Moving through the busy and crowded streets, Autumn and Snape walked side by brside, taking turns to give each other sideways glances. Autumn kept thinking to brherself 'this cannot be real.' Luckily for her, it was. She had not had such an bradventure in her life; especially one that has began as a misfortune. Taking another brglance at Severus, Autumn felt a sense of calm bewilderment: who is this man? br brSnape was thinking similar thoughts. He felt so in synch with Autumn, and brtalking to her was not forced like it was with other women. Remembering the reason brhe even ventured out into the muggle world, Severus stopped abruptly. br br"I have to do something.I forgot. I am, well, on a bit of a mission." Snape said to Autumn. br br" Okay, I am willing to do some unplanned things today. You know, seeing as today was totally unplanned in the first place." br brSeverus was pleased. 'At least she is not difficult to get along with' he brthought to himself. And indeed she wasn't. As Severus and Autumn moved their brwas to a small bookshop off the main road, they began conversing about magic. br br"You are serious when you say that magic is real? You don't mean David brCoppefeild-type magic, do you?" Autumn asked. br br" No, not that I know whom that is...but I do not mean stage magic. I truly brmean levitation and disappearing and all sorts of fun things like that. My specialty is brpotions. Bottling fame, creating glory, stifling pride. Potions are very, well.potent. brIt is an exact science and very powerful. Potions offer a multitude of effects." br brAutumn was excited, " You must promise to teach me!" Snape smirked. br"All in good time, first I have to pick up a very important book at an unimportant store." br brSnape led Autumn into "Grand's Valley of Literature" bookshop. Searching brthe shelves, Autumn noticed that most of the books were old and sooty, tombs of brgreat proportion that, when opened, were penned in many languages, and some of brthe books simply were just boxes in disguise. Following Severus, who seemed to be brlooking for something in particular, Autumn noticed an odd assortment of papers brsitting in a wicker basket just at the end of a shelf of books that seemed to pertain to brthe taming of shrews. br brLooking closer at the loose pages, Autumn noticed that some of the papers brhas writing, others just sketches until she saw a letter that caught her eye. Severus brSnape signed it! She riffled about in the basket a bit more, and found two other brletters written by Severus. Stuffing them into her pocket, not feeling at all guilty at brthe plundering she was engaging in, Autumn quickly found Severus, who was brpurchasing a few books at the desk next to the door. br br" Is this all you needed today" The cashier asked politely. Snape nodded, brwalked briskly to the door, and held it open for Autumn to pass through first. br"What a gentleman" she said, smirking and blushing simultaneously. br"You'll need to follow close, we will be needing to catch a train quickly if brwe want to get to the Great Hall for the feast." Autumn raised her eyebrows.Great brHall? Feast? It sounded magical and wonderful, but confusing as well. Checking her brpockets to make sure she still had the stolen letters from the bookshop, Autumn brgrabbed a hold of Severus' hand. Snape was a bit startled, and looked quickly at brAutumn, who simply replied " You said follow close, and this is as close as I can get brin public." Snape curled his mouth into a smile. 'Frisky young thing,' he thought, ' brbut that is defiantly not a bad thing.' br brWhen Snape finally led Autumn to King Cross Station, she was amazed. brAmerican train stations were often deserted or abandoned, but King's Cross Station brwas filled with people. Better yet, she has the suspicion that it was always busy. brSnape led Autumn to a barrier between platforms nine and ten. Leaning over, Snape brwhispered sensually in her ear, "Just go ahead, walk right through, don't be scared." br brTaking a deep breath and hoping to the Gods that this man wasn't insane, br(This, of course, would be a test that would prove otherwise) step after step, Autumn brapproached the barricade closer and closer. With her nose inches from the wall, she brtook one last step and felt a large wind that seemed to pick up her body and move it brforward a few feet. Looking straight in front of her was a large purple train of royal color. br br"Good, I was hoping muggles would make it through," said a voice behind brher. Autumn spun around to see a very pleased-looking Severus. Holding the books brhe had bought at Grand's Valley. " Muggle.?" Autumn wondered out loud. br brSeverus stopped momentarily. " Oh, a muggle is someone of a non-magical brheritage, which would be you." Autumn began to protest, but Severus began brspeaking again, " I mean, of course, my particular form of magic, not Wicca." brAutumn seemed satisfied with his explanation. Just as she began to ask another brquestion, Severus motioned for her to follow him. br brWalking in the direction of the train's boarding steps, Autumn and Severus brstepped onto the train. br br"We don't have to pay?" Autumn was confused, thinking ALL brtransportation-costed money in some form or another. br"No," Snape answered, "The staff here know me well enough, and they see brmy robes. They know I am a Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." brAutumn accepted this answer, though she was confused. Severus Snape led her down a corridor to an empty compartment where he motioned for her to sit. br br" I have to send a note to the Headmaster to give him a bit of a warning that bryou will be arriving with me. Hopefully I will not be in much trouble. Knowing my brheadmaster, he will not punish me." Autumn nodded, and Severus slipped out of the brdoor, closing it gently. br brSeizing the opportunity, Autumn quickly grabbed for the papers hidden brsafely in her pockets. Unfolding them, she began to read:

br br"I do not regret the past three years, but I do regret spending them with you; bra person that I once believed loved me, and someone I thought I loved back. There is brnoting I want more than a chance to move back in time and relive them without you, brfor you have stolen my heart, and I fear that I will never be able to love again. ~ brSeverus Snape" br brAutumn looked up and sat a moment in shock. 'He must have been in a brrelationship before.that would explain the slight apprehension to me, and also the brshock of being touched by another human being again.' br brJust then, Severus slipped back into the compartment and closed the door. " brI'm back" he said, forcing a smile. " I expect that the snack cart will be coming brsoon. I warn you, don't indulge, we have a large supply of food back at the castle brthat I am excited to be able to share with you this evening." br brHowever, there was not need for Severus Snape to warn Autumn, because brwithin a few minutes of the trains departure from platform 9 ¾, she was slumped on brhis shoulder, asleep until their arrival.