The ill donkey.
The frightening rainstorm continued to scare away the poor English muggles as they raced around the centre of London, ducking for cover. Not a single soul faced the rain except one… A man around the age of 40 sat on his knees in the centre of the wide open space which held no one except himself. His unknown black clothing and cloak sprawled across the flooding floor as he bowed his head down; it was as if he had lost a huge case at court, or worse, everything.
A small figure whom looked the age of 32 hobbled across the flooding concrete, furrowing her thin dark brows at the stranger in the rain. Underneath the large umbrella long black hair was seen along with startling, bright blue eyes. She stood next to the stranger, her umbrella sheltering him slightly.
"Why do you kneel on the floor in this weather?" the female asked in a soft voice, kneeling down next to the figure as he raised his head. His onyx eyes glared in hatred towards the intruder but he cracked his lips open in surprise at the woman for her image startled him slightly.
"I don't know" the man replied, flicking pieces of his raven wet shoulder length hair out of his eyes. The woman sadly smiled at the man, a knowing expression falling over her features.
"You've lost everything too?" she half questioned and half stated. The man let out a long, painful sigh as he bowed his head down once more, not wanting to look at the woman anymore for her image was slowly awakening his frozen heart. The woman carefully placed a hand on his shoulder, making his head rise once more.
"Things have to get worse before they get better… Everything happens for a reason" she softly told him. Before the man could reply the woman had already stood and turned, walking off until the man's onyx eyes couldn't see her anymore.
Once again the woman was on a journey through the quiet alleyway of Diagon Alley, her eyes analysing people as she passed. Very few people that knew of the woman sent her sorrowful looks and sympathetic grimaces as they passed her yet the woman ignored them all as she turned into an archway, strolling into Knockturn Alley with no fear whatsoever. Her footsteps echoed around the silent street but she soon turned off into a store, the door making a bell ring.
"Ah good morning Miss Wythers, how are you today?" a cheerful man spoke behind the dusty counter, his stormy grey eyes focusing on the newcomer.
"How many times must I tell you? Please, call me Lisa" the woman barked, placing a cheeky smile onto her soft delicate face. The shopkeeper chuckled at her as she continued speaking.
"I'm very well though, how about you Tom? Have you had my order in yet?" the woman, Lisa Wythers, asked.
"I'm very well, very well indeed… Oh yes! I'll just go and grab it now! No running off now!" the shopkeeper, Tom, cheerfully spoke, turning around to find the order on his shelf.
"There'll be no running from me Tom. Like I told you a couple of months ago, it's impossible for me to run these days" she shot back at Tom as he mumbled under his breath, darting to his storeroom. As Lisa awaited his return the doorbell rang from behind making her step to the side so the new customer could get to the counter when Tom returned. Long, striding footsteps were heard until they stopped at her side.
"Have we met before?" a deep voice questioned, his voice was entwined with wonder and hope.
"Yup, in London a week ago" Lisa replied, looking at the mysterious dark man as his lip curled. Silence fell between them both but light shuffling was heard, suggesting that Tom had returned.
"Here you go Miss Wythers!" he brightly said with a grin but Lisa merely scowled at him.
"Will you ever learn?" Lisa questioned with a playful eye roll and Tom laughed making the dark figure shiftily shift his weight onto his other foot.
"Ah, good morning Professor Snape, what can I get you?" Tom politely addressed the now named mysterious dark man and he told many ingredients' making poor Tom dart back and forward, collecting things as 'Snape' barked the things he wanted. Lisa watched in amazement at the man for he seemed well collected unlike the first time she had met him in London. After Snape had finished barking his order Tom quietly set to work to pack everything.
"Are you by any chance the Potions Professor at Hogwarts?" Lisa boldly asked Snape as he turned to give her a sharp nod.
"Ah, Dumbledore mentioned you a few times to me" Lisa slowly said making Snape raise an eyebrow in interest.
"Oh really now?" he drawled. Lisa also raised her eyebrow for she was surprise by the drawl in his voice.
