Chapter Sixty-Six: Broomstick Rodeo

Chapter Sixty-Six: Broomstick Rodeo

Sunday, 21 March 1999

Severus watched, impressed, as Helena flew past him, the broomstick spinning her as she flew forward. He had thought it was quite something when she took the Thunderbolt into a backwards double roll and then immediately brought it into a diving corkscrew, but this was almost beyond belief. He was surprised that she wasn't dizzy.

Helena took the broomstick out of its spin into a single roll, and then flew up and around, making one long loop. When she reached the apex of the second large loop, Severus's heart leapt into his throat as she went into a sloth position, something most riders wouldn't dare even when flying in a straight line. He assumed that the Thunderbolt's stirrup made it a slightly less risky manoeuvre than usual.

As the broom completed its circle, Helena remounted. This time, she brought the broom into a low, level path, and she stretched out along its curved length, her feet in the stirrups but her arms outstretched as though she was about to skim a lake. When she reached the end of the course she'd been flying, she sat up and turned, flying back towards him, but picking up both altitude and speed. By the time she passed Severus again, she seemed only a dark speck against the white clouds. Severus found himself digging his nails into his palms as Helena appeared to plummet toward the earth, and he actually drew his wand, but it was clear from her position on the broom that she was fully in control of it, and he held his breath as her dive became a Wronski feint, and she pulled up sharply just before she hit the ground. He had never seen a Wronski feint performed from such an altitude before.

Helena flew toward him, her face glowing from the exhilaration. "One more demonstration of the Thunderbolt's capabilities, then I need some more of those chocolate cookies," she said with a laugh. "A speed test."

Severus nodded and watched her fly a few hundred yards to his right. He watched as Helena cast a charm on the handle that would measure and record the broomstick's top speed, then she took off, accelerating more quickly than he'd ever seen before. She flew past him, almost a blur, still accelerating. She maintained her top speed for a few seconds, then slowed and stopped. Severus saw her pull her notepad from her pouch and make a few notes, then she turned and flew back toward him.

She grinned at him and waved. "My best speed on this thing yet," she called.

Helena set down beside him and let out a breath. "Whew, that was something. I reached one forty-nine at my top speed, four miles an hour better than I've managed before. Must be my day!"

"That was very impressive," Severus said. "I have to admit, though, I was a little nervous when you went into that dive. I was afraid I'd be scraping your remains from the rocks to send home in an envelope! Isn't it frightening to see the ground coming toward you that fast?"

"Nah, I've done that one a thousand times," Helena said breezily. "It's only scary the first nine hundred or so!"

Severus chuckled. "So, what about those 'cookies' you wanted?"

"I'd offer to race you down, but I think I'll give the Thunderbolt back to you and take the Victory," Helena replied, trading brooms with him. "I'm starving. That's one of the few drawbacks of flying a cored broom at its full capacity...it draws a lot more on your own magic. You don't notice it when just cruising around, but race it or do highspeed twists, corkscrews, spirals, and stuff, and you really feel it."

The two flew back down to their picnic site, and Severus recast the warming charm on the blanket.

"Do you do that sort of thing often?" Severus asked as he unwrapped the egg and olive sandwich.

"Not very much anymore. I used to do the rodeos at home...from Whiteshell to Death Valley, and a number of places in between." Helena paused to take a bite of her biscuit and a swallow of coffee. "My favourite was always Area Fifty-One...Efronville, it used to be, but now they just call it like the Muggles do. It's one of the biggest wizarding communities in the U.S., and they have a week-long jamboree and rodeo every January. Grandpa Frank used to bring me and my cousins every year. I started riding in that one when I was twelve. I won the Thunderbolt that way. Not at the Area Fifty-One jamboree, though; at a competition in Little Boulder in Colorado. Best overall in the under-seventeens back in ninety-one."

"You've travelled a lot?"

"A fair amount, especially compared to many British witches and wizards I've met, but a lot of that was after I left school and was travelling with my team. But I've been to all of the wizarding towns in Canada and the U.S., and to a lot of the major wizarding districts in the larger Muggle cities, so I've seen quite a bit of North America, and when I joined Sweetwater, we did an exhibition tour of Central and South America, so I've been to Chile, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Guatamala, Costa Rica, and Mexico. I have to confess that because of the nature of the tour, I didn't get to see much of the countries, unfortunately, just the cities that hosted us. Then Viktor and I travelled around Eastern Europe. That was really interesting, too. Very different from home. What about you?"

"I haven't travelled much, myself. I've hardly even been out of the U.K., aside from a trip to Helsinki about a decade ago for a Potions conference Dumbledore sent me to. And a couple of trips to Poland . . . before I joined the Order. But those trips weren't pleasure jaunts by any stretch of the imagination."

