Disclaimer: NOT MINE! NOTHING IS MINE EXCEPT FOR LOKI, THOR, VECTOR, LEO,
AKIRA, KAZUKI, AND RIN! AND OTHER OCS IN FUTURE CHAPTERS! THE HOUSE-ELVES
BELONGS TO ME TOO!
First time attempting to write a Harry Potter fic so be kind and R&R. And no one beta-ed this so don't mind my grammar mistakes.
Warning: This will be SLASH! Meaning 2 guys in THAT kind of relationship!
Spoilers: Books 1-4
Pairings: Main - Severus/Sirius Others - Reviewers choice! Voting ends July first!
Languages:
"blah blah blah" - English
'blah blah blah' - Japanese
------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Interlude 1: Portals
(Posted 06/17/03 - Tuesday)
(Revision #1 11/06/03 - Thursday)
------------------------------------------------------------------
It was five minutes past seven and two black-clothed people stood in the middle of the Great Hall. Severus was, like always, wearing his black robes and his companion, Thor, was wearing a black suit. The place was lit with torches, just bright enough to see since the school year was over.
"Why am I not surprised that they're late," said Severus. "It must be that sorry excuse of a man holding up the Headmaster and Lupin."
"You're being extra sour today Uncle," Thor said, staring at the enchanted ceiling. "Anything I should know between Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, and yourself? And don't even breathe a word about that time you were almost bitten by Mr. Lupin. I've heard that one plenty of times."
"You're being extra bitter," said Severus. "I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact you're dress in a suit. Vector threw another formal party?"
"Why else would I dress like this?" Thor said, looking at his uncle. "You have no idea how happy I am to be here. These females in too much make-up cornered me, wanting details on my private life, and I couldn't make a portal because they're Muggles."
"So what did you do?" asked Severus.
"Rin was there and rescued me," said Thor. "Then I told Father I had to meet you and he let me go. Want to know what Rin was wearing?"
"Don't even want to know what kind of shoes," Severus said quickly.
"Good evening gentlemen," Dumbledore said, entering with Sirius, in his Animagus form, and Remus. "Excuse our lateness. Poppy wanted to check Remus again before he left."
"She's always babied me when I was student," said Remus. "A very kind woman."
"Who didn't babied the Marauders," Severus murmured.
"Mr. Black, are you sure you don't want to change to your human form?" Thor asked, receiving a nod from Sirius. "Okay, though I personally think it would be easier traveling as a person than an animal."
"Let's get this over with," said Severus.
"I'm supposed to be the one in a bad mood Uncle," said Thor. "Not you."
"Goodbye Headmaster," said Remus.
"I'll see you at the next Order meeting three days from now," Dumbledore said, the shine of his half-mooned glasses shielding his eyes. "I have an idea of where I'll be placing you and Sirius for the summer."
Sirius woofed and wagged his tail. Dumbledore petted him on the head as Severus rolled his eyes.
"If you're ready," Thor said, straightening his arm out, hand up, palm faced forward.
This seventeen-year-old may be a new Auror but he did pass the exam with the best scores ever recorded in the last thirty years. The portal started as a small dot, which then swirled into a two-dimensional circle with a roughly two-meter diameter in two seconds.
"We have to walk through that?" Remus gulped, staring at the pitch darkness of the portal. "Is it safe?"
Thor smirked in a way Remus thought ran in the Snape family. "You're asking me if this is safe when wizards here go into a fireplace that has a fire in it. Really Mr. Lupin, you need to get your horizon broaden."
"If I had money and time, I wouldn't mind doing some traveling," Remus said honestly. "Unfortunately I have neither. Severus, after you."
"See you on the other side," Severus said dryly, walking through with ease.
"Here goes nothing," Remus said nervously, walking into the portal.
Sirius was dubious and yelped when Severus' head appeared.
"Hurry up," said the Potions Master. "Sakura isn't going to stay open all night for us."
"Mr. Black can't go if you're in the way Uncle," Thor said, Severus retracting himself. "Go on."
Sirius trotted through.
