A Surreal Tale

They appeared in a close, dark room. After Antares' head stopped spinning, he shivered. There was an old desk and an even older chair right behind Bella, and the walls were lined with the most interesting books Antares had ever seen, the kind Bella never let him borrow or buy. And there was a thick, slippery sort of feeling to the little of the wall that could be seen.

"Wards," Bella said, more calmly than Antares expected. She eyed the door, touched it and smiled a little. "Good ones."

"And that's good?" Antares stared at her. "He could just lock us in here and..."

"That's the point," Bella said, still calm. "This is a, a choke point. Probably directly opposite to where he cast most of the wards from, so they're weakest here. If he decides his visitors mean less than well, he can contain them here. Easily." She moved toward the door, pressing an ear against it. "I-- ah. That was probably him."

"What was?"

"Faint crack. You didn't hear it?" She eyed the door again, something like admiration on her face. "Maybe there's soundproofing on the rest of the room. Clever."

The door opened without a sound, causing Bella to step back. Severus' dark head emerged a moment later. He smiled, tightly, and beckoned them through.

They went through the door and out into a dusty little sitting room. More books lined the walls, though not as thickly as in the other room. Antares, confused at the contrast between Severus' fairly neat appearance and the dinginess of the room, looked behind them, and saw that there was a strange shimmer to the wall beside the door they'd just come through.

That, naturally, was when Severus chose to speak. "Sit down, why don't you," he said, gesturing at the sofa to their left. There was a tiny hearth just opposite, with green fire burning within. "Albus wasn't in his office," he continued, "but I left a note with Fawkes, so he should Floo back soon." Bella sat with a sigh, and Antares grudgingly followed her lead. "Tea, or...?"

"Not just now, thanks," Bella said, to Antares' relief. It was bad enough that they were here at all. No cause for them to go drinking the man's tea as well as sitting on his ratty couch. Between that thought and Bella's warm hand around his, Antares found he could keep still as anything, alert for any sudden movement by Severus.

That was probably why he jumped when the flames flickered, and spat out an old man's grey-white head. Antares stared despite his embarrassment; the old man had such a bounty of a beard that he was forced to let its slightly sooty tendrils float beneath him.

"Albus," Severus said, sounding a little surprised. "But Fawkes--"

"Is old, molting and quite forgetful today," Albus Dumbledore said, his floating beard entirely at odds with his bright eyes and pleasant expression. He looked up and around the grate, eyeing its thick coat of soot and dust. "You really must clean out this thing," he said chidingly, to Severus, who now stood awkwardly before him. Then Dumbledore's eyes fell on Bella and Antares, and warmed with surprise. "My word! Good afternoon, Miss Black. You too, young man."

Bella straightened. "His name is Antares," she said calmly, squeezing Antares' hand. Antares could not help shrinking back a little when the old man's eyes turned on him. Despite the pleased, simple smile on his face, there was a shrewd, assessing bite to his gaze. "Good afternoon to you, sir."

"Headmaster," Severus said, his tone stiff and measured, "Miss Black seeks your advice as to the enrollment of her son at Hogwarts--"

"So formal, Severus," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. He looked encouragingly at Bella. "Whatever is the matter, then? From what I can see, your son will suit the school just fine."

"It's the letter," Bella said, hesitantly. Her tone was the only thing that visibly faltered, for all that her grip on Antares' hand was now a little hard. "He's old enough, but..." She sighed.

"Hmm," Dumbledore said. His beard was wriggling, and it was harder to ignore its movements than Antares would ever have guessed. "Severus, what do you think? The boy suits," and there was some curiosity underneath his thoughtful tone there, "so it can't be that."

"If he's registered with the Ministry, I really don't see--oh." Severus eyed Bella. "Is he?"

Bella's sigh was almost silent. "No."

"Well, then," Dumbledore said, cheerily. "It's settled. Minerva's sending out the second batch soon, I think. If he's registered by then, his own letter should be among them. If not, I daresay it wouldn't be too great an imposition for Severus to get it to you. Eh, Severus?"

There was a peculiar look on Severus' face as he answered, but his tone was calm. "Not at all, Albus," he said, with a very slight shake of his head.

