Azkaban

Diagon Alley

Finally, at eleven in the morning, Amarea and Severus Snape stood on the cobblestone street of Diagon Alley. The black-haired woman had a small smile on her face, watching the people bustle around the street. Severus on the other hand was nowhere near happy. Not sure if she was shaking from excitement or anxiety, Amarea grabs her friend's robe-clad wrist, tugging on it. "Come on, I'm getting older and the hustle waits for no man."

"Very funny, Amarea," Severus responds, rolling his eyes at her joke. He starts to walk down the street, making sure no one bumped into them. He had always been incredibly observant and cautious of his surroundings, and she appreciated it to no end. Amarea's hand was secured tightly on his wrist as she watched robed figures weave in and out of crowds.

Diagon Alley was different from when she had last seen it. Her eyes followed the row of shops, her hood falling slightly from the angle of her head. Severus tugs it back up as he walks, looking down at her. The rows of shops were mainly the same, a few new ones littered around. 

"Woah, where are you going," Amarea asks as Severus turns to walk down the street on the right. 

"Taking you to spend Black's galleons."

Amarea stops walking, making him stop as well. "I'm not going to the South Side, that's way too expensive, Sev. I don't want to use all of his money; what if I need it later or something?"

Rolling his eyes, Severus starts to walk again, weaving in and out of the crowd. "You know I would take care of you. Until the end," he says, a small smile on his face as he looks at her.

Her eyes widen in surprise. Amarea had expected him to forget about that night by now. The night she had found him, bruised after a group of students had ganged up on him. She had sworn to protect him from then on out, and he had done the same for her. "Until the end," she says. When the both of them had attended Hogwarts together, it was well-known how close they had been. It was slightly taboo at first; a rich student, practically the Headmaster's favorite, and a poor boy caught up in a mess he regretted. Throughout the years, Amarea would help Severus pay expenses on his school items. He never forgot. Each had their own problems, talking about them late into the night. They were each other's safe place, or were until Amarea had disappeared one day. No matter what, Amarea and Severus were always there for each other, not caring what other people thought of their friendship. No one knew them as each other did. 

A bell rings as they walk into a shop; the scent of rose oil and vetiver enveloping them. Amarea sighs as she breathes in the scent. Thinking about the last time she had been in the shop was mind-boggling; seventeen years was a long time. A blonde woman walks up to them quickly, sporting a white silk blouse and a tight baby-blue skirt. Shrinking behind Severus slightly, Amarea takes note of how tall the woman is, especially so with the huge white platform heels she wore. Although most people were taller than her, she never really got used to people towering over her. 

Severus tugs her over to the woman's section quickly, picking up a skirt and pressing it against her waist. He snorts, "I forgot how petite you were."

"I am not petite, you're just...really tall."

"Nice comeback."

Amarea sticks her tongue out at him, following behind him as they try desperately to find clothes that fit her; she didn't want to spend more money than she had to, which meant no additional tailor.

After an hour of torture, Amarea dragged herself over to the desk the woman was working at. Severus seemed to be enjoying spending money a little too much; he had a ghost of a smile on his face while talking to the woman. "Sixty-nine galleons, 5 sickle," the woman says, making Amarea's jaw drop. Severus' smile got slightly larger as he took out the money Sirius had given her to spend. She didn't say a word more until they walked out of the store.