AN-1: I have been reediting the rest of the story and I had to add more to
the end of this chapter. Hope it doesn't cause any confusion. It makes the
chapter longer so that's good right? Oh and I got another review, thank
you so much izzybelle, hope you enjoy this newly edited chapter.
AN-2: Ok so I only got one review so this is entirely dedicated to CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur. I hope you enjoy this chapter, thank you so much for the review. If anybody else is reading, I need reviews so that I know to update, I don't want to have to beg.
Disclaimers: The title comes from a quote from Ambrose Bierce that I will borrow heavily from later but I will be sure to give proper credit as has been drilled into my head. Speaking of crediting people, I do not own any of the Harry Potter franchise; they come from the mind of J.K. Rowling as we all know.
REGION OF SOBS
Chapter Two - The Arrival
*****
The sharp knock on the door startled her from her cleaning. The house was spotless but she was so nervous about acquiring a house guest that she could not stop herself rearranging knick-knacks and wiping the kitchen counters. She put the cleaning rag down and brushed herself off, although her long flower print dress was as spotless as the house. She rushed to the door, pulling on her neat white gloves as she went.
She paused a moment to collect herself before opening the door. She had been living alone for so long that she wasn't sure how this would work out. In her experience the English were a stuffy, proper bunch that did not often smile and rarely laughed. She was anxious to find out about the puzzle on the other side of the door. With a deep breath she swung the door open to see what enigma awaited her for the summer.
She plastered a smile on her face, fighting the urge to gasp at the man in front of her. He was the picture of menace, his mouth was set and his cheeks hollow, his black hair hung limp and greasy almost to his chin and his eyes seemed to be endless dark caverns. He wore a shirt as black as his eyes buttoned high beneath his chin and black pants to match. The ashen gray of his face and hands seemed ghostly surrounded by the solid black.
"Miss Jackson, I am Severus Snape." He said in a low voice that seemed only a degree above a whisper.
"I'm Beth Ann Jackson." She said then paused still staring, "Oh, please come in." She said quickly trying to cover up her astonishment. She moved aside as he stepped through the doorway and watched as he took a cursory look around the room then turned back to her.
She was leaning against the still opened door chewing on her bottom lip and gazing at him, her eyes the palest blue. She looked almost Nordic but for her strawberry blond hair held back in a neat bun. She wore the same dress that she had been wearing in the picture. He met her gaze then slowly his lips formed their distinctive sneer, "Will you be showing me around or shall I find my own way?"
She raised her eyebrows at him then allowed a small smile to flit across her lips as she turned and closed the door. When she turned back to him she had a funny little half smile on her face, her pale eyes sparkled at him. She took a step or two towards him then clasped the gloved hands together in front of her, "So Mr. Snape, does it work on your students?"
He was surprised, most people would have taken offense at what he had just said, he raised his eyebrows and asked in a voice that sounded close to a growl, "Pardon?"
"Does intimidation work on the students in England?" She said as she began to move around him, giving him a wide berth. "Because you certainly are the most intimidating figure I have seen in quite some time." She paused beside him still several feet from him, and then offered him something that he rarely saw, a genuine smile. "This way." She said with the wide smile still on her face.
He turned and watched her walk away, bewildered by what had just transpired. He had insulted her and in return she had teased him, and then smiled at him. Part of him was angry, not just angry, but livid at the idea that she was laughing at him, but another part of him, the part that even he didn't know about, rejoiced at the fact that a beautiful girl, no woman, had just smiled at him. He roused himself from his reverie resolving to think about it later and strode quickly after her.
He followed her to the kitchen where she turned and said pleasantly, all business now, "This is the kitchen. I figure we can split the grocery bill. You're more than welcome to cook whatever you want. I do cook supper sometimes and I'd be happy if you'd join me." She walked back through the door of the kitchen and headed toward a set of stairs while saying over her shoulder, "This is the den, your more than welcome to camp out and watch TV or use the computer."
