Villain of the Piece
Part 2 Youthful Indiscretions
- Chapter 21 -
Chapter 21: Chinks
in the Armour The café was almost empty on that June afternoon. It was a lovely day but the Hogwarts students
were completing their exams and no one from the school had time to visit
Hogsmeade. Madam Puddifoot was surprised
that the pale young wizard ordered a cream tea at the back end of lunchtime that
is neither Severus raised an eyebrow.
Wholemeal scones as well as white?
And blackcurrant jam as well as strawberry? Madam Puddifoot was departing from tradition. He buttered a white scone and spread it with strawberry jam
and clotted Cornish cream – he was in a mood for tradition, not for innovation
– and stared out of the window as he ate, remembering a Saturday some three and
a half years earlier when he had brought a witch to this very teashop and she
had asked for an English cream tea. He poured a cup of tea.
Inches from him and yet a world away, a young witch dressed in blue
hurried along the street outside. Yes, she wore blue that day, he mused. It was her favourite colour. Was?
Still is, probably. Where is she
now? Maybe living abroad in The jingle of the shop doorbell started him out of his dark
daydreams. A young wizard entered, his
anxious face splitting into a smile at the sight of Severus munching scones. “Severus, old man” he exclaimed with joy, and he pulled out
the opposite chair. “Mind if I join
you?” He moved Severus’s shopping to
another seat and sat down as, seconds later, Madam Puddifoot arrived. “What can I get you, m’dear?” Regulus eyed Severus’s cream tea but decided against
copying him, and said “I’ll have a toasted sandwich, please. Ham ’n’ cheese. Better make it two rounds. And tea.” “Brown or white?” “Oh, definitely brown tea, please.” “No, young sir” she replied with a laugh, “I meant brown or
white bread, as you very well know?” “White please, Madam Puddifoot … Well, how’s the world
treating you” he added to Severus as Madam Puddifoot trotted away. “You don’t look so ecstatic for someone
taking a holiday.” “A holiday?” “From work.” “Oh, I see … Mmm? I’m
not on holiday. I’ve left St Mungo’s.” “But I thought you really liked it.” “Not my cup of tea” Severus said darkly. “Brown or
white” he added with a smirk. “Anyway
how’s the world treating you? Haven’t
you got an exam this afternoon?” “Not likely! Muggle
Studies this afternoon” Regulus explained.
“I’m not doing that. All mine are
done for this year. Let’s not talk about
it – I’m just glad they’re all over.” “So Hogwarts is an out of bounds topic” Severus observed,
“Just as you are out of bounds this afternoon.” “Oh, I don’t mind talking about Hogwarts” Regulus assured
him. “Just don’t want to give a
blow-by-blow account of what a trial each exam question was … No, Hogwarts is a
good topic! Lots going on at the
moment.” “Really?” Severus
raised his eyebrows quizzically and added “Such as?” “Such as Slughorn wants to retire and Dumbledore doesn’t
want him to.” “Why?” “Well, Sluggy’s pretty good isn’t he … Oh, you mean why
does he want to go? He’s not been very
well this last term. We even had a supply
teacher to cover for a while. Professor
Payne’s sister. She did a good job. Professor Payne has also hinted about giving
up–” “To be perfectly honest she should have gone years ago–” “Yes, but we think she was hoping that her sister could
take over – sort of slip into her shoes.
The sister’s younger you see.” “What’s the sister’s name?” “Deiphoebe Payne.
The two have a cottage in the village, here.” “So is that what will happen?” Severus asked in a bored
voice, “Amalthea will go, and Deiphoebe will replace her; or Slughorn will go,
and–” “No! It’s all to
cock, now. Deiphoebe’s ill. She’s been in St Mungo’s for over a week. The word is it’s very serious. I was going to ask if you’d seen her.” “What’s wrong with her?” “A Dementor attack.” Severus suppressed a bitter smile, thinking of the witch
whom he had been caught photographing. Regulus
chatted on in that innocent, excited way he had and Severus watched him pouring
tea and tucking into his sandwiches. He
has a schoolboy appetite to go with his schoolboy mind, Severus observed. But why was that witch poisoned? To stop her going to Hogwarts? And if so who had done such a thing? And why? “So, what you’re saying” Severus concluded, when he felt
the need to cut through Regulus’s long explanations, “Is that Dumbledore has
staff problems. Several vacancies.” “Yes. Hey, Severus!”
Regulus exclaimed again, as if a light bulb had lit up in his head, “How about
teaching? You need a job.” “Did I say I did?” “Well … no … but you said … Have you found something else,
then?” Severus decided not to tell Regulus about ‘Nobody’s
Perfect’. “Let’s just say I’ve got irons
in the fire. Not sure that I’m desperate
enough to join Hogwarts” he responded with a chuckle. “Ohrr, shame. You’d
be good as a teacher. Anyway, enough of
school and work ’n’ stuff. Have you seen
much of Xavier? Or Amycus…?” No Severus had not seen anything of his old school
friends. Not recently. He didn’t feel any constant need to socialise,
and often preferred to be on his own. Not
wanting to discuss his doings, Severus manoeuvred the conversation onto
Regulus’s family and was surprised to learn that Sirius had long ago left home,
and for a while had lived at the home of James Potter’s parents. “Three years ago, almost” Regulus explained. “He stormed out after a big row – took his
bike ’n’ everything! Father was furious. I didn’t know how to tell people, so I didn’t
mention it at school. Don’t know where
he is now.” “Not still with James?” “Hardly. James and Lily
are married. Didn’t you know?” The news, so casually given, was like a tiny stab in the
heart. But why can it hurt me, Severus
asked? Haven’t I steeled myself against
such feelings? Haven’t I just said the
conventions of marriage and family life are not for me? The rest of the conversation was a blur but seemed to
concern a visit that Regulus had made to an inn where he had listened to a
strolling player telling a story. Severus
guessed that he continued to say ‘How charming’ and ‘Very nice’ in all the
right places because Regulus showed no sign that anything was wrong. But he was glad when they left the teashop
and parted, and he could be on his own. He watched Regulus set off up the lane back to school. Then he looked about him. Where to go?
Not back to Wiltshire yet. Nor
home to Snarebeck because he would then have to tell his mother about being
sacked from St Mungo’s. To the lodging
house? To pay his rent for the coming
week and ensure his room was secured? At
that precise moment Severus wished he could follow Regulus back to school;
browse the library, and feast in the Hall.
Or even just sit at home in Snarebeck on the sofa, and drink a glass of
wine, and read… When it’s my home, he decided, I’ll not hide the books with
concealment charms like Mother does.
I’ll have them in plain view. And
even more of them – books everywhere. And
I’ll never let a Muggle into the house, so there’ll be no need to conceal
anything inside it! - Chapter 22 - |