I tried writing this storyline once before, about two years ago. I only wrote one chapter and it can still be found on this site under the author name grace83014 and the title "A New War". I would continue on from there, but I can't log in to that account anymore. I tried for about an hour, gave up, and re-made my account. I will be starting fresh with this idea, instead of copying directly from my old one.
This idea has been in my head for two years now so I've had plenty of time to expand upon it and plan out what I want to happen.
Summary:It is 16 years after the Second Wizarding War. Harry Potter is living a quiet and happy life with Ginny and their children in Godric's Hollow. In America, sixteen-year-old twins Seraphoena and Alec Snape live in an orphanage, attending Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. American Wizarding curriculum is strongly against teaching students about the Second Wizarding War. American wizards were not involved in the war, although it was well-known that they were overall against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Their philosophy is that if students do not know about the war over blood purity, they will have no concept of classism, discrimination, and violence. Therefore, the children of Severus Snape have no idea about their heritage, who their parents are, or where they came from. This story is about how they find their true home, their place in the wizarding world, and their place in Harry Potter's life. Unfortunately, the Snape children find out much more than they would like to about purity, and they find that not everyone holds their father in high regards, especially those with dark intentions who managed to avoid Azkaban the past 16 years.
All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
Please read this!Seraphoena and Alec strongly resemble their father. I do not want to have to speak too much about their appearance in my story, so I will give you an idea of what they look like. In this story I will touch on who their mother was, but as for now just know that she was a wizard from Germany, with tan skin and blue eyes. Both Snape children inherit this quality from their mother, but everything else is Severus in full. Seraphoena is slender and petite with long legs, tan skin, blue eyes, and hair as black as you can imagine. Her hair comes almost to her waist. She has a smaller nose than her father, as does her brother. Alec is tall like his father, tan skin, blue eyes, short black hair, and a perfect smile. It is very clear that these two are Snape's children. Imagine if Alan Rickman had children all by himself, but they came out tan, blue eyed, and with a smaller nose. Just try. LOL
Okay, NOW on to the story.
Chapter 1 – O.W.L.s
Seraphoena woke up paranoid, scared, and excited all at once. Her entire school career had led to this moment. She had practiced, studied, cried, and worried over this moment for the past five years. Today, she along with her fellow fifth-year classmates would be taking their O.W.L. tests.
She was positive that none of her classmates took this as seriously as she did; not even those in her house, Horned Serpent, which is where all the intelligent scholars are sorted.
It seemed as though everyone thought they could just fly through the exam and hope for the best. That was not good enough for Sera. She had always been studious, staying up late at night to study and better her reading, arithmetic, and science knowledge. Once she found out she was a wizard, that did not change. The subjects she studied most certainly changed, however her love for knowledge did not.
Sera and her twin brother, Alec, had grown up in an orphanage in Georgia. From what they were told, they were dropped off there just hours after they were born. No one knows who brought them there, because whoever did so sat them on the doorstep in their carriers, knocked on the door, and left.
The twins knew they were different from the other children in the orphanage. Whenever they were happy or upset, strange things would happen. They had few friends there, and very rarely wandered out of their room.
Sera and Alec had just turned eleven when they heard a knock on their bedroom door, and a strange woman named Madame Avery walked in. It had taken her exactly seven hours to convince the twins that they were wizards. Since then, they had never been happier.
Every September, the twins were retrieved from the orphanage by Madame Avery and brought to Ilvermorny. The ten months they spent at school were their favorite. Sera and Alec dreaded June's arrival, because it meant they had to leave their magic behind and go back to the orphanage, hiding who they truly are. Everyone at the orphanage believes that they were selected for a special boarding school in the northern part of the country, and other than that, no one really talks to them besides to let them know when dinner is ready.
Sera and Alec did not mind this. They had always relied on each other for company and friendship. This did not change when they were at school. Although they had been sorted into different houses, and had made their own close friends, they always knew where the other was when they needed them.
Seraphoena jumped out of bed and grabbed her robes. She needed a shower before her tests to clear her head. She walked through the dorm and into the bathroom, and hurriedly jumped in the shower. After drying off and using her wand to dry and style her long hair, she threw on her robes and headed to the common room.
