Disclaimer: You know the basic; the girls belong to themselves, and Selene
is myself, Singapore and its places belong to themselves, of course.
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so get out of here, if you know what's good for you.
Note: Like what Freelancer says, My fic, my rules. So there is no SARS in Singapore in this fic. (Anyway, the situation has improved greatly in Singapore)
Note: Some of the lines are provided by Sue herself, thanks Sue!
Pairings: Albus/Minerva, Snape/Maria
Note: Maria, you better read this! I hope you like it.
Thank you for your reviews!
Chapter 5: Night Safari Part 2
"Lost?!" Maria exclaimed. She searched her pockets frantically for her handphone and took it out. "Okay, Selene's handphone number is...." She punched the numbers and waited for Selene to pick up.
"......Is not available, please leave your message after the beep...." Maria heard on her phone.
"What? Don't tell me that her phone batteries had gone flat?! And she didn't even charge it before she left her house!" Maria said and cursed Selene under her breath.
"Great, we are struck in a Night Zoo!" Snape said sarcastically. "And it is entirely your fault." He added.
Maria's mouth dropped open. "My fault?!"
"If you didn't walk away from the group, we wouldn't be lost!" Snape snapped.
"Okay, so that part is my fault, but it is not my fault that someone, who shall remain nameless, doesn't know the way back to the others!" Maria said loudly. "Dreamy or not, this guy knows how to get on people's nerves." She thought.
"I didn't see any help from you." Snape sneered.
Maria opened her mouth to say something but then she closed it. She squatted down and buried her head in her hands.
"Pathetic." Snape thought, rolling his eyes. For a moment, he thought that Maria was crying. He folded his arms for a while, stared at Maria, who was still squatting on the floor with her face in her hands, and said quietly: "I'm sorry." Maria lifted her head up. She looked upset but Snape noticed that she didn't have any tearstains on her face at all.
"I'm really sorry." Snape caught himself saying. "Wait a minute, was that what I had just said?" He thought. He had made a lot of Gryffindors (mostly 1st years) cried before, and he never, never said the word "Sorry" to them. (Unless Minerva threatened to hex him if he doesn't) And now he was saying sorry to a Muggle who didn't even cry? Before he could say something that could cover up what he had just said, he offered Maria his hand.
Maria stared at his hand and took it.
Snape pulled her up to her feet. "All right, let's try that way. (He pointed to his left) If we can't find them, we will try (he pointed to his right) that way."
Maria nodded.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" Snape thought tiredly.
***
"For the second time, I apologize. I am really, really, sorry!" Selene said in one of the girls' hotel room 3 hours later. "I should have charged my phone batteries. I also should have kept an eye on you. In the end I let you wandered off and you got struck with Snape until I found you outside the gift shop an hour later."
"No, I should thank you to let me wander off." Maria said softly.
"Huh?" Selene asked, scratching her head.
Maria just sighed and continued to look out of the window, admiring the night scenery.
"I can't believe you wanted to take us into a bat house!" Carly said in disgust.
"Hey, I told you it's a Nights Zoo....and of course there are some night- active animals..." Selene said, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, especially bats!" The other girls exclaimed.
"Mostly bats...." Maria said dreamily.
"What's wrong with her?" Inca whispered to Sue.
Madam Hooch grinned. "And then you even have to bear with a human bat." She said, sitting cross-leg on a bed.
Everybody snickered and Sue, with a sly glance at Maria, who still had a faraway, dreamy look on her face, muttered under her breath: "But some people seem to like them...they even try to get lost with them..."
"Ooooo.." The girls said together and Madam Hooch exclaimed: "What, don't tell me that you like that slimeball!"
Maria blushed but didn't respond.
"Look, he is a Slytherin...." Madam Hooch started.
"So what?" Maria asked.
"A pureblood.."
"So what?"
"A Death Eater..."
"An ex-Death Eater, to be exact." Maria said.
"Hey, don't quote that line from my story!" Selene called. (See "Snape's Worst Holiday" Chapter 1)
"Sorry." Maria said apologetically.
