Harry waited anxiously in the squeaky chair in the waiting room of the Ministry Apprenticeship office. He nervously fidgeted, wondering what auror he would be apprenticed to. He desperately wanted to be in the apprenticeship of Tonks… they had always gotten along well enough anyhow, but thought that Kingsley wouldn’t be half bad either. He’d put the forms in three days after he’d graduated, knowing that Tonks was in the market for a new apprentice. Surely since he’d been called in after only a week, he would be placed with her.

He wasn’t sure just what kind of magical bond it was that would be placed on him and Tonks… or his other Auror Master, but Hermione had told him that the bond between Apprentice and Master was unbreakable, and could only be given up by the Master. This was to ensure that only when the Master was satisfied with the Apprentice’s work that he or she would be released into the working world, fully capable and trained.

“What are you in for?”

Harry turned to the girl next to him. “Excuse me?”

“What apprenticeship are you going for?”

“Oh,” Harry said, wiping his sweaty hands on his best black slacks. “Auror.”

“Wow,” she said. “That sounds like such a scary job! I couldn’t imagine.”

Harry took her in, noticing that she wasn’t from his year in school. “What are you going for then? When did you graduate Hogwarts?”

“Oh, I want to be an apothecary. I always liked brewing potions. I was three years ahead of you in Hufflepuff. I had to wait to pass some more NEWTS in order to meet the Apothecary requirements.”

“Which ones were required for that apprenticeship?” Suddenly Harry was glad for the conversation to get his mind off of waiting. He didn’t like being anxious. He hadn’t been this anxious since he’d been sitting around in his dormitory waiting for the attack on the castle to begin in his sixth year.

“Well, Potions of course, and then Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense and Arithmancy.”

“Mine too… those are the same for the Auror’s Program. My friend made me sign up for Arithmancy my fifth year… I was behind so she spent ages tutoring me.”

“Bet you’re glad though, because now you got accepted into your program.”

“Yeah,” Harry admitted, suddenly very thankful that Hermione had stayed up all night with him three days a week for two years catching him up. “I sure lost a lot of sleep over it though,” he added thoughtfully.

“Jennifer Diggle!” The receptionist was calling and the girl Harry was talking to rose from her seat.

“Wish me luck!” Harry smiled and nodded.

“Good luck. See you around.”

She smiled and moved off to accept the parchment the receptionist was trying to give her. Jennifer took it, gave a slightly confused look, but then was back to smiling as she moved off and out to the rest of the Ministry.

“Harry Potter!” The receptionist wasted no time in calling Harry’s name.

“Here you are Mr. Potter,” she told him as he stood and went to her. “Now before you take this parchment, you understand that once you are apprenticed you are under the full authority of your Master?” Harry nodded, realizing that she had said ‘he’ meaning he had definitely not been placed with Tonks. “Only he can release you from your duties. A magical bond will be formed between the two of you upon your acceptance of this parchment.” She held it just out of his reach until he nodded and said that he understood and would accept the responsibility.

“Very good then Mr. Potter. Here is the location of where you are to meet your Master.” She handed him the parchment and Harry felt his hands tingle as soon as he touched it. No wonder the girl had looked confused for a moment.

Harry looked down at the parchment as the receptionist went back to her desk. The address was 42 St. Bedes Ave, Blackpool.

“Wait,” he said to stop her. “Who am I with?”

“I’m sorry Mr. Potter, but I’m not privy to that knowledge. All they give me is your name and an address. You’ll meet your master there and go on assignment.”

Harry nodded. That made sense. They wanted to get him out on assignment with the aurors right away. There had probably been some magical crime there in Blackpool and they wanted him there to help. “Thanks,” he said, and strode out.

Once he was up on the street level he focused his attention to apparating himself to Blackpool. He’d never apparated that far before. To be exact he hadn’t apparated much at all until a few weeks ago when he passed his Apparation test and got his license.

Concentrating hard he imagined scrunching himself up into a ball and appearing in an alley in Blackpool. He felt his entire body squeeze uncomfortably and when he opened his eyes again he was in a dark, quiet alley behind some kind of Muggle shopping center.

He looked down at the parchment clutched in his hand again. He’d never been to Blackpool before and had no idea where St. Bedes Ave was.

Harry made his way to the main street and asked a man carrying a bag of groceries, “Sorry, but do you know where St. Bedes Ave is?”

He shook his head as he walked by. “Sorry, no.”

Harry approached a woman with a screaming child next. “Do you know where St. Bedes Ave is?”

She thought as she held the small child tightly so that he wouldn’t fall from her arms as he squirmed. “Hm,” she said. “We’re on Lytham… follow this North ‘til you hit Waterloo and take a left. Bedes is on the right.”

