Befuddled Muggle

[Ravenclaw]

Ah, at last, the famous Ravenclaw finds a story suitable for this PG board (we hope!)

Befuddled Muggle

Summary: Jessica Ryan never meant to get into any trouble... she just had a knack for it. In a restaurant waiting to meet with her editor, she overhears a very suspicious conversation... And before she knows it, she’s part of a conspiracy she knows nothing about and wanted by both sides for information she never knew she had.

Jessica slowly sipped her beer, waiting for Jason to run a story by him. She looked at her watch, impatiently. He was late again.
Jessica Ryan was a petite girl, around twenty-three years old. She refused to cut her very long, very straight cinnamon colored hair, despite her sister’s insistence. She had relatively pale skin with bright brown eyes, always sparkling with the excitement of a new story.
Her eyes, though, were not sparkling at that particular moment. Jason was always late when it came to her. He never took his interns very seriously anyway, despite the quality of their ‘big scoop.’ He was just that kind of person. Her colleagues told her that once she became a full-fledged member of the crew, Jason would warm up to her. But Jessica was hoping to speed up the process. She never liked to wait. So she invited him to dinner, making it clear that it was not a date, to discuss her story ideas.
Now, waiting in a booth in the corner, she heaved a sigh and drummed her fingers on the tabletop. Whispered voices caught her attention in the booth behind her. She froze and listened.
“... They’ll never find us here. A nice Muggle place, very quaint, very unknown to wizards.”
Wizards? Is that what the man had said? Jessica was intrigued.
“Don’t be too sure, Fudge,” said his dining companion. “It’s best to keep a low profile nonetheless. What do you want?”
“The truth.” The man, Fudge, sounded pretty firm. “Dumbledore says... Outrageous claims. Really, incredible. And since, you’re one of the richest and most powerful families in the Wizarding World, I thought maybe you could... verify?”
“If you’re asking whether or not the Dark Lord has returned...” said the other man, with an air of confidence about him. “I suppose you would like in on the deal?”
There was a brief period of silence. Finally, Fudge replied.
“I am the Minister of Magic, Malfoy, lest we forget.”
“I know,” said Malfoy. “Which makes the offer more tempting. You give us what we want, we’ll give you what you want.”
There was another brief silence. Jessica knew Fudge was considering the deal. But what on earth were these people talking about?
“What is it you want, Malfoy?” Fudge finally asked.
“I think you know what it is.” Jessica could hear the smile in his voice. Malfoy knew how this was going to turn out. Fudge was quiet for a moment again. Finally, he sighed.
“Alright,” he said. “But I demand full protection from you and your people.”
“Agreed,” Malfoy said, almost lazily. “But you will bring us the boy?”
“I will do my best. But you won’t... You won’t kill him?” Malfoy laughed at Fudge’s nervous query.
“Sometimes I’m amazed that someone as ignorant and naive as yourself, Mr. Fudge, could ever become the leader of the entire magical British population. Then again, look at the Americans. Their’s is even worse.”
“You haven’t answered my question.” Fudge’s voice was beginning to shake.
“It is not my question to answer.”
“What if...” Fudge started, thoughtfully. “What if I got you the Orb instead?”
It was Malfoy’s turn to be silent. But his silence was because of shock. Jessica was lost in the conversation.
“The Orb of Tyron has been lost for centuries. The Irish priests have hidden it somewhere and no wizard or witch has ever been able to recover it. Why should I believe you could get it for me?” Malfoy was doubtful. Fudge was regaining his confidence as Malfoy was losing his.
“A little known fact about me, Malfoy,” Fudge said, quietly, “is that I am the last Sehran. If anyone can get it, I can.”
Malfoy paused, considering the alternative offer.
“Very well,” he said, sounding intrigued. “Find me the Orb of Tyron and you will be handsomely rewarded and safe from us.”
Jessica could hear Fudge sigh with relief.
“But...” said Malfoy and Jessica knew Fudge was tensing up at that word. “If you fail, you will be severely punnished.”
“Yes, yes, of course!” Fudge nodded vigorously.
There was the sound of tweed against the plastic of the booth seats as the gentlemen got to their feet. Jessica turned carefully to watch them. One had oily-looking blond hair and a thin face. The other was a short, balding man. The blonde wore dark clothes, while the shorter man was in a pinstriped suit. Jessica could guess who was who quite easily.
“What have I missed?” It was Jason, sliding into the booth across from Jessica.
Not bothering to look at him, always keeping her eyes on the two gentlemen, Jessica grabbed her purse, stood up and replied, “Me.”
And with that, she followed the two men out the door, a look of bewilderment on Jason’s face as he reached over and ate Jessica’s leftover chips.



AHA! YES! OK, now, you will have to help me with this... I hope to finish this, in fact I don't think I'll rest soundly until I do, but if I get stuck, I may ask for help. Would y'all be willing to help a poor girl trapped in the world of pyramids and Islam?

[Colli]

I'm not much of an ideas person, but I'll see what I can do. :D Nice start!

[lithorose]

“If you fail, you will be severely punnished.” :LOL: sorry but line reminds me of the Gungan leader in SW1 "You shall be...pyoonished":D

Good start! I have a lot of questions about this orb thing, such as what is it, why is it important, why Irish monks are watching it, etc...do you know where you're going with it?

I have a hard time picturing Lucius willingly entering any place remotely involving Muggles...though I can see him sneering at the waiter and dusting off his seat before he sat down in it and flicking imaginary bits of food off the table in disgust. Why meet in a Muggle place when Fudge could just go to Malfoy Manor or something? I imagine Lucius is a pretty hard character to write; he so slippery and yet still elegant. Patiently awaiting next week's episode.:)

[Ravenclaw]

Week? Who said anything about weekly? Ha, no, not like that. I post when I post, sometimes it's quick and sometimes it ain't... I know, not very good, but I'm not good with scheduals.

Anyways, yes, I have a great idea where this is going, as well as explinations for things (such as strange words, objects, and people). However, there are parts I'm cloudy on and that's where I'll need to think on. Here's the next bit, though, enjoy.

