Danu stands on the cobblestone walkway just outside of The Three Broomsticks waiting for Snape to arrive, he told her the night before to be ready by four in the evening, so she came out fifteen minutes early. The day is intensely hot and humid, and she regrets choosing the heat of the day to embark on this mission. When the two of them set the time, her reasoning was that everyone would have already done their shopping and left for the day. The sun beams down and warms the exposed skin on her shoulders, she looks down at her shoes and kicks a small pebble with her toe. She giggles to herself when she realizes the skin on her legs is almost as pale as the white sun dress she decided to wear today. Lifting her head towards the sky to feel the suns beam on her face, she hears footsteps on the cobblestone to her left. Turning her head towards the steps, she catches sight of Professor Snape. As he gets closer, she can feel the heat radiating off of his long black robes. How has he not died of heat stroke out here? Instead, he looks as put together as always, the only indication of his discomfort is a small bead of sweat emerging from his temple, which he blots away quickly with an emerald green handkerchief he pulls from the pocket of his robe.
"Your punctuality is appreciated, Miss Black." Snape states, flatly as he glances down at her through his curtains of dark hair.
"It is very hot today. At least you don't have to spend your evening walking around Diagon Alley."
"You insisted on the time, Miss Black, you have only yourself to blame." True, but he did not need to rub it in. The idea seemed reasonable, at the time.
She watches as Snape pulls his wand from his left sleeve and stares down at her expectedly, she reaches into the canvas bag on her shoulder and produces her own.
"Have you ever ridden the Knight Bus, Miss Black?"
"I have not." She hoped the bus at least had air conditioning, as she was sweating profusely from simply standing.
"I must warn you; it is rather….nauseating."
"Does it stink?" Danu asks, trying to come up with any other reason as to why a bus could be nauseating, Snape looks down at her with his eyebrows raised, the corner of his mouth lifting into a tight smirk.
"Raise your wand hand straight above your head. The bus will arrive within moments." He ignores her question, still smirking down at her.
"That's all?" Part of her expects the bus to materialize instantly in the street as she raises her right arm high above her head. When it does not, she glances nervously up and down the street, convinced she must have done something wrong, or Snape was teasing her.
"That is all, it takes a few moments to arrive. When you have completed your shopping, do the same. The bus will collect you and bring you back here. Your fair has already been paid. You will be back here by nightfall, no exceptions." Snape reaches into the pocket of his robe opposite the one that held the handkerchief and produces a brown envelope. He passes her the envelope, and she recognizes it immediately, her Hogwarts supply list.
Snape turns from her and makes his way down the cobblestone path from which he came. Danu opens the envelope and reads through her required supplies.
-The Standard Book of Spells, grade 7 by Miranda Goshawk (Required for all)
-Advanced Potion-Making, grade 7 by Libatius Borage (If taking N.E.W.T level Potions)
-Advanced Transfiguration, grade 7 by Emeric Switch (If taking N.E.W.T level Transfiguration)
-Advanced Rune Translation, grade 7 by Yuri Blishen (If taking N.E.W.T level Study of Ancient Runes)
-Deadly Curses and Counter-Curses (If taking N.E.W.T level Defense Against the Dark Arts
-Identifying False Medicinal Herbs (If taking N.E.W.T level Herbology)
-Dress robes (For wizards)
-Formal gown (For witches)
-12 Galleons (If interested in Apparition sign-up)
Danu runs the numbers through her head for a moment, she usually gets 300 Galleons from the Ministry of Magic to purchase her school supplies. Having done the math before, she knows this comes out to approximately seventy-five Muggle Pounds. Outside of the single required book, she will only need to purchase Potions and Herbology books. Second-Hand Bookshop next to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour should have them for only a few Galleons each, if one didn't mind a few torn pages and crudely drawn images in the margins. As she begins to wonder why she is required to purchase a formal gown this year when she has never had to before, the Knight Bus finally comes barreling down the cobblestone street. Danu jumps back and flattens herself against the cools stone of The Three Broomsticks, she closes her eyes tightly and covers her head with her arms, terrified that the driver of the bus will mow her down. She braces herself for impact, wishing desperately that she could apparate.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve— What you doin' pressed against the wall like that?" A man with a thick Cockney accent barks down at her. Danu removes her arms from her head and looks up, a wiry figure with large ears and greasy mop water hair hangs from the opened door of the deep purple bus. He's wearing an ill-fitting two piece uniform precisely the same color as the bus, albeit more stained.
