Delays (Nuriko)

[Severus Snape]

Making his way through the crowded Hogsmeade streets, his heavy cape and robes shielding his thin frame from the brisk wind which wound itself around him as he hurried towards the Hogs Head Pub, Snape, the look on his face as bleak as the landscape surrounding the tiny village, tugged his somewhat threadbare scarf tighter around his neck, the darkness of the scarf highlighting the sallow shade of his skin, beaten even paler by the chill in the air. He wasn’t happy. Then again he was never really happy, today however, he was particularly infuriated with the sudden summons he’d gotten from an old ‘acquaintance’ asking to meet him in the Hogs Head.

He had far more important things to worry about at the moment then playing catch up with a person he wasn’t particularly fond of but the note they had sent to him sounded urgent and considering the state of the school at the moment, no thanks to the blasted Ministry’s interference, he was somewhat grateful to get out. Umbridge was pushing him further and further towards committing a murder, namely hers.

Hurrying along the main road as fast as he could to get out of the bitter wind, Snape took a quick turning down a smaller side street which would cut at least a few minutes off the time it would take him to reach his destination, plus he couldn’t risk being followed. Though he was sure nobody else knew of the letter he’d received, he couldn’t be to careful these days, somehow, things always seemed to get out up at the school, no matter how secretive you were about them and if fate was conspiring against him, no doubt Potter and his friends would be the ones to pursue him.

As the higgledy-piggledy buildings finally began to thin out as he drew closer and closer to the Villages southern boarder, Snape came to a abrupt halt as somebody dashed out of a nearby home and cut across his path.

[Nuriko Elswyth]

Nuriko knocked some boxes down, bringing the collapsed cages within them clattering to the floor. She sighed, growled, and jumped, grabbing at the parrot as he flew low over her head. “Gateway!” She swore, an impressive array of words from the short young woman. Finally she caught the bird, spreading strong fingers gently over the bird’s wings, trapping them.

“Its really a miracle.” She commented, putting the parrot in his cage and conjuring up a padlock. “This should hold you, though.” She snapped it, then descended to the main floor of her shop. Now’s a good time to go out.. she mused, not wasting time as she snagged her cloak, dashing out the door.

“Aaaghhh…” As she moved to drape it around her shoulders the wind caught it, swirling it over her face and blinding her. Her feet, so sure when she had sight, hesitated now that it was cut off, and she stumbling into something warm and solid. Fighting the cloak, she got her arms briefly trapped before she got it under control, hesitantly lowering it to see who… she was fairly sure no “whats” had been left in the middle of the street… she had run into. The pale, dark man she saw was unfamiliar to her, and she offered a conciliatory grin. “Oh, I’m sorry…”