Just before Christmas, 1979
Diagon Alley
Severus pulled his cloak tighter around him and glowered at the passing strangers on the street. Two days before Christmas they returned to Diagon Alley, braving the crowds doing their last-minute shopping. The weather had turned colder but there wasn't any snow on the grounds. People scurried about with bags and parcels, shopkeepers had put their gaudiest wares on display and on the whole the street looked festive with the Christmas lights charmed to look like glowing snowflakes and stars lighting the alley.
Hermione had asked him what he wanted for Christmas and he'd been unable to come up with anything. After all, the only thing he wanted was to be left alone. Sure, being rich and famous sounded fine too. At least the being rich bit: he was honestly not sure about wanting fame. It seemed rather annoying to have people knowing his name.
At any rate, it had been difficult to come up with a good gift for her. He didn't have much money, he didn't have time to go shopping, and he had no idea what witches actually liked. Luckily, inspiration or just sheer dumb luck had taken them to Flourish and Blotts where he had found a book on Advanced Arithmancy in Ancient Arabic Art, which he bought while she was still stuck in the Charms section.
He would have to work the two days after Boxing Day but Master Pyrites had reluctantly given him Christmas Eve and Boxing Day off, so he had a long weekend with no obligations. It was almost too long, he thought, but perhaps with company it wouldn't be so bad.
A woman almost bumped into him while he waited for Hermione to come out from Amanuensis Quills where she was stocking up on notebooks or something similar.
"Sev?"
He froze. He knew that voice even if they hadn't really spoken since that day at Hogwarts. "Lily." Scanning the area he couldn't see anyone else close but she must have been out with company. She looked well, her beautiful red hair tied up with a ribbon, gleaming in the pale sunlight. She was bundled up in heavy winter robes that looked expensive. He heard Hermione gasp somewhere off to his side, clearly she knew about Lily Evans Potter.
"You're out shopping?"
"Obviously."
Lily smiled at him, that smile of hers which had always made his knees go weak. Now, however, he mainly felt annoyed. "I didn't know you had anyone to shop for."
Hermione stepped up closer and tucked her arm into his. "Severus, we're running late."
A moment of confusion gripped him. No they weren't. Then he caught on, and pulled her closer.
"You don't know me, Lily," he said and made to walk around her, the witch he'd been fixated on for so long, his only friend back then.
Just as they stepped away he heard her again, not quite shouting. "I'm pregnant, Sev."
His brain shut down again but luckily Hermione kept her wits and managed to pull them into the welcoming suction of an Apparition.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
By the time he was coherent again she'd already put on the kettle and put away their purchases.
"I know about her, Severus," she said quietly.
He closed his eyes against the pang of sorrow and regret over losing his best friend, his oldest friend, the only one he had at the time. It still hurt, almost as much as that day a couple of years ago when he'd said something he shouldn't have. He didn't mean it anyway, not that it mattered much either way.
Hermione was still speaking. "Her son, Harry. He was my friend, my best friend."
Severus couldn't take it anymore. "Stop messing with my life! You don't know anything about me!"
He fled, feeling lousy and upset and embarrassed all at once. It hurt, everything hurt, his chest felt two sizes too small and he was running out of air.
His feet took him past the Evans' house, up in the posh part of Cokeworth, as much as there ever was one. Her father had worked as a manager in the factory where Severus' father worked. Lily's mother had been kind to him, but wary at the same time. He guessed they didn't really want a poor scrawny boy running after their girls, but she had let him in anyway and fed him milk and sandwiches occasionally during summer. Severus shivered in the wet December chill, and put his hands deeper into his pockets.
Life in a small town did come with a built-in social control, after all. He had a neighbour across the street at Spinner's End who had occasionally let him in when his parents had been fighting. Mrs Johnson had kept track of him also when his parents… well, when he took over the house, and told him to let her know if he ever needed a hand with anything. Not that he would take her up on that, of course.
His feet took him up to the bridge. December was wet and slushy and dark, with dirt and mud caking every available surface despite the sheets of rain that drifted through every now and then. There weren't many people out, not even the local youth gangs roaming the streets.
The stream was dark, almost black, with the light from the street lamp reflecting in the murky waters. He stared down at it, unseeing, his thoughts swirling between Lily and Hermione and guilt and anger, and back again.
