"Harry! Hedwig's back with your mail!" Clarice called to Harry from the kitchen. She heard him come in and sit at the table where his owl was waiting patiently for him to untie the letters around her ankle.
"It's from Ron!" Harry said and quickly opened the letter.
"His family is back from Egypt, they're wondering if we can meet them in Diagon Alley to get our supplies." He told Clarice
"Well, write back and tell them that we'll be there. I can bring you. I need a few things myself." She said as she picked up the other letter that had his school supplies listed. "At least Lockhart's gone, I wonder who the new professor will be."
"I hope it's a good one. I feel like I haven't learned anything from that class." Harry said while looking over the list and then writing back to Ron. "Are you still an assistant this year?"
"Yes, I'll be helping out in Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and Potions. You''ll most likely only see me in Care of Magical Creatures though." She told him and he perked up. He had been helping Clarice care for her own creatures the last couple of days since she seemed to have her hands full.
The day he arrived, she had told him she just adopted a bundle of puffs and a foal. Later in the evening, she had asked Harry to help her set up a new sanctuary for a lost dog that had wandered into her yard. Although, it hasn't returned since that first night, she was determined to catch it and give it a nice home.
"And you said Hagrid is teaching now?" He beamed and Clarice nodded, just then she heard a pop in her backyard and looked out her window. Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly opened the back door.
"Severus?" She smiled at the man walking towards her and hugged him tightly. He looked different, it was his clothes. Instead of his usual boring black cape, he had on black dress slacks and a white button up dress shirt that had two buttons undone at the top.
"Miss me?" He asked her while brushing a strand of hair out of her face while taking in her honeysuckle perfume.
"Dearly," She said back to him forgetting that Harry was essentially in the same room as them. She stepped back and let him and watched his eyes fall on Harry who was pretending to write a letter.
"Potter," Severus spoke which caused Harry to slowly look up at his least favorite professor.
"Professor Snape." He said while placing his quill down. Clarice held her breath, she knew the pair didn't exactly see eye to eye.
"What brings you here?" Clarice cut the awkward silence.
"Needed to restock before term starts. And to see Flora and those weird puff things you like so much." He almost smiled.
"Well come on then, you know where the garden is." She paused and turned to Harry as Severus walked to her garden. "Harry, do you want to come?"
"No thanks, I'll finish my letter to Ron." He said and busied himself. Clarice frowned and walked over to him.
"I know it's weird, but he's not as bad as you think." She told him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"He's hated me since day one." Harry said lowly.
"It's not what you think. I'll tell you about it another time. Alright?" She walked out the back door to Severus holding about eight puffs in his arms and Clarice couldn't help but giggle.
"I think they missed me." He chuckled while letting them all back down on the ground.
"Come on you, let's get your herbs." She said while dragging him over to her garden.
"Excited for the new year?" She asked him.
"Not really." He replied while plucking a few moon flowers.
"Why?"
"I dunno, it's just another year." He said.
"Do you know who the new DADA teacher is?" She asked.
"I do."
"And?" She pried.
"He's a nobody."
"Well does he have a name?" She kept going.
"Clarice, it's really not that important." He snapped and she opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it and pulled some new weeds that sprouted overnight.
"I'm sorry." He said as she was turning away to go inside.
"It's fine, I just don't know what your problem is." She shrugged.
"It's Remus." He said and her mouth formed an O as she realized who he was talking about. The werewolf boy from the group of friends that bullied him.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't ha-" She started.
"It's fine, it's just annoying. That's all." Severus said.
"Does Harry know about his fathers friends?" She asked him.
"No, I don't know if he should." Severus said.
"What do you mean? He should know, it's his father." She argued.
"Just don't tell him about Sirius Black." He said.
"Who's Sirius Black?" A voice came from behind them. Clarice jumped and Severus eyed Harry who had Dolly the Demiguise on his back.
"No one," Severus said quickly and Clarice smacked him.
