*Disclaimer: J.K.Rowling owns Severus and Sirius; I own the plot, Jack, and Ann - anyone attempting to steal the latter with be vivisected*
5
He had lost her. Severus sat in Muggle jeans and a plaid shirt outside terminal 24 B in Houston, Texas and admitted defeat. He had managed to track her for a short while, but it became harder and harder until he realized that he had lost her trail completely somewhere around Peru. 'What does it matter if she gets herself bloody killed?' he asked himself. But it did matter.
Because of Jack, he quickly amended. There was no way she was going to leave a six year old in Severus's incapable hands. Not that he held a grudge against the boy - it's just that it would be plain rude. He wanted to see her come back and swing Jack around in a circle and then chase him down the beach and throw him in the water, laughing as he magically threw large quantities of water back at her. His thoughts traveled to other things he'd like to see, like that black bikini of hers. It was modestly cut, a functional swimsuit unlike those suits made of nothing but strings he saw girls wearing nowadays. Sirius would of course look no further than the fact that it did expose a large amount of skin. But, yes, that was nice too.
He shook his head. There were more important things to think about. Right now there were only two options: follow or return. He could continue to try to follow her, piecing together all the small bits of information he had gathered throughout the month he had known her. Potentially, he could continue to run around in this fashion without finding a thing. His efforts, if they were misplaced, would be in vain. But going back was the same thing, only he would have to sit there wondering if he could have found her if he just searched for one more day.
He decided. He would continue searching.
But this brought even more considerations: what would he do once he found her? She was a grown woman, and this was how she made her living. This was her life. He could forcefully use his magic to restrain her, but she would be miserable. He had done enough dangerous activities himself to know better than to try to stop her. So what could he do?
He thought of Ann, all alone and unprotected. She had strength: he had noted her firm muscles as she ran along the beach with Jack. She had intelligence: she had solved puzzles that had stumped scores of wizards for centuries. She was resourceful: she knew what she needed and how to get it, despite being a Muggle. But the one thing she didn't have was magic. How could she fight against magic when she had none herself?
Severus had magic. He suddenly sat up straight when he realized why he had followed Ann in the first place: he hadn't wanted to stop her, he wanted to join her!
He gathered his bag, resolute about his course. He felt excited at the possibility of an adventure. Definitely been in the dungeons too long, he told himself.
All he had to do now was find her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Ann stopped by a small waterfall for lunch. She took off her hiking boots, a pair sturdy enough to take any amount of assault but light enough to be quick in emergencies. They were started to wear a bit, but Ann had been through so much with them that she didn't want to throw them away. Not that she was sentimental about them - Ann was rarely sentimental. She just didn't want to switch boots when she had already found and broken in the perfect pair. She dangled her feet into the small pool of water from her perch on a mossy rock. The waterfall barely afforded it's name; some rivulets of water trickled down steep rocks that piled about twice Ann's height to form a pool of about waist depth before slivering down the mountain as a thin stream. Ann ate an apple as she watched the water bugs skim across the top of the pool. A horsefly landed on her knee. "If you bite me I'll kill you," she told it calmly. It ignored her and continued to sit in silence. She took another bite, squirting apple juice down her chin.
The forest was so thick it was almost a jungle. Ann had worn tough pants, but the thorns she burrowed through still cut her. The entire place seemed built just to inflict pain on her. It might as well be called Horsefly Mountain, she thought bitterly. She had never been overly fond of flies, but the swarms of horseflies she had to walk through were driving her insane. They kept on landing on her and flying right by her ear, making her grimace.
In spite of the flies, she took off her shirt and enjoyed the cool breeze on her bare skin. Rolling up her pants, she carefully waded through the shallower regions of the small pool, navigating among the slippery rocks with difficulty. She stumbled once but managed to regain her balance before she could fall over and drench her clothes. There was a sharp pain in the bottom of her foot though. She limped to the edge of the pool and cleaned the gash on the sole of her foot that a sharp rock had made. Pure genius, she told herself. You should do that every time: injure yourself before you even get there.
She shoved back on her boots and after gathering her things continued to climb. The trees soon thinned out; now she had to maneuver on the rocks. She slipped several times, but grabbed a limb from a nearby bush before she could slide back down. She hated rocks slanted this way - she'd rather they just went straight up so she could climb them or else be flat enough to walk on. These were slanted so that she couldn't exactly climb, but she couldn't walk upright over their steepness. She'd rather it was one way or the other.
Finally she reached the top. It took a bit more effort to find the correct trail, as there were anti-Muggle charms at this point trying to con the unwary to turning on a trail that led straight back down the mountain. She wondered if she was the only Muggle to have made it this far. When she felt a strong urge to turn left, she turned right. When there appeared a huge rock in her path that convinced her to turn back, she went straight over it. Going against the charms wasn't all that hard. Perhaps someone with less willpower wouldn't be able to resist their pull, but Ann knew you simply had to keep your wits about you.
Finally she reached the cave. She passed by it and set up camp in a clearing out of sight from the gaping hole. She had been walking for two days straight and wanted one night of rest before she tackled this next mission. Who knew how long she would be in there before she could retrieve the book? She wanted every advantage possible, including a good night's sleep. She set up camp in time to watch the sun set. She could see the whole world, it seemed, from up here. The gash on her foot hurt with every step she took, but what was a little pain in the face of greater adventure? She would have the book before the week was over.
It wasn't even a possibility that she wouldn't be able to survive this mission. Every mission had it's own distinct danger. No, it simply wasn't an option. She would succeed, if only because there was no other alternative. Sleep didn't come easily to her once darkness enveloped her small tent - she was too excited about the journey to come.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
TBC. . .
