Disclaimer: I don't own them, but they still dance to my tune like puppets on strings
Notes: The first chapter, the scene in the club, is now the prologue, and has been extended a little. I was originally going to have another chapter from Hermione's point of view… but it didn't work out that way. Don't you just hate when characters have their own ideas, and refuse to let you in on what's happening?
A big thank you to those who reviewed the first chapter: )
Sorry it took me so long to update… my muse seems to be on strike (and believe me, if I knew what her demands were, I'd meet them), and writing this chapter had many similarities with drawing blood from a stone ;
Severus stood on the edge of Platform 9 ¾, slightly removed from the loud chaotic gathering that was this year's Hogwarts students – as well as their parents and, in the case of most of the first years, grandparents, aunts and distant relatives, all of whom had made the journey to see their 'little darlings' off to school. The seventh years stood out in the crowd; they were the ones shying away from effusive embraces, looking embarrassed when their mothers questioned loudly whether they'd packed enough underwear to last until the Christmas break.
"Sev!" A loud call, swiftly followed by a sharp pain across the back of his head, interrupted the Gryffindor's musings.
"Ow!" Raising a hand to his head, Severus turned and glowered at the culprit. "Bloody hell, Ron… I know you don't like Divination, but getting sent to Azkaban is a bit of an extreme cop-out."
"Oops, sorry about that" The tall, freckled redhead blushed embarrassedly, retrieving his owl's cage from the floor beside Severus. "The cage just slipped," he added apologetically, carefully inspecting the cage's occupant. Pig, Ron's miniature pet owl, glared furiously through the metal bars, hooting loudly.
"So", the Gryffindor Keeper continued, blithely ignoring the tiny owl's reprimands "how was your summer?"
Opening his mouth to reply Sev thought for a second, looking around at all the Slytherins and first years, then shrugged. "It was okay, I guess. I'll tell you more about it later" he added in a warning tone, raising one arm to wave at the group approaching them. "Hi Mrs. Weasley, hi Ginny."
'…many things in the universe can be explained by reduction to mathematical formulae. The formulae can be tested and demonstrated to be accurate or not. It is quite another to claim that somehow the name you are given at birth was preordained to coincide-'
"Harry!" Ron's delighted yell dragged Severus back to the real world. Looking up from his book, Sev smiled at the skinny tousle-haired wizard standing in the doorway of the carriage. The train for Hogsmeade had set off from King's Cross station about half an hour ago, and Ron had been fretting constantly that 'those horrid Muggle relatives' of Harry's had found some way to keep him from completing his last year of school.
Despite Voldemort's death the previous summer – not, as the Wizarding world had been hoping, at the hands of 17-year-old Harry Potter, but due to an allergic reaction. Who would have thought that the feared Lord Voldemort would be felled by something as simple but deadly as a bee sting? – Harry was still living with his mother's Muggle relatives. Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts Headmaster and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, had decided it would still be too dangerous for Harry to spend his summers away from the limited protection that dwelling with blood relatives would offer him; many Death Eaters, both known to the authorities and otherwise, were still on the loose.
"See, Ron? I told you Harry would be along," Sev muttered, turning back to his book. So far, he'd managed to avoid any further questions about his summer by pretending to be engrossed in his book. Not that the latest volume of 'Amazing Arithmancy' wasn't interesting, but he'd already gone through it a couple of times over the summer. Thankfully, Ron had learned from their six years of friendship the consequences of disturbing Severus while he was reading – and Ron no wish to get into a discussion about Arithmancy. Which meant Sev had been left alone. So far at least.
"So, Harry, where were you?" Ron demanded as the Boy Who Lived crashed, owl cage and all, onto the seat next to Severus. The Boy Who Read Alot slumped further down into his seat, raising his feet onto the seat opposite and crossing his ankles. While his eyes remained glued to his book, he kept half his attention on the other boys' conversation. Harry's tale was bound to be a long and involved one – it was amazing just how bad summer holidays could get at 4 Privet Drive.
"… and then it exploded!" Ron exclaimed, finishing his reverent description of the Weasley twins' latest invention – and Molly Weasley's reaction to it. After having heard all about Harry's horrendous summer with the Dursleys, Ron had regaled his friends with tales of mayhem and mishap from his own household.
Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes had gained immensely in popularity since the business had moved to an empty store in Hogsmeade at the beginning of the Golden Trio's sixth year. A favourite stop for Hogwarts students, it was soon completely out-doing Zonko's in both the creativity of it's stock and the sheer number of people it served. Within a year, Fred and George had been able to easily afford a full-time staff to run the original shop, while they themselves purchased and managed a combination second store and experimental laboratory in Diagon Alley.
"George says they just have to decide on a name for it, and then it'll be on sale. Mum says they'd better come up with a product that gets the fluorescent glow out of carpet and furniture, or they won't live long enough to get it into the shops. Oh, look, we're nearly there" Ron added casually, leaning over Severus to peer out the window at the familiar landmarks that heralded their approach to Hogsmeade station.
"We ever gonna hear about your Muggles, Sev?" Harry asked idly, watching Hedwig soar above the platform at Hogsmeade train station. The three Gryffindor seventh-years stood amidst the chaotic mill of students, familiars and trunks leaving the train and finding their way to the relevant transport. From somewhere at the other end of the station Hagrid's voice could be heard calling the first years around him for the boat ride across the lake, while second years were blinking in astonishment at the Thestral-drawn carriages provided for the slightly older students.
"Yeah, right… sorry. Tell you about it later. Been a bit distracted… you know." Severus shrugged. While initially the thought of their reaction to the whole 'Potions Mistress in a Muggle nightclub' had been amusing, now he wasn't so sure that he should tell them. After all, Professor Granger had deliberately not wanted to be recognised… and she'd probably make his life hell if she realised that not only did he see her, but he'd told his friends all about it. Which would mean that within a week it would be all over school - even the teachers knew that Ronal Weasley was incapable of keeping a secret.
Harry and Ron just nodded in what they hoped was an understanding and supportive manner; after all, Severus had lost both his parents only a few months before, and a summer with Muggle relatives was, in their experience, never an enjoyable exercise. They had no idea that their bookish friend was being plagued by the mental image of their Potions professor looking… No. No way. Sev was not going to go there again.
TBC
My apologies for the lack of action/decent plot/very slow pace, but my Muse still isn't behaving and I thought it might help me to get at least something else up.
Reviews greatly appreciated!