"It's been a long time, Severus." Madam Rosmerta set the tray down on the table and cheerfully pulled out a chair to sit.
Her long, chestnut hair flowed down to her waist, and her wine-red lips curled into a sultry smile.
Turning to Pandora, she said, "Little one, your Butterbeer, as usual."
Madam Rosmerta carried with her a distinctive floral fragrance. In the warmth of the pub, that scent drifted toward Snape like a cool breeze, filling his nose.
"Try this." With graceful fingers, Madam Rosmerta pinched the cork, gave her wrist a quick twist, and with a soft pop, pulled it free. She poured some of the amber-like mead into two glasses. "Have a drink, I've got to get back to the bar right after."
"Thank you, Madam." Snape nodded slightly, lifted his glass, and tapped it gently against hers.
The oak's aroma and the honey's sweetness intertwined and lingered on his tongue. He had never tasted such delicious mead before, but he liked it very much.
"That's not fair," a muffled voice interrupted, "I want to drink with you too!"
Mundungus was clenching a filthy black pipe between his teeth, slapping the table hard.
"Shut it, Mundungus!" Madam Rosmerta snapped sharply without even turning her head. "If you want to get yourself banned from the Three Broomsticks as well, then keep pounding those dirty hands of yours!"
"Cough, cough." Mundungus sucked hard on his pipe, inhaling a mouthful of ash that sent him into a violent fit of coughing. His face turned bright red as he quickly pulled his hands back.
He had already been banned from The Hog's Head last year, and with Aberforth's memory, he'd probably have to disguise himself as a witch to sneak in there again. If he got barred from the Three Broomsticks too, he'd have nowhere left to go.
Once he'd stopped coughing, Mundungus stuffed the pipe back into his pocket. The smoke faded, but the acrid stench of burnt socks lingered stubbornly in the air.
Madam Rosmerta topped off Snape's glass, left the bottle on the table, and returned to the bar to continue her work.
"Is it good?" Pandora asked curiously, her eyes fixed on the mead in Snape's hand.
"Not bad," Snape replied. "Want to try? I'll get you a new glass."
He stood and went to fetch a clean glass from the bar.
As he passed Mundungus, he caught the man whispering to a hooded wizard beside him.
"Did you hear? Burke's in St. Mungo's," Mundungus hissed through his teeth.
"Oh, I knew that when I stopped by Borgin and Burkes at the start of the month. Borgin said he was sent to the special ward on the fifth floor, where they keep people whose minds have been damaged by magic..." the hooded wizard replied in a low voice.
"Yeah, yeah, the Spell Damage Ward. Burke's always been dabbling in deep, dark stuff. I figured it was only a matter of time before he landed there," Mundungus said with a gloating grin.
"That's good news for us though, isn't it?" the hooded wizard chuckled slyly.
"I'd say so. Borgin may be rotten, but he's still better than Burke. Every time I tried to sell something, Burke always undercut me. Back in July, I brought him a vial of Acromantula venom, and he said it wasn't pure enough, only gave me twenty Galleons for it." Mundungus's jaw quivered in anger as he spoke.
"Oh, come off it. Like I don't know you mixed in something else with that venom..."
"Excuse me," Snape finally interjected, the two of them were rambling more and more. "Were you just talking about Caractacus Burke?"
"Who else? Oh, it's you, kid." Mundungus grumbled irritably, his expression souring. "What do you want, Rosmerta's little man?"
"Mr. Mundungus," Snape said through clenched teeth, forcing himself to ignore the man's revolting stench, "do you know when Caractacus Burke was admitted to St. Mungo's?"
"Ha ha ha, did you hear that?" Mundungus burst into exaggerated laughter, turning to the hooded wizard. "He called me Mister!"
"So, you don't know then?"
"Mind your manners, kid," Mundungus drawled. "But since you called me 'Mister,' I'll be generous enough to tell you.
"It was back in September, Burke's mind went bad. Borgin waited for days, but Burke never showed up to take his shift. Finally, he lost patience and went to check on him.
"And guess what? He found Burke sitting on the floor, clutching his wand, muttering nonsense, 'aba-aba-aba', like a complete idiot.
"If Borgin hadn't gone, Burke probably would've starved to death right there."
"What exactly happened to him?" Snape pressed.
"Dark magic!" Mundungus slammed the table, then immediately hunched his shoulders, glancing nervously toward the bar as though afraid Rosmerta might notice.
After composing himself, he went on, "Borgin said Burke used a Rebound Curse to replay the last spells that wand had cast. Supposedly, it was an ancient and exceptionally evil form of Dark Magic, highly dangerous..."
"It wasn't that simple," the hooded wizard leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Borgin tried to look into Burke's memories, but there was nothing there. Total chaos, like porridge."
"What did the Ministry say?" Snape asked again.
"Pfft." The hooded wizard snorted derisively. "Are you joking? Like Borgin would ever let Aurors poke around Burke's head. For all we know, he might've helped scramble Burke's brains himself."
"Hey, kid," Mundungus said, beckoning Snape over with a lewd grin, lowering his voice, "since I answered all your questions..." He pointed at the empty glass in front of Pandora. "How about you let me have that cup, eh?"
It was the glass Madam Rosmerta had just used, still bearing the crimson imprint of her lips.
Pandora glanced over, clearly wondering why Snape was still lingering there.
"Goodbye." Snape's mouth twitched. He grabbed the empty cup and strode quickly back to Pandora.
"It's delicious," Pandora said, holding the glass of mead Snape poured her. She took a sip, her eyes lighting up. "Mm... even sweeter than Butterbeer."
"But Butterbeer's light malt flavor has its own charm, doesn't it?"
"True. Let's go, let's take a walk somewhere else."
"Oh, wait a moment." Snape drew his wand and murmured, "Evanesco!"
The glass and Butterbeer mug vanished instantly, turned into nothing, into everything.