A\N well I can't seem to stop writing this so I've done what you have all asked for… another chapter! So I guess this is part 2 of Ellen's epic adventure with a fully operational plot. Enjoy!

Chapter 15 surprise meetings

Snape was very angry and his contempt for Sirius was higher than ever. As he said to Sirius his leisure time was limited and that was true for he had another person to see on behalf of Dumbledore and that was a person he didn't expect to see again and that person was Ellen. She was half working in the Order; as she was a detective she would hear if something odd happened or there was a warning out for anyone just as Sirius had been. Severus had to see if she had found anything out. He aperated into an apartment where she lived he didn't know why he had to see her as Lupin lived in London and he could see her anytime whereas seeing her was out of his way. He looked at the piece of paper that bore her address; it read Ellen Grey apartment 13. Severus looked at the numbers on the doors but there was no apartment 13 only apartments 12a and 12b. He looked at both the doors behind one he could hear some sort of loud music and behind the other nothing but silence. He tried 12a first, the quiet apartment. He knocked.

'What?' an old lady poked her head around the door. 'Your not a Mormon are you?' She asked suspiciously looking at his black robes.

'No… Does Ellen live here?'

'No, she lives next door. If your going to see her tell her to turn down that damn music some of us are trying to watch their stories.' The old woman looked at him suspiciously again before she slammed the door in his face.

He knocked on the door of 12b, no one answered. He knocked again, still nothing. She had to be in there because of the music. Severus opened the door himself, Ellen was sitting in an armchair reading a book. She hadn't noticed him. He cleared his throat as loud as he could to get over the music. Ellen jumped and turned her head towards the source of the new noise.

'What the Fu-? Oh, it's you…' he was the last person she was ever going to expect to come to her home. 'What are you doing here? And how did you get in?' She demanded turning down the music with its remote.

'I have my ways.'

'Well you should knock instead of scaring the crap out of me.'

'I did knock, several times.'

'Oh, right then.' She got up she wasn't expecting company and more to the point she wasn't expecting to see him. 'I wasn't expecting to see you ever again.'

'Neither did I.'

'So is there any reason why you are here?' Ellen asked still bemused by his presence. Snape cleared his throat again.

'Just business, Dumbledore asked me to ask you if you have seen or herd anything out of the ordinary anything that could have come out of our world.'

Ellen stood there just looking at him. 'That's it?' She asked

'Yes.' Severus answered simply.

'Well there has been just one thing…' Ellen remembered and retreated into another room, Severus heard a draw opening and Ellen returned smoothing a crumpled piece of paper. ' I don't know if this means anything to you…?' She asked handing him the paper. It was a reward poster for a large black hairy dog, the reward being 80000pounds. 'Its just that why would anybody want that dog back so badly? And want to pay that much? Plus I thought it could be that man that turns into a dog but I wasn't to sure.'

Snape looked the piece of paper over it was defiantly Sirius. He crumpled it in his hand. He was glad he had already spoken to him about his goings out he had no desire to see him so quickly again.

Ellen watched him carefully something was on his mind.

' It wasn't any help then?' she asked after he crushed it.

'What? Oh no it helped. Thank you.' He turned to go.

'Would you like a drink? I was just about to have one.' Ellen offered. she wondered whether he would accept she wouldn't mind talking to him.

'Err…-' Snape wasn't sure if he should but he did want to.

'C'mon for old times sake.' She decided she did want him to stay.

'Fine.' He sighed, but deep down he was relieved.

'Ok then great.' Ellen jumped up and went to a bottom cupboard in the kitchen on the left of where Severus was standing near the door. He heard her muttering as she went though it ' Ok I have… vodka, oh a full bottle! … Whisky…oh not much left… Something… and something else that may be baileys…'

'Ok whatever… whatever your having.' He was starting to reconsider going back.

'Vodka it is then!' She pulled the bottle out and took two glasses off a shelf and set them down on the coffee table in front of the blue armchair she was sitting in before. 'Come sit down. you look like you want to escape.' Severus hesitated then sat down on the couch opposite where she was sitting. Ellen poured him out a drink. They soon realised they had nothing to talk about.

'So how are things with you?' Ellen asked trying to get a convocation going.

'Horrible as usual.' Came Snape's blunt reply. 'How have you been?' he asked but didn't really seem to care.