"I don't suppose you've heard of our Apprentice program?" Dumbledore asked, politely. When Bella shook her head, he went on immediately, with all the enthusiasm of Tim in the potions supply on Knockturn when he was pushing something they had too much of. "It's quite old--recently revived in the last two years. Excellent opportunity, plenty of interaction between the apprentices and professors."

Antares bit down on a groan. The last thing he'd want if he did ever go to Hogwarts would be to be constantly under the thumb of the teachers there. He got enough of that with Bella, and even that wasn't so bad, since she never seemed to have time to fully carry through the pettier punishments. She remembered the big things without fail, though.

Her hand tightened painfully about his, and Dumbledore's next few words told him she was remembering something big now: "Comes with a scholarship attached, in most cases," the old man said carelessly. "Quite generous. Don't know why more parents haven't gone in for it. Used to be quite well used, in my day."

"I see," Bella said, carefully. Her hand was damp, now, and still too tight around Antares' own. "What are the requirements for getting in?"

"There are some tests," Dumbledore said, a little less cheerfully. "Nothing rigorous, just something to pinpoint those that might benefit most from the program. Why," and now, he looked delighted, "are you thinking of Antares...?"

Bella smiled, sighed. "Well," she allowed, "he does like to read. But--"

"Splendid! It's late in the summer for tests, but the professors are hardly busy now. If you have time-- if they have time--"

"Antares?" Bella bent gracefully toward Antares, a studied move he couldn't remember having seen all year. "Do you think you'd mind some tests?"

Antares knew what game was up, even if he didn't particularly want to play. It had long ceased to shock him how thoroughly people forgot the frightening side of his mother when she softened or smiled in their direction. Impatient with his hesitation, Bella squeezed his hand. Antares, sighing, squeezed back.

"Guess not," he mumbled, not wanting to fudge with his mother's game. She always said if you talked long enough without a pause, his lies unraveled at the edges enough for someone with a sharp eye to see them. "When, though?"

Bella looked at Albus Dumbledore, mouth slightly open, the very picture of hesitation.

Severus' quiet, firm tone filled the brief silence. "In a week, perhaps?" He shared a look with Dumbledore, then nodded to himself. "I can bring him in, sometime next week."

"Splendid," Dumbledore said, again. "Will you be accompanying your son, Ms. Black?"

"Oh, no, not likely," Bella said, the common words sounding strange in her smooth, strange tone. "I work."

"Oh!" And Dumbledore's large eyebrows waggled up out of sight. Antares watched them come down, and wished the rising giggle in his throat in hell. "Well, yes, I suppose you do." His smile masked nearly all of his odd disbelief. "Speaking of work, I must be off. I think I'm quite late enough to my afternoon meeting already. Severus, if you'd inform young Mr. Black of what to expect in his tests...?"

"Of course, Albus."

"It's been a pleasure, Ms. Black," Dumbledore said, as if it really had been. He did not seem to notice that Bella was slow to return his smile; he simply beamed at her, then at Antares, then disappeared from the flames with an odd little pop. His beard was the last thing to go; it wriggled madly as he pulled his head back to his end of the connection, bringing Antares' desire to giggle back.

By the time Antares had properly put down the giggle, Bella's hand was loose and sure around his again, and a calculating expression had replaced her smile.

"Is the Headmaster of Hogwarts always so solicitous when he's pressed for time?" There was an edge to her tone, one that Antares was all too familiar with. "Or perhaps it's just me."

Severus carefully bland look was relaxing into something more cautious. "I don't think--"

"He wants something from me, doesn't he?"

Severus pursed thin lips and looked anywhere but at Bella. "Of course he wants something," he said, impatiently. "I'm not sure what, of course--"

"You know exactly what he wants," Bella said calmly. "You are lying. You know that I know you are lying. Don't play games with me, Severus-- I haven't the time or the patience."

"Games?" The full force of Severus' glare was awful even though it wasn't turned on Antares, enough to make Antares cringe. "For goodness' sake!"

Bella stood, urging Antares to his feet beside her. "If he wants to know why I only turned in the Lestranges, he can ask. Besides that, I don't see what I have to offer." She nodded curtly in Severus' direction. "Thank you for arranging this, but we must be off."

