"He went that way!" Oh, good, one of the Aurors had located him already. They had found him quickly this time and he was running out of the many various paths that had been laid out to aide his escape. He had apparated from Hogwarts to Spain, from Spain to Germany, from Germany to Japan, from Japan to Russia... wherever he went didn't seem to matter. They found him within days, weeks at best.
His next apparation was to the United States. It was his last stop. So far, nothing had gone as planned. If this didn't work out he'd have to build an escape plan from scratch. Four men rounded the corner just as Snape completed the spell and disappeared from sight.
He reappeared in the center of what appeared to be miles of scorched rock and dirt. He frowned. Where was the town? It was called… Sunnyville or Sundale or something of that nature and it was supposed to be right here. Perhaps something had gone wrong with the spell. He cast it again. The scenery didn't change in the least. That was just perfect. The final safe house was actually a gigantic hole in the ground.
It looked like he'd have to create a Plan E after all. The Aurors seemed to be tracking his apparation spell. It was possible that with the right materials he could make a potion that would distort his presence more. The problem was, where does one find those materials in the muggle world? It looked like he would have to take a chance and force the nearest witch or wizard to help him. After a basic search spell and a quick consultation with the map he always had on hand these days Severus Snape cast one more spell, to take him to Los Angelus.
The scene that greeted him there stunned him. Albus Dumbledore was gardening with some little red headed muggle girl. He looked awfully cheerful for a man who was supposed to be dead.
"Is this going to become a habit? Strange men appearing in my garden, I mean. Should I get a dog? Oh! I could get a cute little one. But, that would defeat the purpose of having a dog, wouldn't it..."
"Is this going anywhere in my lifetime?" Snape cut the annoying girl off before he was forced to curse her into silence. She didn't look at all phased by his look or his tone.
"What are you doing in my garden?"
"Sightseeing," he replied dryly and turned to study Dumbledore. Why hadn't the old man said anything yet? "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.
"Do you know me?" Dumbledore asked with obvious surprise. Snape studied him, looking for a sign that it was just a ruse to use in the presence of this muggle. He'd have to be vague until he had a better understanding of the situation.
"I've known you for years."
"Really? That's great! What's his name? I've just been calling him Gandalf because, well, I guess that's obvious."
"You don't know who he is? But he's staying with you?"
The girl frowned at him. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
This girl had to be one of the stupidest people he had ever met and he had met a lot of stupid people. This was a waste of his time. He turned back to Dumbledore. "We should go now."
"Should we? I don't know who you are." Dumbledore wasn't helping the situation at all.
"Exactly! He's not going anywhere with you until you explain!"
"It's a long story. Very boring. You don't want to hear it."
"Sure I do. I'll make tea." As the girl headed back towards her house Snape checked again for some kind of sign from Dumbledore that this was all a sick joke. Fortune, as always, was not smiling on him. Dumbledore was studying him with curiosity but no recognition.
"Are you coming?" Dumbledore immediately went to the door where the girl was waiting. Snape begrudgingly followed. She stood back and allowed them both inside. Snape noted that she didn't even have the basic manners required to invite someone in.
As she poured what he didn't doubt was sub-par tea into coffee mugs Snape attempted to sort out a story that he could actually tell in her presence. It probably didn't matter how much she heard. What could a little muggle girl living half a world away do with the information anyway?
"I'm Willow."
"So?"
"So... who are you?"
"Severus Snape. And that is Albus Dumbledore." The girl, Willow, beamed at Dumbledore and tried out his name a few times. Snape thought it was nauseating. "He's the headmaster at Hogwarts, a school for witches and wizards. I'm a teacher there."
"A magic school? That's so neat! But, how did he get here?"
"I don't know. The last time I saw him, he looked dead. They held the funeral several weeks ago."