Jessica followed the gentlemen out of the restaurant. As soon as they were out in the open again, they covered their heads with hoods and walked in opposite directions. Jessica decided it would be safer to follow the one called Fudge.
She followed the strange, short man into a dark alleyway. He looked around carefully, and then he suddenly disappeared right before Jessica’s very eyes. Jessica laughed.
“I must be seeing things,” she said. She turned the corner back onto the main street and nearly bumped into someone, who also seemed to be hiding his face with a black hooded raincoat. But it wasn’t raining.
“Sorry, sir, I didn’t see you.” The man mumbled a reply. Jessica couldn’t understand most of it, but she did identify two words.
“Blind Muggles...” That word... Fudge had said that word.
As the man started to walk away, Jessica called out to him again. “Excuse me, sir?” The man paused and turned to her. All Jessica could see was his stubbled chin from under his hood. It seemed almost frightening. He said nothing. Jessica suddenly felt his burning gaze, though she couldn’t even see his eyes.
“Um, I was wondering if, well, I could maybe, talk to you?” The man snorted and turned away again. He began to walk away when Jessica finally got up the nerve to grab him by the arm. He grunted as he felt her fingers squeeze his forearm and glared at her. Jessica wondered if he was growling at her, for she could see the white of his teeth through his curled lips. She noticed he seemed to have good dental hygiene.
“I really need to talk to you,” she repeated more firmly, brown eyes determined. She knew how to deal with difficult witnesses. She was a reporter, after all. The man looked at her for a moment as if examining her. Finally, his lips twisted into a smile.
“You need directions or something?” he asked, casually. “The bus stop is down the street.”
“I know,” Jessica nodded. “I live here.”
“You seem like a tourist. Like you’re lost. Bumping into everyone... and you’re Scottish.”
“And you are English. What’s your point? London is full of different nationalities. It’s like... New York. And I’m Irish, by the way.” Jessica glared back at the man, as hard as she felt him glare at her before. She was a full head smaller than he was, but she was not intimidated. She never was. The man smiled again.
“I like you,” he finally decided. “What’s your name?”
“Ashley,” said Jessica. The man snorted again.
“What’s your name?” He repeated. Jessica looked at him suspiciously and stepped backward.
“... Jessica...” she said, after a slight hesitation. His smile broadened.
“Well, Jessica,” he said. “What is it you would like to talk to me about?”
“Actually,” Jessica started. “It’s... The Orb of Tyron?”
It was the man’s turn to be startled. His smile fled from his face the moment the words were spoken and he stepped away from her.
“Who are you?” he asked, half-accusing. Jessica was the one smiling now.
“I think the question is who are you?” she said. “What is it?”
“The Orb?” The man sounded even more surprised. “You mean you don’t know?”
“No, I don’t know!” Jessica said, sternly.
“You know of it...” the man began to nod. “Right?” Jessica nodded. There was a brief period of silence. Finally, the man smiled again. “Come with me,” he said.
He hailed a cab and invited Jessica to join him. He glanced at the driver nervously and drew out a long piece of wood and pointed it at the cabdriver. He then put it away and turned to Jessica.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Anywhere,” he said. “Where did you hear about the Orb of Tyron?”
“What did you do to the driver?” Jessica returned. She wasn’t used to being asked questions. She was the one who usually asked the questions. She was the one who was usually in control of any situation.
“Nothing,” said the man, dismissing the question with a wave of his hand. “Answer my question.”
“Answer mine!” Jessica said, resolutely. “Who are you? What are you?”
“I work for Dumbledore,” said the man. “That’s all you need to know.”
“Can I at least see your face?” Jessica asked. The man smiled.
“Very well,” he said. Carefully, his hands went up to the hem of his hood and he pulled it back to reveal a sallow complexion and dark eyes with many secrets. He had a scar across one cheek that seemed relatively recent and sleek black hair. “Now where did you hear of the Orb of Tyron?”
“Two men were talking in the restaurant I was just at,” Jessica said carefully, watching where she tread. If she showed confusion, she showed weakness and he would know she was a phony.
“Who?” the man asked.
“Mr. Fudge and Mr. Malfoy.” The man’s eyes widened at the mention of those names.
“You’re sure?” he said. “Fudge and Malfoy? Making a deal about the Orb of Tyron? What would Fudge know about it?”
“I don’t know,” Jessica answered, truthfully. “But tell me. What’s it like to work for Dumbledore?” She knew it would be a mistake to ask who the man or organization was right off. She was a reporter, it was her job to be sly.
“Tedious, but worth it,” the man said, curtly. “But to the matter at hand. Do you know what powers the Orb of Tyron has?”
“Not really,” Jessica replied.
“It’s best I not tell you then,” said the man. “The fewer people who know, the better.”
“All I know is it was hidden by some priests a while ago and now no one can find it.” The man nodded.
“Right. Tell me more about what Fudge and Malfoy discussed.”
“They were making some sort of deal... Fudge wanted to be safe from Malfoy and his boss... well, you know.” Jessica wasn’t sure who Malfoy worked for exactly and she wondered if she should know. But the man nodded, understanding, as if it wasn’t unusual to avoid saying a man’s name.
“Of course...” Suddenly, the man frowned and became defensive. “Who do you work for?” he demanded.
Oh no, Jessica thought. My cover’s blown.
“The newspaper,” she sighed, reluctantly.
“So you’re just trying to get a good story, aren’t you?” the man scowled. Jessica shrank away from him. “Well, you better listen to me, Jessica. If you print anything about what we have talked about today, I will personally make sure you never print another story as long as you live.” Jessica nodded.
“I promise,” she said. The man took out the strange stick again and waved it at the driver, who stopped the cab. He calmly paid him.
“Get out,” he said quietly to Jessica. She obliged. He left the cab after her and it drove off. Though they had been in the taxi for a while, they were only down the street from where they had met. Coincidentally, at the bus stop.
“Very funny,” Jessica rolled her eyes, but when she looked for the mysterious man, he was gone again.

[Colli]

:D I'm assuming the mysterious man with sallow skin, a hooked nose, and a sexy velvet voice (;)) is Snape? Which surprises me.. I always considered him to have somewhat yellowed teeth.

his lips twisted into a smile
*cough* JK Rowling quote! ;)
his stubbled chin
*drool* Mmmmmm

Colli waits as patiently as she can.

