Chapter 13
London. Charing Cross Road.
Right in front of a very ordinary bar on a fairly crowded street, a three-story bus appeared out of nowhere with a violent gust of wind. It almost clipped a lamppost, but somehow stopped in time.
"We are here, young man!" the driver announced cheerfully to the pale-faced Severus, swinging the door open. "Do not worry, you will be let out quickly, same as everyone using the Knight Bus for the first time."
"Yeah. thank you." Swaying a little, Severus stepped off the bus, swallowing back bile as his stomach continued to roll, and swore never to use that masochistic invention again. Not while his body was still this weak, and certainly not before he had rebuilt his endurance.
As soon as he was in the fresh air, he took a deep breath, no longer caring about how filthy the city air felt. He glanced back and heard only the old man's wild laughter. The bus shot forward, barreled toward the building at a ridiculous speed, slammed into it at an impossible angle that made Severus's teeth ache just watching, then somehow skidded, twisted, and vanished around the bend as if the street itself had politely stepped aside.
The Minister of Magic is definitely a psycho.
"Do not even think about inventing something like that, especially by mixing in Muggle technology," someone said contemptuously beside him.
Severus had noticed the young man a while ago, but he had ignored him, though he still kept him in the corner of his eye.
"Who are you?" Severus asked, turning toward the stranger with a frown as he studied his face.
"Actually, I am already in my fifth year at Hogwarts, in the same house as you," the boy said, lifting his chin and looking at him with clear displeasure. Even in plain robes, there was an aristocratic stiffness to him, as if he had been taught from birth to never slouch. "I am a Black, Regulus Black."
"So you are Sirius Black's little brother," Severus said, and only then, in the back of his mind, it clicked why their faces were so similar.
"Do not call him my brother! He is a traitor!"
"Oh. so that is how it is. I have a feeling we will get along," Severus said with a grin. He clapped a hand on the surprised Slytherin's shoulder and practically hauled him toward the bar. "Come on, tell me."
"W-what am I supposed to tell you?" Regulus asked, eyes wide at the sheer audacity.
"All of Sirius's faults, of course!" Regulus blurted, flashing a bright smile, then immediately looked as if he regretted it.
The bar was called the Leaky Cauldron. It was small and unremarkable, and it reminded Severus of the taverns from his own world, where you could grab food and a drink after a long journey, then rent a room for the night. The crowd was the same too: hunched figures in shabby cloaks, men with unkempt beards, witches with stained sleeves, faces half hidden as if everyone had something to fear or something to hide.
Damn it, it really is like I am back in my own world. A dark, shabby bar, beer stains worked into the floor, a faint stink of alcohol, drunken wizards in worn clothes. peace and quiet. If a brawl broke out, I probably would not even notice. I would think I had come home. Severus thought with a crooked smile.
He guided the young Black through the room, but the moment they passed the next door, Regulus finally wrenched himself free.
"Sorry," Severus said blandly. "I just needed to get here quietly, without being bothered, and you were the easiest shield."
He walked to the brick wall from memory, tapped a few bricks, and the next moment they shifted and slid apart, opening a gap that widened into an archway. The hidden passage felt like a familiar trick, simple, practical, and just secretive enough to stroke wizarding pride.
"By the way, why are you alone?" he asked over his shoulder. "I thought all the nobility would be parading around with a pack of guards, not wandering by themselves in times like these."
"None of your business!" Regulus snapped.
Did you run away from home? And you still have not told me a single thing about your brother. Hey, where are you going?
"Leave me alone!"
Regulus jerked away from the annoying Severus, turned the corner, and disappeared into a crowd gathered outside a small shop.
.the best way to make someone leave you alone is to pester them yourself. Severus remembered his teacher's words with a faint smile, then headed the other way. But it is still pretty empty.
The bright signs and thick crowds that Severus and Eileen had seen on their first visit had vanished without a trace. Most shutters were drawn, and the few shop windows still lit looked like islands in a gray sea. At best, only a couple dozen shops were open, there were far fewer people, and almost everyone moved in groups of two or three, wrapped in dark robes that hid their faces. Even the chatter felt muted, as if the alley itself was listening.
War. and why did it have to start right now, when I was just reborn? Could not they have waited five years, until I had built up enough strength and left the country?
A few minutes later, he reached a small pastry shop. A silver-haired man was already waiting, dressed in a flashy black coat that reached his knees, with a white shirt beneath it, dark trousers, and polished shoes.
Lucius Malfoy looked like a man who had never doubted himself for a second. Arrogant, confident, the sort who could smile politely while cutting your throat, he could walk over anyone for his goals without losing a wink of sleep. He was also one of the few people Severus had considered a friend. Severus respected him, even treated him as a model, because it was Lucius who had pushed him toward the dark arts and introduced him to other Slytherins. In that house, a half-blood needed allies, and Lucius had been an ally, for his own reasons.
"I hope I am not late," Severus said with a smile as he sat down across from him. "Lucius, I did not know you had a sweet tooth."
"They told me you have changed, but." Lucius narrowed his eyes, fingers tightening on his cane. "I have the feeling there is a completely different person sitting in front of me."
"Eh. you have always been like this." Severus pulled out a needle and turned it into a wand. "I swear by my magic that I am Severus Snape and no one else."
A light flared above the wand, and Lucius relaxed a fraction.
"There is a reason for the changes, but I will not explain it," Severus continued. "Let us just say I woke up from a long sleep and decided to start over."
"I see. Have you thought about my proposal?"
"About joining you?"
"Yes."
"I will refuse. It is too dangerous."
That answer made Lucius frown even harder.
"Why? We talked about this for a long time, and you were almost ready. Maybe you."
Severus only shook his head. With a flick of his wand, he raised a small transparent dome over their table. In the same instant, all sound from outside vanished.
"No. And I am not joining Dumbledore either," Severus said quietly. "I do not want to die because someone decides to make an example out of a half-blood. You know exactly what that madman does to anyone who is not pure-blooded, so I do not want to end up under his hand and lose my life one day. Do not tell me it has never happened."
Lucius did not answer, but his eyes said Severus had hit the right spot.
"I value my life," Severus went on, "but I also do not want to lose our friendship. So I am willing to help you a little."
"Help?"
"Yes. To relieve you of one problem on your left hand."
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