FicWad

Time to Live 28
By Loralee

Disclaimer: Not mine just playing



A/N: I looked in the Lexicon for info on Wolfsbane. Not a lot of cannon there so I'm taking liberties to make it fit my story. Thank you all for all the wonderful reviews.



Harry spent next day flying over Briarwood. He came in that evening wind blown and happy to find a frowning Snape eyeing the floo.



"What's wrong Severus?" he asked.



"I need to go to the shop tomorrow and the floo there is not working. I need to clean and I have to begin shelving stock. Lupin owled me asking how many doses of Wolfsbane I could have ready as he now has 45 who want it, including three children. I have to know how much those children weigh and figure the dosage, can't just give them an adult dosage. I may have to ask you to escort me tomorrow, Harry," he ran a shaky hand through his hair.



Harry blinked and frowned, "When was the last time you ate and slept?"



Severus looked blankly at Harry and shrugged slightly.



"Do you have anything on a burner now that has to be taken care of?" at Severus head shake he called, "Winky, please fix something for Professor Snape to eat." He steered Severus into the kitchen. "Sit down and eat. Dobby?"



"Yes, master Harry sir?"



"You know where the new shop is don't you? Would you be willing to give it a good cleaning?" asked Harry.



"Oh, yes Master Harry, sir Dobby is being hoping to help. Dobby can get started right away," said the over active elf.



"You're not to tired? I don't want you to work to hard now," said Harry.



Winky standing nearby frowned and pulled an ear, "Master Harry Potter, sir barely gives Dobby enough work now. Dobby is getting fat an lazy." Dobby's ears drooped and he looked at the floor.



"Well all right then if you think it best you can start tonight. Then tomorrow Professor Snape will have things that will need to be moved to the shop. In the morning see him for the list. Not to early mind, after breakfast."



Three heads nodded at him. Severus cleared his mouth, "Thank you, Harry I was at my wits end."



"You need to learn to ask for help. I don't think I can help with the brewing though," Harry said. Snape shuddered at the thought. "I can stock shelves, run errands and chop things, however."



"It is a shame that Sofia won't be available but these are the busiest shopping days and Jigger would scream bloody murder if she quit early," said Severus with a muffled yawn.



"Get some sleep, Severus, well go to the shop in the morning and you can tell me what I need to do to get floo access."



Harry realized that Severus was very tired when he went with out complaint. He sat down and wrote a note to Remus that they would be in the shop the next day and that Snape would need to know the weight of the children and that there probably wouldn't be 45 doses of Wolfsbane available.



The next morning Harry dropped Snape off at the shop and proceeded to the Ministry to pay for floo access. He dropped by Kingsley Shacklebolt's office to update the man and let him know of the possibility of problems come the 30th if they didn't have enough Wolfsbane. Harry didn't really think that there would be trouble but best be prepared.



As he walked up Diagon toward Cooper Place Harry noticed a sign in one of the windows. He stopped and discovered to his surprise he could get a sign for the shop. The man promised to have it hung by the noon the next day if Harry would pay half down.



He spent the rest of the morning putting jars and vials on the shelves wondering how Snape had managed to brew so much stuff in such a short time, and then he decided that is was things he'd already been making as the numbers were strange. Six of one thing, three of another, eight of those, four of something else must equal a cauldron batch.



Remus came in right at noon and Harry went gingerly down the steps to the lab to let Severus know. Luckily he was at a stopping place and came up to talk to Remus. Harry made another run down the street to Mum's Kitchen and brought back beef stew with fresh bread and half a banana cream pie.



"Hello!" a voice from the ground floor called.



Harry pelted down the stairs followed closely by Snape wand drawn.



"Professor Sprout? What are you doing here?" asked Harry in surprise.



"Oh, hello Mr. Potter I've brought Severus some things from the greenhouse. Hello Severus, how are you?" the smiling professor began to set down several bag and bundles on the counter and Harry leapt to help.



"Pomona, you didn't have to come yourself, you could have sent an elf," said Severus.



"Nonsense, I wanted to see how you are, and to admire you premises. I'm to make a full report to Minerva and Poppy on my return," said the Sprout, conspiratorially.



"Then you must come see the lab if you are to make a complete report," he said, the corner of his mouth quirking up for a brief moment. He offered the rotund woman his arm and she accepted with a small giggle and they swept from the room leaving Harry opened mouth in astonishment.