[StarGazr]

Colli, honey... get a small grip... you'll never make it through this ineresting story like this... Colli... Colli wake up... you were swooning again...

Raven, you'll have to ignore my friend here... see she loves Snape and... well that's all I've got... but I love this story. I think Jessica is a great character (she talks back to Snape... what's not to love?!) and it's very mysterious... I love a good mystery. Keep up the good work.

[Ravenclaw]

i quoted jkr? wow, i didn't notice. are u sure? oh well. ow. my wrist hurts. can't post now, been injured. ciao.

[Colli]

:D I'm pretty sure that's a quote... it sounded awful familiar.

I do enjoy the story in general :D it's just some parts... :swoon: They make me want to read the books again.

What'd you do to your wrist? I hope you feel better! :hug:

[Ravenclaw]

OK, I have a bad feeling I quoted JKR again when describing the character in this next part...

Jessica walked into her in a small neighborhood in St John’s Wood only to find another note on the refrigerator from her sister.
“Gone out. Have fun. Love Lizzie.”
Jessica sighed and fell onto the couch, exhausted. Her arm flew up and hit the answering machine on the table behind the couch.
“You have 2 messages,” droned the robotic voice, followed by a beep. The first was Jason, irritated.
“Jessica, love, how do you expect me to take you seriously when you walk out on me like that? I’m not psychic, I can’t tell what you’re thinking or what your story idea is, if you even have one.”
“Son of a !!!!!,” Jessica muttered under her breath. The message continued.
“Anyway, you better give me a worthwhile story soon, otherwise I’m going to have to give you the Dear Abby job. I know how much you hate that. Bye.”
After the second beep, there was a third message, but Jessica didn’t know who it was.
“Miss Ryan, my name is Thadeus Glenn. I work for a small newspaper for a selective group of people. I heard you’re quite a snooper, who will stoop to any level to get a good story. I like that.”
“I don’t stoop...” Jessica tried to defend herself, futilely.
“I was wondering if you could drop by and give us an interview someday. We heard that small town newspaper your working for now isn’t helping you much. You see, we’ve lost one of our key stooping reporters and we’d like to replace her. Give us an owl. Goodbye.”
Jessica frowned at that last statement. Owl? What owl?
Reluctantly, Jessica got to her feet and walked back into the kitchen and pulled out some Chinese takeout she had ordered three days ago and began to heat it up.
When she turned around she screamed.
“Quiet!” the man behind her hissed and she was silent.
“OK, what do you want, because I swear I’ll give it to you,” Jessica said.
“I don’t want–”
“Just don’t kill, maim, or rape me.” Jessica narrowed her eyes at the man, who had caught her completely off guard. How did he get in her house? The man chuckled.
“You’re a funny lass, you know that?” Jessica frowned and stepped back towards the counter. Her hands fumbled behind her as she groped for a knife.
“Wait...” she said. “I know you from somewhere...” The man smiled.
“You watch the news.”
Jessica’s eyes widened in recognition.
“Three years ago...” she muttered. “That convict... Sirius Black!” The man nodded with a smile. Jessica clutched the knife harder and she could feel her knuckles crack. “Stay away from me!” and with that, she pulled out the knife from behind her back and brandished it at him. To her surprise, he laughed.
“Oh, please, Miss Ryan, don’t mock me,” Sirius laughed. He rolled his eyes. “Alright, fine, if that knife is going to make you feel better, go right ahead and keep it there.” Jessica frowned at him.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“Well, I wanted to talk, but obviously you haven’t had a very good day... Is that Kung Pao Chicken? I love that stuff!” Sirius popped open the microwave and picked up a slender piece of marinated chicken and dropped it in his mouth. “So anyways,” he said and swallowed. “I heard you talked to a friend of mine today. About the Orb.”
Jessica nodded slowly. “He was a friend of yours?” Sirius snorted and sank into a kitchen chair.
“Well, no, not really, but we get along fine enough considering our past. He didn’t greet you like a rabid dog, though, did he? Because that’s supposed to be my job.” Sirius laughed at his own joke, but Jessica didn’t understand it. He frowned at her. “It’s kind of a pun. Get it? See, I’m a... Oh never mind.” Sirius sighed and leaned on the table. “See, I’m in a very good mood today. My godson passed his Potions midterm with flying colors, despite his Professor, who ‘accidentally’ slipped in some mud. Which, coincidentally, is the reason I’m here, cause some crazy magic know-it-all spilt his heart out to the nearest living thing that would listen. Unfortunately, he couldn’t have just found a dog... Oh, but you’re a Muggle, so you would have no idea what I’m talking about.”
Jessica eyed this strange man eerily. “OK, firstly, what the hell is a Muggle?” Sirius grinned at her.
“Unlike my friend Severus,” Sirius started, “I do my homework. He told Dumbledore about you, who in turn told me and I was curious. So I looked you up, but you weren’t in our databases. So then I went and looked you up in the phone book and lo and behold, here you are. A Muggle.” Sirius smiled at her and Jessica truly looked at him for the first time that night.
His skin was sallow and stretched across his cheekbones as if there wasn’t enough of it to cover his whole body. His hair was short and shaggy and his eyes were piercing.
“But still, I’m confused,” Sirius continued. “How does a Muggle, a journalist no less, living in a flat in St John’s Wood know about the Orb of Tyron?”
“I told that man in the cab,” Jessica replied. “I overheard some people in a restaurant.”
“Right,” Sirius nodded. “But you see, I could have sworn Malfoy was smarter than to do something like that. I would have checked for people listening, or cast a spell of some sort...”
“Are you going to tell me who you are?” Jessica interrupted. Sirius smiled at her.
“You know, Miss Ryan, I haven’t been in such a good mood since before my best friend was murdered.” Jessica remained silent at the comment. “Hearing about you, well, it gave me hope.”
“Hope?”
“Yes,” Sirius nodded. “Hope. You could sway things into our favor, if your willing. All I need is the truth. How do you know about the Orb of Tyron?” Jessica blinked.
“I don’t,” she said. “It came up in a conversation I overheard. What are you?” Sirius sighed and the smile on his face disappeared.
“For a minute there,” he said. “I felt like my old self again.”
There was a strange quiet and Jessica knew not to say anything at that moment. Sirius’s cheery demeanor disappeared as quickly as a flickering flame is extinguished.
“Apparently,” Sirius said after a moment, “you aren’t who I thought you were.” Sirius stood up and began to walk towards the door.
“No, wait,” Jessica said. “Who did you think I was?” Sirius turned and smiled weakly, not at all like the smile he had used before.
“The one who could save us all.”
Jessica frowned.“You’re not leaving until you tell me what’s going on!” she ordered. Sirius looked at her small build skeptically.
“First of all, you’re small. You really think you could hold me back? Second of all, you’re a Muggle, and that doesn’t work to your advantage. Thirdly...” and at the thought, Sirius scoffed, “You’re a female reporter!” Jessica glared at him.
“There’s more to me than meets the eye!” she said. The corner’s of Sirius’s mouth twitched.
“I bet...” he said. And within the blink of an eye, he was gone.


