CHAPTER SIX - Visiting old friends

Snape stared at the finished letter and sighed. It was the best he could do, considering he couldn't reveal about his magical background to a muggle. Dumbledore would probably kill him if he knew he was even considering such thing.

He had to explain what he thought was happening, without letting out too much. Not an easy task. But he owed her that much.

He had spent the entire night sitting in his desk going over that letter. It was already morning and he didn't think he would be able to sleep anyway. So he walked lazily to the bathroom and got himself ready for breakfast.

Before leaving his chambers, he sealed the letter and placed it in the box. After returning it to the fireplace, he left for the Great Hall.

McGonagall was already there and eyed him suspiciously. "You look like you haven't slept, Severus!"

"Thanks for stating the obvious," he said sinking in his seat and pouring himself some coffee.

"Please tell me you haven't spent your whole night trying to figure out how those letters came to be in your fireplace?" McGonagall asked.

"Actually..." He paused to decide if he should tell her. "I've got a reply last night."

He lifted his eyes from his cup to see her reaction.

McGonagal just stared for some time, not quite registering what he had just said, "You've got a reply?"

He nodded.

"You've... got... a... reply," she said again as if trying to make her ears get used to the sound of that. "You've got a reply."

"You can keep saying it, but it won't stop being true," he said in an amused tone.

"You can't be serious Severus, how could that even be possible?" She asked.

"It's not really a question of being possible anymore, it's a fact, it's happening."

"But... what did she say?"

"She was obviously surprised and I suppose embarrassed to have her privacy disrupted by a total stranger," he said while calmly emptying his cup.

"This is not Orbilee's doing, he had no reason to do that kind of spell... I don't even think there is such a spell," she said squeezing her tea cup between her hands.

"This has nothing to do with Orbilee, he merely bound the fireplaces together! This is something inexplicable, one of those things..." he answered.

"One of those things? Doesn't sound very practical. Who are you and what have you done to Severus?" she asked trying to mock him out of annoyance.

He just rolled his eyes and started to stand up.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I've already written her a reply. What else could I do?" Throwing his napkin on the table, he left, not giving her a chance to reply.

.................................................................

Lavinia's day had been pleasant, she was in a wonderful mood for no apparent reason. Maybe not apparent but the reason was there, hidden in her subconscious. Pure and simple anticipation. Excitement... something she hadn't felt for a long time. Whether or not she realized that, she found herself humming happily while doing the most mundane of chores.

After spending a long time outside doing some gardening, she gathered her tools and went back in. Even for late afternoon, the heat was too much to take.

After putting away her gardening tools and washing her hands, she went into the living room and looked at the fireplace for the first time that day. "I wonder..."

Shrugging she reached for the box inside the hearth and her heart did a quick jump when she found it there. Trying not to be too hopeful, she slowly opened the box with her eyes closed. Her feelings were mixed... she didn't want to find a reply there because it was insane and scary, but at the same time she was longing to put her hands in yet another message, words from someone who showed signs of intelligence, someone who could understand her feelings...

She opened her eyes and was surprised to see how relieved she felt to find a reply there. She picked the letter up examining it carefully. She stood up, leaving the box opened on the floor and sat on the couch to read the letter.


~ Dear Lavinia,

I'm sure you will find this as impossible to believe as I do.

My name is Severus Snape and I'm a Professor in a boarding school in Scotland, just near a town called Hogsmeade. It is not the Scotland you must have heard of, but a Scotland over 30 years ahead of your time.

As I write this letter and will soon place it on the metal box in my fireplace, or rather the metal box that sits in your fireplace, I try to imagine how all this could have happened.

The only explanation I can come up with, is that the bond between us is so strong that we are able to talk across the barriers of time.

If I haven't utterly terrified you, please write soon.

Yours,

Severus Snape. ~


She folded the letter in her hands and closed her eyes. She was so excited. There were hundreds of thoughts and feelings going inside of her, she was bursting. She suddenly felt compelled to jump up and down like a little girl and broke into giggles at the thought of it.

"What are you laughing about?" John stood at the entrance looking at her suspiciously, his voice held a menacing tone that brought shivers down her spine.

Lavinia stood up immediately hiding the letter behind her back and glancing nervously at the box she had left on the floor.

"Nothing... I was just remembering something funny I saw on TV," she answered moving closer to the box, praying for him not to notice it. "What are you doing home so early?"

He frowned and decided to go into the kitchen to get a coke in the fridge. "I have some documents I need you to sign."

Lavinia quickly put the letter back inside the box and kicked it under the nearest chair. She succeeded just in time, as John came back and sat on the couch placing his feet on the coffee table.

"Documents?" she asked now realizing what he had said.

"Yes, some business about the house that I need to take care of, nothing important. All you have to do is sign it, and I'll take it back," he said handing her a folder with some documents. "There's no need for you to read it, you won't understand it anyway and I'm in a hurry to go back to the restaurant."

Lavinia wanted to laugh when he said she wouldn't understand it, how much he underestimated her. He had no idea of her personality, abilities or ideals... and to think that a complete idiot like him was trying to make her feel inferior, was revolting.

Worried about the letter sitting just a few feet from her husband, all she wanted to do was to get rid of him as fast as possible. She ignored his comments and signed the whole thing without even a glance at what she was signing.

"Done." She handed the folder back to him.

Without a word, he took the folder and gave her the empty coke bottle and left.

