The first thing that hit Sarah when she arrived in London was the smell. London smelled interesting. Old and earthy, like right after a soft rainfall, but not unpleasant. Heading towards the opening of the alleyway, she peeked around the corner, surveying the street. It wasn't too crowded with Abovegrounders. Looking down at herself, she noted that her dress wasn't out of place. If anything, she'd get a few curious looks, but not enough to cause a ruckus. It wasn't as bell shaped as the ones she normally wore and was an unassuming grey color. The sleeves ended at her wrists and had no lace or bows; she wanted to appear as plain as possible to blend in as much as she could. She'd instructed Nobbs to make the collar of this dress fairly modern. It resembled the front of a men's suit jacket but with smaller, more feminine lapels. The necklace Jareth had given her was proudly hung upon her throat.
Sarah saw the entrance about 30 feet away from her. Not too bad, and she had a plan: If anybody stopped and asked about her appearance, Sarah would tell them that she was going to a period costume convention. She squared her shoulders and went out into the light.
She arrived at the entrance without incident. A few people had glanced at her curiously, but nothing eventful happened. She blinked as she stepped inside, trying to make out the various shapes in the dimly lit room. Her eyes adjusted quickly and she smiled at the bartender who nodded at her. She walked further into the tavern, letting the door shut behind her.
She scanned her surroundings, trying to see if Severus was lurking anywhere. No sign of him. She shrugged and took a seat at a corner side table. A pretty young witch came over after a few minutes. "Anything I can get you, dear?" She asked cheerily.
"Tea," Sarah said, rather uncertainly. The witch nodded and went to fill her order. Sarah realized that she didn't know what the inhabitants of the Wizarding World drank, come to think of it. Not beyond what she'd read in books, at least. But, it probably wasn't much different than what she drank in the Underground: tea, wine, mead, water, coffee. She shook her head. She was being silly, overthinking things, being overanxious. And, she now realized she had forgotten to ask Jareth about what to do for money while she was here.
She fished a small pouch out of her dress; it held a few coins, but they were of Underground Goblin currency, and she doubted that they would be accepted here. Maybe she could give them a few as a good faith payment while going to Gringrott's to exchange, and then come back to give a proper payment.
Her anxiousness abated a little at that thought and she grinned happily to herself. She was finally going to be able to explore a world that she had only read about. 'A little ironic,' she chuckled. She had done the same with the Labyrinth on her first adventure there, and it ended with her staying for good. 'Will I end up staying here?' She wondered, wiping the grin from her face. 'What will be, will be,' she firmly reminded herself. Not letting the realization dampen her mood, she happily accepted the tea that was handed to her accompanied with a biscuit.
"Anything else?" The witch asked.
"No, but I did want to discuss payment. You see, I'm from the Undergr-" Sarah started but was cut off.
"Surely the Goblin King would provide his beloved wife with spending money?" Came a slightly mocking voice from behind the witch. Both women turned to look at the black clad figure of Severus Snape. He quickly sat on the empty chair in front of Sarah, giving her a tight-lipped smile. He addressed the witch.
"No matter. Anything she orders will be put on my tab." He eyed her tea. "I'll have that with a shot of Firewhiskey."
The witch gulped and gave a quiet, "Yy-yes, Professor," before scurrying off.
He watched her go with an amused look on his face. Turning towards Sarah, he said, "Old student. Some 7 years ago. Hufflepuff- adequate at Potions, but always acted like a scared little mouse in my class."
Sarah glared at him. "I can understand why. With the way you came creeping in here, interrupting me and inferring things about my husband."
Severus took in Sarah's appearance. Still just as lovely as the day he saw her, but unfortunately irritated at him. He didn't mean to snark to her about Jareth, it just came out.
"I do have spending money," she said with an effort to keep her voice down, and to keep herself calm. No reason to cause a scene in a public place. She had every intention to tear him a new one as soon as they were in a halfway private place. "It's Underground currency, though."
Seeing that she was trying to remain civil, Severus decided to turn on the charm. "My mistake, Your Majesty. I misspoke. As it is, this is an easy matter to fix. After this, I'll escort you to Gringott's; they'll exchange the money for you."
The now timid witch came back with Severus's order and placed it in front of him with shaking hands. He waved her off without a word of thanks.
After that little hiccup, the rest of the day went smoothly. After exchanging her money, and noting how plain the Wizarding version of goblins were compared to the Underground ones, Sarah made a note to research them when she got home. Then, she was ushered to Olivander's to procure a wand.
Mr. Olivander bowed deeply to Sarah, who gave him a puzzled look after he rose. "How… there's no need here," she said quietly, but quickly went back to her original statement, sensing that he knew who she was. "How did you know?"
He gave her a knowing, rather piercing look. "Every magical being gives off their own unique brand of magic, Goblin Queen. Be it Witch, Wizard, Centaur, Faerie, Pixie… and yours feels 'different' even for a Fae. You were Muggle once, yes?"
She blushed and ducked her head at his perceptiveness. "Yes, about ten months ago."
"Ah, new to magic. New to near immortality. Tell the Goblin King that I commend his choice of bride. As always, he has exceptional taste."
Severus snorted at this but otherwise said nothing.