Stan does not wait for an answer as he sticks his hand out for her to climb aboard. She takes his sweaty hand and heaves herself up. She has an odd, nervous feeling in his presence and is thankful to see other passengers on the bus as she follows Stan down the aisle to her seat. The bus is stifling hot and reeks of vomit and stale body odor. Danu is seated towards the middle of the bus, across from a wizard with an absurdly runny nose, and behind a witch with two screaming children. The seat shifts sharply as she takes her seat. Before she even has a chance to compose herself, the bus lurches forward at such a high rate of speed that the seat in front of her slams against her shins and pins her to her seat. She cries out for a moment but is unheard over the sound of the crying children in front of her. Using the entirety of her strength, she's able to push the set forward and off of herself, her legs immediately begin to throb from the impact. The relief is short lived, as a sharp jolt causes her own seat to lurch forward. Thankfully, she is able to see this coming and quickly pulls her feet into the seat and hugs her knees to her chest.
Despite wearing a knee length dress, she has no care in the world if anyone sees her undergarments as she hugs her knees tightly. The only care she has is not having her legs broken by the drivers insane driving. Danu pushes her body weight back against her own seat and closes her eyes tightly in a desperate effort to stave off the intense nausea from the ride. That's why Snape had said what he did about it being nauseating; at least he warned her. If she survives this, she will kill him for putting her on this deathtrap.
An hour later, the bus finally comes to a screeching halt.
"DIAGON ALLEY!" Stan screams their destination; several people stand and try to locate their belongings in the confusion of the bus floor. Danu stands and sprints towards the exit, she may have knocked over an old lady but can't be certain. Leaping off of the platform she takes a deep breath and vomits into a shrub.
Danu takes a moment to compose herself and makes her way down the packed streets towards Gringott's. Her idea of coming later in the day in hopes of it being less crowded proved to be a horrible idea. The streets are packed with irritated parents and whining children, most shops have lines out the door and wrapped around the building. Including Gringott's. Danu finally makes her way there, hoping this to be the quickest part of her journey, and is immediately let down. No less than a hundred people stand single file out of the main doors of the bank. Danu sighs and files in behind the waiting line, resigning herself to her fate. The sun beats down on them, sweat trickles down her neck and back, the leather cord holding the Blood-Replenishing Potion bottle that she wears daily feels slick and slimy against her bare skin.
Two hours pass by the time she finally finds herself standing on tiptoes in front of a goblin teller. The inside of the bank is at least cool and refreshing, hours in the sun have left her weak and tired, she can already feel the sunburn blooming across her shoulders.
"Name." A goblin peers down at her accusingly from his perch high above the counter.
"Danu Black." Her mouth feels as if it's filled with cotton and her tongue sticks to the roof of her mouth.
"Wand."
Danu reaches into her bag ad produces her wand, the goblin levitates it from her hand and into his own, he examines it a moment, then checks a floating roll of parchment to the left of his chair. Signing deeply, he slides from the chair high above her and lands with a soft pat on the marble floor before rummaging through a drawer behind the counter. After a few seconds, the top of the goblins head appears just above the edge of the counter, he slides a leather drawstring bag and her wand across to her, then climbs back on to his perch.
Leaving the cool interior of Gringott's and stepping out into the excruciating heat almost knocks Danu to her knees. Down the street, she spots a vendor advertising every flavor frozen drinks, and her feet carry her there without a second though. Danu purchases a cherry frozen drink and a glass bottle of the coldest water she has ever tasted. She chugs both drinks under the awning of Scribbulus Writing Instruments before walking six shops down to Second-Hand Bookshop.
