Silvanna Snape {Marauders}

Chapter Forty-Seven

Have a lovely day :)

On the very first day of the holidays, Silvanna got up, had a quick wash, and then selected the smartest blouse and skirt she could find. She put her blush and mascara on, and tied her hair in a ponytail, before heading on her way to the field.

As she passed through Lily's village, she noticed that there were far fewer people heading out to work here than in Spinner's end. The houses and buildings got older as she got closer to the centre, until she finally reached the place she was looking for. A sign reading Crowpot Village Shop in peeling red letters. She stepped in through the heavy, windowed door, and a bell chimed above her.

A plump woman in an apron came bustling out, her mousy hair tied into a bun at the back of her head. She had been smiling, but her face fell at the sight of Silvanna. "Excuse me," she said, doing her best impression of James and Sirius, but less snobby. "I was just wondering if you had any work going here?"

The woman looked her up and down, taking her in. She put her hands on her hips and frowned. "You good at school?" she asked.

"Yes, Miss," said Silvanna, folding her hands in front of her to stop her fidgeting. "I'm always punctual and very hard working. Always hand my homework in on time."

"Hm," said Marianne, "How old did you say you were?"

"Fourteen," Silvanna replied simply.

The woman frowned. "You go to Cokeworth Comp?"

Silvanna shook her head. "No, Miss. I'm on a scholarship at boarding school."

She seemed to like the sound of this. "We've got Jim," she said. "He helps to stock the shelves. But he won't work weekdays. Would you work on Monday and such?"

"Yes," said Silvanna eagerly. "I'm on my summer holidays at the minute."

The woman nodded, looking like she was thinking very hard. "So you go back in September? And you'll come back next year?"

"Yes, Miss," said Silvanna. She bit the inside of her cheek.

The woman nodded. "We do get busier when they let the kids out that school. You busy now?"

"Now?" asked Silvanna, surprised. "No, Miss. I'm free as a bird."

The woman smiled at her. "Well in that case, my name's Marianne. Pop through here, we'll get you an apron. What did you say your name was?"

"Silvanna Snape," she said, beaming.

*****

Jim, it turned out, was Marianne's fifteen-year-old son. He arrived to help out at the shop at twelve o'clock, when Silvanna had been sorting though a heavily disorganised storeroom all morning. "Hello," he said, and she jumped at his sudden appearance, almost bumping her head. "I'm Jim. You must be Silvanna?"

She watched as he unhooked a red apron from the wall peg. He had messy brown hair, a bit like James's, and broad shoulders. In fact, if it wasn't for his accent, Silvanna would've been startled by their likeness. Except, Jim didn't wear glasses, and his nose was somewhat bigger. And his eyebrows were thicker too, more square.

"Uh, yes," she said, straightening herself up. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," he said with a smile, before heading back into the shop floor with his mum.

Silvanna worked on organising shelves and taking inventory all afternoon, with Jim showing her where things went, and sometimes helping her lift things up. At three o'clock, Marianne took a note of the time, and sent her home, telling Jim to make sure she got back safe.

Silvanna thanked her profusely, before hanging up her apron and heading home. Jim followed a few inches behind her, letting her lead. "Where d'you live anyway?" he asked as they strolled through the village, the sun beating on their backs.

Silvanna shuffled her shoulders uncomfortably. He would surely tell his mum. "Spinner's End," she said eventually.

"Oh," said Jim. He looked relatively unfazed by it. "Yeah there's loads of kids at school from there.  Not seen you though?" He asked it as a question, but Silvanna almost didn't answer.

"I'm a scholarship student at this boarding school," she said. "Me and my brother. We were homeschooled before then."

"So you've lived in Spinner's End your whole life?" he asked as they stepped across the field.

"All these questions!" exclaimed Silvanna, forcing a smile onto her face. "Is this the real job interview then?"

Jim laughed. "No, you're just...you don't seem like the other girls at school." Silvanna felt her face grow hot with embarrassment. She knew she was a bit weird, but she thought she fit in relatively well at Hogwarts.

"No?" she asked. "What am I like then?"

"Well you don't wear stupid coloured eyeshadow for a start," he said, and Silvanna forced a laugh. No one at Hogwarts really wore coloured eyeshadow, as far as she knew.

"Didn't know stupid was a colour," she said, smiling as she picked at her nails.

"Very funny," Jim joked. He looked at her calculatingly. "You seem like you know your worth."

"How very feminist of you," she said, testing the waters to see how he handled sarcasm.

They turned into Spinner's end and Jim laughed at her again. "My most sincere apologies," he mocked. Silvanna smiled at him.

"This one's me," she said, casting a glance up and down the road. It was pretty much abandoned. Jim peered over her shoulder at her house, but his expression was completely unreadable. "Thanks for walking me."

"My pleasure," said Jim. "My mum says that she wants you back at twelve on Monday, if that's alright?"

"Works fine for me," she said. "Thanks again."

"See you, 'Vanna," he said, departing down the road with his hands plunged deep into his pockets.

Silvanna smiled once more, before heading into the house. If she was quick and quiet, she might be able to grab a book and sneak away again.

She had no such luck. "Where've you been?" her dad demanded, the moment she entered the house.

"Just walking," said Silvanna, hoping to squeeze her way upstairs without any major confrontation.

"I've boarded up your windows." Silvanna turned around, staring at him.

"Why?" asked Silvanna.

"You might use your friends' owls, mightn't you?" he said with a sneer. "If you want to get your post that's fine, but I've told you, you're not sending any."

Scowling, Silvanna went upstairs. That had been her one last hope. Clearly her dad wasn't as thick as she'd originally thought.