Jessica didn’t sleep easily that night. She couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened that day. She tossed and turned in her bed until she heard her sister close the door to the flat and sneak into her room. Elizabeth was never home before it was the early hours of the morning when she went out, if she came back at all.
But when Jessica did sleep, she dreamed of terrible things indeed, and when she awoke, there was one image that remained emblazoned on her mind.
A stone well stood in the middle of an expanse of dusty land where not even animals set foot. It was dark and thunderclouds gathered above the sands, and yet not a drop of water touched the land. There was not a living thing around for miles and this well stood, like a symbol, in the middle of this desert. However, the image chilled Jessica to the bone.
In her dreams, she neared the well and with every step, the desert grew colder and when she finally reached the well and looked down, she tumbled down and continued to fall...
This was not her only nightmare, of course. There were far more important details in her dreams, but she did not remember, or did not want to remember, the horrible truths that her unconscious bestowed upon her...


Note: I know these things are short, but whatever.

[Ravenclaw]

ARGH! OK, writer's block has struck. Put something down, but didn't like it cause it made her sister Mary-Sue perfect and it made me mad so I had to change it... Had a funny bit with Snape that made absolutely no sense, but it was funny! May post it as a fic "Out take"

[Colli]

Colli rubs Raven's head. Good luck with the writer's block!

Oooh.. I wanna read the Snape bit. :D

[lithorose]

This is getting interesting! I really like the joke about the rabid dog!:LOL:

“Unlike my friend Severus,” Sirius started, “I do my homework. He told Dumbledore about you, who in turn told me and I was curious. So I looked you up, but you weren’t in our databases. So then I went and looked you up in the phone book and lo and behold, here you are. A Muggle.”
-Records may be better than databases. Databases imply computers, which seem more like a Muggle thing; wizards are still writing with quills, I don't think computers are their thing;)

“You know, Miss Ryan, I haven’t been in such a good mood since before my best friend was murdered.”
-Is this foreshadowing? And just why is Sirius so happy? Because he's talking to the one who can help them?

“Hope. You could sway things into our favor, if your willing."
-You're


I also really like the dream part with the well. :)

[Ravenclaw]

Finally I am satisfied with this part... took a lot of cutting interesting scenes, but they didn't work so...

Well, here ya go... Snape stuff for yeh Colli.

“Rise and shine!” Her sister burst into Jessica’s room, happily pulling back the curtains. Jessica groaned and covered her head with the covers.
“I don’t wanna go to work today, Liz...” she groaned. Elizabeth frowned and put her hands on her hips.
“Now, Jess, where will you get with that attitude? What would Mum say?”
Jessica threw the covers off her head and glared at Liz.
“I wouldn’t know, I haven’t seen her since I was six,” Jessica said, looking her sister in the eye.
“I meant, my mother, Jess!” Liz smiled weakly and sat at the end of Jessica’s bed. Jessica’s hair was tangled and full of static electricity that made strands fly up in the air or stick to her pillow.
“Come on, that Jason guy will never treat you fairly until you actually arrive on time to work one of these days! And when you cut your hair,” Liz winked. Jessica hardened her glare at her.
“You know I’ve been growing it out just to annoy you since high school. Don’t you have somewhere to be? Like, maybe looking for a new job?”
Liz glanced at her watch. “Oh, yeah, I have to meet Kent in half an hour.” Jessica narrowed her eyes at her sister.
“Liz, you know, you really should get serious and get a job, maybe enroll back in college?”
“I know!” Liz sighed. “Oh, I hope I don’t get one of those dead end jobs at McDonald’s or something...” and with that, Liz jumped off Jessica’s bed and began to grab shirts and skirts out at random from Jessica’s closet. “Isn’t this mine?” she asked, shoving a green halter top in her sister’s face.
Jessica rolled her eyes.
“And you wonder why no one will hire you,” she mumbled. “You have the same attention span as a chicken.”
Elizabeth finally found an outfit she liked out of her sister’s closet and was out the door again. Jessica lazily dragged herself out of bed and pulled on her jeans, one leg at a time just like every other day. It took her a minute to realize she had put them on backwards when she couldn’t find the zipper. Grumbling, she corrected the mistake and threw on a v-necked t-shirt and a sweater.
She walked into the livingroom and towards the door when she heard her sister call from the kitchen.
“Take a jacket, it’s chilly out!” Liz called, and then turned back to the phone where she was talking to one of her numerous admirers.
Sometimes Jessica marveled at how Liz lived her life. With a social life as busy as Elizabeth’s, Jessica wondered how Liz could crash at two AM and get up bright and cheery five hours later.
“Do you ever sleep?” Jessica called before she left.
“Only when you’re not watching,” Liz replied and Jessica shut the door. That question was Jessica’s way of saying ‘I’m going now!’ and Liz’s reply depended on her mood and her creativity and her willingness of letting Jessica go. Jessica sometimes wondered who was older than who, since Liz seemed to take more care of her than Jessica did of Liz. Even though Liz was careless when it came to getting and keeping a job, she was protective of her older sister. And though most of their meals were bought on Jessica’s credit card, Jessica knew that if she needed to, Liz could take care of herself.
Jessica left the building and realized it was raining.
“Great,” she muttered as she walked down the street to the metro.
But the young Muggle was being watched.


Meanwhile...

