Andromeda Part III

Chapter 9: Andromeda Part III

Hermione was waiting in the entrance hall when Severus and Andromeda came up from the dungeons. Her hair was tamed back in an elastic, and she wore a light summer skirt and sleeveless blouse. She smiled brightly and held out her arm as Andromeda came running toward her.

"Good morning, my darling," she said, kissing the little girl on the forehead. "Are you ready to have fun in London?"

Her black curls bouncing, Andromeda nodded. "Daddy says we get to go on the bus," she said gleefully. She beckoned Hermione closer and whispered, "Daddy said he's going to frow up."

Hermione giggled back and walked over to where Severus stood, leaning against the wall and watching them with a wistful look on his face. He smiled as she approached and wrapped her in a warm embrace. She kissed his cheek softly and grinned broadly at him. "Good morning, Severus."

The corner of his lips twitched upwards. "Good morning, Hermione. I suppose we should be on our way, hmm?"

"Of course," Hermione said, taking his hand and pulling him towards Andromeda, who was watching the entire scene with a little twinkle in her eye. She picked the little girl up and, placing Andromeda on her hip, led the way out the front doors of the castle.

The wind blew softly across the sloping lawns of Hogwarts, sending ripples through the tall grasses. The lake tossed with gentle waves from the giant squid streaming effortlessly across the surface. The sun gleamed through the morning mist, warming and casting a bronze light over them. Andromeda chattered on in an unending narration of why the sun shone or how wind was created as they strolled down the lane to the gates. Hermione couldn't remember being happier than she was at that moment, listening to Andromeda's soft voice and feeling the work roughened hand of Severus Snape in her own.

"You know that I despise this thrice damned bus, don't you?" Severus said as they passed through the wards at the gate. He removed his hand from Hermione's grasp and held it out in front of him with a scowl.

Immediately there was a loud BANG! and the luridly purple, triple-decker Knight Bus came rumbling down the lane. Trees and a waste bin jumped back as the bus swerved from side to side at blinding speed. It skidded to a halt in front of them, gravel crunching and dust rising up from its tires. A young man climbed down the stairs, adjusting the gray cap over his flaming red hair as Hermione straightened the hem of Andromeda's jeans.

"Welcome to the Knight Bu...Hermione!"

Hermione looked away from Andromeda to find Ron standing at the door of the Knight Bus. "Ron!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. "It feels like I haven't seen you for ages. What are you doing on the Knight Bus?"

Ron's face and ears reddened as Hermione smiled at him. "Stan's still in St. Mungo's, and, well, I could use some pocket money when I go off to university. This pays okay, if you can get over the motion sickness. And Ern's not such bad company," he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to the elderly man sitting behind the wheel.

"Uncle Won! Uncle Won!" Andromeda bellowed, hopping from foot to foot as she tried to get Ron's attention. "We're going to London!"

Ron's grin spread from one ear to the other as he knelt in front of the little girl. "Well, look at you. Andromeda Noel, I swear you get bigger every time I see you. And prettier, too." Andromeda giggled and held her hands over her nose, fearing that "Uncle Won" would try to take it again. Ron stood and held out his hand to his former teacher. "Professor Snape, how are you feeling?"

Severus shook Ron's hand, not quite hiding his surprise at his former student's cordiality. "Much better, Mr. Weasley. Thank you. And thank you for helping Hermione care for my daughter while I was ill. I am grateful."

Hermione? Ron mouthed to his friend as he turned to open the door to the bus. "Yes, well, I suppose we should be getting on then. A Sickle to London for the two of you," he said, pointing to Severus and Hermione, "and three Knuts for Miss Andromeda here."

Severus dug in his pocket and handed the money over to Ron, who in turn gave him three tickets and stood back to allow them on the bus. A chandelier hung above them on the third floor and a jumble of comfortable looking armchairs sat in haphazard rows leading to the front of the bus. Hermione led the way to the middle of the first floor, where they took a seat behind two elderly witches with Welsh accents.

"Alright, Ern. Off we go!" Ron said, striding confidently up the aisle to the front of the bus. Grasping the back of the driver's seat, he called, "Next stop, Manchester!"

Ron chatted with them on and off while he aided other passengers getting on to and off of the bus. With each lurch and stop, Severus seemed to grow paler and paler followed by greener and greener. Hermione felt slightly queasy herself, although she didn't feel nearly as bad as Severus looked. Only Andromeda and Ron seemed unaffected by the fanatical jerking of the bus.

