A/N This chapter is a bit slow in the beginning I think... but very fast in
the end... but just read it and tell me what you think about it, please...
=D By the way... Snape is still not my own character... and the GAP, I was
not the inventor of...
Chapter four,
Snape looked up at the large clock on the brick wall. The train would arrive in about seven minutes, at seven o'clock. He let out a loud moan and sat down on a green bench that was lined up against the wall. He looked around the station. A few people were there all ready, and he knew that he shouldn't expect many more. It was early in the season so it would take a week or two before all the other teachers and the Hogsmead villagers would return back.
Many people only had small bags with them. Snape knew it was because they had just gone into London for a day of shopping like himself, but were expecting to return soon. Some of the teachers working up at school, like Professor Sinista, went into London nearly every weekend to visit her husband and two children, and would always come back with things from Diagon Alley. She had enough money to do so. She had a husband working too, so he payed most of the things she did. But Snape, he could only go into the city once or twice a year, and that was not for an over-night stay... that was for a short day of collecting the supplies he needed for the year.
Snape felt so sorry for himself. He tried to let a tear go loose, but he just couldn't. He hadn't cried for years. Not since he had stopped drinking at least.
Finally he saw the train come in. He was kind of pleased to see it and he was feeling kind of safe to know he would be back at Hogwarts by the morning.
He stood up and made sure to be the first to get on. He immediately headed for the back compartment where he always sat. He was thankful he was taking a night train back so that he could sleep. He didn't want to think about his problems today, which he was sure he would if silence reached his ears.
The train couldn't have been moving for long, but Snape must have been sleeping, when he suddenly sat up from hearing a sharp knock on the compartment door.
'Come in!' he muttered angrily. The compartment door slid open and a short, plump man came into view.
'Good evening, sir... I am sorry to bother you but would you mind if I shared this compartment with you?' Snape looked angrily at the man.
'Why can't you take another compartment? I am sure all of them aren't full,' the man nodded a weird sort of nod.
'That is true, but this is the only compartment with an electronic plug,' the man said pointing to a hole in the wall Snape never had realised before.
'A what?' Snape said waving with his hands to show that man could come in. He was too tired to argue.
'An electronic plug, you know. So that you can use a computer,' Snape stared at the man.
'I have no idea what you are talking about, sir,' he said. The man put his brown portfolio on the seat and took of his jacket carefully hanging it up on a hanger.
'A computer, sir. It is the best invention a Muggle has ever invented. It's like it's own person, except it cannot speak, but it remembers things you write,' the man looked at Snape who looked back at him confused. The man laughed at Snape's confused face. Snape could never tolerate when a person laughed at him and he was about to say something rude to the man but the man carried on. 'I will show you if you'd like,'
Snape bent forward and watched the man pull a metallic box out of his bag. Or it was not really a box, because it was much thinner, but Snape couldn't describe it any better. The man also pulled out a thick black rope that he stuck into the computer so that it stuck there.
'Is it an animal?' Snape asked. The man laughed again. 'No, but it might store some,' he said in a bright voice and stuck the other end of the rope into the hole in the wall.
Snape watched the man with interest. 'Why do you need a comfutu... one of those,' he said pointing to the box that the man now somehow had opened up.
'Well... I own the animal store in Hogsmead, and I need to keep all our selling updated. I found this way the best to do so,'
'Did you say animal store?' Snape asked curiously. He had just remembered the fortune-tellers hurtful words. '...loosen up and get a life.' The man looked up from the box.
'Yeah, why?' he asked.
'Do you have any animals for sale?' he asked. The man looked at him as if he was crazy.
'Do you mean in my animal store? Of course I have animals for sale,' he said and a smirk appeared over his lips. 'Are you interested in buying one?' Snape was silent for a moment. Was he really interested in buying one? He wasn't really an animal-lover. But then, maybe that would help his life loosen up a bit. He nodded, and the man pressed something on the box.
'Do you know what you are after or are you just after an animal?' he asked and pressed something else.
'I don't really know what I am looking for,' Snape said truthfully. The man looked up.
'You don't mind if I do a small test on you to see which animal would fit with you the best, now do you?' Snape shook his head.
'Great! All right, give me your profession... and your age please,' Snape looked up at him.
'Is anyone going to see this information?' he asked nervously.
'It will stay between you and me,' the man promised.
'All right... I am a professor, and I am 39 years old,' he muttered.
'Really?' the man asked.
'No, fine! I am 42 and a half, happy now?' Snape nearly shouted. The man jumped back a bit.
'Cool down, mister! You don't need to be embarrassed about your age... me myself is 44,' Snape sat back, a bit embarrassed at his sudden outburst. 'Are you married?' the man carried on.
'No,' Snape answered. The man looked closely at him.
'Not married? That's something to be embarrassed about, sir! 43 and not married is a terrible fact!'