"He bullies the Gryffindors...." Madam Hooch started again.
"I will turn a blind eye on that."
"He is slimy...."
Maria's head turned to Madam Hooch sharply. "He is not slimy!" She protested loudly.
"Yep, she likes him all right." Lindsay whispered to Sandie.
"Okay, okay! He is not slimy!" Madam Hooch said, throwing up her hands.
"That's better." Maria said satisfaction and turned her attention back to the scenery.
"So, girls, tell me another story featuring Dumbledore and Minerva." Madam Hooch said, turning her head to the girls.
"How about "Trust Me" by Freelancer?" Carly suggested.
"Nah, I heard that already." Madam Hooch said and lay down on her stomach.
" "Another Time" by Aeryn Alexander?" Inca said.
"No, I heard that one too."
" "My Turn to Protect" ? By Carly herself?" Lindsay suggested, looking at Carly.
"No way, I am not going to spoil the rest of the story by saying it now." Carly said firmly.
"I want to hear a short one." Madam Hooch said.
"Aw, too bad, I want to suggest Selene's "Stories of the Hogwarts Sisterhood" you will love that one..." Inca said. "But it is really, really long."
"Ya-ya." Maria suddenly muttered absent-mindedly.
They decided to ignore Maria on that one.
" "Snape's Worst Holiday" is short enough." Lindsay said.
"I heard that one already." Madam Hooch said and grinned. "Uncle Severe, ha, wait until I tell Severus about that story."
"And he is sweet enough to take care of Athena...." Maria said dreamily.
"No way, he will hex me or send me a Howler!" Selene protested, trying to ignore Maria.
"How about...." Sue began to think. "Err.... Ah! I know! "That's Preposterous" by Freelancer?"
"I haven't heard that one yet." Madam Hooch said happily. "Okay, shoot."
"You guys go ahead. Minerva left her glasses with me and I need to go to her room to give her back." Selene said, getting up from the floor and going to the door.
"Okay." Sue said and turned to Madam Hooch. "You know Rita Skeeter, right? Well....."
***
"Albus, have you seen my glasses?" Minerva asked, searching through her bag in their room. She had a towel around her body and she didn't tie up her wet hair.
"No." Albus said, giving a brief glance at a small table. He found nothing and continued to dry his hair with a towel. "Minerva, why don't you wear something first before you catch a cold?" He asked, his eyes followed Minerva around the room. "It is unhealthy to run around with a towel after a bath."
"Speak for yourself." Minerva said, pulling the edge of her towel higher. She raised her eyebrow at Dumbledore, who just had a towel around his lower body and went to the bathroom. "And I better check with Hogwarts to see if Poppy is still alive, you seem to be channeling her spirit."
Dumbledore chuckled and picked up his shirt from the floor.
The doorbell rang.
Dumbledore left his shirt on the floor and went to get the door.
"Hi, Al...." Selene started and her words hang there. She raised her eyebrows at the sight of Dumbledore.
"Yes?" Dumbledore asked as if there was nothing wrong.
"Err....Minerva left her glasses with me." Selene said, handing Dumbledore Minerva's glasses, not quite looking at Dumbledore.
"Thanks. Minerva has been looking for it." Dumbledore said, taking Minerva's glasses. "Sorry, I should have wear something on first, but I can't keep whoever is standing outside the door waiting."
"Yeah..." Selene said slowly.
"Albus, I still can't find my glasses!" Minerva said, walking out of the bathroom.
Selene looked up and her mouth dropped open.
"Oh my goodness! Sorry, Selene, I should have wore something, excuse me!" Minerva said embarrassedly and ducked into the bathroom.
"I thank you on Minerva's behalf." Dumbledore said, smiling.
"...Err...you are welcome." Selene managed to say. "I better go, it's late." She said, looking at her watch.
"See you tomorrow. Thank you for spending your time with us." Dumbledore said politely.
"You are welcome. Goodnight." Selene said and left. When Dumbledore closed the door, Selene ran straight to one of the girls' room. "Wait until the girls hear about this!" She said and paused. "Nah, this is private. Maybe I should keep it to myself."
