Just Around the Riverbend

hairsprayX12
forsaken_dream
April
margaritama
LaBibliographe (x2) - *Slow, evil, Grinch smile*
Anathema

I was happy to see such eager responses from all of you. Such interesting ideas you all have, and I can't say too much here without giving everything away. Be patient, my lovelies, and all will come together (Hmm...double entendre, there.) Anyways, I've got stuff running around in my head, and it's a jumbled mess, so I'll try to sort it out as long as you guys keep reviewing. I love hearing from you. The longer the review, the more I squee! Well, I hope that was enough incentive for you to tell me how you enjoy my next installment...

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Severus Snape sat at his desk, his quill scratching continuously against the parchment. His son played quietly at his feet, at present using his imagination to hold what appeared to be a wedding between an animated stuffed dragon and his giraffe. Where he got the idea from Severus would never know. He heard his son sniffle gently, and looked down as the boy’s head tilted back, his eyes closing, and he sneezed soundly.

The little animated dragon turned from green to orange, and gave an indignant meep. Cole looked down at the toy, and then jumped as if he’d been burned, quickly scrambling away from the newly re-colored toy.

“Cole?” Severus’ quill stopped, and he said his son’s name calmly. The dark-haired toddler took one look at his father and his lower lip began to quiver as fat tears streamed from his eyes. Severus put down his quill, and stood from his chair. The scrape of the legs against the floor made Cole jump again. Cole seemed eager to make himself as small a target as possible, and put his little hands up to his face to attempt to hide from his father.

Severus knelt in front of the shivering toddler, and reached out to pry the lad’s hands away. Cole wasn’t very strong at all, and the small hands were pried away easily. Cole was cringing and crying silently, as if he expected Severus to belt him one any moment.

“Cole, son, I’m not going to hurt you.” Severus said softly, putting his large hands on each side of his son’s face. Cole jumped and gave a cry of terror.

“Ba! Ba! No wish!” Cole sobbed. Severus’ eyes narrowed slightly. What was the boy trying to say? Cole’s tear-blurred eyes met his father’s fathomless eyes and Severus whispered the spell with almost no thought.

A small child’s mind was tender and easily damaged. They did not retain many full-scale memories as adults did, but their little minds carried bursts of colors and sounds, and if the child was advancing nicely, even a few picture-like memories. Severus sorted carefully through the emotions attached to each memory, the most recent being very content yet reserved.

He paused when he grazed over a memory filled to the brim with pain and terror. He pulled it to the surface, his dark eyes growing wide at the sight he saw. A man stood over Cole, yelling until spittle flew from his mouth. He was tall and muscular, his dark brown hair was mussed as if he had been asleep. The man pointed to the left, and Severus saw three little alphabet blocks floating in the air.

The memory was jerky and halting, as if trying to watch a film through a strobe light. He saw the young woman from the bar, Abigail, attempt to placate the man, only to receive a sharp slap for her troubles. The man stood straight, and Severus felt a bit of the overwhelming fear subside. The memory jerked, and the man was across the room, holding a long thin switch in his hand.

Abigail tried to intervene again, but the man physically forced her into a small closet nearby, shutting the door. The memory jerked, and Severus saw something that made his blood boil. The man had taken down Cole’s nappy and little trousers, and the switch fell lightning fast against the unprotected bottom as the toddler tried to bow away from the blows. Severus turned his head away, and withdrew from his son’s mind.

Cole was staring at him in a daze, tears still clinging to his thin little face. Severus used his thumbs to wipe away the tears, and Cole jumped again, and whimpered.

“No wish…” he whimpered. No wish…No switch… Cole was begging his father not to use the switch on him. The connection to the two incidents was the accidental magic Cole had performed. His heart swelled with pride that his young son was already showing promising signs. But the man in the memory had reacted so violently. He must have been a muggle! Or a jealous squib… That damned Abigail must have found someone to take care of her and her child. Severus saw red momentarily, and the dark magic that he had worked so hard to control sparkled around his fingertips.

He was pulled back to reality when Cole gasped. The black static-like arcs of magic stopped, and Cole reached out to touch his father’s hand.

“No wish?” Cole asked.

“No switch.” Severus replied, and gathered his son into his arms. He settled himself on the floor with Cole in his arms, and reached over to pick up the orange dragon. Cole whimpered softly as the dragon gave another ‘meep.’ Severus put the dragon on Cole’s lap, and drew his wand. He tapped the dragon, and it turned back to its original reptilian green. Cole jumped, and looked up at his father, wide-eyed.

“No ba?” Cole asked softly. Severus smiled gently at his son.

“Not bad. Not bad at all.” He said, and then turned the dragon red. Cole gave a tentative smile, and poked the dragon. When it didn’t hurt him, he turned back to his father, giving him one of the biggest smiles Severus had seen since the boy arrived. And his heart melted.

He’d find that damned miserable bastard that had turned his son into a puddle of terrified goo when he performed accidental magic. He’d find him and make him pay.