"You were in China somewhere a couple years ago. It was in the papers. When Professor McGonagall was so sick."

"Oh, that." Severus flushed.

"That must have been interesting, even if it was just for a couple days. Mongolia, wasn't it?"

Severus took the final bite of his egg and olive sandwich and chewed, considering what he should tell her. He didn't want to lie to her. Too many years of lying to everyone. And she seemed to see him as a friend and hadn't pressed him for information about his time as a Death Eater. He swallowed his sandwich.

"I can't talk about it, but that wasn't me. It wasn't I who went to Mongolia. We had to make it appear that way."

"Oh! For the Order?"

"I can't talk about it, and you shouldn't say anything to anyone. I shouldn't have even told you that. Almost no one knows." He looked at her seriously, hoping he could trust her and that he hadn't made a colossal error in judgment.

"Right. So you found your time in Mongolia consumed with gathering potions ingredients, and you didn't really notice anything else, right?" She grinned at him.

Severus nodded. "That sounds good. Thanks for understanding."

"It must be hard, having so many secrets you can't share with anyone, keeping your cover stories straight."

Severus shrugged. "I am used to it. And as time goes on, I believe I will notice it less. Fewer people will ask any awkward questions. There will be other things to talk about."

"Yeah, I suppose. So, have you ever been to a wizarding rodeo?" she asked.

Severus shook his head. "My father brought me to a Muggle circus once. The trapeze artists were wonderful. I thought that was as magical as anything my mother and grandfather could do." He sighed and looked away. His grandfather hadn't been at all pleased to hear him say that. Not at all. He was only five, but he should have known better than to say that within his grandfather's earshot. As a result, however, his grandfather had bought him a broomstick for his sixth birthday, just a child's small toy broom, but it flew, and he could fly like a wizard, not a mere Muggle. That hadn't been bad, even if he had hardly anywhere to fly it. He'd spent a lot of time hovering in his bedroom the first week he had it. The novelty of that wore off quickly, though, and he still thought the Muggle acrobats were wonderful. "Watching the acrobats was one of the things that made me want to learn to fly."

"I used to watch the birds and imagine being one. It seemed so freeing . . ." Helena said.

Severus looked at her speculatively. "I'm not an Animagus, but I do have one skill you might enjoy seeing. If you can keep a secret."

"Of course! I promise! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

"No need for that...it's not a secret worth dying for, but it's not one for sharing casually, either."

"Now you have me very curious!"

"All right." Severus stood. "I usually like to be up higher when I start, but that's more for the thrill of it than for any necessity."

Severus drew his wand, held it above himself, pointing up, nodded at Helena, then looked skyward and took off. At first it appeared to be simply a very strong Self-Levitation charm, but then as Helena watched, Severus flew forward, crossing the small stream, touched his feet lightly to the hill on the other side, and then he flew back and settled beside her. She just stared up at him.

"Well?" Severus asked.

Helena opened her mouth, then closed it. She opened it again. "That's incredible. I almost didn't believe my eyes." She laughed and fell backward onto the blanket. "My god, Severus, that was better than being an Animagus!"

"Not really. It's not as though it's a skill I can exercise very often, for one thing." Severus sat down next to her. "People would notice if I started flying about Hogwarts without benefit of a broomstick. That wouldn't do at all, although it would certainly be more convenient than having to walk everywhere. It also takes a lot of energy to fly without a Charmed object other than your wand, particularly to go any distance. Apparition doesn't take as much energy, and flying by broomstick is easier and faster. It's nice in an emergency, though."

"Can anyone learn?"

"I understand that it's very difficult, even impossible, for most witches and wizards, which is why it is almost unknown in this part of the world...and in your part of the world, too, apparently. You might be able to learn, though, since you seem to be a creature of the air."

Helena sighed. "I suppose I should stick to brooms and my Animagus form. As you say, it is not a very convenient skill, anyway."

"I worry that if the Ministry became more aware of this kind of flight, they might try to outlaw it or regulate it. I'd prefer it to remain . . . esoteric and unregulated. I am sure they know it's possible, despite the fact that everyone is always taught that it's impossible to fly without the aid of a Charmed object, such as a broomstick. But like a couple of Dumbledore's other tricks, it's not impossible, merely extremely difficult and very rare."

"I gather those tricks of Dumbledore's are secrets, too."

"Some of them are fairly open secrets, but they are not open for casual discussion. You can talk to him about them though, if you like. He'd probably enjoy showing off a bit for you."

"He and the Headmistress are quite a couple," Helena observed.

"Indeed. A very impressive pair," Severus agreed.

"Did you want more to eat or drink?"

"Thanks, no. I should be getting back soon. I need to stop in Hogsmeade before I return to the castle."

