Lac du Grenouilles

'I'm so tired of this town

-Sarah McLachlan, "Dirty Little Secret"

As the residents of Sept Batons were beginning their day, Severus Snape was hoping that his own would soon be coming to an end. He had been awake the entire night preparing to leave, along with burning down Spinner's End and the tedious adventure of travelling out of Britain via Muggle channels.

He Apparated to the spot on the map, indicated by Dumbledore, which was in a wooded area outside of Sept Batons, France. The town was named such due to the presence of seven trees by the entrance to the town, which continued to grow, but did not have any branches or leaves, merely trunks. The Muggle residents of the town just saw it as an environmental mystery, but the Magical residents knew better. The area had been a favorite of Merlin, and in to order locate it he had charmed seven trees to grow in the form of wands as a way of allowing himself and other Magical folk to recognize the area, while keeping it concealed from Muggles. The current Sept Batons was a mix of Muggle and Magical folk, similar to the village of Godric's Hollow in Britain.

Dumbledore's instructions made it clear to Severus that he would have to walk the remainder of the way to his new home, as Anti-Apparition Jinxes had been placed around the lake upon which Dumbledore's cottage lay. There were also Muggle-Repelling Charms, due to the fact that Dumbledore's wasn't the only magical home on the lake and the residents of the area liked to be able to exercise their magic without caution.

Severus pulled out his wand and performed the Four-Point Spell, which told him that north was to his left. He began walking in the direction of his destination, which was through the forest.

A quarter of an hour later, Severus could see sunlight streaming into a clearing ahead. As he emerged from the woods, his eyes were met with the dawning sun reflecting off a blue lake. Severus' eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the blinding light before he could begin to look around for the cottage. Dumbledore's note in his will, which had given Severus his instructions on locating it, described it as a grey stone cottage with a garden and lay on the west side of the lake.

Severus was able to spot the house to his left and began walking towards it, admiring the environment. Despite all of Dumbledore's shortcomings, he had excellent taste in his surroundings. The lake, which was smaller than the Hogwarts' Black Lake, was crystal clear and inviting. The mountains rose above it, looking tempting for days of journey. Severus surveyed the rest of the lake and saw three other homes around it. According to Dumbledore, all of the inhabitants were witches or wizards, so magic could be practiced freely.

Once Severus reached the door to the cottage, he muttered, "Alohomora", and the door unlocked. He turned the knob and walked inside. Candles lit as Severus entered the room, exposing a high ceiling with dark, wooden beams. The walls were made of the same dark wood, as was the floor. In typical Gryffindor fashion, the sofa and the chairs were a burgundy color with gold pillows. The rug on the floor reminded Severus of a Native American design, with its contrasting browns and reds and geometric shapes. He recalled that he had once heard Dumbledore say his mother had been a Native American witch, a very rare phenomenon, and had been forced to leave her tribe, as they considered her powers to be the work of some evil spirit. On the wall opposite the door was a large, stone fireplace. A dark wooden mantle flanked the opening and, to Severus' dismay, a portrait of Albus Dumbledore was hanging over it, the late Headmaster pretending to be dozing in his chair. Severus rolled his eyes and walked over to the fireplace.

"Dumbledore, why do you have a portrait here? Did you not torture me enough while I was Headmaster?" he asked, sneering at the man he murdered. At that moment, he almost derived pleasure from the fact.

Dumbledore feigned awakening and looked at Severus, smiling serenely.

"Ah, Severus, glad you made it, my boy. Do you like the place?"

Severus peered down the hall, which led to the rest of the house.

"I don't know. All I've seen is the living room, but if every room is done up in those bloody Gryffindor colours, I shall absolutely loathe it. "

Dumbledore chuckled. "I assure you, Severus, they are not. Now please, finish exploring the house and then come back and tell me what you think. We have much to talk about."

Severus glared at Dumbledore, his wand itching to the set the portrait on fire. "Yes, we do, Dumbledore. You had better be here when I return or I shall destroy this damn portrait and finally banish you from my life."

Severus turned to walk away down the hall, ignoring Dumbledore's muttering. "He thinks I hadn't already prepared for such threats."

Severus continued down the hall, upon which he found the bathroom, which was done in simple black and white. Across from the bathroom was the kitchen, which was a Hufflepuff shade of yellow, making Severus slightly nauseous. Thinking he would be changing the colour later, Severus left the kitchen and found two more doors in the hallway. The bedroom, done in a shade of blue that remind Severus of robins' eggshells, had a brown duvet on the bed and dark wood furniture. Severus shook his head. Until Severus had read Rita Skeeter's biography on Dumbledore, Severus had been skeptical about the Headmaster's sexuality. Apparently, Severus need only have made a trip to this house to confirm it. He clearly exhibited his homosexuality in his décor. Severus almost didn't want to open the last door. He could only imagine what atrocities awaited him. Pink bunnies, puppies, a mural of Harry Potter on the wall... all three together? Severus steeled himself and held his breath as he opened the door. What met his eyes was enough to forgive Dumbledore for the other horrid rooms. A library, with bookshelves from floor to vaulted ceiling, a beautiful stone fireplace, and two brown armchairs sat facing each other in front of the fireplace, along with a brown sofa that sat in between the chairs, facing the fire. What amazed Severus the most was the wall upon which the fireplace was built. The enchanted wall allowed him the view of the lake and mountains. From the outside, he knew it had appeared a normal part of the cottage.

Through all of his amazement, Severus realized he had overlooked an envelope with his name on it, resting atop the mantle. He picked it up and opened it, recognizing the handwriting as Dumbledore's.

Dear Severus,

Albus

Severus folded the letter and replaced it in its envelope. Putting the letter into his pocket, he returned to the living room to find Dumbledore sitting in the armchair, waiting patiently.

"Ah, Severus, come back to hex me?" he asked, not meeting Snape's gaze, but playing with his wand as though it were a conductor's baton.

Severus let out a tired sigh. "No, Dumbledore, I won't destroy your portrait today. It is a very nice home, though I shall be making some changes to it in terms of your taste in design. Thank you."

Dumbledore bowed his head in welcome. "Get some sleep, Severus. You look exhausted."

Severus looked up at the portrait and let out an ironic chuckle. "You cannot possibly know how tired I am. I feel as though I haven't slept for the past eighteen years."

Extinguishing the candles, Severus left the room and headed for the library. Closing the door behind him, he walked to the nearest shelf and examined the books. That particular section contained books on magical history. Severus pulled down a book on Medieval Wizardry and went over to the fireplace. With a flick of his wand, the fireplace burst to life, its flames crackling. Severus unbuttoned his coat and took it off, laying it to rest over the arm of the sofa. Severus unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and the cuffs and rolled up his sleeves. Upon his left arm, the Dark Mark was visible. Severus looked down at the tattoo in disgust. He had hoped with Voldemort dying for good, that the Mark may have disappeared, but it was a faded black, the color it had been for the years when Voldemort was thought dead. Pulling his thoughts away from the Mark, he opened the book and began to read. Within minutes, Severus was asleep, the book falling from his hand. The book did not hit the floor, however, as Bijou had been summoned to the home by Dumbledore. She caught the book as it fell and placed it on the table. Bijou watched her new master sleep for a few moments before leaving the room, to change the décor of the kitchen and bedroom that her new master so hated.