"He's a prisoner that broke out of Azkaban, he's on the run now. No one knows where he is." She told Harry nonchalantly as if it wasn't a big deal.
"How did he break out?" Harry asked.
"No one knows. I'd say it's impossible to break out, but he's the first one that's done it." Clarice told him while grabbing Dolly from his back. "Did you feed her?"
"Yeah, and a treat." He said.
"I'll make us lunch, let's go back in. Looks like a storm is rolling in." She said while eyeing the dark clouds. Harry went and sat down in the living room on the couch and turned on the tv. Severus sat at the stool at the kitchen counter while Clarice made lunch.
"Clarice, I think I might head out. I think I'm making Potter uncomfortable." Severus said low enough so Harry wouldn't hear him.
"Nonsense, he probably doesn't even care. He's just a teenager." Clarice said while placing a sandwich in front of him. "Eat. You look like you haven't had a decent meal all summer."
"I honestly haven't." He muttered.
"Stay for dinner then." Clarice said and not as a question. She wanted him to stay. After giving Harry his sandwich, she placed her plate next to Severus' and they ate silently.
"I have to go to Diagon Ally tomorrow with Harry. We're meeting with Ron and his family." She told him.
"The Weasley's are... nice people." He managed.
"I only know their kids." Clarice said.
"Well they have a lot." Severus chuckled and Harry came in to clean his plate.
"Harry? How many siblings does Ron have?" She asked him and smiled and chuckled.
"Too many. There's Bill, he's a curse breaker for Gringotts. Then Charlie, who works with dragons. You know Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny of course." He told the two of them, but mostly Clarice.
"That's a lot of children." Clarice said while taking a bite.
"They're the nicest people I've ever met. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took me in last summer when Fred and George kidnapped me from my home in the flying car." He smiled and it dropped when he mentioned the car. That was the car he nearly got expelled from school for the previous year.
"They what?" Severus looked up shocked and Clarice started laughing.
"Oh my merlin... that car!" She laughed as she pictured it crashing into the Whomping Willow.
"It's not funny!" Harry yelled, but then started laughing himself.
"Well, it wasn't funny at the time, but now it is." Clarice said and heard Severus chuckle also.
"And then the howler!" Clarice died of laughter again.
"I wonder what trouble you'll be getting into this year," Severus spoke and Harry pressed lips together trying not to laugh.
"Hopefully none, but that's what I said last year." Harry's smile cracked and Severus just hummed. They heard a loud crack of thunder and the lights went out.
"Great," Clarice muttered and used her wand to light the candles laying around her home.
"It'll pass soon." Harry said.
"Why isn't your home run with magic? You're a witch for a reason." Severus said while picking up a newspaper.
"My dad's a muggle. Remember? He can't magically turn lights on." She giggled and made some tea for the trio.
"Right, my bad." He replied.
"Your dad's a muggle?" Harry asked.
"Yes, and my moms a witch. They're in America right now I think. They're always traveling." She said.
"That's pretty cool," Harry. said and sipped his tea while sitting down at the table.
"Did you finish your letter to Ron?" She asked him.
"I just sent Hedwig out." Harry said.
"Are you excited for third year?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm excited to have Hagrid as a teacher." He said.
"Wow okay, I see how it is." She laughed.
"Sorry, you know-"
"I know Harry, he's your friend. I'm only joking. Besides, some of your other classes, you know, the ones I don't teach, are going to be boring." She said.
"I'm not looking forward to Divination."
"That's an easy one. Just make things up and Sybil- I mean Professor Trelawney won't know the difference." She smiled.
"It's that easy?"
"Claire, I know I did not just hear you tell Potter that lying about your work is okay." Severus chimed in.
"Er- perhaps you should pretend I didn't tell you that." Clarice held back a giggle.
"Tell me what?" He smirked.
"Anyways, what other courses do you have?"
"Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, ugh and History of Magic." He groaned.
