Chapter Two

Severus Snape knew exactly what Dumbledore intended for him to do, but Albus had the tendency to trust people who were irrevocably untrustworthy. He was not so foolish as to assume that this was some helpless young damsel in distress . Life was no fairytale, and he was certainly no knight in shining armor. Therefore, he was forced to circumnavigate Albus' instructions for the time being and deal with the situation in his own fashion. So it was that, when Alexandria left the shop for breakfast, Severus Snape, wholly invisible and standing in an alcove across from Borgin's door, was waiting.

His first reaction as she stepped into the alley was one of complete and utter shock. The last thing he had expected was that Borgin's niece would be anything but a miniature hag. On the contrary this woman was, he hated to admit, remarkably pretty. Not beautiful, but vibrant and youthful with thick, honey-colored hair and light brown eyes. His own black eyes narrowed a bit as he stepped out of the shadows.. She had reached the entrance to Diagon Alley. It was time to go.

Alexandria was thrilled to be out of that claustrophobic store and into the fresh air again. She had remembered seeing a myriad of shops on the road adjacent to this one and was certain she could find a café somewhere among them. There was a bit more of a crowd now than when she had first arrived and she was amazed to see that everyone in the street was wrapped in robes and swirling cloaks with pointed hats atop their heads. How quaint. Magic folk were wearing traditional clothing less and less back home. Really the only ones you ever saw in such attire anymore were quite old and in the tiniest communities. Salem, she recalled, had been that way. She tried to push away thoughts of Salem. She had almost gotten herself killed in Salem. But, that was a long time ago. This was a new start. She was going to do it right this time, damnit.

Severus Snape followed a few yards behind the girl noticing the things her eyes passed over, the things which held her attention, and the very few things which turned her head. One of these was a grumpy-looking old witch who was giving the girl a very ugly look, obviously taking her appearance as a personal insult. She brought it on herself, though. Wearing such muggle clothing in Diagon Alley was almost unheard of. He forced himself to not dwell on how well she fit into those clothes. After all, this was business.

Alexandria was silently berating herself for leaving her cloak at home. But, she wasn't accustomed to wearing it. She had only purchased it because she heard that English witches and wizards were a great deal more traditional than those in America. Frankly, she didn't know how they dealt with them. They were uncomfortable, hot, and difficult to move in, so she dismissed the idea of doubling back for hers. It would just have to be wasted investment. No matter. For the first time in her life, she had gold to spare. That thought brought a smile to her face and she returned the old bat's glare with one of her own, just for the fun of it. It was rewarding to see a look of shock replace the woman's sneer. When she refocused her attention on the street ahead she spotted a welcome sight, a window filled with the most beautiful collection of pastries she'd ever seen, all displayed in a pristine glass case. Without a moment's hesitation she made bee-line for the little shop.

Severus had to rush a bit to catch up and enter the shop in the wake of his quarry. To his advantage, she lingered in the shop door for a moment allowing him the time he time he needed. Alex had to stop a moment to savor the heavenly aroma that enveloped her as she opened the glass door. It smelled of cinnamon and sugar and coffee and something unidentifiable, something very wholesome and homey. A cheerful voice greeted her from behind the counter.

"Hello, my dear. What can I do for you?" These pleasantries came from a lovely middle-aged witch with rosy cheeks, bright green eyes, and a head full of curly golden hair flecked with silver. She was slightly plump and wore a rose-colored robe with a bright yellow apron. Alex had never encountered a woman who so utterly motherly, not that she would know what to do with a mother if she had one. Hers had died in childbirth, her birth, specifically, and her father…well, she preferred not to think about that. That was another life, on another continent. It didn't matter anymore..

"I'd like a cup of coffee, please."

"Very good, dear. Anything else?"

Alex hungrily surveyed the marvelous convections behind the glass. "How about two apple-cinnamon muffins, please?"

"Right you are, now," she almost sang her words while swiftly moving to collect the order. Somehow, she managed to do so while chatting amiably and looking over the counter to smile warmly at her customer and Alex couldn't help but respond in kind. It was just the sort of situation Severus had hoped for. He settled into a chair in a corner and listened.

"Is that an American accent I detect from you, dearie?" She smiled at Alex and the lines of laughter deepened around her eyes.

"Yes, it is."

"That's lovely! I've always wanted to visit America. What state are you from?"

Alex smiled at the innocent question, "Most of them."

"Oh, so you're a traveler. How exciting!" Alex had taken a seat directly in front of the counter and the older witch brought around her coffee and muffins on a silver tray with a shining white cup, saucer, and plate. "So, what brings you to England?"