He looked around the room as he strode through it noticing the black box that all the furniture seemed to face and the desk in the corner with another strange machine on it. He took a deep breath; this was going to be difficult.
Ahead of him she had started up the stairs and was asking over her shoulder again, "So how was your flight?"
What did she mean flight? He hadn't flown or even flooed, he had apparated into a neighbor's house across the street. The same neighbor who had convinced this girl she needed a housemate. He thought the girl must be daft thinking he would take a broom all the way across the ocean. Then he realized, she didn't even know about brooms, she must think he took a Muggle airplane.
"It was fine." He said quickly.
He was trying to cover for his hesitation, but the hesitation had not gone unnoticed. She was puzzled for a moment but chose to keep her thoughts to herself.
"You must be awfully tired, I'm sure you want to unpack and rest." She said as she reached the top of the stairs and opened a door on her left. "This is your room." She said as she led him in, "The bathroom is at the end of the hall, I laid some towels out for you on the counter." She moved around the room, smoothing the bedspread and straightening a picture as she went. "My room is right across the hall; feel free to knock if you need anything. There is a library office through that door," she pointed to a door next to the bed, "You're more than welcome to go in there whenever and use whatever books you want or the desk or whatever." She stopped straightening things and looked up at him. He seemed to be staring at her, dumbfounded by her stream of words. "I'll leave you to your unpacking then." She said and she moved towards the door.
"Thank you, Miss Jackson." He said as she passed him.
She turned on him quickly in the doorway, "No Mr. Snape, its Beth Ann, I'm no Miss." She said seriously with a bit of sadness in her eyes then smiled as if laughing off her seriousness and turned and walked down the stairs.
She was definitely an odd Muggle, not that he had known many Muggles to compare her to, but he found her a bit disquieting what with the gloves she wore and the strange way that she had looked at him just now. He pondered her strangeness for a moment before putting the small Muggle duffel bag that Dumbledore had given him down on the bed and closing the door, locking the small lock.
He pulled his wand out of his pocket, where it had been concealed, and set about putting up silencing charms to keep the girl from hearing his floo conversations. He took the small vase that contained floo powder out of his bag and placed it on the ornate mantle above the fireplace.
He opened the closet and began pulling his clothes out of the duffel bag. Dumbledore had warned him against robes of any sort and had sent someone, Snape shuttered to think who, to get him Muggle clothes. It appeared that whoever had bought his wardrobe knew of his fondness for black. He found three black button-down dress shirts, one dark green button-down, four pairs of black pants exactly like the pair he now wore, one pair of Muggle blue jeans and a long black overcoat that looked to him very like his robes.
He found everything that he needed, toiletries, clothes, and shoes, had been packed into the small duffel bag which must have been charmed to hold more than it physically should. To a Muggle he might seem very like Mary Poppins pulling lamps and such out of that small bag, but he didn't know who Mary Poppins was and would probably be very angry at the allusion if he did.
~~~~~
Beth Ann went back downstairs wondering about the strange man that she now lived with. Ms. Miroslav had suggested that she get a housemate and had even helped her contact Mr. Snape, but Beth Ann now had trouble seeing Ms. Miroslav, the sweet old lady across the square, as friends with this man. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of sweet tea; this was going to take some getting used to and with a man like that it would be even more difficult.
She sat in the kitchen reading for a while; she hadn't heard any sounds from upstairs. Perhaps he had gone to sleep, she couldn't remember the time difference but maybe he was just jetlagged. Sleeping the day away won't help that, she thought. She went upstairs, intent on finding out if he was asleep or not. She went into her room first and put her book down, then headed into the library office that adjoined his room. She was surprised to find the door to his room open to the library and even more surprised to glimpse him sitting on the bed surrounded by books.
She cleared her throat making her presence known but did not try to bother him. She looked on the bookshelves as if searching for a specific book. She heard him come to the door and knew that he was watching her but pretended not to notice. He was definitely odd but she was not going to let that bother her, she was going to make sure that he had a good time while staying with her. She pulled a book out and turned around; he was looking at some books beside the door.