Gradually, almost imperceptibly slowly, the constricting feelings lifted. By the time he slunk back into the house, Hermione had long since gone to bed. She'd left him a cup of tea under stasis by his usual chair, even so.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Christmas
Spinner's End
They were sitting on the lumpy couch together. Hermione had lit magical candles that illuminated the room with a soft glow, and there was a small pile of presents under the tree. It wasn't exactly like her childhood Christmas trees, but it would have to do. Severus had grumbled, naturally, but when he came down that morning he seemed to enjoy watching the lights, staying in the sitting room while she prepared breakfast and tea.
The house was cold, especially in the mornings, and she'd taken to insulating the window in her room with a piece of cardboard and had resolved to buy a book on household upkeep and renovations when she next found herself in a bookstore since she didn't know much about it. In the meantime, a thick woollen throw blanket and some well-placed warming charms had to suffice. And tea, of course.
"Happy Christmas, Severus."
"And to you. Happy Christmas. It isn't much."
She shrugged. "Miles better than my last Christmas. My friend and I were almost caught by a giant snake that had been made to look like an old woman. We were camped out in a tent and our Christmas dinner was a shared tin of spaghetti bolognese before he got bit by the snake and his wand broke."
He snorted. "Really? Gods, that sounds awful. My last Christmas was spent in the lab at Master Pyrites' place brewing Beard Growth Potion for an order of his. We never really celebrated when I grew up either, there was nothing to celebrate."
She sighed and conjured a few glittery snowflakes for the tiny tree she'd insisted on buying. It was just three feet high, and she'd found some simple Christmas decorations in the nearby Muggle supermarket. The room felt peaceful, almost cosy.
"I'm glad I met you, Severus," she said quietly. She wasn't looking at him but felt him stiffen beside her.
"You shouldn't be here," he muttered.
Hermione sighed again and left for the kitchen before she said something she shouldn't. The tiny house didn't exactly allow for a lot of space if one wanted to be alone, but sometimes the way his mood flip-flopped between nice and prickly really got to her. Just to have something to do, she put on a kettle for tea. Again.
She didn't notice that he'd entered the kitchen until he cleared his throat, causing her to almost drop the kettle.
"Sorry," he said quietly. He was leaning against the doorpost, hands in the pockets of his shabby jeans. "I'm not used to people wanting my company."
She nodded and busied herself with pulling down some cups from the cupboard so that she could avoid looking at him. She was still angry. "Better get used to it then, because I meant it."
He cleared his throat. "I… kind of like having you here too." He quickly Levitated the cups, kettle and milk from the fridge out to the sitting room, not seeing her smiling at his retreating back.
After fetching some biscuits and Christmas chocolate from the cupboard Hermione went to join him again. "Let's open presents."
She had received a few small gifts from her new Hufflepuff friends, a notebook from June, a set of fine quills from Hestia, and a pretty scarf from Evie. Amelia Bones had sent her a silver bracelet with a small charm in the shape of a quill, claiming it was for luck in her studies. She saved the gift from Severus until last but had already worked out that it must be a book, but was still pleasantly surprised when opening it to reveal an advanced Arithmancy book.
He in turn had also received a few gifts. A crystal stirring rod from Regulus, black dragon-hide boots accompanied by an elaborate note thanking him for his potions that autumn, and a set of expensive black formal robes with silver trim from someone he didn't tell her about. She frowned but refrained from asking, for now. He, too, seemed pleasantly surprised with the book she'd bought for him, the one on Persian curses she had seen him eyeing while they were in Diagon Alley that first time.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
The days after Christmas were quiet since Severus was back at the workshop after Boxing Day. Hermione didn't want to venture into town or to Diagon Alley much, and opted for spending as much as possible of her time off on the couch with a cup of tea and a book or her schoolwork, getting ahead on the reading and essays for the next month. She did have a burst of energy that lasted long enough for her to Transfigure the couch into something actually comfortable, with dark blue pillows strategically placed for an optimal reading position, adding a dark green woollen throw blanket she'd found in a cupboard and carefully washed by hand to get the dust out.
She had carefully avoided thinking about Severus as a Death Eater but it was becoming more difficult when he spent more time at home. He was called away Boxing day evening, returning late and going straight to his bedroom without looking at her. She hoped he wasn't hurt but he didn't exactly make it easy for her to ask. She both wanted to know what he had done and not, fearing she wouldn't be able to cope with the answer.