"Bella," Severus said, irritably, "sit." They locked eyes again, letting the awkward silence fill the small room until Antares gulped, forced to stop holding his breath. "Please," Severus added, like an afterthought.

It didn't surprise Antares when Bella sat. What surprised him was how quietly and quickly she did, as if the expected cajoling conversation had somehow gone on without either her or Severus speaking. Antares sat too, his heart sinking within him; he hated it when people talked over his head, and if this wasn't a prime example, he didn't know what was.

"I know about how old he must be," Severus said quietly. "But what I can't seem to understand is--"

"He's adopted," Bella said, cutting off whatever delicate dance the man had been about to do around the subject of Antares' birth. "Is that all?"

"When?"

"It doesn't matter, and you know it." Bella gave Severus a challenging look. "There's got to be more than that," she said, mockingly. "Albus can hardly be interested in just that."

Severus glared at her. "Where have you been?"

Bella smiled. "You'll have to narrow that down."

"The last ten years," Severus said, with a tight smile of his own, "give or take."

Bella shrugged. "Here and there." When Severus sighed impatiently, she relaxed a little. "I worked in Otterden for a good bit. And I've been with Malkin's for, what--" she looked at Antares, winking slightly, "--two years?"

"Two and a half, more like," Antares suggested. The only reaction he allowed himself when Severus eyed him was a bit of a blink. Wasn't his fault that Bella was annoyed by the man, and he certainly wasn't going to volunteer information if Bella was holding back.

"Two and a half with Madame," Bella said, plucking scornfully at her sleeve. "And about four or five at Otterden."

"That leaves at least three gaps--"

"Not enough detail for you?"

"--And at least two years fall into those holes," Severus finished, snidely. For a moment, his eyes met with Bella's again, and the silence grew stifling around them. Then he looked away, the scowl on his face more than countering Bella's too-sweet smile, and Antares began to think this would be over soon.

Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on Severus' absurd politeness. As Bella rose again, still smiling a little, Severus fidgeted and glowered at her. When Antares rose after her, the glower was turned on him, and it diminished to a forbidding frown.

"Tea," Severus said, firmly.

To Antares' surprise, Bella laughed. He stared at her, despite knowing Severus was staring at her too, and not particularly wanting to follow the dour man's lead.

"Tea," Bella said, after an awkward moment. And then, in a calmer tone, "You understand, don't you?" She put an arm around Antares. "I don't mind games. Just--"

"Not with him involved," Severus groused, now finally walking around them in the direction of a door Antares hadn't quite noticed before. "Don't suppose you thought of that earlier on." His tone changed, becoming high and silly. "Well, he does like to read..."

Bella rolled her eyes. "That's completely different," she insisted, tugging an unwilling Antares after her in Severus' direction.

Severus didn't seem to think so, from the way he stopped in the open doorway, giving Antares' mother a considering look. "I don't have to tell you he's no fool, I know," he said. "But reminding you, I think..."

Bella sniffed. "So long as you remind him too," she said, tartly. "I--anyone can be influenced with the right pressure." She stroked Antares' hair. "But there's only so far I'll bend, Severus." She gave him a hard look. "Tell him that."

* * *

Two days later, Bella took Antares off to the Ministry and sat him down while she argued with clerks over his adoption. It took two hours and a vial of Antares' blood before anyone would think of putting his name down in one of the unwieldy old books in their shelves. It was marked "19802" in shaky numbers, and there enough empty space in it that Antares wondered why all the fuss had been made about putting his in.

As they left, Bella muttered curses against her name and the Black family in general, which made only a little sense. He asked her about it just as they got home. "All that with the blood, Mum-- normal, isn't it?"

"Well, yes," Bella said, grumpily. "Any self-respecting family requires a note of what family an adopted child is from. Hardly helpful in your case, of course."

"How come?" Antares asked. Bella had never said very much about who his last family had been, only asked and asked and asked, until he was about seven, and knew enough of what the question meant to tell her he didn't remember a thing.

"I welcomed you into the family when I took you," Bella said almost too quietly, as they turned left into the big hall they'd skirted round on their way into the Ministry building. "The old way. I still don't know..."

"What?" If Antares thought very hard, he could remember Bella's face floating over his, and a sharp pain in his hand, but nothing else. And that could just mean one of the times she'd mended yet another scrape. "What, Mum?"

