The Ten Year Hex [Severus Snape]

22

The house smelled of mildew and old parchment. Jynx wasn't surprised by the many books that cluttered the shelves; she wondered if Severus' parents had ever read to him as a child.

The walls were bare but for a few sparce portraits. Jynx had no idea who the people portrayed in them were, but they all shared the same features and dismal expressions. The grime was obvious around the frames and the faded colors. A thick layer of dust covered most of the shelves and hung in the very air, the place hadn't been well tended.

Jynx knew Severus had grown up in Cokeworth, but she had never been to his home and now she could see why. He didn't show or tell them anything other than where they could stay. His shoulders were pulled together tightly as they made their way through the house and he touched nothing.

Jynx didn't care for the energy that radiated from the old bones of the house, it exuded grief. Severus was tightfisted with information about his childhood but she knew it was unhappy, much like her own.

In the small hall at the back of the house there were three rooms, Demi took the left, Jynx the right and Severus' room lay at the end between the two. It was obvious that this was the last place Severus wanted to spend any length of time, but they had very limited options. Jynx only hoped that like her, their former associates didn't know about this place.

Severus had told them that the area was mostly Muggles but he always kept thick wards in place, to make sure there was never a bother. He checked and replaced them to make himself feel better as Jynx slung her bags onto the dusty bed. A puff of dust swirled in the light that filtered through the layer of grime on the small window.

She smiled as she realized that this must have been Severus' room in his youth and he hadn't bothered to dismantle it. Only two posters graced the walls, one was a slytherin crest and the other a poster of herbs and their uses. A small picture was tacked between the two over the bed, a photo of Jynx with her face in the pages of a library book. She watched a younger version of herself flip the page, oblivious to the world around her. It was candid, she didn't remember it being taken. Much like the photo of Severus brewing a potion, her attention was elsewhere, while his was on her.

She ran her fingers over the books still perched on the nightstand next to the bed, several of them school issued with his name beautifully scripted inside the front cover.

Demi joined her in the room, his expression bleak as he took in the barren surroundings, "I could use a drink," said Jynx. Her fingers left clean streaks along the cover of a tome as she closed it.

"I would rather you two not wander about," Severus said as he joined them, not bothering to mask the disdain on his face as he entered the room, "you'll do nothing but draw attention."

"This from the man who I've never seen in anything but robes, who draws attention everywhere," replied Jynx. Not bothering to hide her smirk. Demi mirrored the sentiment, muffling a snort.

Severus rolled his eyes, "I would rather appreciate returning to one of you living."

"We'll be fine, Severus," said Demi.

"You were not the one I was referring to," Severus snapped.

"I saw a pub just around the corner, why don't you come with us?"

"I must return to Hogwarts and confer with Dumbledore," said Severus, his eyes hovering over Jynx, "I will return shortly." Then he was gone in a flurry of black, billowing robes.

Jynx plopped onto the bed in defeat, releasing another volley of dirty sparkles into the air. Demi stood propped against the doorframe for a moment, as if wondering if he should stay, then he crossed the room and sat next to her, "It'll be alright you know," he said.