Hero

-Author's Notes:

Thank you, everyone for reviewing. You have all spurred me on to continue this story. I will try my hardest not to disappoint you.


This story was beta'd by Nakhash Mekashefah. She took time off from smelling the spring flowers to proofread this for me. I know how much she loves the spring.

NM: Such sarcasm deserves punishment ::cough,cough::, ::sneeze:: after every damn plant stops pollinating...



Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.


HERO.


Chapter 03. Amongst Muggles.

Severus Snape, aka Samuel Smith, exited the small corner grocer with the ingredients for his dinner and tomorrow's breakfast in a paper sack. He moved down the walkway next to the river Thames on the east side of London. He lived three miles away in an old loft he rented. It was a long walk but he refused to travel in those noisy Muggle vehicles that clogged the city streets. He had spent the last three-months living as a Muggle. The more he learned about the Muggle world, the less he liked.

He had purchased a small television set. After only a week, he refused to watch the horrid thing anymore. Muggle news was obsessed with death and violence. Most of their fiction programming was, as well. The London Times was what he preferred now. Severus had learned a lot about the Muggle world around him. Some of it was very disturbing. He wondered what would happen if the Daily Prophet informed all witches and wizards that, at any moment, the Muggles could destroy the entire world in a nuclear holocaust. The Dark Lord would be quickly forgotten, if that were to occur.

Muggles did have a version of magic, themselves. Their technology could be quite impressive. They had placed a human on the moon: something no wizard or witch had ever done. Why was another question; it was just a big rock in the sky. They had personal devices they could carry with them that allowed them to talk to anyone, anywhere in the world, as long as they had a similar device. They had a worldwide network of information-sharing machines, which Severus couldn't even begin to understand. Everything felt so alien to him. Severus couldn't see how he would ever be able to survive in this world.

He would eventually have to find a way to support himself. The money he received from selling Malfoy's ring wouldn't last forever. There wasn't enough time for him to learn a new trade before it ran out. Severus desperately wished he could still make potions. He could make a fortune overnight with a simple hair-growing potion. He didn't care that it was illegal to sell magic to Muggles. The Ministry could go sod off for all he cared. Besides, he would only sell it as an herbal cure to private clients. Unfortunately, every potion known started with the same ingredient: a fire stared magically. Without magic in the fire, the ingredients would never coalesce. Severus had gone to the Muggle libraries and bookstores many times to find an answer to this. If he could locate a magical object that could start a fire on its own, he would be able to make potions again.

Severus removed the silver pocket watch from his black trench coat and checked the time. It was nearly four in the afternoon. The pocket watch he held belonged to his late friend and co-Death Eater Travis Nott. He wondered if Travis' son Theodore would still follow in his father's footsteps. Probably not, Severus was sure Theodore had witnessed the murder of his mother by his own father. The boy had lived in his own dark world ever since. Severus had warned Travis about marrying a witch that had no idea he was a servant of the Dark Lord. He knew it would eventually end badly. For Melissa Nott, it had.

This small pocket watch was now his only link to the Wizarding world. In the lid of the watch was a small compass arrow. The arrow didn't point north, but instead pointed to the nearest source of magic. The arrow would grow brighter the closer the watch came to the source. This would be Severus' only warning that the Death Eaters had found him.

Just after putting the watch back in his pocket, a small street rat of a girl collided with him. Severus sneered down at her; he guessed she couldn't have been more than eight or nine years old.

"My apologies, sir," said the girl with dirty blonde hair and a face to match. She then ran off in the direction of an alley between two buildings.

The sight of homeless children was something new to him. Even the poorest wizard could provide a home for his family. Here, if a child wasn't wanted, they were simply thrown away like trash. Most turning dirty little thieves and, later, prostitutes.

Severus suddenly reached for the pocket where he had just put the watch; it was gone. "Bloody brilliant," he shouted angrily at himself. He ran for the alley. The girl only had a ten second head start.

