rungholt
June 1987.
Severus Snape had hoped the school year would finally draw to a close, allowing him to return to the only constants in his life worth cherishing: silence, research, and the blissful absence of other people.
Instead, he found himself trapped in a predicament that was, even by his standards, utterly absurd: He was forced to leave Hogwarts. He was compelled to travel. And-as the ultimate cruelty-he was not permitted to do so alone.
His trainee-that obstinate, insolently capable young witch who had already transformed the previous year into a trial of endurance-had been assigned to him once more. A decision that Snape, naturally, viewed with profound disapproval.
Together, they were thrust into a world far more alien to him than the Dark Arts ever were. A realm of unfamiliar landscapes, unwritten rules, and people who held no regard for the boundaries Snape had so meticulously constructed around himself.
And as if that were not challenge enough, he was forced to confront a terrifying truth: the greatest danger was not lurking in the distance-but walking right beside him.