“Thanks,” he said gratefully, and moved off. It didn’t seem like a bad place, and if it had been closer to the Ministry Harry might have gotten a flat in Blackpool.

Harry found his way to Waterloo Road and then found St. Bedes Ave not far down it on the right. He pulled out his parchment again and started looking for number 42. This street was not nearly as busy as the one he had just left. There were a few shops but they looked older. Harry came to the next cross street without finding the address he was looking for. Confused, he found himself at the corner of St. Bedes and St. Bedes… thinking he may have the wrong street he turned right and continued on his search. Now there were large brick buildings on one side of the street and a few more small shops on the others. Harry watched the numbers as he went past. 34, 36, 38, 40, 44… wait, where was 42? Harry squinted around him and after a moment saw the shop squeezed in between 46 and 48… it was definitely magical. It had a small window in the front and read “Apothecary.”

“Hm…” maybe there had been a magical accident or something and the aurors needed his help fixing it? No, but that was for the magical reversal squad to do. Harry pushed the shop door open and found a single dusty counter in the front. There were a few shelves lined with dusty bottles of tonic and other things behind it. It looked as if the shop had not been up kept in a very long time.

“Hello?” Harry wondered where his Master was or if perhaps he had shown up early.

“Come into the back,” came a muffled voice from a door that Harry had not yet noticed behind the counter.

Wary of if perhaps this was a test to see how prepared he was, Harry pulled out his wand and cautiously made his way to the back room.

A man with black billowing robes had his head in a cabinet and seemed to be organizing things. “Are you my apprentice?” Hearing the voice better, Harry didn’t like what he heard. It sounded a little too familiar.

“Professor?”

Suddenly Severus Snape’s head popped out of the cabinet and he stood straight, his lip curling at the sight of Harry. “What are you doing here Potter?” He sounded annoyed, as usual.

Harry held up his parchment with the address to show the Potion’s Master. “The Apprenticeship office gave me this… they said I was supposed to meet an auror here for my training…” Even as Harry said this his stomach felt queasy.

“No aurors here Potter. Now get out.”

Harry didn’t move and Snape sneered at him. “Don’t just stand there Potter. Move!” He pushed his way past Harry and Harry finally moved so that he could get through. There wasn’t much room in the back room because it was filled with boxes and other things scattered about.

“I think there’s been a mistake,” Harry said, feeling lightheaded.

“Obviously Potter,” Snape spat. “But that’s not my problem now is it?”

Snape looked up at Harry again and put his hands on his hips. He held out his hand for the parchment, thinking that if he acted like he cared Potter might actually get out of his shop. As soon as he took the parchment however his hands tingled and he froze in place.

“This is where they told me to come sir,” Harry said quietly. “I was supposed to be with an auror… there was this girl next to me… she said she was going to be an apothecary… they called her up before me. I think there’s been a terrible mix-up.”

Severus rolled his eyes. “What have you done Potter?” Though his voice was low Harry could feel the anger radiating from the man. “You have gone and apprenticed yourself to me!?” He threw the paper down.

“But you can just release me from the apprenticeship and I can go back and try again!” Harry thought quickly out loud, hopeful that this was indeed the case.

“Think again Potter. By magical contract and law I can only do so after you have met my standards for the job of apothecary!” He spat this out at him in a fury.

“What about the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad?” Harry asked frantically. “This was all a mistake… I didn’t mean to be your apprentice! Can’t they undo the magic?”

Snape shook his head. “This is old magic Potter and in order for you to get the paper you had to agree to the binding magic, which means the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad cannot help.”

Harry groaned. “Well, all right then. How long does this sort of apprenticeship usually take?” Harry thought that he could handle a few weeks of this if it meant he could go back and get an auror apprentiship eventually.

“Generally between two and four years Potter.” Harry groaned again. He had just finished four years of Potions with the poisonous man… he didn’t think he could handle even another two.

“And what if I quit and break the bond?”

Snape eyed him wearily, thinking that it would be a better alternative to spending any amount of time with Harry Potter. “Death,” he said simply.

Harry’s breath caught in his chest. Somebody else was off doing his apprenticeship and he was stuck there with Severus Snape, Dungeon bat.

“You can’t even run an apothecary,” Harry said. “You work at Hogwarts!”

“Correction Potter, I own this apothecary and run it during the summer months. While I am away at Hogwarts my apprentice runs it. My old apprentice has just finished her apprenticeship which is why you are here.”

Harry shook his head angrily and stormed out of the room. He was almost to the door to the front when Snape called after him, “You are under bondage to me now and must do as I say or else you will die!”

Despite the warning Harry exited out onto the street, muttering under his breath, “We’ll see about that.”