As he sprinted down the alleyway, he caught sight of the dirty yellow and blue jumper the little thief was wearing. She was just turning left at the far end of the alley. He ran faster; with any luck, he could catch her before she got to the other end of the building. He turned left and was stopped dead in his tracks. The alley dead-ended into a solid brick wall. "Impossible," he frustratingly said. He searched for a storm drain or manhole she could have used to escape, but there was nothing. She had simply disappeared.

Severus just smirked to himself as he stared at the brick wall. 'The little piece of street trash thinks she's clever,' he thought. He would show her that stealing from a Slytherin was a very bad idea.

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For three day he staked out the spot along the Thames River where the girl had stolen his watch. He knew she would return eventually. Her escape had been too perfect for just chance. She knew this spot very well and had a safe way out if she was followed. It was just after noon when he finally spotted her. The girl was still wearing the same dirty yellow and blue jumper. She walked merrily along as if she didn't have a care in the world. But her eyes gave her away. She was scanning the crowd, looking for possible targets. It didn't take her long to find one. She bumped into a very heavyset woman and, as quick as a cat, removed something from the woman's handbag. She apologized; then headed for the alley. Snape didn't follow. He knew there was only one other way out of that alley. He would meet her there.

Ten minutes later and a block and a half to the east, she appeared out of the alley. Snape followed from a distance. He hoped she would lead him back to her lair. With any luck, she might still have the watch there.

For almost an hour he followed the little girl. His many years as a spy for the Order guaranteed she wouldn't spot him. The girl stopped next to a small flower shop. Outside the shop were several bouquets of flowers. The girl approached a dozen long stem red roses. Snape watched from the shadows across the street. He wondered if the girl was daring enough to steal a rose right in front of the store. She looked both ways to make sure no one was watching her. She then touched her fingertip to one of the roses petals. Severus watched in amazement as the flower changed from red to pink. The girl smiled, touching another rose, turning it yellow.

"A Floramagus," Severus said in amazement.

A Floramagus was a witch with a magical green thumb. They were very rare and highly sought after for their gifts. Severus only knew one current living Floramagus: Madam Willowborn. Her potions ingredients were the best and most expensive in the world. A smile crept across his face. There, standing across the street, was a treasure buried under dirt and raggedy clothes. If the girl truly were homeless, the Ministry would know nothing about her. Severus had found his ticket back into the world of magic, and she was all his.

For another five minutes the girl played with the flowers. Once she had converted all the dozen roses to the colors of a rainbow, she finally moved on. He followed her for another couple of blocks. The girl eventually stopped at an old abandoned building that once was a carpet supply store. She quickly checked her surroundings, and then darted through a hole in the fence on the side. Severus hurriedly approached the dilapidated, boarded up building. It looked like it would collapse under its own weight in a good rainstorm. He carefully squeezed himself through the gap in the chain link fence.

Behind the building was a small loading dock. Severus could see through the rear windows that the building had recently been the victim of fire. The place was gutted with no roof left above it. The ruins of the old building would provide less shelter than the average cardboard box.

A metallic creaking noise caught his attention. There was an old rusted Muggle delivery van with no wheels sitting on a broken concrete slab. Through the cracks in the concrete, wildflowers grew in amazing numbers. Severus knew he had found her lair. The van had a large closed cargo box with a roll-up door, behind the cab. Severus silently made his way up to the roll-up door at the back of the van. He reached down and took hold of the handle. With one forceful pull, he opened it fully. Like a trapped rat, the little girl scurried for the safety of the nearest corner.

Severus stepped inside and pulled the roll-up door shut behind him. The frightened child was cowering next to an old sofa that had mixed and matched dirty pillows on it. Severus looked above him. Two large plastic air vents in the roof were open, letting the midday sun in. The little thief's nest was a lot more organized than he'd expected. She had a sofa for sleeping; two masonry blocks and a piece of plywood made a small table. She had four milk crates filled with different knick-knacks. Another crate was full of food and soda. Nothing that needed to be cooked or would spoil. Most surprising of all was the number of books she had. He wouldn't have thought a girl like this would have attended enough school to be an avid reader. He noticed most of the books were cheap paperback mystery and romance novels. She apparently only read to escape her life, not for any educational value. Still, it was impressive for a girl her age and situation to read this much.