She sighed. "Nothing."

The letter came in the next morning, delivered by a fat old owl that lingered long after Antares had gotten the letter from its claws. He read it slowly, ignoring the plaintive hoots and begging eyes of the owl still on their tiny table.

Antares was almost done when Bella stumbled out of the bedroom, sleepy and damp-haired, but dressed for work. "What's that?"

"A letter from Hogwarts," Antares muttered, putting it down. "And, and a list of things I need to-- there." Bella ruffled his hair as she took the letter, a sharp, yet somehow wistful look on her face. "And it says I need to be on a train, from King's Cross?" He snorted. "Why can't you just apparate me in?"

"There's wards on school grounds," Bella said, shrugging. "And, god, could you imagine the nightmare? Planning or no, everyone would try to come in at once. Or Portkey in instead, or drop off their children without handing them off to someone responsible." She shuddered.

"But the train'll leave in the morning," Antares said, frowning slightly. "You'd have to take a morning off or something, wouldn't you?"

"Oh, I'll Apparate you there," Bella said, now paying closer attention to the letters. "Severus will be there, or another professor. Be perfectly fine." She pursed her lips at the letter. "I'd forgotten how long these got. All these books..."

"I don't have a single one of them," Antares said, stroking the claws of the fat owl, which was now inspecting his hair in a slow, lazy sort of way. "Does it...do you want a response?" Its feathers were soft, if smelly, under Antares hands.

"Most likely it wants to steal some of our breakfast," Bella said, folding the letter and letting it fall to the table. "Give it some bacon," she said, jerking her head in the direction of the covered pan still on the stove. "Not too much, mind." And when Antares rose to do that, "We can hunt the books down this evening. Maybe even do the whole list."

"Everything on the list?" Antares tried not to frown again as he fished out a small piece of bacon. "Can we afford it?"

"If you get into that program, yes," Bella said, now stroking the owl. Antares brandished the bacon, and then he and Bella watched the owl gobble it up like it hadn't eaten for years. It left soon after that, especially once Antares fed it another piece while Bella rummaged through the pantry for milk.

Bella emerged holding a clear, half-full bottle, and a bag of the ground coffee she'd had him pick up yesterday with some of the money Blaise's father had pressed on them.

"We can afford it," she'd said then, smiling. Now, she only busied for a bit then set a steaming mug before him, and talked simply of what order they'd buy the things in, like there wasn't a question that they would be able to.

Naturally, they weren't able to buy everything that evening. Fully five of the books Antares needed were nowhere to be found in the used section at Flourish and Blotts, and though there was a smaller used bookshop on Knockturn, it was the sort Severus had probably gotten all his darkest books from.

To add insult to injury, by the time Antares followed his irritated mother out of Flourish and Blotts, the potions ingredients place on Knockturn was closed early for restocking.

"Probably the back to school rush," Bella said, tightly, drawing him close. "Come. We'll sort something out."

Antares, already cross from forgetting it was restocking day, was even crosser the next morning when Bella revealed her plan for sorting things out. Just before she left, she had a long Floo chat with Severus. Antares thought it was just some more talk about the tests, like the long one Bella had had the day after they'd seen Severus for the first time. She'd come out of that one looking annoyed and muttering about people being too close-mouthed for their own good.

Not so today, but the absence of triumph on Bella's face gave Antares pause. "Mum?"

"Told you I'd sort it out," she said, and he finally pegged the look on her face as relief. "This afternoon, even." She rose to her feet, dusting her knees off with an absent look. "Thank god I get paid today."

"It's Tuesday, and you have the long shift," Antares pointed out, trying not to be sour. "Everyone will be closed by the time you get off."

"Severus will pick you up at three," Bella said, giving him a faint smile that quickly turned stern. "You'll stay with Lizzie from downstairs till then."

"Mum!" The only way the day ahead could get more boring was if she sent him down to Lizzie's right away.

"And once Severus has taken you round, he will return you straight back to Lizzie's," Bella leaned forward and pinched his cheek, "where you will stay until I come home."

Antares sighed. "Can I at least take a--"

"Not until you find that Crenille Shaw you lost down there last year, young man," Bella said immediately, as he'd half suspected she would. "You thought I'd forgot, didn't you? I spent a Galleon on that stupid book."