She had barely made it to the bottom of the stairs when she saw her best friend of five years, Arabella.
"Sera! I was wondering when you would wake up. I wasn't able to sleep last night at all. I've been down here studying all night so I wouldn't wake you." Arabella said, running up to her.
"Really? You should've gotten some sleep!" Seraphoena scolded. "You don't want to be falling asleep during the practical!"
"Yeah, yeah. Oh well. I'm just hoping some coffee and fresh air will keep me awake. As long as I get an Exceeds Expectations in all the subjects, I think I'll be happy." Arabella replied.
Sera smiled and shook her head. Arabella had been her best friend since first year, when they met at the Sorting Ceremony. They were happy to find out they had not only been sorted into the same house, but were roommates as well. Arabella and Seraphoena were complete opposites, almost. Arabella was thin, blonde, and the definition of beautiful. She was studious, but not as much so as Sera. She tended to spend a short amount of time studying before her mind went off into another world, usually boys or clothes. She was one of the lucky people that just had everything come naturally to her, no studying required. The two girls were considered the most popular in their school, because not only were they beautiful, but they were smart, friendly, and happy.
"Well, if I don't get Outstanding in everything I think I may throw myself off the tower to be honest. I've been studying nonstop for five years, and to think I could lose it all today." Seraphoena sighed.
"Don't even start that shit. You'll blow everyone else's scored out of the water for sure. You need to calm it down! And then tomorrow when it's all over, we can plan when you'll be coming to stay with me this summer." Arabella smiled. She sat back down at the table, trying to get back into her Transfiguration textbook.
Seraphoena sighed and sat on the couch across from her friend. The common room was quiet, because the test did not start for another hour. Everyone was either at breakfast or still in bed. Sera didn't think she could stand even the thought of eating right now.
She wasn't thinking of the test anymore; she was thinking about how after tomorrow, she would be packing her bags and heading back to the orphanage. Everyone in their school knew where she and Alec lived, she wasn't necessarily ashamed of it. She always enjoyed going to South Carolina to stay at Arabella's house for a week during the summer. Ara always tried to convince her to stay longer, but Sera couldn't stand leaving her brother alone for so long. Another reason was that she didn't have much money. The older children in the orphanage were allowed to do chores around the building in order to make money, but it was not an extravagant amount. Sera and Alec spent their summers doing that so they wouldn't go crazy being in the orphanage all the time. They used their money to go to the movies and buy what clothes they could afford. The school fund paid for their robes, their wand, and their books thankfully. Seraphoena did not have the money to stay in South Carolina for two weeks straight, especially not when Arabella's favorite activities involved spending money.
Seraphoena was very thankful for her best friend and her family. Every summer, Arabella and her parents drove to Georgia to pick Sera up and bring her to their house. They offered to pay her way during whatever activities they did, and they always made her breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Arabella's mother was a muggle, and her father was a wizard. They were probably the nicest people that Sera had ever met. Sometimes she became jealous that she never had a family like that.
"Okay, so I was thinking maybe July first we pick you up, and we can bring you back on the eighth." Arabella said, bringing Seraphoena out of her thoughts.
"That sounds good." Sera smiled. That would give her almost three weeks to make money.
"Shit. Time to go." Ara said, glancing at the clock. The test started in fifteen minutes.
Seraphoena got up and followed her friend to the Transfiguration Hall. Unfortunately, Ilvermorny decided that all O.W.L. testing should be done in one day, instead of like other wizarding schools that spanned the test out along the week. This made for lots of stress and lots of commotion.
The Transfiguration O.W.L. was first. Seraphoena and Arabella walked into the classroom, finding about thirty other fifth years already there.
After ten minutes, a lady none of them had seen before, probably from the Ministry, stood up in front of them.
"Good morning class. As you know, this is the Transfiguration portion of your test. There are one hundred written questions, and you have exactly forty-five minutes to complete this. After that, you will follow me across the hall, where you will take your practical exam." The lady waved her wand, and a test booklet appeared in front of every student. "You may begin…now."
Seraphoena pulled out her quill, took a deep breath, and began writing.