I made the update in just one week…actually, I had half of it done on Tuesday. I'd had the ideas already as I was working on the last chapter, so it was just transferring it into readable English, but then I decided to change the end a bit, and it's turned out better then I thought it could.
I'll let you read the chapter, then continue my notes at the end, but first, a few things.
Summary of Previous Events: At the final battle, Hermione was hit with a memory curse, now suffering from amnesia. Severus found her time-turner; a curse hit him and gave him a second chance in life as a young man. He left the wizarding world, and found the young Gryffindor in Napa, now named Jane. They've become friends, and he has promised to help her and stay by her side. Every now and then, Severus receives letters of advice from Albus and Minerva.
Recently, Jane had a reaction to the time-turner, and misjudging her questions, Severus left her, thinking that she didn't need him anymore. They've made amends, coming to an understanding, and it's made Severus only too aware of what he could have done. Severus invites Jane to meet him at the café, and once again, he gets more than he's bargained for.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, but the plot for this one is mine. Barely based on The Interpreter, but I'll give credit. Also, lyrics are Tim McGraw's, titled She's My Kind Of Rain. The ideas on home are all, in its entirety, mine.
Dear Albus and Minerva,
I'm sorry for the delay…I've been a bit busy lately.
I'll start off with my usual questions…how are you? Has there been any progress? Is there news on anyone that we know? I'm curious for news, although I can't say I'm expecting too much.
Not much has been going on lately. Okay, maybe not, that would be an outright lie, but I won't tell you for fear of embarrassing myself. And you both know that I would never do that to myself.
Hermione's been…okay, I suppose. We got into a bit of an argument, but after yesterday, I could have either ruined it or patched it up. I prefer the latter.
Do I sound like a sentimental Gryffindor? Don't worry, Minerva, I'm not insulting you or your little cubs.
Oh, that reminds me, I need some more of that lemon tea. Would you mind sending some over along with your reply? I had two packets left, but Hermione took the second to last one…I really don't want to find an empty box next time I need some tea. I just used up the last packet this morning. I can survive without it for a day or two, I suppose, although it seems like I go through those packets more quickly now.
And please don't send the same owl with the parcels again…I don't care how strong it is, or how long it can last, writing that it can bite (hard!) at the end of your letter doesn't do half an ounce of good.
I've included a few packages, do tell me if you enjoy them or not.
It's a nice morning, so I think I'll go out a bit. Reply soon!
Severus
He yawned, stretching as he absentmindedly flicked a strand of offending hair from his face. It had definitely grown much longer, and as of now, all of it was held into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Or almost all of it, at least. There were still those small wisps that stubbornly insisted on escaping and tickling his cheekbones. Rifling through the piles of papers on his desk before him for an envelope that wasn't stained with coffee, tea, or other liquid, he came across a small sticky note that he hadn't noticed before. Turning his head, he made out seven numbers, hastily scrawled, and the name Jane beside it.
When had she slipped this on top of his pile of papers? From the amount of paper that had made its way on top of it, it had been quite a while. Staring at it for a bit, he decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to call her, to just see how she was. His mind selfishly told him that he just wanted to make sure that he himself wasn't being ignored, rather than checking on her to make sure that she hadn't been too badly hurt by him yesterday, but he dismissed it. Nonsense! He may have been a Slytherin, but it didn't mean he was completely heartless.
Climbing down the stairs to the phone in the kitchen (he hated being disturbed by people in his study), he looked at the number once more before dialing it. He fiddled with the scrap of paper, wondering what he was going to say as the phone rang once, twice, thrice. He frowned. Wasn't she ever going to pick up?
He sighed as the last ring was cut off, interrupted by a lively message to "leave a name, number, and message!" the voice definitely identifiable as Jane's. Hearing a beep, he sighed, then began talking into the receiver over the slight crackle of static.
"Hello, Jane?" Silence. "Jane? This is Severus. I was just calling because I found your number on my table…Are you there?" Silence again. Sigh. "Listen, could you call me back? You have my number—or wait. Don't call back, I'll just—" Another sigh. "Here just…just meet me at the café at 2 o'clock, okay? You know, the corner one? You know which one I'm talking about." Pause. "I guess I'll see you then."
He hung up, looking at the small piece of paper still in his hands. Sighing once more, he walked back upstairs, resuming his hunt for an envelope in which he could send his letter.
He was sitting in one of the corner booths, fiddling with the ceramic condiment holder when he spotted her coming by. She passed by the window he was at, not noticing he was there, and his gaze followed her into the café he was currently in. Watching her glance around quickly before spotting him, he was relieved to see that she looked as cheerful as ever.
"I got your message," she said a bit breathlessly as she slid into the seat across from him.
"The obvious, or you wouldn't have happened to come in looking for me, would you?" He quirked an eyebrow, and she smiled warmly before shrugging out of her jacket.
"Anything to drink?" he inquired.
"A decaf would be great."