5
He had lost her. Severus sat in Muggle jeans and a plaid shirt outside terminal 24 B in Houston, Texas and admitted defeat. He had managed to track her for a short while, but it became harder and harder until he realized that he had lost her trail completely somewhere around Peru. 'What does it matter if she gets herself bloody killed?' he asked himself. But it did matter.
Because of Jack, he quickly amended. There was no way she was going to leave a six year old in Severus's incapable hands. Not that he held a grudge against the boy - it's just that it would be plain rude. He wanted to see her come back and swing Jack around in a circle and then chase him down the beach and throw him in the water, laughing as he magically threw large quantities of water back at her. His thoughts traveled to other things he'd like to see, like that black bikini of hers. It was modestly cut, a functional swimsuit unlike those suits made of nothing but strings he saw girls wearing nowadays. Sirius would of course look no further than the fact that it did expose a large amount of skin. But, yes, that was nice too.
He shook his head. There were more important things to think about. Right now there were only two options: follow or return. He could continue to try to follow her, piecing together all the small bits of information he had gathered throughout the month he had known her. Potentially, he could continue to run around in this fashion without finding a thing. His efforts, if they were misplaced, would be in vain. But going back was the same thing, only he would have to sit there wondering if he could have found her if he just searched for one more day.
He decided. He would continue searching.
But this brought even more considerations: what would he do once he found her? She was a grown woman, and this was how she made her living. This was her life. He could forcefully use his magic to restrain her, but she would be miserable. He had done enough dangerous activities himself to know better than to try to stop her. So what could he do?
He thought of Ann, all alone and unprotected. She had strength: he had noted her firm muscles as she ran along the beach with Jack. She had intelligence: she had solved puzzles that had stumped scores of wizards for centuries. She was resourceful: she knew what she needed and how to get it, despite being a Muggle. But the one thing she didn't have was magic. How could she fight against magic when she had none herself?
Severus had magic. He suddenly sat up straight when he realized why he had followed Ann in the first place: he hadn't wanted to stop her, he wanted to join her!
He gathered his bag, resolute about his course. He felt excited at the possibility of an adventure. Definitely been in the dungeons too long, he told himself.
All he had to do now was find her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Ann stopped by a small waterfall for lunch. She took off her hiking boots, a pair sturdy enough to take any amount of assault but light enough to be quick in emergencies. They were started to wear a bit, but Ann had been through so much with them that she didn't want to throw them away. Not that she was sentimental about them - Ann was rarely sentimental. She just didn't want to switch boots when she had already found and broken in the perfect pair. She dangled her feet into the small pool of water from her perch on a mossy rock. The waterfall barely afforded it's name; some rivulets of water trickled down steep rocks that piled about twice Ann's height to form a pool of about waist depth before slivering down the mountain as a thin stream. Ann ate an apple as she watched the water bugs skim across the top of the pool. A horsefly landed on her knee. "If you bite me I'll kill you," she told it calmly. It ignored her and continued to sit in silence. She took another bite, squirting apple juice down her chin.
The forest was so thick it was almost a jungle. Ann had worn tough pants, but the thorns she burrowed through still cut her. The entire place seemed built just to inflict pain on her. It might as well be called Horsefly Mountain, she thought bitterly. She had never been overly fond of flies, but the swarms of horseflies she had to walk through were driving her insane. They kept on landing on her and flying right by her ear, making her grimace.
In spite of the flies, she took off her shirt and enjoyed the cool breeze on her bare skin. Rolling up her pants, she carefully waded through the shallower regions of the small pool, navigating among the slippery rocks with difficulty. She stumbled once but managed to regain her balance before she could fall over and drench her clothes. There was a sharp pain in the bottom of her foot though. She limped to the edge of the pool and cleaned the gash on the sole of her foot that a sharp rock had made. Pure genius, she told herself. You should do that every time: injure yourself before you even get there.
She shoved back on her boots and after gathering her things continued to climb. The trees soon thinned out; now she had to maneuver on the rocks. She slipped several times, but grabbed a limb from a nearby bush before she could slide back down. She hated rocks slanted this way - she'd rather they just went straight up so she could climb them or else be flat enough to walk on. These were slanted so that she couldn't exactly climb, but she couldn't walk upright over their steepness. She'd rather it was one way or the other.
Finally she reached the top. It took a bit more effort to find the correct trail, as there were anti-Muggle charms at this point trying to con the unwary to turning on a trail that led straight back down the mountain. She wondered if she was the only Muggle to have made it this far. When she felt a strong urge to turn left, she turned right. When there appeared a huge rock in her path that convinced her to turn back, she went straight over it. Going against the charms wasn't all that hard. Perhaps someone with less willpower wouldn't be able to resist their pull, but Ann knew you simply had to keep your wits about you.
Finally she reached the cave. She passed by it and set up camp in a clearing out of sight from the gaping hole. She had been walking for two days straight and wanted one night of rest before she tackled this next mission. Who knew how long she would be in there before she could retrieve the book? She wanted every advantage possible, including a good night's sleep. She set up camp in time to watch the sun set. She could see the whole world, it seemed, from up here. The gash on her foot hurt with every step she took, but what was a little pain in the face of greater adventure? She would have the book before the week was over.
It wasn't even a possibility that she wouldn't be able to survive this mission. Every mission had it's own distinct danger. No, it simply wasn't an option. She would succeed, if only because there was no other alternative. Sleep didn't come easily to her once darkness enveloped her small tent - she was too excited about the journey to come.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
TBC. . .