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Both Sides	By : ccino49 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 10428 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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I do not own any of the characters or places from the Harry Potter books or films. They all belong to J.K. Rowling. All that is mine is Lou and the plot. I am not making any money from the writing of this story.

Both Sides.

Unbetad, all mistakes and lousy grammar are mine. ccino

CH 1 Disturbing the peace

Lou was pleased with herself, she�d finally done it. The job didn�t pay a lot, but at least it was honest, and she�d be earning her own money. No more scavenging or knocking on doors, hoping someone would give her a meal in return for odd jobs. She�d lived that way too long and hated it.
Growing up in care wasn�t all it was cracked up to be. Four times she�d been put into foster homes, and four times they�d given up on her.

Lou was marked down as a trouble maker. She�d never taken well to just mindlessly obeying orders. She hated it if someone touched her or tried to hug her. In one of the foster homes they believed that everyone should sit around the table each evening and tell their troubles to everyone else. Talk about their pasts, share their problems and feelings. No way was she gonna do that. It didn�t take the problems away, or stop the feelings. They stayed whether you talked about them or not. So why tell others your private business?

Lou preferred to keep to herself. She didn�t want to go to bed at eight thirty just because the foster parents said she should.

And school was a waste of time. They said she didn�t want to learn, that she was stupid and never listened. She wouldn�t mix with the other kids and always sat away from the others at breaks.
Not that it mattered now. She was fourteen, had her own place, well kind of her own place. It was really an old house that no one seemed to want. The street was shabby and run down. Most were boarded up and those that weren�t had grimy broken windows. It gave off a feeling that made you want to be away from it.

She�d notice people approach the end of the street, they�d pause and seem to think better of it, turning to go the other way. Lou did that herself a few times. But it was the main reason she decided to hole up here. If no one liked even walking down here, then she was less likely to be bothered by anyone.

There was only one house in the whole row that was occupied. The last one. She�d never seen anybody go in or come out in the two months she�d been here, yet there was always a dim light showing through the gaps in the curtains at night.
She chose the one next door, hoping that whatever kind of heating they used would transfer a little over to where she was. Unfortunately they didn�t seem to use any because she was always freezing at night. At least now summer was here the nights were not quite as cold as when she�d moved in.

The house had cold running water and a loo that worked. Sometimes she would find old crates or pieces of broken furniture dumped in the back alley. This she would break up and take back to the house to burn in the fireplace when it was really cold.
Lou had a couple of old pans and when the fire was lit she would boil water and wash herself from top to toe. It also meant she could eat warm food, when she had any that was.
Once she started her job tomorrow she�d be able to buy proper food, and maybe a bag of coal from the shop round the corner.

Lou was very resilient and not afraid of hard work. By walking the back streets she found a table and chair, an old sofa and some blankets. It was amazing what others threw away. She had a sweeping brush, and some odd plates and cups. She had a torch and a radio too, but no batteries. Still, she kept them. Maybe her money would stretch to batteries eventually.
Deciding to get an early night, she settled down on the sofa and pulled the blankets over herself. She had an early start. Three streets away was the garage where she would be working. It opened at six am and she needed to be there at five. Her job was to wash the pumps and sweep the forecourt. Then she had to empty the bins and sweep the shop floor. The man said he would pay her at the end of each week if she did a good job. Lou was going to make sure she did her best ever.

Never one to ponder on things, it didn�t take long to fall asleep.

Three weeks later and Lou looked well fed. She even managed to save a bit of her meagre earnings and kept it hidden under a floorboard beneath the sofa.

Mr Key, the man she worked for was good to her. He thought she just came from a very poor family and Lou had no intention of letting him know she lived rough.

Mr Key also thought Lou was a boy. She kept her hair short and wore loose clothes that hid her undernourished, scrawny body well.

Each week she was given two bags of coal in payment for cleaning out the toilets. Every morning he let her take the sandwiches and pies that were left in the fridge from the day before and sometimes he would give her sweets and crisps that were past their sell by date.
Lou took everything she was offered. It meant she could save on paying out for more food. Sometimes she scoured the charity shops, picking up reasonable clothes for next to nothing and even a pair of curtains. The windows were boarded up at the front and she didn�t really need the curtains, but Lou thought it looked more homely with them up so she nailed them to the window frame.

Using a lump of wood to hammer in the nails she was surprised when she heard someone banging at the front door.

Climbing down from the arm of the sofa, she crept to the side of the front door.