The girl continued to tremble in the corner, not saying a word. He wondered what was going through her mind at that moment. She probably believed he was some kind of predator they preyed on little girls like her. "What is your name?" he forcefully asked.

"L-L-Lisa," she frightfully answered.

"Do you remember me, Lisa?"

"No, sir," she politely said with fear in her voice. Severus picked up an empty milk crate and sat down on it.

"Three days ago, Lisa, you stole my pocket watch from me. It was silver with a large snake on it. I will need it back," he told her.

"I have a dog, Mister. He's a big dog with very sharp teeth. He just went out for a pee. You better leave before he gets back," she warned.

"I've been watching you for days, Lisa," he told her. He knew she had no way of knowing that it was a lie. "I know a lot about you. I know you don't have a dog. I also know you can do very special things with plants and flowers."

"Did the nuns at St Michael's send you?" she nervously asked.

"No. Why would nuns send someone after you?" Severus inquired.

"They said that I was a demon. They told me I was full of evil," she explained.

"Because of what you can do with flowers?" he asked.

She nodded.

"No, I'm not from St Michael's. I am only here for my watch. Do you still have it?"

The terrified girl slowly shook her head.

"You sold it to someone?"

"Y-Y-Yes, sir," she nervously stuttered.

"Whom did you sell it to?" he calmly asked.

"Teddy, the man who owns the pawnshop a couple of blocks from here," she answered. "He gave me ten quid for it. He promised me twenty for any nice pocket watches, but Teddy said that it wasn't worth much."

Severus just shook his head. A magical watch like that would cost the average wizard five hundred galleons. It was solid silver, worth at least a thousand pounds to Muggles.

Severus reached into his pocket and withdrew a large roll of pound notes. He removed two ten-pound notes from it.

"Lisa, I'm not angry with you for taking the watch. We all do what we must to survive. I know that better than anyone. I will give you twenty pounds if you help get my watch back. All you have to do is take me to see this Teddy person. I'll give you ten now, and ten after you've helped me," Snape offered.

He then took one of the notes and set it on her makeshift table in front of her. Like a whip, she snatched the bill off the table.

"All I have to do is take you to Teddy; then you'll leave me alone?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered. But he had no intention of leaving her alone.

"What if Teddy doesn't want to give you the watch back?" she asked.

"There's an old Muggle saying I like to use: 'I'll make him a offer he can't refuse'," Severus told her with a calculating grin on his face.

"What's a Muggle?" she asked.

"Something neither of us is. Not anymore," he answered.

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A short time later, they arrived at the Quick Exchange Pawnshop on Wilmington Street. Twice on their way there, Severus thought the girl would flee down an alleyway and disappear from sight. She apparently realized that he would just track her back to the van. She would have to give up her little home and all her belongings if she really wanted to lose him.

"That's Teddy at the counter," she said, looking through the window.

"I want you to stay right here, Lisa. I won't be but just a minute," Severus told her as he entered the shop.

Teddy was a large heavyset bald man with tattoos covering both his arms and part of his thick neck.

"What can I do you for, sir?" the big man asked as Severus approached the counter.

"I'm looking for my pocket watch. A small girl sold it to you three days ago. It's solid silver with a coiled serpent carved on the case. I would appreciate it if you would return it to me now," Severus politely asked.

A mean scowl suddenly appeared on Teddy's fat face.

"I don't know what you're on about, mate. But I don't take grift here. So why don't you just piss off!" Teddy suggested with an ugly glint in his eyes.

Even though all his magic was now gone, Severus was still left with one wizard's gift: his talent for Legilimency. It was true he could no longer enter anyone's mind and read his thoughts. But he could still tell if someone were lying to him by the emotions he saw in their eyes. Teddy was lying, and he was a man that was used to intimidating others to get his way.