"Next stop, London!" Ron called nearly twenty minutes into the ride.

"Oh thank Merlin," Severus muttered, holding his hand over his mouth. Hermione had long since closed her eyes and felt the queasiness melt away. Andromeda was standing at the front of the bus holding tightly to Ron's leg and smiling at newcomers, saying, "Welcome to the Right Bus" much to Ron's amusement.

The bus lurched to a stop in front of The Leaky Cauldron. Hermione stood quickly, eager to get off the bus. She grasped Severus by the arm to guide him to the steady assurance of the sidewalk. Andromeda stood by the door, waiting patiently. "Thank you very much, Ron," Hermione said as they departed. "I suppose we'll see you later this afternoon."

Ron smiled and tipped his hat at Andromeda as they climbed down the stairs. Severus sighed with relief as they entered the cool shade of the pub and found an empty table nearby. Hermione settled Andromeda into a seat next to her father before going off to find Tom, the barman.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" Andromeda asked, patting her father's arm sweetly. "You wook wike Uncle Won when he sees a spider."

Severus smiled softly, afraid to open his mouth should he be sick over the table. Just then, Hermione returned carrying a damp cloth and guiding a hovering tray of ginger ale in front of her. "Here, Severus, drink this," she said, handing him a tumbler and placing the cloth over his forehead. "We'll sit here a while until your stomach settles, then we'll head off to the toy store!"

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Thirty minutes later, Severus and Hermione were being pulled through the tiny Cobblestone's Toys down the street from the Leaky Cauldron. There were teddy bears and stuffed animals on shelves lining the walls. Board games and puzzles were stacked in the floor on all sides. Packages of dolls and dress up kits were lined up on counters above video game units and portable computers. Andromeda was squealing gleefully as she maneuvered through the stacks and piles of toys, picking up a board game here and a doll there.

Hermione followed Andromeda loyally, giving each of the dolls voices and names and tickling Andromeda's cheeks with the stuffed rabbits' ears. Severus followed close behind, feeling oddly reminiscent of his toys as a boy. He picked up a small stuffed bear and turned it over in his hands. He felt a warmth flow through him, the same warmth that came with thoughts of Andromeda, Samantha, and Hermione. His logic told him to put the toy away, but his heart wasn't in it. Clutching the toy in his hands, he followed after his daughter and Hermione, smiling slightly.

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If the toy shop was Andromeda's birthday, then the candy shop was Christmas. To his surprise, Severus enjoyed the shop as much as Hermione and Andromeda. They watched the shop owners make licorice sticks, rock candy, and chocolate drops with cherries in the middle. Andromeda wanted to taste everything, and if it had been up to Hermione, she would have been able to. Severus bought her a bag of rock candy and a licorice stick and allowed her to sample a chocolate drop with Hermione, who left the shop with a bag of candy of her own.

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It was nearly dark when they arrived back in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione and Andromeda were still sipping sodas from the café where they ate dinner and skipping along behind him. He held out his wand arm and waited for the deafening roar of the Knight Bus. He grimaced as the bus appeared, causing two waste bins and a mailbox to jump out of its way.

Ron smiled at them as they climbed aboard and paid the fare. "It'll be a shorter ride this time," he said jovially. "We've got a high paying customer going to Hogwarts, so it's next stop."

Severus scowled. "Who in the hell is going to Hogwarts? The Minister?"

"Close enough," came a voice from two rows ahead of them. A head of tousled black hair appeared, followed by a pair of startling green eyes behind a pair of glasses. His scar was hardly visible anymore. It hadn't burned in months. "Hiya, Hermione."

Before she could respond, Severus nodded to Harry. "I've never been happier to see you, Mr. Potter."

"I was about to say the same thing to you, sir," Harry replied.

Hermione grinned and pulled Andromeda into her lap. "Why are you going to Hogwarts, Harry?"

"I didn't want to ride the train. After all, we've only had one teacher ride it, haven't we?" A smirk crossed his face, making him look more handsome than usual. It was odd now that Hermione could remember that Harry had always looked handsome.

"You're teaching, Harry? What subject?"

Severus chuckled, his head tilted back against the seat and his eyes closed. "Who better to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

Notes from The Mistress: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I am nearing the end of my pregnancy and don't have much time to write lately, but I am working hard to get another chapter of the Chagny Letters out as well as the next chapter of Softer Side. Please bear with me, and I promise I will NEVER abandon a fic...EVER!