Severus the Exterminator
During a very slow patch at work, this Bunny leaped upon me. It's very LOOSELY based on the A&E show, "Billy the Exterminator." Many thanks and hugs to Azurerosa for taking the time out of her busy schedule to beta for me. Thanks again!
Severus straightened up and wiped his hands off on a towel he had in his kit. If anyone had told him that he would be doing this after the war ended, he would have been convinced they were insane. As it was there were some days that he had doubts for his own sanity. You see, Severus was what the muggles referred to as an “exterminator.” He made his living removing unwanted vermin for the muggle and magical world both. Amazingly he found it very relaxing and rewarding. Not to mention lucrative.
It wasn’t like he woke up after the war ended and decided, “I want to eradicate vermin!” It just seemed to happen when he wasn’t expecting it and developed a life of it’s own. He actually took great pride in his new career. He formulated the potions he used, supplementing them with magic when and where appropriate. His skills weren’t atrophying, he wasn’t teaching vacant minded adolescents and as the sole owner of “Plague-Con” he was able to choose his hours and his jobs.
It started innocently enough. While he was recovering at St. Mungo’s from his near death experience with Nagini, he found himself inexplicably receiving visitors. At first it was rather unnerving, but as time passed and he was slowly recovering, he found he was enjoying it. He was enjoying the company, which surprised him to no end. He grew to be quite fond of Molly Weasley, of all people! She came to visit him at least three times a week, bringing him food, books, papers and news about how the wizarding world was recovering from the war. When he was finally released to return to Spinners End, she continued her visits. During one visit, she mentioned the trouble she was having keeping the gnomes out of her garden. It seemed that they were getting worse and she was unable to keep up with them. After she left, Severus thought on the problem. Over the next couple of days he came up with a potion that he was convinced would work beautifully and be non-toxic as well. He gave it to Molly on her next visit with instructions as to it’s use and thought no more about it.
It ended up working even better than he had anticipated. Two months later there wasn’t a single gnome plaguing her! She was delighted and insisted upon paying him to keep her supplied with the potion. Molly started recommending him to all her friends who had problems not just with gnomes, but also with any type of pest. Potter even hired him to permanently rid Grimmaud place of all “nasties.” Before he knew it, he had a thriving business. Although it wasn’t necessary that he work thanks to his savings and what Albus left him, he found it amusing. It kept his mind occupied, continuously added to his vault at Gringotts, and still allowed him the luxury of time off when he desired it. He decided upon a name, found a space off Diagon Alley, hired office staff and opened his doors.
After a few days, he realized that his familiar billowing black robes and starched white shirt were not practical anymore. It took a bit of trial and error, but he had worked out what was appropriate and still pleased his sartorial sense. He settled upon black leather trousers, black leather boots, black shirt and black leather vest. The only adornments he wore were a studded leather collar (he wanted no more repeats of his experience with Nagini, thank you very much!) and studded armbands (for the same reason). His hair, which had grown much longer during his convalescence, was pulled back in a sleek ponytail and secured with a leather band. This outfit still stated clearly that he was not to be trifled with just as his robes had and seamlessly fit in with his work. Thusly attired he found himself going to an appointment in Hogsmeade at the Three Broomsticks. He hoped that it was something interesting and a little more challenging than simple rodents.
Severus straightened up and wiped his hands off on a towel he had in his kit. If anyone had told him that he would be doing this after the war ended, he would have been convinced they were insane. As it was there were some days that he had doubts for his own sanity. You see, Severus was what the muggles referred to as an “exterminator.” He made his living removing unwanted vermin for the muggle and magical world both. Amazingly he found it very relaxing and rewarding. Not to mention lucrative.
It wasn’t like he woke up after the war ended and decided, “I want to eradicate vermin!” It just seemed to happen when he wasn’t expecting it and developed a life of it’s own. He actually took great pride in his new career. He formulated the potions he used, supplementing them with magic when and where appropriate. His skills weren’t atrophying, he wasn’t teaching vacant minded adolescents and as the sole owner of “Plague-Con” he was able to choose his hours and his jobs.
It started innocently enough. While he was recovering at St. Mungo’s from his near death experience with Nagini, he found himself inexplicably receiving visitors. At first it was rather unnerving, but as time passed and he was slowly recovering, he found he was enjoying it. He was enjoying the company, which surprised him to no end. He grew to be quite fond of Molly Weasley, of all people! She came to visit him at least three times a week, bringing him food, books, papers and news about how the wizarding world was recovering from the war. When he was finally released to return to Spinners End, she continued her visits. During one visit, she mentioned the trouble she was having keeping the gnomes out of her garden. It seemed that they were getting worse and she was unable to keep up with them. After she left, Severus thought on the problem. Over the next couple of days he came up with a potion that he was convinced would work beautifully and be non-toxic as well. He gave it to Molly on her next visit with instructions as to it’s use and thought no more about it.
It ended up working even better than he had anticipated. Two months later there wasn’t a single gnome plaguing her! She was delighted and insisted upon paying him to keep her supplied with the potion. Molly started recommending him to all her friends who had problems not just with gnomes, but also with any type of pest. Potter even hired him to permanently rid Grimmaud place of all “nasties.” Before he knew it, he had a thriving business. Although it wasn’t necessary that he work thanks to his savings and what Albus left him, he found it amusing. It kept his mind occupied, continuously added to his vault at Gringotts, and still allowed him the luxury of time off when he desired it. He decided upon a name, found a space off Diagon Alley, hired office staff and opened his doors.
After a few days, he realized that his familiar billowing black robes and starched white shirt were not practical anymore. It took a bit of trial and error, but he had worked out what was appropriate and still pleased his sartorial sense. He settled upon black leather trousers, black leather boots, black shirt and black leather vest. The only adornments he wore were a studded leather collar (he wanted no more repeats of his experience with Nagini, thank you very much!) and studded armbands (for the same reason). His hair, which had grown much longer during his convalescence, was pulled back in a sleek ponytail and secured with a leather band. This outfit still stated clearly that he was not to be trifled with just as his robes had and seamlessly fit in with his work. Thusly attired he found himself going to an appointment in Hogsmeade at the Three Broomsticks. He hoped that it was something interesting and a little more challenging than simple rodents.