"Oh, Mr. Snape, I thought you might be asleep." She said acting surprised. "But you know the best way to cure jetlag is not to sleep it off but to force your body into a different sleep schedule. At least that's what I've always been told." She said as she began to flip through the book she was holding.
"You have quite a collection." He said in his whispery voice.
She was startled and looked up at him. He motioned to all the books in the room, "Some of these are very old."
She cleared her throat, "Yes well, I'm a bit of a collector. I work at a bookstore through the summer. I love reading, the smell of books, the feel of the binding. Well I'm sure you know what I mean." She said embarrassed at her candor.
He did not respond only looked down at a book he held in his hands and began to flip through the pages.
"Mr. Snape, would you like a tour of Savannah?" She said on a whim. She was determined in her decision to make sure that his visit was a pleasant one.
"That will not be necessary." He said curtly, moving toward the door.
"What are you a professor of?" She said quickly before he had made it into his room.
He stopped then turned slowly towards her, his face a mask of indifference, "Science." He said brusquely. She should have figured that, he looked like a scientist, cold and calculating.
"Mr. Snape, you are in one of the oldest cities in the States, certainly a city with a lot of interesting history, you cannot possibly stay here without seeing the city." She said bluntly.
He eyed her suspiciously, why would she want to show him the city? "I have work to do." He said trying to sound a bit less abrasive; perhaps she was just trying to be kind.
"I'm sure that you can take your first day off, I won't take no for an answer. You get yourself settled today and tomorrow we will go out and see the city." She said cheerily, she smiled at him then turned to leave the room. "Oh and Mr. Snape, we're going to be walking around so I would suggest something other than black, it can get awfully hot out there." With that she turned and left the room, quite pleased with herself. He hadn't protested too much so she felt sure that he was not totally against the idea.
Snape returned to his room and shut the door; this was not going to be easy. She was so eager and that definitely did not appeal to him, he was irritated at her pushiness, why couldn't she just leave him alone.
AN-2: Ok so I only got one review so this is entirely dedicated to CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur. I hope you enjoy this chapter, thank you so much for the review. If anybody else is reading, I need reviews so that I know to update, I don't want to have to beg.
Disclaimers: The title comes from a quote from Ambrose Bierce that I will borrow heavily from later but I will be sure to give proper credit as has been drilled into my head. Speaking of crediting people, I do not own any of the Harry Potter franchise; they come from the mind of J.K. Rowling as we all know.
REGION OF SOBS
Chapter Two - The Arrival
*****
The sharp knock on the door startled her from her cleaning. The house was spotless but she was so nervous about acquiring a house guest that she could not stop herself rearranging knick-knacks and wiping the kitchen counters. She put the cleaning rag down and brushed herself off, although her long flower print dress was as spotless as the house. She rushed to the door, pulling on her neat white gloves as she went.
She paused a moment to collect herself before opening the door. She had been living alone for so long that she wasn't sure how this would work out. In her experience the English were a stuffy, proper bunch that did not often smile and rarely laughed. She was anxious to find out about the puzzle on the other side of the door. With a deep breath she swung the door open to see what enigma awaited her for the summer.
She plastered a smile on her face, fighting the urge to gasp at the man in front of her. He was the picture of menace, his mouth was set and his cheeks hollow, his black hair hung limp and greasy almost to his chin and his eyes seemed to be endless dark caverns. He wore a shirt as black as his eyes buttoned high beneath his chin and black pants to match. The ashen gray of his face and hands seemed ghostly surrounded by the solid black.
"Miss Jackson, I am Severus Snape." He said in a low voice that seemed only a degree above a whisper.
"I'm Beth Ann Jackson." She said then paused still staring, "Oh, please come in." She said quickly trying to cover up her astonishment. She moved aside as he stepped through the doorway and watched as he took a cursory look around the room then turned back to her.