"Keep an eye on them for me," said Dumbledore.
"I never planned on taking my eye off of them," Thor said, disappearing in his portal, which swirled into nonexistent.
"I think I'll send my reply to young Mr. Snape's letter," Dumbledore said, leaving the Great Hall to his office. "Such a polite writer."
Sakura School of Witchcraft and Wizardry looked exactly like a regular Muggle school, with its square-shaped buildings and whitewashed walls. There were three separate buildings stationed in a U and a cemented yard in the middle. In the back were a gymnasium, a soccer field, tennis courts, a safe forest, and dormitories. The exit from the portal left the visitors in the Principal's office.
"Is it alright for us to be here alone?" Remus asked, studying the oak furniture and stationary pictures as Sirius whimpered.
"Hmm, yes," answered Thor. "The school's security system doesn't go on until midnight and my birth-giver's family has close ties with the school council."
"Birth-giver? Sounds distant," said Remus. "Why not mother?"
"It's none of your business why he uses birth-giver instead of mother," said Severus. "Thor, open a portal to your Ministry."
"Roger that Uncle," Thor said, making it in two seconds. "And your glare won't work on my co-workers. They're immune to it because they've seen it enough times on me and my boss."
They went through the portal in the same order as before.
"YOU SCUM!"
'What happened?' 'The dog barfed.' 'Are those Brits?' 'Aww, they're too old for my taste.' 'The black-haired man isn't too old for me.' 'I think he's related to Thor.' 'Oh yea, Thor's half.' 'Be quiet and get back to work.' 'You're just mad Thor's taken now.' 'Brits are so slow.' 'Their accents are to die for.' 'I said get back to work!'
"Uncle, don't kick Mr. Black," Thor said, holding Severus' arm. "People are watching."
The mess was gone with a cleaning spell. A stylishly dressed woman, somewhere in her late fifties, gave the Potions Master and Remus a cup of coffee.
"Hello, I'm Doctor Ami," she said. "I'll be the one inputting your DNA into the Snape's home portal. Let's go to my lab for privacy."
"Privacy?" Remus said, following her and slowly sipping his drink.
"Most Ministry workers are bilingual," Ami said, pressing the elevator button. "It's a requirement to take a foreign language in school but some aren't as fluent as others. We wouldn't have privacy in that room."
The elevator pinged and opened. Severus and Remus weren't surprised, they've taken them before but Sirius hasn't. The Animagus tugged on Remus' robes.
"It's a thing to bring us to different floors," explained Remus.
Sirius walked in reluctantly. Ami, Thor, and Remus smiled as Severus sighed before entering themselves. Ami swiped her I.D. card through the slot that was next to the button panel and pushed in a four-numbered code on the pad below. The doors of the elevator closed and down it went.
"Ami's one of the best scientists we have," said Thor. "She has degrees covering a lot of different fields so she has her own lab in the basement. Of course, we have about five levels underneath the ground floor~~~"
"Which means I have no social life at all," said Ami. "The things I gave up for my love of mixing magic and science, and proving theories."
"We know," said Thor. "And we appreciate it."
"What kind of theories are you working with now?" asked Severus.
"I'm currently doing a joint researching project with some Americans," said Ami. "We're trying to improve the Blood potion for vampires."
"Blood potion?" Severus said, his interest caught.
"Yup," said Ami. "The Blood potion lessens the urge to kill and drain humans. It has some of the properties vampires need to function but it's still mandatory for them to consume a small amount of blood. It was a huge success but there were many demands for an improvement from the residents in Transylvania so a group of scientists, including myself, decided to get together and try to see what we can do."
"Fascinating," Severus said, and proceeded to tell her about his own attempts to improve the Wolfsbane potion.
"There they go rambling about work," Thor whispered to Remus. "I have to stop hanging around workaholics."
"But Severus loves his job," whispered Remus.
The elevator doors opened to an entirely white hallway.
"This way to my main lab," said Ami.
They went into a large, sterilized lab with tables filled with machinery and test tubes. There were two young men in lab coats and latex gloves.
