Shoutouts to:

To all the people who have been supporting this story frm the beginning until now. This chapter is for you. Enjoy! 😘

Chapter 23: New City

JAPAN.

Land of the Rising Sun.

It was this country where Claire Rollins found herself standing at the entrance of the Narita Airport after more than twelve hours of flight with one irritating Severus Snape. They were waiting for their luggage to arrive.

Claire massaged her chin out of habit.

Though it had been hours since she left England in rushed (out of courtesy by the man standing beside her), Claire couldn't help but to think the conversation she had with Arthur Weasley. Even when she was so far away from home, that was all she could think of on the way here.

Claire sighed softly.

Her confrontation with Lucius did not end well. Claire had, confronted Lucius about his supposedly lies before she left. She didn't directly confronted him of course. All she had asked was that he showed her the letter that he had sent to Shacklebolt.

"Why do you want to see the letter?"

"Why can't I?" Claire asked. Her suspicious toward his reluctant for her to see increased.

Claire knew she should trust him. However, something about what Arthur had said to her troubled her greatly.

The vow－to be acknowledge to their relationship status and made known to the whole of the Pure-Blood Community.

Why hadn't he mentioned it before? Was he going to mention it to her after he got separated from Narcissa? Even so, he should have mentioned it to her earlier so that she could very well prepared herself!

Was he...ashamed to be with her, a Muggle?

Claire had made it cleared she wasn't ashamed to be seen with him in public. In fact, she wanted to be seen with him. Now that she thought about it, they had never been out together as a couple, with an exception the night when they had reconciled.

Even so...

"Look, many things have happened lately, and I'm having the benefits of the doubt-"

"You don't trust me." Lucius' voice had been sharp and cold as he sputtered those words. The way he had looked at her was as if he was facing his greatest enemy yet; with intimidating glare and a snarl.

"I do trust you! I just-"

"Then stop questioning me, woman! Stop questioning what I do, when I do it or how I do it!" In his rage, Lucius had slammed a nearby vase to the wall.

It had left Claire deeply in shock and stunned.

Was Lucius Malfoy prone to violent against women?

Apparently he was.

Suddenly, Arthur Weasley's words came in her mind:

"He has changed for the better, yes. But that side of him, the dark manipulative side of him, will always be his demons. Take my advice, Miss Claire: do not go down that path. It's not worth the suffering."

Would he raise his hands against her next time when there were no vases for him to slam or break? Thought he had said many times he would never hurt her.. But anything could happen right?

Feelings could changed, emotions could flipped, and he-

"Miss Rollins, we ought to leave NOW!" Snape had raised his voice at the front door, calling out to her and had snapped Claire out of her thoughts.

Claire quickly grabbed her luggage and headed toward the door.

"I think we both are in need for some time out with each other. Goodbye, Lucius."

"Claire."

She didn't look back when he'd called her.

That had been the last time she had seen him.

"Miss Rollins?" Snape's baritone voice alerted her.

"Yes?"

"Kindly snapped out from your daydreaming and help me, Claire." His sharp tone made her cringed as he picked both their luggages and set hers in front of her.

Snape began to pull his luggage and headed toward the Custom. Claire running after him with her own luggage.

Claire couldn't help but to grin widely. She had always wanted to come to Japan! Her obsession with the Japanese Culture had led everyone who knew her to believe that she would marry a Japanese man one day.

She inhaled deeply. Breathing the fresh air as the sun began to shine upon her skin.

"Mabushii!" Claire said it loudly.

"What are you speaking of, Rollins?"

"It's Japanese, Snape! It means 'Radiant'. "

The man scoffed. He was holding a small pocket book - 'Japanese Language for Foreigners'.

Closing the book, he crossed both arms and stared straight at Claire.

"If you're very fluent in their language, then perhaps could you ask them to take us to Tokyo City? We are running late, as it is."

"Oh, sure. Wait here for a minute and don't move. And keep that snarl look to yourself, Snape!"