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so get out of here, if you know what's good for you.
Note: Like what Freelancer says, My fic, my rules. So there is no SARS in Singapore in this fic. (Anyway, the situation has improved greatly in Singapore)
Note: Some of the lines are provided by Sue herself, thanks Sue!
Pairings: Albus/Minerva, Snape/Maria
Note: Maria, you better read this! I hope you like it.
Thank you for your reviews!
Chapter 5: Night Safari Part 2
"Lost?!" Maria exclaimed. She searched her pockets frantically for her handphone and took it out. "Okay, Selene's handphone number is...." She punched the numbers and waited for Selene to pick up.
"......Is not available, please leave your message after the beep...." Maria heard on her phone.
"What? Don't tell me that her phone batteries had gone flat?! And she didn't even charge it before she left her house!" Maria said and cursed Selene under her breath.
"Great, we are struck in a Night Zoo!" Snape said sarcastically. "And it is entirely your fault." He added.
Maria's mouth dropped open. "My fault?!"
"If you didn't walk away from the group, we wouldn't be lost!" Snape snapped.
"Okay, so that part is my fault, but it is not my fault that someone, who shall remain nameless, doesn't know the way back to the others!" Maria said loudly. "Dreamy or not, this guy knows how to get on people's nerves." She thought.
"I didn't see any help from you." Snape sneered.
Maria opened her mouth to say something but then she closed it. She squatted down and buried her head in her hands.
"Pathetic." Snape thought, rolling his eyes. For a moment, he thought that Maria was crying. He folded his arms for a while, stared at Maria, who was still squatting on the floor with her face in her hands, and said quietly: "I'm sorry." Maria lifted her head up. She looked upset but Snape noticed that she didn't have any tearstains on her face at all.
"I'm really sorry." Snape caught himself saying. "Wait a minute, was that what I had just said?" He thought. He had made a lot of Gryffindors (mostly 1st years) cried before, and he never, never said the word "Sorry" to them. (Unless Minerva threatened to hex him if he doesn't) And now he was saying sorry to a Muggle who didn't even cry? Before he could say something that could cover up what he had just said, he offered Maria his hand.
Maria stared at his hand and took it.
Snape pulled her up to her feet. "All right, let's try that way. (He pointed to his left) If we can't find them, we will try (he pointed to his right) that way."
Maria nodded.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" Snape thought tiredly.
***
"For the second time, I apologize. I am really, really, sorry!" Selene said in one of the girls' hotel room 3 hours later. "I should have charged my phone batteries. I also should have kept an eye on you. In the end I let you wandered off and you got struck with Snape until I found you outside the gift shop an hour later."
"No, I should thank you to let me wander off." Maria said softly.
"Huh?" Selene asked, scratching her head.
Maria just sighed and continued to look out of the window, admiring the night scenery.
"I can't believe you wanted to take us into a bat house!" Carly said in disgust.
"Hey, I told you it's a Nights Zoo....and of course there are some night- active animals..." Selene said, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, especially bats!" The other girls exclaimed.
"Mostly bats...." Maria said dreamily.
"What's wrong with her?" Inca whispered to Sue.
Madam Hooch grinned. "And then you even have to bear with a human bat." She said, sitting cross-leg on a bed.
Everybody snickered and Sue, with a sly glance at Maria, who still had a faraway, dreamy look on her face, muttered under her breath: "But some people seem to like them...they even try to get lost with them..."
"Ooooo.." The girls said together and Madam Hooch exclaimed: "What, don't tell me that you like that slimeball!"
Maria blushed but didn't respond.
"Look, he is a Slytherin...." Madam Hooch started.
"So what?" Maria asked.
"A pureblood.."
"So what?"
"A Death Eater..."
"An ex-Death Eater, to be exact." Maria said.
"Hey, don't quote that line from my story!" Selene called. (See "Snape's Worst Holiday" Chapter 1)
"Sorry." Maria said apologetically.
"He bullies the Gryffindors...." Madam Hooch started again.
