Return to Bloodstream

Chapter One: A Mission Abroad?


Snape sat idly in a mahogany leather seat, awaiting Dumbledore’s arrival; it was gratefully the end of term meaning the end of classes, which normally resulted in an outer school mission, on behalf of Dumbledore. Without another moment wasted Dumbledore appeared from one of the leading doors from his personal quarters,
“Ah, Severus prompt as usual, good.” Snape nodded in a respected welcome acknowledging the headmasters arrival,
“Albus…” The headmaster sat at his desk and began rambling through his desk clearly searching for something of importance, and retrieved it with success, handing Snape a file like document, Snape began scanning through the document and looked at the headmaster quizzically yet confidently.
“Severus, I require you to go to the states… Yes, you would be thinking correct that their ministry is separate from our own however…” He indicated for Severus to turn a few pages, and continue reading
“There is a young witch that has greatly interested me; she was born in the north east, so she is legally in our governments care. At the moment she is on vacation at Bloodstream as a senior, I understand you are familiar with it?” Snape nodded yet quite taken with the mission discussed so far, long had he wanted to travel on a wider scale but the states was the last place he thought Dumbledore would send him, especially to Bloodstream!
“Yes I was there a few times myself when I was a student.”
“Good, as you will be one of the new chaperons there…” Snape thought bitterly to himself ‘no Albus, you are making me a teacher, simply at another school, bloody brilliant, just how I like to spend my free time, more kids!’ By the vacant expression Snape was beginning to show, Dumbledore chuckled merrily,
“Do not worry Severus, you will not have to teach, simply watch over the youths there… As you noted at your last meeting with the dark lord, he had an inkling or fascination with a youth, with greater abilities to Harry.”
“I see, so your wanting me to play guard dog for the summer?” Dumbledore chuckled again,
“Not quite, this young witch is more than capable of looking out for herself, however there have been recent attacks from neighbouring creatures and cults let us say, and it would be a lot more comforting to know I had someone there intrusting things didn’t get out of hand.” Snape looked suspiciously at the old man who was known for his puppetearing,
“And that’s all?” Dumbledore smiled through his well known half moon glasses,
“Severus, I entrust to you the most difficult of missions, however you may interpret them, you always return with more than excellent results…” Becoming slightly irritated by the rhymes and riddles Snape soon concluded,
“Now, I know there is something else.” Chuckling merrily again he finished,
“It would be most welcoming to receive an owl issuing a request for Miss Courtensia to become a member of staff to join us in the new term…” Seeing his face of suspicion turn to bitterness he said roughly,
“Albus you know that I’m not like, I enjoy being alone, will you just stop the match making thing it isn’t becoming of you, if those your are your intentions then send Lupin I’m sure he would be more-“