'Take a break,' Ami said, and they removed their gloves and left. "My assistants. I told them to take a break because they've been working for nearly twenty-four hours on something else."
"They're very dedicated," said Severus.
"Of course, workaholics everywhere," said Thor. "Maybe I should teach."
"You should," said Severus. "It would be amusing to witness how you teach."
Ami took out some needles and anesthetic. "Roll up your sleeve. I just need a bit of your blood sample."
"As long as it's not too much, I'm fine with it," Remus said, pushing his sleeve up. "I'm low on blood."
"Just a pinch," Ami said, swabbing a spot on his arm and inserting the needle. "There, that wasn't so bad. Mr. Black, please revert to your human form. The needle for animals is so much thicker."
Sirius turned back into a man. "I didn't know you knew I was an Animagus."
"You need a bath," Ami said, wrinkling her nose. "Badly. Now come on, roll your sleeve."
"I think everyone knew you were an Animagus when you came out of my portal," said Thor. "It is rare to have a dog that big without raising some suspicion."
"Trust the Marauders to have Animagi forms that are noticeable," sneered Severus.
"Done," said Ami. "Sit and drink something. This shouldn't take more than a few minutes."
She emptied the blood into separate test tubes and poured some kind of liquid into them. While she did her job, the rest were sitting restlessly.
"Okay Thor," said Ami. "You can portal back to Sakura and go home with your guests."
"Thank you Doctor," Thor said, making a portal. "Let's go."
Sirius changed to his Animagus form and went through. Remus and Severus said their goodbyes, and walked through together.
'Thanks again,' said Thor. 'You helped us even though your shift ended an hour ago.'
'You're welcome,' said Ami. 'But you should thank Rin for bribing me with sweets.'
'I'll be sure to,' Thor said, leaving.
'Those young ones are always so interesting,' commented Rin. 'I think I'll ask Rin about them.'
She grabbed her purse and left.
------------------------------------------------------------------
A.N. - I was in a stump and wrote this. Need votes again! Should I continue next chapter with Diagon Alley? Or jump to the Hogwarts Express and Sorting because there's going to be surprise characters. Dum dum dum~~~
First time attempting to write a Harry Potter fic so be kind and R&R. And no one beta-ed this so don't mind my grammar mistakes.
Warning: This will be SLASH! Meaning 2 guys in THAT kind of relationship!
Spoilers: Books 1-4
Pairings: Main - Severus/Sirius Others - Reviewers choice! Voting ends July first!
Languages:
"blah blah blah" - English
'blah blah blah' - Japanese
------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Interlude 1: Portals
(Posted 06/17/03 - Tuesday)
(Revision #1 11/06/03 - Thursday)
------------------------------------------------------------------
It was five minutes past seven and two black-clothed people stood in the middle of the Great Hall. Severus was, like always, wearing his black robes and his companion, Thor, was wearing a black suit. The place was lit with torches, just bright enough to see since the school year was over.
"Why am I not surprised that they're late," said Severus. "It must be that sorry excuse of a man holding up the Headmaster and Lupin."
"You're being extra sour today Uncle," Thor said, staring at the enchanted ceiling. "Anything I should know between Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, and yourself? And don't even breathe a word about that time you were almost bitten by Mr. Lupin. I've heard that one plenty of times."
"You're being extra bitter," said Severus. "I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact you're dress in a suit. Vector threw another formal party?"
"Why else would I dress like this?" Thor said, looking at his uncle. "You have no idea how happy I am to be here. These females in too much make-up cornered me, wanting details on my private life, and I couldn't make a portal because they're Muggles."
"So what did you do?" asked Severus.
"Rin was there and rescued me," said Thor. "Then I told Father I had to meet you and he let me go. Want to know what Rin was wearing?"
"Don't even want to know what kind of shoes," Severus said quickly.
"Good evening gentlemen," Dumbledore said, entering with Sirius, in his Animagus form, and Remus. "Excuse our lateness. Poppy wanted to check Remus again before he left."