"Surely you didn't think that they all hated him did you?" asked Remus.



Harry closed his mouth and glared for a moment. "I'm not sure, I think he did, especially as none of them came to see him when he was locked up. No one seemed to even care."



"Apparently Albus told the staff, those that knew of Severus's arrest, that Severus had refused his help. He told the Order, at a meeting that no staff attended, that he was working on freeing Severus. I am glad that you helped him, Harry, after what he's done for us he deserves something good."



"I only did what was right Remus, not anything special."



"This is what's right?" asked Remus waving an arm around, "This is special, Harry."



Harry shook his head and with a sly look said, "No it isn't Remus. I'm going to make a bundle."



Remus only laughed, waved goodbye and headed out the door.



When Severus and Professor Sprout came back up the stairs they were arguing.



"No, Severus, you are only starting out and it's the least I can do. I haven't shorted myself or the potions department any."



Severus turned to Harry and said, "Mr. Potter, please inform Professor Sprout that we must pay for these supplies or we cannot accept them."



Sprout frowned, "Involving a student, Severus?"



"He is not my student, Pomona," stated Severus smugly, "he is my partner. Well Potter?"



"Professor, Severus tells me that you sometimes sell things on the open market to help make up the difference in the infirmary budget?" asked Harry.



Sprout squirmed a little at discussing such things with a student and reluctantly nodded her head.



"Well then it stands to reason that you'd let us pay for this shipment which will allow you to help out Madam Pomfrey. I'm quite sure I'll be seeing her at some point this year anyway," he said, with a martyred look. "So in effect I'm only helping myself, you see?"



Severus smirked at him and Sprout's eyes narrowed as she glanced from Harry to Severus and back again. "That, Mr. Potter, was positively Slytherin of you. Very well Severus, send me a bank draft if you want, I won't object further. I'll let you have first refusal on further harvest and the student processes later in the year."



She gave Severus a hug, patted Harry on the shoulder and left the two to sort through what she'd brought.



At 3 o'clock Harry had run out of things to do and was thinking of heading back to Briarwood. He'd gone to the door to lock up before telling Severus he was leaving when he saw Sophia coming down the street, red faced and in tears.



"Sophia, what's wrong? Has something happened?" he asked, ushering her inside.



"Oh, yes something happened, that MAN happened, just who does he think he is? He can't talk to me that way. I showed him. Just walked out, let him take care of all those brats himself, ooohhh! He just makes me want to scream. AAAHHHH!" she ranted, not even seeming to take a breath.



Harry stared wide-eyed; Sophia was scarier than Hermione when she was ranting. The next thing he knew she grabbed him and was crying on his shoulder. He wasn't quite sure what to do so he patted her on the back.



"Er, Sophia, is there anything I can do? Do you need me to kill someone for you?" he asked tentatively. With girls you just never knew what might set them off again. A giggle and snort came from his shoulder as she pulled away.



"No thank you, Harry, I just well, can I start work now, I just quit my job," she said.



"Of course you may," said Severus from the doorway to the back room. "I'll teach you to brew the Wolfsbane, we may have enough to satisfy Lupin after all." He handed her a white handkerchief, nodded at Harry and led her in to the back room.



"Hey, I'm heading back to the house," Harry called after them, "Don't work to late and remember to eat." He shook his head, women!"







He talked to Winky at breakfast and asked about Severus. She said that he'd come in late and eaten sandwiches she'd left out and then had a good breakfast at 5 am. At 9 he headed off to meet the others at the Leaky Cauldron.



Harry met Hermione and Neville in the Leaky Cauldron. After waiting for 10 minutes for the Weasleys Harry asked Tom to tell them they be in the Alley and the four of them went to start their shopping. Harry and Neville loitered outside of Slugs and Jigger's, while Hermione went in to collect her potion supplies.



"So Nev, you're not going to take Potions this year?" asked Harry.



"No, I did all right on my OWL's with an A in Potions, that's really all I need for what I want to do," said Neville.



Harry grinned, "Something with plants, is it?"



"Yes, I want to be an Herbologist like Professor Sprout. To grow potions ingredients you don't have to know how to brew the potions. Say Harry, I heard that Snape is opening a Potion Supply shop, do you suppose he'd want to buy some of the things I've grown?"