She was leaning against the still opened door chewing on her bottom lip and gazing at him, her eyes the palest blue. She looked almost Nordic but for her strawberry blond hair held back in a neat bun. She wore the same dress that she had been wearing in the picture. He met her gaze then slowly his lips formed their distinctive sneer, "Will you be showing me around or shall I find my own way?"
She raised her eyebrows at him then allowed a small smile to flit across her lips as she turned and closed the door. When she turned back to him she had a funny little half smile on her face, her pale eyes sparkled at him. She took a step or two towards him then clasped the gloved hands together in front of her, "So Mr. Snape, does it work on your students?"
He was surprised, most people would have taken offense at what he had just said, he raised his eyebrows and asked in a voice that sounded close to a growl, "Pardon?"
"Does intimidation work on the students in England?" She said as she began to move around him, giving him a wide berth. "Because you certainly are the most intimidating figure I have seen in quite some time." She paused beside him still several feet from him, and then offered him something that he rarely saw, a genuine smile. "This way." She said with the wide smile still on her face.
He turned and watched her walk away, bewildered by what had just transpired. He had insulted her and in return she had teased him, and then smiled at him. Part of him was angry, not just angry, but livid at the idea that she was laughing at him, but another part of him, the part that even he didn't know about, rejoiced at the fact that a beautiful girl, no woman, had just smiled at him. He roused himself from his reverie resolving to think about it later and strode quickly after her.
He followed her to the kitchen where she turned and said pleasantly, all business now, "This is the kitchen. I figure we can split the grocery bill. You're more than welcome to cook whatever you want. I do cook supper sometimes and I'd be happy if you'd join me." She walked back through the door of the kitchen and headed toward a set of stairs while saying over her shoulder, "This is the den, your more than welcome to camp out and watch TV or use the computer."
He looked around the room as he strode through it noticing the black box that all the furniture seemed to face and the desk in the corner with another strange machine on it. He took a deep breath; this was going to be difficult.
Ahead of him she had started up the stairs and was asking over her shoulder again, "So how was your flight?"
What did she mean flight? He hadn't flown or even flooed, he had apparated into a neighbor's house across the street. The same neighbor who had convinced this girl she needed a housemate. He thought the girl must be daft thinking he would take a broom all the way across the ocean. Then he realized, she didn't even know about brooms, she must think he took a Muggle airplane.
"It was fine." He said quickly.
He was trying to cover for his hesitation, but the hesitation had not gone unnoticed. She was puzzled for a moment but chose to keep her thoughts to herself.
"You must be awfully tired, I'm sure you want to unpack and rest." She said as she reached the top of the stairs and opened a door on her left. "This is your room." She said as she led him in, "The bathroom is at the end of the hall, I laid some towels out for you on the counter." She moved around the room, smoothing the bedspread and straightening a picture as she went. "My room is right across the hall; feel free to knock if you need anything. There is a library office through that door," she pointed to a door next to the bed, "You're more than welcome to go in there whenever and use whatever books you want or the desk or whatever." She stopped straightening things and looked up at him. He seemed to be staring at her, dumbfounded by her stream of words. "I'll leave you to your unpacking then." She said and she moved towards the door.
"Thank you, Miss Jackson." He said as she passed him.
She turned on him quickly in the doorway, "No Mr. Snape, its Beth Ann, I'm no Miss." She said seriously with a bit of sadness in her eyes then smiled as if laughing off her seriousness and turned and walked down the stairs.
She was definitely an odd Muggle, not that he had known many Muggles to compare her to, but he found her a bit disquieting what with the gloves she wore and the strange way that she had looked at him just now. He pondered her strangeness for a moment before putting the small Muggle duffel bag that Dumbledore had given him down on the bed and closing the door, locking the small lock.
He pulled his wand out of his pocket, where it had been concealed, and set about putting up silencing charms to keep the girl from hearing his floo conversations. He took the small vase that contained floo powder out of his bag and placed it on the ornate mantle above the fireplace.
