningful look. She'd attended school there, so she should be able to feign an accent or something.
"Hullo – um – I am Surreala. Snape."
Her accent seemed a little too thick, and the name was incredibly odd, but Lucius bought it. He smiled smugly at her, before taking her hand and kissing it.
"Lucius Malfoy, the pleasure is all yours, I'm sure."
"Mr. Malfoy – your wand is ready. It is an exact replica – as you asked. I'm afraid the price is much higher than the usual – since certain parts had to be refurbished and – "
"Yes, yes, yes. That's fine, Ollivander, how much will it be?"
Mr. Ollivander apparently did not like being bossed about as such, but he only frowned as he wrapped the box with brown paper. Severus wondered what was so important about that wand. Why was Lucius here for it? Could it be for Draco? No, he's incredibly young. Not even walking well enough – maybe a replacement for himself?
"Be with you, in a moment, Mr. Snape."
Severus nodded at the kindly old man. He respected Mr. Ollivander. The man certainly knew his wands. And, despite his appearance of fragility and old age, he wasn't a man to cross.
"That'll be 57 galleons."
Severus' eyes widened, realizing that that was indeed no ordinary wand. It was so expensive! By the look on Samantha's face, she realized this as well. Lucius, smirk in place, pulled a small bag from his robes and slapped it on the table. He picked up the wrapped box and waved it at Severus. He started walking to the door.
"Keep the change," he said, over his shoulder. "And, Severus, I'll be seeing you soon. Good day, Miss Snape."
The door shut with a loud bang. Severus turned his attention to Mr. Ollivander.
"What was so special about that wand?"
"Well, it was custom made. I can't really tell you the details, but it's a reproduction of a wand I made ages ago."
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"Is that so…" Severus paced the shop, scratching his chin, deep in thought.
Mr. Ollivander turned his attention to her. She swallowed.
"How can I help you, Miss?"
She looked nervously over her shoulder at Severus. He refused to make eye contact with her. She sighed and turned back the old man behind the counter.
"I need a new wand, sir."
"I see, I don't recall seeing you before. Have you ever purchased one here?"
"No. My old wand, I got it when I was 11, from Mr. Gregorovich."
When he heard the name, a strange dark shadow passed over his face. But he quickly recovered, returning to the pleasant old man that he was. He waved his forefinger in the air, as if swirling some invisible substance. He then summoned a tape measure and began measuring her for her wand. It was a few minutes before disappeared behind rows of shelves.
"Here we are. Try this one." He offered her a wand that looked, to her, completely different from her old one. She sighed, feeling a bit forlorn. She took up the wand between her thumb and forefinger and waved it around a bit. Before she could say 'nothing is happening', he seized it back, shoving it in the box. Mumbling to himself, he disappeared again.
Samantha turned to see if Severus was still pacing. He wasn't. He was standing, as if frozen in mid-step, a hand covering his mouth, staring at her. Staring as he were seeing her for the first time. She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, questioning him silently. He shook himself and nodded his head to toward Mr. Ollivander, who was standing in front of her, having produced a stack of wands, which he wanted her to try.
She could hear Severus resuming his pacing, and taking a deep breath, she began trying the wands. Their progress was quick. Pick up a wand, nothing happened, try another. It continued until she thought she'd cleared out his entire store.
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"I'll repay you as soon as I'm able."
"It's really nothing to worry yourself about. Just a few galleons."
He noticed her blush. Maybe just a few galleons to yourself, you slimeball, but a small fortune to her. He was holding her arm again, leading her to
Madame Malkin's. He'd been conjuring Samantha clothes for the past few days, so he knew he'd have to settle his tab.
When they entered the shop, the door jingled as though covered with a million bells. Severus scowled, looking down at Samantha's questioning gaze.
"What are we doing here? I told you I can't afford anything more."
"I know that, Miss Smill. You've been polite enough to point that out all day. I'm here for business of my own. Now snap that mouth of yours shut and stand aside."
He strode past her, noticing her harrumph in displeasure. That ought to shut her up a moment. He looked around the empty store for the owner. She was in the back, arranging a rack of school robes.
"Madame Malkin." She turned to look at him, a fast smile forming on her plump face.
"Yes, sir, what can I do for you?"
"I believe I have a tab to pay. Severus Snape." He turned, making sure that Samantha was out of hearing, "And my lady friend needs a bit of help picking out a few sets of new robes."
"Of course, sir. Let's get her robes, and you can settle the bill all together. Of course. Right this way." She ushered him toward Samantha, who was browsing a rack of men's robes. He wondered why in the world she was doing that. When she heard them approach, she straightened, releasing her grasp on a set of midnight blue robes.
"Oh my dear, aren't you a doll?" Severus hid a smile, knowing full well that she wasn't seeing the real Samantha. Though he had to admit, she was quite a beauty. "Let's see what I can do for you. Come with me, dear."
Samantha followed, tight-lipped, but she shot a glare at Severus, as though yelling at him for doing this. He shrugged, smirking. Any other girl would sincerely appreciate this.
"Now, let me see. Oh a lavender would be lovely, or maybe a light blue to rival your eyes…"
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Alright – there we are. A new chapter. We can all thank Katie for continuing to inspire me to write. I would have been lazy and given up on this fic a while ago, but knowing she wanted to read more, I wrote more. Let's see what the critics think. I wish it could have been longer. But I certainly have given you a few things to think about, haven't I? Like the super-expensive wand. Who do you think it was made for? We'll see.
Also: about paying the "tab". Severus has to pay a tab to Madame Malkin because he was conjuring clothes for Samantha. He can't really conjure something out of nowhere (otherwise her store would be out of business). So he had to conjure it from her catalog. When he goes to the store and pays for it, the clothes remain, and can be laundered by the house-elves and reused. That's why he won't buy her many more clothes (as she will have many at home, once he pays for it) so he gets her some robes, what she needs.
Please review! Thanks!
--Eclipsed Planet
