Severus and the Thunderbird

Seren's Summer

"He's always welcome to come by dear" Gwen told her, patting her knee with a warm smile.

That would be a cold day in hell, Seren thought, but it was nice to let her mother dream.

———————
June

"What the actual fuck is this?" Seren demanded angrily, exhausted from a bus ride and several apparations as she held up a waterlogged, mildewed, and yellowed shape of pages that once could have been called a book

The shopkeeper, Maurice, sat back in his chair, belly bulging, talking to her in a bored voice

"That's your book. Kai Nim."

Her temper flared, ready to throttle or hex him but she took a deep breath and continued on

"No it most certainly is not. That is a pile of wet tree shit" she poked at it with her finger, annoyed at his dishonesty

"Well what do you want to do about it pretty girl? Make me a bargain" he leaned forward, grey bushy beard obscuring his reddened face

"There is no way in hell I will bargain for that" she asserted, keeping her cool but raging internally, ready to hex him into oblivion for wasting her time.

She and Severus had made a special trip to this underground section of Berlin to get here; the shops were shoddy and hours unreliable. It was a miracle they even found the place.

They left the underground potions scene in Lithuania to come here on a tip from a librarian they had talked to at a pub a few weeks prior. She swore he was credible.

"Well maybe you give me something and I'll show you what I've really got stored in the back" he leaned over the counter, trying to touch her face

Severus moved from beside her, placing himself between them, growling in his baritone voice

"You will not speak to her that way. Keep your hands to yourself"

Her anger boiled over. She didn't need to be defended or coddled. She could handle herself. She grabbed Severus' elbow, and told Maurice

"Excuse us for a moment. Severus, outside please"

Once outside, she seethed through clenched teeth

"Don't do that again. You'll take away my credibility. I can take care of myself. I want you here with me, but I don't need you here"

His face didn't show any emotion instead he asked sourly

"So I should just let him insult you? Touch you? That'll prove that I trust you?"

"Yes. Because it's not your duty to defend me" she replied angrily, rubbing her forehead, pride swelling up

"Fine" he acquiesced curtly, opening the door for them to go back in.

Maurice smirked at her, pushing the book towards her

"Absolutely in no way will I accept that. And honestly I'm never going to buy from you again. Blacklisted, Maurice" she shoved the moist hunk of papers across the counter at him.

"You're making a big mistake" he opined, reaching under the desk

She immediately silently disarmed him, binding him against the wall. Severus grinned, hanging back. He enjoyed watching when she got a little feisty.

"Bitch!" Maurice grunted, straining to breathe, his wand out of his reach under the counter.

"I'll let you go if you promise to be a good boy. Don't hex me. And give me the book you said you had; don't try and swindle me" she demanded, one hand on her hip and the other holding her wand