Chapter Thirty-Six

Knockturn Alley

She couldn't express how excited she was when they landed in the apparition platform in Diagon Alley. George was quite obviously amused at the relieved smile that seemed to have stretched itself across her lips. "I've got to run to a few stores, if you don't mind."

"Mind? George you got me away from the six most deadly tutors in the world, I wouldn't mind if you kept me out all night talking about matching clothing…" Lenore paused. "You won't will you?"

He snorted shaking his head. "Nope."

They visited several stores, the few that were still open at least. It seemed random until George pulled her into the apothecary just as the owner was attempting to shut the door. "Mr. Weasley…I wish I could say it was a surprise that you are here, thirty seconds before close."

George shot the old man a wiry grin. "Just in the nick of time I should say. Do you have our order?"

"But of course," the man disappeared into the back leaving Lenore time to wrinkle her nose in pure disgust.

"This place is awful. It smells like rotten egg and, and cabbage way past eating date,"

The red head chuckled. "It's the only one in Diagon Alley…really could do with a bet—thank you very much, Mr. Lambton, much obliged."

The old man grumbled shooing them out. "Next time you want to come in at closing don't talk about a different apothecary opening…it'd put me outta business." There was something on his face which made it seem as if he didn't mind the idea all that much.

George saluted and then smiled brightly at Lenore. "But it is true, I'm sure if there was some sort of shop that didn't reek like that it'd make it's money back within a day."

Lenore shook her head. "Where to next?"

He looked skeptical. "Well, the shop." He said hastily.

"George, do you have somewhere else to go?"

"I can go tomorrow."

"George,"

"Really I can, Fred and Lily are probably ordering or making food right now."

"George."

"Honestly, come on Leo, let's head to the shop and have a picnic dinner with the others it—"

"George!" she exclaimed laughing. "Serious, if you need to go somewhere else I don't care. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

He ran his hand through his red hair with a sigh. "There is one more shop down in Knockturn Alley," George nodded towards the darkened pathway to their left. "But I—it's dangerous."

She snorted. "I laugh in the face of danger, ha-ha-ha-ha. Come on, are you afraid because it's dark or because you're a sissy?"

He didn't smile. "Leo, the stores down there mainly deal with Dark Arts and such,"

The teasing smile fell from her lips slightly. "All right." She said slowly. "What do you need from down there?"

"There are a few supplies Fred and I ordered that aren't in Slug and Jiggers. Rare supplies that the shop simply couldn't get their hands on," he seemed really nervous in explaining this to her. Lenore nodded at him for him to go on. "Hemlock's Apothecary in Knockturn Alley not only had it but could get it to us within two days. So we ordered it."

"I'm obviously missing something here." Lenore said shaking her head. "Is the store closed or something is that why you don't want to go there now?" Then something dawned on her. "You don't want to take me down there, do you? Because it's dark and all," George didn't answer but his face flushed in the dim street lights. Lenore giggled. "I'm a big girl,"

"I know you are…" His face flushed. "I mean, I know you can take care of yourself but…I just…I'm…" he trailed off.

After a moment Lenore headed towards the dark alley. "Coming?" she called without stopping, knowing full-well that George would follow behind her within seconds.

The red head, just as she predicted, was by her side in seconds as she delved deeper into the uncomfortable darkness. There were objects clearly inside the stores that made her stomach lurch but she dutifully kept walking. George was already keyed up about her being her, if she vomited all over the ground because the very presence of evil was near her it would do nothing for his nerves. After a few moments of walking down the alley she stopped, her stomach tossing slightly.

"George, I've never been here before." She said trying to keep her air light and amused. "Wouldn't it make a bit more sense if you lead and I followed?"

"Oh…right," he took her hand, which surprised her, and began leading her down the alley. They must have looked like two second-years going somewhere that was forbidden if she could, Lenore would have laughed, but she wasn't sure if that movement would make her loose whatever food was left in her stomach or not. "It doesn't smell like eggs and cabbage in here," George said as they stopped.

Lenore, too busy trying to figure out where the pressure of Dark Magic was coming from, merely nodded as he pushed open the door to a dirty and dark looking store. It, like Slug and Jiggers, was dimly lit but George had not been lying. It did not smell like eggs and cabbage. It smelled like blood and…Her heart thudded. Unicorn tears. Tears of her own rushed to her eyes, how could they have gotten such an ingredient. Horror was filling her before she realized that George was staring at someone, another customer, his face hidden with the shadows of the store.

Dressed head-to-toe in black sweeping robes, this long haired man was holding a vial of clear liquid which Lenore figured was unicorn tears from which the smell was coming from. The man stood over six feet tall and held a regal air that was very familiar to Lenore. She gasped suddenly. "Severus?"

The man turned sharply, piercing black eyes landing on George and Lenore. Surprise was attempting to fleet across his face before he slipped into a stony cold mask, his eyes drifting down to where George still clutched her hand. "Ms. Keller, what a surprise seeing you here,"

His formality hit a cord in her heart that she didn't know was there for him. She swallowed hard blinking. "Not as much as it was to find you here." She fought to hide the hurt she felt. She refused to feel.

"Professor Snape, I'm afraid we," a plump but pretty witch came from a back room and then slowed to a stop glancing at George. She looked scarcely older than twenty and had brown hair that was held back tightly into a ponytail. She halter in her sentence when she saw the other two customers before addressing Snape. "Professor Snape, I'm afraid we are currently out of that particular ingredient and will not get a shipment until next month. Would you like order it?"