"Right, and as enjoyable as this is, it's not getting my report written," Helena said, standing and beginning to wave her wand to pack up the remains of their lunch. "Thanks for making the chore go faster. I had a good time."

"I did, as well," Severus replied. "Thank you for showing me the capabilities of the Thunderbolt."

"It was fun. I hadn't ridden the Thunderbolt in quite a while, so it was fun to show it off," Helena said with a grin.

"What's its core?" Severus asked as he flicked his wand to fold the blanket and shrink it for her to pack away.

"Granian feather," Helena said. "Most Thunderbolts have a feather from some winged horse, though some of the earlier models had hippogriff feathers. The Zephyrs used to use harpy feathers, but as they are even harder and more dangerous to obtain than hippogriff feathers, Zephyr now uses griffin feathers almost exclusively. They're more stable than the older models, and less finicky about who rides them. The ones with harpy feathers often wouldn't carry wizards at all. Much more marketable with the griffin feathers."

The two packed up, this time, Helena carrying the basket. Severus said good-bye to her at her door. To his surprise, she reached up and kissed his cheek. He presumed she would not begin doing that as a matter of course when they were at Hogwarts; she seemed to have some sense.

Striding down the Hogsmeade high street, Severus considered his next task and how he could manage it on a Sunday afternoon. He was interrupted by a shout from the other side of the street.

"Snape! Hey, Severus!"

Severus looked over to see Gareth McGonagall loping toward him.

"Nice to run into you," Gareth said with a grin. "I was beginning to think I'd have to have lunch all on my lonesome today."

"I am afraid you will still have to, McGonagall. I already had an early lunch."

Gareth put a pout on his face. "Aww, can't you come keep me company?"

"I have an errand . . ."

"Can't it wait? I'm just grabbing a quick bite in the Broomsticks. Join me. Have a drink."

Severus hesitated, then nodded.

"What are you doing in Hogsmeade on a Sunday?" Gareth asked as they walked toward the pub. "And casually dressed, too! Nice jacket."

"I had a date, well, not a date, really. But I met someone."

"Ah ha! Good for you! And if I may ask, who was the lucky witch?"

"It wasn't a date-date. I assisted Ms Benetti in some broomstick trials, then we had lunch."

Gareth grinned. "Lucky you, Snape! Are you going to see her again?"

"Quite likely, as she works at Hogwarts," Severus said drily.

"You know what I mean!"

"She may be a friend," Severus said softly as they passed a couple on the street. "But that's all."

"A pity."

"Not really."

Gareth pushed the pub door open. "I didn't feel like cooking today, with Mum and Gluffy at the estate and Hermione at Weasley's, so I thought I'd just grab a bite here. Glad I ran into you."

The pub was fairly crowded, but they found a small table in a dark corner.

After they'd ordered, Gareth asked, "So are you thinking of dating other witches? If not Helena, someone else?"

Severus shook his head. "No."

"What happened with Hermione last night? She didn't say anything to me this morning except that she was going to the Burrow and not to expect her home until late. She seemed in a funny mood, though."

Severus looked around. He doubted anyone was eavesdropping, but he still disliked discussing his personal life in a public place. Casting the Muffliato would only draw attention to them, however. An irritating buzzing tended to do that.

"We talked. It was not entirely satisfactory for either of us." It was an outright humiliation for him, but he wasn't going to admit that to Gareth, at least not in the middle of the pub.

Gareth's lunch arrived, chicken and dumplings, and a pot of tea for Severus.

"Sorry to hear that, mate," Gareth said after the wait-witch had left.

Severus shrugged. "It was odd," he said softly. "I was displeased at first . . . I felt . . . rejected, injured, but then I felt relieved, actually, and even more relieved when I thought about it this morning. It is peculiar."

"Not really," Gareth said. At Severus's raised eyebrow, Gareth explained, keeping his voice low, "You have been torn about dating Hermione since before you even had your first date. I have no doubt that you care for her, that you enjoy her company, that you're grateful to her, that you even love her in some way, but when you talked about Poppy . . . it was different. I don't think you would have talked about Poppy that way if you were really as in love with Hermione as you believed."

Severus scowled. "You don't know what you're talking about, McGonagall."

"Maybe not." Gareth shrugged. "But I think you were relieved at least partly because you no longer would have to choose between them. It could even be that Hermione sensed some reluctance or indecision on your part. And if you were the one who initiated things last night and it went poorly . . . well, it may be that you didn't persist because a part of you would actually have preferred to be with Poppy. And now you are free, in your own mind, to consider being with someone else...with Poppy."

"Perhaps, but things aren't right with Poppy, either. She . . . she broke things off on Monday...Tuesday morning, actually. Even before I saw Hermione and things didn't go well with her. Poppy doesn't want to see me again."