Snape was teaching his fifth year Potion class to his Gryffindor and Slytherin students, when a timid third year Hufflepuff knocked on his door. He turned and sneered at her and she shrank away.
“Um, Dumbledore said that Professor Sprout can take your class... You’re needed in the headmaster’s office.” Snape did no more than grunt in reply and was swiftly out of the room, nearly knocking the small girl over as he went.
When he was gone, an awkward silence fell over the room. The Hufflepuff smiled nervously at the students looking at her strangely, and then looked as though she just remembered she had to be doing something, and disappeared.


Snape swept into Dumbledore’s office like a gust of wind sweeping through the doorway. He looked around instantly for the Headmaster, but he was nowhere in sight. Instead, he fiddled with the feathers of Dumbledore’s aging phoenix. As he stroked the head of the bird, it gave a pitiful squawk and burst into flames, scorching the tip of Snape’s finger.
Cursing the bird, Snape shook his finger to try and relieve the pain. He was just cursing it some more when Dumbledore entered the office, talking to a large shaggy dog.
“... that if they’re keeping an eye on her, one of our men should... Severus, did you agitate my bird?” Snape looked at th perch, where the ashes of the phoenix were still falling to the ground.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, kicking the perch and shaking a few more ashes off.
“Ah, it’s high time he burned anyway,” Dumbledore said with a smile, looking at the pile of ashes through his half-moon spectacles. “But you know, it really doesn’t help when he’s agitated. But to the matter at hand!” Dumbledore sat behind his claw-footed desk and Sirius transformed into his true form, taking the only seat available before Snape could get a chance. Sirius smiled triumphantly at his old foe, who grumbled, but seemed content to sulk by the far wall. As he did so, Fawks’s ashes birthed a new phoenix, though the assembled took no notice.
“Yes, sorry about that, Severus,” Dumbledore said. “The other chair had its leg broken, it’s quite a funny story, actually...” and Dumbledore looked as if he were about to go on when Sirius coughed rather harshly, and Dumbledore nodded.
“But I digress! Now, Severus, I was just telling Sirius about the spy keeping close watch on that young reporter you and Sirius ran into. As I told him, I believe that we, too, should have an informant on her tail, just to report her moves. For we have revealed much to the poor young Muggle. Even the Daily Prophet has been trying to get in touch with her. Why they want to, or how they even know of her is beyond me, but rather than using a memory charm of any sort, I think it’s best to keep track of her.”
“Wouldn’t that be an invasion of privacy?” Severus muttered icily from his place leaning against the wall. Dumbledore nodded slowly.
“Well, I suppose, but it’s not like we’re stalking her, Severus, I just want to be sure of her. But the question is, which man to send in? Many are qualified, but–”
“I’ll do it,” Snape spoke up, and both Dumbledore and Sirius were surprised.
“But Severus, you have classes, don’t you? And you were just discovered by the Death Eaters as a spy, why would you–”
“Do you see this scar?” Snape interrupted, walking towards the desk and pointing to the lived line across his cheek. “The man following Ms Ryan is Marius Delarue. He is the man who inflicted this scar upon me with a cursed dagger. We fought hand to hand in the very lair of the beast. He was the first to know of my espionage. And when he struck me with that dagger, I could feel the wound slicing at my very existence. If my life were a thread, he was holding the scissors right against it. It may be my face he slashed, but it was my neck he had aimed for. And had I not ducked, I would be dead right now. I intend to get my revenge.”
“Careful, Snape,” Sirius said, with almost real concern in his voice. “You remember where revenge got you last time, don’t you?” But Snape glowered at Sirius.
“I know what I’m doing,” he hissed and Sirius fell silent. Dumbledore was quiet a moment. Finally, he nodded.
“Very well,” he said. But Sirius’s eyes widened.
“Headmaster, Professor Snape is emotionally involved in this case! You can’t put his life on the line for–”
“He is not in any immediate danger, Sirius,” Dumbledore said. “His assignment is to watch Ms Ryan, not kill this man. And he will obey my orders, won’t you, Severus?” Dumbledore looked pointedly at the dark form before him. Snape nodded.
“Of course, Headmaster,” he said. Dumbledore nodded.
“Good. You leave tomorrow. Professor Sprout shall take half your classes, McGonagall the other half. They both took N.E.W.Ts in Potions in their day, they know what they’re doing. Good luck.”
And without a second glance, Snape was out the door again. Fawks chirped happily at his exit.

[Colli]

“Careful, Snape,” Sirius said, with almost real concern in his voice. “You remember where revenge got you last time, don’t you?” But Snape glowered at Sirius
:D Sounds like something Ms Rowling would say. :)

I love Snape! I love this story! I love Snape! ;)

[lithorose]

Snape is good. But Sirius and Snape...:swoon: I really like the way this is shaping up...which is why I've put in so many nitpicklies. These are things that bother me, but every reader sees things differently so take it with a grain of salt and a few more opinions:):

I’m going now!’ and Liz’s reply depended on her mood and her creativity and her willingness to let Jessica go.

when a timid third-year Hufflepuff knocked on his door.

As he stroked the head of the bird, it gave a pitiful squawk and burst into flames, scorching the tip of Snape’s finger.

-I personally can't see Snape petting a bird, but that's just me maybe. His bursting into flames seems a little... convenient, though, wouldn't you say? However, I think his reaction to getting burned is spot-on!:LOL:

Snape looked at the perch, where the ashes of the phoenix were still falling to the ground.

It's not very like Snape to sulk, or say sorry. You're pretty close to his character, just tweak him a little:)

“Well, I suppose, but it’s not like we’re stalking her, Severus, I just want to be sure of her. But the question is, which man to send in? Many are qualified, but–”
-same thing with the OOC; just try re-wording it a little.

“But Severus, you have classes, don’t you? And you were just discovered by the Death Eaters as a spy, why would you–”
-why was he considering him then?

If my life were a thread, he was holding the scissors right against it.
-scissors sounds a little jarring somehow; maybe 'blade' is better?

His assignment is to watch Ms Ryan, not kill this man.
-Ms.

And he will obey my orders, won’t you, Severus?
-Splitting this into two sentences would be better grammar and have the same impact.

Keep up the good work!