Could she reach through to him? She wasn't sure. The day when the prophecy would be revealed was yet to come, but if that didn't happen the way it had, would he ever turn to Professor Dumbledore and turn spy? Could he do it for her instead? She didn't know, there were too many uncertainties, too much hanging in the balance. He did seem to tolerate her, and had even told her so, which was a huge admission in Snape speak.
She'd corresponded with Amelia during her time at Hogwarts and tried to get warnings to her about Death Eater raids and people, but so far it had been difficult to know if it had helped. They hadn't made enough progress with the equations so far to make a difference, having spent most of the time collecting data and setting everything up.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Late December
Spinner's End
Severus found himself almost looking forward to going back to Spinner's End again for the weekend after a few more days at the workshop. Christmas had been surprisingly tolerable. Nice food, several gifts, and even a Christmas tree although it was tiny. He didn't mention that this was the first Christmas tree he'd seen at Spinner's End. Tobias didn't believe in such rot and Eileen had never bothered. Severus did get some small trinkets in a sock hung just outside his bedroom door, on good years, and usually a book or two, but Eileen hadn't prepared any special Christmas food since the mill closed.
When he returned on Friday night, the sitting room table was for some reason occupied by about half a million puzzle pieces. Hermione looked up at him and smiled while he took off his coat. It appeared to be of the Eiffel tower, that much he could figure out from the picture on the box.
"I found this in a second-hand shop. My father and I usually laid puzzles together over the holidays, if we weren't travelling," she said, losing the smile. "We… it was nice."
He shrugged. The concepts of fathers, puzzles, nice holidays, and travels were not something he was familiar with. Still, he could understand the distress over losing her family. She'd left everything behind, everything and everyone she had known, to end up here, in his shabby house. Not exactly a fair trade, he admitted.
Pulling up his chair across from the couch he started looking at the pieces. She put a cup of tea next to his chair, and they spent the rest of the evening bickering over pieces, gloating in the success of finding the last corner piece and trying to figure out where all the tower beams were supposed to go.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
The next evening they once again sat in a booth in a pub on Horizont Alley, this one called the Tired Thestral. Hermione and Regulus were chatting about the Ministry, discussing recent political events. Reg was trying to hide his own political leanings, something which would have vaguely amused Severus if he wasn't so preoccupied with the two of them for other reasons. He wasn't sure what to think of them. Had they met up again in secret behind his back? Did they have something going on already? It didn't really appear that way but he didn't feel he could trust his instincts on this.
"But the Ministry has to make sure they protect everyone in the country, not just those with connections!" Hermione protested.
Reg shook his head, looking slightly smug. "Surely you understand the need to protect our own, Hermione? Muggles are dangerous, but the Statute of Secrecy is not always helpful. We should be leading them, but if we aren't careful they'll kill us."
Hermione shook her head. "My parents were Muggles, actually. Dentists. Tooth healers, kind of."
Reg's smile froze. "Muggles…? You're…?"
Hermione frowned. "Muggle-born? Yes." She sat up straighter, as if to create some more distance between them.
"But…" Reg raked both hands through his hair and looked utterly bewildered.
Severus glared at him. "Don't tell me now that you believe all that bullshite about Muggleborns stealing magic?"
"Erm… no, of course not, I just…"
"They're not different, Regulus. Just not raised in the Victorian era," Hermione said. "I agree we can't go around exposing our world to them but Muggles and Muggle-borns aren't the enemy here."
"But surely we need to keep magic pure, so it doesn't die out?" Regulus asked.
Hermione sighed and shared a look with Severus. For some reason that made him smugly proud. "I think Muggleborns and Half-bloods are stronger magically than many Pure-bloods, Reg," he commented.
"Strange," Reg murmured. He didn't look convinced.
"What did you do for Christmas, anyway?" Hermione asked, clearly in a bid to change the subject.
"Oh, nothing much," Regulus muttered. "Stayed home."
The rest of the evening passed quickly, before Hermione started yawning and they called it a night. Waving good-bye to Reg and then returning to Spinner's End with Hermione felt strange, in a good way. He wasn't used to being the one to bring a girl home, even if nothing interesting would happen.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
New Year's Eve
The Nott Estate
New Year's Eve came with another invitation from the Dark Lord via the Notts this time, to celebrate the glorious and by now almost certain victory of the Dark Lord in his endeavours. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, with the Ministry soon ready to fall and the rest of the Wizarding world shortly thereafter.
