The principal interior space of the Serious Patents Office is the Intellectual Property Library.
It is a harsh yet spectacular area one hundred and forty feet long, lit by skylights and a clerestory, with two tiers of steel-framed, fireproofed galleries on cast-iron Corinthian columns. There are books, books, and more books, and the light and the smell are simply divine.
At seven in the morning on a Monday, it is completely silent. All is as it should be.
Severus makes his way over to the office at the far end of the hall. A new shiny plaque reads:
'SEVERUS SNAPE
ORDER OF MERLIN, SECOND CLASS
DEPUTY COMPTROLLER OF POTIONS AND SPELLBOOKS'
It is a very good start to the day indeed.
He hangs up his travelling cloak and lights the fire with a wave of his wand. He wears the dark blue robes of the Patents Office. On his new desk sits a bottle of elf-made wine, a bar of Honeydukes Best Chocolate, and a card.
On the front there is a cow with the words in a speech bubble:
'HERD YOU'VE MOOVED TO PASTURES NEW'
Only Potter could be this obnoxious.
The inscription says:
Enjoy your first day!!
- Harry
By noon, he had located the kettle in the Patent Attorney Staff Room, introduced himself to colleagues, organised the lilac tower of paper aeroplane Interdepartmental memos, and begun to decipher the handover document from his predecessor.
His personal effects are unpacked: a dormant Sneakoscope, a set of fine eagle quills from Bjørn, and a Foe-Glass now hangs beside the door.
Potter bumbles in at lunchtime, beaming.
Severus narrows his eyes to cover up his unease at this sudden appearance. "How did you know I was here?"
"Nice to see you, too," Potter says. "Draco told me."
"You should not be in here. This area is restricted access."
"Eric, the watchwizard, said I could pop up and say hi." Potter walks over to the window. "Wow, look at this view!"
"I'm sure you can surmise that it's charmed to look that way," Severus says.
(Everyone in the Serious Patents Office has a view of the Thames).
Harry turns back around. He is dressed like a Muggle in a denim jacket and jeans, and his green gaze is arresting. "It's been ages. How have you been?"
"Fine." Small talk ought to be illegal. "And you?"
Though he can't fathom how, he seems to be the cause of Potter's face lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Terrific! It's great to see you."
Severus clears his throat. "You look well," he says. "Thank you for the gifts, they were quite unnecessary."
"You're welcome." Potter just looks at him for a moment, then goes to the open doorway. Hopefully he's leaving.
Instead, he gestures to the bookshelves and says, "It's so empty!"
Severus heaves a great sigh and says, "Nobody respects intellectual property."
He catches up with Harry, who has wandered off and is now tracing his fingertips across scores of book spines. "This isn't Hogwarts, you can't just go wherever you please."
YOU ARE READING
The Space Between Failing and Falling • Snarry •
FanfictionA very long time ago, Severus resigned himself to the reality that he doesn't have a soulmate after all. He's finally a real Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and his life is perfectly tolerable, thank you very much. However, at the age of thirt...