'I am 42!' Snape said angrily. He wished he never had gone onto this.
'Oh well... you'd better find someone soon, or you'll be lonely for the rest of your life! No one wants a man over 40!' Snape was astonished at what strangers were telling him these days. "Loosen up! Get a life! Get married!" He had always liked his life! Or not really...
'All right then, what is your favourite food?' the man asked.
'Potatoes with garlic chicken, Hogwarts type,' Snape said coolly. He was careful not to say anything embarrassing. The man typed something.
'I am sorry, but I can't add Hogwarts type, is it all right if I just put down potatoes and...'
'No, for dragon's sake! I only like the Hogwarts type! Then put down potatoes and kidney pie! That is good everywhere!'
'Do you do any sports?'
'I swim once a year,' Snape said.
'That does not count as sport!' the man let out.
'Oh yes it does! Put down swimming!'
'I can't do that! Do you have any hobbies?' the man carried on.
'I'd like to paint if I could, but I have never done it,' Snape said.
'You definitely need a dog! That might give you more of a personality,' the man said. Snape knew this was an insult but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to seem like a poor old lad, which he was sure he would if he said something else.
'Last question then... what do you like doing the most? Going to the cinema, going shopping, playing baseball, or playing TV games?' Snape could feel his forehead shrinking as he tried to understand what was being said.
'Take that again, will you?' he said sternly.
'Do you prefer going to the cinema, shopping, playing baseball, or playing TV games?'
'What are all those things?' the man shrugged.
'It is a Muggle program, remember?'
'I take shopping then! That's the only thing understandable there!' Snape said angrily.
'Do you want me to order the animal that will appear or do you just want to view it? You will have to take it again if you don't want to order it...'
'Fine, order it!' Snape said. The man pressed some buttons and then handed Snape the box. It looked like the box contained a still picture of a dog with curly hair, and a text underneath it that led like this;
"The perfect dog for you is the tiny Poodle! You are a female who likes to keep things easy and try to keep not to much things happening. You like to teach things to other people and like to communicate with the rich and famous. You like to shop and look for new, fashionable things. Most of your clothes are bought at the GAP, and you like to wear jewellery. This dog will make you a bit more hyper, and be ready for a bit of a wild life while it is a puppy! Good Luck!'
'Did you write this?' Snape growled at the man.
'No, is it good?'
'It says I am a bloody female!' Snape shouted.
'Well, some people might take you as one with your long hair, but only form the back, only from the back... You can pick the dog up at my shop tomorrow at noon,'
Chapter four,
Snape looked up at the large clock on the brick wall. The train would arrive in about seven minutes, at seven o'clock. He let out a loud moan and sat down on a green bench that was lined up against the wall. He looked around the station. A few people were there all ready, and he knew that he shouldn't expect many more. It was early in the season so it would take a week or two before all the other teachers and the Hogsmead villagers would return back.
Many people only had small bags with them. Snape knew it was because they had just gone into London for a day of shopping like himself, but were expecting to return soon. Some of the teachers working up at school, like Professor Sinista, went into London nearly every weekend to visit her husband and two children, and would always come back with things from Diagon Alley. She had enough money to do so. She had a husband working too, so he payed most of the things she did. But Snape, he could only go into the city once or twice a year, and that was not for an over-night stay... that was for a short day of collecting the supplies he needed for the year.
Snape felt so sorry for himself. He tried to let a tear go loose, but he just couldn't. He hadn't cried for years. Not since he had stopped drinking at least.
Finally he saw the train come in. He was kind of pleased to see it and he was feeling kind of safe to know he would be back at Hogwarts by the morning.
He stood up and made sure to be the first to get on. He immediately headed for the back compartment where he always sat. He was thankful he was taking a night train back so that he could sleep. He didn't want to think about his problems today, which he was sure he would if silence reached his ears.
The train couldn't have been moving for long, but Snape must have been sleeping, when he suddenly sat up from hearing a sharp knock on the compartment door.
'Come in!' he muttered angrily. The compartment door slid open and a short, plump man came into view.
'Good evening, sir... I am sorry to bother you but would you mind if I shared this compartment with you?' Snape looked angrily at the man.
'Why can't you take another compartment? I am sure all of them aren't full,' the man nodded a weird sort of nod.
'That is true, but this is the only compartment with an electronic plug,' the man said pointing to a hole in the wall Snape never had realised before.
'A what?' Snape said waving with his hands to show that man could come in. He was too tired to argue.
'An electronic plug, you know. So that you can use a computer,' Snape stared at the man.
'I have no idea what you are talking about, sir,' he said. The man put his brown portfolio on the seat and took of his jacket carefully hanging it up on a hanger.