She gazed through the window at him getting into his car and driving away. With a sigh of relief, she went in the kitchen to throw the bottle in the trash and came back to her letter.

...................................................................

Snape hadn't forgotten some things mentioned in the letter his friend from the Ministry of Magic, in The U.S. , had sent to him. He knew the house was to be for sale very soon and he wanted to go there and look at it. He didn't quite know what good that would bring but he was curious. Also he wanted to investigate if she was still alive and why they had spent so little time in the house, before it was put for sale again.

So with that in mind, he decided to apparate to America. Walking through the gates of Hogwarts, getting himself as far as it was needed, he disapparated.

He found himself in front of a charming ranch style house. It was painted in white with blue around the window frames and had a white picket fence.

Seeing a van parked on the driveway, he hesitated to get near, but then wondered if maybe the people living there would let him in to look at the house. So he went up the front steps and knocked at the door. No answer.

He walked around the house to the backyard and there was no one in sight. Snape looked at the house one more time and making sure that no one could see him, disapparated with a loud crack.

Once inside the Ministry of Magic, Snape tried to find his friend's office. The Ministry there wasn't much different from the one in London. Only the decoration seemed to be a little more bright and colorful, but overall the same. Snape shook his head at their choices of color.

He got to a desk where a chubby witch with glasses sat reading a magazine.Snape cleared his throat and the witch looked up from her magazine. "May I help you?"

"Do you know where I can find Mr. Bryant, please?" he asked while studying the place.

"Senior or junior?

"What?"

"Do you want Mr.Bryant senior or his son?

"Oh, yes, the son, Alan Bryant," he answered.

"Second door to your right," she said pointing to a long corridor behind him.

"Thank you," he said turning on his heels in the direction she was pointing.

The door was half open and he could see his friend sitting at his desk immersed in a pile of paperwork. He knocked at the door anyway, just to make his presence known.

The man looked up and smiled broadly at the sight of Snape. He stood up and moved around his desk, "Severus! What a wonderful surprise!" he said shaking Snape's hand. "Come in, take a seat!"

"How are you Alan? I see you're busy, perhaps you want me to come back another time?"

"Nonsense! I can do that any time I want," he said watching Snape curiously. "What brings you to America?"

Snape looked at his friend of many years and tried to remember the last time they had seen each other. They were only teenagers, and here this man still had the same happy, carefree look in his eyes. Their lives had surely gone different ways.

While Snape was dark and surly, Alan was blonde with hazel eyes and of a very friendly nature. There couldn't be more opposite people in the world. It was a wonder they were friends.

"I know you didn't come here just to visit with me," said Alan who knew Snape wasn't one for social calls.

"It concerns that request I made you about the house in Houston."

"Oh yes, yes...I have all the information here, but there's nothing to add to the owl I've sent you," he said while looking among parchments in a file cabinet.

"I was wondering if you knew what happened to the couple who moved into the house right after the wizarding family moved out," Snape said. "It seems odd to me that they were there for such a short period of time and then the house was empty for over two decades."

"Well, that's probably because of the fire. The house had to be rebuilt and..."

"Fire?" Snape felt his stomach tighten.

"Let's see here." Alan sat back in his chair with a roll of parchment in hand. "Yeah, between 1964 and 1981, the house was empty. It seems the fire burned the house almost to the ground at the beginning of 1964."

"So the couple lived there for less than a year... do you know what happened to them?" Snape was getting anxious by the minute.

"No, but I can do some research, I mean it will take me a little longer because this was the 1960's and these are muggle records," Alan said frowning at Snape's distressed expression. "This seems to be very important to you... were they related to your family in any way?"

Snape came out of his thoughts and eyed Alan. "You know my family, Alan, do you think they'd be related to muggles in any way?"

"No... probably not... then why the sudden interest?"

"I know you're being a great friend by helping me with this, I can't thank you enough, but would you mind if I didn't tell you my reasons?" Snape asked.

With a sigh Alan nodded. "You know I don't mind, but I have to say, now I'm even more intrigued!"

"Once I have all this figured out, I'll tell you, I promise," Snape said and then remembering something, he asked, " By the way, how could I see the house? You mentioned it was being put for sale."

"Yes, next week, you can go there as soon as they place the 'for sale' sign."

They spent the rest of the time talking about their lives and remembering their past, although Snape was more out than in to the whole conversation. He couldn't stop wondering what happened to Lavinia and he was almost afraid to find out.

Snape looked at the clock and only then realized how late it was. "Well, it was a pleasure, Alan, but I have to go."

"Already? Why don't you join us for dinner?

"I really can't, I..."

"You must come Severus, that could give you a chance to meet my wife Natalie," Alan said in his persuasive voice that Snape knew all too well. "Her brother has arrived in town a few days ago and she's spending a lot of time with him. You could meet them both."

"Maybe some other time, I still have some business to attend, but Thank you," Snape said standing up.

"Always tough to convince!" Alan said shaking his head.

They both said their farewells and Snape disapparated back to Hogwarts.

...............................................................................

When Snape arrived at the gates of Hogwarts, it was already past dinner. He was thankful for that, because he could go straight to his chambers without bumping into anyone.

He was exhausted, having spent the previous night awake and the whole day traveling from one place to another. He got out of his clothes and dived into bed, not even bothering to shower first. He fell asleep immediately, wearing a worried expression on his face that didn't seem disappear not even with sleep.

In the waiting room there was a litlle "thump" noise, coming from the fireplace.


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