Severus had arrived relatively early, preferring to blend in rather than to be among the last to arrive, noticed by all. He wore the new robes from the Dark Lord and the dragon-hide boots the Malfoys had given him. The robes were fine and elegant but the boots were excellent, useful for Potions work but fancy enough to wear to events like these, and extremely comfortable as they were Charmed to adjust to his feet. They were mingling in the Nott estate's ballroom while waiting for the Dark Lord. The room was not as large as the Lestrange or Malfoy estate ballrooms, of course, but still respectable. Cherry wood with brass and turquoise details gave the room a warm and slightly exotic look, different from the baroque or rococo styles commonly used in the Wizarding world. Severus sidled over to Gereon Avery and Justus Mulciber, nodding at them in greeting and busying himself with a sip from the champagne flute he'd taken from a serving elf.
Lucius walked up to him and nodded in greeting. Severus didn't miss the gesture, usually the Pure-bloods were strict on social order, and having the Malfoy scion approach him rather than the other way around was a clear signal of respect.
"It's twins," Lucius said without preamble. He did look paler than usual, and downed the rest of his expensive champagne in one go before signalling an elf for a fresh glass.
Severus had been at the Manor regularly to drop off new batches of potions and pick up ingredients, but this must have been a new discovery. "Congratulations?" Well, he supposed that was the correct response, if it had happened to him he would have been halfway to Prague before nightfall. "How is Narcissa taking it?" Twins. Merlin, what a nightmare.
"Well, I think she's equal parts elated and terrified. What if she can't feed two? Plus she's already complaining about needing pickles on rye bread at two in the morning."
Severus shifted again, looking out over the assembled crowd. The topic did still make him terribly uncomfortable. "I thought nature had it covered."
Lucius snorted and shook his head. "Not exactly. How's the Apprenticeship going?"
Severus shrugged. "Well enough. I've just sent in an article to Potions Monthly. I could be done faster if Master Pyrites allowed, but he won't give up free labour if he can help it."
"Well done, and yes I suspect you are correct."
Nothing more was said but Severus was rather sure Lucius would help out when the time came for him to find a job, at least as long as his child… ren… survived. They looked out over the crowd and Lucius quietly pointed out a couple of recent recruits, low-level Ministry personnel mingling with Selwyn senior and Travers.
Regulus came over with his father while Lucius was still nearby, and made the usual tedious formal introductions despite Lord Black knowing very well who the young Malfoy was. Pure-blood prancing was tiresome, Severus thought, but he was still too low on the totem pole not to play along — too low on every scale that counted, frankly — and he needed their support.
The Dark Lord made a grand entrance, flanked by most of the Knights of Walpurgis. He had Bellatrix Black Lestrange on his arm, however, with the witch's husband following after the Knights. They were all decked out in elaborate robes, with the Dark Lord wearing black trimmed with green and Bellatrix in a flashy silver gown.
He spoke of his visions for the future, where wizards were on top of the pyramid, looking down benevolently on everyone else as they would govern the world, led by the Dark Lord himself. Witches and lesser beings, Mudbloods and Muggles would be in awe of them all. How he'd figured out the key to immortality so that he would never leave them. Severus frowned at that, wondering what the man meant, but asking about it would be painful for sure.
Eventually the speech wound down to a rousing applause, and everyone was let loose again to drink and dance and flirt with each other's wives. Several of them would stay at the Manor overnight, not necessarily with the one they had brought to the party, but Severus had declined the offer of a room.
As the night wore on, he found himself wishing to be elsewhere. It wouldn't really matter much where, as long as he was in the company of those he could actually stand. To his surprise, that rather short list had Hermione's name on it, as well as Reg's and maybe Lucius' in parentheses.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
He didn't even wait until midnight to sneak out and head outside the wards to Apparate back to Spinner's End, after quietly seeking out Regulus who had nodded at him and would try to cover for his absence if needed.
Hermione flinched when he arrived and rose from the couch where she'd apparently made a nest of sorts with some blankets. A large mug of tea and a stack of books completed the picture.
"Are you alright?" She appeared to scan his face for something, having taken a step closer.
"Yes?" He had no reason not to be, after all.
She exhaled and returned to the couch, pulling the blanket back over her feet. "I was worried. There's tea in the pot if you want."