'A computer, sir. It is the best invention a Muggle has ever invented. It's like it's own person, except it cannot speak, but it remembers things you write,' the man looked at Snape who looked back at him confused. The man laughed at Snape's confused face. Snape could never tolerate when a person laughed at him and he was about to say something rude to the man but the man carried on. 'I will show you if you'd like,'
Snape bent forward and watched the man pull a metallic box out of his bag. Or it was not really a box, because it was much thinner, but Snape couldn't describe it any better. The man also pulled out a thick black rope that he stuck into the computer so that it stuck there.
'Is it an animal?' Snape asked. The man laughed again. 'No, but it might store some,' he said in a bright voice and stuck the other end of the rope into the hole in the wall.
Snape watched the man with interest. 'Why do you need a comfutu... one of those,' he said pointing to the box that the man now somehow had opened up.
'Well... I own the animal store in Hogsmead, and I need to keep all our selling updated. I found this way the best to do so,'
'Did you say animal store?' Snape asked curiously. He had just remembered the fortune-tellers hurtful words. '...loosen up and get a life.' The man looked up from the box.
'Yeah, why?' he asked.
'Do you have any animals for sale?' he asked. The man looked at him as if he was crazy.
'Do you mean in my animal store? Of course I have animals for sale,' he said and a smirk appeared over his lips. 'Are you interested in buying one?' Snape was silent for a moment. Was he really interested in buying one? He wasn't really an animal-lover. But then, maybe that would help his life loosen up a bit. He nodded, and the man pressed something on the box.
'Do you know what you are after or are you just after an animal?' he asked and pressed something else.
'I don't really know what I am looking for,' Snape said truthfully. The man looked up.
'You don't mind if I do a small test on you to see which animal would fit with you the best, now do you?' Snape shook his head.
'Great! All right, give me your profession... and your age please,' Snape looked up at him.
'Is anyone going to see this information?' he asked nervously.
'It will stay between you and me,' the man promised.
'All right... I am a professor, and I am 39 years old,' he muttered.
'Really?' the man asked.
'No, fine! I am 42 and a half, happy now?' Snape nearly shouted. The man jumped back a bit.
'Cool down, mister! You don't need to be embarrassed about your age... me myself is 44,' Snape sat back, a bit embarrassed at his sudden outburst. 'Are you married?' the man carried on.
'No,' Snape answered. The man looked closely at him.
'Not married? That's something to be embarrassed about, sir! 43 and not married is a terrible fact!'
'I am 42!' Snape said angrily. He wished he never had gone onto this.
'Oh well... you'd better find someone soon, or you'll be lonely for the rest of your life! No one wants a man over 40!' Snape was astonished at what strangers were telling him these days. "Loosen up! Get a life! Get married!" He had always liked his life! Or not really...
'All right then, what is your favourite food?' the man asked.
'Potatoes with garlic chicken, Hogwarts type,' Snape said coolly. He was careful not to say anything embarrassing. The man typed something.
'I am sorry, but I can't add Hogwarts type, is it all right if I just put down potatoes and...'
'No, for dragon's sake! I only like the Hogwarts type! Then put down potatoes and kidney pie! That is good everywhere!'
'Do you do any sports?'
'I swim once a year,' Snape said.
'That does not count as sport!' the man let out.
'Oh yes it does! Put down swimming!'
'I can't do that! Do you have any hobbies?' the man carried on.
'I'd like to paint if I could, but I have never done it,' Snape said.
'You definitely need a dog! That might give you more of a personality,' the man said. Snape knew this was an insult but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to seem like a poor old lad, which he was sure he would if he said something else.
'Last question then... what do you like doing the most? Going to the cinema, going shopping, playing baseball, or playing TV games?' Snape could feel his forehead shrinking as he tried to understand what was being said.
'Take that again, will you?' he said sternly.
'Do you prefer going to the cinema, shopping, playing baseball, or playing TV games?'
'What are all those things?' the man shrugged.
'It is a Muggle program, remember?'
'I take shopping then! That's the only thing understandable there!' Snape said angrily.
'Do you want me to order the animal that will appear or do you just want to view it? You will have to take it again if you don't want to order it...'
'Fine, order it!' Snape said. The man pressed some buttons and then handed Snape the box. It looked like the box contained a still picture of a dog with curly hair, and a text underneath it that led like this;
"The perfect dog for you is the tiny Poodle! You are a female who likes to keep things easy and try to keep not to much things happening. You like to teach things to other people and like to communicate with the rich and famous. You like to shop and look for new, fashionable things. Most of your clothes are bought at the GAP, and you like to wear jewellery. This dog will make you a bit more hyper, and be ready for a bit of a wild life while it is a puppy! Good Luck!'
'Did you write this?' Snape growled at the man.
'No, is it good?'
'It says I am a bloody female!' Snape shouted.
'Well, some people might take you as one with your long hair, but only form the back, only from the back... You can pick the dog up at my shop tomorrow at noon,'
