A New Start - Chapter 1

Severus stepped off the PIONEER BUS and surveyed the mountain scenery around him. The trip across the pond had been harsh in the muggle aero-plane and their PIONEER BUS was almost as bad, if not worse, than Britain’s KNIGHT BUS. There had been a no apparation policy on those coming to the United States to live, so he had been forced to do things the muggle way. It was not as bad for him as for some wizarding people he had seen. It would be nice to finally use apparation to travel.

He nodded to the driver and walked up the path to the set of houses hidden back in the forest canopy. The sign read ROCKY MOUNTAIN “WIZARDING” HOMES. The word Wizarding was in magical text and probably for muggle security. This was where Severus would be living, for a while anyway, until he decided if he liked the area. He had signed an agreement for 6 months and paid up front. He had been sent his key and all he had to do was show up.

As he looked around the cabin type home, he saw that firewood had already been stacked to make it look muggle like and there was a well and a wooded fence bordering him from his neighbors. He walked inside, pulling his two trunks and spent the next few hours organizing his house.

He felt his stomach rumble and looked at the wall clock. It was after four o’clock and he hadn’t eaten since early this morning on the bus. He looked at the wall map provided that showed two towns of equal distance from his home here in the mountains. He recalled driving past Estes Park on the way up so he thought he would go there for dinner and tomorrow morning go to Grand Lake for breakfast and to check out the town.

He looked at the accepted apparation points in the town and their landmarks and with a soft pop arrived on the end of town by a livery stable. The smell of sweaty horse and manure assailed his senses so he moved on quickly.

As he entered into town he was looking to the west and the vast mountains. He would have to learn more about them and the special places to find potion ingredients that he needed. He walked down the street taking in all of the tourist shops and eateries. He finally stopped at a small diner and had a steaming bowl of elk stew, not his favorite but since the creatures were in abundance here, that is was a useful mainstay.

He walked on along the gurgling river and crossed the street to a shop that was built into the mountain itself and jutted out in an old wood style look. It said “Campbell’s Crafts” on the Signs and below boar’s head clan symbol, in old script lettering it read, “Potions, Lotions and Soaps.” There was a sign in the window that said HELP WANTED.

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Brekka Campbell looked up from her logbook as the door chimed. She always hated it when people waited until five minute to five, when the shop closed, to come in. She looked up, forced a smile and stared at the man before her.

He was black haired with eyes almost as black, like there was no pupil. He was dressed very nicely in black frock and slacks and black boots. He was looking around the shop and not at her.

“Oh, Hello sir!!” came the chipper greeting of Martha, the older woman who helped her out two days a week.”

“Good day,” he said and Brekka heard the distinct British accent.

Martha bustled around him, chattering amiably. She loved all people, muggle or magic. Brekka didn’t mind muggle but she wasn’t really friendly to anyone, muggle or magic. She had learned long ago not to trust anyone.

After intense surveillance of her shop, the man approached her. He was older, but not by much. His face showed lines that were far too deep for someone she figured only a few small years her senior.

“May I help you?” she asked trying to sound nice but ready for dinner and wanting him to leave.

“I wanted to inquire about the job opening.”

“It’s 3 days a week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from nine to six. I can only pay $9 an hour and there’s no benefits.”

He looked at her for a long moment and said, “That sounds fine.”

Brekka was slightly taken aback but she recovered quickly. He must be a wizard to not question the pay. All the muggles did, especially the benefits.

“Where are you from in Britain? I hear Diagon Alley is lovely,” she asked. It was his turn to be caught off guard, but he recovered quickly.

“It is very nice. I am from Northern England, small town.”

Brekka smiled at him, “No worries. Please, for official city reasons for both muggle and magical, I need you to fill out this form. You can start Saturday.”

She watched him take the form and step away from the counter as one last customer came running in right as the clock chimed five.

The girl was battered and bruised and trying to cover one side of her face. She was muggle and had been in many times before.  Brekka shook her head. It was time for action.

“Natalie. Again?”

“Yes, please, that lotion is so wonderful.”

“OK. Here you are and this is something I want you to give to him,” Brekka said handing her the packages.

“What is it?”

“It will make him love you, not hit you. Follow the directions EXACTLY.”

Brekka watched as the girl ran out of the store.

“You gave her a love potion?” the man asked.

“No I gave her poison. Not enough to kill him, but he’ll be sick and when she gives him the antidote, I think he will stop. The lotion was Marshey Cream to make her bruises disappear.”

The man regarded her with a mear raise of his eyebrows “You sell it to muggles?”

“There’s nothing in it dangerous and we don’t have as strict of rules here in the States as they oppose on you lot across the Pond.”

She turned from his intriguing eyes to see her pet snake Rigor hanging from the ceiling rafters.

“Rigor, what are you doing?”

“He doesn’t like me.”

She looked at the man and he was rubbing one side of his neck with a slight fearful look that he hid quickly with the same scowling mask he had worn in the shop.

“Rigor won’t hurt you. I’d be more fearful of Jazelle or Stalker,” she replied pointing to the black cat lounging on a shelf and the white Bull terrier lying by the hearth.

“I have no fear of snakes,” he replied simply, “nor dogs, cats, nor of Parselmouths.”

Brekka laughed, “Ah, I should not forget that not long ago Britain had more than it’s fill of a Parselmouth. I have read the papers. We were not oblivious here.”

He nodded to her and handed her the forms, “I will be here on Saturday.”

He turned and strode from the store. Brekka looked after him then too the paper, “Well, Severus Snape. What an unexpected pleasure.”