"Fifteen Sickles," Antares muttered. "Not really a Galleon." But as always, she didn't seem to hear him, and was soon away in their tiny bathroom, getting ready for work.

Antares sighed again, and went off to find a slightly cleaner set of robes. To have any hope of making the trip with Severus last as long as it could, he needed to make a good impression.

* * *

Despite Antares' best efforts, Severus barely seemed to notice him at all once they were out of Mrs. Elizabeth Dwighty's dim little flat. She hadn't seemed to notice him much at all, either, being half-asleep most of the time, and darning and muttering to herself the rest. Antares, feeling the beginnings of sweat under the tight collar of his cleanish robes, did not know whether to curse his mother for the hours he'd spent fighting sleep, or for the stifling heat he and Severus were now braving to strike for school supplies.

"Your mother tells me you still need half the list," Severus said, sounding not at all affected by the heat. Antares wondered grumpily if the man had a cooling spell on his robes, and why Bella had never thought of that. "Books and equipment both."

"Only thing I need for the uniform is gloves, yeah," Antares said, not taking great pains to be heard. "The potions stuff is all right, she knows someone we can, ah," Antares searched for a word that wouldn't get him in trouble, "order them from." Bella's scruples on hot stuff didn't stretch far when money didn't cover the legal stuff, but no one at Hogwarts needed to know that. "The rest of it, though..."

"Right." Severus began to walk faster, something Antares had hoped wasn't possible. "Flourish first, then."

"Flourish and Blotts?" Antares tried and failed to stare at Severus and keep the pace. "I was thinking we could just check Morrison's again, actually."

"Even after finding--or rather, not finding books you needed?"

"Finding something don't mean you can have it," Antares pointed out, wondering if the heat was getting to Severus. "And anyway, the only one that definitely won't be there if we check is History of Magic."

Severus snorted. "No market for it?" he said, almost as polite as old Morrison herself had been scornful when she said the same thing. "I suppose not."

Antares just shrugged, and tried not to pant when they finally reached the bookshop. Inside was cooler than he'd expected, what with the number of people streaming in and out.

"That shelf," Severus said, pointing one out. "Do you remember the books you need?"

Antares was already halfway there when he realized that Severus might have wanted an answer. But when he turned back to look for the man, he was nowhere in sight. Shrugging again, Antares changed direction slightly, heading for the shelves with used books. It didn't take more than five minutes before he had the books he needed. After satisfying himself that none of them were torn, or sat on, or stained, Antares set them down near a promising shelf and focused on browsing for interesting things instead.

Just when he'd lit on a proper beginner's hexbook and opened it, someone cleared their throat behind him, sharply. Keeping calm, Antares turned round to ask what they wanted, only to have the book snatched away from him in the blink of an eye.

It was Severus, the boredom clear on his face as he eyed the cover and glanced at the page Antares had opened to. "You're going to be one of those, aren't you?" he said, mockingly. He snapped the book shut and shelved it without looking at Antares, still bored. "Merlin save me from premature duelists."

"I was just--"

"Thirsting after what you can't do, like any other young fool headed for my house," Severus said, cutting him off with a hard look. "I suppose you want to be in Slytherin?"

Antares, doubting he could say anything right now that the man wouldn't try to mock, said nothing.

A faint little smile formed on Severus' face, mocking Antares anyway. "Learn your insults," he said, gravely. "There's no hex that'll shut anyone up forever. At least, none that won't get you imprisoned."

"Yes, sir," Antares said, reluctantly, hoping to put an end to the lecture.

Severus looked him over for a long, uncomfortable moment, then stepped back, his eyes on the books Antares had piled carelessly at the foot of the shelf.

"Well," he said, briskly. "Let's not waste any more time." He stood there, remorseless, as Antares grudgingly retrieved the books, and had them through the line in front of the till in record time. Then it was out into the sun again, this time, loaded down with books that kept shifting in the brown paper package in which they were hastily wrapped.

* * *

Despite Severus' obvious desire to be done with everything as soon as possible, at quarter past four they were still waiting stiffly in the potion ingredients shop on Knockturn, waiting for their package to come together at the deliberate, fussy hands of the clerk.