Four and a half hours have passed since Snape put her on the bus, and she still has yet to get the final item on her list, a formal dress. She waited over an hour inside Second-Hand Bookshop while the shopkeeper tried to locate a copy of The Standard Book of Spells for year seven. No matter how many times they shouted Accio, the book refused to come to them. The shopkeeper, who never introduced himself, couldn't have been much older than her, insisted that they had at least a dozen copies of it available. This left her manually checking each and every stack of books towards the front of the store while maneuvering crowds of impatient parents. Finally, she spots a copy under the leg of a round table next to the entrance to the shop. She makes no move to help when the table topples at the removal of the book.
Second-Hand Robes is located diagonally from Second-Hand Books, this is where Danu has purchased her robes each year. Within moments of being inside, she has found three outer robes and four skirts in her size. There were several formal dresses along the racks, but all a bit too outdated for her taste. Just when she is about to admit defeat, a bit of lace catches her eye. Pulling it out from behind a dusty velvet something-or-other, she prays the garment fits her so that she can get out of here already.
Danu takes the dress across the room and holds it up to her body in front of a full length mirror. The dress in question is deep royal blue, with a lace bodice that drops into a low V on the front and back, the lace extends into delicate long sleeves, the skirt portion is a creamy silk that feels cool to the touch. She can't help but to twirl with the dress pressed against the front of her body, feeling the long skirt swirl around her ankles, imagining what it will feel like against her bare skin. Just then, a small frail witch with cotton like hair pokes her head around a rack of used shoes.
"Alterations for only 3 Galleon more." The witch had deep Irish accent that Danu wasn't expecting from someone so small.
Danu accepts the alteration and slips the dress on to her body in a back room, then stands on a small tufted stool in front of a row of floor length mirrors as the witch worked around her. Measuring tapes and silver pins wiz around her as the witch pulls and clinches the cool creamy silk around her hips and legs. The dress, while more or less fitting, needed several inches from the bottom, and a few inches taken in from the breasts to keep her from flashing everyone any time she moved.
"Beautiful, simply stunning!" The witch steps back from her and takes her elbow to help her down from the stool. Danu turns and finally gets a full view of herself in the mirror, the dress truly was gorgeous. Whomever owned it before donating it took excellent care of it, there were no holes, rips, or stains that usually accompany second-hand clothing. Even the smell of the dress seemed elegant. It did not fit in a place like this.
After thanking the old witch profusely and paying for her robes, skirts, and formal dress, Danu makes her way to the top of Diagon Alley from which she was dropped off hours ago. The sun hangs low in the sky, threatening nightfall. Danu stands next to the shrub she vomited into hours ago and lifts her wand arm high into the air and waits.
And waits.
And waits.
Twenty minutes pass, then thirty. Moths and mosquitos buzz around the streetlamps, people file out of shops as the owners lock the doors and turn the signs to closed. It is officially nightfall, and she should already be back at The Three Broomsticks. She looks around, hoping to find any place that is open at this hour. Her heart beats fast, afraid of the wrath Snape will inflict upon her late arrival.
The Leaky Cauldron is the only place on the entire street that remains open. She can hear the commotion from the street and briefly wonders whether or not she should actually go in. Logic finally wins, and she pushes her way through the doors. Inside, there is hardly any standing room, Danu pushes her way towards the bar and catches the eye of the barkeep who asks for her wand to prove her age.
"May I use your Floo?" Danu screams above the noise
"Where to?"
"The Three Broomsticks; Hogsmeade."
"No can do, they close the Floo to Hogsmeade down this time a year before the school year starts. Can't have students wandering off whenever they go to Hogsmeade." Several patrons seated nearby get a laugh at this, then break off into stories of their Hogwarts days mischief. The barkeep reaches below the bar and pulls out a scrap of parchment and pre-inked quill and motions for her to come behind the bar.