"An inheritance, actually. My uncle passed away and…"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, my dear."

"Oh, it's OK. I didn't know him."

"I'm not sure that's any better. One always benefits from knowing one's family."

"Not to be rude, but I'm not so certain that I agree with you."

"Oh?"

"I've just come from my inheritance and I can tell by the state of it that my uncle was someone I wouldn't have appreciated."

A curious look stole over the woman's features. "Who was your uncle dear?"

"Mr. Borgin of Borgin and Burks."

The shopkeeper looked stunned. She covered and uncovered her mouth a few times before she was able to speak. "But, he was a dark mage, and said to be in league with He Who Must Not Be Named." Severus clenched his teeth at the mention of his "master's" title. "He sold some of the darkest wares in England. Surely you can't share the same blood as that awful man!"

"I'm afraid I do. I'm his niece, Alex Borgin."

The shopkeeper seemed to regain her composure quickly. "I'm Nina Pomphrey, dear."

Severus listened as they chatted about other unimportant matters. True to her nature, Nina Pomphrey (who was the older sister of the school nurse at Hogwarts) did everything she could to help Alex become settled, giving her names of people to contact in the ministry, telling her of all the best places to buy robes, food, cleaning potions, and even furniture for her new home, all the while subtly attempting to talk her out of actually running her uncle's shop. Her arguments would have swayed most young women; the shop was in a very dangerous part of the community, most of the objects were cursed or so dangerous that the majority of wizards and witches didn't even patronize the place. Snape couldn't help but notice that Alex's amber eyes widened and she smiled slightly when she was told that Mr. Borgin's suppliers were the roughest bunch of smugglers and thieves in England. Now that was an interesting reaction, and hardly one he'd expect from an innocent soul. Clearly there was much more to this girl than met the eye.

Soon the tray was cleaned up and Alex had paid her bill and accepted a long piece of parchment on which Nina had written more information than any newcomer could ever use (that would make Dumbledore happy). Before she could leave, though, Nina enfolded her in a motherly embrace which seemed to catch the girl quite off-guard. She was still trying to erase the look of shock from her face when Nina said, "You take care of yourself, Alex. And if you need anything, anything at all, you come and see me. Alright, dear?"

"OK, Miss Pomphrey."

"Call me, Nina, please."

"Alright, Nina. Thanks for everything."

Shortly thereafter, Nina slipped out of the store, list in hand, and a potions master on her heels.

It was almost amusing to watch the girl shop. She was like a child with a fistful of galleons. Each stop she made caused her to smile to widen a bit. By the time she had purchased an entire wardrobe and enough furniture and décor for a mansion the size of Lucius Malfoy's estate, Severus was exhausted. Alex, however, showed no signs of slowing. She seemed to have an endless reserve of energy and had become a human whirlwind. She hit several of the shops on Diagon Alley, most of the stores in Hogsmeade and had dragged him around London as well. Even with considerable shrinking spells, she was carrying three huge shopping bags. It was early evening before Alex stopped to sit on a bench outside a muggle shoe shop where she had purchased a very handsome pair of black boots. Severus sat down on the bench across the street from her and rested his aching feet, thankful for the reprieve. With the exception of the maddening pace, the day had gone very smoothly. He hadn't learned much about his quarry except that she had limitless energy, good taste in furniture, tended to dress like a man, and would be damn near impossible to catch if traveling any faster than her usual pace. The most important piece of information he had collected so far had been that Alex had never known her uncle, so she hadn't been conspiring with him to hide the spell scroll that he and Lucius were trying to acquire. He would have to tell Lucius this as soon as possible. Hopefully it would keep him from whisking the woman away to Malfoy Manor and torturing her for information she probably didn't have. Of course, Malfoy would have to catch her first.

Alex had not been idle on the bench across from Severus, but then it seemed she was never idle. Placing her bags at her feet, she drew a small notebook and pen from her pocket and after a moment's thought began writing. Severus was just about to creep across the street and see if he could read over her shoulder, but before he could rise, Alex did something very odd. Very casually, and with a small smile on her face, she ripped the paper out of the book, put the corner in her mouth for a moment and used the wetness to stick the message to the backrest of her bench. Then, with a sweet smile on her face, she picked up her bags and walked toward The Leaky Cauldron, finally heading for home.

With great curiosity, Severus approached the bench formerly occupied by Alex Borgin and picked up the piece of paper which was hanging there. It elicited from him what only a few people had ever seen, a genuine smile. His shoulders shook with amusement as he pocketed the note that read, simply, Had enough? .