That sounded much better than an elaborate party. He fixed himself a cup of tea and returned to the sitting room to settle in the armchair with his own latest book, listening to Hermione turn pages and sip her tea.
"Happy New Year," she suddenly said, interrupting his thoughts. She cast a Tempus, and it was already a quarter past.
"And to you," he answered. She smiled at him and went back to her book.
Severus nodded slowly and drank his tea. 1980. He wondered what this new year would bring. Everything was teetering right on the edge, ready to topple one way or the other. He could only hope that he — and Hermione — would make it out reasonably unharmed, to see the next new year.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Saturday, early January 1980
Diagon Alley
Hermione still had some Galleons from the stipend Amelia Bones had foisted on her, but the older witch had asked her to set up a vault so that she could arrange a direct transfer for the rest of it. The first Saturday of the new year she coaxed Severus into joining her, once again, on a trip to Diagon Alley. She fervently hoped they wouldn't run into any of the Marauders again, but they made it to Gringotts without trouble.
The long row of goblins working at their dark wood counters looked just the same as ever. The marble floor was impeccably polished, reflecting light from the countless brass chandeliers. She walked up to the next available goblin with some trepidation, she hadn't been in there since when she was dressed as Bellatrix and they ended up demolishing the place with a dragon. Luckily, that was most definitely in another timeline. With Severus behind her as silent support she managed to plaster a smile on her face and present her wand to the goblin as if she'd done it a thousand times before.
"My name is Hermione Granger. I wish to open a vault here."
The goblin looked sourly across his gold-rimmed glasses and nodded once. "Granger, you say. One moment."
He flipped to the right page in his ledger and traced the rows with a claw-like nail. Hermione wasn't exactly well versed in Goblin facial expression but thought he looked a bit surprised when the fingernail had stopped moving, and even more so when he had scanned her wand under the crystal.
"A moment, please." The goblin pulled a silk cord behind him and sat back, waiting for something to happen. Before long another, more senior-looking goblin appeared, and the two of them held a rapid conversation in Gobbledegook. The older goblin looked at the wand, at Hermione and at the ledger, before nodding and waving for her to follow him.
He led them further into the bank, past the tellers and down a large hallway into an airy private office where he took a seat behind the huge, beautifully carved walnut desk and waved at them to take the stools in front of the desk. They weren't very comfortable, as if carved for human proportions by someone whose aim had been a bit off, either by mistake or on purpose. She settled as gracefully as possible, glad to have Severus by her side, even if he was just glowering at everyone.
"Hermione Jean Granger, you say. Born not even a year ago to parents who have no magical child? Carrying a wand I never thought to see again?"
She nodded and waited, holding her breath.
The goblin steepled his fingers and eyed her for a long while. Then he nodded. "Very well. I am Gargnak. I presume you have a reason for coming here."
She twitched a smile. "I merely wanted to open a vault, Elder Gargnak." She hoped that was the right form of address, from what she'd read about Goblin culture for History of Magic and other sources.
Gargnak snorted. "Indeed. I meant to this time. I knew Heliotrope, I recognise that wand. She told me before she died that there might be others coming to claim what she left behind, but I never thought I'd be the one to stumble across the next one." The goblin looked at her across the table, as if assessing her, before nodding again. "We will open a vault for you, that is not a problem. Then we can discuss other business, no?"
She nodded nervously, wondering where all of it would lead. Was Gargnak really old enough to have known Heliotrope Wilkins personally? Meanwhile, the goblin had pulled out another huge ledger and was running his finger over the pages, muttering to himself, until he apparently found what he was looking for. He nodded sharply and flung his hand out to the side where a sinuous brass tube rose up from the floor. Grabbing the end of it he spat out some commands in Gobbledegook into the mouthpiece, waited for a tinny response and dropped it again.
Another goblin entered, carrying a small wooden chest with iron fittings, and put it down quickly on the desk before scurrying out of the room. Gargnak didn't comment on the chest, instead he rose and pulled out a drawer from the wall. It was empty. Scowling he closed it and pulled it open again, muttering something in Gobbledegook. This time it contained a simple brass key which he picked up and placed on the desk.
"Vault 31415," he said.