"Eight Sickles and you can use the owl." He motions with his thumb towards a small brown barn owl sitting on a perch between bottles of alcohol.
Knight Bus never showed.
Hogsmeade Floo closed.
Can't get back.
Waiting outside of The Leaky Cauldron.
-Danu Black
Danu lays eight Sickles on the bar, holds out her arm for the owl, and shoves her way back out into the night. Placing the parchment in the owls waiting beak, she tells it to go find Professor Snape.
The night is cool, Danu sits on the ground and leans against The Leaky Cauldron waiting on Snape to come save her. Her hands shake as she tries to imagine how furious he will be at her. A dark figure swoops in front of her and clutches on to her wrist, dragging her to her feet. She struggles against the hand clasped tightly on to her, and attempts to scream, but no sound comes out. The figured whirls around to face her.
Snape.
"You can't just grab people like that in the dark!" She tries to shout, but finds herself panting as her heart tries to slow in her chest,
"You silly girl!" His face is inches from her own, she can feel his breath on her face with each word. "Sitting outside a pub, alone, in the dark! Any number of things could have happened to you! Do use the brain that I know you possess!" He jabs a thick finger into her temple and pulls her back against his chest, gripping both of her wrists tightly in one hand, his wand in the other.
Should she feel awkward at the closeness? She never has the chance to determine that, because the world turns black and begins to spin and whirl around her. The breath is sucked from her lungs, every part of her body felt as if it was being tugged and tightened in rope, her eyes push deep into her skull, and her eardrums feel as if they may explode.
As quickly as it started, it is over. Her feet feel firm on the ground, she leans back against something firm, it stings her sun-burnt shoulders, she can feel a little bumpbump bumpbump against her skull. Her wrists are released, and she's pushed forward gently. Her legs turn to jelly and threaten to buckle beneath her, something strong grabs her beneath the armpits. She staggers forward and vomits violently without warning. Vision returns to her, and she whirls around to find Snape behind her, pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger.
"You truly are quite dramatic, Miss Black." He sounds exhausted.
They are back in Hogsmeade, standing out front of a packed Three Broomsticks. She just apparated for the first time. People chant a song inside; she can't make out the words. Her head pounds, a combination of heat, dehydration, apparition, and now chanting. Snape grabs her shoulder, she jerks slightly and makes a hissing sound due to the pain, he lifts his hand, examines the burn, and motions for her to follow him into the building.
Once safely back in her room, she falls back on to the bed and drops her canvass bag containing her shopping on to the floor, not caring that Snape was there, glaring down at her. He isn't as angry as she had been anticipating him being. Just then, her stomach growls loudly and she realizes she has not eaten since the morning. Snape sighs and leaves the room; she listens as he makes his way down the stairs and hears the door slam above the sounds coming from the pub below.
Danu stays lying on her back like a starfish for several moments, willing herself to move. Her legs ache from the bus seat crashing into them, her skin burns from the sun, and her head pounds from the heat. The door opens softly, and she pushes herself up onto her elbows.
Snape.
One hand holds a jar of cream, presumably Burn Balm, the other, a plate piled high with roast chicken, potatoes, and green beans. Under his arm is a bottle of pumpkin juice that she prays is ice cold. He passes each item to her, as she whispers her thanks. Snape lingers in the open doorway and leans against the door frame with his arms crossed against his chest, watching as she applies the cream to her sun blistered shoulders.
"What happened to your legs?" He nods down at her angrily bruised shins.
"Found out why you told me the Knight Bus was nauseating." This causes the corner of his mouth to lift as if he's trying not to laugh, she hears something clink against his teeth. Probably a cinnamon disk.
"Why are formal robes on the list this year?" She asks, suddenly remembering the dress she bought.
"I do not know, Miss Black." His hand is on the doorknob, and he slowly begins backing out of the doorway. "Eat, drink some water, and go to sleep."
Snape closes the door gently; she listens as he locks it behind him with his own key before treading down the stairs.