Snape rolled his eyes and sneered at the young woman as she went to the taxi waiting counter.

Less than five minutes later, she returned with a kind looking taxi driver. The driver bowed his head upon meeting with Severus before he offered to help with the luggages into the boot.

"I've already explained to him where we're going." Claire smiled brightly. She opened the passenger's left door and climbed in. Severus did the same on the other side.

The whole trip to the Tokyo City was filled with silence. The driver was polite and carefully drove them to the busy city.

Claire's eyes roamed around the outside scenery. Occasionally, she would pointed out at buildings or the advertisements on the big screen and explained to Severus what they were, seeing how her friend had no clue whatsoever about Japan and its cultures.

When they finally arrived two hours later at the Tokyo Station, Severus' bad mood gotten even worsen with the hectic crowds.

"Where, if I may ask, are we going exactly, Severus?" Claire crossed her arms. She watched Severus who looked like he was searching for someone.

"This the rendezvous site where we are suppose to meet up with the man who would be our tour guide."

"Oh. Well, do we have any idea what he looks like?"

Before Severus could reply, a Japanese Priest approached them. With a calm, soft and gentle voice, he asked in a good Japanese-English.

"Excuse me. Are you Mister Seuerusu Suneipu?"

Snape stared intimidatingly at him. "It's Severus Snape."

"Ah, that is good then." The Priest bowed at them and smiled. "My name is Ono-Lee Shuujin desu. I will be your Tour Guide."

"The password." Snape spoke, still keeping his guards up.

"Ah, of course. Forgive me Suneipu-san." Ono bowed his head again. "The password is: Saramanderesu."

Snape nodded. He bowed his head briefly. Beside him, Claire bowed too.

"You must be Kurea Rorinzu-san. Nice to meet you finally."

"Hai! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" Claire bowed.

Ono did the same and smiled. "You speak good japanese. Very impressive."

He looked at Snape before telling them both to follow him.

"I will take you to the place. But first, you need to register yourselves at the HeadQuarters. Follow me please."

"Um, Shuujin-san? Are you the Master who will be teaching me later?" Claire asked while making her say to the lift.

"Hai. I hope that will not be a problem?"

"Ah! Of course not. I will try my best!"

"I'm afraid to interupt your conversation, how exactly are we going to the 'HeadQuarter?', ?" Snape asked in uninterested tone.

"There is a way. But first, we must find the lift. Ah! Here it is."

Ono pressed the button and wait for the lift to arrive. He kept his eyes for any unwanted people.

"Japan's policy is very strict. We have to be careful no one is in the lift with us or else we will be in big trouble."

Ting!

The lift's doors opened and the three of them stepped in. Ono pressed the 'close' button, and took out a wand from his sleeve jacket. He pointed his wand at the switch buttons and muttered a spell.

Not sooner than that, a secret hidden button appeared in between the 'open' and 'close' buttons.

He pressed it and put away his wand back inside his sleeves.

The lift went down slowly from the First Floor, to the Ground Level before it took off like a flying bullet.

"I hope you can forgive me for being ignorant by asking you this, , are you not a Buddhist Priest? Yet, you practiced magic." Severus asked after a short while.

"Oh no, Suneipu-san. You see, becoming a Buddhist Priest has nothing to do with me born as a Pure-Blood wizard. Magic is in my blood and becoming a Priest is my Calling."

"I see."

"For example, Suneipu-san, Rorinzu-san here is a Muggle is she not? Yet, according to you, she is able to use a small form of elementarily magic even though she had not being taught to do it. You mentioned she might inherited it from her biological parents. It seems to me, she already possessed a bit of magical blood in her."

The men looked at Claire.

The lift stopped and a light ting sound before it opened.

"Suneipu-san, Rorinzu-san. Let me welcome you to the Wizarding World of Japan!"

The place was beyond astonishing. It was as if they had travelled back in time - back in the late 50s, except there was Western influence to it- mostly Victorian.

Women dressed up in kimonos were walking the street. Some of them dressed Victorian gowns. Same goes with the men and children.