"I will turn a blind eye on that."
"He is slimy...."
Maria's head turned to Madam Hooch sharply. "He is not slimy!" She protested loudly.
"Yep, she likes him all right." Lindsay whispered to Sandie.
"Okay, okay! He is not slimy!" Madam Hooch said, throwing up her hands.
"That's better." Maria said satisfaction and turned her attention back to the scenery.
"So, girls, tell me another story featuring Dumbledore and Minerva." Madam Hooch said, turning her head to the girls.
"How about "Trust Me" by Freelancer?" Carly suggested.
"Nah, I heard that already." Madam Hooch said and lay down on her stomach.
" "Another Time" by Aeryn Alexander?" Inca said.
"No, I heard that one too."
" "My Turn to Protect" ? By Carly herself?" Lindsay suggested, looking at Carly.
"No way, I am not going to spoil the rest of the story by saying it now." Carly said firmly.
"I want to hear a short one." Madam Hooch said.
"Aw, too bad, I want to suggest Selene's "Stories of the Hogwarts Sisterhood" you will love that one..." Inca said. "But it is really, really long."
"Ya-ya." Maria suddenly muttered absent-mindedly.
They decided to ignore Maria on that one.
" "Snape's Worst Holiday" is short enough." Lindsay said.
"I heard that one already." Madam Hooch said and grinned. "Uncle Severe, ha, wait until I tell Severus about that story."
"And he is sweet enough to take care of Athena...." Maria said dreamily.
"No way, he will hex me or send me a Howler!" Selene protested, trying to ignore Maria.
"How about...." Sue began to think. "Err.... Ah! I know! "That's Preposterous" by Freelancer?"
"I haven't heard that one yet." Madam Hooch said happily. "Okay, shoot."
"You guys go ahead. Minerva left her glasses with me and I need to go to her room to give her back." Selene said, getting up from the floor and going to the door.
"Okay." Sue said and turned to Madam Hooch. "You know Rita Skeeter, right? Well....."
***
"Albus, have you seen my glasses?" Minerva asked, searching through her bag in their room. She had a towel around her body and she didn't tie up her wet hair.
"No." Albus said, giving a brief glance at a small table. He found nothing and continued to dry his hair with a towel. "Minerva, why don't you wear something first before you catch a cold?" He asked, his eyes followed Minerva around the room. "It is unhealthy to run around with a towel after a bath."
"Speak for yourself." Minerva said, pulling the edge of her towel higher. She raised her eyebrow at Dumbledore, who just had a towel around his lower body and went to the bathroom. "And I better check with Hogwarts to see if Poppy is still alive, you seem to be channeling her spirit."
Dumbledore chuckled and picked up his shirt from the floor.
The doorbell rang.
Dumbledore left his shirt on the floor and went to get the door.
"Hi, Al...." Selene started and her words hang there. She raised her eyebrows at the sight of Dumbledore.
"Yes?" Dumbledore asked as if there was nothing wrong.
"Err....Minerva left her glasses with me." Selene said, handing Dumbledore Minerva's glasses, not quite looking at Dumbledore.
"Thanks. Minerva has been looking for it." Dumbledore said, taking Minerva's glasses. "Sorry, I should have wear something on first, but I can't keep whoever is standing outside the door waiting."
"Yeah..." Selene said slowly.
"Albus, I still can't find my glasses!" Minerva said, walking out of the bathroom.
Selene looked up and her mouth dropped open.
"Oh my goodness! Sorry, Selene, I should have wore something, excuse me!" Minerva said embarrassedly and ducked into the bathroom.
"I thank you on Minerva's behalf." Dumbledore said, smiling.
"...Err...you are welcome." Selene managed to say. "I better go, it's late." She said, looking at her watch.
"See you tomorrow. Thank you for spending your time with us." Dumbledore said politely.
"You are welcome. Goodnight." Selene said and left. When Dumbledore closed the door, Selene ran straight to one of the girls' room. "Wait until the girls hear about this!" She said and paused. "Nah, this is private. Maybe I should keep it to myself."