Or rather, Severus was waiting stiffly in a seat near the door while Antares gossiped with the clerk as he did things as slowly as he was able. At first, Antares had thought it would be an unhappily short time indoors, but then Mr. Horton had gone in back to check on some ferroots or something like them for Severus, and sent Tim out to hash up Antares' order.

And then it had been, "Of course you're welcome to sit down, Professor! We're almost out of beetle eyes. School rush, you know. Might take me the whole bleeding afternoon to search some out, and that's not counting--"

"Just get on with it," Severus had said, through his teeth, and soon afterwards, Antares could finally take a breath to tell someone his own generation his crazy news.

"You'll never believe it," Antares had started off, unable to take one eye off Severus even as he settled calmly into a seat.

"I think I believe you when you say that," Tim had said, also keeping an eye on Snape. "Why on earth are you with him?"

Tim still didn't entirely believe him, for all that he was putting together an ingredient pack he could do in his sleep in the slowest and worst way.

"You're joking," he was saying for the fifth or sixth time, staring at Antares. "Why would Dumbledore-- the Dumbledore--"

"I know," Antares said, shaking his head. "It's the program, some, some appentice thing. Don't think anyone really wants it, and you know how people can be. Probably his idea and everything, and he wants more people in it, so he doesn't look bad."

Tim snorted. "As if he really could."

"Well, he'd have friends, wouldn't he? Friends are friends, they'd doff him on it if no one joined up."

"Yeah, right," Tim said, rolling his eyes. But he believed some of it; he was counting even slower than he should be now, his browned hands flicking through newt tails one by one. "So you're really going?"

"Yeah," Antares said. "It's so weird. All my life, Bella's been on about me going to school, but I've never really-- I dunno. I just thought..."

"You'd stay here, eh?" Tim smiled, shaking his head with a slow, determined twist. "Nah." He glanced at Severus, then bent close over the newt tails. Antares leant in too, but Tim just shook his head again. Antares straightened, annoyed. Who knew when next it'd be all right to come down here and bother Tim, or old Horton?

This was what Hogwarts had been doing all week, Antares thought, angrily. Getting in the way, twisting things. Why was he here with some Professor, instead of with Bella, later in the week when she had the time? What was so important about school that it meant Bella would hand him off to someone, or that Tim was looking at him sort of coolly, like he was some customer or something.

"Are you quite finished?" Severus snapped, from behind Antares, and Tim nodded suddenly, his hands regaining his speed. Antares looked back, but saw that the man hadn't actually moved, but when he tried to catch Tim's eye, Tim was bending low over the package, and it was nearly finished.

"Order's done," Tim called out, tying and cornering it smartly, then sliding it out toward Antares. "Take care, mate," he told Antares, winking slightly, but it seemed added on.

"Yeah, thanks," Antares said, cheerfully. Bugger Tim. Was he the one being forced to take tests?

"Quite," Severus said, sounding relieved. "You'll have the fringebalm by...was it next week you said?"

"Week after next," Tim said, with a too-serious look on his face. "Now, you," he said to Antares, waggling a solemn finger. "Watch yourself, eh?"

"And you," Antares shot back. "Sliming your customers." There was a tug at his robe shoulder, and Antares, remembering himself, turned to follow Severus' impatient lead.

"Hey," Tim called out, as they rounded the corner. "Knock up something on your way out, you're not welcome back, all right?"

Severus frowned down at Antares, but not enough to stop him grinning. And certainly not enough to prevent his usual too-loud reply: "Yes, mum!"

Severus' frown deepened into a glare. "I'd ask you to contain yourself," he muttered, tugging again on Antares' shoulder until they were completely out of the shop, "but since that's the last time you'll see him in a year..."

"No, I'll be back in hols," Antares replied, trying and failing to wriggle his arm out of Severus' sharp grasp. "Mum said I would, at Christmas, if nothing else."

Severus sighed, let go, then headed up in the direction of Diagon. Antares followed him, rolling his eyes. The man walked so bloody fast...no wonder he'd run into Antares last week. It wasn't near crowded enough on Knockturn at this time, so it wasn't likely that the same thing would happen again, with someone else being mowed down by Severus. But with the way he looked and carried himself, Severus slipped through without a murmur, trailing Antares after him. No one on Knockturn was silly enough not to watch where they were going, not around someone that looked like him.