Gareth grimaced. "I am very sorry about that, Severus."

"I behaved like an ass. And right after we'd had a wonderful evening, too. Things could have been going so well by now . . ."

"I know that syndrome myself. I find that just when things are going particularly well, I can do something to sabotage the relationship. It becomes too scary, I think, the idea that the relationship might have gone somewhere. But I think I've managed to get over that . . . now, the relationships just don't seem to go anywhere on their own." He gave a wry grin.

Severus shook his head. "It wasn't like that for me. I don't think so, anyway. Maybe I did react the way I did because we had had such a good night and I felt so close to her, but it was because . . . because . . . I don't know." He sighed. He didn't want to go into with Gareth all of the ways he was fucked up, particularly not in public. "But I apologised, I tried to fix things, and that's actually when she broke things off. And it didn't matter that I'd apologised. She took it all as a sign we should break it off. She was kind about it, but the result was still not what I had wanted."

"Ah . . . so what are you going to do? You say you're just friends with Helena, but maybe that could work out, at least for a while. You two might hit it off. She seems sweet and fun, and she's very attractive."

"No. I am going to try to get Poppy to change her mind," Severus said quietly. "I want her to give me another chance."

Gareth set down his fork and reached for his beer. "I see. So, I presume that, being an exemplary Slytherin, you have a plan."

"Something of a plan, anyway. I really haven't much practice at this, only theoretical knowledge. I thought I'd start by asking her out to dinner tonight, someplace nice but not too extravagant, and bring her a little gift when I ask her."

"So that's your errand this afternoon. Getting a present."

Severus nodded. "On a Sunday, it's a challenge."

"There's Scrivenshaft's, I think they're open until four on Sundays these days, or there's Madam Puddifoot's. You could get her some little treat there. A nice sweet."

"That crossed my mind. Chocolates or something of the sort," Severus said. "I thought it might make her well-disposed toward me as well as demonstrate my intentions."

"You might have to be a little explicit with her, Snape. She's a bright witch, but she's no Slytherin. Don't be too oblique with her. And," Gareth said with a slightly harder look in his eyes, "don't trick her or use her. She's not the only one who would find that difficult to forgive."

"Lighten up, McGonagall," Severus said. "I care about her. I'm not about to . . . to abuse her trust. Not deliberately, anyway."

Gareth laughed. "Usually, I'm the one saying that to you. 'Lighten up, Snape!'" Gareth chuckled again. "All right. Want company, then? On your errand?"

"I would appreciate your perspective. You know her well. You might be able to suggest something she'd enjoy."

"Of course. Let's get going. I'll pay up...it's on me today, Snape."

Standing in Madam Puddifoot's, surrounded by a profusion of pink, Severus stared at the baked goods in the glass case in front of him. He had already selected a tin of specialty tea, avoiding the Earl Grey after Gareth informed him that Poppy wasn't fond of it, but he thought that some biscuits would go well with the tea and make it more of a gift. There were too many different kinds, though, and he couldn't decide.

"Why not a selection? Some of those small biscuits there," Gareth suggested, pointing at the pastel-coloured buttery shortbread biscuits on the bottom shelf. "And then you could add some others, something she might not ordinarily have at Hogwarts."

"Do you think she likes Florentines?" Severus asked, looking at the crispy wafers covered in dark chocolate.

"Who doesn't like Florentines? In fact, I think I'll buy some for myself. I'm going over to Melina and Brennan's tonight. We're going to watch some videos. A nice Muggle evening. I'll bring these with, and then maybe I can pick the first one," Gareth said with a grin. "Melina's big on romantic comedies, but I'm in the mood for something more lively today. The Florentines will soften her up!"

They stepped out of Puddifoot's with their purchases, and Gareth turned to Severus. "Want to come back to the house for a while? We could sample the Florentines."

"No. I want to get back to school."

"Just a cup of tea and a biscuit. Besides, I have something I want to discuss with you. A bit of Muggle business, you might say."

Severus shrugged. "All right, but I can't stay long."

NEXT

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Some Muggle Business

Sunday, 21 March 1999

Gareth has some Muggle business to discuss with Severus. Harry shows up, and he's not a happy wizard.

Rated T.

Characters: Severus Snape, Harry Potter, Gareth McGonagall

Author's Note: I'm in the process of revamping my WordPress blog, and the information on the various fics is now easier to find, I believe. I've created several new pages for the site, including one where you can find the tables of contents for Resolving a Misunderstanding, Death's Dominion, and A Long Vernal Season, and another with links leading to relevant information about the characters, spells, etc. I'm still tinkering with it, particularly with the look and feel, but I think it's going to be easier for people to navigate. (The link to the blog is here on my author's page.)