There were plenty of techinally-not-illegal ways to get revenge…

~~

Daisy and Phelan were lying on a blanket in the library, a large book opened in front of them. Daisy was frowning as Phelan pointed to things, a wistful look on his face.

“This is the Black Lake. The first years are carried across it the first time they arrive, just before the Sorting.” Phelan said.

“How do you know all this?” Daisy asked, looking at the tentacle that rose from the water.

“Father attended. When he younger, before he was Bitten. He was in Hufflepuff. Not many people know this of course. But he wasn’t brave enough to be in Gryffindor, smart enough to be in Ravenclaw, nor did he have enough blood purity or cunning to be in Slytherin. Hufflepuff takes the rest, you see.” Daisy nodded. “He had pretty good grades for a Hufflepuff. He was bitten when he was in Fifth Year, and he was kicked out immediately. He then made it his life’s work to take the childhood away from others, because his own was interrupted so terribly. Childish, yes, but it earned him his reputation. His ferocity and bitterness made him a household name to be feared.” Phelan said, speaking mostly to the book more than Daisy. Daisy reached out and touched Phelan’s hand, and he turned his face to her.

“You’re not him. You’re nothing like him. I love you.” She said, and leaned closer to him. He gave her a small half-grin and touched his head to hers.

“Well, well. Beauty and the Beast. And for the life of me I can’t tell which one is which.”

The two teens turned to see Draco standing in the doorway, a sneer on his face. Phelan met the blonde’s sneer with one of his own.

“Hm. There are all sorts of glamours and potions that fix the visage. The right set of clothes can make someone look dashing. But as for you…you can’t fix stupid.” Phelan shot back. Daisy snorted.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish, beast.” Draco replied. Phelan showed his sharp teeth, and growled.

“I never do.” Draco sneered at the young couple again, before he turned and stalked from the room. The two were silent for a few moments, before Daisy slipped her hand into Phelan’s.

“What House do you think I’ll be sorted into?” she asked. Phelan looked at her, as if considering it.

“You’re too good for Hufflepuff. You’re smart, but that’s not the only thing you think about, so probably not Ravenclaw either. You’re very brave, so it could be Gryffindor. Or maybe Slytherin…you have great ambitions…but if I were putting money on it I’d say Gryffindor.” He said. She smiled, and he returned her smile, showing his teeth. She swung her arm around his shoulders, still grinning.

“You and I will make a force to be reckoned with, Phelan. We’ll be the Dynamic Duo.” She laughed. He raised a gray eyebrow.

“Dynamic Duo? What’s that?” he asked. She just dissolved into giggles, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. “You want to laugh at my ignorance, then? I’ll give you a reason to laugh!” he reared up from the blanket, and Daisy rolled onto her back to shield herself. Phelan’s hands found her sides, tickling her mercilessly. She squealed with laughter as he tickled her, until she begged breathlessly for him to stop.
When he did she pushed him on his back on the blanket, and found a place on his side, burying her face into his robes.

“I’m nervous.” She said, her breath still coming in puffs.

“We’ll be alright, my little wife-ling. We’ll be just fine.” He reassured her, carding his hand through her silky black hair.

“We will, won’t we?” she said, more of a statement than a question. His chest rumbled with pleasure, like a wolfish purr.

“Absolutely.”

~~

Hermione opened her eyes blearily, reaching up to wipe the light sheen of sweat from her forehead. Her stomach was rolling, and she quickly threw back the covers to escape the too-warm confines of the bed. She slid out from under her lover’s arm, and heard a sleepy grumble as she fled to the bathroom. She knelt down in front of the toilet, her mouth beginning to water unpleasantly. She barely had time to suffer as she leaned forward and retched, the remnants of supper quickly coming back to haunt her.

When she was positive she had rid herself of every bit of food she’d eaten that day, she flushed the toilet and stood on rubbery legs. Her face felt hot and her mouth had a horrible metallic twang. She bent over the sink and turned on the cold water, splashing the mercifully cool water on her heated face for a few minutes, before swishing the horrible taste out of her mouth. She swallowed a few handfuls of the clean water, before she felt decent enough to go back to bed. She patted her face dry with the towel near the sink, and padded back to bed tiredly.

As soon as she was under the covers, Lucius’ arm snaked itself around her, pulling her close.

“You okay?” he mumbled sleepily, pressing his chin against the top of her head.

“Yeah…just a tummy-ache. I’ll be fine in the morning.” She replied, closing her eyes. He made a non-committal grunt, but said no more.

Hermione fell into an uneasy sleep, her stomach still feeling as if she’d swallowed the giant squid.

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Hmm....*steeples fingers* Very interesting......veeeeeeery iiiiiiiinteresting. Bwah ha ha!

*Clears throat* Anyway, now that the crack is out of my system, I would enjoy hearing what you thought! Review, my little lovlies. Give the plot bunnies review carrots, for they hunger for human flesh! I mean...reviews! Yeah, that's it, they hunger for reviews! *shifty eyes* Review please?