"It was three days ago. You gave her ten pounds for the watch but promised twenty. If you could get it for me now, I will be on my way," Snape said in a pleasant voice.

Teddy reached under the counter and pulled out a cricket bat. He slammed it down on the counter in front of him. He placed both his hands flat on the counter and said in a threatening voice, "Your ears stop working? I said bugger off. I suggest you leave while you still can!"

"Very well," Snape nonchalantly said, and then turned to leave. Once he had Teddy at his back, Snape withdrew Malfoy's dagger from its scabbard on his belt. He whipped back around and, with one mighty thrust, he impaled Teddy's left hand to the counter top. Teddy screamed in pain. He quickly picked up the cricket bat and raised it above his head. Severus simply grabbed hold of the big man's right wrist and pulled him forward onto the counter. He no longer had any leverage to swing the bat. Steam began to rise from the wound in his hand as the magical blade started to burn him. Unable to bear the pain anymore, Teddy released his grip on the bat and reached for the dagger.

"I wouldn't do that," Snape warned as he took the bat in his hands.

Teddy didn't listen. He grabbed the dagger's handle and tried to free his hand.

"AAAWWWWW!" Teddy screamed as the dagger handle burnt his hand.

" My word, that did look terribly painful," Severus mocking told him. Teddy trembled with pain as sweat poured from his brow. "This particular dagger is Arabian. It is spelled so that no one but the possessor of its scabbard can withdraw the blade. Let me demonstrate." Snape placed his hand on the dagger handle; slowly, he twisted the blade in the man's hand. Teddy cried out again in pain. Tears rolled down his fat cheeks. "Now then, where were we. Oh yes, my pocket watch," Snape said in a serious, cold voice.

Teddy immediately pointed, with a trembling finger, to the far end of the counter at his right. "Under the counter, in a green metal box, " he desperately said.

Severus walked around the counter and retrieved the small metal box. It was locked.

"I will need the key," Snape informed him. Quickly, Teddy unclipped his keys from his belt.

"It's the small brass one," he frantically said as he threw Snape the keys.

He opened the box to see it filled with expensive Muggle wristwatches and his silver pocket watch. He took out the pocket watch, and then relocked the box. He put the box back under the counter where he'd found it.

Severus then walked back around the counter to face the big man. He lifted the cricket bat up and grasped it firmly in both his hands.

"Sorry about this, Teddy, but you don't appear to be a man of restraint," he told the big man.

He swung the bat hard, striking Teddy in the right temple. Teddy fell flat across the counter. Severus checked the big man's pulse with his finger. After making sure it was steady and strong, he withdrew the dagger from the man's hand. He wiped the blood off on the back of Teddy's shirt. After replacing the dagger in its scabbard, he headed out of the shop.

Once outside, he immediately looked for the girl. She was standing at the corner of the building next to the pawnshop. He walked over to her.

"Did Teddy give you back the watch?" she asked.

"Yes, but he needed a hand to find it," he sarcastically told her with an evil smile on his face. He handed her the other ten-pound note and said, "I wouldn't recommend ever returning to this establishment. I doubt Teddy would be pleased to see you."

"I wasn't going to. I'm going to start taking my stuff to McMurphy's on Fifth Street," she told him.

"Lisa, would you care to join me for lunch?" he asked. "It will be my treat."

"You don't want nothing in return?" she skeptically asked.

"I only wish to talk to you about your gift with flowers. I have known others with the same gift. There is a lot you need to know," he informed her.

"You've met other demons besides me?" she asked in amazement.

"You are not a demon, Lisa. You are altogether something else. The magic within you makes you special but far from unique," Severus told her. "I can tell about a world you never knew existed."

"Can we have pizza?" she happily asked.

He just smiled at her and held out his hand.

She took it.

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Next chapter coming soon.


In the next chapter, we'll see what Hermione's been up to.