Part 2
Severus Snape stepped off the Hogwart's Train at King's Cross Station. It was the first time in years he had travelled back with the students but he just couldn't face going home just yet. Apparating had its uses but not when you wanted to avoid something...or someone. Any excuse to put off the inevitable was more than welcome.
He saw Draco Malfoy re-united with his weeping mother and felt relieved to see the back of the boy. He was acting like it was his fault that Lucius had been careless enough to get himself caught and thrown into Azkaban and he wanted Snape to up his OWL grades due to extenuating circumstances. Who did Draco think he was? Dumbledore? The journey on the train with the whining brat had only been made bearable by the knowledge that it was preferable to going home.
Two hours, one train, a muggle bus journey and a long rather unnecessary walk later and Severus Snape stood outside his house at Spinners End. There was no putting it off any longer. He had to face the James Potter Wannabe...that or kick the muggle tramp off the park bench and sleep there tonight.
A curtain twitched next door a moment before the door opened and his nosy neighbour Miss Pickles poked her head outside to call her cat.
"Good evening," Severus called with a nod of hello.
The woman looked startled a moment and her head shot round to face him. He tried not to let her surprise irritate him. In all the years they had been neighbours he had never bothered to greet her before.
"What have you done to my cat?" the woman snarled as she looked suspiciously at him.
Severus looked startled that she thought he'd done anything to her flea-bitten animal. What would he want with her mangy moggie?
"I'm sure he'll turn up sooner or later," Severus replied consolingly.
"It's a she," Miss Pickles replied with another snarl before slamming the door shut.
"Home, sweet home," Severus muttered as he opened the door.
The first thing he noticed was the dust, which set off his allergies the moment he stepped through the door.
The second thing he noticed was the noise of some horrendously bad music, if it could even be called that, coming from the living room. At least Wormtail had had the sense to put a charm on the house so it didn't disturb the rest of the street.
He made a point to confiscate the almost certainly stolen wand before the day was over.
He closed his eyes a second, took a deep breath for patience, sneezed again, and deciding to forget patience, stalked into the room.
Wormtail, sometimes known as Peter Pettigrew, had certainly been making himself at home since he had been assigned to assist him by Lord Voldemort.
He was currently assisting himself to the nettle wine, Snape noted as he glared at the little rat.
Lounging on the sofa, a bottle of nettle wine beside him and his feet, encased in Severus's The Boy Who Lived carpet slippers (an unwanted gift from Dumbledore), currently propped up on the coffee table.
"Making yourself at home I see," Severus sneered from the doorway as he turned off the wizard wireless and the racket emanating from it.
"Ah Shev," Peter slurred from the sofa. "We're almosh out a wine."
Severus stood stock still, his face blanched even whiter than usual.
Six weeks of holidays, six weeks to whip the little rat into shape. Severus looked about the room and saw that it was in the same state of neglect and disrepair as the last time he had seen it. He was hard pushed to decide if six weeks was way too short a time for the task in hand or far too long for his sanity.