Chapter 2
A shimmering jet of red and black light struck Snape so hard in the chest that he was knocked backwards; landing sprawled on the dewy grass. The watching Death Eaters lowered their wands and looked on, laughing.
"Get up," Voldemort snarled, kicking Snape savagely in the ribs.
- - - - - -
Rolling green hills flashed past the windows of the scarlet Hogwarts Express as Harry, Ron and Hermione ate their way through the pile of pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes they had bought. The door of their carriage opened and Luna Lovegood entered, looking a million miles away.
"Oh," she exclaimed, only the merest hint of surprise in her voice, "It's you." She flopped down on a spare seat, looking dreamily at Ron.
"I saw you in Diagon Alley on Wednesday, you were wearing a black jumper and your sister Ginny had just come out of Flourish and Blotts." Luna recited. Ron looked at Harry and raised his eyebrows.
"Really?" He said uninterestedly.
"Yes, do you know Professor Snape and Sinistra are dating?" she asked, nonplussed.
"What utter tosh!" cried Hermione, "That's just the sort of rubbish that..."
"Really? How do you know that?" Ron interrupted her excitedly, leaning forward in his seat. Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at Harry, who was failing to suppress his laughter.
"I saw them in Diagon Alley when I saw you." Luna replied, glaring at Harry.
Hermione snorted. "Just because you happened to see them both in the same place on the same day does not mean that they have any sort of romantic attachment."
"Well, Sinistra was wearing Snape's cloak..." Luna pondered thoughtfully.
"How do you know it was his cloak?" snapped Hermione, folding her arms.
"It was long, black and swishy – unmistakable really." Luna was starting to sound less dreamy and more defensive now.
Harry burst out laughing, the cauldron cake he was holding to his mouth fell to the floor. Just at that moment, the compartment door slid open and Neville walked in.
"Hello Neville! Did you have a good summer?" asked Hermione, trying to change the subject.
"Yeah. Guess what!" Neville sat down next to Ron and the pile of cauldron cakes. "Snape and Sinistra are dating!"
Hermione rolled her eyes, but Harry's mouth dropped open and Ron choked on the pasty he was eating.
"What?!" Ron said thickly through a mouthful of pasty.
"Well, I did try to tell you," Luna said distantly.
"Neville, how did you find out?" Hermione rounded on Neville crossly.
"Well, I saw them in Diagon Alley on Wednesday. Sinistra was wearing Snape's cloak. Apparently, they've been dating for a while now – keeping it secret though."
"Oh for goodness sake," Hermione snapped. "This is ridiculous. As if Snape could ever get a girlfriend. And why are you both so insistent that she was wearing his cloak? Did it have 'Property of Severus Snape' etched on the back or something?"
"Well, I saw them again when I went to Knockturn Alley with my father, Sinistra kissed him on the cheek. They were well hidden though..." Luna tailed off.
"You were following them weren't you?" Hermione exclaimed indignantly.
"No," cried Luna, but a red flush was covering her pale cheeks.
"Well, even if they are dating, which I seriously doubt, it is absolutely none of our business," Hermione said, sounding just like Professor McGonagall
The carriage lapsed back into silence as the train rushed past trees and fields, then mountains and into the darkness of the evening.