Though, there was no doubt even for a second, these people were witches and wizards.

"This way, please." Ono's gentle voice snapped his two guests from their own world.

Claire felt as if her heart was going to burst any minute now. She barely breathe.

Beside her, Severus remained stoic and calm. However, his eyes kept on wandering from left to right and the frown on his forehead deepened.

To an outsider, it may looked like he was irritated to be in unknown place. But for trained eyes like Claire, he was feeling excite deep inside and cautious of their new surroundings.

They followed Ono through the rather busy street. Severus had shrunk their luggages to a small size the moment they arrived so that it would be less hassle for them to carry their luggages everywhere.

The trio walked for a moment until they reached to a two storeys old building.

"We are here." Ono said with a smile.

"This is where you live, Shuujin-san?"

"Oh, certainly not, Rorinzu-san. This is the Headquarter. In Japan, if you are a Wizard or Witches; you will need to go through custom twice. One, in the Muggle world, and another one is here, the Wizarding World. Fortunately for you two, I have already informed them."

"And?"

"It means, Suneipu-san, you don't need to queue." The sliding doors opened, revealed a long queueing line. "This way, please."

Odo led them to the less queueing line. He lined up and when it was his turn, he called his two guests to come forward and began to talk with the lady at the counter.

Claire listened to their conversation and knew exactly what they were talking about while Snape stood still stiffly beside her. She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, before she shook her head.

Man, he's helpless.

Without warning, she caught his sweating right plam and clenched her fingers together with his.

Snape jerked a little when her hand caught with his. His body automatically stiffened. He glared sharply at her. Asking her with his eyes, 'what do you think you're doing?'.

Claire however, wouldn't have any of it. She tightened her grip.

"Breathe. You're in a safe zone,Severus." Claire whispered softly. She knew he was anxious to be in a foreign non-speaking English country where he wasn't in full control, scared him.

That somewhat made Claire curious and even pondered as why he would choose to come along with her if he was so scared of travelling to a foreign country?

Before Claire could asked Snape why, Ono's voice caught her attention.

"Nani? Sore wa tashika ni warui nyūsudesu.." Ono shook his head. The counter lady rapidly apologised to him.

"What did he say?"

"He..ah.. something bad has happened. Wait here." Claire went to Ono at the counter.

"I'm sorry, Shuunjin-san? Is something the matter?"

"Ah, Rorinzu-san. Sumemasen. It seems there is a bit of conflict about the rooms I have booked for Suneipu-san and you tonight."

"Conflicts? What kind of conflicts?"

"The Headquarter has made a mistake thinking that you and Suneipu-san are a couple. Therefore, they have only booked for one room instead of two."

"What!"

"Sumemasen! Hontoni sumemasen!" Said the counter lady repeatedly, bowing her head at Claire.

"Er.. no! I-It's alright.. We can stay for just one night, right?"

"It is absolutely not all right, Rorinzu-san! Unmarried couple shouldn't be sleeping in the same room together. Many unwanted things will happen!"

Claire felt her face flushed. Was the air getting or was it just her? Waving her hand to get rid of the hot air around her, she glanced at Severus who was glaring at her and shook her head.

"Is there any available room left?"

"That is also a bad news,Rorinzu-san. Unfortunately, all rooms are fully booked due to an event that is happening this month, the Cherry Blossom Festival."

Claire scratched her unitching head. She could feel Severus' sharp burning gaze on her back. No doubt the man was losing his patient.

Taking a long deep breath, she said, "Shuujin-san, I'll take the room."

"But Rorinzu-san!"

"It'll be just one night. Besides, I'm sure you could arrange another futon to be fit into the room, right? I trust Severus Snape. We've been house-mates for months, close to a year now and I had lived with him for two whole months in the small cramped house he'd called as home. A room wouldn't be a problem!"

Ono sighed deeply. "Very well. If that is what you wish. Western mindsets are very strange indeed."

After they had settled the room issues, they obtained a key from the desk lady and had Odo taken them upstairs to the said room on the third floor.