"She's always babied me when I was student," said Remus. "A very kind woman."
"Who didn't babied the Marauders," Severus murmured.
"Mr. Black, are you sure you don't want to change to your human form?" Thor asked, receiving a nod from Sirius. "Okay, though I personally think it would be easier traveling as a person than an animal."
"Let's get this over with," said Severus.
"I'm supposed to be the one in a bad mood Uncle," said Thor. "Not you."
"Goodbye Headmaster," said Remus.
"I'll see you at the next Order meeting three days from now," Dumbledore said, the shine of his half-mooned glasses shielding his eyes. "I have an idea of where I'll be placing you and Sirius for the summer."
Sirius woofed and wagged his tail. Dumbledore petted him on the head as Severus rolled his eyes.
"If you're ready," Thor said, straightening his arm out, hand up, palm faced forward.
This seventeen-year-old may be a new Auror but he did pass the exam with the best scores ever recorded in the last thirty years. The portal started as a small dot, which then swirled into a two-dimensional circle with a roughly two-meter diameter in two seconds.
"We have to walk through that?" Remus gulped, staring at the pitch darkness of the portal. "Is it safe?"
Thor smirked in a way Remus thought ran in the Snape family. "You're asking me if this is safe when wizards here go into a fireplace that has a fire in it. Really Mr. Lupin, you need to get your horizon broaden."
"If I had money and time, I wouldn't mind doing some traveling," Remus said honestly. "Unfortunately I have neither. Severus, after you."
"See you on the other side," Severus said dryly, walking through with ease.
"Here goes nothing," Remus said nervously, walking into the portal.
Sirius was dubious and yelped when Severus' head appeared.
"Hurry up," said the Potions Master. "Sakura isn't going to stay open all night for us."
"Mr. Black can't go if you're in the way Uncle," Thor said, Severus retracting himself. "Go on."
Sirius trotted through.
"Keep an eye on them for me," said Dumbledore.
"I never planned on taking my eye off of them," Thor said, disappearing in his portal, which swirled into nonexistent.
"I think I'll send my reply to young Mr. Snape's letter," Dumbledore said, leaving the Great Hall to his office. "Such a polite writer."
Sakura School of Witchcraft and Wizardry looked exactly like a regular Muggle school, with its square-shaped buildings and whitewashed walls. There were three separate buildings stationed in a U and a cemented yard in the middle. In the back were a gymnasium, a soccer field, tennis courts, a safe forest, and dormitories. The exit from the portal left the visitors in the Principal's office.
"Is it alright for us to be here alone?" Remus asked, studying the oak furniture and stationary pictures as Sirius whimpered.
"Hmm, yes," answered Thor. "The school's security system doesn't go on until midnight and my birth-giver's family has close ties with the school council."
"Birth-giver? Sounds distant," said Remus. "Why not mother?"
"It's none of your business why he uses birth-giver instead of mother," said Severus. "Thor, open a portal to your Ministry."
"Roger that Uncle," Thor said, making it in two seconds. "And your glare won't work on my co-workers. They're immune to it because they've seen it enough times on me and my boss."
They went through the portal in the same order as before.
"YOU SCUM!"
'What happened?' 'The dog barfed.' 'Are those Brits?' 'Aww, they're too old for my taste.' 'The black-haired man isn't too old for me.' 'I think he's related to Thor.' 'Oh yea, Thor's half.' 'Be quiet and get back to work.' 'You're just mad Thor's taken now.' 'Brits are so slow.' 'Their accents are to die for.' 'I said get back to work!'
"Uncle, don't kick Mr. Black," Thor said, holding Severus' arm. "People are watching."
The mess was gone with a cleaning spell. A stylishly dressed woman, somewhere in her late fifties, gave the Potions Master and Remus a cup of coffee.
"Hello, I'm Doctor Ami," she said. "I'll be the one inputting your DNA into the Snape's home portal. Let's go to my lab for privacy."
"Privacy?" Remus said, following her and slowly sipping his drink.