"I think that was my least favorite subject too. I also wasn't a fan of Arithmancy." She said.
"I don't think I have to take that one." Harry said.
"No, but it depends on your choice of career. You have astronomy though, right?" She asked.
"Yes,"
"I like that one."
"Me too, but not when I have double potions the next morning." He said and immediately his eyes went wide forgetting Severus was sitting right across from him. Clarice laughed and she swore she heard a chuckle from Severus who still had his nose in the paper.
"Don't worry, double potions is just as bad for us then it is for you." She whispered.
"I heard that." Severus said and the pair snickered.
"Can I ask a question?" Harry said after a few minutes of silence.
"You just did." Severus said.
"Right..."
"What is it Harry?" Clarice asked and kicked Severus under the table.
"Why was Sirius Black in Azkaban in the first place?"
"He's..." She trailed off trying to find the right way to tell him without telling him too much.
"A murderer." Severus finished for her.
"A murderer... Who did he murder?" He asked.
"A few muggles," Clarice told him.
"Why?"
"I don't know." Clarice shrugged.
"He was crazy. A mad man." Severus said and put his paper down revealing Black's face.
"Is he a follower of Voldemort?" He asked bluntly. Clarice was shocked he said his name so calmly.
"He's believed to be," Clarice said and Harry stopped his interrogation.
"May I go to my room?" Harry asked and Clarice nodded and watched him close his door.
"He knows we're not telling him everything. He's a smart boy." Clarice said wearily.
"It's not your responsibility to tell him." Severus said.
"I know, but who is?" She asked. "He's going to figure it out and hate me forever."
"Just wait until school starts to tell him then. Or Christmas break. Let him get settled in before you drop something like that on him." Severus said.
"I guess you're right." She said.
"I know I'm right." He said and then the power came back on.
"That was quick, I think the storm has passed." Clarice said.
"So what's for dinner?" Severus asked.
"You're staying?" She smiled.
"You offered." He said.
"I'm thinking... banana fritters." She beamed.
"For dinner?"
"Yes, for dinner. Come on, you can help me." She pulled him up by grabbing his hand and brought him into the kitchen.
"Can't you use magic to make them?" He asked her.
"Sure, but what's the fun in that? Also, everything tastes better when its homemade with love." She smiled while grabbing the three overripe bananas and mashing them into a bowl.
"Can you grab me the vanilla and nutmeg? Oh and brown sugar and cinnamon?" She said and mixed all of her ingredients together. She grabbed a little salt and added that in as well.
"Here, use the sifter to add the flour in." She showed Severus how to do it.
"Like this?" He asked.
"Perfect." She leaned over his shoulder and mixed it all up. She added some oil into her skillet and dropped spoon fulls of the batter in.
"They just look like pancakes." Severus said.
"True, but they taste better." She said while flipping them over. They made a pretty large batch and Clarice set them on the table and whipped up a curry chicken to serve with them.
"Where did you learn to make them?" Severus asked.
"Jamaica. I was there maybe five years ago." She told him while coming up behind him at the counter. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and closed her eyes. He smelled like cinnamon.
Severus turned around to face the girl and enveloped her in a tight hug.
"This summer was so boring without you." She murmured into his chest.
"I can say the same. I missed you." He said into her hair she looked up into his eyes and he cupped her face in his hand. He took her glasses off gently, revealing her sapphire eyes, and placed them behind him on the counter.
"I can never get enough of those eyes of yours." He said as his thumb caressed her blushed cheek. He slowly bent down to her face and let his lips brush against hers so gently she didn't know if it was even real. It felt like a dream, the kind that when you wake up, you try your best to fall back asleep to continue it.
Of course, she kissed him back as his other hand dropped to her lower back and hers crept up his chest. She could feel his toned body under his dress shirt and all she could think about was ripping it off of him.
"Uhm," They quickly turned around and saw Harry standing in the hallway. "Is dinner ready?"