"This is your room."

The room had a fantastic view of trees, cherry blossoms trees with it's pink petals fluttered past the windows even at night.

It was a perfect vacation spot for couples.

"Dinner will be served to you in a short while. You may use the bathroom to freshen up,Suneipu-san, Rurinzu-san."

"Hai. Thank you for your help, Shuujin-san!"

"Iye. I shalls see you tomorrow then. Oyasumenasai, Rurinzu-san, Suneipu-san." Odo bowed and then made his way to the exit.

As soon as he left, Claire sprawled herself on the soft futon on the floor.

"I think I'm starting to feel the overdue jetlag."

Snape took out his luggage from his chest pocket and set it on the floor.

"Your luggage, Miss Rollins."

Claire searched for hers in one of the pockets she kept it in before throwing it at him who caught it perfectly.

Setting her luggage next to his, Severus then took out his wand and muttered a simple spell.

The luggages transformed back to its original size.

Once it was done, Snape put away his wand and took his luggage to his side of the futon and began to gather a few items on his laps.

Claire watched as he sorted out his stuff by hands with amused smile.

"What?"

"Nothing." Her smile widened, causing the older man to sneer at her before he stood up, walked toward the bathroom and slammed the door.

Unknown to Claire, Snape had felt flushed rushed down from his head to neck and spine and his neck when she had smiled at him like that.

Damn her for making him feel this way! He shouldn't have come. What on Merlin's beard had possessed him to come along in this trip with her in the first place?! He knew Wonka would be thrilled to come.

So why...

Severus groaned and pitched the bridge of his nose.

He's denying it. For the sake of his old friendship with Lucius and his friendship with Claire.

He's denying all of it all so that he would not lose anyone matters to him anymore.

Losing Lily was the hardest thing he could bear. But to lose Claire's friendship as well when she found out this ugly rotten man old enough to be her father was having feelings for her? How would she react to that? She would laugh. At least with Lucius, he had the looks, the fortunes and power that every woman could ever dreamt of.

...Except that Claire Rollins wasn't unlike any of those women. She was kind to him, treated him with respect that Severus had never earned for. She laughed with him, had made him smiled, aibeit just a little. She accepted him who he was and seen the man behind the monster.

Severus suddenly remembered the bloody Wonka's words the other day:

"It's okay to fall in love again,Snape. There are no rules stating you can't fall in love after losing your one and true love. It happens unexpectedly after all."

And before they Apparate to the Muggle's airport:

"This may be your one and only chance to win her heart, Severus. With Lucius out of the picture, you have nobody to compete for her heart."

"Why are you being like this? Your Goddaughter loves Lucius. Why are you not voting for him instead."

"Because he hurt my precious Claire. He'd made her cried for him. But you, Severus. You won't make the same mistakes as Lucius would you? You won't her cry."

Foolish wizard. No wonder he lives alone in that big manor. What kind of reltionship that did not have tears involved?

Severus shook his head as he stepped into the hot tub. As for now, he shall concentrate on what matters the most and focused solely on that.

WONKA'S household had been awfully silence ever since the greasy git wizard and the charming Muggle had left the manor a day ago.

For Lucius Malfoy, who had been doing nothing but brooding on the leather red chair in the living room, staring to nothingness at the flaring flame on the fireplace, with big piece of shard from the vase that he had broken a day ago remained on his left palm.

Lucius looked like a wreched. He didn't hadn't bothered to shave the growing stubble for a while.

The scene when he had slammed the vase against the wall in rage kept on playing in his mind.

It wasn't the scene that gotten him the most.

No.

It was the look on Claire's face: the absolutely horrified and terrifying look she had given him when he slammed the vase and when she had quickly left him.

How could he be so bloody stupid? Lucius clenched his fists.

They had their first arguement and he was already showing her his dark side - his demons. The Death-Eather that would always dwelled inside of him.

She's scared of me now.

Lucius looked at the shard.

"I think we both are in need for some time out with each other. Goodbye, Lucius."