Severus nodded, then headed towards the counter, ordering a black coffee, her order of decaf, and a scone. In a few moments, he came back, carrying the two cups of hot beverages and the scone balancing on a black plastic plate, placing them down on the table.
"Anything new?" she asked, neatly tearing open a pack of sweetener.
He snorted. "You just saw me yesterday." He squirmed slightly, knowing all too well that it would be better to forget anything that happened the day before. Thankfully, she left it alone.
"Just thought to ask." She sipped a bit on the steaming liquid before her before speaking again. "That's a lovely song."
She's my kind of rain
Like love in a drunken sky…
It took him a moment to realize that she was talking about the soft lyrics playing in the background. He nodded, but didn't have much of an opinion. Breaking off a bit of the scone, he nudged the plate forward. She refused the pastry filled with sugar and fat, sticking to just her drink. He savored the sugary stickiness before wiping his hands on his napkin, taking a sip from his own cup of coffee. It was quiet for a bit, both of them just enjoying each other's company.
He watched her take out a pen from her purse. Not noticing his scrutiny, she took a fresh napkin from the holder, smoothing it out before uncapping the pen, poised there to either write or draw.
She sits quietly there, like water in a jar…She drummed her fingertips gently on the surface of the table, tapping her pen against her fingers every once in a while as she thought. He continued to watch her, curious. Running her hand over the napkin once more, she set her pen to it, making a few sketchy lines with the black ballpoint.
So I wait…and I try…
I confess like a child…
He took another sip of his coffee, lazily listening to the music and watching her hand as she flicked her wrist to draw another curve here, turning the napkin to make another line there. Slowly, the mass of lines became a cat's face, it's paw, it's body…Leaning over to get a better view, he didn't notice that she had looked up.
"Go on." It wasn't a command, more of a suggestion, but he was genuinely interested. He hadn't known she had such a talent for drawing.
"Oh no! I'm sorry if I'm boring you, or if I seem to be bored, I just have a habit of drawing on napkins…" she trailed off.
"No, it's fine. I like watching you draw." He looked away from the napkin for a moment to see a slight blush on her cheeks, but she continued drawing anyway.
She's my lost companion
She's my dreaming dream
Together in this brief eternity…
As she began shading in spots with quick, precise strokes, he saw from his upside down point of view that it wasn't just any cat, but the one that she had found in his garden. She bit her lip, looking at it critically for a moment before adding a few more lines here and there and turning it around, showing it to Severus.
"Here."
She's my kind of…rain…Picking up the napkin, he studied it closely. For just a ballpoint pen and a napkin, it looked as realistic as if she had taken a photograph. What really caught his attention were the eyes; they seemed to be staring right through him, as if it knew exactly what he was.
…And I wait, and I try…
And I confess all my crimes…
"Wow," he said softly. Glancing back up at her, he saw her embarrassed smile, and he couldn't help but smile back in turn. "Those eyes…"
"I love drawing eyes. It's like you could put all the emotion and thoughts into those two spots." Her reply was just as quiet, and her eyes were riveted on the sketch as well.
She's my kind of rain…He placed the napkin back on the table, then leaned back and studied her. She had returned her attention to the picture, and was sketching away again. A strand of her wavy hair fell across her face, covering his view of her eyes, but she quickly brushed it away, continuing her drawing when it fell again. Irritably, she threw it behind her shoulder, only for it to fall…yet again. Amused, he leaned over, reaching across the table to tuck it behind her ear.
She's my kind of rain…She looked up, surprised. Another blush colored her cheeks, and he felt a smile creep across his lips. She glared as he continued laughing inside at her flustered behavior, but muttered a quick thank you in response. It was definitely amusing to see her so out of it. Strangely enough, he didn't feel awkward at all.
Leaning back again, feeling rather smug at getting to her, he decided to leave her alone. Instead, he changed the topic. "Your cat…" he gestured at the sketch her hand was hovering over. "How is it?"
She quickly grasped the new topic. "Ginger, you mean? She's great…she's indulged a bit too much in her spoils lately, I think." She smiled a wry smile, then added, "All from me of course."
He raised an eyebrow. "Ginger?"
"Well, yes. Short for Gingersnap."
If possible, his eyebrow only gained more height. "Gingersnap." It was voiced as a statement, but held the distrust only heard in a question.
"Yes, Gingersnap. I happen to think it's a very fitting name."
He watched his dregs of coffee for a bit as he swirled them around, and without looking up, questioned, "And why would that be?"
She didn't answer for awhile, he looked up. She seemed very pensive. "Oh, I don't know," she finally replied. "Her color, I guess."
"And no temper problems?"
She smiled at that. "No." She glanced at the watch on her wrist, then at the clock hanging on the wall above the counter. "Sorry, Severus, but I don't think I can spend anymore time here. I have an essay to write, and it's due on Monday."
He felt a bit disappointed that he hadn't gotten more of a chance to speak with her, but was satisfied to know that they were both on good terms again. "That's fine. I wouldn't want to be the reason that you didn't get the highest score in your class, you know."