He opened the closet and began pulling his clothes out of the duffel bag. Dumbledore had warned him against robes of any sort and had sent someone, Snape shuttered to think who, to get him Muggle clothes. It appeared that whoever had bought his wardrobe knew of his fondness for black. He found three black button-down dress shirts, one dark green button-down, four pairs of black pants exactly like the pair he now wore, one pair of Muggle blue jeans and a long black overcoat that looked to him very like his robes.
He found everything that he needed, toiletries, clothes, and shoes, had been packed into the small duffel bag which must have been charmed to hold more than it physically should. To a Muggle he might seem very like Mary Poppins pulling lamps and such out of that small bag, but he didn't know who Mary Poppins was and would probably be very angry at the allusion if he did.
~~~~~
Beth Ann went back downstairs wondering about the strange man that she now lived with. Ms. Miroslav had suggested that she get a housemate and had even helped her contact Mr. Snape, but Beth Ann now had trouble seeing Ms. Miroslav, the sweet old lady across the square, as friends with this man. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of sweet tea; this was going to take some getting used to and with a man like that it would be even more difficult.
She sat in the kitchen reading for a while; she hadn't heard any sounds from upstairs. Perhaps he had gone to sleep, she couldn't remember the time difference but maybe he was just jetlagged. Sleeping the day away won't help that, she thought. She went upstairs, intent on finding out if he was asleep or not. She went into her room first and put her book down, then headed into the library office that adjoined his room. She was surprised to find the door to his room open to the library and even more surprised to glimpse him sitting on the bed surrounded by books.
She cleared her throat making her presence known but did not try to bother him. She looked on the bookshelves as if searching for a specific book. She heard him come to the door and knew that he was watching her but pretended not to notice. He was definitely odd but she was not going to let that bother her, she was going to make sure that he had a good time while staying with her. She pulled a book out and turned around; he was looking at some books beside the door.
"Oh, Mr. Snape, I thought you might be asleep." She said acting surprised. "But you know the best way to cure jetlag is not to sleep it off but to force your body into a different sleep schedule. At least that's what I've always been told." She said as she began to flip through the book she was holding.
"You have quite a collection." He said in his whispery voice.
She was startled and looked up at him. He motioned to all the books in the room, "Some of these are very old."
She cleared her throat, "Yes well, I'm a bit of a collector. I work at a bookstore through the summer. I love reading, the smell of books, the feel of the binding. Well I'm sure you know what I mean." She said embarrassed at her candor.
He did not respond only looked down at a book he held in his hands and began to flip through the pages.
"Mr. Snape, would you like a tour of Savannah?" She said on a whim. She was determined in her decision to make sure that his visit was a pleasant one.
"That will not be necessary." He said curtly, moving toward the door.
"What are you a professor of?" She said quickly before he had made it into his room.
He stopped then turned slowly towards her, his face a mask of indifference, "Science." He said brusquely. She should have figured that, he looked like a scientist, cold and calculating.
"Mr. Snape, you are in one of the oldest cities in the States, certainly a city with a lot of interesting history, you cannot possibly stay here without seeing the city." She said bluntly.
He eyed her suspiciously, why would she want to show him the city? "I have work to do." He said trying to sound a bit less abrasive; perhaps she was just trying to be kind.
"I'm sure that you can take your first day off, I won't take no for an answer. You get yourself settled today and tomorrow we will go out and see the city." She said cheerily, she smiled at him then turned to leave the room. "Oh and Mr. Snape, we're going to be walking around so I would suggest something other than black, it can get awfully hot out there." With that she turned and left the room, quite pleased with herself. He hadn't protested too much so she felt sure that he was not totally against the idea.
Snape returned to his room and shut the door; this was not going to be easy. She was so eager and that definitely did not appeal to him, he was irritated at her pushiness, why couldn't she just leave him alone.
