Lucky Neville. He can actually dream. I can barely write the next chapters quickly. Blank. Blank. Blank.

Chapter Four

The only bad thing about it raining was that he was never allowed to go outside.

It was now lunchtime and so far, apart from the letter he had written three days ago to his Grandmother, nothing had actually happened with him being an apprentice. Perhaps, he thought to himself, Professor Snape had forgotten all about the 'puling' boy that was Neville.

He concentrated on eating his lunch, trying to listen to the usual chatter and at the same time, trying not to.

Neville began to wonder what one actually did as an apprentice. He had, of course, heard of the really horrible cases where some apprentices would run away and would turn out to have been beaten of starved by their apprentice- masters (or at least, so said Great - Aunt Clement) and of really degrading tasks like washing their cloths or cleaning the floors with toothbrushes and only being allowed one bucket of cold water to use for a bath, but, despite his obvious fear of Professor Snape, he doubted that that would be the case for him.

As lunch finished and the students gradually made their way out of the Hall, he decided not to finish the stew on his plate and join his classmates. The minute he was on the marble staircase, he heard someone call his name.

"Neville!" It sounded like McGonagall's voice and when he turned round, he could see that it was her. She regarded him oddly with her beady eyes. "Professor Snape wants you in the dungeons now."

"He does?"

"Yes, he does. I don't know why, he wouldn't say." McGonagall sniffed as if to say that she didn't approve of Snape's apparent secrecy. "You haven't done anything silly, now, have you?"

"No, Professor."

She gave him another stern look. "Hm... In that case..."

He nodded slightly and walked down towards the dunegons.

When he arrived, Snape was waiting outside in the corridor, arms folded, leaning against the wall. As Neville came into his view, he slowly straightened up and went into the room. The door very nearly closed before Neville went forward quickly to enter the class.

"Erm-- Professor?" He was about to say, before he noticed the tall woman with wonderfully pale skin and very dark hair, look up at him.

"This is my neice, Leah," Snape started, jerking his head once in her direction. She gave a slight curtsey. From here, she didn't look so much older than Neville. And she smiled slightly as well. He attempted one in return. "Leah will be taking your measurements for your new robes."

Leah blushed very lightly and looked down at the floor, shyly coiling a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Could you, come here please?" She asked in a very quiet voice. There was a strange accent in her voice that Neville didn't know where to place.

"Sure." He walked over to her and noted the black nailvarnish as she stretche dout the measuring tape.

Swiftly and efficiently, she measured his outer and inner leg (Neville hoped that Professor Snape didn't notice both of them blush in the darkness), his waist, shoulders, arms and chest. The usual. When she was finished, she stood back and looked at the results that had been written down automatically by a rather nice looking quill.

"It's just for the new folds, you see, she explained. "And the emblems etcetera."

"Oh."

"Mmm..." She flipped over to another page. "Uncle Severus?"

"Yes?" Leah didn't seem so nervous when talking to her Uncle.

"Do you want me to sell off his old robes when I've finished with these new ones?"

"That would be helpful."

"I can get books too," she went on, very seriously. She had her Uncle's nose but on her, it seemed to accent her looks and make her all the more striking. "Or won't he be needing them?"

"No," Snape replied after a few moment's of thought. "No, not for now."

Leah nodded and began to pack away her things. Neville turned to the Potions Master. "What exactly will I do as your apprentice?"

"As *my* apprentice?" Neville nodded. "You'll help me make potions. You'll be my right hand man of sorts. I'll be allowed to teach you certain ... well... they're *heritages*, I suppose you can say." Snape shrugged. "You can learn them and use them with my consent."

"What else will I be able to do?" He asked, rather surprised by his own daring.

"After a while, you'll be allowed to get certain packages from apothecaries on my behalf... manage certain accounts... join me on voyages in search of the arcane...." Leah giggled but looked away when Neville turned to glance at her. "That sort of thing..."

Neville breathed. "I won't have to polish your shoes?"

"I can polish them myself, thank you." Snape snapped, eyes flashing. "You're my apprentice, not my *slave*."

"Yes sir." Neville began to fidget. Snape merely 'tch'ed irritably and nodded at Leah who said a small goodbye and walked out of the dungeon. Taking a cue from Snape, Neville followed her out.

"Bye bye," she said to him softly. "I shall see you soon."

"Yes... I suppose so," he murmured. "Bye."

Leah looked up at her uncle, shared a glance then turned and made her way through the dark corridors, presumably finding her way out of the school.

"She's nice," Neville heard himself say.

"Isn't she though?" Snape sneered. His apprentice turned rouns with a jerk. "Really. At least stop that goddamn blushing of yours." Neville blushed even harder and cursed himself. Snape sighed. "Follow me," he said finally. "To my office."

~

"This is for you," he said simply, and handed Neville a plain, but well made, mahogany box. Neville stared for a moment, then decided to open it.

The box was lined with velvet, a plush, purple velvet. Within the folds of the cloth was a simple, gold pendant on a chain. The pendant itself was an oval shape, wider at the top than at the bottom. It fitted perfectly inside Neville's palm.

It was gold and upon the edge, was engraved a pattern of brambles. Towards the top, intertwined with a three pointed crown, was a six-pointed star that looked vaguely familiar to Neville, but he couldn't remember what it signified. As he ran his fingers on it, he saw that there was another engraving on the pendant - a castle in the middle of a desert, an eyes in the centre of it.

He'd never seen anything like it. So simple, with no fancy jewels encrusted into it, but the detail put into the engraving and raising of the design was amazing. Neville looked up at Snape who shrugged.

"You're my apprentice," he said in an answer. "That simply shows whose apprentice you are."

Without a moments hesitation, Neville slipped it on.

*

TBC...