Light began to paint hot little shadows on Antares' face, and then they were making a sharp left out at Diagon, past Gringotts and down the darker end of the brighter street Antares didn't visit often. The wand maker's shop was down here somewhere, he remembered that much, as were one or two sad little shopfronts, empty as shells, still looking old and charred from the long-gone fire.

But this end of Diagon was half deserted now, free even of the Knockturn loungers and kids that prowled this end. Severus stopped short before a dusty old shop, no signs of fire, a faded wand on a pillow the only thing behind its dim glass front. And, unfortunately, a tightly written little sign hung upon the shut door.

"Closed," Severus read, narrowing his eyes, and swore. He stepped forward, purpose in the thin lines of his robes, then rapped hard on the door with his fist. "Hello, there! Hello there--"

The door opened with a sharp crack. "We're closed, I'm afraid," someone said. "A little early, yes, but you'll just have to return tomorrow."

"Ollivander," Severus said, coolly, edging the door open a little wider by just setting his hand to it. "You call half an hour a little early?"

The person sounded a little annoyed now. "Snape, I'm busy," they said. But the door opened the rest of the way anyway, to reveal a tall, faded man in his dusty, if fine summer robe and shirtsleeves. "What is so important?"

"You closed the shop for the Lupins, I see," Severus said, ignoring his question. Antares tried to look around him-- the Lupins, here? It was dark beyond the door, and he couldn't see much of anything. "This won't take but a moment out of that fat half hour you've set aside for them, I promise you."

"I am not outfitting a 'them'," Ollivander muttered, retreating. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, come on."

Severus was already half through the door, and dragging Antares after him. The door shut behind them without a sound, and Ollivander led them into a tiny little room positively crammed with narrow boxes from floor to ceiling. It was cool inside, despite how crowded it felt with the man and boy seated on threadbare armchairs just to the right.

"Severus," the man said, sounding tired. "I thought I heard your voice."

Severus smiled. "Why, Remus," he said, his tone so acid as to make Antares cringe despite the fact that he wasn't its target, "and all these years I thought it was Alice that loved the little perks of mothering the Boy Wonder."

"Good day to you too," Remus said, his tone pleasant. He glanced at Severus briefly, before turning a hard look on Antares. "You're not alone," he said. "Astonishing."

"Oh, he's only an errand," Severus said lightly. "Not a duty, like your charge there."

Remus stood abruptly, and Antares barely kept himself from stepping back. "Interesting how little you've changed over the years," was all he said, however, gently tugging the tallish boy beside him to his feet. "Mr. Ollivander," he said, nodding at the old man, "thank you for your time. We appreciate your discretion."

"No doubt you do," Severus muttered, ignoring the look of annoyance Ollivander sent him in favor of the other man's face. Antares thought that if Mr. Remus' face iced over any more, it would freeze off.

"Good day, sir," Ollivander said to Remus, looking dearly like he wanted it to be Severus he was escorting out. When the well-dressed, upset-looking pair had left, Ollivander gave Severus a look of pure contempt, then stalked off without a word into a narrow space between the shelves at the very back of the room.

Antares couldn't help himself. "Did you have to do that?" he hissed. "Now he's not going to bother matching me up properly, like he probably does for people like them."

"They are the Lupins," Severus said, with a sneer. "Rules of normal behaviour don't apply to them."

"Oh, tell me another one," Antares muttered. "They didn't look anything like--"

"And I suppose you've met them in person to know," Severus said, rolling his eyes. He went up to one of the chairs, added what sounded like a cushioning spell and sat down, muttering on to himself, "The day I don't recognize Remus Lupin's stiff arse is the day I go blind."

Antares stared at the door the unremarkable pair that Severus insisted on calling the Lupins had just gone through. "They never," was all he could dredge up, though it was true that he wouldn't know.

"Really?" Severus said, mockingly. "You don't think they'd go Glamoured?" He glared at the door. "Pompous bastard."

"Watch it," Antares said, hesitantly taking the other seat. "Bella glamours."

Severus snorted. "With a reason," he said. "You tell me what reason they have to hide."