"No." he snarled setting the glass vial down with the utmost of care. "I shall return then and pick up the remainder of my supplies. Charge the rest to my account,"

The young woman nodded, proceeding to package the supplies; lastly she placed the clear vial within the contents of a bag, shrinking it before handing it to Snape. "The shipment should come in on September 3 or so."

Giving the girl no answer Snape took the bag, brushing past the two still in the doorway, shell-shocked to see him there. Lenore ripped her hand from George's and slid out the door after him, living George in the store. A wave of nausea hit her but she forced herself to catch up with the rapidly disappearing man in the distance.

"Severus," she exclaimed when she managed to get her breath.

The man in question froze, glancing back smoothly. "What is it that you need?"

Lenore stopped in front of him drawing in a breath. "Why are you being so cold?" she asked in disbelief. "You're not still mad at me for that Wormtail thing are you?" even as she said his name she unconsciously shivered, fearing that he could jump out of the shadows or something. "I'm sorry," she said honestly. She, herself, didn't even want to admit how much she had grown to like Snape's company. "I really am. When you left Hogwarts I didn't imagine—"

"Is there a reason for this nonsensical rambling you seem intent on emitting?" Sev—Snape said in an irritated tone. She licked her lips, trying not to show her discomfort at what he was saying and at the environment around her. When she gave no answer she watched his upper lip curl in disgust. "Cease wasting my time, Ms. Keller."

"What the hell is your problem?" she hated how her voice cracked. "I thought we had…I thought we had reached an understanding…why are you treating me like this?"

He looked utterly bored. "Like what, Ms. Keller?"

She stared at him in disbelief before her face hardened. "Unicorn tears are an illegal substance in the UK." Lenore found herself saying softly, her eyes on the ground. "Isn't that right?" He didn't answer her. She shot Snape a glare. "Better watch yourself, Snape," she drawled. "You never know who might report what you have hidden." As she said it her left arm brushed her hair off her shoulder, revealing a scarred but tattoo free forearm.

With that she turned on her heel and stormed away, entering the apothecary with such a vengeance spilling over that George whirled around, his wand out. "What did he say to you, Leo?"

"Snape," she snarled. "Said nothing of importance," Lenore said before hopping up on the counter.

George nodded his wand back in its holster. "Which is why you are blazing in here as if dead warmed over?"

Lenore didn't answer him, but she reached for a clear bottle that was reeking of unicorn tears. It was sitting on the counter as if George was going to buy it. Tilting the bottle she let the liquid catch the light and a display of sparkling rainbows spread across the room, brightening it up. George's eyebrows rose. "Do you know how they get unicorn tears?" she asked softly, her voice dull.

"No, I don't. In school we've only worked with horns and unicorn hair,"

"That's because, like unicorn blood, the idea to be around when such an innocent thing was crying means that it was injured in some way." She turned the bottle and the light show continued. "The most popular way that apothecaries get this ingredient is by purposely injuring a unicorn, mainly breaking one or two of their legs with a spell." She swallowed hard, knowing her voice was completely void of emotion. This notion, when she entered the shop, appalled her so much that she had wanted to cry and now, now because of him she could only recite what she had learned with a morbid sense of fascination. "Then they will spell a bowl beneath their head, stunning the animal to catch the tears. If the unicorn doesn't cry enough to satisfy the person's greed it's been said they either they break the other two legs or press their weight on the already injured ones, causing the poor animals to be hit with waves of pain." Lenore suddenly covered the vial and the rainbows disappeared and she looked down. "There are more humane ways of doing it, though." She managed a weak smile. "In the states they can ask the unicorn for their tears, not unlike you ask a phoenix but you have to be pure of heart in order to gain it, therefore the ingredient is just as rare there as it is here. But here's it illegal because too many people injure the innocent creatures to gain what they want."

"You know your potions ingredients," a voice from behind her said.

The raven-haired teenager looked back sharply and saw that the employee had come back baring a few packages. A faint smile attempted to tug on the corners of Lenore's mouth. "I should, my mom was an American Magical Pharmacist and I have three best friends who are in the profession." She set the clear vial down on the countertop.

"My name is Emma Dobbs, and yours?"

"Lenore Keller."

George handed a bag of what looked like money over (making Lenore wonder where he had kept it because she certainly hadn't seen it.) "How is it you know Professor Snape? If you're American how is it that you've meet him enough to call him by his first name?"

"Long complicated story that I really don't want to get into." She said sliding off the counter.

The girl looked at her with calculating eyes before nodding. "If there are any other supplies you need please come back." The girl said nodding to George.

The red head smiled stiffly. "Have a good night, Emma."

Lenore was aware that the moment they left the shop the feeling in the pit of her stomach caused her to wince but, luckily, George did not notice. "What did he say to you?"

"Nothing of any importance," Lenore whispered, looking straight ahead.

"Leo," he touched her on the arm and looked at him sharply. "What is it?"

"He was so cold to me. He was acting as if I was being an inconvenience." She said quietly, leaning against the wall of the apothecary. She hated the fact tears were in her eyes and the fact that what Snape did hurt her. Never again. She vowed to herself as George pulled her into a hug. Never again will I trust that man. To think I was starting to care about him.

"Come Leo," George said taking her hand into his. "Let's go to the shop. Lily is a fan of Cherry Coke, I'm sure that you two could have some while Fred and I attempt to make pizza." Nodding, Lenore straightened up from the wall and allowed him to brush a stray tear from her cheek. "Shall we?" and they made their way out of Diagon Alley towards his shop.

And George held her hand the entire way.