He pulled out a scroll of parchment from the desk and handed it to Hermione for her to read it through. It was a standard contract for vaults, with no additional clauses that she could see. No live creatures in the vaults, nothing that could explode or otherwise threaten the integrity of the vault, no additional wards that stretched deeper than a foot into the walls, floor and ceiling of the vault, and a small fee of five Knuts per wand transaction linked to the vault. That surprised her a bit, she hadn't needed to set up a vault in her original timeline and her friends carried a pouch of Galleons when they bought something rather than charging it via wand, but it seemed sensible and would make navigating the Wizarding world a whole lot easier.
Gargnak pushed the chest over to her. "This was left by Heliotrope for the next Turner. Touch the wand here," he said, pointing to the iron plate where the keyhole might have been, replaced by a shallow indentation in the metal.
She did so and felt the wards hum and open, allowing the lid to open a fraction so she could push it open. There wasn't a whole lot inside, to her slight disappointment. Some Galleons along one side of the chest, a small green silk pouch, a parchment scroll and two books. The scroll appeared blank at first but as she unrolled it text slowly appeared, in the same handwriting as the old book she'd brought along when falling through time.
To the next Traveller, she read.
Although I wish for it to never happen again, I fear times will once again turn dark enough for a Turner to be needed. May your quest be slightly easier by knowing that it has been walked before you; that it can be done.
I presume you too live in perilous times. The bracelet and necklace in in the green silk pouch are of Goblin silver, enchanted to withstand many curses, although too much at once will shatter them. The loose gems can be set in whichever way you desire, and enchanted to protect, enhance or warn. I haven't much else to offer you. Know that help will be given at Hogwarts, should you need it, and at the Ministry if you invoke the Pactum Temporis with the Magical Law Enforcement department.
Since you're here at Gringotts when reading this note: bargain with the Goblins to exchange information about your past, their future. They know how to create wealth from the tiniest scraps of information. Understand your worth to them and do not let them overwhelm you.
— Heliotrope Wilkins, on the 10th of March in the year 1727.
She handed the note to Severus, almost without thinking about it, and inspected the pouch. As Heliotrope had written, it contained a thin silver necklace with an irregular tiger eye pendant and a thin silver bracelet with several round green stones linked by silver chain segments, and several loose gemstones of varying types.
"That is malachite," Severus commented, pointing at the bracelet. "It's good for strengthening protective wards and spells."
Hermione nodded, she'd learnt as much from Ancient Runes. "And tiger eye helps with Charms, I think." She gave the pouch to Severus and turned to Gargnak again. "She also mentioned that you may be interested in a trade. Do you invest in the Muggle world?"
Gargnak nodded. "Stocks, real estate, various other businesses. You have some hints for us?"
"I just might," she hedged. "You know my background. If we could come to a mutually agreeable alternative I could share some information with you."
The old goblin smiled at her, at least Hermione hoped it was a smile, all teeth. "Now you speak like a proper Goblin. Yes, let us do business." He held out his hand again for the brass tube and talked into it, without waiting for a reply. Not long after a young goblin came in bearing a tray of refreshments. Cucumber sandwiches and tea for Hermione and Severus, and a plate of something brown and flaky for the elder goblin, along with a tumbler of what looked like whisky.
Some time later they emerged from the bank, blinking in the unexpected pale January sunlight. Gargnak had taken off the fee for wand transactions and added Severus to the vault without a fuss, and Hermione would get a part of the gains from investments made from the advice or calculations she'd made without being held responsible for any losses. It was a surprisingly fair deal, she thought, which probably had a lot to do with Gargnak's previous interactions with Heliotrope Wilkins. At any rate, it was a relief to have it sorted.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Saturday, still
Diagon Alley
Severus was relieved to be out of Gringotts, finally. It had taken a long time for them to haggle, and Hermione had been surprisingly good at it. He had tried to protest when she wanted to add him to the vault, but she did it anyway, saying she wanted him as backup. When she looked at him with those large eyes and said she didn't trust anyone else he had of course relented, there was no other alternative. It did feel good. Odd, but good. He had no vault of his own, never having needed one, but perhaps it would be useful soon when he started earning Galleons for himself. One could hope, anyway.
They were strolling down Diagon Alley when she suddenly spotted the Magical Menagerie and immediately started steering him that way.
"I just want to have a quick look. Come on, Severus."
He sighed, rolled his eyes and followed her inside, eyeing the various critters warily. He'd never owned an animal and didn't know much about their care, preferring to keep a mutually respectful distance.