If Severus had been anyone else, Antares would have pointed out the attack the man had just launched on the pair out of the blue. But Severus was not anyone else, and was still staring fixedly at the door with an ugly look on his face, so Antares kept his peace.

Ollivander came in soon after that, thankfully. Antares didn't like the way he kept being offered dark, dead-feeling woods and forced to wave several wands around like an idiot when it was clear they weren't doing anything, but he supposed that was because Severus was still staring at the door.

And really, by the time the sixth darkwood had done exactly nothing but be waved around, Ollivander started to look alive. "Come, now," he said, mostly to himself. "That should have suited." He took the wand from Antares and stared at it, then at Antares. Then, for some reason, he stared at Severus. "Not your relation, then?"

"What?" Severus snapped, almost at the same time as Antares said the same thing. "No."

Ollivander blinked. "Ah," he said, and he fished out a little tape measure and bid Antares stand up. He then proceeded to start the tape taking Antares' measurements at a sedate pace. Once it was whirring along, he disappeared again, and only came back with an armful of slightly less dusty boxes.

The wand fitting then began in earnest. Antares soon realized it was practically the same as before, except that the wands Ollivander handed him were now of every imaginable color, wood and heft. Some of the flimsier ones were snatched out of his hands almost immediately, but one wood kept being pressed on him.

"Birch?" Severus said, suddenly, startling both Antares and Ollivander. "Surely--"

"Quiet," Ollivander said, not sparing him a glance. "I have it, I almost have it...ha." The wand that had just splashed golden water at Antares' feet was taken out of his hand with care. "Phoenix core," Ollivander said, frowning down at it. "My word. But something..." He had started to hand the wand to Antares, but now stopped short. "It's not right."

Severus looked bewildered. "It isn't?"

"No," Ollivander said, turning away. "It is not."

Fifteen minutes later, they were down to one last box, an old one, sealed. "If this doesn't fit..." Ollivander had begun to say, before he touched it. Now, he was staring at Antares, and weighing the box in one hand.

"That's surely not the last birch you have," Severus said impatiently, into the stiff silence that had settled. He was leaning forward in his chair, a narrow look on his face.

"No," Ollivander said, shortly. "But it is the last one with a phoenix core." He weighed the box again, running his other hand over the casing. "And nothing else will do. Well." It was open in a flash, and soon the wand was in Antares' hand. "If it doesn't fit, I might have to--"

Antares twitched the wand a very little, wanting to get it over with, and the air shimmered around them. Shining rain began to fall from the ceiling, cold as anything Antares had ever felt. The wand was strangely warm in his hand by the time it stopped, and the uncomfortable silence was back.

"Finally," Severus muttered, but his sarcastic tone was half-hearted. He was staring at Antares' empty chair without seeming to see it.

Ollivander's face was shut and impossibly calm as he closed the crumbling wand box. "Seven Galleons, please," he said pleasantly. He didn't look at Severus as the money was handed to him. Somehow, the fact that he was looking at Antares now, like he could finally see him, was worse than the disdain before.

"Good day," Severus said, quietly, nodding at Ollivander.

Antares shivered as the man looked away, at Severus. "Wait," he said, politely. "I didn't quite catch your name." He was looking at Antares again, and it made him want to lie.

Somehow, that didn't seem possible right then. "Antares Black," Antares mumbled. "Thanks for the wand, sir."

He was relieved to get no answer apart from a polite nod, and even more relieved to be out in the fading sun. Diagon Alley was quieter now, but it was still louder out here than it had been in that shop.

"Be careful with that, for goodness' sake," Severus said, pointedly, and Antares realized he was holding the wand tightly enough to do it harm.

Antares stopped with some effort, and tried to put it away into a robe pocket. "Wonder what that was all about," he muttered shakily, wondering why on earth both wand and pocket weren't cooperating.

Severus sighed loudly, stopped him, and damn near strangled him in a bid to enlarge the pocket before just taking the wand and pocketing it himself.

"The only time you'll need this is at the tests, and I'm taking you to those," he said, rolling his eyes at Antares' reluctance to give the wand up. "You won't die if you forget it this once."

Antares didn't, of course. It was the first thing he asked for when he was led upstairs to Lizzie's greying door, and the first thing he showed Bella that night.

He didn't tell get to her about Ollivander, though, she was that tired. And it would only have made her worry.