Again someone knocked loudly and she almost jumped out of her skin. No one knew where she lived. Why would anyone be here? Maybe if she was quiet they�d go away.
When the door suddenly flew open and a tall dark figure stepped over the threshold Lou nearly pissed herself.
Who is in there?� Demanded a deep voice.
Lou, who until that moment had been frozen to the spot, ran to the sofa. �GO AWAY.� She shouted. �GET OUT AND LEAVE ME ALONE.�

~~~

The students had finally gone and Severus Snape made a final check of his dungeon rooms before shrinking his trunk and placing it in his pocket.

He�d looked forward to getting away from Hogwarts for the next three months. No more ignoramuses to spoil his days and no more Albus Dumbledore telling him to stop taking so many points from bloody Gryffindor.
He would have preferred to go to his manor, or one of the other many other Prince residences scattered across Europe. But the Dark Lord knew nothing about them, and Snape intended to keep it that way.

Instead he was heading for the seedy little house that once belonged to his long dead, but still loathed muggle father.
Spinners End must be one of the most run down, depressing streets in a whole neighbourhood of rundown depressing streets. Still, the Dark Lord knew of it�s existence and that is where he would expect Snape to be.

At least it would be peaceful. Severus had put up so many wards in the area, deterrents mostly. Anyone even thinking of entering the street would soon remember that they needed to be elsewhere. His was the only house for three streets that was occupied. The torches would light themselves each evening at dusk, extinguishing again at around two am. Just as an added precaution.
The larder was always well stocked, as was his liquor cabinet. There was no shortage of books and he had a well equipped lab in the cellar.
He�d been here for five weeks, but today he was sure he heard noises from the house next door. He shrugged it off, with all the wards he�d put up there was no way anyone would have taken up residence there. Beside, the place was still boarded up.
Sitting down with a beef sandwich the size of a doorstep, he was just about to take a bite when it started.

Thud. Thud. Bang. Bang. Bang.

�What the fuck ��
Putting down the sandwich he got to his feet and stood next to the fireplace, his wand aimed at the grate. When the noises started again he was surprised to discover that in fact they weren�t coming from the floo, but from next door.

�No. It�s not possible.� He thought. But sure enough, Bang, bang, bang.
Taking one last longing look at his sandwich, he frowned and marched to the front door. He took down the wards and stepped out, took the couple of steps necessary to stand in front of the next house and hammered on the door.
The banging stopped but no one answered. Severus knocked hard again. Still no reply. He knew damned well that someone was in there, someone that should not have been. A quick look at the still boarded windows told him that.
�Using his wand and a non-verbal �Allohamora� the door flew open.

Snape caught a flash of someone hurtling across the room and bounding over a sofa.

~~~

I have no idea why you are here, but you are leaving right now.� Said Severus.
�No. Get lost. This is my place, not yours. You�ve got no right breaking in here.�
�You are the one who should not be here. I am certain that were I to call the local constabulary, you would be the one who was found guilty of breaking and entering.�
�Of what? Look, just get lost you old perv. There�s nothing here for you.�
�Perv! Did he just call me a perv?� �Why you ��
He took a step towards him and he shoved the sofa into his legs.
�NO!� She screamed. �GO AWAY. JUST GO AWAY.�

Lou scrabbled at the loose floorboard, pulled out her small stash of savings and stuffed it into her pocket. She ran to the window and clawed at the edges of the frame, trying desperately to get a fix on the edge of the board that covered the window. If she could get the board out of the way she could escape before the old perv got her.
Severus aimed his wand at the sofa and it flew across the room into the fireplace, sending cold ashes and soot flying everywhere.
Lou turned from the window in shock as the tall man walked in her direction.

She crouched and grabbed the lump of wood she�d used to hammer in the nails earlier and held it in front of her.

�You lay one finger on me and I�ll bash your head in. I will, I�m not joking.� She told him, trying not to let the tremble in her voice be too obvious.
Severus stood and looked at him. He was shocked to see a young boy threatening him.

�Put that down you stupid boy. What are you doing in here? Why are you not at home with your parents?�
�This is my home and your not invited. And I�m not stupid. I don�t know what you want, but I haven�t got it. Now get lost.� Lou waved the piece of wood around a bit in front of her, just to show him she meant business.
�What I want, is for you to leave this place and not return. What I want is my peace and quiet back. Now I do not know why you are here, or even indeed how you got inside this house, but you are not welcome. So leave.�
�You can�t tell me to leave. I�ve been here for weeks. It�s not even your house. You leave, your not welcome. And you�ve messed everything up. Look at it.�

Both of them looked round the room. The few meagre possessions Lou had, were covered in ash and soot. Even her neatly stacked pile of clothes were now covered in soot. This is everything I have and you�ve ruined it.� she wailed. �Just go away to wherever you came from and leave me alone.�
�Too bad about your things, but you are still leaving. You have five minutes to gather up your belongings and then I shall call the police.�

�There, that should shift him.� he thought with a smirk.
�No, you can�t do that. It�s not fair. Besides, I�ve got nowhere else to go.�

�Try home, it is not my problem. Now move.� he growled.
Lou stared at him in disbelief. �Do you really think I�d be dossed down here if I had a home. I haven�t got anywhere else. Cant you understand? This is where I live. I have a job and I ��

�Spare me the details.� Severus drawled. �I am really not interested. Now just pack your things and go. I am quickly losing my patience.�
Lou let out a frustrated yell and flew at him with her piece of wood. He was not going to throw her out. He wasn�t.
A second later she found herself flat on her back and unable to move anything but her eyes. She was stiff as a board. �Shit. Fuck and Bugger.� She thought. What happened. Oh God, I�m paralysed. �He�s done something and I�m paralysed.�

Lou looked at him wild eyed as he stood towering over her.
�Now. Are you going to behave and do as you are told. Or am I going to have to throw you out bodily?�
�He�s bloody insane. How can I do anything when I can�t even bloody move?�

She saw him wave a stick at her and all of a sudden she could move again. Lou scrambled to her hands and feet and scrambled to the far corner where her clothes were kept. �Y �you stay away from me you. You�re weird.�
�I have been called worse things believe me. Now I�m growing tired of this. GET YOUR THINGS AND GET OUT.�
�It�s not fair.� She muttered to her self as she tried to gather up her clothes in her arms. �I�m not hurting anyone. It�s not as if it�s even your house.�

Lou tried to pick up her blankets but dropped most of her clothes in the process. �Shit.�
�You have a dirty mouth for one so young. And why on earth don�t you put your things into a suitcase or a box?�
�Because I haven�t got one. Everything I have is here. Everything.� She finished more quietly. Laying one of the blankets on the floor she started laying her clothes on top of it. Adding her two pans and the three books she owned, Lou slung a satchel over her shoulder, gathered the ends of the blanket and lifted it as best she could.

�Where am I supposed to go?�
�That is not my concern, you know where the door is.� Severus watched as the boy half carried, half dragged the large bundle to the door. Once he was out of sight, he turned to follow.
Lou trudged down the street, wondering if she could find somewhere nearby where she�d feel as secure as she did here. Well, secure until tall, dark and pervy showed up.
Severus flicked his wand and cleaned up the mess. He could see how he�d tried to make the place habitable. Once the soot and ash cleared, the room was actually clean. He was surprised. He repaired the door and took a look in the kitchen, that too was spotless, if somewhat dilapidated. A quick peek in the bathroom showed it too was clean. �Hmm, unusual for a squatter.� He thought.

Once outside he locked the front door, again using non verbal magic and stepped back inside his own modest domicile.

Noticing his sandwich on the living room table he sat down, forgetting all about the boy/girl as he ate with relish.

~~~

Lou made it to the end of the street and looked back. She moved round the corner and watched as the man came out of HER house and pointed that stick again. Now what was she supposed to do? When he walked into the house next door she dropped her bundle and sat on it, her head in her hands as she looked down the empty street.
Maybe she could sneak back in when it got dark. It was probably her hammering that alerted him she was in there. Well bugger the curtains. She didn�t need the damned things. But she did need her food. And that was her furniture in there, why should she give it up. She liked it here, and it was handy for her to go to work.

Lou dragged her bundle into the side alley and settled down to wait.
When the sun started to go down she got up and dragged her bundle back along the street and tried to open the door. �Shit. He�s managed to lock the damned thing.�

Picking up her bundle again she hauled it over her shoulder, nearly falling backwards with the momentum, then moved past the perv�s house to go round the back.
Once she got to the back gate she put down her things and stood on them so she could reach the top of the high gate. Getting a firm hold she swung her leg up and pulled herself over, dropping down the other side and landing on a pile of garbage. As soon as she�d dragged it all out of the way she unbolted the gate, dragged her bundle through and bolted it again.
The back door was locked too and she was getting frustrated. Looking round she noticed the small window to the kitchen. It was open. She�d opened it that morning to let some air through the place. None of the back windows were boarded.

Clutching the window frame, she got a foothold on the sill and pulled herself up, opened the upper window wider and pulled some more.

It took a fair bit of wriggling and shuffling before she landed head first in the old porcelain sink. But she was in. �YES.� She cried and slapped her hand over her mouth. The last thing she needed was for him next door to hear her. He�d only come and throw her out again.
After drawing back the bolts on the back door, Lou brought her things inside and bolted it again. She was surprised when she walked into the living room and found it clean. It looked as it did before her sofa went flying into the fireplace. �How did he do that?�

Apart from what she�d taken with her, everything was spotless.

TBC
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