She smiled as Martha locked the door on her way out and Brekka stepped up the private back steps to her own apartments above the shop. She needed to take her rent check in, but decided she would do that in the morning after Martha came in. She was glad she only had three payments left. She hated Norris Vantavington and his highhanded wizarding ways.

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Elissa Bannon hated having to do this, but she placed the Help Wanted sign in her window when she opened up on Friday morning.  Demand for a few types of potions were going through the roof and it was next to impossible to keep up with the orders and run the shop.  She pointed her wand at the door to set the charms and then ran back to the potion she had been working on.  It was for one of her best customers, the Cherosky family who lived right on the outskirts of town.  She shook her head when she saw that the order had doubled and wondered if the older boy had bit his brother or if the boy was out playing in the woods again.  She was stirring it carefully when the chimes rang out and she cursed to herself under her breath.  "Be right there, don't touch anything," she said to the visitor before charming her stirring rod to continue, hoping the person wouldn't be there too long.  She hurried to remove the smocking that she wore to protect her sapphire gown and headed to the main room.  "Can I help you?" she asked the man who was looking around.

"I was inquiring about your posting," the man said, looking over at her.  "I understand you have a job available?"

"Yes," she said, a little taken aback by his deep black eyes and velvet voice.  "I need assistance on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  I am looking for someone quite skilled in potions, I won't even consider anyone unless they can brew Wolfsbane, one of my biggest sellers."

"I've brewed it a time or two," the man said raising his eyebrow.  "Should I be concerned about my safety?"

"Only if you venture into the woods Mr...what is your name anyway?" Elissa asked, getting a little lost in his voice.  "You are definately not from around here, what brings you to this tiny town?"

"My name is Severus Snape," he replied, finding one of the chairs by the register and sitting down.  "I came here because of the fact that it was so quiet."

"Don't get comfortable there," Elissa said, remembering the potion she was working on.  "Come, follow me, we'll talk about the employment in my workroom."  She waved her wand to set the charms again and then motioned for him to follow her.  "I never thought I'd live to see the day that I would need help to run this shop, but now that the second Cherosky boy has been bitten, things can only get worse from here."  She returned just in time for the next ingredient to go in and a simmering stage to commence.  "Take a seat and we'll discuss some more of the position."

Severus sat in the one chair and looked around the small room.  "This is where you brew most of your potions?" he asked, scratching the side of his face.  "It seems a bit cramped."

"Well, when there was only me, it worked fine," Elissa said with a shrug.  "I'm not sure if you'll be back here with me or if you will be minding the store.  I suppose it all depends on how busy we are on a certain day.  No matter what you do though, the rate of pay is the same.  I pay 4 Galleons a day, you work from open to close.  I open at 11:00 am and I close at 7:00pm.  It's a long day, but I provide a meal if you wish, otherwise you get thirty minutes to go find something at a cafe, but I wouldn't recommend that too often."  She sat down across from Severus and pulled out a quill and parchment.  "I have to go over some things before I can officially hire you and I hope that is ok."

Severus nodded and sat back, putting his right ankle on his left knee.  "I'll be as honest as I can," he said, waiting for the first question.

"From your accent, I assume you were born in Britian," Elissa began, dipping her quill in the ink.  "Did you attend Hogwarts or another school?"

"I went to Hogwarts, finished my education in 1977 and then actually taught there for a number of years starting in 1981," he replied.  "I taught Potions for fifteen years and Defence Against the Dark Arts for one."

Elissa raised her eyebrow at this news and jotted down a few notes.  "What caused you to quit teaching?" she asked, wondering why he would leave such a job to come here and work in a small shop part time.

"My employer and I argued about the best course for his health," he replied.  "In the end, his orders resulted in an untenable ethical situation for me; there was a... falling-out, and I chose to leave. I fear I will be unable to obtain a favourable reference from him."

Elissa shrugged and jotted down a few notes.  "I heard he passed on anyway," she said as she wrote.  "Of course, I don't know the whole story around it, but I assume he just died of old age, the man was ancient that I heard of."  She put down the quill and looked up at Severus.  "So, we don't serve Muggles in this store.  We sell any type of potions ingredients, some are quite dangerous and I have no problems making poisons for people.  My best customers are the Cheroskys who drain my supplies of Wolfsbane potion and the VanTassels, a crazy old couple who uses more Polyjuice potion than I ever thought possible."

"You have something against Muggles?" he asked, due to the tone she used.

"I guess I do," she said abruptly standing up and fanning herself with the small lace fan in her hand.  "My father was a powerful wizard, best in his class and he gave up magic for my worthless Muggle mother.  She tried to beat it out of me and when I finished school, I never went home, sold my soul to Vantavington to get this small store and have been working like a dog to pay him back.  I've only got a few more payments and this building and land will be mine outright, no thanks to her."

Severus looked at her for a moment before standing himself.  "I'm sorry if I offended you, I meant no disrespect," he said, ready to take his leave.  "I assume that I'm no longer qualified for the job so I shall just go."

Elissa looked at him for a moment before closing the fan and putting her hand down at her side.  "I'm sorry, I overreacted, I do that sometimes.  You are more than qualified for the position and if you are indeed still interested you can start on Monday.  My name is Elissa Bannon by the way, I suppose you may need that.  You can just call me Eli or Lissa, both are acceptible, unless you wish to call me Elissa.  I won't report your employment to the Department of Magic, so don't worry about giving me any proof of your ability to work in this country, I know that could be difficult when you just move."

Severus smiled for a moment.  "I will see you Monday then Elissa," he said before letting himself out.

Elissa walked to the main room and watched as he walked down the street.  'You certainly can pick a winner,' she thought to herself, taking the sign she made only that morning out of the window.