'Oh well I've been working really hard today was one of my only days off this week… and that's basically it.' Ellen finished and they lapsed into silence. Snape was subtly watching her; he could see that she was trying to think of something to say. Just as Severus was thinking this Ellen's eyes widened as if she had just remembered something important, and she had.

'SHIT! Shit, shit, shit, shit.' She said springing up and opening her diary to today's page. 'SHIT! How could I forget?'

'What's happened?' Severus wondered what she was on about.

'I just remembered that I'm hosting a dinner party tonight with Jane and two couples from work.'

'How could you forget a thing like that?' He inquired

'I don't know, I don't know.'

'Why don't you just cancel?' He asked not knowing why this was a big deal.

'Because this has been planned for months! That's why!' Ellen yelled 'Ok what do I do?' She took a long swig from the bottle of vodka. 'What should I do?' She asked but not necessarily to Severus. Then her telephone started to ring.

'Yes?' She answered a bit flustered. It was Jane.

'You've forgotten haven't you?' Jane stated.

'How…' Ellen answered embarrassed

'Oh well it doesn't matter just get some Chinese food. No body cares .Oh and by the way I'm bringing my new boyfriend around to meet you. He is a little strange but really nice I think you will like him.

'Oh could you bring some more wine with you?'

'Ok See you soon. Bye.' Jane hung up

Ellen slowly hung up the phone. 'Well its all good.' Ellen said to Snape very unenthusiastically.

'But?' he knew something else was bothering her.

'Oh nothing its just that I'll be the only single person.'

'So?' That didn't sound too bad

'You really don't know anything do you? Being alone leaves you open to questions about your love life and all personal questions that they wouldn't ask if you had a date.'

'Whatever,' Severus had no idea what all this meant and was starting to think that he should go. 'I should go if you going to have people around.' He got up to go.

'Wait! Wait wait. Could you stay? I mean as a friend, I think it might be less embarrassing to have you as my date-friend than not having anyone at all.'

'You've had to much to drink, goodbye.' This was defiantly not what she wanted Severus thought.

'No no wait, please just for a couple of hours you don't have to do anything just answer some questions about yourself.'

'First of all I don't want to meet your friends or explain myself to them. Second of all how would you explain me? And third of all this idea is stupid.'

'Right, your right, it's a stupid idea. Sorry nice to see you again…' She was crestfallen. 'You could almost look normal if… no, no go.' She started again almost hoping that he would stay.

'Look' He said ' I'm not stupid, I know you want me to stay and…' he gestured awkwardly 'lie for your absence of male company. But I'm am not the right person for this, and you would have to make up a whole history for me.'

'I can do that.' Ellen said starting to get excited. 'Its not like you're going to ever see these people again.'

There was a long pause.

'Fine I'll do it… I don't know why but I will.'

'Ok' said Ellen Standing in front of him. 'I just realised that what you are wearing under that is a waistcoat. Stand up.'

Severus did what he was told cursing himself that he should have left when he had the chance. He was becoming too soft towards her.

Ellen removed his robes. 'Now it just looks like you really like black… it'll have to do.'

There was a buzz and Ellen went over and pressed a button in the wall and had convocation into it.

'Just try t to be as normal as possible… if that is possible.'

The door opened and Jane and her date came in.

'Remus?' Ellen exclaimed seeing who Jane's date was.

'Ellen!' Lupin said with a warm smile

'Lupin.' Snape said casually with a hint of dislike

'Snape.' Remus added in much the same tone.

'Wait, wait you all know each other?' Jane butted in looking bemused.

'Briefly, yes.' Ellen said she was wondering how long it would take for Jane to comment on Snape who she wished wasn't standing there, it wasn't because she didn't want him to stay it was the fact that he was wearing his robes and he did not fit in. Jane was staring at Severus so Ellen had to introduce them.

'Err, Jane this is my friend Severus.'

'Oh hi are you staying for dinner?' Jane asked she put two bottles of wine on the counter. Snape was about to answer when Ellen butted in.

'Yes he is.' She didn't want him to go just yet even know the night was going to be awkward.

A/n well I'm up to 5 pages and over 1000 words so I think the end of the chapter is in order. Would you like to see how this plays out or do you want me to cut to the chase?

I'll end up probably doing the latter. And the nest chapter WILL come.