Dumbledore shook his head slowly,
“I am requesting you do this Severus. If it vexes you so, to carry out the mission, I will cancel it imminently.” Dumbledore bore a face of saddened disappointment in attempt to win the bitter toiled potions master over, shaking his head in a disgusted defeat he nodded and said irritated,
“I will go, but I promise nothing. I go only to ensure the protection of the grounds.” Dumbledore smiled and nodded gracefully in a subtle victory,
“Very good, you are expected to arrive this evening, or should I say this morning before the welcoming feast obviously.” That didn’t help Snape’s angered facial expression and left the office to conclude his packing, he had already gathered he would be leaving Hogwarts on a mission earlier that day but wasn’t sure where, until after his meeting. However he removed some of his more professor outfits and packed some less formal outfits, black pants, black shirts, white duelling shirts, similar to a loose musketeer’s top, with ruffle cuffs. If his memory of Bloodstream was correct he would need most if not all, of what he was packing. He thought it best not to postpone his departure any longer he wasn’t sure how long it would take to apparate all the way to the States, however before he departed from Hogs Meade he quickly went over the file again, ensuring he knew everything relevant about this talented witch that to his pleasure could be even more powerful than potter!
This at least gave some pleasure to Snape in knowing the all glorious Potter was not one of a kind super hero, in fact he may even be the lesser of two brining a corner smile to his hard face. In that he apparated, beginning his lengthy journey to Athens, Bloodstream camp. He arrived a little after noon, it seemed he had arrived just before the student rush began, he boldly made his way over to a group of assembling adults which he was slightly relieved to see and said coldly,
“I’m looking for Mr. Ridgeback.” The group simultaneously pointed over to a run down cabin at the beginning of a long line of indicated pupil cabins, their welcoming was just as he had predicted, unlawfully cold and very distant. Even as a youth when you came to Bloodstream you had to earn trust and especially respect in the eyes of your canards and his task had only just begun, he also had to find this Miss Courtensia without seeming too interested or suspicious, however Snape had perfected his acting abilities to a T this wouldn’t be too difficult, he only had to survive the summer.
He took confident strides towards the cabin and as he walked up the few stairs a hollow sound could be heard from his every step, until he proceeded further onto the dwindling porch dim and sandy with the remainder leaves from the past seasons clearly hadn’t been cleaned for quite some time. He tapped on the netted first door and was welcomed in by a large red demon, with a half smoked large cigar in his left hand,
“Aah, you must be Professor Snape, the teacher Dumbledore sent?” Snape nodded bluntly not saying much unless prompted otherwise,
“The old man speaks highly of you, the others’ll have high expectations of you upon meeting.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He ushered Snape to have a seat, appearance were very deceiving here, though on the outside the cabin looked run down and barely habitable on the inside it looked like an Emperors living room. Looking over the papers Snape concluded Dumbledore had sent earlier the demon began to say quite loudly UN to his knowledge,
“It says here, you have visited Bloodstream in your previous youth Professor?” Determined to get a good first impression from what seemed to be his boss for the summer he said quaintly spoke nodding in answering
“Please, call me Severus, yes that is correct.” The large red demon gave a large regular Joe smile and said merrily
“Very well Severus, did you claim to any posts during you times here?”
“Upon my first visit no, but when it came apparent I revisited here quite a few times I claimed the position of first Senior, however that was quite some time ago…” The demon chuckled again and Snape took the sign and subtly did the same,
“I take it you were here when Spikehouse was the big dog here?” Snape nodded with a faint smile,
“Yes, a blue demon with the unique yet awkward ability to read you at first sight.”
“Yes, that was always a down fall with working with Abe, very unnerving but it kept the troops faithful” Snape nodded in agreement,
“So I take it he retired?” Mr Ridgeback shook his head disappointedly,
“Unfortunately that was not the case, Abe was getting on in his years, and during one of the attacks as I’m sure your aware of he was lost…”
“I’m sorry to hear that…”
“Yes, well we cant linger in the past can we? Anyhow the little buggers will be arriving soon enough, so I’ll send for someone to show you to your personal quarters, she will give you all the information you need to know…” When he said send for someone that wasn’t quite what he meant however it still got the job done. He picked himself up heavily from his desk and walked over to the open window and bellowed loudly even for Snape’s liking,
“Courtensia! Get your ass over here TODAY!” Snape’s attentions shot on never at the name and became thoroughly aware of everything going on around him, utterly alert to a new presence that was approaching. A middle height young witch with perfectly slender curves, long brown wavy hair matched with excitedly wild blue eyes, walked through the door looking quite unimpressed with the demon
“You dare shout at me like that again in front of the others as if I was a house elf and I’ll do worse than put all your cigars in the water, I’ll make you go cold turkey for a week!”
To Snape’s attention the demon treated the young witch like Dumbledore treated him, as the demon simply chuckled loudly at her angered outburst,
“Alex my dear, the is Professor Severus Snape from Hogwarts, he will be joining your post for the summer. He will be staying in the rival cabin to yours.” The young witch seemed quite taken by the orders and new information the demon was sending her,
“Red, you cant be serious? What about JJ he’ll go mad?” She turned her head to face Snape actually acknowledging his presence and said in a sweet tone of voice which could clearly be detected as acting,
“No offence professor…” Snape waved his hand in justifying no offence had been taken, the demon shook his hand holding his cigar but that remained dismissing the matter with little effort,
“JJ will be fine, I’m giving him his own house, and with yours you will share with Severus.” She sighed and nodded again similar to how Snape would react defeated to Dumbledore, getting to his feet and collecting his bags she shook her hands and said calmly,
“Don’t bother with those, the house elves will take them for you.” Before another word could be spoken a plump little house elf appeared dressed in a potato sack and said cheerfully,
“Welcome to Bloodstream Sirs, my names is Patriot, I will be Sirs house elf for the summer, and can Patriot take Sirs belongings to his quarters.” Not paying much attention to the elf he nodded, as the young witch said boldly,
“To the cabin rivalling mine Patriot.”
“Yes, Miss.” Within a blink as usual the house elf disappeared with a click taking Snape’s belongings with him, turning to the door the demon said cheerfully, handing Severus some papers,
“Severus, this will give you an idea of what your job description in tails, however if you have any questions I’m sure Alexandra here will be more than happy to oblige…” Waving a left stone arm in the direction of the lest flustered witch, she gave a sarcastic smile, which Snape had done many a time to humour Dumbledore, they were more alike then he could have thought however he withheld judgement until after leaving the cabin, taking the papers and nodded gracefully the demon said concluding their first professional meeting,
“As I’m sure by now you have caught on everyone at senior post refers to me as Red you are welcome to do this same, it’s rather less formal than Mr. Ridgeback.” Snape gave a chuckle after the demon had demonstrated the allowance for one and shook his flesh like left arm, daring not to test the strength of the right stoned one. Upon leaving the run down cabin there had been little conversation started between the two, Snape got the feeling she wasn’t a big talker or a warm welcomer, yet he remembered back from his own days, he still had both her trust and respect to gain, but how? The camp though not looking large on first appearance was divided up into five long rows of cabin houses, looking from a bird’s eye point of view like a large star. It was the third row that he was led up; at the end of the line of youth cabins he was relieved to see two more cabins in much better condition than Red’s
“He doesn’t hold much company…” He looked quizzically at the young witch; she smiled at his playing dumb act,
“The face you just pulled seeing your cabin, obviously said you were thanking Merlin that it was a hell of a lot better than Red’s…” He a low chuckle and continued on,
“Yes, well there was some slight relief…” She gave a quiet laugh, but before she could get to the door Snape was holding it open for her, no matter where he was he would never forget what he was taught at home, how to be a composed gentlemen, she smiled giving the slight indication of a blush and proceeded in. Showing all the tricks and gadgets in his private quarters just before leaving the young witch said with some eagerness and hidden excitement in her voice,
“You are more than welcome to add extra wards on the cabin, I know everyone does, and the kids arrive in about an hour so you have time to change and settle in, however the sorting process starts imminently so be on your guard.” He looked at her again quizzically,
“And why should I be on guard?” She gave a sly grin and said mockingly,
“Because Professor, there’s wasps about…” He returned the grin, and nodded,
“I was wondering to which house I had been assigned, and you may call me Severus.” Smiling again the young witch replied with an equal grace,
“Then you may call me Alexandra, I’m sure you won’t want to use my other name once the kids arrive…” Suspiciously looking at her he said with a slight hint of excited curiosity,
“What other name?”
“That you will have to hear on your own Severus…” Then she was gone leaving him to unpack and satisfy himself with about six extra wards on his cabin, he had at least double on that of his private chambers back at Hogwarts however he had a pit feeling he wasn’t going to hate the summer mission so much after all….