Return of the Wandering Potter

Chapter 7

          Severus Snape sat at a small corner table placed in a decent sized office on a comfortable black chair drinking a steaming cup of coffee. On the other side of the room stood a large oak desk laden down with an assortment of research papers, potions magazines, and old potion stained tomes. Just behind the desk is a large window looking out into a area filled with various green houses, wild plants, animals and potion stores for the more elementally touched potions ingredients. What was left of the walls were covered in book shelves and a personalized walk in storage closet right next to the desk.

        This was his office provided by the Potters Potions labs on the islands and if he were being honest with himself this room had quickly become his haven especially after his first day. He often spent his mornings and afternoons within the confines of his office and personally provided labs exploring his passion and avoiding the endless prank war that the lady of the island herself had started. It had all started the day he stepped through into the Potter home to be slurred at by a rabid dog bringing the woman's ire down on both him and the flea bag.

          Cordelia had proceeded to procure the help of young Miss, Potter and the shewolf in an all out war. Now Severus knew if he were up against just the hot headed mutt or even a combination of the mutt and wolf he would be just fine knowing most of their tricks from their formative years in Hogwarts. Yet that was not the case with Lady Cordelia Potter added into the mix dragging with her a young protege and prank established wolf to target both himself and the flea bag.

       The woman was a dangerous combination of cunning and bravery, Slytherin and Griffendor to be able to combat anything both the flea bitten ex convict and loath as he was to admit it he himself could come up with on their own. It pained Severus greatly to admit that he was on a loosing streak with no signs of the winning party even offering up an olive branch. He was slowly coming to the conclusion that if he wished to come out of this with even a bit of his pride in tact he would need to swallow a large chunk of it and ask the mongrel for assistance. Yet there was the root of the problem.

Sighing through his nose pinching the bridge where his nose had healed incorrectly causing a distinctive lump in the bone. He truly detested the demented man who he firmly believes has a touch of the so called black madness creeping up on him. The man had almost gotten him killed back in their Hogwarts years but it was high time he get a leg up on the seemingly unbeatable combo of the females in the home. To add to the chaos it had come to Snape's attention that by this afternoon the home would be visited by the elder Weasley and five of his seven children who would be spending the night here and celebrating Yule with them in the morn. Let's not forget Cordelias strict command for him to join in the festivities both tonight and in the morning with the hoard of rambunctious monsters disguised as children.

Downing the last of his coffee Severus stood and gracefully walked out of his office as his black robes flitted behind him like a bats wings. With quick measured steps the black clad man made his way down and out of the building into the hitting cold.  Winter winds nipped at his exposed flesh turning it a striking red where it burned a temporary mark upon his person. The snow under his boots crunched as he followed the path to the main house joining in the with the unrelenting sounds of nature waking up around him.

Scowl deepening the closer he got to the back door Snape stopped right before the door glaring at it as if it had just insulted him. Although knowing that as soon as he passes through the threshold he would need to find one of his most despised childhood headaches did not help his sour mood. Giving his head a slight shake he straightened his spine and stride through the offending door and made his way up the short back steps and into a spacious kitchen.

Stopping short Snape blinked at the changed kitchen in as close to utter bafflement as his strict countenance would allow. Ever since his first day within the Potter home hidden on the side of a mountain on a remote island Severus had been completely baffled by the home. It had an annoying habit of changing its interior make up at the drop of a hat causing confusion to those not used to the quirks of the building or not blessed with Potter blood.