[StarGazr]

Originally posted by Colli
I love Snape! I love this story! I love Snape! ;)

*jerks thumb at Colli* she loves Snape... who here is surprised?? ;) luv you hon :hug:
This is a really good story... very good job at keeping characters in character... a big plus in my book! :D

[Ravenclaw]

And so that night, as silent as a panther and as swift as a dark owl, Severus Snape slid off into the night, abandoning his identity as a Professor, and becoming a silent observer. Like a shadow, he stealthily made his way through London’s busy streets to Jessica Ryan’s apartment.
He took out his wand and searched for any prior enchantments on the home, or Jessica herself (who was sleeping soundly in her bedroom) and found many. He smiled as he countered most of them; all but one, which he knew he could not break without the wand that cast it. It was quite a simple tracking spell, though it was difficult to counter with a different wand. It was like a lock that would only open with one key and not even a skeleton key could open it. He himself put the exact same spell on the girl. When he needed to find her, his wand would lead him straight to her. In addition, he added a protection spell on her home, alerting him when anyone untrustworthy as near. This spell was also difficult to counter, or turn off, because it was a security spell.
Needing sleep, Severus rented a room at the hotel across the street and slept at last.

He was awoken by his wand at four o’clock and groggily slapped it off the table. The wand was spinning around and making noises and finally, Severus was awake enough to realize what it meant. He was out of bed in an instant and silenced his wand with whispered words. He gazed out his window (for he had asked for a room on the street) and looked over towards Jessica’s apartment.
It was dark in the apartment, but the hall light outside was on. Severus picked up some omnioculers and looked through the hall window to see who was there.
A strange man in black was standing outside of Jessica’s apartment. Zooming in closer, Severus could see his tan face clearly and he was concentrating. Severus also noticed the wand in his right hand and scowled.
“Marius...” he uttered. But he had promised Dumbledore not to get involved with any Death Eaters so he remained in his room and contented himself with glaring at Marius Delarue and making hateful faces at him through the window. When Delarue left, Severus scoured the apartment again for new spells and found them. From his apartment, he disarmed most of them, but he realized that Delarue had become suspicious and placed a few more difficult spells on the apartment. It took him a little longer, but Severus eventually broke them.
And so, he went back to sleep.


When Jessica Ryan went to work the next morning, Delarue was back again, even more perplexed. Snape watched it all from his hotel room window, grinning. He watched as the Death Eater carefully placed more spells and as he left, Severus countered them immediately.
And so this continued for a few days. Delarue would cast the spells and Severus would counter them casually, although each time they became more difficult to disarm. Severus enjoyed playing mind games with the Death Eater, who quickly went from bewildered to furious as his spells kept breaking.
But this was not the time for games.
Severus was up at four AM again a week later, grinning and waiting for Delarue to return , for he always came at around this hour to redo his spells after Severus deactivated them four hours before. But he did not return. And Severus was puzzled. He used his omnioculars and zoomed in on the apartment, where Jessica still slept quietly. But where was Delarue???
Severus stayed up the rest of that morning, waiting for the devious Death Eater to return, however he did not. Finally, at eight o’clock, exhausted and bored to death, Severus fell asleep, waiting for his wand to awaken him should Delarue return.
However, Delarue would never come.


Jessica shouldered her bag and scribbled a note to her sister, who still hadn’t returned from her wild night out. She ran down the stairs of her apartment building and outside, jogging briskly to the metro. She was late. Again.
Sirius stayed in the shadows, keeping close watch on the young reporter. Research had shown that she was quite an important person indeed. And she knew nothing of it. Incredible.
Sirius glanced up at the hotel across the street and debated whether or not to tell Severus of his finds. Eventually, his duty to Dumbledore made him reluctantly decide to inform Severus of this information.
“Oh, what fun I would have keeping it from him...” Sirius chuckled. But it was rather important information and Severus needed to know, if he was to watch the girl. Undoubtably, Voldemort already knew this information, which made it even more important to tell Severus.
He walked into the lobby, being very inconspicuous, and pressed the button for the third floor. He listened calmly to the music and felt another’s eyes on him. He turned to find a blonde woman with short hair looking at him. He had to act casual, like a Muggle.
“Interesting escalator music, don’t you think?”
“Mm,” the woman nodded. “But I thought we were in an elevator.” She smiled at him and Sirius blushed.
“Yes, quite,” he muttered, before quickly stepping out onto the third floor. He scanned the numbers of the rooms until he finally came across the number 328, Severus’s room.
He knocked three times only to hear a grunt from inside. Sirius waited, then knocked again. This time, he heard a distinct thump. Finally, Sirius tried the knob and found Severus tangled in his bed sheets trying madly to escape them. Severus looked up, just realizing Sirius was there and sneered.
“You know, you really should lock your doors,” Sirius grinned. “You never know who could be lurking.” Severus’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t mock me,” he hissed, pulling his ankle loose from the mass of white linen. “What are you doing here?”
“To gloat, of course!” Sirius sounded surprised that he hadn’t already guessed. Severus’s scowl deepened.
“What is it!” he snarled.
“OK, OK, no need to growl at me!” Sirius put his hands up. “I never growl at you!”
“You growl at me all the time!” Severus retorted. Sirius thought for a moment.
“Oh, yeah, I guess you’re right. Well, anyway, how is your stalking– Excuse me, I mean, protecting going?”
“Boring as hell,” Severus muttered. “Delarue hasn’t been to the house in nine hours.”
“And this is unusual?” Sirius raised his eyebrow.
“Yes, it is unusual, Black,” Severus snapped. “Usually after I disarm his spells, he notices. Therefor he’s usually back after a few hours. Last night, I disarmed his spells at twelve o’clock. I was up again at four to see if he would return, but he never did.”
Sirius opened his mouth to point out a flaw, but Severus interrupted him.
“And he hadn’t been to the flat between twelve o'clock and four. If he had, my spells would have alarmed me and his spells would be in place. They aren’t.” These last two words were said with such finality, not even Sirius dared question it.
“Right. But that’s not really why I’m here...” Severus began to pace up and down, nervously.
“What is it, dog?” Severus asked, skeptical, yet inquisitive.
“I did a bit more research on this Jessica Ryan girl. I looked at her records... Don’t ask how, I have my ways... Well, she has an interesting lineage?”
“Does she?” Severus muttered. There almost seemed to be a challenge in his eye, as if saying ‘Prove it.’ Sirius glared at him, accepting his challenge.
“She is the daughter of Eleanore Townsend.”
“Townsend?” Severus chuckled. Sirius’s eyes narrowed.
“Townsend.” He repeated. “If you would recall, from your History of Magic class, the Townsend family were once a very powerful family, and not only in Ireland, but in England too. There isn’t much about them, because a lot of what they did was secret... something about nobility. Unfortunately, I found nothing documented about the Townsends past 1752, with Eric Townsend...”
“So Jessica’s a witch?” Severus smiled. “I never would have guessed.”
“No...” Sirius said slowly. “She isn’t...”
“Perhaps you have her confused with a different Townsend.”
“No.” Sirius said this so firmly, Severus did not counter it. They each knew when to stop teasing each other and get to business.
“Jessica Ryan is the daughter of Eleanore Townsend, a Muggle. And so, I looked at Jessica’s lineage, which was traced back to before the Irish Potato Famine in the eighteen hundreds... Almost immediately following the end of our wizarding records. And it seemed as though the Muggle Townsends appeared out of nowhere. Jessica’s earliest known ancestor is none other than a man named Eric Townsend.”
“This does not seem so important.” Severus yawned, lacking sleep.
“Shut up and pay attention!” Sirius snapped, irritated with Severus.
“Go on.”
“Most of the wizard Townsends were magicians.” Severus shrugged at Sirius’s words.
“There’s nothing extraordinary about that.”
“I said shut up!” Sirius growled. Severus smiled and lazily obliged. “As I was saying, most of the Townsends were magicians, working with experimental magic, trying to study and understand the energy that fuels a wizard’s daily life. It’s quite a skilled art and science, and needs a good background in Muggle Studies.”
“So you’re saying that because he knew so much about them, Eric Townsend decided one day to just become one?”
“No,” Sirius said, sternly. “I’m saying something drove him to it.”
He was about to continue when there was a knock at the door and he jumped.
“Maid!” called the voice from behind the door. Severus rolled his eyes.
“As fascinating as this is not, this room is not the best place to talk.”
“Agreed,” Sirius said, looking around nervously.
“Meet you in the Leaky Cauldron in half an hour? I have things to do.”
“Agreed,” said Sirius again, and nodded. With a pop, Severus was gone, and with another pop, Sirius disappeared himself.
The maid opened the door to the room and looked around, confused.
“I thought I’d heard voices in here...” Shrugging it off, she went to work.