"Yes" she sharply said, "I'll be joining Hogwarts this year" she told him, extending her hand for a handshake.
"Lisa Wythers" she told him with a clipped voice and Snape accepted her handshake that, unknown to her, this was the first time he'd ever done that.
"Severus Snape" he drawled out again, firmly taking her soft hand in his grasp and shaking it before recoiling at the touch, amazed by how… how good it felt.
"Well, it's very nice to meet you but I must be off, I have an ill donkey to attend to", and with that Lisa left the store with a wave of goodbye to Tom who chuckled at her disappearing form.
"A donkey, eh?" Severus Snape muttered to Tom as the woman left and Tom laughed again.
"Let's just say that she lost a bet the other day…" Tom told him with a grin as he handed Severus Snape his order. Severus merely nodded to the man before turning, his cape dramatically flying behind him as he made his leave.
A month had passed at Hogwarts and Lisa Wythers was in every student's conversation and even Severus Snape was involved several times. During the first month at Hogwarts the two had stuck together like glue making everyone, including a very stern Professor McGonagall, believe that they were up to no good meaning that they were constantly stalked. Only Dumbledore, with his twinkling eyes, knew what the two were up to and he encouraged it. It so happened to be that kind of day today as Professor McGonagall breezily walked down the corridors, down into the dungeons, to investigate what was going on between the two dark figures; Professor Severus Snape and Miss Lisa Wythers. Every time she turned a corner she noticed a pink blob rushing to keep up with her without being seen but thankfully McGonagall was sharp eyed so she knew the blob followed her like a moth flying to a light. She cleverly darted into a gap in the wall, watching as the fat blob of pink hobbled past, her shrieks echoing down the corridor. As the pink blob, Professor Umbridge, disappeared out of sight McGonagall visited the potions room, standing outside, listening in through the door.
"The flab of pink is stalking me again" Lisa groaned.
"Maybe she wants something from you" Severus suggested.
"What, to bear her child?" Lisa quickly asked and a small chuckle was heard after her statement. Very stealthily McGonagall snuck into the room, locking the door behind her as she faced the back of Lisa Wythers, her arms crossed.
"Anything wrong?" Lisa Wythers asked Severus Snape and Severus simply grunted, nodded back towards the door and, as Lisa turned, she was face to face with Professor McGonagall. Lisa looked between the two professors in confusion before noticing that McGonagall had locked the door behind her.
"Care to explain what is going on?" Lisa asked making McGonagall give her a glare.
"I was about to ask you the same thing" she sternly said, sticking her nose in the air as Lisa sat herself on Severus's desk, amusement in her eyes.
"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Lisa asked in humour as Severus stiffly stood, walked around his desk then stood next to Lisa's side, wondering the same thing as her.
"You two are up to something, I know it!" McGonagall stated and before the two could even defend themselves McGonagall was on a roll.
"I've seen you both sneaking to each other's rooms in the middle of the night, muttering things to one another in dark corners and empty hallways. I bet he's rope you into being a death eater! Actually wait, I bet you were already a death eater or he wouldn't have bothered with you in the first place! I-" McGonagall began to rant but she was cut off by Lisa loudly laughing, her eyes watering in the process.
"Oh my, oh my, someone has it wrong!" Lisa cried out in a laugh and even Severus awkwardly smiled even though he was annoyed with McGonagall for constantly bothering him the other week at dinner.
"Do you really want me to tell you what is going on?" Lisa asked, containing her laughter as an un-amused McGonagall sharply nodded her head.
"Actually, we'll show you instead" Snape drawled and with that he grabbed Lisa's chin, turning her head before smashing his lips against hers, both falling into a passionate kiss. McGonagall, startled and embarrassed about the whole thing, quickly fled the room, her face as bright as Umbridge's clothing as she caught up with McGonagall, demanding her to tell her what she had seen…
"So, Mrs Soon-to-be-Snape, tell me a little more about this bet about this ill donkey…" Severus Snape lovingly demanded from his lover making her groan in frustration before grinning.
"Well…" she began and, well, what she told him was something I dare not repeat…