"Claire." Lucius inhaled before he exhaled deeply, lending his back against the sofa.

Meanwhile, two figured had been watching Lucius for quite some time now from the entrance.

Willy and Rita shook their heads altogether but with different reasons.

"Honestly, if I'd known I would get truly interesting topic to write on the gossip column by just living in this manor with you lots I would have done so earlier!"

"Indeed. It is the most unfortunate that your stuff have been confiscated, Miss Skeeter."

Rita rolled her eyes and crossed her arms before she walked away.

Willy let out a sigh before he too followed the noisy witch to the dining room.

Dinner was simple enough; a rack of lamb with mashed potato and some freshly steamed vegetables.

Willy sat at the head table, silently eating his meal. On his right side was Rita, stabbing the innocent carrots with her fork.

After a moment of awkward silence between them, Rita finally had enough.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this but I missed having that Muggle around. At least it's fun to have someone I can mocked and have that mock returned."

"You mean you liked having a quarrling partner." Willy smirked briefly.

The noisy reported made ungraceful snort. "At least it's better than having to talk to the stiff tree upstairs. I mean, honestly! How did he put up with that?"

Willy had to cover up his giggles with a clean cloak at her insult.

He was about to retort some of his own when suddenly he stopped and looked at the direction where Lucius was in the living room with a surprised look.

"What? What is it?"

"Shhh." Willy put one finger on his lips. He pointed out to her to the entrace of the living room. As silently as he possible could, Willy slide out of his seat and went to the entrance.

Rita immediately transformed herself to a Bettle and joined him by the wall, listening to the ongoimg conversation between Lucius and his son.

"Mother calls you. She would like to see you, Father."

Willy heard the man made a snickered sound before he got up from his chair and followed Draco to the staircase.

Rita transformed back to her human-self.

"What happened? You must know something! Tell me!"

Willy ignored her truthful rants. He put one under his chin and began to evalute the whole situation carefully.

Lucius knocked on the door twice before he allowed to come in. He was about to shut the door when Darco appeared behind him.

"It's okay. He already knows what I'm about to say, Lucius dear. Let him in."

Lucius hesitatingly opened the door and let his son in. Shutting the door, he walked toward the beside of the bed where Narcissa was sitting, watching him.

"Draco had informed me you wished to speak to me. What is it?"

"Always so serious. You didn't even bother to beat over the bush, do you, Lucius?"

"Narcissa, I-"

"I want us to start over again."

Silence filled in the air. There was no sound whatsoever in the room except for their own breathing.

Lucius looked at her, stunned.

"Excuse me?"

Narcissa sighed. "Lucius love, we've been married for twenty-one years, regardless of it was an arranged marriage. We've been through a lot as a couple before the war. Do you really want to throw that away?"

"My dear Narcissa, I clearly remember it was you who had wishes for freedom after you've tasted after the war at your sister's and family's manor."

"Indeed. And look where it had gotten me. I'd almost died. For real this time. It had made me reevaluate everything I'd ready to throw away; you, Draco, this family. While you were away and I had been alone in the manor, I soon realised something I hadn't before: I needed you, Lucius. I wanted you... I love you. I truly love you."

"Narcissa.."

Narcissa reached out and touched his rough hands.

"I..know now the price of my freedom is worthless if I don't have you by my side. Please, Lucius. Let's start all over again. As a couple and as a family."

"Father."

Dark grey eyes moved from his enstranged wife to his son, standing at the edge of the bed.

"Whatever you decided to choose, I'll always love you." Draco then walked toward the door and shut it.

Lucius looked down at his entangled fingers with Narcissa's.

He looked up at her gazing lovingly at him with eyes filled with love that was never there before.

She was waiting for him to choose.

He had to make up his mind. Now.

"Narcissa. I..."

CLIFFHANGER! I know I'm such a bad Author for leaving a dramatic cliffhanger at the end of this chapter *hide*

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed doing research on my favourite country in the whole world, Japan! ;)