"Most Ministry workers are bilingual," Ami said, pressing the elevator button. "It's a requirement to take a foreign language in school but some aren't as fluent as others. We wouldn't have privacy in that room."
The elevator pinged and opened. Severus and Remus weren't surprised, they've taken them before but Sirius hasn't. The Animagus tugged on Remus' robes.
"It's a thing to bring us to different floors," explained Remus.
Sirius walked in reluctantly. Ami, Thor, and Remus smiled as Severus sighed before entering themselves. Ami swiped her I.D. card through the slot that was next to the button panel and pushed in a four-numbered code on the pad below. The doors of the elevator closed and down it went.
"Ami's one of the best scientists we have," said Thor. "She has degrees covering a lot of different fields so she has her own lab in the basement. Of course, we have about five levels underneath the ground floor~~~"
"Which means I have no social life at all," said Ami. "The things I gave up for my love of mixing magic and science, and proving theories."
"We know," said Thor. "And we appreciate it."
"What kind of theories are you working with now?" asked Severus.
"I'm currently doing a joint researching project with some Americans," said Ami. "We're trying to improve the Blood potion for vampires."
"Blood potion?" Severus said, his interest caught.
"Yup," said Ami. "The Blood potion lessens the urge to kill and drain humans. It has some of the properties vampires need to function but it's still mandatory for them to consume a small amount of blood. It was a huge success but there were many demands for an improvement from the residents in Transylvania so a group of scientists, including myself, decided to get together and try to see what we can do."
"Fascinating," Severus said, and proceeded to tell her about his own attempts to improve the Wolfsbane potion.
"There they go rambling about work," Thor whispered to Remus. "I have to stop hanging around workaholics."
"But Severus loves his job," whispered Remus.
The elevator doors opened to an entirely white hallway.
"This way to my main lab," said Ami.
They went into a large, sterilized lab with tables filled with machinery and test tubes. There were two young men in lab coats and latex gloves.
'Take a break,' Ami said, and they removed their gloves and left. "My assistants. I told them to take a break because they've been working for nearly twenty-four hours on something else."
"They're very dedicated," said Severus.
"Of course, workaholics everywhere," said Thor. "Maybe I should teach."
"You should," said Severus. "It would be amusing to witness how you teach."
Ami took out some needles and anesthetic. "Roll up your sleeve. I just need a bit of your blood sample."
"As long as it's not too much, I'm fine with it," Remus said, pushing his sleeve up. "I'm low on blood."
"Just a pinch," Ami said, swabbing a spot on his arm and inserting the needle. "There, that wasn't so bad. Mr. Black, please revert to your human form. The needle for animals is so much thicker."
Sirius turned back into a man. "I didn't know you knew I was an Animagus."
"You need a bath," Ami said, wrinkling her nose. "Badly. Now come on, roll your sleeve."
"I think everyone knew you were an Animagus when you came out of my portal," said Thor. "It is rare to have a dog that big without raising some suspicion."
"Trust the Marauders to have Animagi forms that are noticeable," sneered Severus.
"Done," said Ami. "Sit and drink something. This shouldn't take more than a few minutes."
She emptied the blood into separate test tubes and poured some kind of liquid into them. While she did her job, the rest were sitting restlessly.
"Okay Thor," said Ami. "You can portal back to Sakura and go home with your guests."
"Thank you Doctor," Thor said, making a portal. "Let's go."
Sirius changed to his Animagus form and went through. Remus and Severus said their goodbyes, and walked through together.
'Thanks again,' said Thor. 'You helped us even though your shift ended an hour ago.'
'You're welcome,' said Ami. 'But you should thank Rin for bribing me with sweets.'
'I'll be sure to,' Thor said, leaving.
'Those young ones are always so interesting,' commented Rin. 'I think I'll ask Rin about them.'
She grabbed her purse and left.
------------------------------------------------------------------
A.N. - I was in a stump and wrote this. Need votes again! Should I continue next chapter with Diagon Alley? Or jump to the Hogwarts Express and Sorting because there's going to be surprise characters. Dum dum dum~~~