Voldemort's Amnesia Jewel Little Bird Chapter Eight

This time they were going to try a slightly different strategy when it came to searching for their missing person (Black found himself hoping like crazy that it was Harry and not Voldemort). They were going to try the business part of town, since Nicole mentioned that Voldemort wasn't likely to have Muggle American cash on his person, and would need a job to survive, whether it was actual working or stealing. So, while Snape and Fleur searched inside the stores pretending to be a newlywed couple (keeping their eyes peeled for a thief, customer, or worker that looked like old Voldy), Black searched the alleys in his dog form (searching for a thief or worker), and Nicole drove around looking at the pedestrians and stopping to question anyone likely.

There was a chance that what the four of them were doing was illegal, but then again, Black WAS illegal for all practical purposes, since he still hadn't been cleared of the charges against him. Since they were split up, they agreed to meet at 4 o'clock at the Haverhill Public Library (Nicole would have to stop searching at 2:30 in the afternoon anyway so that she could pick up Lily from school).

As Black wandered down the allies, perking up his ears at any interesting whispered conversation and sniffing around, he couldn't help but wonder why Dumbledore would send them to Fleur. She couldn't help them at all.

Sitting down for a moment to rest, he turned his mind to Snape. For all that he was a creep, Black couldn't help but notice that the Potions Master was being anything but nasty when it came to his offspring. He actually seemed to be trying to get close to her. THAT was a surprise.

Then again, Black's mother had once told him that men could be very different when it came to their own children; Snape seemed to be proving that in Black's mind.

Odd, though, what she'd said that morning....

Earlier That Day:

Lily had woken up extremely early, and the only other person up was Snape. Since he didn't know what to do with a child that early in the morning, he elected to play video games with her until Fleur awoke to keep her out of trouble. So, in the family room is where Black found them.

"...and this makes him jump," Lily was explaining to Snape as Black topped the last step, "and if you hit this button twice really fast, it makes a shield that will destroy any bad thing that touches it." Since neither father nor daughter noticed him right away, Black studied them for a bit.

The reason he probably hadn't noticed the resemblance between Snape and Lily right away was that Snape seemed to have a scowl pasted eternally on his face, while Lily seemed to be forever cheerful. Only when she scowled was her paternal side obvious.

At the moment, the two of them were sitting on the floor next to each other, with Lily holding the game pad in her hands and showing Snape what buttons did what. The ironic thing was that Snape appeared to be completely engrossed in what the child had to tell him. If what Black had heard from Dumbledore was true, Snape was anything but an expert when it came to board games. Maybe he figured he'd be better at the video games.

At that moment, Snape noticed that he and Lily weren't alone anymore. "Has the dog decided to stick his nose where it doesn't belong?" he asked sarcastically.

Black ignored him, and quickly cast his mind out for a very different subject to distract Lily, who looked like she was about to ask what Snape meant. "Lily, who lives on the first floor?"

"Walter Smith," she replied simply. Her look darkened; another Snape indeed. "I don't like him."

"Really? Why's that?"

"The lady cat told me he's bad. He says he's looking for his son; the cat told me he's hunting."

Neither Black not Snape understood what she meant by that. Black assumed it was her imagination.

Present Time:

Black sighed and looked up at the sky. If he was judging the time correctly, it was just about 3:30 in the afternoon. Well then, he thought, time to head to the library.

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End of Chapter Eight