"Nonsense." She brushed it off.
He opened the door, letting her pass in front of him before exiting the small café. "What's so non-sensible about that?"
"The very idea."
He snorted. "Hardly."
Severus was walking beside her, hands in his pockets as he watched the sky pass between the branches of the trees by the side of the sidewalk. He was admiring the crispness of the fresh late afternoon air that would soon disappear with the arrival of summer when Jane spoke again.
"This isn't the right way," she pointed out.
"What do you mean?" He looked at his surroundings (which, he did have to admit, he hadn't been paying as much attention to as he should have), and found nothing out of the ordinary.
"My dorm," she stated, "is this way. Your home," she threw her hand backward, "is that way."
"And?" He had no clue as to what she was trying to get across.
"And? Why are you walking this way then?"
Processing that she had no clue that he was walking her back, he assumed a hurt look. "You don't want me walking you home?"
"Oh." She shrugged, then watched her feet, her hair blocking her face from his view.
Feeling that it wasn't quite normal for her to hide herself behind her hair, his eyebrows knit themselves quickly in concern. "What is it?" he asked quietly.
He couldn't see past her hair, but he had the feeling she was looking through the curtain at him. "Nothing," she mumbled.
"No, tell me. Did I say something wrong?"
Se gave a small laugh, then tilted her head up, her hair falling away as she stared at the sky. "No. Well, not really. But don't you ever wonder about, well…home?"
This time, he really was confused as to what she was referring to. "I…"
"I mean, don't you ever wonder if this is really home? Don't you ever think that home might be in some other state, some other country? Or, maybe it's not even on land. Maybe home's on water."
"You can't build a house on water."
"No, not a house." She shook her head, smiling. "Home. As in, where you feel safe, content…where everyone you love is."
He took in her words. "I guess so. But why?"
"I don't know. Maybe you feel content being alone, after being a professor, but…It's just, I don't really know anyone."
"I'm here."
Somehow, she seemed startled at the statement. She gave a small smile, then opened her mouth, only to move it and close it again. Taking a deep breath, she started again.
"I know. But…" she shrugged, sighing. "Family. I can't remember them at all. To me, home is with family, with someone you've known inside out…for all of your life. Being in a dorm with a whole bunch of other girls is just so different, you know? Everyone's around the same age, it's just not home. I can't even have my own space. To you, that house could be your home, or it might not. It could have been that boarding school, but at least you can choose. I can't."
He was about to speak, but stopped. How did she know? He hadn't realized himself that he might not be home…maybe this moving hadn't helped him at all. Maybe he did belong in the wizarding world, as unhealthy as it seemed. Maybe he just wasn't…muggle enough. Or maybe he had been sent as the man for the job. He ignored his problems, and turned his mind back to hers.
"Jane." He thought for a moment, fishing for the right things to say. "Maybe you are right. Maybe home is, for me, here, maybe it's at that school. But still," he stopped, holding her shoulders and looking her in the eyes, "you do have a choice. You don't have to go to school. You could find someone, find somewhere, settle down…" He made a helpless gesture, but continued anyway. "You can still do all of that, you're still young. College can wait. A degree isn't going to do anything if you don't know where you want to go, where you want to be."
He bit his tongue. He'd forgotten she didn't know that he was forty, that the time-turner had affected him as much as it had her. But he couldn't let her live life like he had. She just had to learn that. What if she wasn't as fortunate as to get a second chance? She couldn't afford it.
"If you really want to find home, it's not going to come to you. You have to find it. Take Ginger, and go on an adventure." The words seemed foreign coming out of his mouth, but they felt strangely…right. He gave her shoulders a slight squeeze as she seemed to come back to her senses.
"Ginger." She gave a watery smile, he hadn't noticed that she had been about to break down. Her eyes took on a faraway look. "But I can't leave you. All of this…I just can't let it go. I can't risk it." She looked back at him. "No. Maybe I could make this home."
He smiled, giving her shoulders one more squeeze before letting go. "Maybe."
She looked down, fiddling with her fingers. She was silent for a moment, but then, he heard a soft voice, just two words that stood out in his mind. "Thank you."
He smiled down at her. "You're welcome."
She bestowed upon him another smile before she started down the sidewalk again, and Severus watched her fondly for a moment before following her.
Gryffindors, Slytherins, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs. Different houses, different personalities. But in the end, we're all just the same, looking for a boat to take us home.
The words at the end aren't his thoughts, but just a little extra I added in for the complete feeling.
I really have to say that I'm the most pleased with this chapter. I didn't know I had it in me. It was like all these thoughts were in my sub-conscious, and all the lyrics that I wasn't even really listening to while I was typing just diffused into this document. After typing the end, I just had that warm fuzzy feeling, you know, the one you get when you've reached the right ending? It's like matching pitch, right when they fit together, those overtones just wash over you.
Not to worry, it's not the end of the fic or anything. Quite far from it, actually.
I hope you really did enjoy this chapter, and I'm looking forward to opinions!