[Ravenclaw]

Wow, that was 1000 characters exactly! I'm getting longer!



Sirius prowled the streets of Diagon Alley in his Animagus form. He carefully padded down a dark ally between two stone buildings and rummaged through the garbage.
The search for him had dwindled over the past few years, and though his face was still recognizable by any witch or wizard that did not know his innocence, Muggles looked at him once and never looked again. It was easier to walk about in their world and hide than it was in his own. Sometimes he wondered if he was doomed to walk the streets of the wizarding world as a dog, and never again see it through human eyes. Over the years, his thoughts had changed as he observed human behavior, and that concern didn’t bother him that much anymore.
As he was looking for bones, or perhaps even some stale bread, someone Apparated behind him.
“Hope you’re having fun, Sirius Black.” The dog turned, instantly and his eyes nearly doubled in size. The man standing before him was none other than Lucius Malfoy, the last person he expected to see. “Your research has gotten you into trouble, especially with the Ministry. I wonder what I’ll get for capturing the infamous Sirius Black.”
Trapped and with nowhere to run to, Sirius growled and readied himself to jump on Malfoy to escape. But unfortunately, Malfoy had a wand, and Sirius couldn’t control such power as a dog. He couldn’t transform either for he knew Malfoy would call out at once and Sirius would be done for. Before he could decide what to do, he was hit by a curse, and the poor canine fell limp...

[Colli]

Ooooh how exciting! Townsend reminded me instantly of Stuart... a negative bias I'll struggle to get rid of. ;)

Good work!

[Ravenclaw]

Wahoo! Interesting bit here, even I just kept writing to see what would happen! LOL!

More Snape bits for yeh...

Severus waited impatiently for the dastardly canine to appear for him to inform him of this ‘special information’ on the Townsends. He ordered another drink and drowned it in one gulp.
He looked at the bartender and said “Have you seen a shaggy dog prowling about anywhere near here, by chance?” Tom, the bartender looked at him confused.
“No, I can’t say I have... But that’s a peculiar question. Why do you ask?” Severus forced a smile at Tom.
“One of the students lost his pets and I was just wondering if it’s been terrorizing anyone about here.”
“Terrorizing? We don’t want no trouble here!” said Tom, refilling Severus’s drink and oblivious to his expression.
“Mm,” said Severus, gulping down the cold alcohol, sliding down his throat like cold fire. Tom turned his back for a moment and hesitated. He then turned around with a curious look on his face.
“You know...” he said, “We’ve been hearing some strange things here in the Leaky Cauldron.”
“Have you?” Severus muttered, sipping his drink, obviously uninterested. The bartender, however, was a bit dim, and didn’t detect his indifference.
“Yeah, interesting folks from all over the world have drank here, sat in that very chair...”
“Is that so?” Severus said nonchalantly, raising his eyebrow.
“Yeah. They’ve been saying some strange things... talks of oracles and the like.”
This caught Severus’ attention.
“Oracles?” His eyes widened. But of course, Tom didn’t notice.
“That’s right. Strange dreams and things... deserts and rain clouds and a young girl...”
“Girl?” Severus said. “Tell me about this girl...”
“Well, I wouldn’t know since I haven’t dreamed it myself... But I thought, seeing as you work up at the school, you might know something about it...”
“Tell me more about these dreams,” Severus ordered. Tom shrugged.
“As I said, haven’t dreamed them myself... but say, that woman in the corner has! Hey, Agnes! Professor Snape would like a word with you!”
Over from the corner, an elderly woman with threads of fine gray hair framing her rugged face looked up at Severus. She wore a velvet cloak that looked rather costly, and fine clothes. Her face was scattered with lines and folds of skin, like kneaded bread dough. Each line seemed as if it had been chiseled into her skin so precisely. She held an air of wisdom to her, and had Severus been anyone else, or indeed if he even had a heart, he might have feared and respected her or perhaps, if he saw her on the street, offered to help her carry her many bags that surrounded her table.
However, since he was Severus Snape, and as such, had no reachable heart, he merely stood to his feet and walked over to the table, pointedly, and treated her like one of his students.
“Now, can you tell me about this dream?”
“ ‘Tis no dream,” said the old woman in a voice as soft as sunshine and as cold as the bitter winter winds. “ ‘Tis a prophecy.”
“Dreamers often lie,” Severus retorted. “Prophecies are often fantasies.”
“You’ll never learn, Severus Snape.” The woman smiled crookedly and her wrinkled cheeks lifted and her black eyes grew small. “Pessimism and skepticism remain two of your most loyal friends.”
“Don’t talk to me like you know me,” Severus snapped, angry that he was being spoken to so insolently. “I am Potions Master at Hogwarts and I demand respect.”
The woman chuckled and sipped her tea slowly.
“Indeed...” she muttered.
“About this dream,” said Severus. “It is important that I know.”
“You worry that the child is Jessica, don’t you Severus?”
Severus was dumbstruck. And in his shock, he just stared at the woman for a moment before he could regain his wits.
“You do not believe in prophecies, or even the idea of divination because you don’t like the idea of your life being known already by anyone other than yourself. So why do you want to know about the prophecy?”
“I don’t worry the child is... is that Muggle. I merely... I wonder, is all.” Severus muttered. He was losing his control. It was irking him.
“You worry.” The old woman nodded. “Sit, Severus, and drink with me.”
Though he knew not why, Severus took the chair across from the woman blindly, as if hypnotized.
“You worry,” the old woman continued as a cup appeared out of nowhere and she poured him some tea. “You worry that if she is indeed the child, than that would make her very important indeed, and thus, put her in very severe danger. And you don’t want that.”
“I don’t worry that the child.... wait, what child are we speaking of?” Severus asked.
“The one the prophecy speaks of,” said the old woman. “The Last Sehran.” The woman saw the look on Severus’ face; the kind that seems to be aching to remember something. So she helped him with a wave of her wand and told her story...


