Potentially Problematic.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters nor do I own rights to JK's work.
Chapter One: Sophie's
It was Tuesday, and as Harry made the short walk to work through the busy centre of London he smiled inwardly to himself as the sun warmed him from behind. 8 o'clock in the morning was by far one of the better times of day to enjoy the summer sun in a city such as this. Much of the rest of the day could only be classed as suffocating when the fumes formed an extremely unpleasant layer of haze that Harry sometimes thought would be thick enough to lean against. Since graduating from Hogwarts almost a year ago Harry had the chance to enjoy the more simple pleasure's in life which his childhood with the Dursley's and the endless stream of danger at Hogwarts had denied him. To many muggles and certainly the majority of the wizarding world, a small apartment and a waiting job at a café in the middle of town would simply not be enough, but to Harry it was perfect and it made him very happy.
Sometimes Harry would admit to himself that he missed using magic, that occasionally the taste of butterbeer or pumpkin pasties plagued him like nothing else. He wouldn't deny that he longed to be on his broom, soaring high above the stands in Hogwart's grounds and catching the snitch right from under Malfoy's nose but he could escape there in his dreams, he didn't really need it. Since the defeat of the dark lord, the wizarding world had crumbled; magic in general was in complete turmoil. Even if the urge to cast a spell overcame Harry and he took his wand from his bedside drawer back at his apartment, flicked his wrist and chanted an incantation… nothing would happen; wands no longer worked. As the last bit of life ebbed away from Voldemort, the world of witches, wizards and magical creatures ebbed into darkness. Without magical powers there was nothing that separated witches and wizards from ordinary muggles.
Harry hadn't found the transformation from living without magic too hard and it comforted him to know that Ron and Hermione were coping with it too. Infact most of his friends that he knew about were fine and with a few exceptions had adjusted quickly to the changes.
Sophie's was a small coffee house come bun shop, with two narrow floors of sofa and hard chair seating and a serving counter running down one side of the ground floor. It was decorated a deep red with black and brown beams on the ceiling and the walls were covered in various paintings, sculptures and postcards that Sophie, the owner and Harry's boss had collected on her travels. Harry loved the rich smells of Sophie's, and as he started his shift that Tuesday morning, the wafting smells from the kitchen downstairs told Harry that Sophie had food orders. This meant that just before his lunch break he'd have to run across the street to the small private art gallery with rolls, soup and coffee for its staff.
"Morning Harry!"
"Morning!" Mavis was Sophie's daughter and worked with Harry everyday apart from Sundays. Her dark chocolate hair and her maple eyes were always a welcoming sight.
"The espresso machine has lost its will to live again."
"That's helpful. I'll go and see if I can convince it that without it our lives just aren't complete." Mavis smiled at him and helped him tie the bow at the back of his black waist apron before she turned to serve the next customer.
"How can I help."
The day steadily increased in temperature and Harry ended up serving more milkshakes than coffee. Luckily the little fan hung in the corner above the counter holded out until Giles the air-con man had finished cleaning out the vents. Harry watched as Sophie handed him his curried veg pasty and then peal away her cooking apron. Sophie was short and round and had a strong Italian accent, her hair was always scraped back in a tight bun and despite her perhaps course appearance Harry adored her.
"Goodness Harry." She breathed heavily, propping herself up against the counter. "That kitchen will be the death of me." Mavis wrapped her arms around her mother; her tiny form against Sophie's was almost comical.
"Oh Mama, are you sure its not the pasties, I'm convinced you hideout down there and nibble all morning." Mavis squeezed Sophie's stomach affectionately. Sophie laughed loudly.
"You'd do well to show me more respect my girl, off with you; customers need serving," Sophie turned to Harry, fanning herself with a napkin, "Maybe little less pasties for me and a little more for you eh? It's getting very hard to see you sideways on." She clasped her podgy fingers round Harry's face, her arms almost at full stretch to reach him, Harry smiled. "You know how I worry."
"I'm sorry Mama."
"Hmmph, I'm beginning to think you don't like my cooking. The orders are ready." She added.
Harry had tried to explain that he did eat, but no matter how much he ate he always seemed to be drawn out so he had given up. With Sophie around he knew he would never go hungry, she mothered him as much as Mavis, sometimes Harry thought even more.
"Wont be long!" Harry ran across the street still in his apron with the food orders and on the way back sat on a bench near to the café to eat his lunch; luckily the shade from the buildings had cast him into shadow so he could enjoy his sandwich without too much discomfort. Harry loved people watching; sometimes he thought he could spend a whole day doing it. He liked this way of life, so uncomplicated, nothing to fear and no one to try and be but himself. He felt so different since leaving Hogwarts, the pressure from his shoulders was lifted and it felt like he was weightless. He was still in contact with his friends, they'd write most weeks and send pictures. Ron and Hermione were together and visitng Bill in Romania. They'd asked Harry to join them numerous times and Harry was seriously contemplating taking vacation there this summer. He felt like he didn't need to be around his old friends all the time, that maybe there could be too much of a good thing. He also didn't need to be reminded of the struggle they had been through.
Harry binned the bag to his lunch and headed back to the café. As he neared the door he noticed a man in black across the street, Harry winced at the thought of being dressed head to foot in that colour in this heat.
Back in the café Harry began on washing mugs at the sink while chatting occasionally to Mavis as she served customers.
"Harry could you fix an espresso, I swear its me that has a bad effect on that machine."
Harry left the sink to fix the espresso and as he turned to hand it to Mavis Harry's heart skipped about three beats as he saw who was sat at the table across from the counter. He began backing away into the muffin basket, spilling them all over the floor, not being able to drag his eyes away from the man studying a newspaper a few feet away.
"Harry, what the…" Harry almost chucked the espresso into Mavis's hands and ducked down behind the counter to retrieve the muffins, out of site from the rest of the cafe. A few seconds later Mavis appeared beside him, "Harry. Harry are you okay?"
"Fine," He choked, "Just fine, it's the heat, just the heat, im just going to nip out for a second if that's okay, just to get some air."
"Sure that's fine, as long as you're okay." She patted his back and shot him a concerned look before standing up again.
Harry put the last of the muffins back in the basket and as calmly as he could and left the café. Once outside he leaned against the wall, trying to steady himself. The man wearing black clothes from across the street had just ordered an espresso from his café. Harry had hoped that he would never ever have to see that man again.
Severus Snape was not meant to be a part of Harry's life anymore, at most an object of his nightmares but he certainly was not meant to be sitting where he presently was. Harry felt all the brightness of the morning fade out of him and past feelings of despair and unease creep back in.