"I don't see why not, we can drop by the shop this afternoon and you can ask, if he's not to busy. Snape's been going a bit spare brewing Wolfsbane for tomorrow or you can drop by then if he is. We'll be open between 11 and 3 to sell the stuff. I just hope we have enough, you know?"



Ron and Ginny showed up then and Ginny rushed inside.



"No Potions for me," said Ron with a grin.



They made a brief stop a the bookstore but Harry and Hermione already had all their books, Neville had most of his and only need to pick up a new Herbology book he'd ordered. Ginny said her mother would be getting their books.



Harry and Neville needed to stop at Madam Malkin's for robes as they had both grown some over the summer but made arrangements to pick them up in the afternoon on their way out of the alley.



At noon Ron suggest they return to the Leaky Cauldron for some lunch but Harry smiled and said he had a better place in mind and steered them down to Coopers Place and Mum's kitchen.



"Come on guys, trust me this place is great," he said.



Harry waved to the woman behind the counter as he ushered the group, which had grown to include Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott to the large table in the corner.



She bustled up to the table, smiling at Harry.



"Good to see you again my lad, and you brought friends, welcome everyone, I'm Mum. I have chicken and dumplings or roast beef with mash, today or if you want a sandwich I have ham and cheese or turkey."



They gave her their orders and moments later and pot of tea, jug milk and big basket of rolls floated on to their table.



"Wow, this is great, Harry," said Ron, his mouth already stuffed with roll.



"How often do you eat here, Harry?" asked Hermione.



"I've been here a couple of times for take away, Snape's shop is just down the way. I'll show you after we eat. I want to take him something anyway."



They chatted through the meal and the thick slices of chocolate cake with caramel icing for pudding.



Harry stepped up to the counter to order meals for Severus and Sophia and pay for the group and overheard a couple of burly men in workmen's clothes who were sitting at the counter.



"Well I think we should pay him a visit and let him know that he's not welcome. This is a nice peaceful place, we don't need Death Eater's here," the first one said.



"Yeah I heard he's gonna have werewolves in an out'a that shop," said the second.



"We should just otta teach him a lesson," said the first.



Harry straightened and turned to the men.



"Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear, I think you should know that Professor Snape was a spy for the light among the Death Eater and that I would frown on anyone trying to 'teach him a lesson'," said Harry, eyes flashing.



One of the men stood up, towering over Harry. "Oh, you'd frown on it would you, boy? And just who do you think you are to tell me what I can and can't do?"



The room went quiet, Mum rushed out of the kitchen and Neville and Ron appeared at Harry's back.



"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said into the silence, "I am part owner of Potions by Snape, that's opening down the street. We will be selling Wolfsbane to those who need it. Do you have a problem with that?"



The large man flushed and the woman behind the counter glared at him and asked, "Just what is going on here, Jason?"



"Nothing Mum, it's just a misunderstanding." He turned to Harry, "Honest Mr. Potter we didn't realize it was you opening that shop. We was just talking." The other man was frantically nodding his head.



Harry smiled slightly, "Oh good, no harm done." He turned to the woman, "Mum, could I get a chicken and a roast beef to take to the shop. Professor Snape and Sophia have been working non-stop brewing. Oh and a couple slices of that cake, it was really good. If I'm lucky the Professor won't take the time to eat his and I'll get it to finish it off," he said with a large grin.



She smiled at him and bustled off to complete his order. The rest of the room erupting into whispered conversation.



Ron leaned in toward Harry, "Right scary that was, mate."



Harry paid for all their meals, thanked Mum and led them down the street to the shop. Harry spent a moment to admire the new sign and Sophia popped up the stairs as they were coming in the door.



"Hey, I brought food, how'd you know we were here?" asked Harry.



"There is an alarm that can be set on the door, and you are the only one with a key by the way. What's going on?" asked Sophia.



"Oh these are my friends, I wanted to show them the shop. Everyone this is Sophia Banner, Snape's apprentice, Snape says she's got great potential," said Harry with a grin.



Sophia blushed and said, "Hi everyone, we are petty busy but I'll make sure we eat in a little while."



Harry sat the boxed lunches on the counter and after they all had a good look around went back out the door.



Of course they had to go into the used bookshop nearby, as Hermione hadn't seen it before. They spent the rest of the day just roaming around doing nothing much and having a great time.





Revised 1/18/07