A long time ago, there was an ancient clan of witches and wizards in Ireland called the Clan of Seranahan. This clan was a group of powerful people, very advanced even among the wizarding world. They knew spells and technology that we hadn’t discovered until a few decades ago. This was thousands of years ago. But the clan continued throughout the ages, there work very secretive and few even knew the clan existed for sure. For it was a legend of advanced people... They were like extraterrestrials, and might as well have been for all people knew of them. But one day, it all started to go wrong...


A young man named Eric O’Hara was a Seranahan magician. His work was top secret, even to the most important Seranahans for he was researching a new weapon. A very powerful weapon and he wasn’t supposed to be doing it. He did all his work in an isolated room, lined with lead and other dense materials, not to mention various containing spells. Before he went in, he always charmed himself with countless repelling spells, many of them very complicated, for he had to work with very powerful magic.
One day, his daughter got curious and followed him to his work. Since she was small, she was barely noticed and she sneaked past the oblivious security guards. Soon, she saw what her father was doing. Though she was only eight years old, she knew her father’s invention was dangerous, she could literally feel it as her very bones began to shake. It frightened the poor girl half to death and she screamed. Her father, surprised, angry, and fearful, ran to her immediately, but it was too late. The girl had fallen to the ground and was growing pale, for she was severely ill with a sickness with no cure.
The invention and his own safety was forgotten as he tried desperately to save his daughter. He Apparated her to the nearest medical facility (which shocked some for Apparating techniques weren’t to be discovered until the early eighteen hundreds) and begged the doctors to help her. But, without knowing the cause of her strange fever and pale skin, the doctors could do nothing to help her but help with the seizures and try and bring down the temperatures with their potions and spells.
Eric was beside himself with guilt and grief and he spent every waking hour searching for a cure for the disease. Unfortunately, his daughter died before the cure could be completed. His wife grieved for days over her daughter’s demise and his son didn’t speak for weeks. Eric couldn’t bring himself to tell them what had caused the child’s sickness and still acted ignorant.
But of course by now, the Seranahans had found out what Eric was up to and were furious. Unfortunately, the object could not be destroyed. So instead, they took his invention from him and hid it in a place where no human, nor anything living, could ever set foot.
Though he grieved for his daughter, Eric was still passionate about his work and was furious that they took it away from him. He was a fool. The night before they took it away, the intelligent fool finished it off and cursed the men who took it away.
After that, he finished the cure as well, and hit it on his own, also far away from anywhere. Mad from grief and anger, he found new strength, new ideas. His emotion gave him power enough to complete both the poison and the antidote.
When the Seranahans who had taken the invention away began to die one by one mysteriously, Eric was blamed for their demises. They found evidence of curses. But when they got to Eric’s house, neither he, nor his family, was anywhere to be found...


Severus blinked out of the dream the old woman had put him in.
“What does this have to do with Jessica?” he asked the woman, who was quickly gaining his fearful respect.
“The child in the prophecy, the child in the dreams that these people, wizards and Muggles, keep dreaming, is the Last Sehran. She is a small redheaded girl who seems to be around eight years old with pale skin and dark black eyes. Eyes as black as her father’s soul, hair as red as her mother’s passion. She is Jessica O’Hara, the child of Eric and Sarah O’Hara.” The old woman leaned on the table and seemed to peer straight into Severus’ soul. He shivered.
Shaking off the strange feeling, he looked at the time.
“Eight O’Clock!” he cried and looked over to the bartender who was wiping the table. “Tom, tell me quick, was there a dog that came in here while I was... Talking?”
“You mean in the past eight hours?” Tom smiled. “Nah, no dog. Tell your student I’m sorry.”
Severus cursed rather loudly and jumped up from the table.
“I have to go!” he said quickly to the old woman and he vanished out the door and into the night.



(A/N: It may seem a bit confusing, but I got it all planned out now! I actually KNOW what I'm DOING! LOL!)

[Colli]

But the clan continued throughout the ages, there work very secretive and few even knew the clan existed for sure.
Their work was very secretive.

:) That's the only thing that jumped out at me.

Great job! It's nice to know why everyone's after her.. finally. :D Although I do feel a bit bad for Sirius.