The shop was larger than it looked, with various animals in their own sections. The wooden floor was scuffed and stained, and the beams and poles all wore scratches made by various animals over the years. The middle of the building was open to the ceiling with a large iron chandelier hung in the centre, with a staircase off to the side going up to the first floor and the balconies that encircled the room, joined by criss-crossing beams. The shopkeeper, an older wizard with dirty blond hair and a brown leather apron, nodded at them when they entered but continued with sweeping the floor.
Hermione immediately went over to pet the Crup puppies and talking to the owls as if they were able to hold a meaningful conversation.
Severus followed, still a bit cautious. A bird cawed from somewhere above. It was fairly large, a dull black, similar to a raven in looks but perhaps a bit smaller. Its beak was light rather than black, and it was currently sitting on the chandelier, making it swing.
"That's Menace," the shopkeeper said, brandishing a mop at the bird. "Down with you. He's a rook, you know. Don't know why we haven't gotten rid of him yet, he's a big nuisance."
The bird cawed again and merely shuffled sideways to get away from the mop. It fixed a beady eye on Severus and dropped a large shit right in front of the shopkeeper before cawing in what sounded like laughter. Severus smirked and the bird bobbed his head at him before suddenly extending his wings and swooping down towards him. A bit alarmed he held out his arm, and the bird landed elegantly as if he'd planned it that way all along.
The shopkeeper had taken a few steps backwards and was now wiping his brow with a dirty cloth.
"It seems he's chosen you, sir. Good. I'll throw in a cage and starter supplies if you just take him. Clever bird, too clever by half."
He protested but the bird merely gripped his arm tighter, letting him feel those viciously sharp claws. Hermione, meanwhile, had wandered off to the Kneazles. She was staring at a couple of young half-Kneazles, one black with a white spot under the eye and one orange with an oddly squashed nose. They were in that gangly teenage state where the legs had reached their full length but the rest of the cat hadn't quite caught up. As Severus walked up to her, she was holding her hand out to the orange one.
"Crookshanks?" she whispered.
Severus frowned. What kind of a name was that? The orange kitten turned to look at her, however, and meowed loudly. She smiled at it and petted it behind the ears, making it purr.
"He was… Severus, I think it's the same one, he used to be my pet," she half whispered before turning to the shopkeeper. "What are the half-Kneazles called and how old are they?"
"Yes that's Crookshanks and Clawfoot," the shopkeeper said, a bit distracted by the Crups that were attacking his shoelaces. "The orange male had malformed legs when he was newborn but they've straightened out. They're about twenty weeks, should've been out of here already. 'S got a bit of a temper, that one, one customer has already returned him. Clawfoot is booked though, females are always easier."
"We have to get him, Severus," Hermione whispered. "Who's that on your arm?"
Severus sighed and held the bird out to her. "He's called Menace, apparently, and he's a rook. He won't let go of my arm."
The bird nodded and cawed at Severus, apparently agreeing.
Hermione picked up the odd-looking Kneazle and went over to the shopkeeper again. "We'll take Crookshanks and Menace," she said decisively.
"Oh thank heavens," the shopkeeper sighed. "I'll set you up with everything you need, just give me a minute. You'd best Apparate with them, they'll hate it but Flooing is worse."
She pulled out her wand and paid for the animals via transfer from her brand new vault. The shopkeeper hurriedly put together cages, sand, bowls, brushes and various other things for the two animals, talking all the while.
"You didn't have to do that," Severus muttered to Hermione when their supplies had been shrunk and put into her beaded bag. He felt a bit ill at ease for having her pay for his things and had most definitely not agreed to buy anything, least of all an animal.
"Don't be silly, Menace had clearly chosen you already. And I'm not leaving Crookshanks."
"I don't need a bird," he protested.
Both Menace and Hermione turned to glare at him.
"I'm sure he can carry messages, can't you, pretty boy?" Hermione said. The bird cawed in agreement. "See, Severus? I can use the owls for now but you don't have any way to contact me first."
"Fine," he said with a huff, outwitted by a girl and a bird. "But both of them better keep the floors clean, I don't want any accidents, you hear me?"
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Hermione agreed and beamed a smile at him. The bird bobbed his head again almost in a nod but the young cat merely glared at him.
They left the store, Menace on his arm and Crookshanks in a wicker carrier basket, and headed for the Apparition point at the end of the Alley. The rook bobbed his head and cawed, sounding content. It felt strange, almost as if they all belonged together. A rather odd family, but still.