Mr. Olivander continued as if uninterrupted. "For he has picked someone whose beauty is out shown by her inner strength." He came around the counter and clasped her hands in his own. "You are to be a fine Queen, my dear."
Sarah blushed again, this time at the compliment.
"Come." Mr. Olivander tugged her down a row of boxed wands. "We shall find you something suitable."
After an hour of swishing and flicking, Sarah emerged from the shop with a yew wand. The core, Phoenix feather, 10" long and a bit bendy. Even though she had become more comfortable with her magic over the past few months, Sarah immediately felt more grounded with the wand in her hand. She felt more complete, less lost. She figured that her use of the wand would be rather limited back home, seeing as how the two strands of magic didn't always mix well in different realms.
"How is your project, Severus?" She asked as they strolled side by side along Diagon Alley. At Severus's raised eyebrow, she clarified. "The magic melding."
He walked silently for a few feet. "Difficult," he finally admitted. "I can get certain things to work properly, such as your stationary set, but other things, in theory, will fail miserably."
Sarah, too, was silent for a moment as she thought of a reply. "Have you spoken to the High King about this? He might have some answers."
"It is difficult for someone like myself to gain an audience with the High King."
"Perhaps, I could talk to Jar—" she started to offer.
"No," Severus said quickly. Help from Jareth was the last thing he needed. "I can figure this out on my own. Even if it takes months." He stopped them short in front of an unassuming building. Sarah looked at him curiously as he held the door open for her to pass him.
Inside was a line of fireplaces, all with low fires burning. "A floo system," she breathed, eyes lighting with excitement.
Severus gave her a genuine smile. "You have been reading up on us."
Sarah grinned back. "I like to know what I'm getting myself into," she stated.
With that, he gently took her elbow and a pinch of Floo Powder from a jar siting on the mantle place of the empty fireplace in front of them. Stepping inside, he concentrated on their destination while Sarah marveled at how her clothes didn't catch fire. "We desperately need this at home. The goblins are always setting themselves and parts of the castle on fire. This would be ideal."
"Hogsmeade," Severus stated clearly, throwing the powder into the coals.
Feeling a spinning sensation start, Sarah gave a cry of dismay and latched herself onto Severus in a bear-like hug. He reciprocated by wrapping one long arm about her waist. The spinning increased and the twosome was gone in a flash of green flames.
They were deposited somewhat unceremoniously inside of an empty storefront with its own low burning fireplace. Severus led them forward, brushing the ash from the top of Sarah's head with his free hand. Feeling his hand, she relinquished her hold on him and tried to step away. He kept his arm securely wrapped around her waist and bent with the intention to kiss her. Sarah's eyes widened and forcefully broke herself from his grasp, stepping to a proper distance at his side.
She eyed him warily while he gave her a slightly confused look. She was acting differently. Why?
Sarah drew in a breath with the intent to start in on her tirade when a stout Wizard came spinning into the empty fireplace. Unaware of the tension that was slowly creeping between the young couple, he tipped his hat, muttered "Ma'am, Sir," at each of them and toddled off towards the front door.
Sarah decided to wait to speak to Severus and instead asked, "How far is Rosenthal Hall from here?"
Feeling the mood shift, Seveus said pleasantly, "Within walking distance, my… Sar-" She gave him a hard look so he went back to absolute formality "My Queen." He offered her his arm. "We'll be there within ten minutes."
Ignoring the proffered arm, Sarah strode towards the door. "Lead on, Severus."
Rosenthal Hall was lovely, probably Sarah's favorite building so far. Given that the surrounding area was mostly cottages and shops, the Hall looked stately and proud with wide, inviting front doors, and all four corners were rounded and filled with curved windows. Natural light spilled into the lobby, which contained a decent sized eating area off to the side with a polished oak staircase leading to the rooms above.
Her room wasn't as big as she was used to at home. No room ever would be, but it was cozy. The carpet was worn and the color faded, but it only added to the hominess of the place. A single bed and a small desk was caddy corner to a personal sized fireplace. A well-loved wingback chair sat in front of it, just asking for someone to sit and rest their weary bones.
A few paintings of landscapes adorned the walls, in which the trees and grasses moved whenever an invisible wind blew them. Sarah smiled as a tiny robin flitted onto a branch in one of the paintings and chirped at her curiously before settling down and freezing into place.
An armoire and a small washing table with a mirror above it furnished the rest of the room.
Severus stood in the doorway, waiting patiently for Sarah to take in all of her surroundings.
"I'm afraid this is the best I could do with term starting so soon. Parents are staying around town until it is time for them to say goodbye to their little ones."
"This is lovely. Thank you, Severus." She smiled at him but it was a guarded smile. Should she say something now? She was exhausted from the traveling. 'Tomorrow, I'll say something tomorrow.'
"But, for now, I think it's best I rest." She eyed the setting sun that was sending golden light through her window.
"Of course. There's a washroom down the hall," he said helpfully before giving her a slight bow and leaving, closing her door behind him.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters- they are the property of their respective owners.
A/N: If anybody is wondering thoughts are in italics with single quotations surrounding them. Flashbacks are fully in italics (and hopefully book ended with page breaks).
Betaed by AnonyMissJ. I wouldn't be able to do this without you.